Air Born | Generation Icarus #1

Hawk - Breaking & Entering

"So, do you know anything about what the hell is going on, Hawk?" Falcon asked.

"Uh, there is one theory we've been discussing," I said. "Do either of you know if you were conceived by IVF?"

"You mean test tube babies? Isn't that expensive?"

"I think so, but my mom and dad ... they said they got it done in Beijing. Maybe it was cheaper there? I don't know, I didn't really have the time to get all the details."

"So, you think you were experimented on there?" Falcon asked, sharply.

"Damned if I know. It could have been dodgy machinery that caused an accidental mutation, or anything. But if we were all from in vitro fertilization, and that's part of the how, then it's a good place to start figuring out the why."

"Hell, I don't know." Falcon frowned ahead at the road. "I wouldn't have thought so, because my folks wouldn't have had the money, but if it was a cheap job in a dodgy clinic ... But what the hell would they have been doing in Beijing?"

"My dad died before I was born, bro," Tui said, slowly. "I don't know exactly when. From what I do know, Mum didn't even know she was pregnant with me at the time, that's how early it was." She hesitated, fidgeting with the long braid that was knotted on top of her head. "I couldn't be IVF if Mum didn't know she was pregnant."

No one had an answer for that, and we slipped back into silence.

The worst part of the ride was stopping at a small-town gas station, hoping like hell we could fill up, pay and then get out again without raising suspicion. The day's events had us all on edge but luck was on our side as the few people we encountered seemed too absorbed in their own lives to look twice at us.

By the time the light grew dirtier and dimmer, my nerves were frayed. Even the long hours of travel with a soundtrack of terrible local radio hadn't made a difference to my hyper-awareness. Those few days in the forest with Miguel and then Kestrel seemed a lifetime ago and yet we had only left that morning. Even so, I was grateful that I had the others around. It made me feel like less of a freak, and more hopeful.

Tui had slumped against Falcon's shoulder in exhaustion, having finally agreed to a change in position, and my head was resting on the window. For miles, my eyes had been glued to the wing mirror watching for pursuers. A change in the vibrations in the glass jerked me out of my trance.

I straightened and stretched as Falcon followed the sedan into a parking lot. "What's going on?"

"Guess we're going shopping," Falcon said, turning the engine off. He popped the door, stiffly unfolded himself, and staggered over to Marcus and the others.

Tui hugged her arms around herself and sighed before sliding out of the cab after Falcon. I was just happy to stretch my legs.

We'd stopped in the middle of a small country town in the grey twilight, somewhere near the border between California and Arizona. The whole place was deserted. The shops were all in darkness and even the streetlights weren't on. We couldn't see a bar but there were all the other usual places, including a mechanic's and a diner. Our target was the largest building — a department store that hadn't seen an open bucket of paint since the eighties.

Only Marcus and Raven stayed out of the argument that followed.

Miguel was totally opposed to 'acquiring' what we needed without paying.

"My credit card won't get us everything we need, Miguel, and if we're going to survive, we need to bend a few rules," Kestrel said stubbornly.

"You didn't complain when I swiped a tent from the guys who were hunting us for the reward money," I reminded him. "And if I hadn't taken that, we wouldn't have these tails and we wouldn't be able to fly."

"And we're still being hunted, man!" Falcon said. "Only now we're being chased by dudes with guns. Kestrel's right. It's a matter of survival. Everyone and everything is out to get us."

"The Angelists aren't—"

"The Angelists aren't here, bro." Tui cut him off.

Finally realising there was nothing he could do to stop us, Miguel resorted to crossing his arms and wearing his most disappointed look, while Falcon, Tui, Kestrel and I discussed strategy.

Breaking in was the easy part. Breaking in without being betrayed by any security systems — now that was the challenge. We agreed not to do a smash-and-grab, and to avoid unnecessary damage. We would only take what we needed to survive and, after some heated discussion, decided to leave some money on the counter.

Kestrel turned out to be suspiciously knowledgeable about security hardware and how to get around it. I was dying to know more but decided to save that conversation for later. We needed to get in and out as smoothly as possible. She was quietly confident there was nothing she couldn't handle in this run-down part of nowhere.

As we schemed, Miguel and Raven were appointed lookouts. Privately, I wondered what use a mute and a conscientious objector would be but I hoped that, if it came down to it, they would have our backs.

After moving the cars around the back to the store's loading dock, which was nothing more than a roll-up metal door, Kestrel gave Falcon instructions on how to disconnect the phone line and thereby disable the unsophisticated burglar alarm. She then quickly picked the lock on the back door. I was starting to realise how little I knew about my fellow freaks, but I brushed any uncertainty aside. All we had now was each other.

Once inside, our faces covered with hoods and caps, Kestrel pointed out two security cameras. Their little red recording lights glared at us.

Falcon picked up a spirit level off a nearby shelf and went to deal to the cameras, but Marcus stopped him.

"I will delete it," he said.

Not entirely convinced, Falcon put down the level and moved further into the store.

Night pressed in like it was trying to see what we were doing.

So much for not feeling guilty.

In the gloomy darkness we moved between the aisles in search of useful loot. It's going rather well, I thought, as I considered the merits of solar lights. Then I turned a corner and walked straight into a stroller, bruising my shin and pushing it into a display.

"Ow!"

A small stack of tins collapsed and tumbled across the aisle. Thankfully none of them broke open, but they rolled across the floor in all directions. I grabbed a few but couldn't see where they all went so I continued on. Two steps later I was flat on the floor.