Project 13 Book One: From The Shadows

Chapter 19: Home At Last

When the trials were finally done I stretched and yawned. Midnight had done well, but had certainly not beat my highest opponent ever. His combat skills were rusty and he seemed to have never commanded anyone. My thoughts were interrupted when Georgia walked over and I remembered that it was late and I had to get home.

"Lightning, what time do you want me to get up tomorrow? I know you will want to leave in time to get to the sky city, but I don't know what your plan is." she asked.

"You are right, let's get home." I gestured to her to start walking to the most convenient exit as far as distance to my home tonight. "As far as getting up, I don't plan to be back in the sky cities until around noon for my meeting with the 2nd city, and then I have a meeting with the 3rd city at 2 and so on every two hours out. We might as well start working on the search."

"That's what I was thinking, but it still doesn't really answer my question..." Georgia said fiddling with her welding gloves.

" I usually get up at the break of dawn cause I can't sleep, but you can get up whenever you want, I am not going to force you to get up at that ridiculous time of the morning." I shrugged

Georgia winced, "Oh, ouch, do you get up at that time every day?"

"Pretty much. I usually get nightmares around 5-6 in the morning and it becomes uncomfortable to sleep with wings because during nightmares they tend to open up in a space where they really don't fit."

"Oh... ok... well I'll probably be up around 8-9. So we can start working on stuff."

"We are probably going to leave around 10 because you want to pick up your computer stuff and extra belongings. So plan around that." By now we had reached the best jumping point for my home. "We are going to have to jump here. You go first and I will catch you, like we did when we were kids." I leapt neatly onto the ledge and Georgia followed suit.

"How do you know that this is the right spot? You know the cities move right?" Georgia questioned concernedly

"Yes, I have the movements tracked down and I have a homing signal on my base if I really get lost."

With this reassurance she jumped and I followed shortly after removing my coat. I folded and angled my wings to dive straight at her and gently catch her. I let my wings out a little once I did to slow our descent and turn towards my home such that we would land directly on the landing pad at the top of my home. After a few minutes of half falling half floating in the dark empty space the defining features of my home appeared out of the fog that usually covered the lower land at night. Another feature remnant of the nuclear war. With this cue I snapped my wings open rapidly slowing our descent to land with the velocity that one associated with a small jump. I released Georgia to let her get her balance and stepped back. It took her a second to reorient before she turned to me to speak.

"So you do this every day! Does it ever get boring?" she gasped.

"No, flying is the best thing in the world." I smiled "Sometimes I wonder how much people who can't fly miss. But less of that, are you good? Ready to see my humble abode?"

Georgia brushed her hands off on her apron, then replied "Yep, all good. I was surprised by the feeling of just floating in empty space before seeing the house. Also how did you know the perfect timing to slow our descent?"

"Lots of practice," I shrugged "but to be honest I managed to screw that one up a bit because I wasn't counting on the weight of two people, hence why the impact was a little harsh."

"Harsh? I don't think that was harsh at all... you landed neatly as though we had merely jumped a few feet from the ground." Georgia trilled in astonishment, "Anyway let's get in out of this sticky mist."