A very somber group sat around in the living room of the suite Alex and Billy had reserved for their stay. Penny and Billy would share one bedroom, Alex the other. Jack, Jenna, and their two cubs had a room a couple of floors down, but for now, all were together. As soon as the two T-38’s had gotten parked, Allaistor and his maintenance crews had taken charge of the aircraft. Alex and Billy had seen to their pilots and released them to head back to Lexington. They would return for everyone Sunday morning.

The two had gone over to the tower and provided statements to the NTSB and FAA reps who were beginning an investigation. Tia had gone with them and provided a statement of what she’d seen. Now, after a quiet supper, they’d gathered to talk things through.

Penny was sitting beside Billy, holding paws with him. Jack and Jenna sat on either side of Tia, supporting her. Andrew sat to one side, looking a bit lost. Alex had led a prayer, and now took the lead in discussing the event.

“I even got a call from Barry Whitlock, assuring me that Mastifson would have no part in investigating this. The NTSB rep told me while I was giving my statement that it appears the aircraft went through a couple of oscillations, gaining and losing altitude and speed. When the speed finally got down to sixty knots, and the wind gust hit it, it stalled hard and went in. Since we couldn’t get the lady to use the radio, there was nothing more we could have done. The Coast Guard is on scene recovering wreckage now.”

Tia had been sniffling, but now she full on cried into her mother’s shoulder. After a couple of minutes, she lifted her head. Still sniffling she managed to speak.

“Ice . . . how do you deal with it? I saw that lady’s face. The fear, and the sadness. I think … she knew. She knew she was not going to make it.”

Instead of Alex, Billy spoke. He sounded distant.

“I saw her too, Tia. I think . . . she knew her husband was gone. Yes, they were husband and wife. Long time married. I think, well, she was terrified, but she didn’t want to go on without him. If she had survived, she’d have died from a broken heart within a short time. I think she, in the midst of her fear, chose to go with him. How do we deal with it? We honor their love and go on living.”

Penny kissed him on the side of the muzzle. Alex watched Tia thinking over what Billy had said. Then she sat up and squared her shoulders.

“Then that is what I’ll do. You did a really great job of avoiding a crash and trying to help. I was afraid you couldn’t climb out in time. So, what now?”

“Yeah,” Andrew piped in. “Will the airshow still go on?”

“Yes,” Alex answered. “This didn’t actually involve the airshow, and nothing was found to indicate any fault on the airshow or our parts, so as the saying goes, the show must go on.”

The mood had lightened a bit. Still sad, but not as somber as before. Everyone was working through their feelings, and by nod of mutual assent, headed for their beds. Tomorrow promised to be a long day.

# # #

Jefferson Mastifson had just gotten off the phone with his contact in Milwaukee. He’d been so busy with his job and arranging his little surprise for O’Whitt, he hadn’t even noticed the pair of T-38’s were gone. He was gleefully formulating a plan to attach blame to O’Whitt for the crash that had occurred when his phone rang again.

“Jefferson Mastifson the Third, Airline Operations Liaison,” he answered formally, using the speaker instead of the pawset.

“Jeff, Barry Whitlock. You heard about the Cessna crash in Milwaukee, right?”

Mastifson paused, wondering where his so-called supervisor was going with this. He hadn’t put any plan in motion. Could O’Whitt actually be involved in the crash? After a moment, he decided to play dumb and see what the call was actually about.

“I saw it on the news, why?”

“Just a friendly reminder. I already talked to the FAA rep up there. Yes, Alex O’Whitt and Billy Panelli were indirectly involved. No, nothing that happened was any fault of theirs. Are we clear on that, Jeff?”

Mastifson made a face, his plans dissolving like smoke. “Ah, yes sir, of course.”

“Good,” Barry continued. “You’re doing a very good job at your duties. Keep it up and you’ll put O’Whitt and the whole thing well behind you. Talk to you on the conference call tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, sir.” Mastifson managed to say, withholding the malice in his voice as he clicked off the call. Bah! “Keep being a good boy, Jeffy.” The Rottweiler thought he might puke. He calmed himself, still looking sour. So O’Whitt was still beyond his reach.

He then grinned. The money had gone through that morning. The tiger might officially be beyond his reach, but his little toy was not.

# # #

The next morning, everyone was up early. Alex and Billy walked through their routine, while Allaistor’s crew made sure everything on the aircraft was in top shape, right down to cleaning and waxing. Penny, Jack, Jenna, and Andrew had gone up to the Milwaukee shoreline to enjoy the day watching the practice and the vendor setup. Tia had chosen to observe things at the airport, sticking close to Alex and Billy.

