FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2018 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios, and all characters associated with ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Wanda Vixen © Chris Yost and appears here with his permission. Sabrina Mustidalae © Eric W. Schwartz and appears here with his permission. This story is not canon to Sabrina Online the comic, or Sabrina Online the Story, either. Matt Barstock, Angie Rockwell, Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew, and Jerry Kitt © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios. Gabrielle Ryder and Jean LeBrun © Aslaug, from her Transitions stories. See them at her site, The Axe Shed, available from the links page. Aramis Dagaz is© his player and appears here with his permission.
Author’s Note: Lewiston, Maine’s airport, identifier KLEW, is actually uncontrolled. That is, it has no control tower. Poetic license was used for this story, so Alex and company talk with a control tower whilst aviating there.
Chapter 116
Some Things
Alex sat down Monday morning at his desk and let out a breath. The weekend had been a full-on rush of folks in a hurry to get back to work locations. Now there would be a slight lull until mid-December when the Christmas rush began. There’d been a very full schedule of flights every day since Thursday. Billy had come in and covered Thanksgiving evening, when there’d been six flights. The count for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were above fifteen each.
Alex smiled to himself as he thought back to Thursday and the events at his home. It had been a little tense at first, but everyone seemed to have a great time. Zig and James had left for home Friday morning with Zig still chatting up ideas for an “Angels” movie. He was just glad she’d never done that with Kentiger.
Suddenly the intercom chimed. Alex toggled it on and answered, “Yes, Loni?”
“Alex, Lt. Col. Leonard on Line Two,” the lynx advised.
“Thank you,” the tiger replied as he toggled off the intercom. He picked up the pawset and punched the button for Line 2.
“Hello King, what’s up?”
“Hey Ice. Have you been keeping up with the news?” the lion inquired.
“Eh, yes, why?” Alex replied.
“We have preliminary notification, we could be deployed sometime after the first of the year.”
Alex blinked. The rumblings in the news spoke of possible military action in the middle east.
“Okay King, I’ll make sure my bags are packed. Any chance this’ll run into June?”
“No idea yet, but it’s looking like even if we clean it up early, we could be ongoing for a while,” King advised. This was throwing everyone’s plans for a loop. After a second, Alex responded.
“Well, keep me informed, please. I’ll be ready to go.”
“I will, be talking to you, Ice. Bye.”
“Bye King,” Alex got in as the lion ended the call. So now it looked like a war could happen. He’d been there before. Only thing now was, he had a fiancée to consider.
# # #
Billy, Corrie, Kath, Rich, Kate, and Farrah all were waiting for Jaqi to come in. She’d left a message Friday that she’d be in for her check ride and orientation today. At just past 0930 she walked in the door. Taking in all the eyes on her, she gave a smirk.
“Sorry I’m late. Corporate types always like to play head games. I had to check in with the office before I left. Got in here late last night and wanted to be well-rested.”
Billy grinned. “Well, you’re here now. Welcome, Angel.”
Jaqi grinned back. “Hi Billy,” she replied in a good approximation of the greeting from the TV show.
Corrie rolled her eyes. “Oh, let’s not get that stahted. Jaqi, we staht flying Thursday. You ready for a check ride?”
Jaqi smiled. “As long as you don’t go overboard on me. I haven’t flown a Jetranger in about six months.”
Corrie motioned for her to follow as the leopardess exchanged greetings with the others there.
“Yay! Now we’re all here!” Farrah commented. Jaqi moved on and followed Corrie out to the Longranger they were going to use for the check and orientation.
“No problems. We’ll give you a couple of refresher flights if you need them,” Corrie advised.
“Thank you,” the leopardess replied.
They got the Longranger out and moved it to the ramp. The power skid had arrived, making moving the helicopters around much easier. Corrie had Jaqi go through the preflight and the procedures for startup, taxi, and takeoff. The leopardess proved to be as smooth on the controls as Corrie had anticipated. She wasn’t nearly as rusty as she’d thought. They flew out to the west and found an empty section of sky. The maneuvers and checks completed. They launched into the orientation. The lioness knew she’d be mothering them for a while as they got used to the area, but she didn’t mind. That was all part of it. By lunchtime, they were back at Helipro and putting the chopper back in the hangar.
