FLY BOY - Completed

Chapter 21

Chapter 21





Once they had decided on a plan, Scotty suggested they try and get some sleep. They took turns using the washroom, each trying to be as quiet as possible. River went first. She washed up and brushed her teeth using only minimal water from the faucet. Following Scotty's instructions, River changed out of her uniform into darker, and more comfortable clothing. Obviously Scotty had given Hailey similar instructions because she was already dressed in all black, as was Scotty. Hailey too, had packed River's knapsack, which explained why River found her favourite black Nomads concert t-shirt, her black Nike track suit and a pair of black socks, all folded neatly in her bag. The only thing that River was wearing that was not black, were her bright white running shoes. She did not have any dark ones.

They hoped the darker clothing would help them to blend in better and more importantly not get caught. She folded up her uniform and packed it into her knapsack along with her toothbrush. While Scotty and Hailey took their turns using the washroom River wandered around her father's apartment. She searched through his familiar items, not really sure what she was looking for. So many things brought back vivid memories of her father. She couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought that she might finally get to see him again in just a few hours. She quietly searched through every cupboard and drawer hoping to find something to give her a clue as to what was really going on. Anything. But, she found nothing other than fond memories.

Once they were all done in the washroom, they stored their bags in the front hall closet closest to the front door. They bundled their bags in coats and placed them on the top shelf of the closet so they would not be easily seen. Then they each made their way to their makeshift beds. Hailey had decided to sleep under River's father's bed. She had dragged an extra pillow and blanket under the bed with her and made sure that the comforter on the bed hung all the way to the floor, so that she would not be easily seen.

Scotty had planned on sleeping in the bathtub. His thought was that if someone did come in to search the apartment they would find him first. He would do his best to fight off whoever came in, hoping that the intruder would not find the girls. River could tell that Scotty knew their chances were slim if someone actually came to search the apartment. He was going to pull the bath curtain across and like Hailey, he had taken a pillow and blanket in with him.

Hailey however, was so worried about being alone that she begged Scotty to sleep under the bed with her. Seeing how upset she was, he agreed, but only after River assured him that she would be fine on her own. It was a tight squeeze, but eventually they must have gotten comfortable because River no longer heard them moving about.

River had decided on sleeping on the floor at the back of her father's closet. It was a small walk-in closet that had a bunch of shoe shelves along the base of the back wall. She figured she could move the shelves forward just enough so that she could lie behind them with a dark cover over her. Her father's uniforms hung low enough that she wouldn't be easily seen. The problem was that she could not sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She kept tossing and turning. She finally gave up after a couple of sleepless hours and quietly sneaked out of the closet.

She didn't want to wake Hailey or Scotty, so she tiptoed out of the bedroom and made her way down the hall to the living room. She knew that she was defeating the whole purpose of hiding by coming out of the closet. If someone came into the apartment right now, she would not have time to hide, but she was too restless to care. She was worried about Dayden and nervous about using the key on the Arcane Fighters. She was so sure that they would get caught. Then on top of everything else she was anxious about the possibility of finally seeing her father again. Her mind would not shut down and allow her to sleep.

She walked into the second bedroom, which her father had converted into an office. She knew that he kept a folded up single mattress in the cupboard for when River used to stay over on weekends. She walked over to her father's desk and opened the top drawer. She pulled out a black permanent magic marker and then returned quietly to the living room. She sat down on the couch and pulled off one running shoe. She pulled off the lid of the magic marker and began coloring the white shoe in black marker.

As she sat there coloring her shoe, she kept running through 'what if' scenarios. What if someone caught them before they could use the key? What if they couldn't find Dayden before her father showed up on his white horse to save her? What if they had hurt Dayden to the point that he couldn't walk or even worse? What if her father got caught with the Resistance while trying to rescue her? Was he part of the Resistance now? What if her father wasn't with the Resistance at all and had written the note to her because someone had held a gun to his head? Okay she knew that was pushing it.

She started on her second shoe. What if they didn't make it back for Hailey? What if someone found Hailey hiding in her father's apartment before they could make it back to her?

"What are you coloring?" A deep voice whispered softly directly into her ear.

