by Laura Acton
Jon nodded. “Thanks for looking out for him.”
Bram patted Jon’s shoulder. “Anytime. That’s what we do. Speaking of which, Loki.”
“What about Loki?”
“Think we need to plan a few things for him while Ray’s gone. You know how this time of year can affect him if left to his own devices.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Though Jim’s party will go a long way in keeping his asshole ex-stepfather’s words from ruining his season.”
Prankster is Born and Light Duty
40
December 21
TRF HQ – Loki’s Tech Room – 1:00 p.m.
Loki laughed as he put the finishing touches on the photos. After hitting print, he swiveled towards Dan. Today had been a wonderfully slow day. Since Dan would be spending time in the truck for the next few days, the two of them had retreated to his techie room after Dan finished a long training session with the boss. Initially, Loki began to bring Dan up to speed on some of the newest technology, but it had morphed into fun.
Dan’s face split into a wide grin. “Your sense of humor is wicked, but I love it. Can’t wait to hang these on my tree and to give them to the guys.”
Swinging his feet with a happy grin, Loki asked, “So, when will you give these to them?”
Dan snorted. “Well, if I mail them to the unit guys, they’ll almost certainly arrive sometime in July. I think I’ll hold off and see if they make it to Jim’s party. My cousins, however, will receive them on the twenty-fourth and Mike sometime before I leave Ottawa.”
“Who’s Mike again?”
“Mike Galloway, the head of my father’s security unit. We did a missi …” Dan trailed off almost opening up about the Makhachkala mission, which he couldn’t mention at all. He changed up what he was going to say. “He’s the one who tracked Pletcher down in Brazil.”
Loki nodded. “Yeah, now I remember. How’s that whole court-martial thing going?”
“JAG is in the process of compiling everything. The general will inform me when and if I need to make an appearance. To tell you the truth, I’d rather not attend any of the court martials. No desire to lay eyes on Plouffe, Pletcher, Merrill, or any of the others. As far as I’m concerned they can lock them up and throw away the key.”
Raking the errant raven lock from his forehead, Loki regarded Dan a moment. “Do you ever wish they were dead? I mean, with all they did to you, don’t you want to snipe them or something?”
Using the training he received this morning, Dan noticed something seemed to be off with Loki. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason. Just wondering.”
Dan blew out a breath and decided to be truthful. “Part of me does want them dead. Though if I killed them, I wouldn’t be any better than them. I’ll let the Code of Service Discipline take care of things.”
His gaze on his lap, Loki murmured, “What if the legal system fails you? What would you do then?”
Dan considered Loki’s question carefully. “Well, I’m not exactly sure.”
“What if they continued to hurt others, but you couldn’t prove it was them?” Loki glanced up at Dan before averting his eyes.
“Loki, is someone messing with you?”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t … Forget I said anything.”
“Hey, what are you always telling me? If you need or want help, with anything, just ask and I’m there for you. Requesting assistance goes both ways.” Dan extended the offer, like dangling a lure. Would it be enough enticement to encourage Loki to bite and open up?
His hands rubbing his thighs nervously, Loki put a false smile on. “Yeah, I know. It’s nothing. Really. It isn’t even me.” Loki clamped his mouth shut. Damn, I didn’t mean to say that.
Dan let it drop, for now. Apparently, Loki didn’t want to share with him. To lighten the mood, he picked a printout, examining the photoshopped images. He had one of Blaze, Winds, Mason, Jim, Scott, Adam, Jeff, Zach, Kyle, and Mike. Loki superimposed their faces on male ballet dancers in mid-leap. “Amazing what you can do with software. They look so real.”
Loki nodded, happy for the change in subject. “Unless you know what you are looking for. There is software which can detect altered photos, but again you must be aware of the tells. I’m an amateur, but my buddy you met at the Swan Lake hotel, he bartends on the side for fun. Sergio’s day job is writing software. He specializes in image manipulation and computer-generated graphics. He can find the discrepancies in photos and videos quickly.”
“Interesting.” Dan took this opportunity for a little turnabout fair play hoping it would continue to improve Loki’s mood. “So how did you meet Sergio? Fair’s fair. I told you about Clara.”
