Sally landed the helicopter on one of the many islands off the coast of Connecticut. The Dark Angels had a supply stash buried here, and they needed to eat. The gray skies and choppy waves sent chills through her. She hated the chilly, merciless torrent that winter had provided. The flight stick almost broke free from her grip because of a cross wind, but she kept the chopper steady.

I better find some fuel, too; otherwise we’re setting sail to the city, she thought.

After helping Jet and April out of the craft, Sally grabbed a shovel and headed toward a gentle slope. The island was mostly sand, but she made her way up to one of the few rock piles in the area. She examined the rock pile and noticed one rock that was a different color than the rest. Further examination revealed her father’s symbol: a carving of an angel holding a snake in one hand and a sword in the other. She started digging nonstop until she came into contact with a chest. She used the shovel to clear the remaining sand and debris before dragging it out of the hole. There was no fuel, but there were several ready-to-eat meals and dehydrated fruit packets. She grabbed as many packets as she could carry, then reburied the chest, doing her best to conceal the disturbed ground.

At least we won’t starve.

It took longer to get back to the helicopter than she thought it would. Her stomach growled in protest. The weather changed, and the soft warm radiance of the sun felt like a warm embrace. Her heart danced as she saw Jet and April. They appeared to be talking. Although she couldn’t hear what they were talking about, she got the impression that something profound was being said and gave them space. They noticed her a few moments later.

“Hey, did you find breakfast?” April asked.

“I found these,” Sally said, holding up her bag of goodies.

“Good, I’m starving,” Jet said, smiling.

The morning sun highlighted Jet’s auburn hair. Sally’s breath caught as Jet smiled at something April said.

Nigel is a fool for letting her get away. I will take care of her.

After breakfast, April loaded the helicopter.

“Leave the gear. We are in range of New York and we’re already heavy,” Sally said.

Sally helped Jet into the back of the chopper. It was meant for cargo, but Jet was petite and fit inside lying down.

“It shouldn’t be far to the city, but we’re going to take the long way and approach from the east,” Sally said.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Why? I thought we needed to get to the city quickly,” April said.

“New York has a lot of tall buildings, and I don’t want to be a target of whatever madmen that may want to take shots at us.”

“Let’s just go already,” Jet said.

Moments later, they were heading west toward the city. Sally’s breath caught as she spotted the windowless building. She had been captured by the FBI there, and sent to prison. It was all Nigel’s fault. She intended to give him a piece of her mind when they met. She flushed as a wave of anger washed over her.

Prison was tough, and because of that bastard, I got caught.

She had lost everything because of Nigel, and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. As they entered New York airspace, Sally felt her stomach flip. The city was a sight to behold from above, with gutted out towering skyscrapers and fiery streets. April copiloted and guided the helicopter through the maze of buildings, keeping them out of sight of any potential threats. Sally’s heart got stuck in her throat as they approached their destination. The landing pad was located atop the United Nations building, which had seen better days. All they had to do was descend into whatever unknown dangers the building had and survive the twenty-block trek to Aiko’s encampment. A shiver ran down her spine as she ran through the plan one more time. Moments later, they were atop the roof.

“How are we going to get down?” Jet asked.

Sally surveyed the building’s positioning. The closest building was too far away to rappel to, and the United Nations building was way too tall to scale down. So the only other choice was through. Her citizens band radio her father had given her came to life.

“This is Camp Freedom. Anyone who can hear my voice, please respond,” a female voice said.

Sally stared at the radio, trying to remember what her father had told her. It was part of a code phrase that she couldn’t remember.

“Hello,” Sally said.

“This is the Wounded Raven. Please identify.”

“Flying Fortress coming in. Need location please.”

“Answer this first, then you shall receive our location.”

Sally dreaded the cloak and dagger BS that her father’s organization required. He forced her to remember hundreds of riddles and codewords. She hated remembering all of this, but that was part of the job, she supposed. She sighed.

“What occurs only once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never once in a thousand years?”

Sally hated word puzzles the most, but the answer to this one was simple.

“The letter M,” Sally replied.

“That is correct. Please state your purpose.”

Sally recounted the past forty-eight hours and briefly described her special cargo.

“Travel four long blocks west and fifteen small blocks south to reach us.”

Sally concluded the call and faced a wide-eyed Jet.

“You had that all this time?”

“My father makes me keep a hand-held citizens band for situations like this. We have contacts in every major city,” Sally said.

“You should have told us,” April said.

“Look—What difference would it have made? We’re in the city and need shelter. I don’t know what’s waiting for us in the building, but it’s our only option,” Sally said.

“I have your back,” April said.

Jet gave her a smile. Sally’s heart skipped a beat as the gravity of the situation bore down upon her. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. April carried Jet on her back and waited for Sally’s lead. As she made her way toward the rooftop staircase, her body was rigid and unresponsive, but she forced herself to push through. They had to get to Aiko’s encampment and find Nigel before it was too late. Sally opened the thick metal door and proceeded into the darkness.