Where In The World Are The Killers?

The Darkest Hour

"What do you mean, the President's been kidnapped?!" Carmen demands.

"I mean, someone snatched him off his plane in New York!" Elliot exclaims.

"This must be El Rey's doing!" Michelle guessed, "putting him in jail didn't stop his attack on the President!"

"He must've had a backup plan! That's why he was so cheerful at his trial!" Jack growls.

"Damn it! I knew stopping SOMBRA couldn't be this easy!" Carmen cursed.

"This is a disaster!" Ingrid cried, rapidly scrolling through her tablet, "the press got hold of the news, and people are panicking! If we don't find the President soon and alive, we'll have chaos on our hands! The FBI has already swept Air Force One, but I got permission for us to take another look! Let's go now!"

"I hate to break it to you, but we're still in Montreal!" Fili reminds her, "it'll take at least two hours to get to New York!"

"I can cut that down to minutes!" Adalet declares.

"Are you sure?" he asks, worried, "have you ever made a portal that big?"

"Not in a long time," she confessed nervously, "but we can't waste any time! Every minute we spend flying is a minute less we have to find the President!"

"If you're sure..."

"What about the kids?" Lars asks, "if we're really about to take on whatever or whoever SOMBRA sent to kidnap Hewett, we can't risk their safety!"

"Lars is right," Oberon agrees, holding Avi close, "we don't know what SOMBRA has planned, and if they're willing to go after the President so soon after El Rey's arrest, I doubt they'll have any issues with going after our children!"

"I'll call my fathers," Adalet offers, already pulling out her phone, "I'm sure they'll be happy to take them, and they can protect them if SOMBRA tries to hurt them!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Carmen hugs Sanjay, "once the kids are safe, we'll head for New York to search the President's plane! We'll find a lead even if we have to turn the plane upside down!"

"Then let's go!" Jack urges, "this is going to be the most important case of our careers!"

Magical Timeskip to New York brought to you by Adalet's portals!

"We can investigate Air Force One without you if you're not feeling well, Adalet," Michelle says, handing her friend a bottle of orange juice.

"I'm good, just..." Adalet takes a long drink, "give me a second for the room to stop spinning..."

"Make it stop quickly," Jonah advised, "the President has already been missing for almost two hours! We need to find out where SOMBRA took him!"

"And how!" Carmen added, "whenever you're ready, Adalet, we'll go!"

Adalet pulls herself to her feet, holding the chair until her balance stabilizes, "I'm good... Let's finish SOMBRA once and for all!"

Adalet, Carmen, Jack, Michelle and Hunter exited Astra and ran across the tarmac to where the President's plane was parked. FBI SUVs surrounded the plane, and guards stood watch for signs of danger. After showing their badges to the FBI agent in charge, the Bureau agents climbed aboard Air Force One. The place was cleaner than expected, but items were still scattered around the room from the scuffle, like magazines on the floor and knocked-over glasses. The four agents and dog split up and searched the main seating area of the private jet. Besides the mess, nothing immediately seemed out of the ordinary, but then Michelle and Jack found a gold, eagle-shaped bolo tie clasp on a small side table. On the opposite side of the plane, Adalet picked up an elegant, antique wooden tabletop clock. But as she lifted it, she noticed a small lens on the base of it that could be easily overlooked.