Armageddon: The Broken Man - ACT 1

Chapter 5 - There and Back Again

Chapter 5 - There and Back Again

>CADMUS LIDDEL

I had kind of hoped to sneak back into the FHTC relatively unnoticed. As the flight back drew on through the early hours of the morning, I realized that landing quietly would be impossible. Landing at all is going to be difficult enough as it is.

The fuel gauge dips below a quarter full about forty minutes out from the FHTC; I'm just within radio range.

"Hey, Liddel." Counselor drones into the headset, trying to mask his lack of sleep and good attitude. "How'd the flight go? Did you have fun? I hope you had fun."

Judging by the tone of his voice, when I land, I'm in for one hell of a lecture. The headset clicks, signaling my turn to speak. I sigh before saying anything, buying myself a little time.

"You know, I have a good reason for-"

"A court of federal law won't care about your reason, Cadmus." Counselor cuts me off, and I can only listen to his bitter reply in silence. "Technically, you're flying a stolen military grade jet, and I could order for you to be shot down. Any second, you could just drop out of the sky, punctured by hundreds of thousands of AA shells."

"If you'll let me explain-"

"You have 45 seconds to explain why you took the jet for a joyride. Go." He barks back at me, almost as if he doesn't want an answer.

"Last night, I-I received a call." I sputter, attempting to get enough out in time. "I thought it was from my dad, but when I picked up, it gave me a short warning before blaring an error message. Y-You know, like from a computer." Counselor only sighs, and I make up something more. "It mentioned my dad, and implied that something happened to him. S-So I had to check it out."

"Is that all that you want to tell me?" He asks, and mutters from the background taunt me with their lack of clarity. I confirm, and he takes his sweet time to reply.

A message pops up on the flight dashboard.

______________________________

WARNING: AA RAILGUNS HAVE LOCKED ON TO THE /COCKPIT/. TAKE EVASIVE MANEUVERS IMMEDIATELY.

______________________________

There's no way he's serious. He wouldn't kill me over this.

"The robbery's already been reported, kid." He sighs, and it only makes my hands shake even worse. Sweat drips down my forehead and hands, slicking the wheel. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. People — government people — want the thief dead."

"Y-You're kidding." I stutter as the warning lights begin to flash; I'm so dead. "This is all a joke or something, and you're just waiting until I flip out, aren't you? O-Or it's a dream, and any second now, I'm going to wake up."

"No, Cadmus, I'm sorry." His voice drops to a whisper, when all I want to do is scream. "This is real, and I really wish it was just a joke."

______________________________

WARNING: AA RAILGUNS HAVE LOCKED ON TO THE /COCKPIT/.

TAKE EVASIVE MANEUVERS.

______________________________

"I'm sorry, but this is the one time I can't dive in to save you."

Oh my god, I'm actually going to die. I could have just taken a minute to ask Counselor's permission, and all of this could have been avoided. Because of my manic rush, I'll be dead within the next minute. Actually, probably less than that; the monitor warns that the AA's are preparing to fire within the next few seconds.

______________________________

WARNING: AA RAILGUN FIRE INBOUND.

AUTOPILOT - TAKING EVASIVE MANEUVERS.

BRACE FOR IMPACT.

______________________________

Hands clamp around my shoulders and I scream. A familiar sulphuric odor washes over me, and my head spins with the sudden movement.

I open my eyes to see Rachel's, framed by deep dark circles. She removes the headset for me, smiling weakly. I don't even breathe until her little kiss plants on my forehead. Counselor doesn't say anything, but turns his head to look at me.

"You're lucky I didn't mention the culprit's name, kiddo." Counselor chuckles, and I collapse in nervous laughter. The entire time, he was screwing with me, on some level. "You're also lucky that I think you're decent."

"You scared the living hell out of me." I squeeze the words between hysteric gasps for air. "I thought I was going to die, man."

"That was the point, Liddel." Eric murmurs, finally taking off his own headset. "And, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed. I'd suggest you two do the same." He yawns and shuffles over towards his office. Rachel and I nod, and she stifles a yawn herself.

I should really learn evasive maneuvers. You know, just because.

Rachel and I ended up passing out on the couch; we leaned against eachother to stay somewhat upright. The bedrooms were too far, and the sofa was more than big enough to share.

Neither of us really minded, I don't think.