The Airline by Karen Blayne

Oh by the way red tape first.

Be warned these short stories contain mature content or naughty bits and as such may corrupt you if you’re under 12, 16, 18, 21 or 25 depending where you live thus they are not suitable for you so put them back on the shelf and let them age for a year or two.

They were sort of scribbled for fun. They were first posted on asstr.org. If you’ve paid money for this book just be aware the author has not received any payment. In fact no one has permission to charge money for this book and copyright is retained by the author. All copies must be of the complete document. ©2017 Asstr.org accepts donations if you’re feeling rich or even if you’re not.

Luv Karen

Josh sat back, he'd done it, he'd mined all sorts of cryptocurrency jumping from one to another as the market varied. It was kind of boring now. He felt like something different. He started Flight Simulator and was taking an A380 jumbo jet out taxing onto the runway when the idea hit him. He'd start an airline. Secondhand planes weren't that expensive and if he got a reliable one or two he'd coin it in.

In his single-minded way with the profits from his crypto mining he managed to buy two aircraft and get a licence for an airline. Then it got boring and he got sidetracked. He'd get someone to run the thing whilst he went exploring the latest online games.

Wendy looked at him across the table in the coffee bar. “You own an airline?” He didn't look old enough to own a car never mind an airline. “Well it’s in its start up stage. If you want a job, I need someone to sell tickets.” “How much?” he'd no idea “Minimum wage?” He hazarded. Wendy looked at him “You're joking?” “I could add in 10 percent of the profits?” “30.” She demanded not certain there was going to be any profits. He shrugged. “OK. I have to go now but here is the bank password stuff and you'll need crew to fly the planes.” “I'm running it?” “For 30 percent of the profits yes. Oh the planes are being delivered today at the airport.” Wendy had a sense of impending doom but there was nothing else on offer and you never know it might even work out. “What about ticket pricing and such?” He looked taken back. “Well you could have my crypto mining machine and I'll stick one of those AI programs on it to come up with the optimum pricing.”

She arrived at the airport just after lunch and asked to speak to a manager. She asked what did she need to do to run flights from the airport with a new airline. “Well you'll need a check in desk at least. I suggest since I had an email saying Coolair Airlines has just gone under you take their check in desk and if you trade under CoolAir Airlines (1903) you could use the same signage.” He led the way to the check in desk that seemed to be the last one tucked away in the corner. Well it would be her new office at least. She called Josh and he dropped by with the computer and set it up for her. At least she had a screen and looked professional.

“Do I have a job or has it gone under?” Wendy looked up to see a uniformed flight attendant standing before her. “Coolair Airlines has gone under but if I can find some crew then CoolAir Airlines (1903) is in business.” “Oh right the Wright brothers, neat.” Wendy looked baffled. “Do you have any aircraft?” “Josh said he'd brought two, they're sitting on the tarmac.” “So all you need is crew?” “Well yes but we need paying passengers as well.” The flight attendant got on her phone. “Seems OK, they own a couple of planes but she needs crew and things.” A few minutes later Captain Phillips arrived. “So what's the deal?” “Your old airline has gone under and this new one looks likely to as well as I need passengers, prices for tickets and crew.” He looked thoughtful for a moment “Well Coolair was building up the passengers so why not fly their routes and timetable for the moment?” Wendy felt lost and agreed. “But what about passengers?” “No big deal, just tell them the airline has gone under so if they pay you for new tickets their credit card company will refund them for their old ones.” “Prices?” “For the old ones same price for the new ones your web site should be able to work them out.” He reached for his phone and sent off a few messages. “Right now we should have a crew ready to fly in thirty minutes all we need now is a few passengers. Sally pop along the other check ins and let them know we're in business and if they think they might have to bump a few we can take them.” Wendy looked puzzled. “They'll give us a transfer voucher so if we need to bump they can carry our spares. We can always sell the flights on our web site. We do have one I trust.” Josh looked up from below the counter “The web site is now up and running.”

