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
112
Angels
Friday morning at Kentiger saw Alex and Corrie smooching each other goodbye
as the tiger headed for his office and the lioness retrieved the last of her
things from Billy’s office.
“Bye Luv, have a good morning,” Corrie said as she released
their embrace.
“See you at lunch,
love you!” Alex replied as he also released the hug. Out in the parking lot,
Rich and Kath were also parting company.
“Thanksgiving is
in two weeks. I already have in for Wednesday off, too,” Kath said as she let
go of his paw.
“That should give
us plenty of time to get there,” Rich replied. He was going to meet her parents
in Virginia, and then meet his parents in Knoxville on the way back.
Kath smiled and got back in her car to drive
down to Helipro. Today was going to be exciting, as
their three chosen pilots were going to be hired. She drove down Man-O-War
Boulevard and turned into the driveway for Helipro.
Billy was already there, but she’d seen Corrie’s Jeep at Kentiger so she knew she wasn’t late. She parked, got
out, and walked into the building. Billy was probably in his office, so she
went to her desk and checked for any overnight phone messages. To her surprise,
two were furs wanting to book flights in December. She’d return those calls
later. She wrinkled her nose at the next two. They were profanity-laden rants
about foreigners taking American jobs. She erased those, as they sounded like
drunken ramblings. The rest were congratulations, as the stories from last
week’s news were still making the rounds. A moment later, Billy stepped out of
his office just as Corrie walked in the door carrying a box. Kath looked almost
crosseyed as she tried to decide who to greet first. Corrie greeted her.
“G’morning Kath, Billy. Last box of odds and ends from Kentigah. I’m all moved in now.”
“Hi Corrie,” Kath
said gratefully. She then turned to Billy,
“Good morning,
Billy.”
“Good morning
Corrie, Kath. Big day coming up!” Billy sounded excited.
“Too right!”
Corrie replied. “What time was decided for the sheilas
to come in?”
“O nine hundred,”
Kath replied. “Billy set the time, and they all agreed.”
“Good,” Billy said
with a nod. “Corrie, you and I will conduct the final interview one at a time,
unless they all want to get it done together. We’ll do it out in your office,
as mine’s way too small for that many. This’ll be more of a welcome aboard,
here’s who we are, when can you start than an actual interview.”
Corrie gave a nod.
“Sounds good. How’s the papahwork coming on them,
Kath?”
“I have most of
what I need from their resumés and applications, so only a few questions for
each and they’re all done,” the collie said, her tail wagging.
The next 45
minutes went by slowly as the trio took care of the mundane things of
day-to-day business. Kath called back the pair who’d wanted to book flights and
verified what, when, number of passengers, and confirmed how they were going to
pay. She fielded three more inquiries, resulting in two more booked flights.
Corrie walked out at about ten minutes before 0900. Kath smiled up at her.
“Corrie, you
should send those reporters a thank-you note. I keep getting calls from folks
who saw the TV or newspaper stories and want to book flights. Great free
advertising.”
“Yeah,” the
lioness replied ruefully. “A little controversy and suddenly everyone wants
you.”
Kath just smiled
as Billy walked out as well. At 0857, the door opened, and Kate Bishop stepped
in. Seeing the three, she blushed slightly.
“Ah, good morning.
Hope I’m not late, it’s been a morning.”
Billy smiled.
“Nope, not late at all, the early bird goes first. C’mon back and we’ll get
started.”
Kate smiled and
followed Billy and Corrie back to the pilot’s lounge. Billy had them sit around
a table in the comfortable chairs there. They all shook paws and sat down.
Corrie started out.
“First of all,
congratulations, you’ah hired. During this time,
we’ll show you around the place, introduce you to ouah
aircraft, and generally staht you settling
in. I’m co-ownah and chief pilot. Call me Corrie,
please. I’ve been flying choppahs since I was ten yeahs old in Australia. Done most every kind of helicoptah work there is. I’m CFII Commercial Multiengine
Turbine and ATP rated. I expect your best judgment and flying, and always with
an eye to safety first. This will be, as we said in interview, mostly pax-oriented, with safety and comfort first. That in mind,
the passenger is not always right. Aircraft, aircrew, and pax
safety is always paramount. Your record indicates you have no problem rejecting
a flight you considah too risky. That’s good, and
we’ll back you up one hundred percent.”