His voice startled her so badly that the marker and her shoe went flying as she lurched to her feet. She spun so quickly as she jumped backwards, that her sudden actions knocked her into the big screen television and sent it careening backwards to the point that River was sure it would crash to the ground and summon every bad guy in the building. Big sure hands reached around River at the last possible second and grabbed hold of the teetering television just before it fell. Scotty resets the television back securely onto its stand while River took a few seconds to catch her breath.

She heard Scotty's soft chuckle and strongly wanted to swat him for scaring her so badly.

He had moved his hands from the now stable television to her shaking arms. He pulled her in close. "Sorry," he apologized as he brushed a strand of her wayward hair behind her ear. "But, what are you doing out here River," he whispered directly into her ear while he leaned in even closer.

A shiver ran down her spine and she wasn't sure if it was from Scotty's lips being so close to her ear or a reaction to his sudden appearance. "I couldn't sleep," she whispered back wringing her shaking hands together. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep either," he admitted, as his hand reached out and picked up another strand of her long brown hair. He gently ran his fingers through the soft curls that fell almost to her waist. River didn't normally wear her hair down, but she had taken it out of the usual ponytail she kept it in, when she had gotten ready to sleep.

Scotty's gesture instantly caused River's heart rate to spike; yet at the same time he somehow managed to calm her fear. It was such an intimate thing to do and River wasn't sure that Scotty was even aware he was doing it.

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Scotty asked in a low silky voice as his fingers continued to play with her curls.

River tried to concentrate on what Scotty was asking, but the feel of his fingers in her hair was so soothing and yet very distracting at the same time. Then too, he smelled so nice - not the same, River thought, as Dayden's clean soapy smell. No, Scotty had more of a soft, masculine, spicy scent that thankfully River didn't find too overpowering. She noticed that the corners of Scotty's lips had curled up into a confident smirk.

What? What had she missed?

Scotty's green eyes sparkled and then his head cocked to the side as he asked his question a second time, "Are you worried about tomorrow River?"

Now she understood. She realized that she had been so busy smelling Scotty and enjoying his touch that she hadn't answered his question. She took a step backwards so that she could think a little more clearly. Scotty's smirk turned into a frown as she pulled away. "Ahhh...yeah. I guess I am a little nervous," River finally admitted.

Looking for something to do, she searched around for her running shoe and finally spotted it under the coffee table. Scotty watched her as she picked it up and then pulled it back on to her foot. She managed to get black marker on her fingers as she tied up the recently inked shoestrings. She glanced around for the marker, but only found the cap lying on the floor close to where she had been coloring her shoe.

Scotty must have mistaken her nervousness for fear, because once again he moved in close. He gently took hold of River's upper arms and pulled her in so he could whisper into her ear, "I promise you that I will be there with you every step of the way and I will not let anything happen to you."

River wanted to believe him. He sounded so confident, but there were so many variables, so many different ways that things could go wrong. As if Scotty could read her mind, he broke out in a huge smile and told her not to stew over what could go wrong, instead he said for her to think positively and plan on things going well.

River loved how positive Scotty always managed to be, no matter what situation he found himself in. She wished she could be more like him. Once more though, his proximity was making her feel weird as his fingers naturally returned to her curls. She wasn't sure what it was she was feeling - maybe guilt. She shouldn't be here like this with Scotty, when Dayden might be lying somewhere hurt.

It's just she had never noticed how nice Scotty's smile was. It literally lit up his whole face. Just as she was mulling over his wonderful smile, they heard voices out in the hallway and before they could even move they heard a key in the front door.

River's heart dropped as she realized they were going to be caught before they even had a chance to do anything.

Scotty grasped hold of her hand and tugged her behind him as he quickly made his way over to the window behind the big lazy boy chair. He pulled out the floor-length curtains located on the left side of the window and then stepped quickly behind them pulling River in next to him. He straightened out the curtains as best he could, leaving them open so that hopefully there would be no reason for someone to check behind them. He pulled River in close just as they heard the unrecognizable voices of two men entering the apartment. Scotty wrapped his arms tightly around River's waist and pulled her in until her back was nestled in to his chest and her head was tucked just under his chin.