The first few passengers arrived and Wendy checked them in. Soon there was a small queue as it took Wendy a few minutes to get into the routine. She looked up at the departure board, their first plane had departed with a 90 percent load factor. Plus six squeeze ins travelling on vouchers. Wow above 70 percent. Normally by industry standards they should be making a profit. The second plane was on the runway and ready to roll if only they could find some more crew. “Hi I'm April, the rest of the crew will be here shortly I just need to find a second pilot.” April wondered off and Wendy checked in passengers for the second light of the day. “But Harry you aren't flying for the rest of the day. It’s just a quick return flight you'll be back tonight. Now just come over here behind the screen and we can discuss this in more privacy.” Wendy didn't hear any more words coming from behind the screen but a pair of heels stuck out. She couldn't be doing what Wendy thought could she? She'd better just move the screen a little bit so April's heels didn't stick out so far. She got up and tugged the screen over an inch and spied Harry with his eyes closed and April's head bouncing gently up and down. “There now and I can come back to your place tonight if you'd like.” Wendy tried to close her ears. A red faced Harry came out from behind the screen “I'll just go and get my gear.” Wendy looked at April. “Our usual second pilot took a job with another airline and I knew Harry had some spare hours flying time so it just seemed the thing to do. Besides I've been trying to get closer to Harry for ages.” “Tomorrow?” “Captain Phillips is arranging an unpaid trainee. They're keen to get the number of hours flying twin engined jets so they can become qualified.” Wendy made a mental note to arrange to pay them at least as cabin crew. She didn't like the idea of unpaid.

She looked down at the computer screen. Things were happening. Prices on the web site were changing. There was a self satisfied little message box came up. “Primary functions done. Optimum prices calculated.” She felt she ought to respond somehow. What on earth did one reply to a computer. “Thank you.” She typed in. “No problem. Now the next thing to calculate is the optimum flights for the aircraft.” It seemed to be content with its own company so Wendy let it do its thing.

Now there was a butt you didn't see every day. There was a shaking of heads at the other check in. Heavens he was coming this way. She typed the city name in where Ryan wanted to get to urgently in the search box to see if they flew there. A message box popped up. “Ask him the precise address he wants to get to.” She asked and typed in the answer. “If he just has carry on luggage offer him a direct business class flight and get his phone so we can message him.” There was a shrug of shoulders. “Now ask him to step behind the screen and stand on the pad to check his weight.” Wendy did as she was told. “There all gone.” “Gone where?” “Oh I just scanned him in and he'll be at his final destination by now.” If a computer could smirk this one was. Wendy picked up her phone and called Ryan to ask if he was safe. “Yea sure. Fastest flight I've ever done.” “Just call me when you're ready to come back.” “Yea right.”

She turned back to the computer and typed in “I thought teleporting or whatever was impossible unless your name was Dr. Spock?” “Is it? It looked theoretically possible and you seemed to want to please him so I just tried it. Did it work?” Wend thought about jacking this job in right now or at least pulling the plug on a certain computer. “And if it hadn't? He might have died.” “Is that bad? Couldn't we just reinitialise him? If you put the headset on then you can talk to me directly.” Wendy talked and explained that humans couldn't be reinitialised. It felt very odd having a conversation with a computer. “Still it worked though.” “But you might have materialised him in the middle of a brick wall or something.” “That was thought of and a smartphone was sent first to send a picture back to show it was safe. I mean he might want to travel with us again.” Wendy felt she wanted to throw something very hard and very fast at the computer instead she fished out her portable hard drive and saved a system image and a backup. That way if the machine crashed she might just get Ryan back.

That evening Wendy was debating which tin of chunky soup to open when Ryan called and asked about the next flight back. She three way called with the computer and finally accepted the simplest thing was to have Ryan delivered to her smartphone. She placed it carefully in the middle of the floor and no sooner had she said ready than Ryan was stood there. “Something smells good.” Males one track mind. She fed the brute, still afterwards they listened to some music with Wendy curled up in Ryan's lap. She asked him about his day and he blurted out, “I forgot they expected me to have to stay the night and fly back tomorrow. If I stayed here tonight we could spend the expense money on a meal out tomorrow.” A meal out, no washing up, it sounded heavenly. “The guest bed isn't made up. You’d have to share mine.” Would he take the hint? He lent in and kissed her on the lips. “Well that's settled.”

The next day at the airport Wendy asked the computer how much it cost to teleport someone. “It's just sending the pattern of a few electrons, so say a dollar.” “But we charged him hundreds.” “That's what came up on the market rate algorithm.” “If we wanted to send more?” “We'd need a supply of smartphones to send off first to see if the coast was clear.” There was a silence then a message came up “Refurbished ones with wifi cost $50 each, cheaper by the dozen.” Wendy brought a couple of dozen.

“If you could hire more crew we could get more flights out of the aircraft.” Wendy hired more crew, anyone would think the computer was running the airline. A jumbo jet was out of service. Could CoolAir Airlines (1903) take any passengers at least part of the way? Wendy smiled sweetly and nudged the computer away from its fascination with creating cryptocurrency. “What's up?” Wendy spoke into the headset and explained that they had four hundred would be passengers if they could fly them. The passengers were asked to step behind the screen, scanned and those deemed acceptable were sent off. Three journalists and four people who had previously had surgery were thought risky as were two females who were in the first stages of pregnancy. Still Wendy managed to find seats on their next plane out to a nearby hub where they could get an onward connection by sending three business men direct.

