Book 12: Déja Flew     "Déja Flew"   Part 1

 
Déja Flew is a ten part Tammyverse story and follows on from Tammy:Ch-Changes.

 
Note: This is a work of fiction but a number of real people, places, and institutions are mentioned in fictitious circumstances. In short it's a story!
 
 
Wednesday 13th December 2017
 

"Good evening everyone and welcome to the sixth form presentation of Macbeth."

Tammy was stood to the right hand side the stage at her former school, St Andrews in Thurso. Over her shoulder the stage was set for the opening scene of the play and it seemed like wisps of smoke were already coming from a cauldron.

"I and the cast realize that a few of yourselves may be familiar with tonight's playwright, the Englishman Shakespeare, and perhaps even this tragedy. Indeed, what does the Sassenach upstart think he knows about Scotland? We'll find out shortly."

She paused for the expected laughter.

"Of course, it may have been a few years since you last saw a performance, so hopefully we can help you rejuvenate your memories."

The Headmaster audibly coughed at Tammy's dig at the older adults present, although most laughed politely.

"Can I remind you all to please turn off your phones and other devices. Could I also please ask that you do not use flash photography during the play. There will be an opportunity for photographs at the end of the play."

She paused whilst pockets and bags were checked by the audience. "I give you; Macbeth."

Tammy left the stage as three witches walked to the cauldron and squatted.

"When shall we three meet again...."

Tammy's seat was on the end of the front row next to one of the guests, Dr Steven McIntosh. Maisie had been invited, of course, but had elected to stay at home studying reports on past terrorist attacks, looking for missed opportunities. Tammy still wasn't certain which of them had the better deal.

The interval was taken after an hour, this allowed Tammy to head backstage to check on the actors, and, hopefully, avoid any front-of-house questions. The first scenes had been flawless but there had been a little stuttering at the beginning of the second Act. Jeri was acting as stage manager.

"That wasn’t our best performance, Tammy/"

“I noticed, cause?”

"Nerves."

"But we've rehearsed enough, and it's not as it they didn't know the play?"

"Granted, but this was their first time in front of an audience?"

"True, it's a shame we didn't have time for a full rehearsal with a small audience?"

One of the biggest concerns had been the role of Lady Macbeth, Tammy found the character in the make-up chair.

"Harry, what went wrong?"

"I saw both of my parents in the audience."

Harry looked immaculate but was busy checking his make-up, all self-applied. Tammy had heard he had been attending classes in skirts for a few weeks and was heading to return fully as Harriet in January, although his father hadn't yet been informed.

"I guess there will be an interesting conversation when the play ends, did you need Mrs Smart to be there?"

"I heard she has already spoken to them."

"Will you be safe tonight?" Harry lived in Wick so attended as a day student.

"I think so, it's just going to be a bit of a shock for him. I didn't think he could get here tonight."

"Okay, but there's plenty of support here and there's funding available if you needed to board for a while, as well as emergency accommodation. Mrs Smart can arrange that. You're not on your own."

"Thanks Tammy."

There wasn't time to speak to any other actors so Tammy slipped back to her seat, finding Cathy had swapped with Steven.

"How is Lady Macbeth?"

"He's fine now, has mum told you?"

"Yes, we're ready in case Harriet needs funding, the money hadn't been needed yet this year."

The lights dimmed and the play resumed.

Tammy was watching the cast carefully, she had been asked to report on each of them by the Headmaster and was already aware of their strengths and weaknesses, some of which were becoming apparent. Harry, however, had overcome his early jitters to give a good rendition of Lady Macbeth's dream sequence, earning a spontaneous round of applause.

Once Macbeth's head had been produced for the final scene, Tammy climbed back up the stairs and thanked the cast and backstage crew. She then introduced each of the cast by name before dismissing them. As she walked down she could see that Harry, still in costume, had been collected by Joan and was now heading for that conversation with his parents, carrying his skirts as he walked. She just spotted Harry curtsey in front of his father but couldn't hear what was said.