As they finished, she cocked her head to the side and asked, “I know that had a purpose, but what were you doing? It looked like either a slow-motion dance or two kids playing airplane. All that was missing were the sound effects.”

Alex and Billy both burst out laughing at the thought of them going “Eeeeeeooowww” as they went through their routine. Tia, feeling a little embarrassed at first, then laughed with them. It felt good after the gloom of last evening. Alex explained their actions.

“In a way, we were. We were going through our airshow routine, making sure we both were on the same page as to what is to happen when. Hey, how are you feeling this morning?”

Alex, knowing his niece didn’t have the experience to deal with what she’d seen, but would need to work through it if she were to do what she stated as her goal was, inquired out of concern.

Tia thought a second. “Still a bit unsettled. I know furs die. I know they die while flying. I just . . . never saw it on someone’s face. I . . .”

Here she stopped, looking a bit lost. Alex knew what she was going through. He’d gone through the same thing after Greg Baker had died in his arms. Thing was, he was in his thirties then, and had already taken life in the air. Here was Tia, almost 16 and facing death eyeball to eyeball for the first time.

“Tia, walk with me,” Alex said. Tia looked at him uncertainly, and then nodded. They stepped off together, walking over toward the hangar and the perimeter fence. Billy smiled, a bit sadly. It was a shame to have to have this kind of talk with one so young. Still, if anyone could handle it, it’d be Alex and Tia.

As they got away from all the activity near the aircraft, Alex began the conversation. “Tia, the first thing you need to realize, which you already know if you think about it, is that everything, sooner or later, dies. You’re a Christian. You know what comes after, but here, in the physical, everything dies. Some last long into old age and die in their sleep. Some barely live before their time is gone.”

Tia nodded. “Yes, I know that. But it’s different, between knowing it intellectually, and staring it in the face.”

The young tigress was still looking troubled. Alex continued in a gentle tone. “The lady you saw chose to let things take their course. She wanted to go with her husband. The news this morning said he was fifty six and she was fifty four. They didn’t have any children. She didn’t want to be alone. She chose to allow the outcome to happen. She was scared, and sad, but she was determined that she and her husband belonged together. I cannot say whether that was right or wrong, but I understand it.”

Tia nodded, looking thoughtful. “I just wish they didn’t have to die like that.”

Alex nodded in return. Now came the rough part. If Tia was to leave for the Air Force Academy next year, it was needed to be said soon anyway.

“Death is rarely seen as a blessing by the world. There are very few ways to die that don’t involve some fear and pain, even for a Christian. Death happens whether we want it to or not. Here’s what you need to think through and decide upon. If you’re going to be an Air Force fighter pilot, what is your job?”

Tia looked at him dubiously. “To fly, what else?”

Alex shook his head. “No, flying is a means to do your job. Your aircraft is a tool to accomplish it. Your job is to destroy things. Either things on the ground, or other aircraft. In doing that job, if called upon to do it, you will kill. To defend this country, your family and friends, your fellow pilots, and the crew that waits to support you on the ground, you will find death riding your shoulder much more often than you’d like. Realize the pilots and crews on the other side are trying to kill you, too. If you go into it not realizing that, and you hesitate, you’re done. That’s why I’m saying this. You’ve now seen death face to face. I want you to think it through. If you become a fighter pilot, there can be no doubt. Just like what you saw, you can’t dwell on it. Even if you never fly anything more than a Cessna, you must be absolutely the best you can be at it. Harden yourself to that reality, but don’t become hard-hearted. Be aggressive and stone cold in the air but temper it with compassion and love as much as you can when combat isn’t the call. Don’t worry, you’ll get enough practice to work out when is when.”

Tia had listened, wide-eyed. She hadn’t considered that part of it. She knew military pilots died in accidents, like her father, but she hadn’t thought about death in combat. After listening to her uncle, she was deep in thought. They’d walked along the hangars and had come to the last one. The end of Runway One Nine Right was out in front of them. The winds had shifted to a bit northeasterly, so the aircraft were taking off and landing from the opposite direction today. They stood there for several minutes while Tia pondered through her thoughts and feelings. Motion from down the field caught Alex’s attention. He looked that way and then nudged Tia.

“Look there,” was all he said.

She looked up to see the Blue Angels team, aircraft One through Four, starting their takeoff run on their way to practice over the airshow area. The F/A-18’s accelerated rapidly, lifting off in perfect formation as number Four lifted off and joined in the Diamond. The gear came up, and in a second the formation roared past above them. A second more, and they came out of afterburner and climbed away. Numbers Five and Six, the solo aircraft, followed a couple of seconds later. Tia had taken on an enthralled look. As the sound of the Navy jets faded, she turned to Alex.

