The Enforcer Days- Jake Says Yes
By AJ Siytangco


	"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Chance said, walking into the
hanger, his partner not far behind.
	"Yeah." Jake replied.  "If you go for the silver matallic type."
	"Har, Har, Jake.  Seriously, I mean look at her, all clean and
shiny, her turbo thrusters brand new... and look at her wing span!"
	"Stop adoring and get inside already.  We're up next."  Jake
climbed up and took his place in the co-pilot's seat.  He and Chance
had been paired with each other, with him being the RIO--the Radio
Instument Officer.  It suited him just fine, after all, he was also
the gunner.  And Chance's flying was so awesome, he wouldn't dream of
the positions being reversed.  He handed his pilot's helmet to him as
he boarded.  "Up for this one, buddy?"
	"Always."  Chance replied.  He put on his helmet and strapped
himself in.  He turned on the plane's systems and ran a check on
every one of them.  When he and Jake were satisfied that everything
was in order, he taxied on to the runway.
	"Sparrow four, this is tower," came the message over the tac net.
"You are cleared for take-off.  Good luck."
	"Rodger that." Chance spoke into the radio.  He looked back at
Jake and gave him a thumbs-up.  Jake give him one too.  Chance
grabbed the stick and the throttle.  "This is it, partner.  It's time
to rock and roll!"  
	The plane roared down the runway and into the blue sky, climbing
highter by the second.  Once they reached the specified cruising
altitude they leveled off, awaiting instructions from Lowerski.  Jake
moved his paws lightly over the controls in front of him, getting a
feel for them.  He and Chance had been using the same plane for the
past weeks now, but he still made it a habit to orient himself every
time they boarded.  
	Tailor wasn't a good shot, several more visits to the shooting
range proved that. He was a skilled flyer, though, and his RIO was no
pushover either. They were in the lead, just a few points ahead of
Chance and Jake.  Chance and Jake saw this run as their opportunity
to grap the number one spot again.
	"Sparrow four," Lowerski's voice crackled over the net. "This
scenario will feature multiple targets, multiple opponents.  Take out
each of the eight primary ground targetsas fast as you can. The
aircraft will try and prevent you from doing so.  Good hunting,
Sparrow four.  Lowerski out."
	Chance descended into the target zone.  Jake's radar immediately
picked up three planes headed their way.  "You see the targets?" Jake
asked.
	"Yeah.  I'll go in low so you can take em out."  He did as he
said and Jake was able to take two of the targets.  The lock tones
told Chance so.  That was all they needed, to lock on to something or
someone.  All they were allowed, actually, because of the presence of
kats in the planes they were going up against.  Chance would have
wanted the explosions from live ammo but you can't go around shooting
down your instructors and expect to grauate.
	"So where do you plan on going this evening?" Jake asked as he
tried to get a lock on a target. "It's going to be great to get off
this base for once."
	"I haven't a clue, bud.  As far from here as I can I suppose."
	
	Fighter one sneaked behind Sparrow four aiming for a kill shot.
Jake warned Chance in time for them to pull up.  Jake turned from
side to side and bobbed his head upwards looking for their opponents.
They were all over them.  "Chance..." He said, his voice distorted a
bit by his oxygen mask, "Their boxing us in."
	"Not a problem."  Seconds later Jake felt the sudden drop of
altitude and saw his world turn into a rotating blur as Chance tried
to put some distance between them and their instructors.  Flying
always made him sick, but being with Chance for these past weeks were
making him almost used to the voimit-inducing sensations of a
dog-fight.
 	"Not bad." Came a hiss over the radio. 
	"Ma'am?" Chance asked, even though he was positive that it was
his instructor on the tac net.  
	"Okay, fellas."  The radio voice crakled again.  "Here I come."
	"Lowerski's up here?" Jake was shocked.
	"Yup. Let's make her proud, pal!" Chance maxed out the throtle
and pulled off a bank no sane kat would have even considered
attempting at that speed.  They came about and plowed through the
course. Jake fought of his nausea and took aim. The crosshairs moved
from one target to another.  Four more targets down.  Two to go.

	Lowerski chased after Sparrow four, trying to keep it from
eliminating more targets.  "This one's frisky.  I'll give them that"
She said to herself.  She  turned a dial and changed to a frequency
only her pilots could recieve.  "Fighter two, Fighter three, engage.
Gamam-1"

	"They're comming for us, Chance." Jake warned. "Better climb."
Chance agreed and did so.The atmosphere was tense, especially for
Jake since they found out Lowerski was in the air with them.  Jake
looked behind them as a good RIO is expected to.  His sharp intake of
air alerted Chance of a problem.
	"Whats wrong, ace?" Chance asked.
	"Roll! Roll! We're right in her sights!"
	Clever, Chance thought as he rolled to the right. Lowerski forced
them into her sights like one herds cattle into an enclosed fence.
The roll had been enough though, to get them in the clear.

