The Split Sun and The Mechanical Moon

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Wings of The Flightless

Brandon had called me outside, the suit was finished.

"I managed to get my hands on Lukas bottom half, as crude as it sounds his legs really helped out here. Step in and I'll give you a full run down."

An exoskeleton was before me, split open waiting for someone to grip onto. I backed up into it, as it began to fit to me. My whole body became armored, pieces of metal clicked onto my arms and shins as the three engines amped up, around my head the metal crept onto my ears and a plate of steel clanged together over my mouth. Brandon had fortunately fetched me a black hair tie to tie my annoyingly long hair into a less annoying but still long ponytail, I looked around me, as Brandon also gave me a pair of goggles to protect my eyes from the wind a long red scarf.

"You're gonna get cold."

I laughed, fastening the scarf around my neck.

"You'll find your triggers on your belt, and targeting systems on your left wrist."

I looked, picking up these circular objects that I could easily hold. When I moved them right or left, so would the corresponding engine on my back. There was a red button near my thumb, most likely to fire the salvos of missiles.

"Right trigger is your missiles, left trigger is your rifles."

I spun the small discs by my fingers before latching them back onto my belt, looking now at my wrist.

"You'll be able to deploy portals in and out of the sub space bubble, with some tech I created. I call it, "Starslam"."

"Slam?"

"You'll find that out later, anyway you'll also be able to reload, stealth mode, simple auto pilot, and... self destruct if it ever comes down to it."

"A bit hard to remember..."

"You should take a test drive."

I nodded, now gearing up to burn. I heard the engines charge up, bending my knees as I grabbed the discs and looked up. My scarf flapped around, before I shot my arms up and back down. The engines fired, shooting just a few feet in the air. I stalled out, what? I looked at Brandon, but I was immediately sent about 120 miles an hour through the sky. 

"SHIT! shit shit shit..."

I struggled to control the speed, my legs swaying as I couldn't keep still in the air. I began to lose control, until I heard Brandon in my ear.

"Dove, keep your body straight!"

After some struggle, I managed to tighten my body up. I felt something clip onto my heels allowing my feet to stay still without me flexing them. I kept my arms at my side, the wings now outstretched to my left and right. The painted white wings shining down below to the people of middle earth, I did spins as I looked down at the rather destroyed Erun. Thanks to promise many of the skyscrapers are unlit and empty, I put my arms forward stopping my momentum. Hovering in the air I spun myself toward the middle districts. I heard Brandon again.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Dove."

I looked for an on ramp down into the underground, seeing one I got a bit creative. I hovered again, latching my controllers onto my belt. I fiddled with my wrist screen, now setting a custom setting. Tilting both of my discs horizontally would cut my engines, going into a nose dive.

"Let's go!"

I did just that, my engines immediately cut and I was now falling headfirst to the ground. I heard warning buzzers go off, until just before I hit the ground I reengaged them and now flew through the underground tunnels that I used to cling to. Brandon continued to speak to me.