Inception

Chapter 59: Fly, Babe, Fly

Clawed feet closed in on his upper arms and shoulders in a vice-like grip. He couldn't have reached for his swords even if he wanted too.

She lifted him up with an ease that belayed her only horse-like size. He glanced up to find, even as she beat down, new, longer feathers sprouted out from the tips of her wings.

No sooner had he blinked then a resounding BOOM cracked the air. The sky scraper shuddered, and then began to tilt.

"Something hit the tower! Fast!"

"A missle?"

"It's got Vice Captain—"

His coms clicked and went silent.

All the while Lena climbed higher and higher into the sky.

"Oy!" he screamed up. "What the hell!"

"No. 9!" came the inhuman voice from the kaiju holding him—did she sound breathless? "It's followed! It has others!"

"How did we not—"

"It's figured out how to stop communications! Its disaster all behind us!" she gave a strange, caw like gasp. "I've been going as fast as I can, I can't—I can only take him towards the base—I'm sorry, I—"

She stopped abruptly, and Soshiro desperately wish he could see why. He suspected it had to do with his grandmother atop her back.

Below them, the city grew smaller and smaller, all while plumes of smoke rose up and rubble sprayed out like water. Whatever had plowed through the sky scraper he'd been on followed, leaping forward with such speed he could only make out a blur of gray-blue that blended in with the city color scheme too well.

Soshiro squinted.

"Not towards third base!"

"What?" Lena squawked.

"Captain Ashiro's here! Put me down and let me do my work!"

Her flight wavered. She slowed ever slightly, then shook her head, as though to rid a bad thought.

"We need Kafka," she said. "I can see the energy around him and it's higher than No. 9."

"I could hold him still long enough for Ashiro—"

"And get caught in the blast?"

Her clawed feet tightened about him and he winced.

"Owowow—tight!"

She loosened. "Sorry! Sor—" she coughed a grating, strange noise.

Soshiro frowned and looked down. The missle-like kaiju was almost directly beneath them. In that second or two of her indecision it had gained.

He tapped the side of her leg. "Go south! He's at first base!"

She didn't ask why. She just tilted and heaved her wings, sending a great billowing gust of air past him.

As his mind often did in situations where stress threatened to overwhelm him, it started up a litany of stupid jokes. He just stopped himself from asking Lena if she was about to show him a whole new world like Aladdin, or if their babies would be eggs...maybe his coping mechanism was insanity, not humor.

Slowly, but steadily, they made distance with the blurr beneath them. Buildings stopped toppeling as it took to the roofs, which gave Soshiro the chance to make out great syths growing off its front legs and powerful hindquarters. A spot of nasty booger colored sat on its back.

Good god, was Kaiju No.9 riding that thing? Through buildings?

If only Lena hadn't picked him up. Bigger wings aside, he had to be slowing her. But it was too late now. Slowing down long enough to drop him off would only get her caught.

Within a minute, Soshiro started to tremble from the cold. His suit buzzed as its built in heater turned on, but it couldn't reach his head. His mask helped him to keep breathing despite the wind lashing him in the face, but it wasn't himself he was worried for, but his grandmother who rode atop Lena. He knew, in his gut, that his loving, mother-hen Lena would have had a good reason to bring his grandmother along, but he couldn't help but wonder if she couldn't have found a better way.

Then Lena began to wheeze.

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