The Montana Law Enforcement Academy had a very nice looking campus when I arrived in at it in the state capital. Much of it looked like any other small town college to me, but then I also knew that no normal state college or university would have classes that would exclusively focus on what I would be studying there. There dormitories on the campus for those who were coming to the school from outside of Helena. I quietly parked my truck in the dorm's parking lot and collected what I had taken with me for the stay there.
I then made my way toward the main entrance to the dorm with my stuff under one arm, or over the shoulder, and my other hand holding the necessary paperwork to begin everything. I figured that an instructing officer would be in charge of assigning rooms to recruits/cadets, and if not, I'd be expected to report to someone. As I entered, I found that there was an instructing officer on duty.
"Hello, sir," I began politely, "I'm George Wayne. Do I report to you for a room, or do I need to report to someone else first?"
"No, you can start here," the officer answered, and began looking down a list of names on a clipboard in front of him, "you're A35. It's on the first floor, right side. Registration and opening classes will start tomorrow."
"Thank you, sir," I replied.
I then started with the first door on the right side of building. It lead to a long hallway with doors to the individual rooms behind them. I went until I got to the room A35 and went in. It had a very Spartan decor, but then it wasn't supposed to be a hotel suite... and I probably would have decorated it that way myself. It had two beds, two desks, two chairs and two dressers.
About ten minutes later, after I had arranged all of my things, the door opened again and very wiry looking person entered.
"Uh... hi," he said nervously, "guess they have us bunking together..."
"Guess so," I shrugged, "I don't mind. I'm George."
"Ahab Hireman," the wiry man answered.
"Ahab? You looking for a whale, by any chance?" I chuckled.
"You think my name's funny?!" he growled back, sounding defensive.
"No," I said quickly, "just uncommon, I guess. You're the first person named "Ahab" that I've met."
"Oh."
I then breathed a sigh of relief.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next morning the fall/winter 2011 class met for its official registration and to begin classes. I assumed we'd be fitted for uniforms that we would be expected to wear while on duty. After a very brief breakfast, I made my way to the room everyone was told to report to. It was arranged like an auditorium, but it was the size of a large classroom. Similar to those used by a high school band or choir. I quietly took a seat and waited.
After a few moments a middle aged female officer entered the room. She calmly and deliberately walked to the middle of the speaking area of the room and waited patiently for some of the surprised mummers to quiet down.
"I am Marion McNight, Chief Superintendent of the M.L.E.A. and I would like to welcome you all to our fall/winter course schedule," she spoke clearly, "with hard work and discipline you will have the privilege of serving with the various law enforcement agencies of the State of Montana."
She then paused for a moment.
"But I will warn you, the expectations are high and we will do everything possible to insure that you meet the basic requirements for physical fitness," Marion continued, "as well as with classroom education on the law and enforcement thereof. We will start down the hall with basic measurements for uniforms."
Everyone began to file out of the room to follow the woman's instructions, though she hadn't moved yet.
"Mr. Wayne, a moment please," Marion spoke as I neared the door.
"Yes, ma'am?" I nervously approached her.
"We'll wait until after the others have left," Marion replied.
We waited quietly until the others had left the room.
"Your background check produced an interesting report, Mr. Wayne," Marion spoke, "it seems that you were involved in an incident at a state fair in Peoria, Illinois."
"It's where I'm originally from, ma'am," I told her, "and I have no warrants for my arrest."
"And there were no convictions for any felony, which is why we accepted your application," Marion answered, "but still, according to the report, you still went beyond what a concerned citizen would be expected or allowed to do."
"He had attacked my girlfriend, ma'am," I admitted, "My actions were more emotional then anything else. There are a lot of things that I should have done, but they had gone after someone I loved and my only thought was to protect her."
"And the background check got that much back," Marion answered, "and I will tell you that while that protective drive is a good thing to have in an officer, unless you can learn to control your emotions... you might want to look into a different line of work. We run into many different things that can be very stressful."
I shook my head, "I can do this. I must do this."
"Be warned, you have one strike against you right now," Marion warned, "and in our line of work, one strike is all it can take sometimes."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I spent the next few weeks almost entirely focused on study and keeping in shape. Many of the classes were conducted in the same manner as my college courses, though the subject was different. I was focused on doing the best that I could, as being told I had one strike against me, I couldn't afford to make a mistake. Most of my interactions with other students were in the classroom or at meals.
"Hi, George right?" a sandy haired woman spoke to me one evening at the academy's cafeteria. Ahab was with her.
"George Wayne," I nodded politely.
"I'm Beth," the woman said politely, "can I ask who you were talking to earlier? I saw you on the phone when I came in."
"My girlfriend, Molly," I answered.
"Is she around?" Beth asked.
"No, she's in Columbia Falls," I answered.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Beth asked as Ahab quietly sat down.
"Sure."
"This is going to sound out of the blue, but were involved in a bust on some geneticist running a freak show?" Beth asked.
That made me look up, and Ahab dropped his fork.
"How do you..."
"Just about everyone saw the trial of Eugene Changes on the news," Beth spoke.
"I didn't I actually made it onto the screen," I commented.
"That I can't confirm," Beth sighed, "the trial coverage focused on a couple felids among his victims."
"Molly was the tigress," I warned her.
"Oh," Beth blinked, "anyway, I actually recognized you from a description not footage."
"You know one of Changes' other victims?" I asked.
"My older brother, Miles," Beth nodded, "My family lives in the rural area outside of Turner. Changes took his freak show through Montana about five years ago. I was coming off a bad high school breakup and Miles had just finished college. He was trying to cheer me up, like any good big brother would."
"And he got your brother?" Ahab asked from his seat.
"I had thought he wandered off," Beth sighed, "we didn't even know that he had been taken until we received a typed letter that said he had willingly joined the freak show... but it wasn't written in the way he wrote or talked, but we couldn't convince anyone of this and Changes took his show on the road before we even received the letter."
"What animal was your brother turned into?" I asked.
"A Thompson's Gazelle, he returned to us about five to six months ago and seemed to single you out as one of the people that helped set him free," Beth answered.
"I didn't know my face was that memorable," I said trying to think back, as this was the first time I had seriously thought about some of the other people that Changes had victimized.
"You have his and my thanks," Beth told me.
"What is he doing now?" I wondered.
"He's running the day to day operations of our family's sheep ranch," Beth answered.
"Sheep ranch?" I asked.
"Where would you keep a sheep herd?" Beth asked.
"Forgive me, I am a city boy to the people out here," I gave them something to chuckle at, "Molly and I moved out here to give her the room she needs. I don't know how large an area Thompson's Gazelle need to graze, but a female Bengal Tiger needs twenty square miles to hunt... I didn't get it... but I've been fortunate enough to get her more space then what she would have had in Peoria."
"It's all right," Ahab replied, "not everyone out here is a rancher. Some are miners."
And that gave us all a good chuckle.