Chapter Two

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Ava unclipped the her VR goggles, peeled off her VR gloves and set them both on her desk. Ava had long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and bright blue grey eyes. She wore a blue T-shirt and synthetic pants that looked like jeans, were as tough as jeans, but as comfortable as sweatpants. Ava stared glumly at her holographic monitor looking at pictures of her favorite aircraft. Sadly many of them had a picture of her dad along side them, and she had a hard time looking at pictures of him. She was not surprised to see her dad's picture. Afterall, he had played a major role in inventing most of them. Her dad had been one of the most famous inventors and engineers in the world. A few months ago he had been killed while working late into the night on a new kind of military aircraft. She remembered the night all to well.

A few months ago she had been sitting on the couch playing a Rift simulation game, when she heard the shooting. She ran to the window and looked out to see the worst seen of her life. Ava lived in a skyscraper apartment. Not an apartment like a tiny little house. This apartment was for the engineers, inventors and their families. All the people in this appartment worked for the East American Engineering Company or the EAEC. The EAEC was one of the biggest producers of military technology in the world. Each house in the apartment took up one story of the building. The building was one hundred and seventy two stories, and each floor consisted of a elevator shaft and a three thousand five hundred square foot house. Ava lived on the one hundredth floor, so she could clearly see the horrors taking place at the EAEC warehouse. She could see it in her head as if she was there. There was a dragon about fifteen wyverns and maybe thirty griffins all attacking the building her dad was in. There had not been a single League vehicle in the air or on the ground, so they must have somehow sneaked up without getting caught on any of the League's surveillance. All the animals were mounted with guns and were blasting at the warehouse. Then the dragon dove low and blew a white hot jet of fire straight at the building. The force and heat of the flames melted half of the building. Ava screamed in horror but there was nothing she could do and she knew it. Her dad was in trouble and hurt if not already dead. She was so close. She could see it happening, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Ava knew small battles like this one happen in a matter of seconds, never longer than three to five minutes. Even if she could get there that fast, which she couldn't, what could she do? What was happening below was horrible and out of her control, yet she could not tear her eyes away from the devastating events.

Just then two T-689 military aircraft zipped toward the action followed by a huge R-29. The T-689s were small one person fighter jets built for speed. They only had two front guns but could dodge most attacks made on them. The R-29 was much bigger. It had a pilot and five gunners stationed in different spots around the plane. All of the guns were bigger and more powerful. This must have been all of the soldiers on duty in the area there should have been more but maybe they were between rotations or something. There would be many more any minute. The jets flew right at the dragon aiming to kill it quick, but just then every animal in the battle except the dragon dove in and surrounded the jets. There were so many she could not even see the planes. The griffins were about the same size as the smaller T-689s but the R-29 was about the size of the dragon dwarfing the animals around it. Still the R-29 was the smallest R division aircraft, and Ava knew something bigger was needed. The dragon had still been relentlessly attacking the warehouse, but by that point there was return fire. Ava had knew right then her dad was still in there fighting back. Sadly the bullets were bouncing harmlessly off of the dragons scales. In the air a little ways away the animals were still been swirling around the jets. Every once and a while one of them fell lifeless toward the ground. Sometimes the people were still alive as their animal fell. Although they were the enemy it was horrible to see them fall. Then some of the people leaped off their griffins onto the roofs of the jets. They grabbed onto anything they could get ahold of, and started firing impact blasts into the top of the jets. The jets were being attacked from all sides with no way to do much more than hover and shoot. This made it easy for the Legion soldiers to hold on. There was a loud bang and one of the T-689's fell from the sky smoking. The insides of the plane were on fire. As it had fallen the two men on its roof had leaped into the air and were caught by their griffins. Just then the two remaining fighter jets made a daring but stupid move. They both simultaneously flew at the wall of animals in the same spot. They smashed into some of the animals killing five griffins and two wyverns. The people of the roofs of the jets were flicked off and fell toward the ground. Some were caught by animals but three of them hit the ground and were flattened on impact. Ava turned her eyes away. It was a horrible sight. There were now a few less animals but the crash sent both planes spiraling out of control. The R-29 crashed into a building nearby, and exploded in a ball of fire. The remaining T-689 was already cracked and smoking but still flying. It flew toward the dragon, but the dragon swatted it out of the air with its massive claw. Ava knew that the planes should not have taken such a risk. If they had tried to hold out a little bit longer, reinforcements would have arrived. Now there was no hope for her father. The dragon dove low again aiming to take out the rest of the building. Then something unexpected happened. A missile shot out of the wreckage of the building. It was about six feet long. The kind big planes fire. Ava recognised it. It was a new design her father had been working on. It was finished but they had not yet been released. Her dad must have somehow launched it from the ground. It shot toward the dragon but it was too late. The dragon blasted a jet of fire that demolished the rest of the building. Ava knew her father had been killed. she sank to her knees sobbing. Outside, the dragon made a sharp turn to avoid the missile, but it just adjusted its course. These missiles could be programed to follow targets, but she couldn't see how her dad did it in the few seconds he had. The missile collided with the dragon and both exploded in a ball of fire and dragon flesh. All of the remaining animals flew off together into the dark. Just than a bunch of new aircraft flew toward the wreckage. The faster planes broke off to chase the animals while the bigger ones laned to let people out to inspect the damage.