“So, they’re really calling for light snow Wednesday and Thursday?” Jaqi asked.
“Yeah, but we’ll see. To me it seems too warm, but then I just came from Maine,” Corrie answered. They walked in from the hangar to find everyone gathered in the pilot’s lounge with food laid out.
“I bought lunch,” Billy stated. “To celebrate everyone being here now.”
The two femmes sat down to join them, and the discussion turned to Thanksgiving at Alex’s.
“I’m still kinda blown away by the fact Zig Zag was there,” Kate recalled, looking a bit stunned even now.
“Really? The Zig Zag?” Jaqi asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Oh yes!” Farrah answered. “It was her. She’s Corrie’s fiancé’s cousin. She ended up being really nice.”
“Gee, I’m a week late and I miss everything,” Jaqi mock-groused. Everyone laughed, and Billy picked up the conversation.
“Well, she doesn’t come around that often, but she is a steady customer at Kentiger. We may do business with her as well.”
“Oh, I think that’s a given, Billy,” Corrie interjected. “She found out the names of you three, and now she’s talking about doing a video with the ‘Angels’ theme. She said she might want to hire us for aerial exterior work and such. This was aftah Kate and Farrah let her know they didn’t want to act for her.”
Jaqi looked askance as Billy shook his head, muttering, “Any publicity is good publicity.”
They all had a laugh and prepared to dig into the food Billy had ordered.
# # #
Jefferson Mastifson was working in his office, making sure he stayed well ahead of the game. The Thanksgiving weekend was over. He’d chosen not to go out of town and not hunt over the long weekend. Yes, there would have been more targets, but also more potential witnesses. He had gone out and prowled a bit, mostly just to be out and about. He’d almost gone to the local drug-infested areas, but he realized when he finally hunted in Lexington, it would be for O’Whitt himself. The tiger didn’t frequent those areas.
Kentiger had been so busy he couldn’t have gotten near there if his life had depended on it. The new business, Helipro, had been locked up tight with no activity. He’d looked up other places O’Whitt might frequent. The martial arts school was on a street in a business/residential neighborhood. There were alleys across the street and on down, but it was much too open from there to the door. He’d seen a few young furs tending the grounds. The way they moved and carried themselves made him certain he wouldn’t want to try to get O’Whitt there, as they would come to his aid.
That made him question his methods and targeting. To insure it would work on O’Whitt, he’d need targets similar in size and strength. He had O’Whitt’s home address from his records at the FAA. He’d driven past there on Thursday, noting the gathering of vehicles, the new-appearing helicopter pad and hangar, and also how long the open area between the road and the house was. Still, it was out in the country. He could park some distance away, work his way across a field and approach along the woodline behind the house.
Thinking on that, he knew he’d continue to hunt the drug areas, as they gave him the best chance of his kills going undetected. He’d have to find a way to practice moving under cover of darkness through an open field, as well.
Realizing he’d gotten distracted, he refocused and went back to work, anticipating the weekend and another hunt.
# # #
“Hey Aramis!”
The felid looked over. He was just returning to his desk, and now his supervisor was waving him to his office. Aramis waved to acknowledge and headed that way. The Great Dane ushered him into his office and shut the door behind them. He then sat down at his desk.
“Is there anything new on the Rotten Rotty case?”
“Uh, no sir. He’s keeping to his usual pattern, why?” Aramis replied.
“We have three weeks until the warrant to surveil him runs out. Go tail him and see what he’s up to. Check in with your contact there for backup, and don’t let him spot you. See if we’re missing something in the electronic surveillance. Be ready to come back in a hurry, though. The word is we could be busy in the Middle East shortly.”
Aramis looked askance but nodded his understanding.
“Yes sir.”
He stood, and the Great Dane waved him on. He went to his cubicle, made sure his laptop was up to date, and went home to pack. By the next morning, he’d be in Kentucky.
# # #
Tia was between classes, walking in the hall when she encountered Mr. Brown, the school principal.
“Hello Tia, how goes it?” the squirrel inquired.