	"Blast!" Lowerski said.

	A twist and a pass later and the remainig targets were tagged.
The exercise was over, and they had come in below Tailor's time
putting them back in the lead.  Ralph and his Rio, James Froth were
there to greet them as were Paul and his co-pilot, Miranda Leeks.
Miranda was the kat Paul had eyes for, and he had almost fainted when
she was assigned to play pilot to his RIO.  
	"You two were great!" Miranda exclaimed as they dismounted.
	"Yeah." Ralph helped Jake down. "Will Tailor's in a fit right
now.  He never forgave you for those shirts that first night you
know.  And now this."
	"Well no one can prove that it was us" Jake gestured to Ralph
Chance and himself and placed emphasis on the 'us', "who sullied
those shirts, eh?."
	"That was weeks ago." Chance said.  "He should be over it by now.
And besides, the dirt came out didn't it?"  They laughed just as Nila
Lowerski came walking in.  They all stood at attention.
	"That was some reckless flying up there, Furlong." She addressed
Chance.  "That sharp bank you pulled off at high speed, especially.
You could've gotten yourself and your co-pilot killed, as well as my
pilots who were pursuing you."
	"Yes, ma'am." Was all Chance could say.
	"But," Nila continued, "You did pull it off. That says something
about your flying skills.  Crative.  I like that in a pilot.  Just be
more careful next time."  She turned and exited leaving six very
relieved kats in the hanger.
	"That was close." Jake said.
	"Yeah.  Lets his the locker room." Chance began walking and Jake
followed him.  "See you guys later!" Chance called back at his
friends.
They walked to their lockers in a jolly mood, having taken the nuber
one spot from Tailor.  Chance ws eager to get off the base, if only
for a few hours.  
	Jake, meanwhile, had other thigns on his mind.  The offer he
recieved the other day was still at the top of his concerns, and he
told Chance about it.
	"I think you shoul take it, ace."  Chance told him just as they
entered the locker. "Hi, Burt." He greeted a friend.
	"You think so?" Jake asked while waving to Burt.
	"Yeah, sure.  I mean, it's where you fit in.  I'm surprised they
didn't approach you sooner."
	"So was Louis."


	The next day, when his schedule permitted, Jake returned to the
R&D bulding.  The fact that a small group had so much at their
disposal made Jake pause for a while.  He arrived at the main
entrance and introduced himself, saying that he was there to see Dr
Louis Gretty.  The huge MP guarding the door told him to wait and
went to a phone.  A few moments later the door opened and the MP
ushered Jake inside.
	Jake made it past the main sitting room and the long corridor to
reach the elevators.  He got into one and pushed the button for the
fourteenth floor. During the ride up, Jake wondered what new thing
Louis was working on this time.
	Instead of the usual chime that signaled the arrival at the
desired floor, a synthesized voice said "Fourteenth floor.  Good
afternoon."  Jake wondered how annoying it must be to go to the to
top floor with other passengers getting off at different floors.  He
remembered the lab from his visit yesterday.  He moved past the rows
of lab tables which had everything from power tools to meters and
meters of copper wiring, to junk from the scrap yard, to fancy
looking devices Jake could not identify.  Most of the Kats working on
them were around his age, he observed, and most were lost in though
or in their work.  One or two lifted their heads long enough to smile
or acknowledge him , then returned to their tasks.
	"Jake!" Louis exclaimed as he came closer.  "I take it you've
decided to take me up on my offer?"
	"That's why I'm here, Lou." Jake aswered, himself excited. "I
can't start today though, I've gotten some leave time, and I'm gonna
take it.  Tomorrow perhaps..."
	"Sure! Sure! Fine! No problem, Jake." Lou spoke fast and in a
very ecstatic tone.  "Most of these kats are going on leave tonight
as well.  Although the arangement was that you come here instead of
Mechanics class and Machine shop and during your free time.  None of
you can afford to skip other classes. Fine?"
	"Fine."  Jake shook Louis' paw and smiled.  He looked back at the
tables he passed, and the kats in almost a tracnce-like state.
"What's all this?"
	"Various projects.  I've got a pair working on some new weapons,
I think those two are working on a diamond tipped slug, if I'm not
mistaken.  And those three over there specialize in putting amazing
things together from scratch."
	"Pretty smooth operation you've got here."
	"It's still quite small.  Even with those who are not her right
now I only have about twenty six on this team.  Twenty seven now." He
smiled and motioned for Jake to come coser. "Come here.  Remember
this?"
	Jake looked over Louis' shoulder and saw another palm-rest
similar to the one at the main entrance, although this was a bit
bigger. "Yeah." he said.
	"Place your paw here." Louis held Jakes arm and guided it to the
palm-rest.  "This will only take a few moments."  With that he turned
toward a panel and typed something into a keypad.  The palm-rest
glowed and a light passed across Jake's paw about five times, then
the the light faded and the glowing died down.  Jake looked at Louis.
Lou, reading Jake's face nodded and Jake removed his paw.
	"Now you can come in even without calling me. Your paw-print has
bee registered and your identity is has been made known to the guards
down below.  You can come in whenever you'r free." 
	"Thaks."
	"No, thank *you*." Louis said his his joyful tone. "Thanks for
joining.  I know you'll fit right in."
	Jake excused himself, saying that he wanted to stay but he had to
get ready for the night out and made his way to the elevator.  He
noticed that now he was a member, more than just one or two heads
were raised to see him off.  He got in to the elevator and headed for
the grown floor. He really should talk to Louis about changing the
elevator's indicator back to a normal chime.
	As he was leaving he noticed an MP staring at him.  He stopped a
while and asked if anything was the matter.  The MP looked at the
piece of paper in his hand, then at Jake, then back at the piece of
paper.  He eventually lowered it and said, "Nothing's wrong Clawson.
Nothing at all. Come back soon."
	With that, Jake headed back to the barrcks
	
