At the airport, the service dog leaped onto a stroller. Everyone was completely chilled by what it revealed.
Terminal C of Narven Airport was covered in a chilly haze from the pale glare of neon lights. Lyra, a proud German shepherd with a silky black coat, was with Officer Lucien Varga as they patrolled the boarding area. Three years of collaboration without a single hiccup. A feared, even revered, team.
Lucien was diligently examining passengers as usual. But everything changed that night.
Lyra stopped dead in her tracks. She stopped, staring at a woman pushing a stroller covered in a colorful blanket. Wildly, her nostrils flared. Then she let forth a rumbling roar from her chest.
The air grew more tense, Lucien thought. The terminal’s strange, far-off noises melted into the backdrop. The thin, anxious-looking woman gripped the pram and let out a terrified cry:
– “What a crazy puppy! Remove it from my kid!
However, the normally submissive Lyra disregarded her handler’s order. Her paws landed on the stroller as she lunged without hesitation. The blanket came loose.
Then complete shock.
No infant was present.
An insulated bag firmly pressed between the cushions was used instead. There were labels with biohazard symbols affixed, written in Chinese and Cyrillic script. Tiny, sealed silver vials smelled strongly like chemicals.
Without hesitation, Lucien seized the woman and dragged her away. Lyra remained motionless and focused on the bag. To sound the alarm, another cop rushed.
— “What on earth is this? “Where is the kid?” Lucien yelled.
The woman started crying:
— “No child was present. They instructed me to covertly smuggle this. I have no idea what it is.
Immediately, the area was cordoned off. Specialized teams showed up quickly. The containers were handled with great care by experts. The inquiry uncovered a global network of highly hazardous biological items being smuggled. Somewhere in Western Europe, the samples were meant for an illicit laboratory.
A major health catastrophe may have resulted from even the smallest leak.
The woman had no idea what she was carrying, but she was enticed by a substantial amount of money. To “avoid questions,” she had been persuaded that she was accompanying a sleeping infant.
Everywhere, the tale made headlines. All around the nation, Lyra, the brave dog, received admiration. Thousands of thank-you letters flooded in.
Lucien just said:
— “Lyra accomplished more than her job that night. She prevented death. Perhaps a whole continent.
The unthinkable was prevented that night by a regular check.
