"A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself."

-D.H. Lawrence

A series of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters carried a total of eleven black-clad young kats and kittens each, all ranging from anywhere between 17 and 25. Each had their gear in a backpack that weighed a good forty pounds, and some of them already felt the strain. There were those that were here because their parents wanted them to get straightened out.

They were going to feel the pain very quickly.

There were others who wanted a stable, paying job, having just left college, and decided that this would be the way to go. Considering where they were headed, they would consider this an interview of sorts. Of course, not all of them would make it, but those that did were going to be quite happy campers. That was, when they stopped hurting.

And there were still others who wanted to enter the Enforcers, to defend their city from that which would corrupt and destroy it. They were patriotic, they were fiercely passionate, and they thought they could hack it. Of course, what one thinks they can do is limited by whether they could actually do it, how well they could do it, and how quickly. All three were factors that determined victory and defeat in a combat situation.

They would soon have those three factors tested to the utmost.

For one however, it was a simple test of will. She was quiet, reserved, and did not speak unless spoken to. The golden-haired, green eyed she-kat had a calm soothing voice and a seemingly gentle nature about her. While she appeared unassuming however, she had been training for the last four days for this, and had direct experience from those who used to be high-grade Enforcers themselves.

She had an advantage, but frankly it wasn't much.

In total, there were sixty-six hopefuls in six Black Hawks. Sixty-six who thought they could make it through five days of sheer, pure evil. They would be cussed at, ridiculed, constantly evaluated. They would be pushed to their limits, and then past. They would be broken down to their basic elements, left helpless, and then rebuilt from the ground up.

Then again, that was if they didn't run away first.

As the transport helicopters flew overhead, the she-kat looked down at the water, her green eyes silently reflecting back on what she had been told. It would not be easy. It was not a vacation. This was real, and this would hurt. No matter how much she trained, she would not be ready. Everything, no matter how repetitive it became, should be taken as if it were done and experienced for the first time.

Keeping that in mind, her facial expression turned solemn. It wasn't a depressed look, but one of resolve. This week was important, especially to her. If she could do this, she could do anything.

If everyone on the helicopter she was currently in knew who she was… or rather, who she used to be… they would perhaps give her special treatment. Others would see her as another kat here to take shit and give it back double. She wondered who would say what and how, but immediately stopped that train of thought.

'Doesn't matter what everyone else thinks,' she said to herself.

With that, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She could feel the nervousness of the volunteers as if it were her own. Come to think of it, it was; despite how ready for this she was, the she-kat was nervous, and thus she could tell that everyone else was as well. But she said nothing, focusing inward and looking down at the scenery.

An island known as Bobcat Isle was located two thousand nautical miles from the mainland. Located in the farther regions of MegaKat Bay, it served as a training facility for employees of KatGuard, as well as the Enforcers. Right now, the base was reserved for the private military company instead of the government-sponsored force, so they had plenty of time to get themselves situated.

Of course, as soon as they touched down, the fun would immediately begin. If one could call something like this fun. A few would, and they were not in their right minds.

But then again, maybe that was the point. Maybe one did have to leave their so-called 'right mind' behind for all this. Either way, whatever coping method they used, it would either come in handy… or be their downfall.

Kanto the Slayer presents

A SWAT Kats Fanfiction

SWAT Kats: Endgame

Four days ago.

Callie Briggs lay with Chance for about the umpteenth time now, sharing his bed for what would be one of the last times for a while. "So what's up with this training thing you're going to have me go through?" She smiled and said, "If it's anything like what you've been showing me, I think I can hack it."

Chance sighed and sat up, looking into her eyes. Those eyes that she would show to only him, and Jake and Felina as well. Anyone else would get the cold, hard, businesslike version of that same gaze that haunted him. "It's not like what I've been running you through. Like I said, I'm just getting you ready." He ran a hand through her hair and said, "The first day of this whole thing, you're going to be put through those same paces, and you're going to put out beautifully. I bet you could run all day, do more exercises than anyone else, and swim like you were the water itself instead of just a fish."

Before she could say anything else, Chance placed a hand on her lips. "But once that first day is over… you won't be ready. You're gonna have everything, including but not limited to the kitchen sink thrown at you. This is a simulation of a combat environment, which means there's gonna be stress, hard labor, lots of noise, survival situations, and just plain ol' taking shit."

She was silent, listening instead of talking. Her mind absorbed every word, and she could feel his worry for her. It wasn't just a mere supposition anymore, but a tangible feeling, a tingling on her skin.

