Looking around at all of the frightened doctors and shrinks with hands bound in front of them I silently asked *What are you going to do with all of these people?*

Jack glanced at me over his shoulder and continued walking as he responded *The worst of them will most likely be executed, but they will all be given fair and impartial trials. There are still a few neutral powers in the world that adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Some will be repatriated, and some will even see the light and join us in the fight for equality, your friend Diego is likely one of the latter.* He turned around with his hand on the door to the cockpit and said out loud, “Sorry Diego, only two empty seats in there, you’ll have to make yourself comfortable on one of the benches back here. Sarah, you are with me.”

With that, he opened the door and walked in, taking the small seat behind the pilot, motioning me to the other seat behind the co-pilot. I sat obediently, trying to fold my wings around the seat in a way that was comfortable, and looked around the cramped cockpit. This was the first time I had ever seen one, and the number of buttons and switches covering almost every inch of the area in front of the pilots was overwhelming. I just hope these two brutes he has masquerading as pilots know which buttons to push and which switches to flip. Jack snorted in amusement as the man in the pilot seat turned to look at me.

“I think this button means go, and this one probably means stop.” He said grinning at me, pointing at two random buttons.

“Oh, haha, very funny. Can everyone hear what I’m thinking?” I said sarcastically, not amused in the least bit. “You really do know what you’re doing though, right? I mean, you aren’t going to turn the engines off accidentally mid-flight and make us plummet to our deaths or something are you?”

“Of course I know what I’m doin, little darlin.” he said in a heavy Louisiana accent. “I could fly this heap with both hands tied behind my back see?” He leaned back and put his hands behind his head as buttons and switches began activating of their own accord, bringing the engines roaring to life. “When you think as loudly as you just were, it’s hard not to hear.”

“Enough showing off Louis.” Jack said with a chuckle. “Just get us in the air and headed in the right direction. Their responders are probably already en-route, and we really don’t want to be tangling with any of their interceptors on our way out.”

“Aw man, you never let us have any fun boss.” said the man in the co-pilots seat with an old Boston accent. “Do this, don’t do that. All work and no play knocks Jimmy here off his rocker, ya know?”

As the plane pulled out of the hangar, the second plane was already speeding down the runway generating lift for takeoff. When the first planes’ wheels left the ground, the pilot, Louis, punched the throttle and our plane began its’ race down the runway.

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Jimmy snatched up the intercom microphone and spoke into it. “Attention passengers! We have been cleared for takeoff. Please make sure your buckles are securely fastened, your seatbacks and tables are in the upright and closed positions, and all electronic devices are turned off. Thank you for choosing Air Supremis for your means of transportation today.” By the time he had finished his spiel and the brief chuckles from the rear compartment died down, our plane was in the air and I could hear the mechanical squeal of the landing gear being raised.

*So where are we going?* I asked Jack, turning away from the vast expanse of blue and white visible through the cockpit window.

*First we will be making a pit stop to dump these planes, then we will be heading home.* Jack replied. An image of a large estate sprawling over hills and through a large wooded area accompanied his thought of home. *Might as well get comfy, we’ll be in the air for several hours before we reach our pit stop.* He leaned back in his seat, taking his own advice to get comfortable, and seemed to fall promptly asleep.

*Aren’t you even the least bit worried that the air force will intercept us and blow us out of the sky?*

*No* he replied without moving a muscle.* The UAAF is woefully out of date and they won’t be able to find us.*

*How can you be so sure though? Ever since 9/11 the FAA has been super serious about tracking all aircraft flying over American airspace.*

*Because, young padawan, the American Education system is not what it used to be and we have outpaced them in secret for longer than they have known about us. For the past thirty years we have known what needed to be developed because there are those of us who have seen this part of the war already, and we have their history to guide us. It has been both a blessing and a curse, trying to keep our past selves alive without ever allowing our enemies to discover them.* The flash of a funeral, the coffin being lowered in the distance, a large oak partially obscuring the view as if he were using it for cover from those attending the service. *No, the FAA has zero chance of seeing us or tracking us. Even if they do get a clear line of sight on us, we are…* he opened an eye and glanced at the console over Jimmy’s shoulder, *40,000 feet up and we aren’t exactly flying in a straight line.*

*But these are their planes! Shouldn’t that make it easier for them to track us?*

*Wouldn’t matter, our scramblers attach to any surface and block or reflect all pings any tracking system may shoot our way. We are virtually invisible to any electronic surveillance or tracking device. *Now be a good little girl and play with this.* he said, pushing another memory across the link. *So I can get some sleep.* he thought, and I could tell he didn’t mean to let me hear that last thought.

I didn’t have to look over to know he was wearing his infuriating smirk. His last comment to me positively oozed across the link. He was obviously trying to get a rise out of me, so I was determined not to give him the satisfaction. I put an iron fist around my abnormally flighty emotions and focused on the memory bubble he sent me.

The layers of this bubble were odd. There were two obviously separate layers. One was a very clear midnight blue color like the one in the first memory he sent me. The other layer had the same hue on the inner side of the bubble, but it seemed to get hazier the deeper it went. Only one way to find out why, I thought, giving a little mental shrug and dove into it.