Melanie accepted being able to walk on water was just part of the job for an executive assistant. Getting a direct flight from point A to point B for her boss on Tuesday morning after his first appointment was proving to be rather more elusive. She was getting to the point where she was considering an air taxi. She looked through the list of the company's frequent flyers. Ryan, she wondered if he had any ideas.

Ryan went deep red when she asked him about direct flights and who were CoolAir Airlines? “Go and talk to Wendy at the airport.” “You mean phone her?” “Err no, talk to her face to face and tell her what the problem is. You'd better mention I suggested it.” It sounded very cloak and dagger but whatever, Melanie shrugged and took a cab to the airport.

“I'm after a direct flight at 11 a.m. and Ryan mentioned if I talked to you face to face you might be able to help?” “For yourself?” “No my boss.” “Do you have a passport with you?” Melanie blinked, she always carried it in case Steve wanted her to go off at a moment's notice. “Has he had any surgery?” “Not that I know of.” “Here's my card with my number just call or text me when you'd like to come back. Now if you'd just like to step behind the screen.” Melanie stepped. Moments later she found herself in Charles de Gaulle airport a little to one side of the Douane desk. She shook herself then rang Wendy. “I'm in Paris?” “Oh that's good. He got the destination right. Ready to return?” “I guess so.” Moments later she was stood in front of Wendy's desk once more. “What happened?” “My computer worked out how to do it. I'm not sure of the technical details but we've carried a few hundred people now without any apparent problems so if you'd like to entrust your boss to us.” “So just bring him to the airport when he's ready.” “No need, call me when you're ready and he's stood in front of you with his passport. If he needs to enter through a port of entry, we'll drop him off at an airport, but it can be a sea port or just a boarder crossing. Otherwise, we can move him practically anywhere.” “Normal airfare?” “We might just charge him business class.” Wendy grinned at her. “Baggage?” “Whatever he can hold in his hands. He'll need a phone to be able to call for a pickup.”

Wendy looked up from her paperback at the girl in camouflage uniform in front of her. “I've been bumped so they suggested asking you if you had anything so I can make my connecting flight in Europe.” “She scans OK.” Flashed up on the screen in front of her. “Where are you travelling to?” “My unit, I'm a sort of army paramedic or medical technician in army terms.” “I can get you to your unit directly if that would help?” “Really? How much will it cost?” “The other airline will give me a voucher which will cover it. Take my card in case you want to call me then step behind the screen with your kit so we can weigh you.” Moments later Michele was gone and Wendy had another voucher she could use to sell a flight on the web site.

“I've heard you offer nonstop flights direct to Dublin?” The screen flashed a warning journalist. “We have in the past but I don't think we are offering any at the moment.” “I'd like to buy a ticket to Dublin.” “Certainly sir, it will be with one of our partner airlines and involve three changes.” He sensed a story here and peeled off a number of hundreds and placed them on the desk. “I really want a direct flight money no object.” Wendy handed him an air taxi company card. “I'm sure they'll be able to help you.”

Michele crouched down and dashed into the small camp. “Hi guys I'm your new medical technician.” “Colin, they've sent you a nursemaid.” There was a burst of fire. A return of a single shot then silence. “Gary can she shoot?” Michele looked indigently at them. Another burst of fire came in. “Come and lie down with me.” Michele dropped her kit and rolled over next to Colin. “Now there's an offer I don't get every day.” The rest of the team made rude comments but Colin just gave her a look that melted her insides. An hour later and the bullets seemed to have stopped flying. They mounted up and drove to the next village. Michele unrolled and hung a big medical red cross symbol on the side of their truck and put up an awning. An hour later she had a queue of people and children awaiting shots and treatment. One woman asking haltingly if she had the birth control shot available. Soon there were others asking for it as well as their children were inoculated. Gary joked if he'd known how easy it was to get the natives onside he would have given them shots years ago.

That evening Michele was finishing up a paperback when a teenager appeared. Could she borrow it? Michele gave it to her much to her delight. In halting English she explained she'd been taught to read and write but books were few and far between. Any book was precious. On their next sortie Michele scrounged a few paperbacks from the camp and handed them out as they went with the shots. The team settled into a routine. Michele did the public relations part and the others quietly provided security. After a month with Colin he still had the ability to melt her bones when she feasted her eyes on him but they were professionals and work relationships were work relationships.

