Chapter Twenty-One: Kite Flying
I was dosing off, leaning against Lady on the floor, when the next thing I notice I'm roughly being pulled to my feet, half dragging as Hanna pulls me along.
"Our ride's here," She grins at me, as I stumble after her, Lady not far behind.
What ride? I shift to pull back from Doc but she had me in a vice grip. "What's going on?"
"We're going to HQ directly. They were so interested in you that they are even willing to pick us up."
"What happens if I go?"
She shrugs, "It beats staying here, doesn't it? 'Sides, I think you'll enjoy this!"
Enjoy what?
She pulls me along the corridors to a heavy steel door and opens it to the outside. Something that I haven't seen in a while as the sun practically blinds me.
Squinting as my eyes try to adjust, I came face to face with something that belonged in a sci-fi movie. "Is that-?"
"-An airship, yes."
I'm probably ogling so much that I'm expecting my eyeballs to roll out any minute. It was black and sleek with electric blue along the wings. It took up the helipad in its entirety, that it somehow landed on without me even hearing the damn thing.
"Ok, let's get that tongue back into your mouth and you onto the ship," Hanna pats me on the back as the hatch on the airship drops down like a ramp and someone comes half-way down the giant thing that looked like it could take a tank or two aboard. "Yo, Hanna. I was told you needed a lift?"
He looked like a pirate. Even had the eyepatch to match. Though instead of a wooden pipe, he was smoking a cigarette, little disappointed to be honest.
Fenir picks that moment to come up behind me, "Took you long enough."
The pirate chuckles, breathing in deeply before letting it out as a cloud, "Hey, you could always walk. Where's the van?"
"Round front, Rain will drive it in."
"Eh? You letting the pipsqueak drive it? Last time I tried, you chewed me out. Talk about favouritism..." Pirate-man must have spotted me, as he flicks the cigarette butt to the side, he skips down from the airship's ramp and comes face to face with me, the weird ornaments that hung from his belt clink together like bells as he did, "This the kid? And his pet?"
I look up at the tanned pirate, expecting to see a parrot on his shoulder.
He grins at me and I notice a few interesting tribal tattoos along his arms that went under his shirt, "I like those eyes, boy. A little defiance never hurts eh?" He then thought on something, "Where are my manners? Lieutenant Vincent Osiris Black, at your service. Call me-"
"Oz, less talking, more 'getting on the ship and getting ready for taking off'." Fenir snaps, "You can talk the boy to death when we're in the air."
"Aye-aye, capi-tan. Just being polite." Oz pulls back from me, "Well, welcome aboard the Hollow Kite." He motions with his wrist while bowing towards me before standing straight and getting aboard himself.
"Come on, champ," Hanna, taps my shoulder as she walks towards the giant-ass sci-fi airship. This was more what I was expecting to find. But this city didn't show any indication it housed anything like this.
I stop at the foot of the ramps, looking beyond the airship, I could see the ruined city, still paralysed by the standstill of time after the Hexers had taken over. The Fence, still standing in some places where everywhere else was skewered by the long black crystal obelisks. But beyond the fence...was Anne and Cody. Somewhere. And Markus.
I hesitated. Markus was still here. But if I say anything about him, would they try and dig him up? I wouldn't put it passed Hanna. I mean how many times do you come across a boy who turned himself into a tree? They wouldn't leave him in peace.
"What's the hold up?" Hanna turns back. "Did we forget something?"
I look towards the gate, with a silent promise and resolve to come back to him, "No." When I have both Anne and Cody...could we reverse what he's done?
'Feels wrong!'
The mental protest grinds me to a halt and to turn back to see Lady who was hesitating to put her front paw onto the ramp. I go back down to her and hold my hand out to her face and she nuzzles against it.
I try to convey to her, 'You don't have to come with me...you can stay here if you want to.' I had no right to ask her to come with me.
'Dreamer is going!' She bares her teeth, almost like she was pouting and I had to smile, despite myself.
'I want you to come with me.' I really do.
'Then I go with Dreamer!'
'But you need to get onto the airship. We are going somewhere that looks like it will be too far to travel on foot.'
She makes a soft whiny noise but then puts her foot on the ramp, then the next, unsure as if she wanted to bolt in the other direction.
'I'll be with you' I try to reassure her, my hand never leaving her head as I walk backwards up the ramp.
I felt someone behind me and turn to see the mismatch eyes that look down to stare into mine. I feel myself blush remembering what he did and quickly turn back to face Lady. That was when I felt a slight touch on the hair on the back of my neck. I whir around, my hand slapping to my neck, only to see his back to me as he walks up the ramp. Was that my imagination?
It took a bit to get Lady up the ramp and onto the ship, which stuns me. The interior was all space-tech corridors, doors and ramps. The area that I was standing in was large and open. Obviously the storage/deployment of anything (and anyone) that they were carrying.
