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Okay, this is the beginning of my rewrite of Aftermath. I decided after writing those first chapters, I didn't like where the story was going. The events which took place in Aftermath are no longer relevant to the KH series story line. My apologies to anyone who was attached to them. I hope you like the new direction equally as much.

This is the final story int the Kirian Harper Trilogy. If you haven't done so yet, I would recommend reading part 1: The Academy and part 2: Task Force first. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it. As always, I would like to begin this story by extending my deepest gratitude to all my watchers and readers. How some of you have put up with me so long is beyond my comprehension but... Enough chatter, I now present: Fallout. Enjoy.

***

Jaimie kept her eyes on the horizon as she skillfully piloted the helicopter close to the treetops covering the mountains, dusting the freshly fallen snow from their branches. She always stayed attentive for other aircraft, but mostly for and inbound Air Force jets. They liked to train low altitude and rough terrain through this range and could appear without any notice. Two of their supersonic armored transport jets had already been over this morning scarring the living daylights out of the new pilot when one of them passed ten feet away traveling close to the speed of sound. Jaimie had been flying this area for over six years and had become used to their showboating and wouldn't have been perturbed by the encounter. The incident had been reported though. No doubt the Lieutenant who had pulled the stunt would be reprimanded and grounded for a while. Damn rookies.

Jaimie's hand was steady as she transported her three passengers through the cloudless sky. She glanced back at them. One of them she knew quite well. He was a white ermine, dressed in the bright red orange garbs which marked him as a ski instructor at the local resort, Raven Fire. He flew with the company often, either with students, or with his film crew making big mountain videos. The other two must be taking a lesson from him. They looked to be in their late teens or early twenties. They must have rich parents because these back country, heli-skiing lessons were not cheap. Not only did they have to pay the standard private lesson fee, which was already a considerable amount, but they also had to pay for their seats on her helicopter and that of their instructor and the rental fee for the back country transponder and safety equipment.

She shook her head at this excessive use of money. She didn't complain though if it kept her in the air. Jaimie loved flying and would do anything to keep doing it. She was a black and white Siberian Husky of average build, not beautiful, but many found her attractive. Only twenty four years old, she had begun her career when she was eighteen, immediately after she had finished her commercial helicopter pilot's license, as a copilot for the flight for life helicopter at the local hospital and trauma center. Now she flew with a private company out of the Fairchild air field, mostly heli-skiing and aerial sightseeing tours. Some of the excitement and adrenaline was lost, but the pay was considerably better.

Jamie checked her location and then switched on her mike.

"Alright boys, we're about one minute out."

The instructor began his pre-drop speech. Jaimie had heard it countless times, but it was still fun to gauge the student's reactions.

"Okay, you heard her, we're one minute out. Don't forget what we talked about on the ground. Now, when we get there, the pilot is going to position us over the drop zone and open the door. I will drop the explosive and judge the snow conditions. If I feel its safe, Ethan, you'll go first. Remember, this is just like hucking a cliff, but you'll have no forward momentum, so it is important that you land with your skis pointed strait down the slope. If you land too far sideways, the compression will be too great and you'll blow up on the landing. Not a great way to begin your first jump run. When you land, immediately clear the drop area and have a nice run down to the spot we discussed. Once he's clear, David, you'll go. I'll follow last to make sure everyone is okay."

Jaimie skimmed over the top of the ridge and one of the students let out a whistle as he got the first look at the wide expanse of untouched terrain they would be dropping into.

"This is it," she called over the com, "Hope you're ready."

This particular spot was one of the instructor's favorite and Jaimie knew exactly where he'd want to be dropped. She tabbed the auto-hover controls and adjusted the altitude till thin swirls of powder were disturbed by her rotor wash. It was a sign of a good heli-skiing pilot to be able to get the passengers close enough to the ground for a safe jump, but not so close that the snow would get blown off, a skill she prided herself on. The last thing these students wanted was for their soft landing to be swept away. She pressed the door control and the side hatch slid open, filling the cabin with noise and wind.