Loki leaned back and grinned. “We met in high school.”
“Yeah, there has to be more to it.” Dan cocked his head and eyed Loki.
Loki grimaced and scratched the back of his head. “Well, yeah, but you can’t tell anyone.”
“I promise.” Dan agreed.
“Okay. I was in tenth grade. Since seventh grade, several jocks picked on me. They did stupid stuff to make my life miserable for three years. The first week of school I joined the computer club again—a place where I had fun and fit in. Sergio joined too. He had just moved to Toronto from Saskatoon, and we just hit it off—we liked a lot of the same stuff.
“When he found out about the guys messing with me, we hatched a plan. My first prank. We took pictures of all the jerks and photoshopped their heads onto the bodies of donkeys, pigs, snails, an orangutan eating a turd, black-crested macaque with bright red swollen butts, hairless cats, mole rats, and babies wearing loaded sagging diapers. Sergio even put the worst bully’s face on a horse’s ass. Not so original, but hey, we were fifteen. One night we snuck into the school and plastered the cafeteria, locker room, and halls with the pictures. Shhhh, you can’t tell of my breaking and entering past.”
Dan chortled. “Wow! Didn’t realize you had a dark side. Your secret is safe with me.”
Loki grinned. “Well, the next day, the bullies were razzed by so many, they forgot about bugging me. Sergio and I became fast friends. That was also the impetus for his love of computer-generated graphics and mine of pranking people. Though, I never did it in a mean-spirited way again. I prefer pranks which make people happy … all in light-hearted fun.”
The claxon alarm sounded and Tia’s voice called out, “Alpha and Delta teams, critical call at the zoo. They find themselves in a situation requiring TRF marksmanship. Someone opened a cage allowing ten snow leopards to escape.”
Toronto Zoo – Main Gate – 1:20 p.m.
The TRF teams rolled to a stop at the main entrance and were met by three men as they gathered around for a briefing. Mr. Lords, the manager of the facility extended his hand to Nick. “Sergeant Pastore, thank you for agreeing to assist. Our employees are following protocols and securing all visitors in safe locations.
“The situation was discovered when the afternoon shift arrived and started their normal checks. We have no idea if this is deliberate or accidental, but the cage door which houses the leopards was found to be open, and someone had also propped the secondary door leading outside open. All ten are now roaming somewhere in the park. If any of our animals cross a boundary perimeter, the embedded tracer tags will activate to reveal their location.”
“Do those tags work inside the perimeter?” Loki inquired.
Mr. Lords shook his head. “No. In hindsight, we should’ve thought of that, but the tags are in place for tracking purposes if they are stolen.
“Panthera uncia is on the endangered species list with only an estimated three to seven thousand left in the wild, and about six hundred in protected habitats around the world. Given their endangered status, we would hate to lose them and prefer to capture them all alive, if possible. However, your safety is primary. If you must, you are authorized to shoot to kill. Mr. Saut, our veterinarian, will now provide some guidance to assist you.”
Sa
ut studied the group of officers a moment. “There are some things I must tell you, so you remain safe. This species prefers steep cliff areas, rocky outcrops, and ravines because it provides them with camouflage so they can ambush unsuspecting prey. Close kin to a tiger, they stalk their prey. Usually, they spring from a distance of twenty to fifty feet, and can easily leap up to thirty feet due to their long and powerful hind limbs.
“This point is critical … unlike other species in the Panthera genus, they are unable to roar so you will not hear them. Typically, solitary hunters, they can and will hunt in pairs, especially mating pairs. Mating season isn’t until January, but it is a possibility you may come upon an early coupling.
“As opportunistic feeders, they will consume whatever meat they find, including carrion and domestic livestock. They are able to kill animals two to four times their own weight, but will readily take much smaller prey, such as hares and birds. You need to be aware they’re capable of killing most animals in this compound though sheep, goats, monkeys, boars, and ibex would be consistent with their diet. Normally they’re night feeders so they might be on the prowl and searching for something to eat soon.”
