Page 6 of Shielding Instinct

Their dogs were immaculately groomed, and they presented with impeccable behavior.

Events would unfold in a professional and orderly manner.

What got laid out inno uncertain termswas that, to the extent possible, the teams were to keep their images off the Internet.

And in this day and age, that was easier said than done.

With phones clutched in people’s fingers and immediate access to social media, when things got out of hand, when emergencies popped up, folks were filming. And posting.

Doing the kinds of jobs Cerberus Tactical did for Iniquus—jumping into the fray—it was often impossible to maintain their anonymity. Not to say they didn’t try.

Luckily, the folks in tech support back at headquarters were wizards at taking down images before they got enough traction to go viral.

And man, oh man, did the tech team have their work cut out for them today.

It had all started out fine.

Team Charlie, the newest K9 team at Iniquus, was heading down to the southern campus on St. Kitts by way of St. Croix. St. Kitts was a convenient jumping-off spot for Iniquusto provide area security and safety support to their clients—the U.S. alphabets, corporate accounts, universities and other institutions.

In St. Croix, their objectives were to meet the emergency managers, get a lay of the land, and, most importantly, teach their dogs to surf.

Hawkeye couldn’t wait. This was going to be a great time.

The first hiccup came when two planes consolidated into a single flight.

Logistics worked what magic they could, and while the team was downgraded from first class, they got the next best thing. They were seated together and grouped at the bulkhead.

With the plane’s setup, the business class seats were to the left of the door. All the team needed to do was turn to the right, round the wall to the bulkhead, and sit down.

They’d wait away from the public outside near the support stairs and load last.

It would be seamless.

Easy.

They had a plan.

Out where the workers loaded last-minute carry-on luggage into place, there was no overhead protection from the ice crystals falling.

Under the operators’ umbrellas, the K9s sat between their handlers' legs to keep the dogs as dry as possible.

Even though the K9s all wore “working dog, do not touch” vests, it wasn’t enough to keep their fur dry.

Seven hours of wet dog would be tough in such an enclosed space. Multiply that by four K9s, and, understandably, there might be bad feelings and complaints.

So, the handlers did everything in their power to prevent that.

Once the flight attendant signaled to the team that it was their turn to board, Ash and K9 Hoover were the first ones up the metal stairs. Three members of Team Charlie climbed behind him. Arriving on the sky bridge just outside the plane’s door, the attendant halted their progress by holding up a hand to signal stop.

“Welcome.” She smiled and scanned over the dogs before looking up to catch Ash’s gaze. “We’re ready for you.” She put her hand on her heart as she blushed. “Can I just tell you how excited we are to have you on our flight? It’s an honor, sirs.”

Lucky for Hawkeye, he was second in line, so it was Ash who had to smile and nod. Hawkeye wasn’t one that much liked attention or recognition. It didn’t sit right with him. A man took pride in the job he did. That should be enough motivation to do the right thing.

“Your company has an understanding with our airlines,” she said. “Y’all have flown with us in the past, I’m sure. We always make an announcement to try to dissuade people from taking videos of the dog teams. That’s both for your sake and ours. We don’t want people jumping up and getting in the aisle. We’re trying to depart on time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ash said.

The woman’s blush deepened as she turned away to do her thing.

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