The next morning, Aiko awoke early, prepared a tiny note, and attached it to a pigeon that Jack kept in a cage on the patio. She watched the bird fly toward her encampment in midtown.

“Good morning. Have you seen Jerry?” Nigel said.

She shook her head. “What do you think about the kid?”

“He reminds me of my brother,” Nigel said.

“There’s something off about him, Nige. I can’t put my finger on it, but be careful.”

Nigel nodded.

“I think we should be on our way,” Blanka said, poking her head out the door.

Aiko’s Encampment

Later That Morning

Nigel and his companions were greeted by Jet, Eva, and Vedrana. Erik stood watch.

“How was your sleepover, Nigel?” Vedrana said.

Eva whispered something into Vedrana’s ear, and the girls laughed.

“It was fine—wait, it wasn’t like that… We met this interesting old coot—”

“Who’s this?” Jet said, cutting Nigel off.

Jerry ducked behind Nigel.

“This is Jerry. Crazy Jack agreed to supply us with fuel if we take him to a commune near Milford, of all places.”

Jet gave Nigel a sidelong glance.

“Hey, Jet,” Sally said.

Nigel noticed some interesting chemistry between the girls. Maybe it was the way Jet blushed when she saw Sally. He wasn’t sure, and didn’t want to speculate.

“We should make plans to fly to the south of Boston. I want to check out this bar,” Nigel said.

“The helicopter only holds three, perhaps four if we take the boy. He’s light enough,” Sally said.

“I go with Nigel,” Blanka said.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“We don’t have enough room,” Sally said.

“Maybe you can meet us in Boston?” Nigel said.

“I have a better idea. Jack has arranged a second helicopter, but we need a pilot.”

“I can fly us,” Blanka said.

“Jack’s helicopter is in Lower Manhattan, but shouldn’t we figure out a rendezvous point?” Aiko said.

Nigel scratched his head. “Yeah, communication is pretty spotty these days. Let’s meet at Plymouth Rock. How long will it take to get up there, Sally?”

“Accounting for our extra stop, I can probably get us there by tomorrow.”

“Can’t this get there any faster?” Nigel asked.

“Not really; most civilian towers are offline, and we no longer have the support of my…the Dark Angels, I mean,” Sally replied.

She looked as if she was about to lose control. A pang of guilt washed over Nigel as he realized that Sally’s father was a likely casualty in the attack. He didn’t know the man well, but he was a man of honor. No one said anything for a long time.

“Then that settles it. I will escort you, Jet, and Sally to the United Nations building,” Nigel said.

“I will take Aiko, Eva, and Vedrana,” Blanka said.

“And me. I want to help,” April said.

“It’s too dangerous,” Jet said.

“I’ve been in danger before, and you need protecting. I don’t want to stay here.”

“Okay, but you will need to ride with Blanka. I’m riding with Sally and Nigel,” Jet said.

The young cyborg pouted for a moment, then smiled.

“Let me get my stuff,” April said as she ran toward Aiko’s tent.

“It’s not going to be a walk in the park, Nige,” Aiko said.

“Yeah, but April, Jet and I have history. And I feel that it would be a mistake to exclude her.”

Aiko nodded and handed Nigel a piece of paper. “Give this to the guards at the base of the United Nations building. You won’t have any trouble gaining access to the roof.”

It was slow going getting to the United Nations building. Jet’s new wheelchair malfunctioned, so the group had to carry her. Nigel’s breath caught as he gazed upon the famous building. It looked like it had suffered a series of bomb blasts. Several holes about the size of small cars marred the building.

“I’m surprised it’s still standing,” Nigel said.

“It looks like a war was fought here,” April said.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jet said.

As Nigel’s group approached the building, they were met by two burly guards. One man had a long beard, a bald head, and a scar running across his face. The other was clean shaven, and bigger than most linebackers.

“What business do you have?” the bearded guard asked.

Nigel handed the man Aiko’s paper. He didn’t want an altercation. The man’s steely gaze didn’t falter.

“All right, you’re free to go. The elevator’s out, so you’ll need to use the lift.”

“The elevator works?” Nigel asked, astonished.

The man grinned. “Go through the lobby and give this to the guard. Enjoy the ride.”

Nigel followed the guard’s instructions. A skinny man who looked bored was sitting in the lobby. Several elevator banks were either dark or had holes in the doors. Nigel wondered which ones actually worked, especially since power seemed to be shut off in the building. Jack had been true to his word. He provided fuel to travel to Boston. Sally’s helicopter was small, and they filled it up with several of the canisters that the old man provided. With any luck, they would be able to get to Haven by nightfall.

“Are you taking me home?” Jerry asked.

“Yes. Jack told us where your parents were. We’re taking you there now,” Nigel said.

The boy smiled. Soon they were all in the helicopter, flying high above the city. Good riddance, Nigel thought.

Several hours later, Sally touched down just in front of the commune where Jack had promised they could find the boy’s parents.