“Hello Mr. Brown. Pretty well, I’m on my way to History class, and I…”
The young tigress stopped, her ears swiveling around. The squirrel looked at her quizzically for a second. He began to ask what was going on, but Tia held up a paw. Then she motioned for him to follow. They took a few steps and then turned down a side hall. There was Carl Branson, his back to a group of three males. So intent were they on him that they didn’t even notice Tia and the Principal. Carl’s head was down, his fists clenched, but it was as though he had become a stone statue.
“Yeah, we remember you, Carl. Big talker, but Tonemaine broke ya.”
“Lil’ Yella Carl, at’s whut my pa says ‘is daddy calls ‘im.”
“I heard ‘e wuz a snitch!”
The three, all over eighteen, should have graduated two years ago. Instead, they were on the line of being permanently expelled.
“Get to class you three!” Mr. Brown barked. The three looked up, and two made to move, but one, a lapine buck named Greg, held his ground.
“Ya don’t scare me, Bucky Brown. Ya can’t send me to Tonemaine, I’m overage, and the cops just say it’s a school thing. There’s three o’ us, what you gonna do?”
The second one now got brave. Jack was a badger known for being lewd to femmes and ill-tempered to everyone else.
“Hey! Lookit da pretty lil’ thang thet led ‘im here. Let’s take care o’ da tree rat, an’ den have some fun!”
Tia saw Carl almost snicker and shake his head at that. The last one, a dull-witted bulldog named Ron, gave his best sneer and added, “Yeah!”
Mr. Brown just got out, “Get behind me, Tia,” when the three started to charge. All three would have been on them before Tia could have complied if not for two things. One, Tia had no intention of hiding behind the Principal, and two, Carl had kicked the bulldog hard in the ribs as he went to charge past. The fur hit the floor, howling in pain and trying to catch his breath.
Jack went to grab Tia, intent on holding her until his friends took down the Principal. Tia grabbed two fingers on his right paw as she went under his attempted grab. She turned, pulling his arm up behind him. A quick, hard strike dislocated his shoulder, and a swift kick drove his family jewels nearly into his throat. He hit the floor and lay there trying to scream, but no air came out.
Mr. Brown, being a squirrel, was fast for his size. Unfortunately, so was Greg. The Principal had made to dodge the charge, but the lapine had anticipated his move and leapt at him with both feet pistoning in a classic rabbit kick. It knocked the stocky squirrel down, and before he could recover the rabbit turned on Tia. He launched a kick at her head. This was where the motion became a blur.
Tia blocked the kick upward, extending the rabbit out so that he could not lift his other foot without falling. She then simultaneously smacked him hard across the face with her tail and kicked into his gut. She then released and set in case more was needed. Greg’s eyes were wide with shock. He tried to inhale, but all that happened was a slight hiccup. His eyes still wide, he simply fell over into a heap.
Mr. Brown got quickly back to his feet, his eyes wide, rubbing his chest. A crowd began to form at the end of the hall, which had no occupied classrooms in the coming period. He turned and quickly dispersed them as he called the office on his cell phone.
“Claire, send the nurse to hall five cee, and call the police. I have three adult age to be charged with assault.”
He clicked off the call and then looked from Tia to Carl. After a moment, he just shook his head.
“Get to class. I’ll tell the police the real story, but if any students ask, they beat each other up. Now go.”
Tia fetched the books she’d been carrying, as did Carl. At the end of the hall, they looked at each other. They both just nodded and smiled and headed for their next class. They were okay with each other.
# # #
“It was the oddest thing,” Sal was telling Andrew and Daniel. He was speaking about an encounter he’d had earlier that morning.
“I was walking down the hall between second and third period and I saw those guys who were giving me a hard time a couple of weeks ago. They saw me coming and I’m thinking uh-oh here we go again but instead they ducked down a side hall. They were watching wide-eyed as I walked by.”
“That is weird. I wonder what happened?” Andrew asked.
“I agree, very unusual,” Daniel added.
They were sitting in the cafeteria, relaxing a few minutes before starting their afternoon classes. A baritone voice from off to the side got their attention.
“Ain’t no big mystery. I told ‘em whut an’ who you wuz, an’ who yer sister wuz, an ‘ey decided it weren’t no good idea ta mess wit ya. Them cubs is smarter ‘n ‘ey look.”
