Take To The Sky

A Question

The search for the missing Rider continued.
Marsha found his disappearance to be disturbing and frustrating.
When Silver had run away and taken a wife Marsha had been furious.
She had offered the handsome Rider a place at her own side and he had turned her down.
When she discovered that he had a son she had decided she would have her revenge.
If Silver would not give her a son she would take his.
She had petitioned her father for permission to take the child and received it almost immediately.
Silver was a good Rider.
One of the best.
Smart, strong, and agile.
With any luck his son would be also.
She had kept an eye on the boy as he went through The Program but had mostly lost track of him through out the years.
When he graduated at 14 she had attended the ceremony.
When she layed eyes on him she simply couldn't look away.
He looked exactly like his father but unlike his father he was submissive.
She had taken advantage of that to a point.

Now he was missing and she wondered if maybe he was more like his father then he had realized. Maybe he really had run away.
Maybe he hadn't been as submissive as he seemed.
Maybe he was just less vocal about his rebellion.

She glared at the search party who had returned, yet again, empty handed.
"How hard could it possibly be to find a boy riding a bright blue Dragon?" She hissed. "I want him found! I want him back! I want him NOW!"

∆∆∆∆

The was a pounding on his front door, loud and urgent.
He half trotted to answer it.
"Yes?"
It was Peter.
"Hey. That search party is back. They're doing house searches."

Both men bolted back to Nova's room.
When Silver entered Nova glared.
When Peter came in behind him the boy frowned.
"Uhm... Hi?"
"Here's the deal Genesis-"
"It's Nova!"
"You can swear on the life of your dragon that'll you do exactly as I say or I'm gonna sedate you. The choice is yours. Make it snappy."
The teen looked between them.
"They're back aren't they?" He drew breath to scream but the men surged forward.
Peter clamped a hand over the boys mouth and they pinned him to the wall.
Nova twisted in their grasps and tossed his head furiously.
Silver felt his pocket and growned.
"I forgot to grab the sedative."
"I'll hold him. Go."
As they moved Nova managed to shake his head loose.
"No no no! Ok yeild! I swear!"
Silver stopped and looked at him.
"Boy if your lying to me-"
"I swear! Whatever you say ok. I swear. Just don't drug me. Stuff makes me groggy for hours after I wake up."
"That's why you're so docile in the mornings? I just thought you hated mornings. Ok fine. Let's go."

The men each grabbed an arm and pulled him forward.
Nova followed silently.
"Where are we going to hide him?" Peter asked.
"Just follow me."

They took him out the back door and Silver lead them to the cellar. He looked at Peter.
"Take him in. I'll lock it from out here. There's a false wall in the back. One of the panels slides away as a door. You'll find it."
"Ok."
Peter pulled Nova in with him and Silver closed the doors.
The found the panel in the back and pushed it aside. When they stepped behind the false wall Peter slid it back in place then turned too look at Nova.
The light was very very dim but he could still make out the boys outline.
"Here's the deal kid. If it was my call I would have put you under just for good measure. Your dad didn't do that."
"He's not my dad."
"If you so much as breath too loud I will choke you out."
Nova raised a skeptical eyebrow but it was lost in Peter as he couldn't see it.
He was actually rather curious as to Peters fighting abilities.
He wasn't really convinced that the man could actually beat him.
Yeah he was bigger and older but Nova was.raised in The Program.
Peter wasn't.
But he couldn't find out yet.
He wondered how they planned on hiding Ilwomar.
He couldn't leave without her.
He couldn't bare to be torn away from her again.
So he sat crossed legged in the ground, silently waiting.
It seemed like hours went by.
Searching the whole town house by house was pretty monotonous.
He hadn't realized he was such a priority.
Of course who knew that the Center Commander was behind it.
She was the only person besides Stone who would care that he was missing.
Most of the other Riders were probably glad to see him gone.
All the attention Marsha have him made the other Riders not like him so much.

Of course when they did eventually find him it was going to be hell for a while.
Not only had his mission failed but he had allowed himself to be taken captive by a rebelled CRC Rider and his mount was horribly injured.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how much they would make him suffer when he finally reported back.
Maybe they would take it easy on him since he would be bringing back actionable Intel.

Then there was the other dilemma he was facing.
Did he really believe that Silver was his father?
He shouldn't even care.
He was a Dragon Rider. A specialist!
He didn't need family.
He especially didn't need a rebel father.
But he did care and he had always wondered.
It was getting harder and harder to bury the questions.
It was getting more and more difficult to push them away.
"Peter?"
The man shifted next to him.
"What?"
Nova hesitated.
"If I ask this question you can't tell Silver I asked."
The man sighed heavily.
"Fine. What?"
"What is he like? I mean when he's not fighting me. When he's being normal. What's he like?"
There was a moment of silence.
"Well. That's kind of complicated. I've known him for for about 9 years now. I met him just after your mother died. He taught me how to fly. He's a good teacher. Very patient. He talked about you a lot. Even before, he talked about you as a baby. Course he always refered to you as Genesis but he was talking about you. And he still talks about you. You really test his patience Nova. If I was him I'd smack you silly for all the crap you pull. Consider yourself lucky because if I was him you would be black and blue by now."
"You couldn't hurt me any worse then I've already been hurt."
Peter shifted.
"You don't think so?"
"Listen. You didn't grow up in The Program so you don't know but they don't do anything half way. If they think you need punishing it's gonna be bad. I failed the mission before this one. I got distracted and I messed up and came back with burns on my shoulders. I lost track of how many lashes they gave me. I couldn't walk. Could barely hold my head up. I spent I think two weeks recovering."

Peter let out a low whistle.
"That's harsh."
"Well I failed. The pain reminds us not to make the same mistake twice."
"Yeah. I had strict parents but two weeks in the infermery is a little insane."
"We have an important job. Failure is unacceptable."
"Everyone makes mistakes."
"Well of course. But when those mistakes are made there needs to be consequences so that they happen less often."
There was along silence.
"Nova I don't even think you realize how messed up your head has to be to honestly believe you deserve that kind of punishment."

∆∆∆∆

Silver and Peter stood outside watching the town come out of the tizzy the search had caused.
"So when I was down in the cellar with Nova we got to talking."
Silver glanced at him curiously.
"Yeah?"
"Of course I told him I wouldn't tell you about it."
The blonde frowned at him.
"Are you serious?"
Peter looked around. Spotting a dog.
He called it over and knelt down to rub it's tummy.
"Hey boy. Hey." He began to scratch it behind the ears and totally ignored Silver as he spoke to the dog.
"You know that crazy kid that my friend is keeping? Yeah. Well he was asking me questions about his dad. Really cought me off guard. You see he acts so tough and defiant all the time and then do you know what he asked me? Do you know? He asked me "Peter what is Silver like when he's not fighting with me?" And it really surprised me. It really did boy!"
Peter stood and gave Silver a pointed look.
Silver was speechless for a moment.
"He really asked that?"
Peter shrugged.
"I don't know what your talking about. My lips are sealed. I wasn't even talking to you."