River could feel Scotty's racing heart, as the voices grew louder. The men were making their way down the entrance hall. She heard one of them say that it didn't look like anyone had been there as he flipped the light switch on in the living room. Even behind the thick dark curtain River felt the bright light blinding her eyes. She felt Scotty's arms tighten around her waist and knew that he was encouraging her to remain still and quiet. She was so worried that the men would find them. It brought back bad memories of the last time two men had shown up unwanted in her apartment. She knew it was selfish but she was so thankful that this time Scotty was with her.

She heard one of the guys comment on how there was a strange smell. Suddenly River remembered the black magic marker. She hadn't found it. Would they see it? It had a very strong smell. Would they know someone was here because of the strong smell? She listened intently as the other guy suggested that some food might have gone bad or something seeing how no one had lived there for so long.

That didn't make much sense to River since it had been almost half a year since her father had lived there, but she was happy if they believed it. Finally the voices grew quieter. She knew they were making their way to the bedrooms.

River held her breath as she tried to hear what they were saying. She heard them cuss a few times as she heard the sounds of closet doors opening and closing. She silently chanted over and over in her head, "Please don't find Hailey. Please don't find Hailey."

What was taking them so long, she wondered? Finally she heard their voices grow louder as they came back towards the living room. She was so happy because they had obviously not discovered Hailey. Now she just had to hope they wouldn't find her and Scotty. She heard some kitchen cupboard doors opening and shutting as one of the guys laughed and made fun of the other one, "She isn't a puppy, you idiot. She can't fit into cupboards that small."

His partner quickly told him off as he complained that if they didn't find the bitch soon, there would be hell to pay and he for one did not want to be the one to pay it. Suddenly the light in the living room turned off followed by the light in the kitchen. She heard them open the closet out by the front door and held her breath once more, hoping that they wouldn't notice their knapsacks and gym bags up on the top shelf. River finally released her breath when the hall light turned off and she heard the apartment door close.

She felt Scotty's arms squeeze her tight once again as he kissed the top of her head. She was so thankful that he had thought so quickly to hide them behind the curtain. She felt safe in his arms. They remained there a few more minutes to make sure that the guys were definitely gone.

Finally Scotty whispered that they had better go and check on Hailey. When they got to the bedroom they didn't turn the light on and they continued to keep as quiet as possible. Scotty whispered Hailey's name and asked if she was alright? They heard a gasping noise as she slid out from under the bed. As soon as she was standing she was sobbing.

"Where were you Scotty?" she asked between her sobs. River felt a pang of guilt rip through her stomach as Scotty immediately wrapped his arms around Hailey. River just stood there and watched as he spoke soft soothing words into Hailey's ear as his hands rubbed her back desperately trying to calm her sobs. He apologized over and over for not being there, explaining that he had trouble sleeping and had gone out to the kitchen to get a drink of water, when he heard the guys come in.

Hailey hadn't even registered that River had also been outside the bedroom. She asked how Scotty had managed to hide and not get caught. He told her how he hid behind the curtain in the living room. He didn't mention that River had hidden there with him. She had to agree with Scotty's decision; it was probably best not to mention it, especially if Hailey liked Scotty as much as River thought she did.

After Hailey finally calmed down, Scotty promised to stay with her under the bed no matter what, until he and River had to leave in the early morning. River could tell that Scotty was a good guy. He didn't like to see anyone upset or hurting. He was so good with Hailey. River felt the guilty feeling wash over her again when she remembered how safe she had felt in Scotty's arms and how great he had smelled. She decided right then and there that she would try to help Hailey win Scotty over in any way she could. Hailey was her friend now and that is what you should do for a good friend. She did not want to be the person to come between her and Scotty, especially since she had been the person that came between her and Dayden.

Dayden. Just thinking his name made her feel guilty. He had been so wonderful with her when she was hurt and here she was unable to do anything to help him. Had she forgotten how just a look from him or a touch could put butterflies in her stomach and cause her heart to race? She recommitted herself to finding him as soon as possible after using the key and she figured she would try some of Scotty's positive thinking too. She would no longer let herself think about Dayden being hurt or injured, instead she was more determined than ever to find him and bring him with her when her father showed up to rescue her.

