Red Skies | The Prime Archives #1 ✓

thirty

The sky outside was darker and he could practically see the ice in the air. Cold air seeped through crevices in the jet, slithering up his skin. Shuddering, he urged his body to warm itself up.

The jet rocked again. This time, a series of beeps and alarms went off at the front.

''That is not turbulence,'' Andre said.

''No kidding,'' Emily said. She got out of her seat and waddled over to the pilot's den. ''What's going on?''

''Get back to your seat.''

A scraping sound burrowed into his ear. Eyebrows raised, he turned his attention to the window again. Ice was crawling against the glass, creating a kaleidoscope effect. His brow furrowed.

That wasn't normal weather, no matter how cold it was.

No. Someone was causing it. And he knew exactly who.

''Guys, I think we have a problem—''

The jet shuddered and rocked, leaning to the side. Had it not been for his seatbelt, he would've been thrown to the wall. The restraints dug into his skin as the aircraft fought to stay elevated. Sirens blared as a strobing, red light pulsed around them like an erratic heartbeat.

''Engines have failed. Considerable damage to thrusters,'' P.A.I announced.

Blackbird cursed and started flipping through controls.

''What just happened?'' someone asked.

''Engines froze,'' the pilot answered. ''That's impossible, though. This aircraft was built to withstand extreme heat and cold.''

Chase and Oscar locked eyes at the same time. The fire wielder must have realized it as well. They stared at each other, eyes wide and mouth's shut.

That was when something crashed into the jet. A strange combination of intolerable heat and blistering cold whipped at his face. He raised his arms, covering himself as his blond hair was sent in every which direction.

A smoldering hole was present in the side of the aircraft. Air rushed through the opening, along with beads of ice and water. Luckily, everyone was still accounted for. Emily, who hadn't been in her seat, was glued to the ground.

''Critical damage. Shields at fifty percent.''

Another explosive projectile crashed into the aircraft, resulting in another gaping hole. The back of the jet was up in flames. Smoke swirled around them, wrapping around their throats. Eyes stinging, Chase coughed like he'd been smoking for decades.

''Hold onto to something!'' Blackbird tugged on the gear stick, desperately trying to prevent them from nosediving. Her attempts were in vain. She had no control over the jet. They were tanking fast, bulleting straight for the unknown.

''Aircraft shield at ten percent. Systems critically damaged.''

''Thanks for the update!'' Oscar yelled over the alarms.

Chase grit his teeth, the G-force pressing him to his seat. It felt like a strong set of arms were pushing down on his chest, caving it in. He tried reaching up for the handheld on the ceiling, but he couldn't even manage that. It was like he was stuck in a vat of syrup. A scream left his diaphragm as his stomach threatened to empty itself.

Somehow, Blackbird got the jet to flatten out. The only problem was that they were still falling out the sky. Everyone hovered a few inches above their seats, releasing screams louder than banshees.

''We're all gonna die!" Theo cried.

''I'm bringing her down!'' Blackbird's voice fought for dominance over the whistling air. It nipped at Chase's skin, biting and clawing. His ears and nose reddened while his eyes watered. In the cockpit, he could hear their pilot fiddling with the controls. Seconds later, they shut off, the lights disappearing like the life from a corpse's eyes.