“Ice, I’ll think on what you said, several times through probably, but deep down, I know it’s the right path for me. The time I’ll have to act on it is still a ways off. I just pray that when the time comes, I’ll be ready. For now, well, this helps. Talking and learning to deal with what you see.”

Alex nodded, smiling. “Prayer always helps. I know I was when it came to me.”

With that, they turned back along the hangars and headed for the pair of T-38’s. They had about an hour to go before the two aircraft were to take off for practice.

# # #

Jack, Jenna, Penny, and Andrew had been sitting at a spot on the shore of Lake Michigan for about twenty minutes, watching the airshow acts practicing. They’d brought lunch with them after a morning of shopping. Jack and Andrew had gamely tagged along as the ladies had hit the clothing stores and the bath and fur wash stores. The ladies had patiently waited as Jack looked through the Sport Mart and Andrew had perused the Game Station store.

Now they were sitting on the bleachers in one of the viewing areas, eating their lunch. Jack had a paw-held radio, so they could listen in on the special frequency the airshow was using to coordinate traffic. They all perked up when they heard the call, “Angel One, the box is hot.”

Jack was the first to see the formation of aircraft coming in from the south. The next thirty minutes were spent watching the blue and gold F/A-18’s wheel and charge through their routine. Tomorrow even their C-130 support aircraft, nicknamed “Fat Albert,” would do a fly-by. As the routine ended, they heard the leader call out, “Angel One, practice complete, exiting the box.”

The Navy jets departed back south toward General Mitchell airport. It was quiet for about ten minutes, and then they heard the call.

“Stripes One, the box is hot.”

They all gasped as the pair of sleek T-38’s came roaring up from the south at about a hundred feet off the water. They heard Alex call, “Smoke on,” and both aircraft began to leave a smoke trail. Alex’s was white, Billy’s orange. They had the afterburners full in, and both aircraft arced up and over show center. Their routine lasted about fifteen minutes. Tomorrow, they’d have music playing as an accompaniment, but for today the pair just practiced their routine. The lineup for the next day had them well before the Blue Angels performed, so neither would overshadow the other’s performance.

Their routine had loops and rolls, as well as slow flight and high-speed passes. They only did one opposing pass, after which each raced upward into a loop. As they came down the backside, Alex and Billy were belly to belly. Billy then rolled 180 degrees and then rejoined Alex as they pulled out level. As their time ended and they cleared the box, even Andrew applauded.

Now if tomorrow would go as well.

# # #

Corrie had just come into Old North’s office, returning from two days on a St. Regis run in the old Huey that had finally gotten out of annual. Ben looked up from his desk and gave her a bristly grin.

“Hello Corray, how did the run go?”

“Oh apples, Ben. No problems. The old Queen’s been doing fine since she came out of inspection,” Corrie replied, sounding a bit tired, but enthusiastic.

Ben squinted one eye. “I should hope so, seein’ how much money we spent on her. Oh, befoah I forget, you might want to call Alex and check in with him. Saw on the news theah was a plane crash in Lake Michigan at Milwaukee. They didn’t say anything about it being an airshow act, but that’s wheah you said he was this weekend, right?”

Corrie’s blood ran cold. Alex’s words about a headline replayed in her head. After a second, she stammered a reply.

“Y-yeah, Milwaukee. Did it say what kind of aircraft?”

Ben didn’t look too concerned. “No, all they said was that two had died and that Eff-Sixteens had been sent to check on the aircraft befoah it crashed.”

Just then, the television over in the pilot’s lounge area, which was usually on the channel for the weather, chirped out the news alert sound effect. Corrie and Ben walked together to see what the bulletin was. A typical talking head Yellow Labrador was reading from a teleprompter, looking directly into the camera while a paper copy rested in his paws on the desk.

“This is Dan Stately for National Network News with an update on the plane crash in Milwaukee. We have learned that one of the airshow acts for this weekend’s Milwaukee Air and Water Show was just coming in to land at General Mitchell International Airport when the incident occurred. FAA representative Roland Barker, along with NTSB investigator Ruth Benson, would only say that the investigation was just starting, and could not provide any other information at this time. We have video from our affiliate WITZ Channel 6 showing the Coast Guard retrieving wreckage from Lake Michigan just offshore from South Milwaukee.”

Corrie nearly fell as Ben held her up and eased her into a chair. The video showed a small Coast Guard ship hauling unrecognizable pieces of white debris from the water. The terrier did his best to steady the lioness.