She said goodnight to Scotty and Hailey and returned to her father's closet to lie down in her makeshift bed. She knew she would not be able to sleep, but she knew too that it would be better for her to stay there and try to rest. She would need her wits about her in the morning if she were going to be able to pull off all that her father wanted her to.



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River didn't sleep a wink, yet she felt wide awake and ready to go the second she heard Scotty whisper her name. It was 4:00 in the morning and still dark outside. River quickly washed up and then brushed her teeth. She brushed the tangles out of her hair, placing the thick unruly curls up into a quick ponytail when she was done.

They packed up their knapsacks and then wrapped them up and returned them to the top shelf of the front closet. They were both dressed in all black with the exception of the white rubber rims on River's running shoes, which refused to absorb the black magic marker. Still they were better than they had been before.

Scotty gave River a Stun stick to use just in case she needed it. He had apparently bought it from the same guy Dayden had. Scotty had a sharp hunting knife for himself that his father had given him on his sixteenth birthday. He strapped it into a sheath on his right hip. The Stun Stick and the knife were their only weapons and other than the key, which River zipped into her tracksuit pocket, they had nothing else to take with them, not even a flashlight. They would have to find their way in total darkness once they got outside. If they made it outside! 

They knew that there were only two ways in and out of the residence building and they figured that both would be closely monitored, since obviously the bad guys had still not found River. Their plan was to take the screen off her father's bedroom window and open the window up wide enough for them each to fit through. They would then use her father's floor length curtain to climb down one floor to the ground below. They knew the curtain would not be long enough to make it down to the ground, but they hoped they wouldn't have far to drop, especially since it was pavement below the window. They knew their plan would only work if no one saw them, which is why they had decided to go at the darkest time of the night. They also had to hope that the window wouldn't set off an alarm once it was opened.

When they made it to the ground, it was Hailey's job to quickly pull the curtain inside and then hang it back up. She would have to close up the window and try and get the screen back on properly as well. When she managed all of that, she was then to hide as best as possible in the apartment until they returned. If they were not back by noon, Scotty told her to return to their own apartment and pretend that she had missed morning classes because she was sick. If they asked her where Scotty was, she was just supposed to say that as far as she knew he went to class.

Scotty began carefully removing the screen and then slowly he pinched in the two locking buttons located at the bottom edge of each side of the window. He slowly forced the window up as high as it would go. Luckily there had been no alarm sound, but they both knew that they might have just set off a silent alarm. Scotty dropped one end of the dark curtain out of the window. The other end of the curtain he had already tied securely to River's father's bedpost. He gave Hailey a quick hug and then climbed up on the windowsill and quickly lowered himself out the window. He reminded River to not look down and told her he would be there to catch her if she fell. He also reminded her to not take too long as the faster they could get to the ground the better their chances of not being seen.

Scotty disappeared out the window and a few seconds later Hailey told River he had successfully made it to the ground. She told River the drop had not been too far a drop at all. River knew Hailey was just trying to make her feel better and put her fears at ease. River looked at her friend just before climbing out the window and told her she would do her very best to return for her as soon as possible. Hailey hugged River and River could see tears dropping from Hailey's eyes. She wished she could promise her friend that everything would be fine, but she couldn't, so instead she quickly dropped her feet out of the window, not allowing herself to even think about what she was about to do. She had a tight hold on the curtain and she hugged the curtain below between her knees before she allowed herself to let go of one hand and slowly climb down the curtain. When she felt the material disappear from between her legs, she knew she had reached the end.

She could hear Scotty below whispering for her to let go. He promised her he would catch her. She didn't want to, but she didn't want to get caught even more, so she trusted him and let go. Scotty caught her around her waist and slowly let her slide down his body until she was standing on her own two feet. He gave her a huge beaming smile and then quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into a jog behind him. They were headed to the wooded area located just behind the residence building.