Grateful for her silence, he continued stressing the importance that she took this seriously. "The job of these guys is to test you, to strain you, to put stress on you and see how you respond to it. They will be constantly measuring you and weighing you. A whole lot of kats are going to be leaving before it's over because they have their priorities elsewhere. But if you really want it, nothing else is gonna matter at that time."

She pouted for a moment and said, "Not even you?"

Chance nodded sadly and said, "Not even me. You can't be focused on me, or you, or anyone else and what they have to say. And when I say you can't be focused on you, I mean you can't be focused on your pain, or how early in the morning it is, or how hungry you are. They tell you to do something, you do it and you turn out one hundred and twenty percent."

Well that was a little cold. But Chance had been acting cold to her since they had started this whole training regimen. What was anyone else going to do to her that he had not? The itch between her shoulder blades seemed to trigger at that moment, and she knew the answer immediately. They were going to do worse than he had.

"I understand," she said solemnly. "So then all I have to do is keep following instructions and I won't get yelled at as much?"

Chance shrugged and said, "Well yeah. But you gotta remember something else. If one of your team, and yes, you'll be split into teams sooner or later, doesn't give it his all, everyone else is gonna suffer, including you. But you can't give up just because some sad sack can't handle his part of the weight. You have to push and push and keep pushing, no matter what else happens, because it's not about you."

She nodded and repeated that. "It's not about me…" She laughed and said, "Of course, it's never been about me, has it? Everything I've done, I've done for the city. Recently, everything I've been doing has been for you and Jake, and for Felina. Even this thing I'm doing for myself isn't about me." She shook her head and said, "I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying that it's… kinda funny. It keeps on repeating itself."

Chance smiled and said, "It's because you don't have it in you to turn people away or to quit on your friends." He snuggled against her and said, "That's why I think you're gonna beat this." She nuzzled against his left cheek and said, "Thank you for believing in me."

The big tom nibbled on one of Callie's ears and said, "It's not even half of how much you believed in me."

A smile came to her face as she recalled with perfect detail that night that she had spent with Chance, and the days after. It was no longer such a wonder that such pain could make her smile. It was the feelings attached to the experience that mattered, not the pain itself. She didn't care how early she'd have to wake up- she had done so four times now, and four was enough for her to get moving immediately.

'It's like I have an alarm clock in my head now,' she thought to herself with a chuckle.

The kat next to her, one that seemed to be sulking constantly, looked at her with a raised eyebrow. The toned, tan-skinned tom didn't look anywhere older than nineteen years old, and had tattoos of gang emblems underneath his clothing, located on his left arm. Apparently, his folks had enough of him ending up in jail, and he had been shot at more times than he could remember. Hence, he was here in this Black Hawk.

Callie could feel the stare at the back of her neck. "You got a problem?" She said coolly.

The kat smirked and said, "Yeah, I got a problem. I got a problem with everyone." He continued onward with, "Example: You were laughing to yourself just then. I got a problem with that, because I've known people who did that. They ain't sane."

The blonde looked back towards him and said, "You know what? You might be right about that." She smiled at him, her eyes still entirely impersonal. "We're about to get the shit kicked out of us, you know that? Five days of utter, complete bullshit. And you know what? I can't wait."

Other kats started to listen in now, directing their attention towards her. Some of them thought that she was entirely nuts. But no one spoke for fear of inciting the wrath of the guy that was currently trying to pick a fight.

Said tom chuckled derisively and said, "Yeah… you are crazy. You want my opinion? This is just like prison for me, except my parents sent me here instead of the Enforcers." He grimaced and said, "The only thing I can't wait for is to be out of here and back with my crew."

Callie shrugged and said, "Whatever you say."

His eyes narrowed and said, "Let's get one thing straight, lady. You shouldn't talk to me like that. I tend to get a bit… twitchy when I'm pissed off. It'd be best if you stayed on my good side for this whole thing, and you won't get shanked. Get me?"

She repeated her earlier statement, now with a more marked smirk. "Whatever you say."

So he had done time. So what? She wasn't scared of him or intimidated. She could just as easily throw him out of this helo and say it was an accident, or tell the truth and inform someone that he had attacked her. With the look in her eyes she was sporting, she made it clear that she would not hesitate to do so.

With such a pointed, intense glare, he was forced to break eye contact first and said, "Just stay out of my way."

