Chapter 03

New City Hall: 7:13 AM

Mayor Calico Briggs sits silently behind her desk, resting her chin above her paws as she patiently endures the continued barrage of complaints and reports from various representatives from Puma-Dyne, Young Enterprise, MegaKat Insurance and other people just to get into her hair. The only thing she could do was stare blankly through them, thinking if she were to pretend to be like Manx, the pain would be rather endurable. Sure, she handled people like this before and made her job a lot easier as deputy mayor, but it's a whole new ballgame when she has the fullest authority to solve other people's problems once she finally sits on the seat of power.

Slamming her paws over the desk, Callie succeeded in silencing everyone in the room. She had enough of the mindless nagging that continued to make her head throb.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Callie sighs, trying to regain some of her composure. "I understand what you're all going through and I will see to it that this whole situation will be solved at the soonest possible time. If you will all excuse me, I will see Commander Feral so we'll know where we stand in all this. You will all be informed once I get the Enforcers' report."

As if on cue, Callie's secretary Julia Furrguson enters the office as she motioned the people out the door. Callie thanked her with her eyes. She slumps over her shoulders as Callie absorbed the sight of her empty office that was filled with people a few minutes ago. Just when Julia was about to close the doors behind her, one arm stretched out in the door's way as he lets himself in. A tiny commotion broke out between Julia and the unexpected visitor as he managed to force himself into the office.

"Mr. Chang, anything else you want." Callie breathes out as her eyebrows began to strain as she recognized Mr. Young's assistant.

Like his employer, Maurice Chang is a kat with so much responsibility carried over his thin shoulders and would never return without so much as some sort of good news. Somehow, looking the way he works reminds her of herself when Callie was still deputy mayor as she notices the glint in his eyes the kind of vigor she once had.

"Mayor Briggs, you know the importance of completing the project that we entrusted to you in Puma-Dyne. Though the cost of such a project is such a substantial amount, we hope that you could assure the safety of the project."

Callie forces a smile in her lips for the sake of pleasantries. "Yes, Mr. Chang. Just go tell Mr. Young that he has my assurance that the project will proceed as planned."

Mr. Chang left the office, leaving Callie staggering to the chair next to the window across the room. She looks out from the tenth floor of the new clock tower, wondering what sort of newer grief would befall her for today.

A sharp buzz from the intercom caught her attention as Callie approached her desk.

"Mayor Briggs, Commander Feral has arrived."

"Send him in."

Callie shifts her sights towards the doors as Commander Feral enters through the left side of the door. Like her, Feral was just as annoyed at the whole situation after going through various reports as well as complaints from all the personnel present in Puma-Dyne as he closes the door half-heartedly. Under his left arm carried an assortment of folders and pictures as thick as two dictionaries.

"I assume that you're not having a good day, Miss Mayor." Feral spoke gruffly; noticing the way Callie drags her feet across the carpet.

"I could say the same thing to you." Callie sighed.

It was the sense of familiarity that brought a grin over their faces as they observed at each other. These two kats come a long way off, having to settle their differences during the days when the former Mayor Manx used to run the city. Though their constant arguments and debates are the direct cause of their sense of professionalism, their admiration for each other could only be regarded as a product of something less than being personal, if not platonic, but nevertheless the respect that they both deserve.

Callie motioned Feral to sit on one of the chairs as he rests his cane beside him. He lets out a sigh as the leather pads pressed snugly against the sore areas of his back.

"Lay it out on me slowly, Commander. And to the point." Callie instructed as she rubbed her temples with both paws.

Feral crossed his eyebrows as he places the folders on top of the desk. Callie's eyes widened as if it threatened to fall out, staring at the number of pages that she thought her desk was about to break in half by the weight coming from the pile of folders. Feral grins as he pulls out a disk from his pocket and inserted it into the computer. Much to Callie's relief, she pressed the button under her desk and instantly the blinds at the window were automatically lowered to block out the sunlight and the lights dimmed. Feral grabbed the remote control placed near the computer and began his report.

The first image that floated over the holo-projector on top of the ceiling in the middle of the room indicated the smoldering remains of a building.

"This is the Testing Facility in Puma-Dyne; three hours after the fire was contained." Feral described. "Everything in the building, from equipment, prototype engines, and schematics for each of those prototypes were reduced to ashes."

Callie observes the image as she motioned Feral to continue. Her glasses glowed from the reflection of light over the surface, acting like a mirror.

Feral pressed the button on the remote control and another image floated out in the middle of the room. Though dark and blurred from so much movement on the camera, a bright reddish glow stood out from the darkness.

"The only lead we have who might have perpetrated the act would be this. It was taken from one Private Harry Conway in his recording equipment that's a standard issue for most of my men on patrol duty, kind of like the black box in most commercial airlines. We managed to retrieve the recording device but he, however, was another matter entirely."

Callie stood up from her chair and approached the image, as the glow reflected over her glasses grew brighter.

"Weird. This 'thing' has something glowing on its eye. Night vision goggles, perhaps?" Callie muttered, waving her hand around to make out a possible outline of its figure as her fingers pierce through the beam and blocking some of the image out.

Feral cleared his throat. "We weren't able to get much audio recordings on his log, but it seems to me that it was that 'thing's' eye. According to the officer in charge of Security Post 31, he said that Conway heard something like an empty tuna can that was kicked around. Of course, I might have called it as a diversion, although childish it was."

