The Secret to Flying - An MCYT Cyberpunk/Dystopian AU

15: Scar

The morning of the parade is cold. Which would be fine if I wasn't standing outside, bored, behind the building where the planes will be landing. Jimmy and Joel are with me, both excited about becoming proper Hawks. I hear the crowd shouting and cheering, but nothing else. 

'How long will this bloody take?' Joel questions again. 'What are those planes doing?!'

'Well... We need to wait for the Lions to pass by first. They're doing their bit. Only then are the Hawks coming...' One of the Officers barks to get in line. I obey. Joel rolls his eyes. In the moment of quiet that follows, I hear the familiar rumble of distant planes, growing closer. Whatever they're doing, it's working to engage the audience, from the cheers and gasps we hear. Finally though, they fly over our heads and land. We all prepare to march, standing straight and facing forward.

'Keep formation! And... March!'

We move. Out under the cameras and the yells of the crowd, I have to smile. Even though I've done nothing except wait in a block of cold, bored and excited Hawks. We march out in perfect sync, the helmets held under one arm to complete the illusion that we've just stopped flying. I look for Xisuma in the crowd as I go, but don't spot him. Bdubs's also missing, but Tango's in the front row, shouting Jimmy's name and waving towards him. We come to a stop outside the building and Elex takes centre stage.

'Thank you everyone for coming, for our brave Hawks and Lions, protecting the country, and particularly the Hawk Fledglings and Lion Cubs for that incredible routine,' Elex lies easily. Too easily, but I have to focus on looking like a perfect Hawk Fledgling. 'This day marks exactly 75 years  since GenerikB took the role as the first ever leader of the first ever squadrons of Hawks protecting this city...' The speech continues, but I zone out, looking around at the audience again. They're silent now, listening as I probably should be.

'...Hawks and Lions being promoted today.' I focus again Elex reaches the only bit I care about. 'Starting with the Hawk Fledgings... Joel Smallishbeans, Jimmy Solidarity, Katherine Elizabeth, Lizzie Shadow and Oli Orionsound!' I cheer silently in my head along with the crowd as my fellow Fledglings join Elex. I smile, but can't do anything else. I just have to stand perfectly still as they do their bit, followed by some Scott Major that Jimmy apparently knows becoming an officer, some new Lion Cubs becoming Fighters and Lion Fighters becoming officers and-

Explosion. I turn, seeing a cloud of green smoke onstage. The screams of excitement turn to screams of fear as the streets fill with Listeners. Elex is shouting. Probably at us, but the Fledglings around me are running in all directions. There's gunshot, orders for evacuation. No one listens. No one has time or ability to listen.

Someone knocks into me and I lose balance, crashing to the ground. I barely avoid getting kicked in the head as the crush of terrified people continues above me. My helmet lies nearby. I grab it, considering putting it on to protect my head. But I don't have time now. I have to stand up before I'm killed, or trip someone. So I stagger up, trying to orient myself before someone runs at me. A green scarf covers their mouth and nose, kept together by a green and bronze pin. A Listener. They shove me to the ground, punching me, over and over. There's blood in my mouth, my nose is bleeding, I struggle to shove them away.

Gunshot. The Listener cries out, falling away. A familiar figure sprints over.

'Scar! Are you ok?' Grian holds out a hand, helping me stand.

'What's going on?!' Green smoke rises to the sky all around. Explosions? Smoke bombs? Poison gas?

'Listener attack! We need to run!' I glance at the Listener dying on the ground. Blood pours from a bullet hole in their side. 'Scar, come on!' I just manage to grab my helmet again before Grian drags me away. I see the stage ahead, the building. And behind them are...

'I have an idea!' I yell. I keep hold of Grian's hand as we run against the crowd. But eventually we hit the edge. Behind the building, it's mercifully quiet. I run for the closest plane.

'Scar, don't you DARE!'

'Trust me!' Grian doesn't have his helmet on him. Which means I have to fly. I'm still holding Grian's hand; it's easy enough to use his holoscreen to unlock the nearest plane and clamber inside. 

'Scar- no- Scar STOP.' Grian grips my arm. There's panic in his eyes. 

'We get away in this, or I go alone.' I manage to sit properly, pulling on my helmet.

'You can't fly a plane. You'll crash. You'll DIE.'

'You don't have a helmet! I'm not letting you fly!'

'Then we find another option! We find some other way out of here. Scar, seriously. Don't. Fly. The- NO!' I start to close the cockpit, pausing at Grian's yell. We just stare at each other for a moment until he realises he can't stop me.

'Fine. I'll copilot, but you do exactly what I say, ok? Let me do checks first before...'

I look over to see a group of Listeners notice us. One calls, pointing at us.

'No time!' I hastily strap in. Grian climbs in behind. The Listeners start running over, but I close the plane before they reach us. A few seconds later, we're in the air.

Even in the terror of the moment, I feel the thrill of flying, and the world falling away around me into open air. I'm flying. Properly flying. No simulation, no fake plane. 

No respawn. I think Grian's yelling something, but I can't hear. I'm left to my own devices, flying for the first time. Below, the streets a mess of fighting, bursts of the green smoke, gunshots. I fly past, stomach lurching as we barely miss a building. The city below disappears to blocks of streets, I start trying to see a good place to land... Southern Tower stands ahead, 

Swarming with Listeners.

It's their base. 

The Listeners are-

I clip a building. 

And then I'm falling. 

I try desperately to pull up. We don't have parachutes, we weren't expecting to fly, and I don't know how to activate the ones in the plane. I don't know what to do. The concrete below looms closer and closer. Grian's screaming. 

Oh f***. 

The world turns black.

:)