"Tammy?"

Cathy had caught up with her. "Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maisie."

"Oh."

"Indeed, Miss Smart. Three years ago you didn't know which way you would go, but you'd never had a relationship with anyone at all. That much was clear when you rebutted my brother’s approaches.”

"Don't remind me!"

"Then one of the staff had the hots for you."

"Leanne."

"You road tested your new equipment with a boy whilst in Cornwall."

"Daniel."

"Then Helen mistook your desire to help, and showed her own sexual immaturity."

"You can't blame me for that."

"Perhaps not. You also had that lad from the university?"

"James, but no, he didn't get into my knickers and, in any case, I lost him to Suzie."

"There's another one, isn't there?"

"Kyle, that was a one night stand. I never want to see him again."

"So why does it have to be Maisie? Was it because she was vulnerable? That's a common theme here I suspect?"

"No, and I didn't make a play for her either. I simply helped her see her own potential, to see past the hypocrisy and bigotry that was blighting her existence."

"So you rescued her?"

"No, I gave her options. The army would have made an example of her in order to protect their own but she'd done nothing wrong. I was preventing an injustice."

"That still sounds like a rescue to me, however you dress it up."

"Cathy, I'm not sure what you're aiming for? I saw potential in her when no-one else had and I allowed her to explore that. She didn't have to stay, she could have gone back to her father."

"But you sent her to Cornwall, out of the way?"

"I was worried I was getting too close to her, Maisie was becoming clingy. It seemed sensible to let her explore her skills at a distance. I hoped the infatuation would go. She was told she could simply go home to her father if she wanted."

"When did you see her again?"

"Two and a half weeks later, she virtually threw herself at me. To be honest I had missed her, really missed her."

"So what happened? What made you take the next step, two steps?"

"Truthfully, Cathy, I'm not sure. It's the first time that I've had that feeling of wanting to be with someone, not just for a single moment either. Something clicked when we stayed overnight in Epping. The next day was the house-warming, that was when I realised she wasn't moving in with me as my assistant, we were moving in as a couple."

"You could have kept some separation?"

"Maybe, and I know I had some self-doubt but right now I'm comfortable."

"Engagement? What was wrong with just living together?"

"It seemed like the right thing to do. I wasn't going to live in sin!"

"I doubt that was a consideration! So when are you getting married?"

"Not straight away, maybe not for a few years, but why not? In any case we’re thinking about having a baby."

"Oh, how?"

"We'll make some enquiries in the new year, I think there's a way."

"Okay, Tammy, thanks for that. Drop in for a coffee over the weekend?"

"Or you can visit us? We're in most evenings."

"Sure."

 
Monday 18th December 2017
 

Joey was minding the office for the last time before her Christmas break and Tammy's course had finished the previous week. Because of their impending travel Maisie was busy at home reading the latest batch of briefings. Tammy, meanwhile, cycled over to the print shop.

"Hi Tom, I got your message."

"I managed to print your cards a day earlier than planned." He reached under the counter and pulled out a box. "Two hundred and fifty for you and the same for your assistant."

Tammy made a show of her engagement ring. "My fiancée."

"Oh, sorry, when she called she just said she was your assistant."

"That's okay, I guess that was the easiest thing to say."

"Do you know what happened to the guy I stopped round the back here?"

"I'm told he was flown back to New Zealand by his employer."

"So not prosecuted?"

"The Procurator Fiscal imposed a suspended sentence for resisting arrest."

"That all? I wondered why I wasn't called to give evidence?"

"My guess is that it was kept as low key as possible, the hearing was in Inverness."

"No wonder there wasn't anything in the local rag, anyone would think it was being swept under the carpet? Do you know what his beef was?"

"No."

"Anyway, that's seventeen pounds."

Tammy offered her card.

"Did you get another tenant for your storeroom, Tom?"

"No, but business has improved and I'm now using it for myself."

