HusbandWife

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“Welcome to Alpha Airlines, how may I be of service?” the woman behind the counter was put together, in a dress-suit, hair pulled back in a tight bun and a practiced smile on her face as she looked up and over her computer, right at Blane.

Alex pressed close against the counter as Blane leaned casually on it, smiling at the woman kindly. They were in an international airport at the domestics terminal and the terminal was busy.

“Here to check in,” Blane murmured quietly, causing the woman to lean towards hime slightly.

“Ah, checking in, yes, of course, and are any of those checking in first time fliers?”

“Alex is,” Blane said, again, quietly. The alpha slid some paperwork across the counter, towards the woman, “I think you will find his documentation in place.”

“First time flying with a companion?” the woman asked, smiling at Blane. She kept her hands on her side of the counter, did not reach for the documentation, “May I explain to your companion about the airline?”

“It might help his anxiety,” Blane purred out, fingers tapping once, quietly, on the counter.

The woman turned to Alex but seemed to focus her eyes on the air between Alex and Blane, it was an odd thing that the cab driver to the airport had done as well.

“Alpha Airlines began some ninety years ago and was founded by the alpha who made the startling invention of the first plane. We run accounts with all alphas but those who have been blacklisted and run privatized planes just for groups of alphas and thyre companions. We have first, second and third class for both alphas and private citizens. For private citizens, we offer the same classes as other companies, for alphas we run private planes for first class, alpha grouped planes and a few first class private citizens for second class and regular planes for those alphas travelling in third class.

“Thanks to the leaps and bounds made by other alphas or those who are serving Alpha Airlines, our security systems have only onces been breached, by our current head of security. No companion or husbandwife has ever been lost inside one of our planes, in our terminals or on the tarmac. We ensure the security not only of the companions but also of their alphas and the private citizens who fly with us.

“We have a private lounge for all alphas, no matter the class thy are flying in. This lounge is accessible by companions who are flying by themselves, should they have written notice by their alpha. In this airport the lounge is Light and Dark. Upon checking in the only one who needs documentation is the alpha and any new fliers, after that, when an alpha checks in with a companion, we simply need the alpha's name because we download a government issued image into our computers, may I have his paperwork now?”

Blane picked up the paperwork from the counter and handed it over to the woman, who smiled and thanked hime. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, clacking away at a speed that Alex found to be nearly impossible. One final jab and she handed the paperwork back to Blane.

“Alright, Alex has been entered into the system, would you like to enter a safe word now?” she asked.

“Bunny,” Alex said.

“Bunny?” Blane asked Alex, “what alpha of sane mind would actually say-” hi turned to the woman behind the counter, “alright, bunny.”

“Marvellous and it is entered into the system, any alpha can check your companion in but if he says the safe word, we call security,” the woman explained typing away merrily, “and it is entered into the system, now, any alpha travelling with a companion has the option of tagging the companion in case they are snatched. As I said,” she raised her voice over Blane's protest, “it has never happened in the past, this is purely for the sake of security and to put your mind at ease,” she lowered her voice to her normal volume, “it is perfectly safe and is a true, working system. We give your companion a band, much like a hospital one, and inside it has a tracking device, no one knows where in the band the tracking device is, making it more difficult to break it. The device links into our cameras and a rendered model of the airport in our security room, basically what this means is, if you hit the lost button, and some alphas do accidentally lose thyre companions, security will automatically download the companion's information and track his movements to the last point the band worked.

“They will also trace it back to where the band started, in case of actual kidnapping. They search images for suspicious persons and treat each call as the real thing. This means that they are always on their toes and thanks to this initiative we have actually been able to prevent several violence against alpha events. But the companions in all those calls ended up just being lost, not stolen or kidnapped.”

“How will I notify security?” Blane asked.

“Each band,” the woman opened a drawer and pulled out a bright red band, “has a barcode on it that you can scan with your phone. It downloads an application to your phone that is linked to this specific band. If he goes missing, you hit the button and security is immediately notified. We have jammers for regular people phones, too much traffic alters the traffic control tower, but alpha lines are on secure lines and are the same as a government official. Your phone will work anywhere in the airport.”

Blane pulled out hes cellphone, eyeing it like a cat might a bath full of water, “I don't know if da got me a regular phone or an alpha phone.”

“Ah, we get that a lot. Only a very few end up with regular phones, if you'd like,” the woman lifted a phone from under the counter, “go ahead and dial star, six, six seven.”

Blane did as hi was bid. The phone stood silent for a moment, then rattled to life, ringing. Blane hung up the cellphone and slid it back where it belonged, “does that mean I have an alpha phone?”

“Yes, a regular phone would not have worked. Your line is secure, no one could tamper with that besides an alpha in the security line of work and even that is doubtful, given who your father is.”

“Does the colour denote something?” Blane asked.

“No, we have a wide selection of colours because companions all vary so we ask if the companion has a favourite colour and if we have that colour in stock, we pull it out.”

“Blue,” Alex whispered to Blane, wrapping his hands around Blane's arm. He had a sudden desire to be hugged, to be able to touch Blane.

“Alex, stand apart, please,” Blane said, glancing around them.

“There are regular people about and men touching one another tends to scare them,” the woman said in an annoyed tone. Alex thought for a moment that she was upset that they were touching, until he caught her glaring at someone who was walking by.

