Gabby pressed the grid, and its green lights blinked to life. Several prompts displayed and she pressed the navigation icon. It twisted and twirled and several other prompts replaced it. GPS, GR, SN were now displayed on the monitor. Gabby pressed SN and it spread out into the words: Star Navigation. She pressed it, and several small green points of light appeared.
“What’s this?” Harold asked.
“They’re called constellations,” Gabby said. “I’ve seen them before, but there were only a few that I knew of in Marksville. Uncle Elton knew some of them, like Orion’s Belt, and the Big and Little Dippers. I figure that when it gets dark enough we can go up to the top of some of the ruins and look at them.”
“Sounds like fun,” Harold said, but then thought for moment. “What about High-Born patrols and our heat signatures?”
“I’ve got that covered,” Gabby replied. “But I like the way you’re thinking.”
“What do you have in mind?” Harold asked.
“After practicing it with the kids at the lake, I figured out a way to use my air shield to totally camouflage our temperatures,” Gabby said with a smile.
“Well,” Harold smiled. “I guess that’s ‘cool’,”
“Or maybe it’s ‘hot’, hottie,” she laughed.
Harold smiled and asked, “How does it work?”
“Basically, I create two air shields around us and trap air in between them,” Gabby answered. “That way the temperature of the surrounding air appears to be constant.”
“Have you tested it yet?” Harold asked.
“Yeah,” she answered. “I’ve been doing it to the gunship’s thrusters,”
“It seems like the High-Born would’ve already fixed that problem,” Harold replied.
“For the most part, they have,” Gabby answered. “They have greatly reduced the heat signature, but it is not completely effective. And they do have systems in place that do something similar to what I do, and I even got the idea from those systems.”
“Alrighty then,” Harold said.
They sat and talked for a while about their plan of attack on New Pylos while waiting for the sun to set. The plan was straightforward and rather simple, but would produce a lot of damage. Then they talked about nothing in particular for about an hour as Gabby went over some of the gunship’s operations with Harold. Soon, it was dark enough to see the stars. Harold touched Gabby’s shoulder and they flamed out of sight...
...To just outside the gunship. The night air was cool and crisp, and though the trees were thick enough to partially obscure the sky, it was plain to see that it was relatively free of clouds. Gabby called to her air-shield and covered their heat signature as Harold found a large tree limb. He grabbed her shoulder and air-burned them to it. They enhanced their vision and scanned the night, but saw nothing that gave them concern.
A few hundred yards away was an ancient and abandoned ruined building that still had about five remaining stories that had not been blasted away. Harold judged it would take him three air-burns to get reach it, and he found two more trees. He grabbed Gabby’s hand...
...And they appeared in the first tree... And then the second tree... And then they appeared on top the building. The roof had many large holes in it and they had to be careful as they walked across it. Once they got fairly close to the center, Gabby pointed up.
“There’s Orion’s Belt,” she said.
“Right there?” Harold pointed.
“Just to the left a little,” Gabby answered. “Those three stars.”
“Oh, okay,” Harold said. “I’ve seen those before.”
“Yeah, they’re not hard to see,” Gabby said. “And over there is the Big Dipper.”
Harold looked for a moment, tracing the path out in his mind, “Yeah, it looks just like a ladle.”
Gabby found some sort of metallic box, and sat down on it. Harold found a spot close to her and sat down too. Then, they both looked out across the city of New Pylos. Harold had often seen the individual squares of light from the confines of Foxx Hole, but now he was just a few miles from them, and he was in awe at the sight. He wished that he could just walk as a free man on those streets and experience the wonders of city life. But that was a forgotten age, lost to the annals of time, and Harold just absently watched the specks of light that the air-taxis made as they zipped around the city. Much to his relief they never seemed to get more than 100 yards of the city’s newer buildings, and there were several miles worth of ruins in between them and the stand of central buildings.
There were several billboards scattered throughout the city, and for the most part, they kept showing the same advertisements over and over. Some were about upcoming movies, others were advertisements for the slave trade, some were about various restaurants and businesses, but the one he saw the most was the one commemorating the uniforms of the High-Born pilots.
“What do you think they mean by Ascension of the Dragons?” Harold asked.
“I really don’t know,” Gabby answered as she rubbed her chin. “But if I were to venture a guess... I would say that was when they took on the A.I. Drones and won. Then they probably turned on the Low-Born after that.”
Harold nodded understandingly, “That makes sense.”
“Uncle Elton’s granddad said something close to that anyways, but he didn’t call it that,” she replied.
Then she leaned back and stretched out, just looking straight up into the stars.
“That’s a good idea,” Harold said and did the same.
They laid their for a few minutes just stargazing and talking about different things, and Harold caught a glimpse of small pinpoint of light high in the sky. He focused on it and pulled fire into his eyes. He studied it intensely, but it was so far away that its general shape evaded him.
“What is that?” he pointed it out to Gabby.
She focused her power into her eyes and looked as well.
“I’m not sure,” she answered. “But they may be satellites.”
“Satellites?” Harold asked.
