Invictus

Chapter 44: Flight

Another Black Cadillac sat waiting for us as we exited the house. We got inside, and once the car was safely down the road two squad cars with flashing lights pulled into the McDonalds parking lot. According to the letter, Trenton had flagged local authorities to a murder taking place at the house we'd just left. Apparently, there was someone in the trunk of the well dressed man's Audi.

The man Kali had shut inside the safe was the CEO of a prominent telecom organization who had been using Peter to kill off his political rivals. The gagged and bound body in the trunk would be enough to acquire a warrant for the man's phone. Once that happened it would be the death penalty for the cruel, soon to be ex-CEO.

We got into Denver International within a few hours. The car didn't drop us off at the front via baggage claim though, which was good because Kali, Peter, and I didn't have identification to make it past TSA. Instead, the vehicle weaved through various checkpoints and snaking roads until we were finally on the runway, parking next to our flight.

It wasn't a luxury jet like I'd been expecting, but rather an ugly, green, military plane. The kind the American military used to practice with their paratroop and jetpack divisions.

I stopped as I looked over the plane. "I don't like this."

Kali, who was holding Peter's hand looked over at me. "It is just a plane."

"Yeah, but how we gonna get out of it?"

Kali shrugged. "I believe they are called parachutes, yes?"

I gave Kali a sour look, then stared back at the plane. "Yeah... that's what I'm afraid of."

A woman with black sunglasses and military fatigues jumped off the plane and made her way towards us. She had the look of a woman on a strict and regimented time schedule. She greeted us with a firm handshake, then Kali and I were given two more brown envelopes with red wax seals on them. The woman motioned for us to join her on the flight.

We stepped inside the metal bird. The first thing I noticed were the two massive stacks of boxes on metal skids encased in mesh netting. They were located along a metal set of tracks that would allow them to slide out of the rear bay doors once the restraints were released. The boxes on the skids were unlabeled, so it was impossible to know what was inside them. In front of those were seats bolted into the walls, along with two heavy bags stuffed beneath them.

The woman motioned for us to take our seats and helped buckle us in, she then gave us bottles of water. I noticed that Peter's bottle looked a bit murkier than the ones we'd been given. We drank our waters, and once we were in the air Peter was asleep. It was clear that his drink had been spiked. My guess was that he'd wake up right as we hit the ground, which was probably for the best.

Once Peter was snoring soundly we opened our letters.

Ezekiel,

You can do this brother. Save Kya and the others, you'll know the layout of the building from the neural writer. Make for the training room, she'll be waiting for you there. Stop Helena, but before you kill her remember that she's a victim in all of this too.

Love your enemy

That was it.

I looked over at Kali. "What yours say?" I shook the letter in my hand in her direction.

Kali looked up at me. "Still reading." She placed a finger up to stop me. Hers must have been longer than mine.

I looked around the interior cabin as I waited for Kali to finish. My heart rate began to elevate thinking about what was coming next. I wasn't afraid of heights but I didn't enjoy them either. I shut my eyes and tried to control my breathing.