FLY BOY - Completed

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Seeing the two guards with their guns aimed at Scotty, had River's heart racing. She immediately began to talk subconsciously to herself. Okay, River you are not that weak, panic-stricken, little girl any more. Scotty needs you. Be smart about this. Be ready. You know what you have to do. She immediately pulled the key out of the control panel and started up the Arcane Fighter for real. This caused the blue screen to light up on her control panel, bathing her in blue light. This also made both guards turn their heads in her direction.

Seeing that both guards were preoccupied, Scotty took advantage of it and made a mad dash for the other Arcane Fighter. River sucked in her breath as she saw what Scotty was trying to do. She instantly put a lock on the two guards with her Browning Precise Multi-fire Sniper gun. She locked on them only to maim not kill, but she truly hoped she would not have to follow through at all, because she had never shot anyone before. She watched as the surprised guards first registered her in the Arcane Fighter and then realized that Scotty was now running away.

Their faces turned to stone as they once more took aim at Scotty, only this time they had their guns aimed at his back just as he got within steps of the other Arcane Fighter.

River did not hesitate. She fired. Both guards dropped like bricks to the ground, but to her horror so did Scotty. She was confused because she knew that neither guard had gotten a shot off. As she searched the area, she saw a small movement in the shadows over by the hangar. She aimed her gun sight over in that area and zoomed in. The image showed up on her screen. She could see just the barrel of a gun sticking out from the far wall of the hangar. She zoomed in even more and then aimed her sniper gun just above the area where she had seen the barrel sticking out.

She waited until a few seconds later she saw a head peak out from around the corner of the wall. She fired quickly, watching her screen as her bullet hit the target. Another guard flew backwards and lay lifeless on the ground. She would like to think she just hit him in the shoulder, but she knew it had been a clean heat shot.

She tried to think of her friend lying motionless out on the tarmac as the sudden nausea churned up her stomach. The realization that she had just shot three people only made it ten times worse. Before she could think too much about what she had just done, a voice spoke her name over the cockpit radio. It was the General's voice. She would have recognized that menacing voice anywhere.

"River Reynolds I know you are in that Arcane Fighter. You are to stop what you are doing immediately and step down."

She could hear the anger in his voice, but for once it didn't even faze her. She just watched her good friend Scotty get shot. She herself had just shot three people. She was not about to be scared by someone's threatening voice.

She put on her headset and turned the communications system on in her cockpit. She pushed her mike button on and spoke just as angrily. "You listen to me General Davis," she snapped, impressing herself with how confident she sounded. "You will get a medical team out here right now to check on my friend Scotty and if you don't..." she hesitated for a second as she pushed some buttons on her instrument panel. Immediately her laser gun fired up and she aimed it at the control tower. "If you don't," she repeated. "I will blow you and that entire tower to smithereens."

"Do not be hasty little girl," he warned her. River hated it when anyone called her 'little girl.' "I have employed my medical staff out there to the tarmac to examine all of the carnage you have created." River could feel herself growing hot from his words and had to remind herself that he was purposely trying to upset her.

She just had to hope that he would be true to his words and actually get someone out there to help Scotty. Just thinking his name caused her eyes to move to his lifeless body. Her eyes teared up as she thought how awful her life would be without Scotty in it. He had been her first true friend at Braxton Hall. His beautiful smile popped up into her mind, as did his words that he would keep her safe. He had put his life on the line to keep her safe.