That wouldn't be possible, and she knew it, so she did not respond. She didn't have time to, anyway- the Black Hawks were approaching their destination. She looked down at the tropical island and took note that it was more than just a base. There were hotels and resorts here. The island was big enough to have a city located there. She wondered if it was officially recognized as a part of MegaKat City, or if this was another place altogether.

But did that matter? Right now, all that she was concerned about was getting done what she had to. The first day would be easy, she knew that. The rest of them would be unpredictable, entirely insane, and full of nothing but pain. She knew that. What she didn't know was who her instructors were. But that wouldn't matter either, would it?

'This isn't' a vacation.' She knew why Chance had said that now. The temptation was certainly there. She could even hear a few of the younger kats on the helicopter talking even now, wondering what they were going to do first or if there were any malls around. She smirked and thought to herself, 'Oh, no. No shopping for you. That illusion is going to get knocked from your eyes very, very quickly.'

With that, she closed her eyes and waited for the landing.

A total of six kats waited below, observing the helos as they made their approach. Oh, this would be a lot of fun- for them, at least. Watching these kats suffer would be a delight and a laugh, and they saw the humor in this situation as much as anyone else with expertise. "They ain't ready," one of them said with a grin.

They all chuckled as another stated, "I'm gonna have me a good time with this group. I bet not a one of them can swim past three hundred feet. And that's not even saying anything about the run."

One however, was silent. He appeared to take a look at each of those choppers with a sort of promise. Everyone riding in them had potential. Whether it was brought out or not depended on if they could handle the stress that was induced upon them during the week. And it wouldn't even be the whole week- just five days of it.

Some of them were here to be 'scared straight', because their parents had sent them to be better role models or just plain shocked into complacency. Others were here looking for work, for an actual, paying job that was worth every penny. He knew the reasons.

The reasons would soon evaporate. Those that didn't belong here could keep those reasons and take them back with them. Those that did would find that why they were here was irrelevant, and by the time it was over, nothing else would matter.

The Black Hawks landed, and two by two they came clamoring out. Sixty-six kats were here, and not all would remain. Then again, that was the process of separating the wheat from the chaff. It was a painful process, but it had to be done to determine who had the mettle to continue.

One of the instructors decided to start things off early. He turned on his megaphone and shouted, "File in, get in line! Let's move, grunts, we ain't got all day! You are on the clock!"

That got them to move faster. Callie had expected something like that, and she took the initiative. Quickly getting in line with everyone else, she stood at attention. As a result, she was one of the first there. The rest was a mass of organized chaos, and while some of them followed suit, others had trouble getting themselves together.

But by the time a total of five minutes had passed, they were lined up and had formed ranks. Five minutes to be honest, was not that bad, but it wasn't good, either. They would have to be much faster in the future, but as it was now they were just getting started. The Black Hawks powered down as they all stood at attention, some of them looking uncomfortable doing so.

The calm, composed kat, a silken black panther who had simply been watching earlier, now walked among the ranks, moving certain kats this way and that for no apparent reason. Then of course, when he was done, those that had never stood at attention before were now much more comfortable. Of course they'd make the same mistakes over and over again, but they would learn.

As soon as he was finished, the process of the engines quieting was over. Silence reigned.

"Rest at ease," he said with a voice that denoted him in his mid-forties. It was a baritone, somewhat of a growl, and it commanded respect. Those that knew how did. The others tried to emulate, but they couldn't be entirely relaxed. "My name is Captain Marcus Puma. I served with the Enforcers for twenty years before I was downed by an incident that almost cost me my life."

It was still quiet enough to hear a pin drop. No one moved, no one breathed. Only half were actually listening, one of which was Callie.

"That incident was a hail of gunfire that damaged major internal organs, broke bones, and came dangerously close to my heart. Thirty-six hours of intensive surgery and reconstruction took place, but I was a damn near lost cause. And do you know what happened during all that? I never, not once, complained about pain."

Those that were actually listening did not understand right away, but it didn't sound good. Those that did understand, knew exactly what he meant, were not only impressed, but they knew what was coming next.

Puma continued onward. "Oh trust me, it hurt like hell. Every step I took in my rehabilitation kicked my ass from here to beyond. But I didn't complain. If I was in pain… then that let me know that I was still alive. Sure, it let me know that I was still fucked up, that's the reason it exists. But it also let me know that I was awake, still breathing, and still moving."

He began pacing back and forth as he spoke, recalling his experiences. "By the time I was out of the hospital, I was informed that I had received a medal for my efforts in the line of duty. It didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that I had defended MegaKat City from the gangs and the drug wars and the criminals for as long as I was able."