"Fair enough. I'm sorry about leaving, but I couldn't risk losing my backup disks. My insurance company insisted on a robust business recovery plan."

"Understandable, but that's a new one on me?"

"I get a discount by removing some risk, it's a tailored policy."

"Ah, my policy comes up for renewal in January so I might explore that."

Tammy put the box in her backpack and headed outside to her bike. A youth was crouching by the rear wheel, which she'd secured to a lamp post with a combination lock.

"Oy!"

He legged it towards the main road, the A9, Tammy took a few seconds to unlock her bike then set off in pursuit. He was across the A9 before Tammy reached him, unfortunately she was held up by traffic and could only watch the youth whilst he ran down the side of Sir George's Park. When she got going again he had disappeared and Tammy stopped at the far end of the sports ground to work out where he'd gone. In the distance she could hear panting so set off in that direction, towards the bank of the River Thurso.

She spotted him on the bankside path and when he turned around Tammy recognised him from the university, although he wasn't on her course. She pushed until she was alongside then stuck her leg out to trip him. He rolled into the mud. Tammy considered that as 'job done' although she earned a few words of questionable language for her efforts.

Half an hour later she rode back into the small yard at the back of the house. After much deliberation they'd agreed on a name for the property - Taigh Cluaran - House of the Thistle. Maisie was in the kitchen getting a drink.

"How was your ride?"

"I managed two sprints."

"You should push yourself more?"

"I was held up at junctions, maybe need to try a different route?"

"Have you tried the other side of the river? I went down there at the weekend, the path was a bit slippery though."

 
Tuesday 19th December 2017
 

"Did you have to wear that outfit Tammy? Maisie too?"

"Yes, Mum. Today I'm your pilot and the role needs an image, Maisie is my assistant and maybe one day my co-pilot? I'm not treated as a weekend part-timer by the ground staff when I dress the part, respect works both ways."

"It doesn't look right?"

Tammy shrugged, this was a conversation she couldn't possibly win.

Tammy hadn’t been able to get over the day before, and all of the Smart Air employees had been busy, so one important task remained.

She unlocked the cabin door but stopped Angela from boarding immediately. "Hold on."

Tammy used a toolkit to unbolt the chemical toilet, having secured the contents. She eased it out of the door and dropped it onto a waiting pallet, making certain her crisp white uniform was untouched.

"What did you do that for?"

"We need space for five of us plus luggage."

"What about if I need a wee?"

"Hold it, and perhaps stay off the coffee? I’d suggest using the loo in the hanger anyway."

Tammy picked up a pack of wipes then cleaned the area where the loo had been, plus her own hands. She switched on the wifi and the coffee machine, having checked the water level.

"Okay, is anyone going to give me a hand stowing this luggage? The quicker we do this, the quicker you can board!"

One of the few fallbacks of Tammy's Epic 1000 was the diminutive cargo space behind the rear bench seats. Joan had decided she needed a large case for her ten day excursion but everyone else had a smaller case for the same length of time. With five of them that equated to alot of luggage, and an additional fuel requirement. Tammy, together with Maisie, filled the cargo space but that left two cases in the cabin. Both could fit under the couch along the wall.

Joan was getting impatient, not helped by the threatening rain. She quickly claimed the end of the couch and patted the space next to her for Richard. Angela took the Starboard rear facing seat. Tammy grabbed a pallet truck and moved the loo into the adjacent hanger then decided to make one more walk around the aircraft but told Maisie to board.

"Make sure they're all buckled up. Hopefully the coffee is ready."

The cloud that had threatened to dump rain, or snow, had started to move off and whilst not sunny she could feel the dampness in the air decrease. To the South Tammy could see lighter cloud, the current forecast was for an easy flight, although that was changeable. She was back a minute later, but was confused to find Maisie sat in the cabin next to Joan.

"What's up?"

"I was evicted."