"This way, starry-eyes," Hanna calls from atop of a flight of metal stairs.
I look down to Lady and back up to her, unsure if I should push Lady any more than I'm already doing.
'Want to go further?' Lady asks, but I could sense her anxiety. 'Can go a little further.'
I bite my lip but lead her to the stairs anyway. As we go up, I see the coloured glass that let us see the sky and a little ways down, it eventually becomes a viewing platform for the pilot at the very front and in the middle with all the flying gadgets that I wouldn't have a clue how to use. A number of buckled passenger seats with their own board of buttons and screens lines either side of the main seat.
Pirate-man presses a few buttons as he lounges over his seat, "Everyone buckling in?"
I sit down in the seat three chairs behind him on his left, the furthest point from anyone. Lady sits beside me, her eyes wide and shifting around, her emotions are still anxious but there is a little wonder and curiosity as she looks out the blue-tinted glass that swallowed the entire ceiling and walls of the platform. I saw X was sitting in the front left seat, silently looking ahead.
Hanna took to the closest seat at the front, to Oz's right, picking away at the buttons and touchscreens like she knew what she was doing.
"Stop doing that!" Oz moves her hands from the controls.
"What?" She smacks his hands back.
"When I'm in the big shiny driver's seat, I'm in control, woman!"
"Say that to my face!"
"With pleasure. Don't touch anything!"
"Whatever, mum."
"Oz. I've given you instructions and coordinates, why aren't we moving?' Fenir plonks into the seat opposite from me.
"Yes, yes, right away, as soon as Doc stops touching everything."
"Oh shut up Pansy!" Hanna snorts.
"Hey, not everyone here likes the air-con set to something suited for polar bears!"
"Well I do and I get what I want."
"Not on my ship. I'm King and my baby is my domain!"
"You. Wish."
"Oz! Today would be nice." Fenir growls again.
"...Right away, sir." And with that I could hear the build-up on some kind of engine. Next we smoothly leave the ground, hovering for a second.
"Unnatural. Birds only. Not me.' Lady shivers and I reach out a hand to pat her.
"I'm sorry to do this to you.'
'I go where Dreamer goes,' her yellow-black eyes focus on my for a second before she jolts as the ship turns to a different direction and lands on what I can imagine to be the street below where Rain was waiting with the truck.
Within a few minutes of awkward silence, Rain soon appears and while completely ignoring me, buckles himself into the chair in front of me. Mist soon appears and sits in the chair in front of Fenir, "Everything is secure. Awaiting further instruction."
"Good. Oz, you know where to go." ...was Fenir sharp with everyone?
"That I do." Oz didn't seem to notice and before long we were in the air and I found myself practically glued to the window. The clouds and sky flying passed at impossible speeds. I haven't been on any sort of plane since I was six...and I can barely even remember that...other than Cody hated every minute of it. But this was...amazing? Aweinspiring? I dunno but it was freakin cool!
"By the by, crazy boy with the pet tiger, I didn't catch your name."
I frown but couldn't help but mutter, "Kae."
"Oh really!?" Hanna twists in her seat to look back at me.
Oz scoffs, "You never thought to ask him his name?"
"Nope."
"Stupid scientist. He isn't an 'it'. Also, he's old enough to be around before all this shit," he motions around him. "He's bound to have a name. Ain't I right, Kae?"
I was silent and saw that Mist was looking a little ashamed at me but when I turn my full attention to her, she quickly looks away.
"We should reach HQ in an hour...they're being a bit anal about letting aircraft through...after y'know...well you saw what happened in Bellasera..."Oz grabs my attention again.
"Bellasera?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"That was the city we were just in, mate."
"...Are ships like this one common?"
Oz looks back at me for a moment, "Only in the last three years...and only in the big cities...and of course only those who can afford or know how to make one. –Hanna! Would you just stop? Otherwise I will eject seat you outta here and you can walk the rest of the way!"
"You're music selection sucks big time!" She was back at the buttons again...
"You don't hear me complain about the crap you listen to."
"That's because I use earphones and don't force anyone to listen to the shit you listen to, like any courteous human being."
"You? Courteous? Did hell freeze over when I wasn't looking?"
"Of course it did. I rule, remember?"
"Explains a lot. All hail Satan!"
"Would you two just shut up and drive?" Rain snaps.
"Oh how I missed the Grouchy Pipsqueak backseat driving!" Oz's sarcasm could be felt this far back.
"What did you just say?"
"Enough!" Fenir roars. "There will be no music. There will be silence so that I don't miss anything on the airways."
"Party pooper," both Hanna and Oz mutter in sync.
"Jinx!"
"-Jinx again!"
I could hear both Mist and Fenir sigh.
I guess this happens a lot.