Early on a Tuesday morning Michele rolled out of her sleeping bag and stood too as the sun came up. The attack came at first light. They beat off the first wave but at a cost of four injured soldiers including Colin. It looked as if the attackers were gathering their forces once again this time with the intention of over running them. Their RPG was too far away for their normal weaponry to tackle. This just wasn't going to happen. Michelle picked up her phone and woke Wendy up. Could she work her magic and send a team out to save them? Then she called her base in North America and spoke to a friend, Zach who quickly organised things. Minutes later a platoon staggered out of the armoury, each being teleported as they stepped out.

“Bloody realistic live fire training exercise.” “It's not an exercise.” Yelled Michele as another burst of fire arrived. She crouched down giving first aid to first one soldier and then another. Looking at Colin she decided he was too injured to survive without immediate hospital treatment and they were two days drive from the base. She asked about a helicopter. None were available. She called Wendy and Zach once more and after a smartphone landed on the edge of the hospital bed and was corrected Colin appeared shortly afterwards. Zach hit the panic button. Three more very injured soldiers followed onto nearby beds, a smartphone appearing then disappearing on each before the soldier arrived.

Later that morning the Colonel was briefed. Four injured soldiers had arrived and been treated in the early hours of the morning. A platoon had been called out on a training exercise and fired off a large number of rounds. “Who authorised it all?” “We aren't sure.” “Well someone must have authorized the travel? Find them.” “Do we want to sir? We've got back four highly trained soldiers who would have died without being evacuated.” “Didn't one of medical technicians turn up out of the blue over there? Something Airlines? Trace them.”

Two red caps approached Wendy's desk. Moments later they were back at camp without their car. The Colonel shook his head. “Get Zach in here!” Zach stood smartly to attention in front of the Colonel's desk. “I don't care how it’s done but I want to know if this airline company can transfer troops for us on occasion. Starting with the missing platoon who I understand are in the middle east.” Zach saluted and left the office. He grabbed his small motorcycle and rode down to the airport. “Hi Zach.” Wendy greeted him. “The Colonel wondered if he could have his platoon back Miss?” “Oh has Michele finished with them? I'll find out.” She rang Michelle's phone. “The Colonel wants his platoon back?” She looked up at Zach “Michele says as soon as they've finished their coffee break and packed their kit they'll be ready.” “How do you do it?” “Just tell him it’s all done by magic and this lot is free but if he wants any more moving its normal airfare.”

Colin came round “Where am I?” “Safe and sound in North America.” “How long was I out for?” “A couple of hours.” “But I was in...” Zach arrived, “Classified information. Gary mentioned your nursemaid arranged it all and she'll be in to see you on her next day of rest.”

Michele looked at herself in a dress in the mirror, not bad, not bad at all. Then she went to visit Colin. “So how are you feeling?” “Alive, I think at least everything seems to be there and sending pain signals. Zach mentioned something about you getting me home?” “I called someone I know. Luckily she was by her phone.” “Was she the one who provided the cavalry?” “Well she arranged for them to visit so yes.” “What do I owe you?” “Well a date would be nice once you're out of bed, although on second thoughts when you're well enough you could just move over.”

Wendy looked at the flashing message. “Should I transport the two men in suicide jackets safely away?” She clicked the mouse and the two guys who had pulled out pistols and opened fire were gone. She didn't like to ask where they had been sent but thought she ought to take an interest. “They were dropped off in an active war zone.” Flashed very briefly on the screen.

Airport security and the local police locked the area down briefly but one who'd seen the two red caps disappear stepped across and spoke softly to Wendy. “Are they safely out of the area?” Wendy discreetly nodded and the lock down was discreetly lifted.

Wendy did the financials. They'd done well, especially with the teleporting side. She'd over booked each flight by twenty people then selected the excess carefully and sent them direct. Her 30 percent of the profits came in at $1.4 million. She wondered if Josh would notice. “I've just looked through the annual figures this airline is making a mint of money.” “Yes but...” “I don't want to know the details but I'm willing to buy your share out for $ five million.” Wendy shrugged, “You're the boss so thank you.” She reset the over booking to zero to avoid problems. Josh hired a couple of more workers who looked pretty and sat back to roll in the profits. Somehow the load factors were down. He wasn't sure why.

Wendy retired to her apartment and wondered what to do next until Ryan rang. “They want me to fly out Thursday but when I called CoolAir Airlines they said their computer was down. I don't want to go back to regular flying.”

By evening Ryan had set her up a new workstation. They crossed their fingers and restored the computer image Wendy had copied a year previously. Ryan rebooted the machine and the AI came up. Wendy's airline was created discreetly for a few select people only you understand.