Tammy checked the rest of the cabin and could see that Angela had just, finally, clunked her belt. Tammy reached behind her and pulled the cabin door shut before pouring a coffee into her personal cup then climbed into the left hand cockpit seat. Maisie knew to offer a drink to anyone in the cabin once they were airborne. Tammy pulled on her headset and asked the tower for permission to taxi.

Tammy now addressed the issue. "Okay Dad, why don't you want to sit back in the comfortable seats?"

"I'd like to ride up front in an aircraft that my company operates?"

There was no time to play musical chairs, permission to taxi had been granted.

"Good morning, this is your pilot speaking. We will be taking off shortly for our flight to North Weald. The weather is good with Northerly winds and there's a high cloud base once we clear the Highlands so you can expect good views. Please ensure your belt is tight and familiarise yourself with the safety information." Tammy announced with a smile.

She'd reached the end of the runway and asked for permission from the tower while bringing up some light Jazz for the cabin to listen to. For her own listening, she chose the playlist titled High-level Run on the player that Krystel had left. That playlist had female vocal electronic music and may not have been to Richard's taste, but he had opted to join her and had the option of removing his headset.

"G-KTFL you are cleared for take off, climb to fifteen thousand on heading one-six-five."

"One-six-five at Angels fifteen, thank you."

Tammy had flown Katie from Wick Airport many times so the take-off was smooth and straightforward. She turned South when she could and began to follow the Scottish East Coast towards London. Richard waited until he could see his daughter relax.

She engaged the autopilot, picked up her coffee and started to sip.

"Tammy, I keep thinking I should get a licence for myself?"

"Why not, Dad?"

"I'm not sure I'd have the time."

"Why? Because you're retired?"

"Yes."

"Come on, that doesn't make sense. I'm studying, run a business and maybe have some other work but I still fitted the training in."

"But you don't have a wife?"

"Not yet, but no, I didn't have at the time."

"Well, the school takes up a whole load of my time although it's strictly speaking not a paid role. When I do get a free day there's always something else to fill the gap. I'll get killed for this, but I'm sure Joan makes sure there's plenty for me to do?"

Tammy sipped her coffee before replying, opting to be brutally honest.

"I had noticed. Perhaps you need to cut back and make the time? Otherwise you could just accept that you'll never be in charge?"

"In both respects? I do feel a bit guilty using a plane or a chopper just so I can get somewhere quicker, then we're not earning money whilst I'm using the aircraft for my own benefit."

Tammy acknowledged him, but was taking instruction from NATS for a minor course change. She took the aircraft out of auto pilot, reached for the stick and turned five degrees to the East, bringing aircraft over water and away from the coastal airports. She waited until she was ten miles off the coast then turned due South. She re-engaged the auto pilot but wasn't going to relax.

"Okay, Dad, sorry but there's plenty of traffic and I've been asked to take a wet route so I'm not going to be talkative. There's low cloud and rain ahead of us on this route."

"Understood. I'll head back."

A minute later Maisie was back in the seat. "Thanks Tammy, I was getting interrogated back there."

Tammy didn't answer, but blew Maisie a kiss and pointed at her belt, before putting on the seatbelt sign. She sought permission and took the aircraft to 30,000 feet, climbing quickly. She also decided to go a little faster, a little above the most economical cruising speed. The light went out and she re-engaged auto pilot.

Just over ninety minutes later she had reached East Anglia and after passing over Kings Lynn, there was now ground, not water, beneath the aircraft. She started to lose altitude and velocity, dropping back through the cloud.

"Belts on everyone, we're on Final."

Directly ahead was London Stansted but Tammy had to swing to the East of that airport so as to avoid the many flights using it. She also, however, had to lose altitude quickly as her own destination, North Weald, was barely fifteen miles past Stansted.

The airframe groaned as Tammy rapidly lost altitude and speed, but thankfully, the tower gave her permission to go straight in. She received instruction to approach the main runway from the North, simplifying her landing considerably. She was still going a little fast when she touched down, but the runway was damp so she tried to avoid using the brakes too heavily, and as a result she used almost the full length available of the former RAF base main runway.