They made it just to the edge of the trees when suddenly a car's bright headlights turned on lighting up the area they had just run from. River quickly glanced upwards towards her father's bedroom window, but she could not see a dark sheet hanging there or anything out of the ordinary. She heard car doors open as two guys stepped out on either side of the car. She watched the two guys walk over towards the place that she and Scotty had just descended from her father's window. They were looking all around the area and she could hear one of them saying that he had thought that he had heard something.

Luckily after a couple minutes of the two guys wandering aimlessly, they got back into their car and turned their headlights back off. Whew! That had been too close. Probably the guys had fallen asleep when they were supposed to be on watch and so by the time they had registered that they had heard something, Scotty and River had just made it to the tree line.

Scotty had never been to the airfield, but River had with Sergeant Cook the day he had showed her the video of her father being shot. They had driven by car, but River knew the way. It was pretty straightforward. They only had to follow the road for a couple of miles and they would come upon the small airport. She knew that they would have to hurry in order to have time to do everything they had planned.

Once they made it to the airfield, they wanted to find a way into the hangar and use the key first on the two Arcane fighters that had crashed in training. Both of those fighters were slowly being rebuilt and rumor was that they would be ready to fly again within the next couple of weeks.

Scotty had found out from his brother that the remaining six Fly Boys flew peacekeeping missions four times a day beginning at six a.m., then twelve noon, then six p.m. and finally at twelve midnight. River and Scotty were hoping to get to the two previously crashed fighters and shut them down first because they would be fairly hidden inside the hangar, hopefully allowing them a better chance of not getting caught.

Once they were shut down then they would use the key on the two Arcane Fighters that would be located just outside the hangar. These were the active Fighters that were being used daily for peacekeeping missions, routine border patrols and for guarding the safe zone areas. These Fighters would have already been inspected, gassed up and prepared to go for the next routine mission set to take off at six in the morning.

According to what Dayden had told her there were only 6 Fly Boys left from the previous two years that were still flying, one of which was Scotty's older brother Shane. Of the other ten, four were missing, four were killed in combat and two had committed suicide. Dayden had wondered how so many were killed or missing and yet their Arcane fighters were all accounted for. Her father was not included in the number of missing, as he was not a Fly Boy. He was their trainer and commander, so if you added him in then really there were five missing. The other Fly Boy who had accompanied him on that mission was one of the missing Fly Boys, but that still left three others. Where were they? What happened to them? And how had four died in combat, yet their fighters were fine? She hoped her father would be able to explain what was going on.

The walk/run to the airfield was pretty uneventful. Scotty and River managed to stay to the edge of the tree line and followed the road all the way there. Only one car passed them while they were walking. The car had it's high beams on and also had someone hanging out the passenger window holding a search light which was aimed at the tree line. Scotty and River could easily see the car coming though, from a far enough distance away, that they had ample time to hide. The car slowly passed by without any inkling that they were hiding deeper in the wooded area.

When River and Scotty got within sight of the airfield, they were extra cautious as they crept closer. There was a guard on duty at a gate leading into the area and another up in the traffic control tower. Other than that River and Scotty weren't sure who would be around at four thirty in the morning. They both kept low as they left the tree line. They practically crawled all the way to the pavement. Once they hit the pavement of the parking lot, Scotty emerged first making a run for the closest car. He motioned for River to follow him. There were only three cars in the parking lot but they used each of them to help them gradually make their way closer to the hangar.

Once they hit the end of the parking lot they made a run for the hangar door. Luckily the door was not locked. They were surprised by their luck and guessed that no one was too worried about someone already inside Special Ops causing trouble. They both knew that there were a lot more fencing and alarms and overall protection along with a much larger detail of security guards who patrolled the perimeter of the Special Ops property, but the airfield was located in the centre of the property and so only had minimal security on duty this late at night, unless a threat was uncovered or they were under attack.

Inside the hangar it was pitch black. Scotty and River had to take a few minutes to grow accustomed to the darkness. Once their eyesight acclimated they were able to make out shapes. Scotty led the way over to a large shape that resembled an Arcane Fighter. When they got closer they could tell that it indeed was what they were looking for. There was no sign that someone had been working on the jet or doing repairs, so River had no idea how close it was to being ready to fly. She wasn't going to take any chances though either. She planned on using the key on both Arcane's that were still supposedly under repair.