He stopped and turned to face the recruits again. "But times had changed. Kats were beginning to have a desire to defend themselves against these same violent acts. Some had even been looking for ways to defend others, and get paid for doing so. So I used the climate to my advantage. I'm not gonna lie to you- I'm a selfish bastard at heart, and ambitious. What you see today came about because I was selfish, because I was ambitious. That doesn't mean you have to be either one of those to succeed."

Now, he had their full attention, every one of them.

"What you are about to experience," Marcus said sternly, "Is exactly what I went through: pain. And there will be heaping helpings of it. You're about to undergo the most brutal, grueling, heart-stopping training known to katkind. We're gonna chew you up and spit you out like you were grass on the lawn."

Well, that was enough to make a few kats nauseous, especially some of the younger ones.

"But you know what?" Puma said softly, "You'll live. Whether you stay here or not depends on if you can eat what we dish out. How far you get depends on not only that, but your ability to ask for more. With that said, it is the gospel truth that seventy percent of you will be most definitely be on one of those Black Hawks before this is over, back to the mainland and back to your mundane lives. Today, many of you won't even pass the physical evaluations."

Silence again. But it was shorter this time. "But for those that make it… no matter where you go next from here, whether you stay with KatGuard or move on with your lives, you will take back something of importance with you. Whenever you feel tired, you'll remember that you've had worse. Whenever you feel hot or cold or miserable in any way, you'll remember that you've had worse. Whenever you're afraid or tense, you'll remember that you've had worse. No situation, be it ordinary or extraordinary, will be unmanageable to you. You will have the skills and tools necessary to survive any engagement, on the street and on the battlefield. You will have the confidence to excel in any effort you take on, at any time. Even emotional storms can and will be weathered simply because you have been through the dregs and come out the other side stronger."

He gestured behind him and said, "Take a good look at the five kats behind me. They are your instructors. You will follow their orders explicitly, without hesitation, or you will pay dearly. Quitting is done of your own volition, and nothing else. If you are not allowed to quit, and it will happen, you are to keep moving, regardless of circumstances. But when you are, make it a final decision. Do you understand?"

They were caught in it now. Without even thinking, there was a resounding, "Hooyah, Captain Puma!"

There were still a few that weren't responsive. Oh, they would respond soon enough.

He nodded and said, "With that, I turn you over to my Sergeant Major and the instructors. Welcome to Hell Week."

Callie was in the water, swimming for her life.

The loudspeakers were blaring orders, telling kats to hurry up, to keep moving, to be careful of the sharks. She ignored them and kept swimming. Her lungs burned, her heart beat in her chest as if it wanted to burst out. It didn't matter, because she had done it before. Five hundred meters out she swam, as practiced.

It was easy. She didn't feel the strain. Her mind wasn't preoccupied on how to do it or how long or how much pain she was in, she simply kept moving. Other kats fell by the wayside, had bad form, and panicked. They couldn't swim, couldn't breathe. It was too cold, they were too tired, or they hadn't had breakfast.

She kept moving.

Others kept moving as well, some out of sheer grit. Some saw how Callie was going, how she kept pushing, and fed off of her energy. She didn't mind, actually. Whatever got them past this was fine with her. Besides, it was just a swim, and there were lifeguards constantly on duty. She wasn't afraid- she wasn't even thinking. Her mind did not complain, and when it did she simply allowed the complaints to silence on their own.

She had become good at doing that.

And that wasn't even the bad part… "Bust 'em!!"

The loudspeaker gave the command to get moving after two minutes of treading water at the far buoy. They were now officially on the clock. The swim of choice for Callie was of course, the breast stroke. And she hauled ass like no other. Then again, there were several kats who moved just as quickly… many used the side stroke, due to the fact that it was quite possibly one of the easiest ways to move.

Others… did not fare so well. They weren't exactly doing the proper strokes. In fact, they were doing all the wrong ones. Their times did not count for squat due to incorrect swimming technique, and those that were not recovered by boat were talked down to by the instructors on arrival to the beach.

In the end, her time was killer- nine minutes and thirty seconds. The competitive time was ten minutes flat. She was one of the first ones back on the beach as a result, and took note of the nods of a few instructors. "Well don't just sit there, next up! Hit those push-ups- you got two minutes!"

"Yes Sir," she said coolly before getting to work.