Billy now spoke.
“I’m still Billy, and I’m the other co-owner. I’m not rated in helicopters, but
I am a rated corporate pilot, retired Air Force fighter pilot, and businessfur. Any concerns or problems you have, both Corrie
and I are always open to hear, and hopefully solve, them.”
Kate took a breath.
“Whew! So, I’m coming in on the ground floor of a brand-new business? I love
it! Okay, here goes. I’m Katherine Bishop, but call me Kate. I’m the big
three-oh, prior U.S. Army Blackhawk pilot. Made Captain but saw enough and knew
it was time to move on. I flew medivac in the service, and after I got out in
Texas. Decided I liked my passengers healthy. CFII multi-turbine commercial and
flew Jetrangers for medivac in Texas. I’m divorced,
no kittens. I can start as soon as I drive back from Texas.”
“Sounds good. Do
you need help with the move?” Billy asked.
“Nope, just fly
home, load up m’ Jeep, and drive back up.” The felid femme smiled.
“If you do,”
Corrie stated. “Call Kathleen out front and we’ll help you as much as you
need.”
Kate’s smile
widened gratefully. Corrie stood up.
“C’mon, let me
show you around.”
Billy and Kate
stood also, with Billy heading back out front with a wave. Corrie led the way
and showed the femme the locker room, showers, and bathroom. Then they stepped
out into the hangar. All three helicopters sat there, with room for several
more.
“We’ve gone with
exclusively Bell Jetrangahs and Longrangahs.
That’s for commonality of operation. There’s plenty of room because we planned
for expansion and growth,” Corrie explained.
“Great! I know
‘Rangers well, and it’s great to see my bosses plan ahead for things,” Kate
replied.
They walked back
out to the front office to find that Jaqi and Farrah
had arrived and were talking animatedly with Kath and Billy.
“Jaqi! Farrah! YAAAY!” Kate exclaimed as they walked in.
When Corrie, Billy, and Kath looked at her questioningly, she explained.
“We three chatted
a lot Wednesday. Jaqi and I served in the same unit
at different times in the Army. Farrah was at the same base. One of the senior
officers started calling us Angels after an old sci-fi show. Does this mean the
Angels are together again?”
Billy, Corrie, and
Kath all burst out laughing. Billy managed to answer them.
“I, ah, I guess
so, Kate, but I was thinking more like Billy’s Angels.”
The three new
pilots looked at him, then looked at each other, and then burst into laughter,
too. Finally, Jaqi responded.
“Nobody in the
Army ever made that connection, I guess because we weren’t all in the same unit
at the same time. That’s hilarious!”
“Especially since
I was named after the actress who played in that show!” Farrah stated.
Corrie grinned,
attempting to get them all back on track. “Well, youah
all here now. Do you want to go through the whole spiel togethah?”
The three looked
at each other, shrugged, and said as one, “Sure.”
Billy led the way
back to the pilot’s lounge, where they all settled in. Corrie gave her intro
again, as did Billy. Jaqi responded first.
“I’m Jaqueline
Hernandez, call me Jaqi, please, originally from
Corpus Christi, Texas, late of St. Louis. I left the Army a First Lieutenant,
flew Blackhawks there. I got my ratings to fly as a corporate pilot for Jenco, flying Agusta 109s. That
went well, and I really enjoyed it a lot. Then my boss José Alvarez retired.
The new head over the aviation section was a hot-shot MBA non-pilot type who
thought he’d soon own the company and everyone in it. He decided that I would
be a good target for verbal and physical sexual harassment. I filed complaints,
but it got so bad I finally slapped the snot out of him. They finally fired
him, and last I heard he was running a convenience store in Topeka and keeping
his paws to himself. Before he left, he’d managed to poison the work
environment there and cost me an engagement that in the end I didn’t really
need. In any case, I think things here will be so much better. I’ll turn in my
two-week notice Monday and be here the second Monday after, if that’s okay?”
“Works for me,”
Billy stated. “And let me assure you, we won’t put up with anything like that
here. The pax may get a little frisky, but you have
our support in shutting that down, too. At Kentiger,
our flight attendants Janet and Rebecca know they don’t have to accept any
harassment. Janet puts up with a lot more than we’d actually like, but it’s by
her choice.”
