Descent

Chapter 2

Sometime later.

Hardly any time had passed before they were airborne. As Roger piloted, Mai fiddled with a map she had stolen from the last Highwaymen outpost they had hit, found among other documents. It was particularly useful, marking strongholds and check points across the entire country. Now instead of going in blindly, they could plan accordingly. There was one location on the map that stood out, near the southern coast of the United States. Each stronghold had its own insignia etched over it, be it an abstract symbol or a vague interpretation of an animal. This one had two: a black bird, presumably a crow or raven, and a crown etched over it's head. There was also a red circle encompassing the area, making Mai wonder if there was some underlying meaning to it.

"I think we found our next target." Mai spoke enthusiastically as she gave Roger the coordinates.

For a majority of the flight, Mai and Roger sat in silence, partially because Mai passed out two hours into the flight. Mai was not entirely sure how long she was asleep for when she felt a sudden shift in her stomach when you felt like you were quickly descending. She opened her eyes, seeing Roger's hands moving rapidly as he began switching every which control. There was a subtle banging noise behind her, though when she looked about the helicopter cabin, she could not see the source.

"What is that noise?" she asked half-sleepily.

"Beats me, but that's what I intend to find out." Roger replied as he brought the helicopter in for a landing, "Chanceux pour nous, we are arrived at our destination."

Mai didn't even realize they were here already. There was a fog that encompassed them, so thick she could hardly see fifty feet in front of her. Judging from the strange shape of the foliage, they must be in the right spot. Most of the area seemed dense with trees, it was a miracle they had found a clear landing space so they could investigate the strange noise. Deboarding the aircraft, she and Roger approached the hull of the helicopter, the noise seemingly coming from the cargo door.

Mai reached her her beloved knife, motioning with her head for Roger to open the latch. Hesitantly, Roger stood by, twisting the lock mechanic and lifting the door up. Mai had figured a critter must have snuck in; as winter enclosed on them, they had to often check Prosperity's vehicles to make sure there was none hiding tucked in by the tires or engine so she would not be surprised to find something stuffed in here unwillingly. Once the door was completely open, something did tumble out, though not anywhere close to what Mai had anticipated.

The small human tumbled to the floor, coughing, brown ringlets bouncing as they shook their head to get a sense of where they were. Mai sheathed her knife, and immediately began to panic.

"Malik Thomas Seed, what the ever loving...what do you think you're doing!"

The boy looked up, attempting to wipe off the dirt that now adorned his clothes and face, albeit making it worse. You would have expected him to look frightened by the tone of her voice, but he met her back with equal ferocity.

"You left without saying goodbye!" he shouted, wiping his nose with his sleeve, obviously crying for a good amount of time, "Dad didn't say goodbye either."

His outburst caught Mai off guard, his words jabbing at her heart. She wanted to lecture him, to tell him how what he did was irresponsible, how he could have suffocated in the cargo had they got anywhere else further. Instead she knelt down, gesturing for him to come to her. The little boy trotted over, throwing his arms around her neck as she hoisted him up into her arms.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

She began to brush his soaked hair away from his face as he continued to wipe his snot away with his sleeve. Since his birth, Mai had been so protective of Malik, much like the rest of her family. No one wanted to say it, but they wanted to ensure he avoided the traumatic childhood that Mai had endured. That his parents had endured. One may argue they babied him too much, but Mai made a promise to protect him. To save him from the fate that seemed to befall the rest of the men in her family. Particularly the one Seed that she could not save.