REDEMPTION

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 6
Mercy Flight
 

Less than two hours later the pair of Furs were in a small Hawker 4000 business jet that had the blue and white colors of the Anthro Human Colonization Project. They would refuel once in Iceland before continuing to Ukraine. There was only one other individual, besides the flight crew, onboard. Edmund Mallory was British by birth, though like so many other Europeans, he considered himself a citizen of the entire continent. The man was in his early forties, and while he looked like a scholar for the most part, there was a tan cast to his skin and his short, reddish-brown hair had a sun bleached cast to it indicating he spent quite a bit of time outside.

Edmund was delighted to have two Furs on the flight with him and took it upon himself to play host for the pair of Vulps.

“It’s rare that I get to interact with actual Furs, even though I’ve been with the company for almost ten years. I can’t begin to tell you how thrilling this is for me.” Edmund made sure they had refreshments, and while a little despondent that the vixen seemed distracted, staring out the window that her seat was next to, it didn’t stop him from trying to engage Richard in conversation.

“You’ll understand if she’s a little distant,” the silver fox said after informing the man that they were headed back due to a family emergency. “The news of her father’s condition has hit her pretty hard.”

“Oh, the poor dear,” the man said, his look turning to one of concern. “It’s not the largest, or even the most comfortable, but there is a bunk in the back of the plane she’s more than welcome to. That and I have a small selection of, hmm, medicinals in my travel bag, should she require. Sometimes they are the only way I can get to sleep myself. I truly hate flying.”

“Thank you, Edmund,” Richard told the man sincerely. “I’ll check and see if she feels like following your suggestion.”

The silver fox Fur made his way from the small galley where he and the man had been talking and knelt next to Sofiya’s seat. When he took her hand in his it was most gently.

“Edmund told me that there’s a bunk in the back that you’re more than welcome to, and if you feel you need it, he has something you can drink.”

The vixen looked at her companion and smiled weakly. “I think I would like to lie down,” she admitted. “You are not bothered if I do this?”

“Nah. I’ll be okay. I’m just worried about you,” he replied with a smile.

Sofiya declined the offer of a drink, though she let Richard lead her back to the small cubicle that contained the bunk. It was narrow with room for one only, much to the vixen’s disappointment. The thought of having Richard hold her was incredibly tempting. As it was, he helped her get situated and pulled the light blanket and sheet up after hanging her robe-like top on an available hook that protruded from the faux wood paneling. She then watched as the other Vulps increased the airflow, lowering the temperature in that part of the cabin to something more comfortable and dimmed the lights.

“You will be near if I should need you?” Sofiya asked, her eyes wide and almost childishly imploring and took his hand with what bordered on desperation.

“I’ll be right here,” he told her as he sat on the edge of the bunk.

Holding her hand, Richard watched her for only a few minutes before the day caught up to the little red fox Fur. Her eyes fluttered and her breathing became deeper and more even and as her grip on his fingers loosened, Sofiya rolled onto her side, curling up and clutching the pillow to her.

He waited a few long moments before he was sure that she was asleep before returning to the main part of the cabin. Richard snagged a flavored soda before he dropped into one of the seats and winced as he pinched his caudal appendage against the seat back. With a muttered curse he shifted and pulled the black and white tipped brush of his tail over his thighs then sighed as he rubbed at his eyes.

“It’s been a long day,” he commented dryly.

“I can understand that sentiment,” Edmund agreed as he poured a small travel bottle of gin into a plastic cup of tonic water.

“So, what is it you do with the AHCP?” Richard asked with a glance at his traveling companion.

The man smiled as he took a sip of the mixed drink. “Ah! One of the more interesting jobs, truth be told. I lead a harvesting team.”

“What’s a harvesting team?”

“We’re the ones that go out and get samples of genetic material for use in the McEwen Process that turns you and the others into Furs.”

Richard was suddenly interested. “So, you spend your time traveling to zoos?”

Edmund chuckled. “Not just zoos. We also obtain samples from animals in the wild. While zoos are a great source for the genetic material that is used in the transformation process, the number of captive animals is rather limited, even with all of the different preservation facilities around the world.

“To supplement those samples, and to provide increased genetic diversity, we also have personnel that obtain material from wild animals. When we are given our required lists for the year, normally a collection of thirty or so different donors for each furman type, we go and set up temporary field laboratories so that we can screen the animals for diseases and illness after capture. The process is much more streamlined than it used to be and an experienced team can get up to ten animals in one day if fortune smiles upon them.”

“You actually capture the animals used for donors? How do you do that?”

“It’s completely harmless and temporary, of course. We use a variety of methods, though the most successful are live traps and tranquilizer rifles. Then again, for many of the subjects we test, it’s best if they are asleep to begin with. Many animals such as bears, wolves and lions truly dislike being poked and prodded overly much.

“When we select subjects, normally after several days of observing the targets, we begin to capture them as quickly as possible so they may be released just as quickly to reduce the trauma of even temporary captivity. A proper field lab can process up to four subjects at once. We screen their blood, take tissue samples, measure weight, dimensions and log what gender. Once that is done and we determine that the donor is clear of sickness, a specified amount of matter is harvested, tagged with a small transmitter and the animal is let go. We can actually get the entire process done before the tranquilizers wear off and have them back in the wild before the creature is aware it has had little more than an induced nap.”

“Geez, you aren’t kidding when you call it harvesting, are you?” Richard asked with a grin.

“It truly is. I’ve personally gotten to handle some of the most exciting predators from all over the world! I just hope that I’m taken off the non-viable list soon,” Edmund commented.

“The what?”

“Oh, the non-viable list means that my job is too important at the moment for the AHCP to pass my application to join the Furmankind Project at the present time.” The man sighed. “It really is disappointing. I would love a chance to go through the process so that I might go to another world. Think of the animals I could document then!”

Richard had to nod in agreement. He’d already been studying some of the animals that the original Bastien colonists had discovered and found that absolutely fascinating. A chance to do the same for a person that already documented terrestrial animals, and was excited about it, would almost be in their version of heaven to do the same on another planet. He listened to the man describe his work for the AHCP all over the world, but eventually began to feel exhaustion creeping up on him. Unable to stop himself, Richard yawned widely, his tongue curling on itself.

“Pardon me,” the silver fox told his companion with an apologetic look. “It was already a long day of training, and it looks like things are catching up to me.”

Edmund chuckled quietly. “There’s no reason to apologize. I have an inkling of the training schedule that you’re on, especially with the announcement of the new Bastien mission. Go ahead and get some rest if you can.”

The Fur nodded his thanks and got up, heading to the small cubicle to look in on Sofiya. She was still as he’d left her curled on her side with the pillow held tight to her chest. It took some creative maneuvering, but Richard was able to insinuate his frame between the bunk and the divider that separated the tiny cubicle from the lavatory compartment and watched the female sleep.

As his own eyes started to grow heavy, a sound that was different from the humming whistle that the plane’s engines generated brought him back up from the slumber that had been creeping up on him. He heard it again and after blinking his raw feeling eyes a few times to clear them and realized that the sounds were coming from the vixen. Somehow managing to get his arm up, he placed his hand on the top of Sofiya’s head and gently ran the tips of his claws and finger pads over the velveteen fur of her ears, going with the lay of the fine hairs and whispered to her.

“You’re okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here. I’ll always be here.” His words were soft, barely louder than the breath that carried them, but the effect was the little female calming immediately. He had to smile when she shifted a little in her sleep to increase her contact with his paw-like hand.

When sleep came upon him, it was with complete stealth and he slipped into a dreamless void.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.