“Coo, too right!”
Corrie added. “Alex has told me about some of that. Janet is a bit of a free
spirit and deals with it all with a smile. You feel free to deal with it as you
need. You’re going to be flying, not giving cabin service.”
Jaqi smiled and nodded her understanding. Now
they turned their attention to Farrah.
“Well,” the puma
femme began. “I’m Farrah Townsend, originally from Laguna, California, late of
Kansas City. Always been single. Had plenty of offers, but I’m too busy working
on what I want to do. I was an Army First Loui, flying Chinooks. Since then
I’ve flown for several different companies, but it was always the same. Each
time, I’d get treated like the token dumb blonde bimbo no matter how well I
flew. I think I’m gonna love it here, as I can
already tell this is different. You didn’t hire us three for looks alone.”
Billy kind of
shrugged. “True, we hired you for your skills. You all have impressive ratings,
records, and hours. Also, though, we were looking for personalities that would
be compatible with flying the type of passengers we’re looking at. Corporate
executives, racing horse owners, sports figures, celebrities, these types of
furs. We were well pleased with how you looked. You all three are beautiful
femmes, but more important was how you conducted and presented yourselves.
We’re just starting out, so you’ll establish the reputation Helipro
will have not only by your flying skills, but also your conduct and demeanor.
Right now, we’re unique here in Lexington, but we may not always be.”
Here Billy smiled
broadly. “But with pilots like you three and Corrie, I think we have the market
cornered.”
The three
applauded, causing Billy to blush slightly. Corrie gave him a smirk.
“Coo, you sound
like a bloody politician, but you are right.” She then turned to the femmes.
“So, welcome to Helipro, Billy’s Angels. I hope we fly togethah
for a long time.”
The smiles were
wide as the three femmes murmured their agreement, and then Corrie showed them
the rest of the building. As soon as they walked back into the reception area Kathleen
spoke up.
“Okay Angels, as
always, there’s paperwork to accomplish. I realize you probably don’t have a
local address yet, but I at least need to finish your W-4’s and medical
insurance forms, and also go over your employment
packages.”
Corrie nodded.
“I’ll be doing an initial qualification check ride with you when you come back in.
We’ll also do an individual familiarization ride to show you the ins and outs
of flying a choppah around Lexington. Do any of you
have any questions?”
They all three
shook their heads no, so Kathleen started in on the paperwork with them. Billy
and Corrie stepped back, and the lioness heard the tiger sigh through his smile.
“And on this day,
now fully staffed, Helipro was truly born.”
Corrie just smiled
and rolled her eyes.
# # #
Back at Kentiger, Alex was busy making calls on which flights to
accept. Business was booming this time of year, as many businessfurs
and celebrities flew to their families just before Thanksgiving and then flew
back out through the weekend. Loni and Jackie Tortelli coordinated with each other as they fielded calls,
and Rebecca Leon pitched in answering calls as well. The whole thing was
repeated around Christmas. Alex and Billy had three rules for the holidays.
Spread around the wealth, no flights unless it’s a valid emergency on
Thanksgiving through afternoon and Christmas all day. In case of need, offer a
holiday flight to the single crew first, unless someone has volunteered for it.
Many times,
entertainers, celebrities, and sports figures needed to get back to where their
next engagement was the day after the holiday. Kentiger
always tried to accommodate as much as they could, but, as Billy had said, it
was their company. He looked over what he had so far and then sent the list on
to Loni with his approval.
Done for the
moment, he decided to make some actual phone calls. Corrie had been too busy,
and he didn’t want to lose the chance. He dialed the number and waited. After
two rings, it was answered.
“Patti Delancey,
your Travel Time Coordinator, may I help you?”
“Hi Patti, it’s
Alex, how ya doing?”
“EEeeii! Hi Alex!
What’s up?” The Dalmation’s squeal would have
deafened him if he hadn’t remembered Corrie’s warning. He put the pawset back up to his ear and continued.
“Corrie and I
would like you to have Thanksgiving dinner with us, if you aren’t busy.”