"Are you sure you want this?" called Ava's mom jolting her back to the present.

"I don't want you joining the League. You're a girl, why can't you find something better to do with your life then get yourself killed. I know you're smart, so why don't you use your brains in a good way."

"I know what I want to do," replied Ava. "I want to try to make a difference. first I will show I know what I'm doing by joining up. Then later I will show I am a good pilot and strategist."

"You can do what you want. I just don't want you to join." Her mother's voice broke. Ava knew what she was going to say. She was going to say something about her father. Something about her not wanting Ava to die like her father. Ava knew that her mom had her interests at heart but her mom didn't understand how she felt. Ava wanted to fight. When her dad had been alive he had let her fly in planes. Now, flying was the thing she missed most, other than her dad. she felt better when she was flying. She could pretend nothing was wrong and just live in the moment.

"I want to join up, mom." she said. Her mom nodded but she had a sad look on her face.

"I will miss you. be safe. If you really are going then you better start packing."

Ava looked down. She was sad that her leaving made her mom so sad but she knew it was the right choice for her. She wanted to make a difference, she wanted to fly, and she wanted to avenge her father's death. Joining the League was the only way she could do all of this. She walked to her room and looked around. She did not need or want to bring much. All of her clothes food and all of her other essentials. All she had to bring were personal belongings. She opened her closet and dug out her backpack. She looked around her room deciding what she should bring. She put her laptop, smartphone, and her VR gloves and goggles into her bag. Then she grabbed the photo off her bedtable of her and her parents, taken about a month before her dad had died. She put it in a side pocket and stuffed the remaining space with tissues to keep it from breaking. She scanned the rest of her room looking at all the things she had grown up with but would not be useful to her anymore. Her bed made all neat and tidy in the corner, her desk now looking naked without her laptop and other electronics, her dresser filled with neatly folded clothes she wouldn't wear until she got her first break from the League, None of it was important for her in the League, but it was hard for her to leave behind because her room was where she had lived her whole life. Everything in it, important or not was something she had memories with. Ava grabbed her bag and walked out of her room.

"You finished packing?" asked her mom. "Remember you need to leave the house at 7:00 tomorrow morning, so don't sleep in."

"I know mom. We've been over this already. Can I take the car?"

"Yes, Bethany said that she could take me to work. Remember to send the car back when you are done with it.

"Ok, but who's Bethany?

"She works with me at the EAEC marketing office.

"Goodnight. I'm going to bed," said Ava as she turned and walked toward her room. 

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