“Nine of our cats are standard height and weight. About two feet tall at the shoulders, four feet long minus tails, and weigh between sixty and one hundred pounds. The tenth, Brutus, our largest and most aggressive male, weighs a hundred sixty-five pounds. We loaded the darts with enough sedative to immobilize them no matter what the weight.”
Jon’s brows raised as a small shiver coursed through him. Brutus? Damn, they named the beasts.
Mr. Saut took a breath and stressed to the officers. “This isn’t the movies. They will not drop and be incapacitated instantly. The fastest route for the tranquilizer, in this case, is to aim for a large muscle. Tranquilizing them intravenously or in the heart can be done in a controlled environment but not in this situation. An intramuscular shot takes about fifteen minutes to start taking effect and up to forty-five to peak.
“I must stress again … this is dangerous. You must protect yourselves until the drug takes effect. The wildlife here will be their target prey. There are only two recorded cases of snow leopards attacking humans. Once shot, they will likely abort their attack and hide. Tracking them after they are darted will be crucial because they will be vulnerable.”
A man wearing a ranger uniform stepped forward. “My name is Leo Ounce, and I’m in charge of the over-sized kitties. I suggest you work in pairs, one equipped with darts and one carrying your standard issue weapon for safety. Also, one of my experienced keepers should accompany each team. We will be able to cover more ground that way, and my men know where to look because they’re well-versed in feline behaviors. They just don’t possess the shooting skills necessary to tranq them.”
Loki asked, “Do you have a security room with monitors of the park area? If so, we might speed up the search and send teams to specific locations.”
Mr. Lords nodded. “Yes, we do. The cameras don’t cover all the grounds but a good portion of the enclosures.”
Nick pursed his lips together. He wished he could use their best sniper on this call, but he wouldn’t risk Dan’s health. “Good thinking, Loki. You and Dan head to the monitors and get set up.”
As Dan followed Loki and Lords, he worried about the team. These carnivores sounded dangerous. The thought of any of his family being stalked clenched his gut. He glanced back at Lexa. She’s so petite, if a hundred sixty-five pounds of pure muscle jumps on her, hell even the smaller ones, there is no way she can protect herself. His eyes landed on Bram. Even someone Bram’s size won’t be a match for teeth and claws bent on acquiring dinner. I should be out here helping.
Jon glimpsed Dan glancing at them. He knew Dan wanted to be with them, and frankly, he would love to have Dan’s shooting skills involved in the hunt, but his welfare was more important. Jon conferred with Bill Raffin, Delta’s tactical lead to determine the teams. “Okay. Here’s the breakout. Lexa and Nick, Bram and Ray, me and Jarred, Glen and Cooper, Bill and Frank, and Rob and Justin.” He turned to Ounce. “Are six men available, one for each group?”
Leo dipped his head. “Yes. Seven are currently pouring over maps and outlining the probable areas to search.”
Nick said, “Might be beneficial to send one to assist my officers in the security room so they can begin searching those areas while we prepare.”
“Excellent idea. Follow me, please,” Leo said as he started for the office.
“It had to be a cat,” Jon grumbled.
Bram couldn’t help teasing Jon and quipped, “Not just one but ten cats.”
“Ten, big cats,” Lexa chuckled.
Ray grinned at Jon. “Ten, gigantic, mean cats.”
Loki piped in over the headset, “Ten, huge, horrid, hungry cats.”
Dan was confused Jon’s comment and the banter, but smiled and got into the fun adding, “Ten, enormous, beastly, ravenous, leaping cats.”
The team all chuckled when Jon groaned. Nick chuckled too, but said, “A little more focus here boys and girl.”
“Copy,” everyone said and complied.
Toronto Zoo – Monitor Room – 4:10 p.m.
Standing and stretching his back, Dan continued scanning the monitors. They had been at this for nearly three hours. Finding ten stealthy leopards was a difficult task. Cooper and Glen were the first to locate one and also the first to experience real life. Mr. Saut was correct … sedatives didn’t take immediate effect. But he was wrong predicting the cat would sulk off and hide. The darned thing raced right for them. Luckily, their ranger partner led them to a safety zone, and they made it inside a sturdy wire pen, slamming the door scarcely in time. The tranquilized cat stalked around the pen until it dropped off.