Patti didn’t
hesitate. “Oh! That’d be wonderful! Tony is visiting his family, and I was just
gonna hang here at home. This sounds so much better.
What can I bring?”
“Just your company
and appetite. We’re going to have it catered so we don’t have to fuss with prep
or dishes,” Alex replied.
“Kewl! What time?” The Dalmatian put a notation in her
planner.
“About fourteen
hundred, er, two o’clock. We can listen to music and
sit and visit before we eat,” Alex answered, lapsing into military time for a
moment.
Patti now
hesitated. “Two? Let me guess, you don’t watch football.”
“No,” Alex
replied. “Why, should I?”
“Geez, when Corrie
finds a good one, she really finds a good one. No Alex, only if you like it.”
“Never developed a
liking for it. See you Thursday.” The tiger prepared to end the call.
“Yeppers. Oh, who
else is coming?” the Dalmatian asked.
“Joanne is who I’m
calling next. So far if she says yes, it’s just us four,” Alex replied.
“Kewl, see you and Corrie then, bye!”
The canid femme
clicked off. Alex didn’t even bother putting the pawset
down, just dialed Joanne’s number. It rang a couple of times before she
answered.
“Joanne Ritter.”
“Hi Joanne, it’s
Alex. Do you have plans for Thanksgiving? Corrie and I would like it if you’d
join us,” Alex asked.
“Hello Alex, well,
no I don’t. My guy Brent is an EMT and has to work
that day. What time and what can I bring?” the Maned Wolf femme replied.
Alex smiled at the
similar response as he continued. “Same as Patti, your company and appetite.
We’re having it catered so we don’t have to fuss with prep and dishes. Come at
two.”
“Sounds great!
I’ll see you then. Ah, I have another call. Bye for now, and thanks for the
invitation!” Joanne ended the call, and Alex put the pawset
back in its cradle.
He had no more
than put it down when the intercom chimed. He toggled on the speaker.
“This is Alex.”
“Alex,” Loni said, sounding a slight bit harried. “Call for you,
Line Two, Zig Zag.”
“Thank you,” he
replied simply and toggled the intercom off. He picked the pawset
back up and pushed the button for Line Two.
“Hi Cousin, how
are you?”
“Hi Alex! I’m
great. Have you and Corrie recovered from your visit yet? Have the blushes
finally faded?” Zig sounded relaxed and playful.
“Oh no, I think
they’re permanent. We’ll never look at a kitchen island the same. Of course,
you know I’m kidding,” the tiger replied teasingly. Zig burst out laughing.
“Ha ha! Good, it’ll spark your imaginations. Hey. I called to
see if you and Corrie have plans for Thanksgiving? James and I were kicking
around ideas and thought it might be fun to get together.”
“It’s a great
idea, Zig. So great Corrie and I are already doing that with her two friends
who moved down from Maine. We’re going to have it catered, so we can add two
more to the list if you and James would like to come, too. You know I have
plenty of room if you’d like to come early and stay late. Sorry, I can’t offer
you a ride, but we’re booked up around then,” Alex stated.
Zig paused a long
moment. “I like the idea. Let me talk to James and I’ll call you back later.”
“That’s fine. Hope
you get to come, I always enjoy seeing you,” Alex responded, smiling.
“And I always
enjoy coming. Later, Cousin!”
The line clicked
off, leaving Alex open-mouthed. Apparently, sharp come-backs were a family
trait as well. He grinned again as he put the pawset
down and prepared to get on with the day’s work.
# # #
Aramis was
preparing to head out for the weekend. He was working three cases at the moment, but none required his presence in the office
over the weekend this time. Just as he stood up, he saw Chief Agent Perez
motioning toward him from his office door. With a resigned sigh, he walked out
from his cubicle to the office.
“Yes, sir?”
“Have a seat for a
minute, Aramis. I know you’re on your way home, but this just came in. I wanted
you to see it,” the Great Dane stated, giving the felid a sheet of paper.
Aramis sat down and read it. It was Jefferson Mastifson’s
bank activity. Used to looking for patterns, he spotted right away what had
gotten Chief Agent Perez’s interest. Five transfers of five hundred dollars
each to an online account, now closed. Aramis looked up.
“Can we find who
made the account and where the money went before it was closed?”