“Hello Mr. Bailey,” Andrew said respectfully. The other two added their hellos. The bear smiled.
“Ait’s whut I like about you tree. I’m only ol’ Bailey the Janitor ta most, but y’all treats me wit respect.”
Andrew smiled back. “My mom always says, ‘Treat the Janitor and the CEO the same. Both work hard, and make the company run.’”
“Wise femme dat. She raised you ‘n yer sister well.”
“Thank you,” Andrew said simply. The bear grinned at him and went on about his work.
“As my father would say we owe that male a bigger debt than we’ll ever know,” Sal stated. The other two nodded their agreement. Just then the bell rang, so they got up and headed for their next class.
# # #
Aramis arrived in Lexington mid-morning on Tuesday. He took his time picking up his rental car and was rewarded with a chance to observe Mastifson walking out from the FAA office to do a routine ramp check. He had been trained to observe details. Not only what a fur looked like, but how they stood and moved, how they gestured, or how they angled their head when looking at something, Disguises might cover up someone’s appearance, but small details, the poker players called them ‘tells,’ would give away someone’s identity to a trained eye.
He also took the chance to go to Kentiger and talk with Colonel O’Whitt. Walking in the door, he was impressed by the lynx femme who greeted him. Not just her stunning appearance, but also her cool, professional appraisal of him when he walked in.
“Hello, welcome to Kentiger Executive Air, may I help you?”
Aramis smiled, going for a friendly approach. “Good morning, is Colonel O’Whitt in? I’m Agent Aramis Dagaz, AFOSI.”
A note of suspicion entered the lynx’s eyes.
“Let me see if he’s available.”
The white tiger had just walked out of a back hallway where the offices apparently were.
“Loni, have we got the second quarter fuel cost figures available? The accountant, oh, hello Agent Dagaz, what brings you here?”
Loni looked from one to the other, shrugged, and told Aramis, “Colonel O’Whitt will see you now,” She then went back to work.
Aramis offered the tiger his paw as the larger felid stepped around the counter.
“Hello Colonel. I’m in town on business and thought I’d check in with you.”
Alex nodded, shaking paws. “Come on back, you can fill me in on what’s going on in my office. Loni, when you find those, send them on to the accountants, please. They need them for the taxes.”
“Okay Alex,” she tossed, not looking around as she concentrated on her work, her short tail curling behind her chair. Aramis followed the tiger back to a well-appointed office with said tiger’s name on the door. There, he indicated a chair by his desk.
“Have a seat, Agent Dagaz.”
“Please, call me Aramis, Colonel,” the felid asked as he sat down.
“Alright, if you call me Alex. As I said before, what brings you here?”
“Our surveillance of Mastifson has gotten very quiet. I’m here to directly tail him a bit to make sure we aren’t missing anything. Our court warrant to watch him will expire soon if we don’t come up with something.”
Alex arched an eyebrow. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing,” Aramis replied. “Especially if you see me nearby. Don’t come talk to me or even acknowledge that I’m there. It would alert him. I’m going to see Detective Roland so she and the Lexington P.D. will know what I’m up to as well.”
“Couldn’t that giver you away? He seems to have folks working with him everywhere,” Alex inquired. Aramis smiled genuinely for once.
“Not anymore. AFOSI managed to trash most of his network of contacts right after the Cuban thing.”
Alex nodded his understanding and then asked, “Level with me, Aramis. What’s going on with him and how much danger am I in? My friends and family, too.”
The felid looked at the tiger eye to eye. “Your friends and family, only if they get in his way. It’s you he’s after. He’s been following a classic obsession spiral. Each and every slight or defeat is seen as your fault directly or indirectly, or laid onto you in general, in any case. I don’t have any evidence to back this up, but I think you are in real danger. There’s money spent from his bank account that we can’t determine what it was spent for. It wasn’t enough for a professional hit, or another property damage contract. I have a very bad feeling about what he’s up to, but for now I don’t know what it is. All I can tell you is to go about your business with a very vigilant eye.”
Alex looked at the young agent for several seconds before he replied.
“You too, Aramis my young friend, you too.”
End of Chapter 116