	In the weeks that followed, the group saw less and less of Jake,
as he spent most of his spare time at the R&D lab.  Chance meanwhile
spent his time up in the jet, perfecting his already crazy moves and
comming uo with even more insane ones, to the delight, and fear of
Nila Lowerski.  Miranda and Paul kept to themselves, and Ralph hung
around with Tailor.  Some said that Ralph's maturity may have rubbed
off to Will because he seemed to have mellowed down a bit and become
somewhat tolerable, not as mean and not as annoyingly obnoxious as he
was.

	So it was when they were allowed off the base, the group banned
together to make up for missing each other the past weeks.  After
all, who could they cling to on the base but themselves?  
	Enforcer cadets prepared themselves as twilight approached.  They
had been given permission to leave the base, provided they log in
before 0100.  That was enough for them.  Getting off at six, they
anticipated a good five hours, give or take, of revelry at any one of
the close by nocturnal establishments.
	When Jake entered the barracks at five forty-five, he spotted
Ralph sitting in his bunk, reading.  "Get going, Ralph." He urged,
"Or we're gonna lose time."
	"I'm staying in tonight.  I can't afford a night on the town."
	"What do you mean? You get an allowance like everybody else."
	"Yes, well I'm sending it back to Cora and the kids."
	"No way, you gotta come."
	"Sorry, kid.  Maybe you'll feel this way when you've got a wife
and kittens of your own."
	"I didn't mean for you abandon them." Jake pulled his friend out
of the bunk, "I meant for you to get out of here and have fun.  Send
the money home.  But you come."
	"How?" Ralph sounded perplexed.  To him no money meant no night
out.  So when Jake offered to spring for him, he declined.  "No
thanks, Jake.  I mean I couldn't take your money just for one night
out."
	"I insist, Raplh.  We've got reason to celebrate anyway.  We
haven't really been together for weeks, so get dressed." Jake pulled
at Ralph again.  This time Ralph stood up and, smiling changed.  Jake
heard a comming jeep then saw the headlights shine through the
window.  He peeped outside and saw Chance, Paul and Miranda yelling
for them to get going.  He yelled that Ralph was just getting ready
and to calm down.
	"Okay." Ralph emerged in civilian clothing.  They piled into the
jeep, the occupants shifting to allow them in.  Once they were all
set Chance gunned the engine and roared off.  The bus was still a
good ten minute drive away.  They made it in six.
	"Where are we headed?" Miranda asked.  
	"Somewhere fun, I hope." Paul climbed aboard the bus.
	"Define fun." Chance got in as well.  
	"Let's just go." Jake commented, taking his seat beside Chance.
	The bus began to move and cheers exploded from the cadets.
"Yes!" someone cried repeatedly, and soon it became a mantra, being
chanted by everyone on board. Once they cleared the gates, the cheers
rose again.  There was no stopping them now.