The instructor pulled out one of the avi-tech control charges which he "borrowed" from the ski patrol. She knew that he wasn't supposed to handle the explosives used for clearing potential avalanche zones, but it helped keep this area safe for other skiers, making the patrol's job considerably easier, so they turned a blind eye to the issue, writing the missing equipment off as duds which were properly disposed of. He tied one end of a rope to a handle, the other to the lighter on the fuse. He tossed the charge out the door, its velocity yanked the igniter when it reached the end of the rope and lit the fuse. Now free from the cord, it fell the rest of the way to the snow and, a heartbeat later, detonated. The small explosive didn't produce a big explosion, but rater was designed to make a loud noise and shock wave to set off any slides which may have been loosened by skiers. The terrain must have been safe, because the instructor rolled up the rope and placed it back in his pack.

Jaimie kept one eye on her instruments, and the other watched the passengers. First one, then the other scooted to the edge and then pushed themselves out, landing with a burst of snow, and skied off. The instructor watched closely to ensure they were safe and then tuned to her. He gave the thumbs up sign, the request for more altitude. Jaimie rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner and he smirked back. The instructor was a good guy, but could be a bit of a showoff. She obligingly increased altitude until he signaled okay. He leaned over and spoke into the mike on one of the headsets now hanging on the rear bulkhead.

"Thanks Jaimie."

"No Problem Ryan."

He straitened himself, took a deep breath, and pushed himself over the lip of the cabin. He flipped forward twice before landing perfectly and skiing down to his awestruck students. Jaimie's job was over now. She had transported the passengers to their desired location and oversaw their safe exfiltration. It was time to head back to the airfield. She pressed the door control switch and the hydraulics pulled it back shut. The rotor noise was immediately reduced significantly, replaced by the hum of the turboshaft engine which powered her bird.

Jaimie switched off the auto hover and was about to fly off when an LED on her secondary radio lit indicating that it was receiving a signal. She peered at the display, double checking that it was still set to the emergency transponder channel, as mandated by every local regulation. It was. That meant one of the skiers had gotten into a slide or avalanche after going over the ridge. But that couldn't be right, when she checked the direction of the signal source, it was in the wrong direction, closer to back the way she came. She couldn't think of why anyone would be skiing over there or where an avalanche would have started from.

Jaimie considered simply flying over to check it out. She checked the radar, only one other craft was in the area, but it was on the far side of the air field on its final landing approach. However, there could be more Air Force drills, and this was controlled airspace. She had better call it in.

"Fairchild tower this is Black Powder."

Technically she was supposed to call in with her aircraft's number, but everyone at the field knew her call sign which had been given to her as a joke back when she flew flight for life.

"Go ahead Black Powder."

"I'm picking up an emergency transponder beacon, requesting permission to investigate the area."

There was a brief pause.

"We're getting it too, request granted. Let us know if we need to call search and rescue."

"Copy."

Jaimie nosed the craft over and sped in the direction the signal was coming from. Her old EMS instincts were coming back to her and her heart began beating faster, as it had always done during emergency flights. She knew from experience, the longer a stranded skier went unfound, the less likely it was they could be saved.

The worst incident she had witnessed was a year after she had begun flying. A skier and a snowboarder had dropped into the backcountry without transponders during avalanche season and set off a massive slide, getting buried alive. Search and rescue had been called out and she had flown on search passed every chance they had gotten. The two were never found until the spring when the snow had melted, months after they had died of hypothermia, bunt trauma, or asphyxiation.

Jaimie mentally shook herself as she continued looking for the source of the transponder signal. The trees ended and she flew over a large, flat, expanse of snow. The source of the signal immediately became apparent. A body lie, apparently unconscious, near the center of the clearing.

"Fairchild, Black Powder"

"Go ahead."

"I've located the signal source. There's a hiker out here, appears to be unconscious. I'm going to investigate."

"Roger Black Powder, inform us if the ambulance needs to be ready."

