Precious Metals (On Hold)

Chapter Twelve

        Sjon took a deep breath. Inside the room was an aircraft hangar. He gulped. In an instant, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do. The small aircraft obviously made of milium, and it looked light enough for Sjon to lift. He knew what he was supposed to do; lift the ship. For how long and how high, he didn't know.

            Kailin was already waiting for them, standing next to the looming figure of Ilo. Even though everyone was enormous to Sjon, it seemed that Ilo was especially tall. Kailin was holding a weirdly shaped object, like a mouth guard with large oblong orbs attached to it. He was dressed in a skin tight suit that didn't leave much to the imagination. Sjon could tell he was toned, but not overly muscular. It was almost mesmerizing watching him move, his muscles complex and tuned, like a machine. His wings came out of the back, folded tightly. They were looking much more healthy than the first time Sjon had seen them, the mottled shade shining brightly, and the tan tones a little more prominent. Ilo wasn't any less distracting. He was wearing a well-tailored uniform which closely matched many others around the hangar. His sleeves were a little short, but the uniform fit perfectly. It was a desaturated shade of olive green, and had several gold adornments. His hair was practically shining, a pure white, and his skin had a subtle red flush to it.

            Rembrandt smiled and walked over to them. "Almost ready to begin, recruit?" he bellowed, his naturally loud voice projected around the whole room. "You'll start us out, I've heard marvelous things about you. Just show me the best you've got," he said, clapping the Seraph on the back roughly. Lieutenant Colonel Rembrandt was a little taller than his son, and towered over everyone in the room, so when Kailin stumbled a little from his motions, it wasn't surprising.

            Rembrandt led them all to a back room with a glass window looking in the hangar. Kailin stood outside, waiting for something, unfazed. A loud ringing leaked through the window, and red lights flashed throughout the hangar. Some straggling people quickly exited, leaving Kailin starkly alone in the middle of the room. Rembrandt flipped a lever on the wall, and sat down. The rest of them looked on in anticipation, Ali and Sjon having no idea what was to happen.

            When the large hangar door started to open, Sjon nearly jumped up, but when he looked to the rest, they didn't seem concerned. When he looked back to Kailin, he only got a glimpse of him standing with the strange device in his mouth before he was thrown into the vastness of space. The multiple ships in the room quaked a little, but seemed bolted to the floor. Sjon's mouth was wide open, but everyone else seemed normal. When the hangar door was completely open, A blurry figure raced back inside.

            Kailin's wings were like lightning, and the only things Sjon could see clearly. A hazy, colorless gas was behind them, seemingly propelling the man forward. It was amazing how fast he moved, like a hummingbird trapped inside a small box. Even from here, Sjon could tell that Kailin was destined to fly in a large open space, not one as confined as they were in. He flitted around for a few minutes more before settling down in the middle of the room, giving them a small wave. The hangar door started to close again, and Kailin brushed a hand through his dense, short hair before coming towards the glass. He waited until the red flashing lights lit up green before entering. He didn't even seem to be out of breath.

            "How'd I do?" he asked cockily. His dark face said it all. He knew he did amazing. After all, how could a person move that quickly? Sjon briefly remembered Dr. Madsen mentioning that he had been a racer, but Sjon had pictured the slow, stumbling races of Earth, with runners pounding their feet against hot rubber tracks. He never imagined something so elegant, so startlingly powerful.

            Rembrandt smiled and clapped him on the back again, causing him no less struggle than the last time. "You're welcome aboard my ship any time, the way you used your limited Controlling powers was innovative and we need brilliant people like you helping. You said you also can repair ships?"