The trio saw all different kinds of ships heading into the City: some were slow, some went crazy fast, and some went the speed limit. Others went down into different ports on top of buildings. The ships floated down deep into the City and headed for ports on the ground. Hundreds of flying ships passed alongside one another. They all dogged one another and swerved from all different kinds of helicopters, planes, and drones that circulated the City. There was no air traffic. Only police were available and waited for someone to crash into another until they reacted. Other than that, everyone was on their own. Everyone made up the rules as they went. However, there were unwritten rules the civilians had adapted to over time. The language of vehicles spoke rapidly in the busy and noisy Great City.

The Buildings had amazing architecture. Some were stranger than others. The children had never seen anything like it. They saw a spiral building that was wrapped around itself like cotton candy. A monstrous medieval-looking fortress stood to their left. To the right, a small, creepy, and uninviting ranch neighborhood lay there without any movement, without a sound.

A brilliant and spectacular sight lay ahead, a toy store where all dreams came alive. The children gazed as robots roamed the streets outside of the shop, giving greetings to all the children. Different superheroes came swooping down to join the party. Bubbles and sweet smells and fragrances filled the air. All they knew was the orphanage. Some other houses and buildings from pictures they had seen before, but none quite like this.

The City skyline was a bizarre sight with architecture that would make the back of your hair shoot up. Raised high above the Platforms they rode around the different corners. Some were as low as Alice’s height and some reached high above to the skies.

Some buildings pumped out smog and smoke. It was mostly industrial. Most workers here worked for factories and contractors as some called it slave labor. Everyone constantly worked. No one lived there without working. That was mandatory.

Mr. R glided along other ships and tried to avoid hitting any oncoming vehicles.

They had just gotten out of the worst when Alice noticed something. There was a light that had come into view. It wasn’t a friendly light, but a deadly one. It wasn’t the Great Light, but the death light. The light had come from an explosion, and the explosion had come from a rocket launcher not far off. It had hit the building that they were next to as they sailed in the air. Mr. R swerved out of the way and avoided any damage.

Alice turned to see where it had come. She saw another one coming their way.

“Mr. R! There’s another one!” she yelled with fear.

But it was too late. The rocket beelined in the back of the ship. The ship started to fall. The propellers kept spinning, trying to fly, but failed. It crashed onto an apartment balcony.

It came to a halting stop. No one was injured. Max was frozen but snapped out of it quicker than usual. Alice was relieved no one was out there. She and Max stared at each other and then looked to Mr. R, to take the lead. Mr. R, when he had come to himself, got up, and shook his head.

“Must be Jiggs. He could have persuaded Rapture to come after us,” he said.

“Rapture?” Alice asked.

“Captain Rapture. That armed guard who stopped Jiggs back there. He works for the Queen. He’s her right-hand man. It coulda been him. We gotta keep moving.”

They set off. They tried to quietly go through the apartment complex. But immediately, they confronted folks who screamed to get out of their homes. They finally came to a hallway and ran down different corridors.

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They came to the staircase and heard rapid footsteps.

Mr. R stopped them. He put his finger to his mouth to silence the children. Staying close to the wall, the footsteps subsided. Then Mr. R motioned to back up without making a sound.

Max turned and his sneaker squeaked. His face showed frustration. Looking at Mr. R, he waited. The footsteps started again. Then the trio sprinted up the stairs.

They raced quickly towards the first possible door to the hallways. Finally, they found an open door to another apartment. They barged in, as a woman screamed and they dashed towards an open balcony.

Alice looked out and saw another building they could jump onto. The footsteps closed in. Mr. R could hear them approaching.

“I’ll keep them occupied,” he said. Then the footsteps tried knocking and barging into different rooms within that level of the complex.

“No,” Alice said. “We can’t lose you.”

“Yeah,” Max pleaded. “What are we gonna do without you? We don’t know the way around this place.”

“I was going to tell you when we stopped somewhere safe, but I believe nowhere is safe now,” Reginald said as he folded open a piece of paper. He gave it to Alice, “There. That address is where you ought to go. I cannot continue with you on this journey, children.”

“No, you can’t just give up!” Alice became angry and forthright. “You’re our guide! Our leader!”

“You’re gonna be OK. You’ll find a way,” Mr. R said confidently. “Just go. I’ll hold ‘em off.”

Mr. R, with his pistol ready, came close to the door and held his ground.

“Mr. R, we won’t leave you!” Alice begged. Max agreed.

“No! You have to go. I’ll be OK. I can take care of myself.”

He could see on the children’s faces, they didn’t understand.

“The Captain wants you, don’t you understand? You are illegals here! You have entered the Queen’s sanctuary. It is very different here than on the Platforms. But now you are in the Queen’s country, so you must follow her rules.”

“Mr. R…” Alice didn’t know what to say.

“Stop calling me that, dear,” Reginald pleaded. Then his voice softened, “You call me Reginald, OK? Reginald and you remember me that way, understand?”

Alice gave him a big and lasting hug that comforted her greatly. Max didn’t say a word, but with tears hugged him as well. Reginald crouched down to his level.

“Son, you must be a man now. You have to be. Now is your time. Embrace it, or die.”

The footsteps had found where they were. They began to bang on the door until the bolt lock came loose. The children heard screams and cursing on the other side of the door. Mr. R held the door with all his strength from the guards.

“Go! Now!” Reginald demanded.

The children had no choice. Rushing to the balcony, Max thought there was no way to go, but as he saw, Alice jumped off the balcony.

She hopped onto a nearby roof and landed with a roll just like she was taught. She looked back and waited.

Max heard the banging and shut the glass door. He froze again seeing Alice waiting patiently. She was furious inside and could run, but didn’t.

Max looked back at the door.

Then Mr. R guarded it as it burst open and three guards came swooping forward. One punched Mr. R bringing him to the floor and kicked him when he collapsed. The other two fired their weapons. The bullets hit the glass but didn’t shatter it. Slowly, it cracked.

Max finally came to his senses and jumped. All of his fear left him when he jumped, it all released from his body. The old boy was left there on that balcony. The new boy landed with a roll onto the roof.

Then they immediately ran like wild rabbits.

The two guards shot at them from the balcony but were too far away as the children vanished quickly into the shadows.

Captain Rapture stood over Reginald, “Now, I know who you are. You’re Reginald, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“I heard about you. How your ship was spotted picking up two kids from an orphanage in the Northern Quadron.”

Mr. R looked up with amazement and horror. Captain Rapture smiled with delight.

“Oh, you thought it was a covert mission, didn’t you?” Rapture laughed and it singed the inside of Reginald’s ears. Rapture drew his sword from its sheath and struck him straight in his heart. He twisted it killing him instantly.

Rapture looked at the two guards, “Gentlemen, please, one at a time!” They both darted off and followed after the young children.

“Oh, this is gonna be good,” Rapture chuckled.

He radioed in a call, “I need backup. Back up, back up. Two young children spotted. Illegally entered the City. I repeat: Two children have entered the City illegally.”