Jaimie made one pass around the clearing, checking for obstructions or obstacles, but it looked clear, so she began descending to a likely landing zone abut thirty feet from the body. She slowly lowered the craft to the ground. It sank into the snow a few inches, the fresh layer blowing around the cabin, before the skids reached hard pack and settled on the ground. She slowed the RPMs but kept the engine running, locking down the controls. No one would be able to move the craft without her biometrics. Jaimie slid an automatic pistol from its concealed location next to the seat and into the holster she wore beneath her company jacket. She may take risks, but she wasn't stupid about them.

Jaimie ran out to the body. She checked for a pulse. It was there, but slow. They were indeed unconscious, face down in the snow.

"Sir, if you can hear me, I am a trained EMS medic. I'm going to try and help you."

She carefully rolled him onto his back, supporting his head and neck. She didn't see any oblivious signs of a spinal injury, but no need to take any risks. The victim was apparently an albino snow leopard, or at least that was what she guessed from the pail hint of silver spots on his white fur. If he hadn't been garbed in black pants and jacket, she would never have been able to spot him from fifteen feet away, much less from the air. Jaimie quickly sized up his condition with a practiced eye. Early stages of hypothermia, onset of frost bite, possible concussion. He must have been out here a day or so. Luckily he had thick fur evolved for these conditions or else he may have died. As it was he wouldn't have lasted much longer out here.

She was about to retrieve a collapsible backboard she kept in her helicopter when his eyes flickered open.

"Where am I?" he rasped.

"You're in the woods near Fairchild. I'm going to get you help. Everything will be okay. What's your name sir?"

He paused at this question for fifteen seconds before responding, "I don't know," sounding clearly befuddled by this answer.

"Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up. Does anything feel broken?"

When she didn't get a response, she looked back at the young man, who had fallen unconscious again. He was rather handsome. Tall and muscular, no older than she, probably younger and he had beautiful golden eyes. Jaimie quickly checked for any fractures. Finding none, she got the board and lifted him onto it before dragging him back to the waiting chopper. She slid him into the cabin and covered him with a blanket and climbed back into the pilot's seat.

Back in the air, she called to the airfield.

"Go ahead Black Powder."

"I have recovered the victim. He appears to be developing hypothermia and frostbite and shows signs of having a possible concussion. I recommend an ambulance form the Raven Fire ER meet me at the air field."

"Roger that, they'll be there."

Jaimie piloted the helicopter back to Fairchild. She set it down on the designated pad outside the company's hangar where an ambulance was sitting by waiting to transfer the leopard and rush him to real medical assistance. The instant she powered down, three technicians were at the door, loading his body onto a stretcher in order to easily move him to the ambulance. One of them, an elk, peeled off and walked over to her. His name was Damian and she knew him from the hospital. He used to be on her helicopter's treatment team.

"Where'd you pick this one up?"

"Hiking below Twin Pass."

"You know, you bring us so many patients, you may as well still fly for us." He joked.

"I would if they'd pay me as much as my new employers. Just let me know when you find anything out about his condition."

"Will do," he turned back to the ambulance just as the rear doors were closing, "Alright, let's role!"

He jumped into the passenger's seat and the vehicle sped off, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Jaimie watched it until it turned around the side of concourse and out of sight. She reached into the cockpit and grabbed her flight bag as a pair of ground crew workers began the post flight on her craft. She pulled off her headset, allowing her pointed ears some much needed fresh air as she walked inside to fill out her log book and file the required paperwork.

***

I awoke from unconsciousness. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing here, but I was very weak. Some unknown instinct moved my hand to press a button on the blocky device pressing into my hip. But that small exertion used the little strength I had and I fell back into the void.

I awoke sometime later to see a female husky bending over me.

"Where am I?" I asked her.

"You're in the woods near Fairchild. I'm going to get you help. Everything will be okay. What's your name sir?"

Why was her voice so loud? It rang in my ears painfully. Then her question sank into my deadened thoughts. My, what was the word she had used? Name? I knew the word had some significant meaning to figuring out what I was doing here, but I couldn't think what it was. My name, right, that's what it means, but what is it? I couldn't remember. In fact, I couldn't remember much of anything.

"I don't know."

The realization of that fact drove me back into unconsciousness.