Hi there,

Aeron is showing her elite skiing skills in this week’s scene… I hope you enjoy.

As always, please excuse the typos,

Big Smiles,

Jody

Boot Camp

Act 3 Scene 6

I was tryin’ to figure out how to make my paws work with two hunks of wood stuck to them without shivering enough the same hunks of wood slid apart in a way that weren’t real fun for me but made even Frei manage a smile. That’s when I hadn’t tried walking and earned an icy butt.

“Like I said in class,” Frei said, pulling me back as I slid down a slope away from her. “The ice cracks from north to south. If your compass reads inaccurately, trust your training and head north.”

Sissy slid over on her skis and frowned out at the snowy plane. “We’ve located where the team crashed, Ma’am,” she said and checked her pistol. “Officer Fitzpatrick has said that the perimeter is secured… he thinks?”

Frei held onto my cold weather jacket to stop me sliding away again. “The wind direction is from the north. The ice cracks run the same way. Follow the ice cracks if your compass fails to function.”

I tried to salute but that just made me wobble. “Sure, Ma’am.”

“I think a lot of the team are injured,” Sissy said with a sigh as she waved her cellphone around and frowned at the screen.

Frei pushed me to arms-length. “Your only objective is to extract our officers. When you locate them, you signal on your cell phone then I will fly in and winch you up.”

“You sure they’re gonna listen to us?” I managed to steady myself enough I weren’t wobbling.

“Not if you look like you have never seen snow,” Frei shot at me then headed over to a slick looking chopper. “Lorelei, if you sense the unsub or any other hostile, you tell Marney.” She held my gaze. “I need you to trust yourself.”

I nodded then slipped and landed on my butt. “Sure.”

Marney chuckled at me and helped me to my feet. “I signal with my cellphone not with your skis.”

I shrugged and slid to my feet. “You can stick them on ice shelters though, huh?”

Sissy and Frei nodded.

“Lorelei, Marney,” Frei said in a heavy tone. “Do not make me need to get ice on my shoes.”

She turned and strode off and Sissy took me by the hand and skied ahead so I just towed along behind her.

“Kinda a lot easier with help,” I mumbled trying not to wobble and flatten Sissy. “I ain’t sure how anybody can get anyplace on these.”

Sissy chuckled. “I only learned when my fiancé took skating.” She glanced over her shoulder then changed our direction as we zipped by trees. “He had to tow me a lot.”

“How’d you learn how to ski by yourself?” I asked as we headed over some kind of bump and I had to stick one leg out not to fall over.

“He let go,” Sissy said with a wink then changed our path again.

“I’m gonna take out half the trees if you let me go,” I mumbled as I managed to put my ski back down.

We sped up as we headed downhill into the plane and my skin started to prickle in a way that I nearly let go of Sissy as I shivered.

“Your cold weather gear should keep you warm,” Sissy said and zipped us through a gap in the trees. “You just need not to exert too much energy and sweat.”

I wheezed out a breath. “I’m sweating a whole load.” I shivered again. “I ain’t happy going anyplace so fast on hunks of wood.”

“We’re nearly at the plane,” she said in a cheery tone like she enjoyed skiing. “You need to point your skis together to stop.”

I stared down at my feet. “I can’t even keep them together.”

“Ready…” Sissy nodded to me and turned her feet.

She stopped and I zipped by her.

“Aeron!” Sissy tried to hold on but I let go ‘cause I was going way too fast. “Turn your skis.”

“I tried that,” I muttered but my paws didn’t like it and the hunks of wood parted instead as I zipped toward the sharp edges of the plane. My feet went from under me and I skidded, butt-first, to a stop beside two of the team who’d been hurt too badly by the crash. “We lost some folks.”

“You okay?” Sissy zipped up beside me and shook her head.

“Nope,” I muttered, yanked off the hunks of wood, and winced my way to my feet. Then sank into the snow.

“Put these on,” Sissy said and sighed as she spotted the folks in the snow. “Ma’am, we’re two team members down.”

I headed away from her as Frei’s voice crackled from her earpiece and looked into the plane. “Most of the team is in here… a lot of injured folks.”

I winced more as their ailments made my bones ache. “Hankings and his buddies ain’t in here though.”

“Which buddies?” Sissy asked and skied over. “Put these shoes on.”

I took a different pair of hunks of wood which had net-like bits in the middle. “These kinda look like sports’ stuff.”

“They’re snow shoes,” Sissy said with a gentle smile. “Don’t you remember cold weather training?”

“Was I in that class?” I asked and headed into the plane. A whole lot of folks groaned back.

“Yes, Frei flipped you onto your back?” Sissy patted me on the back and headed past me to the class. “Where is Hankings?”

“Took two others with him,” one of the girls in class said to her with a grunt. “They were going to get help.”

“Ma’am, we have three team members on foot… heading somewhere…” Sissy sighed and checked over the girl’s leg. “We need evac, Ma’am.”

Frei’s voice crackled and I stared out into the biting wind. Hankings weren’t real good at tactics and navigation, bit like me.

“I’ll stay and search the area,” Sissy said in a confident tone.

Perfect. So easy to pick off. Easy to use to get Tess’s attention.

“Aeron?” Sissy put her hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I mumbled and held onto the plane. “You ain’t allowed to search,” I said loud enough Frei should hear me. “Unsub is hoping on it.”

The chopper sounded above and I glanced around then turned to Sissy. “You need to be on that chopper.” I weren’t sure why I felt that but I did and I weren’t daring to question why. “Hankings has headed east,” I shouted toward Sissy’s earpiece.

“Do not follow,” Frei’s voice muttered back loud enough Sissy hunched.

Easy to get her to help. She always did like a good rescue.

“I have to,” I said and held onto Sissy’s arms as the chopper hovered. “And you have to get onto that chopper.”

“Aeron, you have to follow her orders,” Sissy said studying me.

“I can’t.” I nodded to her. “Get them into the chopper then make sure you keep your eyes on me.” I hurried away from the plane and felt for the wind: it was hitting me on the left… must be heading eastwards then. I used my skis as sticks to keep my balance and hoped the snow shoes would hold my weight. I weren’t sure who the unsub was but Tess… that had been Renee’s cover before I met her in Serenity Hills… and I didn’t want her rescuing nobody and getting hurt.

I sighed as I trudged through the snow. I just hoped I could get to Hankings and his buddies and then lead them north… but getting him to listen weren’t gonna be easy.