Scotty helped her up into the cockpit and told her that he would stay close to the hangar door in case anyone came in. They weren't sure what would happen when she inserted the key, because in order for the key to work she would have to turn the Arcane on. Turning it on might set off an alarm in itself. River just didn't know until she tried.

She didn't waste any time. She began the start up sequence and the whole cockpit lit up from the blue start up screen. River quickly inserted the key and the screen turned black. A message popped up asking for her father's pass code in order to begin the shut down sequence. The pass code only allowed for three numbers so River had to hope that her father used the code he used with her - 143 - the number of letters in each of the words of 'I love you.'

She typed in the numbers and immediately the shut down sequence began. River was pleasantly surprised to find out that it didn't take very long either. After only a few minutes a message popped up onto the screen saying 'Shut Down complete. To reactivate Arcane initiation sequence please enter five-digit pass code.' River had no idea what her father would have used for his five digit code and thankfully she didn't have to know. After a couple of seconds the screen turned completely off leaving River once again in total darkness. She pulled the key out and climbed down from the cockpit as quietly and as quickly as she could.

Scotty popped up beside her causing her to flinch. She swore that like Dayden, Scotty must have taken some sort of ninja classes. He asked her if everything was all right and she told him that yes the key had worked and now she was on to the next fighter. Scotty helped her up into the second Arcane fighter and then he must have silently returned to his post because before River could even thank him, he was gone again. She quickly went through the same start up sequence and then inserted the key. Once again she entered the three-digit code and the 'Shut Down' began without any problems.

River finished up quickly and then climbed back down from the second Arcane feeling very satisfied that things were going along better than expected. Almost too good, she thought as once again Scotty popped up at her side. He was also pleased at how quickly the key had worked. Things might get a little trickier now that they had to get into the working Arcane Fighters. She certainly would be much more visible out on the runway.

Scotty quietly opened the hangar door just enough so he could peak his head out and made sure the coast was clear. He checked to see if the security guard was anywhere nearby, but after a few minutes he still had not located the guard. They decided to make a run for it, because they didn't want to run out of time. It was almost five o'clock and they knew things would start getting busier as they got closer to the six o'clock shift change. The two Arcane Fighters that were out on patrol were due to return by six, while at the same time they would be preparing for the next two Arcane's to take off to start the next shift.

River was hoping to stop that from happening. She was happy to hear from Scotty that his brother Shane would be flying one of the two returning Arcanes. She knew that by the time they returned the next Fly Boys would have already figured out what she had done. They would not be able to start up their fighters and once that knowledge was out, they figured all hell would break loose. She and Scotty were hoping to be long gone by then, but if not, maybe Shane would be able to help them.

This time when Scotty helped her up into the cockpit he told her he would hide back over by the hanger. He explained that if he stayed by the Arcane Fighter, he would be right out in the open and anyone would easily be able to spot him. There were a couple of small bushes just outside the hangar door and he figured they would make a much better hiding place, yet he still would be able to keep a lookout. He told her that as soon as he saw her climb down he would join her again and help her up into the last Fighter.

This time when River began the start up sequence and the whole cockpit lit up with blue light, she knew she had to hurry. The blue light was like a beacon to anyone looking. If anyone saw it, they would know someone was starting up the Arcane Fighter. She quickly inserted the key, which thankfully turned the blue light black, but just as she was about to input the three-digit code she saw a figure step out of the darkness over by the hangar. Suddenly as he stepped into the spotlight at the end of the hangar River could see it was Scotty and he was waving at her and then pointing off to the other side of the airfield.

When River looked in the direction he was pointing at she could see some sort of vehicle speeding towards them. When she turned back around to look at Scotty she noticed two dark figures sneaking towards Scotty from the parking lot area. She tried to capture his attention but he was watching the oncoming vehicle. When he finally looked her way, he couldn't understand what she was trying to tell him. By the time he finally figured it out, it was too late. The guards had stepped out from the darkness of the parking lot with guns in their hands and they had them raised and trained on Scotty.