“Easy Corray. Call Alex on his cell phone. If you can’t get him, call Billy.”

Corrie steadied herself and nodded, pulling her cell phone out of its pocket on her flight suit. She hit the speed dial number, all the while hearing Alex’s words about not making a headline rolling over and over in her head. The line rang four times, and then clicked over to voice mail. She left a shaky message for him to call her as she began to sniffle and fight back tears. She quickly tried Billy’s number. When that too went to voice mail, she looked over at Ben, stricken. The tears began leaking down her muzzle. Ben put a steadying paw on her shoulder.

“Corray, I have one more numbah for you to try. Call the Kentigah office and see if the secretary theah is still in. She should know if something is amiss.”

Corrie nodded, composing herself a bit. Loni would certainly know what was going on. She looked up the number in her contacts, but as she hit the number she also noted the time. It was almost 1900. With the longer daylight hours, she hadn’t realized it was so late. That put the time at 1800 on a Friday evening in Kentucky. Still, if anything was wrong, Loni might still be there.

After three rings, Loni’s smooth felid voice answered. “This is Kentiger Executive Air. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, eight a.m. to five p.m. If you’d like to inquire about booking a flight, press one. Otherwise, leave your message at the tone, and thank you for calling . . . *beep*

Corrie just clicked off the phone, dropping it back in her pocket. Then she looped an arm around Ben’s shoulder and began to sob. Ben, wincing slightly at the awkward position this put his back in, gently patted her arm.

“Theah, theah. We don’t know for sure that Alex or Billy were involved in that. Go get some food and go on home. You can try calling again in th’ morning. Maybe by then the news will have more than just guesses.”

Corrie nodded and managed to stand unaided. She squared her shoulders and walked over to the desk for a tissue to wipe her eyes and nose. She then took a deep breath and tried to muster a smile.

*sniff* Okay Ben, thanks for the shouldah. I’ll be in at ten to fly the next run.”

Ben again squinted one eye. “You’ll do no such thing, unless you’ve heard from Alex.”

She started to protest but the terrier simply waved her on. “Go on home. Call in when you heah from yoah tigah.”

Corrie gave a grateful nod and walked out the door, still feeling a lot of fear for Alex’s safety.

# # #

She recognized the clearing, the trees, the grass. She could smell the water nearby. It was the beginning of the nightmare again.

She’d gotten some chicken to go and come home, her mind racing over a thousand different scenarios. She’d eaten, showered, checked both Alex and Billy’s cell phones again, and checked the TV news. Then she’d laid in bed going from hope to tears and back a dozen times until she’d finally fallen asleep.

Now, she found herself standing in that damnable clearing again. She was waiting for the voice when suddenly Alex was there beside her. His arms were around her, and she felt safe. He smiled at her wordlessly.

Suddenly, she noticed he had huge wings, striped black on white like his fur. Holding her firmly but gently, he launched into the air. They soared and wheeled in a wonderful aerial dance, Corrie thought she’d never felt as good as she did right now. Then out of nowhere, the apparition from her nightmare was standing there, taller than a ten-story building. His eyes were huge, and his mouth was a mass of dripping fangs. He waved his paw, and Corrie found herself back in the clearing.

Now the apparition sneered. “Ah, ah, aah! None of that. You’re staying right here. And as for you, Mista Tigah, don’t make a HEADLINE!”

The giant specter laughed maniacally as a jet of water caught the winged Alex as he angled in on an attack dive. When the water blast disappeared, all Corrie could see was black and white feathers floating on the billabong beside the clearing. The apparition was reaching for her, still laughing in the same maniacal way, when she was awakened by her own screaming.

The lioness sat straight up in bed, looking around wildly. For once, her pillow and sheets were all intact. She looked over at the clock. It was 0302. Too early to get up, but too late to really try and sleep again. She started to get up to go get a drink of water, but as her foot pads hit the floor, she paused. She didn’t know why, but the urge was there. She bowed her head.

“Ah, er . . . , God? I don’t know how to do this. Alex is the praying one. I don’t even know if you listen to any of us who aren’t religious. If you do, please let Alex be safe. Thanks.”

She wasn’t sure, but somehow, she did feel a little better. Still scared for Alex, and still freaked out by this new variation on the nightmare, but not as panicky.

The lioness stood and went to the bathroom, and then the refrigerator for some cold water. She sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket there over her, intending to just rest. Before she knew it, she’d dropped back off into a dreamless sleep.

End of Chapter 77

Home / Chapter Index / Chapter 76 / Chapter 78