“I don’t know much about them,” Gabby admitted. “But there’s something in the gunship controls that I’m learning to use called G.P.S. or Global Positioning System. It always says something about a satellite uplink. But I’ve never activated it because it seems to be tied into the tracking device and that would bring the High-Born down on us. But I’ve heard Uncle Elton talk about satellites before and he said that they were things that flew in space and were important during the conflicts that led to the A.I.R War.”
“What did satellites do?” Harold asked.
“I don’t know,” Gabby said. “But they probably used them to see things on the ground and in the sky.”
Harold nodded, “They could’ve been used for weapons too.”
“Maybe,” Gabby answered.
Harold looked across the sky, slowly, back and forth, and could see many of them slowly floating around the sky.
Suddenly, Gabby tapped him, and pointed in the southeastern sky, “You got to look really hard. And someone like us may be the only ones who can even see it.”
At first, Harold could see nothing, but then he caught a glimpse of what could only be a small blue exhaust point flying just above the treetops. Gabby’s eyes glowed brighter and she leaned towards it.
“That’s not a gunship... it’s too small,” Gabby said. “I can’t tell what it is.”
They watched as it stopped on some of the ruins well outside of the city. It stayed there for less than a minute, and then began moving away from them, circling around the city. It stopped two more times before they lost sight of it as it headed out of the city.
“I say that we call it a night, and get back to the gunship,” Gabby said.
“Yeah,” Harold said, and touched Gabby’s shoulder and they both flamed out of existence.
Chapter 37
“It’s time to deliver a message to the High-Born,” Harold said.
“I’m ready whenever you are,�
� Gabby said.
Harold grinned at her and nodded.
She stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
Harold also stood and put his hand on her shoulder and they made eye contact, and then flashed from sight.
Blaze and Aireon boomed into view on top of an outlying building and surveyed the area. They were about four stories high atop the ruins of a destroyed building. Vines were crawling over the edges, giving the impression that they were trying to pull what remained of the building down to the ground. Muck and grime covered the concrete beneath them, and scorch marks and bullet holes littered both the level they were standing on and the jagged remains of the wall that resembled the ramparts of an old castle from Scott’s comic book.
As Blaze stepped up to the edge, he pulled fire into his eyes and looked across the city. He could see many High-Born air-taxis zipping down the airways, and he could see dozens of High-Born walking up and down the sidewalks. Farther into the city, he could glimpse the central military compound and he studied its perimeter.
There were several squads of visored soldiers walking around the compound, but they didn’t seem overly concerned. On the grounds of the plaza were a couple of tanks and there were three gunships on top of the facility.
“They don’t seem too worried, do they?” Aireon asked.
Blaze regarded her slightly glowing eyes, “No, they don’t.”
He looked up at the roof of the nearest High-Born building, and then at Aireon.
“Can you make it there?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I can, but I’ll have some trouble getting you there too.”
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Just don’t scream,” he replied as he stepped close to her.
She smiled and cocked her head as she put her arms around his neck, and his arms slid around her waist.
“You call that holding on to me,” she said as she pulled him closer to her.
Aireon smiled as Blaze tightened his grip on her waist and they disappeared in a flash of fire...
...Aireon gasped but did not scream when they appeared in mid-air several hundred feet above the ground, and they began falling straight down towards the city below, but flames flashed again...
...And they were standing on top of the High-Born building.
“You can open your eyes now,” Blaze said.
Aireon opened one of her eyes, and took a deep breath. She looked Blaze in the eyes for a moment, and then slowly let go of him before stepping away. They both looked around, beyond the outskirts of the city. All around them was a dense, green forest that extended for miles. Extending out from the ring of ruins around the city were the nearly indiscernible ancient, asphalt paths winding their way into the distance. As they continued peering beyond the ruins, Blaze noticed something peculiar.
“Do you see those dips in the terrain?” he asked as he pointed at a barely noticeable slump in the trees.
“Yes,” Aireon answered, and pointed to another.
“That has to be where some kind of bombs hit all those years ago,” Blaze said.
“They must’ve been very powerful to move that much dirt,” Aireon replied.
Blaze nodded silently and they both turned their attention back to the city.
“I’ll go ahead and come at them from the other side,” he said. “I’ll make a good show and then you smash the front.”
“Sounds good to me,” Aireon replied as the dim white light within her eyes grew in intensity. “Let’s go pick a fight.”
Blaze studied the city from atop the building, and chose a set of building tops that led to the military compound. He made a rapid series of air-burns from building top to building top that carried him across the city until he was standing atop a building beneath one of the flashing billboards. He looked over the ledge at the military compound just below and began calling on his fire.
Aireon began running and gathered a burst of air behind her, snatching it to her as she leaped off the building. The concentrated gust of wind jetted her skyward and she easily sailed over the gap in between the two buildings. She landed and rolled on her shoulder to compensate for the extra momentum before fluidly rising into a full sprint. She hit the next gap and made another incredible, wind-assisted jump, sliding and rolling as she landed only to rise into a dead run.
