Title: Uplifting
Author: Kristen Sharpe
Date: September 14, 2021
Rating: G
Disclaimer: SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, its characters and concepts are copyright to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc and are used without permission.

“Simple battery change, my tail,” Chance Furlong grunted, said tail jerking irritably.

It was after seven at night, and he had volunteered to work on the last job of the day while Jake went ahead to work on their other project. So, he was now elbow-deep in a car with the battery he needed to test inexplicably secured beneath a strut and entirely too snug against the windshield wiper fluid reservoir. Who designed these things?

But, it was paying work. After months of shoveling trash - sometimes literally- out of the old garage, rebuilding a used tow truck, and posting a few pricey ads, they finally had some business. Not much, but anything to boost the piddling, docked pay they got for managing the salvage yard.

Firmly reminding himself of that, Chance grabbed for a wrench to unbolt the strut. The reservoir might have to go too, but maybe...

The floor bucked. A horrible, grating vibration rumbled up through his feet and shook the room. Tools clattered across his workbench, and the windows rattled in their frames. For an instant, Chance thought it was an earthquake. Or an attack. Then, the vibration smoothed into a loud hum before ending with a solid thump.

Chance found himself frozen, staring at the floor.

“Was that...?”

Without another thought, he tossed the wrench at the workbench and rushed to the hatch that opened on the underground hangar he and Jake had found months ago. Barely bothering with the ladder, he half-jumped, half-slid to the first concrete landing.

And, stared. There wasn’t a circular hole in the floor anymore. The ancient aircraft lift had actually rattled its way up from the lower level to fill it.

“It works!” And, there was Jake, bounding across the hangar from the lower stairwell with a giddy grin on his face.

“It almost shook the place to pieces, but, yeah, it works,” Chance agreed.

“The gloom and doom doesn’t work when you’re grinning like that.”

Chance couldn’t really deny the grin. He could feel it stretching his face. But, he still answered, “Someone has to say it. Gotta keep you from getting a swelled head and going all mad scientist.”

Jake smirked. “If you say so.” Then, his eyes brightened. “You know what this means, right?”

“Yeah.” Chance walked to meet his friend, and their hands met in a solid high five. “We’re on our way.”