A minute later she rolled onto a taxiway and cleared the runway. Tammy pulled up near the terminal building and engaged the brake, ready to unload her passengers. Tammy loved flying Katie; to her it could behave like a sports car when needed, and other times like a Bentley. Today it had been both.

"All change!"

Suzie was still at work so they needed a cab to get themselves to the house, but first Tammy had a few things to do. She put her head into the cabin, Joan and Angela looked a little pale.

"Can you please unload your luggage, I need to get fuel now."

"Why not wait until after Christmas, Tammy?"

"Given the season, Dad, I think supplies will be limited and that might become an issue for non-commercial aircraft between this weekend and the New Year. Under the circumstances it's better to get it now and avoid any risks. I need to post-flight anyway."

"Okay, but your Mum wants to get to the house?"

"Go ahead then, but please drive back to get me."

Suzie used the tube for work and hadn't declared a need for a car but had now changed her mind; a hatchback was sat in the driveway for her use as well as visiting family. Unfortunately there was no-one at the house to drive it at that moment.

"We'll need a big cab?"

"I'll stay with Tammy so there's only three of you to ride in the cab, plus your cases."

"Oh, okay Maisie." Joan wasn't used to being bossed by anyone and still hadn't fully accepted Maisie as family.

The two girls held back their own bags instead of sending them with the others, Tammy needed control of her own luggage these days whenever possible and that made flying commercial difficult to justify. She climbed back into her seat, put on the headset and asked the tower for permission to get fuel.

"Maisie, can you close the door?" Why have an assistant and do all the jobs yourself?

While she waited for the tower she checked the box to the left of her seat. Inside were her Glock 26, the 19, sheathed MadDog knife and her Main Reno packet. In the rear lock-box she had hidden her bail-out pack. She removed the two Glocks and temporarily put them in her cavernous shoulder bag, the knife went into her sleeve. All her usual documentation was in an envelope in her bag already.

"G-KTFL you are cleared to proceed to the fuel stand."

"Cleared to proceed, G-KTFL out."

She released the brake and made her way slowly to get fuel.

-----

"You took your time?"

"I can't insist the tower gives me priority, Dad, I think we were lucky to go straight in considering all the other traffic there, you have to work at their pace not your own. Following instructions from the tower or an ATC is one of the very first hard rules in flying."

"Okay, but don't be surprised if your mother won't accept that excuse!"

"I don't remember getting a 'thank you' from her for the flight? Perhaps you should tell her how much time, and fuel, is spent waiting for the tower to give permission at Wick? I got off lightly today. Remind me to leave her behind next time."

"I hope that was a joke, Tammy?"

"Of course ... Dad."

It was only a ten minute drive back to the house and it appeared that eating arrangements had been decided whilst Tammy and Maisie were still with the plane. Richard and Joan were taking a cab to Luton at seven in the morning, so wanted a quiet and early night. Tammy and Suzie would have been up for eating at the pub whilst the other two would have to accept whatever the plan was.

Richard, however, had decided to order a curry for all of them, it was due at six-thirty. He hadn't actually asked what anyone wanted. "I had them on the phone and had to make a decision."

Angela had moaned the loudest, but Tammy had a plan and she whispered it to Maisie.

"Really?"

"Yes, just play along."

Suzie arrived home at six, but had been pre-warned by text message about the food arrangements. She took Tammy to one side.

"I had booked Thursday and Friday off, but it looks like I'll have to go back into work for the rest of the week, all leave on the European Desk for the next few days has been cancelled. The threat level has been raised to 'substantial'."

"Did anyone say why the threat level was raised?"

"No, but everyone has to work until Friday at least. What do you know?"

"I had a non-specific briefing that something might happen in the next few days. Criminals think holidays are a good time to do whatever."

"In other words, the same as I've been told?"

"Yes."

"What have you said to Mum and Dad?"

"Nothing, Suzie, as we have no specific threat. The last couple of Christmases have been incident free, so I'm hoping that nothing happens this year?"