After three more leaps, she was standing on top of the building opposite of Blaze and she nodded to him...
...And he flashed from view...
Blaze appeared in the cockpit of the lead gunship. He wasn’t surprised to find it empty, and his flaming blade slashed through its control panels several times before he air-burned to the second gunship, making sure to leave a small fire inside of it before he flashed to the third gunship. After he had finished ruining its controls, he enveloped himself in fire and appeared in the center of the roof. As he raised his hands, his head looked to the sky and his eyes glowed furiously.
Aireon watched as three gunships detonated, and their flames washed over Blaze, enfolding him in their terrible glory. She watched as the High-Born patrols began running in all directions, taking cover anywhere they could find. Then she saw Blaze stalking through the uncontrolled fire to stop at the edge of the building. A billowing wave of flames raged down upon the tank on the western side of the plaza, and then amongst the scattering High-Born grunts.
The air around Aireon began shimmering and she reached towards the ground with her right hand, snapping it to the sky before she jumped off the top of the building. She fell with outstretched arms and legs into the waiting grasp of a rising current of wind that slowed her descent to that of a drifting leaf. She lightly landed, and glowered at the running High-Born who were beginning to take up fighting positions.
She stepped towards the compound, shouting, while swatting her hands from side to side. Powerful gusts of wind began slamming into the lead guard shack, and after just a few seconds, it was torn from its foundation. The High-Born inside was caught unaware and he went flying across the plaza along with the other debris before he could even fire a shot.
Loud pops sounded and Aireon turned to see three High-Born firing their rifles at her, but the spikes were deflected by the shimmering air around her. She stepped towards them, striking with her palm, and they were hurled vehemently through the air where they smacked into the walls of the compound. As they fell to the ground, there were large cracks and pockmarks at their impact points.
A second group of High-Born began firing at the flaming monstrosity atop the building, but Blaze disappeared as the spikes streaked harmlessly into the sky. He appeared amidst the four soldiers, and his flaming blade moved swiftly and efficiently through the giants before they even had a chance to react. And Blaze thundered out of sight.
On the other side of the outer grounds of the compound, High-Born were rocketing through the air. Some were flying, completely out of control, out into the city because of a small whirlwind that was rapidly moving across the courtyard. Others were firing at its center where Aireon stood. But the spikes had no effect, they simply bounced off, striking the surrounding buildings, knocking chunks of concrete to ground. Runnels of air sped out from the whirlwind, almost seeming to grab the High-Born and then throw them into the buildings.
Aireon stood in the eye of the small tornado, and squatted. Her arms moved back and forth, and up and down as she looked at the remaining tank. A gust of wind hit it, and it noticeably rocked. Aireon stepped forward and lowered her head while extending her arms toward it, and the gust became a sustained current of wind. Aireon began grunting with effort, and slowly, the tank began scraping across the concrete. Then Aireon dipped low, and shouted as she flung her arms to the sky. The tank flipped into the air, soaring from the ground and smashed into the side of the compound, tearing a huge hole in the concrete wall.
She heard something behind her and she turned.
From within the small, but furious whirlwind, she looked out across the street. Dozens of High-Bo
rn dressed in their strange, everyday clothing were beginning to crowd the streets. She saw many of them reaching to their hips where pistols were holstered. They all began taking up positions behind various corners and trained their weapons on her. Her flashing eyes glared at them, and she stepped towards them, smirking.
Then… she raised both of her hands and motioned for them to come to her.
Blaze blasted into an empty hallway. He could hear the shouts of High-Born all around him, and running footsteps thudded all over. From the sound of things, he would have a few, uninterrupted moments. Blaze focused on the fire that covered him and began flinging it in all directions. The walls erupted into flames, and water mixed with white foam began pouring all over, but it did little to slow Blaze’s destruction of his immediate surroundings. Only after the fire was completely out of control, did he thunder away to the floor just above him.
He appeared in another empty hallway, and he began stomping the floor. After several hard, and loud thuds, he fell through to the inferno beneath him. He stood only for a moment and reached to the fires around him and sent them up to the fresh air above him. A small explosion sounded as it hit the air and it rushed all over despite the water and foam.
He air-burned to several more spots in the building, and in short order, it became a rabid fire that was hopelessly out of control. Satisfied that it would soon burn to the ground he thundered from view...
...To the courtyard where a raging tempest was stirring up so much dirt and dust that he found it hard to see. In fact, he raised his sword high into the air and plunged it into the ground and used it as an anchor just to keep himself from being blown away. He looked down the city streets to see High-Born running in every direction away from the military compound.
Aireon herself stood at the eye of the fierce wind, shouting at the top of her lungs and flinging her arms around. Powerful gusts of wind and concentrated patches of blurry air flew in all directions from her. Buildings rocked and shuddered from the tornadic winds and their walls cracked as her blasts hit them. High-Born were being flung all over, some bouncing and skipping across the pavement. Others leveled pistols at Aireon and fired shots that had no effect on her.
Blaze (The High-Born Epic) Page 28