Alex pulled his hands away and set them on the counter instead.

“Blue, please,” Blane said.

“In the blue range we have,” the woman said, trailing off for a moment as she opened another drawer, “sixty shades,” she glanced at Alex and opened to a page, “work here long enough, you get used to guessing shades, how is this? Do any of these catch your fancy?”

“That one,” Alex said, pointing at it.

“That's not a very popular one,” she responded, opening a drawer further down, “we should have plenty in. There it is.” she pulled out a blue band the shade that Alex had pointed at, “may I see your companion's wrist please?”

“Alex.”

“Hm? Oh,” Alex held out his left wrist, watching as the woman attached the band to it. Just like a hospital band, it wasn't too tight but it would end up annoying him eventually.

“Should you need a replacement band for whatever reason, simply see one of our desks and we will gladly provide another for you,” she said, releasing Alex's hand.

Alex pulled his arm back and started fiddling with the band, turning it around and around.

“Alex.” Blane said, pulling out the phone again, “barcode please.”

He spun the band to find the barcode and presented it to Blane, who pressed a couple of buttons and seemingly snapped a picture of the band. With a couple more clicks, Blane put the cellphone away and directed hes attention back to the woman.

“Now, you said you were checking in?” She asked, clicking some more, “I have no one by that name today, did someone else purchase the tickets for you?”

“Paul did.”

“Ah, I hate to assume, but Paul AbGerald?”

“Yes,” Blane said quietly, going red.

“It's what hi usually does to anyone who hi purchased tickets for,” the woman said calmly, “I'd be more concerned if hi logged it under your own name, or your companion's name. Two tickets from here, to Paul's city, the flight will be four hours long and you are checking in a little early, you will have plenty of time to get through security. Light and Dark is run twenty-four hours a day and is just swinging into brunch and lunch, it is suggested you eat before you get on the plane. There will be snacks on the plane but that is all.”

“Flying third class?” Blane asked.

“Yes, again, flying on Paul's dime means third class for everyone, I have a tag on here that I will print off for you, it looks like an itinerary for you, including the hotel you will be staying in and restaurants,” she clicked away at the computer, “the hotel is the Alpha, have you been there before?”

“It's... rather expensive.” Blane said, sounding strangled.

“Yes, there is a medical convention happening in the upper halls over the course of the next three days and the hotel is booked up but it is also well known that the rooms are quiet and secluded, almost like you had the entire building to yourself. Paul also owns the hotel.”

“What's that mean?” Alex asked.

“Means hi carries a master key,” Blane muttered.

There was a sound of something being printed off, the woman pulled sheets from under the desk and handed them to Blane, “these are your itinerary once you reach your destination,” there was a louder sound that almost sounded like another printer. The woman reached under the desk and to the side, “and here,” she folded one and then another, sliding them into a little blue envelope, “are your tickets.”

“Thank you,” Blane said, “do I have to pay for the band?”

“The band is free and is part of our alpha services,” the woman said calmly.

“Is there anything else we need to know?” Blane asked.

The woman was silent for a moment, thinking long, “yes, actually. We've recently had to replace several of our security members. There was a more detailed sweep and it was found that they had ties to groups who believe in violence against alphas and had to go. The new security members have a detailed background in security but are from companies that have never dealt with alphas before.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Blane.”

They walked away from the desk, Alex a little more confused than when they had walked up to the desk. The suitcase sat on the little lip, where Blane had put it, untouched and hadn't been mentioned.

“What about the-”

“She'll deal with it,” Blane said calmly.

Alex was silent for a moment, then decided to bring up the burning question in his mind, “AbGerald?”

“Yes, all alphas have last names.”

“Seriously? I thought you were like the those celebrities who only go by monickers. Like Cash.”

“Cash is an alpha.”

“What?”

“Yes, hi's a fuck-toy of Paul's. Hes real name is Caster and hi has a last name.”

“You've never used last names before.”

“Tends to be, there's only one of us alive at any moment. There is no one else named Blane. There are two Pauls, an alpha named hes son Paul, meaning to insult Paul AbGerald, took a hit out on Paul which Paul dealt with easily.”

“Named hes son Paul, telling the rest of the world that Paul is about to die?”

“Yes, it's a very rude and cocky way of doing it.”

“Wh... what did Paul do in response?”

“Nothing, which is an even larger insult. Paul has the alpha in hes city often, expresses interest in little Paul's achievements and growth. There's nothing worse than being a prisoner in a silken cage.”

“I'm sure a lot of companions will know what that feels like, in a few more months.”

Blane pulled to a stop in the middle of the airport. Hi looked over Alex, eyes darkening, “how do you do that?”

“Do what?” Alex asked.

“Make me feel so awkward like that.”

Alex shrugged, “It's a gift, or it's something A's do and you're just absolutely screwed.”

“Utterly and entirely,” Blane muttered, motioning with hes head toward security, “come on, before you unseat me again and I lose that edge that gets alphas through quickly and without blood.”

“Without blood?”

“Let's just say that the way we behave in the privacy of our homes is a good deal more civilized than we can act when we are surrounded by fucking idiots who didn't fucking shower this morning and now fucking insist of getting too close to us.” Blane growled through grit teeth.

.