A few of them got busy with what they had to do, and surprisingly one of the ones in the first group was the kat who had threatened her earlier. It seemed that he was no slouch as far as this went. Still, she hadn't noticed quite yet- she was too busy working through the paces. Callie cranked out one after another, as fast as she could, and she cranked them out with perfect form. Having practiced them to the point where she could do them in her sleep, it wasn't a surprise.

Two minutes was over, and she had executed a total of eighty-three, all the way up and all the way down. A few didn't do as well, but they passed. Some in this first group however, didn't even make it past twenty or thirty. The minimum was forty-two. "What the hell was that, people? Get it in gear or you're gone," one of the instructors barked. "On your feet, wait for the others!"

The rest of them made it at the ten minute mark or higher. Those that were past twelve minutes and thirty seconds were ending right here, but no one told them that yet. They wouldn't know until the tests were over. The blond she-kat didn't care- she just waited and rested, stretching her limbs.

A she-kat who was age seventeen timidly walked up towards her. "Umm… excuse me…"

Callie responded without looking towards who was speaking. "Mmm? What can I do for you?"

She had her hands behind her back, digging one toe in the sand. "Um… that was some good swimming. I didn't know anyone could move that fast. And you seem to know what you're doing here, so…" She looked behind her, pausing for a moment. A group of she-kats urged her onward from a distance, but when she turned around again, Callie was looking at her with a smile on her face.

"You want to stick with me, don't you," she intuited. "How many are there?"

The young she-kat blinked in confusion before shaking her head, clearing herself of the eerie feeling that she got. "There are six of us, including me. I'm sorry if this is a bit much, but you just seem so cool about all this. You know we're here to get chewed out, right? I mean, most of us were sent here by our parents as either punishment or for our own good; you know how that goes."

Callie nodded and said, "I do. I could feel your uncertainty and frustration before you said anything about teaming up. I can still feel it now, but you've got nothing to worry about." She looked over to the group and shouted, "It's okay, you guys can hang with me! Better hurry though- they're almost done!"

They flocked towards her and the questions started coming in. Pretty soon, they found out that she was age twenty-five, was here for the challenge, and wanted to not be so afraid of everything. Not to mention that she had learned how to take all this from a tom that she cared for. That made them even more enamored. Within less than two minutes, they had a leader.

The former gang member scoffed at all this. "This ain't an after-school special," he muttered to himself as he stood at a distance. "This is suicide school. You girls can play house if you wanna- just stay away from me while I get my ass out of here."

From there, the pull-ups were next, and while some were not exactly fit for this part either, there were others that excelled. Callie's impromptu team had one who was lagging behind, having done only three of them without using her legs. Callie just kept on moving, but she was shouting as well. "Come on, fight it! You've got it in there somewhere, just find it and pull it out!"

"I can't," She responded, and it was a usual response. "I just can't pull myself up! It hurts…"

Callie shook her head and said, "Never mind how much it hurts, you can do it! Don't think about it, don't psyche yourself up, just do it! If you don't mind, it don't matter!" Her energy was absolutely contagious. So the she-kat tried… and slowly but surely, she hauled herself upwards from a dead hang for five more repetitions before having to drop down.

A resounding cheer came from the other kittens as they gathered around. "I told you," Callie said with a grin. Of course, the instructors took note of this as well. This was getting interesting, sure enough. But it was only the first day- this proved nothing. But at the same time, it showed them a glimpse of what could come from her.

Sure, it wasn't an after-school special. But she was executing, and she had an organized force in less time than it took most these days.

The sit-ups were no problem from that point forward, and the seven of them managed to start doing the exercises in sync. Sure it wasn't perfect at first, but come number thirty, they were linked up. By the time it was done and done, they had managed to do sixty-five before some of them tapered off. The last two that remained had reached eighty four before the time was up.

"Well," Callie said as she caught her breath, "I think we all deserve a break after that one. That is, if they'll give it to us." They all laughed, and there wasn't any real nervousness in it. Sure, some of them wouldn't forget why they were here today, but maybe, just maybe, they would forget sooner rather than later.

The rest of it was no problem, and the run was taken at a brisk pace. By this time, many were pretty much weeded out in the instructors' eyes, but there were a few that kept on pushing the envelope. It was shaping up to be a good class for the rest of the week, but only time would tell if this would last.

By the time they had all been sorted out and sifted through, they were led towards a series of tents that had been placed out on the grass beyond the beach line. Dinner was served, and surprisingly it was good. Callie was busy entertaining her little group with jokes and finding out more about them. As she had thought, a few were here because their parents were tired of their attitude. Two of them however, were here to add a few things to their college resumes. Well that made sense- they were about to exit high school, it was natural to want to polish up.