Perez shook his
head. “No, it wasn’t covered by the warrant and this place is based outside the
U.S. and doesn’t keep records. Mastifson is up to
something, but we have no idea what. He’s learning, though. Multiple transfers
of smaller amounts, spread out over a few days, wouldn’t trigger any alarms if
we weren’t already watching him.”
“That’s what I’m
afraid of,” Aramis responded, looking very concerned. “If he’s learned that,
what else has he learned to do to cover his tracks?”
Perez Nodded.
“What indeed? By his cell phone and the FAA, he’s still in Lexington right now.
We’ll start closely tracking his movements and see if anything unusual turns up
as far as events or crimes near where he goes.”
“Yes, sir.” Aramis
nodded in return, knowing that might show what the Rottweiler had done, past
tense, but not what he was about to do. “I’ll look at what’s recorded on
Monday.”
“Best we can do
for now, Aramis. Have a good weekend,” the Great Dane said by way of a dismissal.
“You too, sir,”
Aramis replied, certain that now he’d fret all weekend about what the Rotten Rotty was up to.
# # #
The Piper Seminole
settled onto the runway at Fulton County-Brown Field near Atlanta. It was
Saturday mid-morning, and Jefferson Mastifson had his
day planned. He’d pick up a second-rate rental car, as plain as he could get.
Go to his hotel and drop his things off, then go to his P.O. box drop and get
the package that was supposed to have arrived yesterday. He had a bag with him
that contained his “kit” of coveralls, gloves, nitrile gloves, boots, boot
covers, masks, and eye protection. He’d thought it through and decided to put a
layer of dark clothing over the Tyvex suit and add
some other touches to make it impossible to identify him. The large
wide-brimmed black hat helped conceal his face and the coverall suit’s hood. A
large black pea coat finished off the look, which he’d realized was The Shadow
of the old radio shows.
He'd also acquired
an item he’d found in a supply catalog. It had started out as a compressed
gas-powered injector for inoculating large farm animals. It used
commonly-available carbon dioxide cartridges for paintball and pellet guns. A
little work replaced the injector needle with a nasal spray tip. A few test
sprays showed a nice aerosol spray pattern for about two sprays. Then the
pattern broke down into large droplets. No matter, since he planned to change
the tips each time he used it. A little judicious work with black vinyl
sheeting had it looking like a cane.
Taxiing in and
stopping on the transient ramp, he shut down the engines and got out. He
chocked the wheels and tied the aircraft down for its stay, and then walked
into the Signature Air Services building to pay for his overnight parking and
fuel. He then called for his rental car. He met the scruffy canid who dropped
it off and got the keys. He then went back to his aircraft and retrieved his
bags.
Departing the
airport, he drove to his hotel, stopping long enough to check in and drop his
bags and cell phone in his room. He then drove to the commercial mail and
shipping center he’d rented the P.O. box in. He went inside and checked the
box, which he’d only used twice before. In it was a slip telling him he had a
package, and nothing else. He went to the front counter and presented the slip.
The efficient-looking mephit femme there retrieved a
box large enough for Mastifson to need both paws to
carry. She simply gave it to him and smiled as she turned to go to her next
task, tossing a “Please sign the slip before you go” behind her.
The box was plain
except for the large printed words on its side. “Veterinary Supplies” was
emblazoned across both sides. Mastifson did his best
to act nonchalant as he balanced the box in both paws and walked out. He
carefully drove back to his hotel and went up to his room. There he opened the
box and examined the contents. He found the supply of syringes, the bottles of Fontadyne spray analgesic he was going to use as a base,
the tips for his “air cane,” as well as the first carbon dioxide
propellant bottle. Lastly there were
several bottles of pure Fontadyne, large economy
size. The Rottweiler picked one up and held it up to the light.
“Soon, O’Whitt, soon.”
He took a bit of
time to mate the drugs and such to their respective delivery method, and then
put the rest into a duffle bag he brought to take them back home in. The
prepped items went into his kit. Now feeling ready, he prepared to leave.
Taking his cell phone with him, he left his hotel. It was time to do some
scouting, and then go in search of dinner and dessert.
And then, later
tonight, the hunt was on.
End
of Chapter 112