Dan’s eyes were going snow blind staring at the tiny screens trying to pick out spotted animals which blended in with the surrounding areas. He was going stir crazy just sitting here. “How do you look at these things so long, Loki?” Dan groused.
Loki glanced a moment at Dan. He’s doing reasonably well not being allowed to actively participate, though there is tension coiled in his body. Probably due to the few close calls the teams lived through. “It’s my job. I could ask you the same about holding a Zulu position in the freezing rain.”
Point taken. Dan now had a reference to work with—he could do this. He only needed to put his head in overwatch space—albeit without the actual ability to fire and keep them safe. “Thanks, Loki. That helped.” He resumed his seat and concentrated on the images.
Loki nodded, returning his full attention to the monitors. “Only Waldo and Brutus to find before it becomes too dark.”
Squinting, Dan tapped the glass screen. “There, I found Waldo! Thought he could hide from me. Camera ten. Where is that, Loki?”
Chuckling at Dan’s excitement and the cat’s actual name, Loki referenced the sector-camera list. “Boss, Lexa, Waldo’s in your vicinity. He’s near the zebra enclosure.”
“Lexa, heading to you from the hippos. Doubt even with the size of Brutus he would try and take on one of these behemoths.” Jon motioned to Jarred, and they trotted towards Lexa’s position.
Dan traced Waldo’s movements and directed Lexa. She was the one with the tranquilizers, and the boss was armed with the MP5 in case they had to neutralize the beast if their lives were in danger. He witnessed Lexa take aim and fire. Right on target, as always. She’s an exceptional sniper.
Waldo jerked when the dart hit his rump and raced off in the opposite direction of Lexa. Dan released the breath he held and helped track Waldo for fifteen minutes as the anesthetic took effect. When Waldo finally lay down, Dan gave them the location so the keepers could secure the animal and take him safely back to the enclosure.
Mr. Lords entered the room. “I’ve cancelled the holiday light show tonight. Locating Brutus in the dark is going to be very difficult.”
Dan rested his eyes a moment as he turned to the manager. “Turn on the lights
in all areas. Making the area as well-lit as possible might help.”
Lords nodded. “I will, but you must know it will still be extremely dark. The lighting is mainly on pathways for our night employee’s safety. Most enclosures and off-path areas aren’t equipped.”
“Yeah, we know. We’ve been here at night before.” Dan rolled his head around his neck to relieve his tension.
“Really, when?” Mr. Lords asked as he reached for the phone to request maintenance switch on all lights.
“In March. We did a night training exercise here.” Dan recalled the night the flour bombs stung all their eyes because someone thought it would be funny to add cayenne pepper, but that wasn’t what he remembered most. The elephants, Toka, Tinker, and Tonka. That had been a remarkable up-close encounter. After he fell into their enclosure, the mother elephant, Toka, kept him safe and warm until Jon found him.
“Ah, before my time. I took over about four months ago,” Mr. Lords said then made his call.
As Loki skimmed the darkening monitors in the fading light, he said, “The cameras are basically useless now. Too dark to see any contrast.”
Dan mentally reviewed the tools they had at their disposal. “What about the thermal scanners and night vision? Those might help.”
Nick said, “Excellent idea, Dan. You and Loki go grab them and distribute them to the teams.”
“Copy,” Loki responded as he noted the huge grin on Dan’s face. “Happy to be moving?”
“Yeah!”
Lords stopped them as he stood and held out a tranquilizer gun. “You need to take one of these with you if you’ll be out there. I’ll have Hugh Crothers, one of my keepers, meet you at the main gate.”
Dan took the dart gun and nodded.
Where Fear Takes Total Control
41
December 21
Toronto Zoo – Main Entrance – 4:40 p.m.
Hordes of people milled about the entrance to the zoo. Loki’s eyes widened as he and Dan headed for the SUVs to obtain the thermal scanners. “Whoa! I thought Lords said he cancelled zoo lights.”