"A can?" Callie looked at Feral in a quizzical manner.

Feral clears his throat. "I take it as a measure to know everything going on as my men patrol the area. I guess it did remind me of Dr. Viper when he showed up in the MegaKat Biochemical Lab."

Feral pressed another button on the remote control and instantly the image disappears, ending his little slideshow. Callie returns to her seat and presses the button under her desk and the light from outside filled the room.

"There has to be more than a dozen prototype engines that the intruder could have stolen." Callie suggested.

"I doubt that, Mayor." Feral shook his head as he removes the disk from the computer and dropping it back into his breast pocket. "They would have taken their time even if the perpetrator had a thousand accomplices with it since those engines are used for space shuttles. We're talking about really big ones here."

"Or maybe they're not after the engines. Probably schematics or plans for those engines." Callie suggested, narrowing her eyes on her own hypothesis.

Feral remained silent and anticipated on what Callie had said. He changed the subject after allowing Callie enough time to ponder on the idea. It was something that Feral would have allowed unlike his former employer would ever think of pondering.

"The administrator of the Testing Facility wishes to dispose of what's left of the wrecked engines. I suggest that it should be taken to the scrap yard. Meanwhile, my investigating team are working around the clock to try to get a much sharper image than the one I've shown as well as looking through video surveillance footage over the last twenty-four hours to see where we actually stand."

Callie felt silent, much to Feral's expectations, as she nods.

"Okay, Commander. Permission granted to take the wreckage to the salvage yard."

Enforcers Special Aerial Command Center (ESACC): 8:30 AM

The high-pitched roar of twin turbines shook the concrete floor in the hangar as ground units ran for cover behind one of many blast shields surrounding the engine. Heat waves from the exhaust began to warp their line of vision as engineers in blue coveralls and yellow hard caps stood behind one of the blast shields near the jets. They have been wiping the sweat off their faces under the tinted goggles and earmuffs, while some of them began to pant under the extreme heat as they peered through the rectangular, glass-covered hole in the shield. The leader of the group places his paw over the left shoulder of the she-kat in front of the computer, signaling her to begin. She punched it up, and the turbines screams to a deafening level and the blinding glow of the afterburners began to sear the blast shield in front of them. After fifteen seconds, the engines died down and the turbines slowed to a halt. They all gathered in front of the computer monitor, pointing out readings in various virtual graphs, smiling and nodding to each other and indicating that their tests were successful.

Above the testing grounds, a lone kat in an officer's uniform ignores the roar of activity from outside his view window. He remained seated behind the desk in silence. In the next minute, he laughs.

In front of him was a television, showing a cartoon about the frightened and exaggerated expressions of a cat as the hysterical laughter overpowers the engine test outside that he hardly notices.

The intercom buzzed on his desk as he pressed the mute button on his remote control and answered; the sound from outside returns to the room.

"Yes?" He answered, raising his voice a little.

"Lieutenant Furlong. Commander Feral wishes to speak to you on line one."

The smile plastering over his face crumbles at the very mention of the name. He turns off the television as he took a deep breath. What the hell does he want now, he thoughts.

"Thank you, Miss Coleridge. I'll take it from here." He said. Shifting his eyes towards the telephone, he notices the blinking red button indicating that there is a line on hold. He lifts up the handle to his ear and pressed the button on the telephone to connect to the line.

"Yes, Commander. Lieutenant Chance Furlong speaking." He answered in a low voice over the speaker.

Commander Feral stood by his desk littered with the papers he brought with him during his visit with the mayor, pacing around the room as he spoke near a speakerphone.

"I guess you've heard about the recent accident that happened in Puma-Dyne." Feral began.

"Yes, sir. I have. What's that to do with me?"

Feral raised his eyebrows in a lazy manner. "Now, Chance. Don't take it too personal and I'm not implying anything on anyone yet. I just want you to know."

It was the comment that struck a nerve as Chance grinds his teeth.

Feral continued: "According to the report by the Enforcer in charge, one of his men who happened to patrol the area witnessed hearing a sound of like an empty tin can being kicked around..."

"With all due respect, Commander," Chance cuts in, "I don't think that case is being handled by my people or within my jurisdiction. I only train new pilots or have you forgotten?"

Feral sighs as he shook his head slowly. To him, maybe it hasn't been a long time to forget about the past. He clears his throat and continues.

"I was hoping that you could give me something to shed some light into it."

"About what? That Tests Building?"

"The entire building is filled with engines; turbines to be exact. I was wondering if you could give me some better insight of what might have been stolen here, if that was the case."

Chance scratched his head, thinking that Feral still fancies him somewhat as a detective.

"Engines and equipment isn't exactly my field of expertise except just sitting behind the control stick of a jet. I could repair one, sure, but to design one is not my thing."

Feral pressed on: "Well, maybe your old friend Jake Clawson could offer some assistance."

Chance's lips froze, as everything he could remember about Jake was vivid in his thoughts. He decides to give Feral the slip.

"Um, Commander, I don't think now is a good time for a visit. I have some work to do and I'm conducting some engine tests right now. Sorry for wasting your time on calling me. Goodbye, sir."

Chance hung up before giving Feral a chance to say anything.