Maybe KatGuard even had scholarships available, who knew for sure. Either way, they were here for themselves, just like her. When asked why she was really here however, Callie simply said, "It's like I said earlier, I'm here for the challenge. I guess I got tired of looking around every corner for trouble- it was getting in the way of life. I didn't want to rely on others to keep me safe anymore. I heard about this and figured it'd be a good idea, and my boyfriend agreed, so there we go."

Some of them didn't believe this story outright, but they wouldn't bother her on it. After all, it didn't matter why she was here, just that she was, and that she had helped them. "Right, we're probably going to be split up tomorrow- I don't know how exactly they do that, but we might not see each other again. So I want you guys to keep focused, all right? If we're on the same team after all, it's for the better. If not, just hang in there, no matter what happens. Remember, if you don't mind…"

They immediately chimed in, having heard it from Callie before, "It don't matter!"

The blond she-kat laughed and said, "Good! Glad you guys are catching on."

A voice from behind her dripped with acid. "You must think you're hot shit, playing den mother."

She turned to look over her right shoulder to see the tom that she had run up against quite a few times now. He certainly did have a problem with everyone, didn't he? She immediately shifted gears, giving her that cold stare again. "And what is your problem now? I just think it'd be better if we did this together instead of trying to rip each other open like wild things."

The kat scoffed and said, "Yeah, you would think that, wouldn't you? But life doesn't work like that. This ain't no day camp, lady… this is for real. Tomorrow you're gonna get beat the ever living shit out of, and then your little tight-knit group will fall apart. But you know what? I'm gonna beat this because of my skills, not that of the others. I might be on a team, even your team, but I'm not a teammate. Get me?"

Callie simply glared at him for a few moments before she shrugged. "Whatever you say."

The other girls giggled at this, which made him fume. "You got a real smart mouth. Keep it up and you'll have to learn how to talk without a few teeth." He turned away and said, "If we're on the same squad, you stay out of my way. I don't play well with others."

She turned her back on him again and said, "Then you might as well give up now."

He stopped in his tracks, frozen to the spot. Okay, that was not good. "Excuse me, bitch?"

The she-kat was unfazed by his language. "You heard me. Go home, go back to the city, and forget you ever saw this place. I don't care who you are or who you ran with, but if you want to play alone, you go and do that… by yourself. Because if you stay here, you're gonna find out very quickly that that shit doesn't fly."

Silence prevailed. All eyes were on the two of them as tension mounted in the tent in which they stayed. One standing, one sitting, but both ready to move in an instant.

Instead, the guy just scoffed and said, "Whatever. Just stay clear of me."

Some kats simply did not want to get along. With the mood ruined, Callie sighed and said, "I think we should go to bed. We're going to need the rest."

And indeed, they would. Evening turned to night, and everyone was tucked in and gone. Tomorrow however, they would be in for a literally rude awakening.

Chapter 36: Hell Week (Part 1) – Indoctrination

Now, this will be interesting. Before I go on any further, I'm going to let you know what this all will be based on. If you have never heard of the term BUD/S before, it stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. Twenty-six weeks long, it's the path to becoming a member of one of the most bad-ass groups of soldiers to ever walk the face of the earth.

Week three is known as Hell Week, five days of physical and mental stress that serves as a test of how badly one wants it, and to see if they can handle the rest of the training. Seventy percent will drop either due to injury, performance issues, or DOR- drop on request. There has, in fact, been one class in which there has been absolutely no one who has survived, and it was mostly due to the third week.

Now since I don't have time to document the whole thing, and since in the story there's not much time before the next attack happens, I can only do so much. Still, I figure this would be a good time to refine Callie's character a bit. Just like Felina's introduction as a SWAT Kat, this will shape and define the Deputy Mayor's role for the rest of the story. Watch closely, for you are about to witness history in the making as I put Callie through the paces of one of the most intensive training regimens on the planet.

Let's hope she'll be all right at the finish line.

And now… wait, no. Not yet. No Reviewer's Appreciation just yet. I'll save it for later. Right now I'm too excited, so I'm posting it up now. All I'll say is, thanks for reading this! I appreciate it a bunch, and you know it. To everyone who has (and hasn't) replied to Chapter 34 yet, thank you so much. This author is humbled.

EDIT: Kodachi Claws has my thanks for pointing out my obvious errors. Thanks a lot!

Hasta la vista, see ya when I see ya.