"Yeah, so do I."

Tammy and Maisie rushed up to change out of their Katie-costumes, as Maisie had begun to call them. The doorbell sounded as they came back out of their room and a moment later food was being piled onto the kitchen table. Tammy was doing her best to stick to her diet and exercise plan but a heavy curry wouldn't help one bit. She loaded her plate with the vegetable side dishes, very little meat and just enough rice to make the plate look full.

"Today just became my cheat-day." Tammy muttered just loud enough for Maisie to hear.

As she ate, Tammy looked around the lounge. Maisie and Suzie were digging into their curries as if they'd been brought up on them. Tammy knew that until three years earlier Angela hadn't known what a curry was and even now the girl wasn't keen on highly spiced food. Likely a psychological effect from her late father perhaps? She had more rice than anything else and appeared to be dissecting the food in her dish.

Tammy's father had ordered the curry and Tammy knew he had a cast iron digestive system, but Joan, like Angela, was playing it careful and muttering about getting indigestion. That meant it was a rare treat at home.

Tammy had to think differently. Her home was no longer Dunbankin', the Smart family home, but her new home that she shared with her fiancée Maisie. It was their decision what to have at mealtimes and, for the most part, the diet plan was followed in spirit if not by letter.

Although everyone had their fill there was still food left. Some combining was done and three containers ended up in the fridge once they were deemed cool enough. With the kitchen tidied Joan announced that she was having a shower, reading then having an early night. She then told the girls to keep their voices down.

Tammy waited for Joan to head up the stairs, with an apologetic Richard in tow, before making her pre-planned suggestion.

"The George?"

Suzie cried off, she had to be on the tube just after seven in the morning so Angela decided to stay there as well. Tammy and Maisie were fine with that but Tammy next announced she needed the loo first.

It wasn't considered a good idea to carry NATO and MI5 passes to a pub, nor firearms licences or get-out-of-jail-free permits. Tammy concluded her wee then took off the leggings she was wearing and attached the thigh holster for her Glock 26 to her leg. She stepped into a long skirt and pulled on long boots. A fake leather jacket finished the look and it had pockets! Her bag was left on the bed, all she needed was her debit card, keys and phone.

Meanwhile Suzie had decided that an hour or two alone with her little sister wasn't the best of ideas so had opted to join Tammy and Maisie for a couple of drinks. Angela was then given the option of accompanying them, she declined.

Finally the three girls hit the street and headed for the George and Dragon. As it was only a few days before Christmas the place was reckoning on being busy with self-declared eighteen year olds so had employed doorstaff to check IDs. Naturally that generated a queue and a few disappointed seventeen year olds. The girls got in line, but up ahead there was shouting and everyone in the queue moved backwards. Suzie suggested they went to the SpeakEasy Bar on the other side of the High Street, there was a break in the traffic and they managed to get across in one go.

"Angela would still be on the other side!"

Suzie hadn't spent much time recently with her younger sister, but clearly had no patience for her.

The girls got a quick look as they walked in, but weren't asked for proof of age and Suzie was known by the friendly barstaff so Tammy was introduced as her sister and Maisie as partner. Maisie produced her ring, with the cheap fake diamond, and then called on Tammy to do likewise.

"When?"

"Six .... days ago!"

"Have a drink on us!"

The evening seemed to flow from that point and perhaps too much alcohol was consumed. By ten, however, the place was overly busy and Suzie had reminded them that she had an early alarm.

"Okay, time to go!" Tammy said over the noise.

Out of the bar's window they'd seen a number of blue lights go past but that wasn't a rare sight in an outer London area.

Once they were back on the street, however, they could now see the scene of an incident. Further along the road, outside the George, there were two ambulances and four police vehicles. Maisie wanted to investigate but Tammy and Suzie decided that the professionals could handle the situation and wouldn't need a pair of intelligence assets.

The three, instead, ignored the sight and made their way down Station Road back towards the house.