The airport terminal was crowded. They moved along to a large wall with a terminal screen while the other people moved along efficiently to their destinations.

"We need to find a flight to America," Scott said as the three of them looked up at the flight lists.

"But the Phantom queen is in London," Dixon said.

"It’d be better to fight her with Miranda." Scott scratched his head and looked at Clarity. "If we have to fight at all. I say we just pick her up and head home."

"There is no going home yet," Clarity said. "All of the portals are disconnected. We don't know how to activate them again, but what the Phantom Queen and her people know may give us what we need to get home."

"Miranda may know already."

"Possibly. But there are other things in play." Clarity reached out and put the palm of her hand on a passing man. He jerked his head back like her hand was covered in acid. "We didn't get to see all of what the phantom queen was up to, but it is something that needs our attention."

"So, London then?" Scott sighed and scanned the departure screen for his new destination. "Fine. A quick stop in London and then we are off to America. There, connecting flights. We'll have to plane hop, but we can make it work."

"Who's going to let us get on a plane?" Dixon said. "We've got no papers or anything."

"We don't need papers." Scott clapped him on the back. "We're pilots."

"Huh?"

"We impersonate pilots to get past the metal detectors, and then use soul jumps to get past anyone who thinks we're suspicious."

The side of the room was a solid door with a key combination on it. They soul jumped their way through it, a few locker rooms, and arrived at the pilot's gate, dressed as pilots.

Scott walked up to the man at a check in booth, to try and just hop on a flight heading for London.

"Oh, we can do that," Said the man. "But how would you like to make some extra money? We happen to need a pilot and co-pilot to fly to Germany. From there, you can catch a ride to London."

"Oh, uh, I'm pretty tired and..."

"Please!" The man begged. "The plane has already been delayed an hour! The passengers are growing restless. The backups are still a ways out."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Can you pay in cash?" Scott asked.

The man raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "That's not a request I hear often anymore. But I'm only paying two of you. The third will just have to ride along."

"Deal." Scott shook his hand, but there was no flying talent in him.

He walked back to his friends. "Uh, we're flying to Germany."

"Fine. We'll just find another plane there."

"No, I mean we're flying the plane." Scott looked around. There weren't any pilots in sight.

"Oh." Dixon looked around as well. "How hard can it be? I've flown a few different things for the Coalition."

They picked up two payment vouchers and made their way to the plane. The sky was dark, and the plane was lit up on the runway. He had to tilt his head back slightly to get a better view.

"Uh, I'll bet this thing is a little more complicated than those float pods." Scott said.

"With no pilots to touch, you'll have to use a soul jump to steal the talent remotely." Clarity pointed to a few planes in the far distance.

"I don't think I can reach that far." Scott said.

Dixon put his hand on Scott's shoulder and the soul jumper power was copied again. "There's a few people between here and there. Just bridge it."

Scott saw them now. Faint ghosts driving luggage cars, septic tanks and other things. He soul jumped the first one, standing on the tarmac ready to guide a plane out. From there he soul hopped to the man in the luggage car. From there, to a woman driving a gas tanker, and then a man emptying the septic from a plane on the other side of the landing strip. Once there, he grabbed a hold of the pilot and sucked the flying talent out of him.

His soul shot all the way back without the middle jumps, carrying a gray orb. Once reunited, Scott was at once comfortable with the controls of the plane. They got on and Scott started it up.

Most of it was autopilot. He pressed a few buttons, but even during takeoff the on board computers handled most of the work. They were up in the sky very quickly.

"You're a natural at this." Dixon said.

Scott looked out the window into the dark sky. "This is pretty cool."