Benji's expression was grim as they flew over the southern district of Raven City. Something had moved through the city destroying anything in its path. Burnt and burning cars littered the streets along the path of destruction. Deep gouge marks could be spotted on the pavement and, in some cases, three to four meters high on buildings. Occassionally they could hear screams as they cast a shadow onto the streets below.

"I'm not sure we should be here. We're scaring people." Zoe had a sad look on her face as she looked down over the railing.

"She's right, bro. I don't think we'll find anything here."

Benji thought back over what they had gained from their encounter with the wood elemental. They now had enough food to live in comfort for the near future but it couldn't hurt to have something in reserve. But he agreed with his friends. Nothing could be gained by exploring the southern district any further.

The closer they got to the center of the city the less damage they saw. As they flew overhead it was clear that the government and military forces had worked hard to keep at least one part of the city safe. Thousands of people filled the streets trying to force their way past heavily guarded checkpoints. Benji kept a safe distance as they circled around the city. Soldiers encamped along the rooftops of buildings showed up as green dots on the digitized map.

"I don't think we're getting past that defensive line anytime soon, Zoe."

"Maybe we could go down to one of the checkpoints and speak with them?" Hope filled her eyes as she spoke.

"Try calling your father again. Maybe he knows something."

She shook her head. "I keep getting his voicemail."

"Until we get ahold of him-"

Benji was interrupted by alarms from the control console. A split second later a streak of blue flew past his head. As Fitt came to a stop at some distance away from Voyager a blue barrier formed around him. Along the city map dots of green turned to red as they passed along the edge of the quarantine.

"We're being targeted. Fitt is trying to draw their fire." Benji worked the controls to set a new course. Slowly Voyager turned eastward as the rotors began to spin faster and faster. "Everyone hold on!"

Zoe and Alex ran over to stand beside Benji. Fitt floated around to rest near the rear of the ship as they began to take gunfire from the soldiers stationed below. On one half of the display Benji brought up a damage report. The wooden hull proved to be strong enough to handle attacks from conventional weapons.

"Master should be going faster!" Fitt's warning rang out despite the distance.

A loud, blaring alarm sounded and the map began tracking a large red object closing in on their position. Someone had gave the order to fire a missle to try to bring them down. From the rear of the ship a bolt of lightning fractured the air causing the trio to cover their ears. From far in the distance an explosion was heard. Not need anymore encouragement, Benji increased speed towards the south east. After a few minutes of tense flight Fitt finally floated back to join them.

"Safe now, Master."

"You did great, Fitt." Benji smiled down at the boy.

"Not cool, bro!"

"Calm down, Alex. It was an error on my part. I should have backed off when I saw their defenses pop up on the map."

It took a bit of doing but Alex eventually settled down. Zoe checked her smart phone and told them of what she found. The government was woefully unprepared for the hell that was unleashed by the World Spike. Entire blocks had to be abandoned as police, military, and volunteers fought against not only mutated wild animals but former pets as well. The southern district was devastated when a pack of giant dogs emerged from a previously unknown dog breeding operation. There wasn't much that could be done again giant Akita's so an evacuation was declared and the district abandoned. Only after shoulder fired rockets were brought in did the savage pack finally retreat. They now roamed the mountains south of Raven City.

The military, in cooperation with the mayor himself, walled off the center of the city allowing only essential personnel inside. Citizens were upset to say the least. Arguments turned quickly turned violent as frustrated parents tried to force their way inside the safezone. Citizens used their powers against professional soldiers, who had no choice but to protect themselves. A few hours ago the world council voted on changes to existing laws. Anyone caught using powers against government or military personnel would be treated as an enemy combatant. Nothing could be found to explain why they were fired upon.

"We're heading back home. Everyone else needs to know this."

Everyone was quiet during the flight back home. Alex stormed off down below, still angry that they had been attacked. Fitt stood guard ready for any threat that came their way. Zoe worked on her phone for a while but eventually put it away. She now stared off in the distance back toward Raven City.

Upon arrival, Benji brought Voyager back down but didn't bother kicking over the rope ladders. Instead he brought up Free Build Mode and designed a custom landing pad. The ten meter tall wooden structure wasn't pretty to look at but it allowed people and goods to more easily be loaded on and off the airship. A ten meter wide ramp rose five meters in the air before turning to rise up to a large wooden landing. Hand rails lined each side of the ramp while a pulley system was set up to allow cargo to be brought up and down.

Benji and his friends were halfway down the ramp when Isabel came running up with Miami.

"So how was the trip, dear?"

Benji had a bleak look on his face as he looked at his mother. "Yeah.. we should talk about that inside."

The group walked down the ramp and towards the house while Miami went to find Duncan and Lu Bu. Once inside Alex headed off towards his room. Zoe simply walked over and sat on a nearby couch and was quickly joined by Fitt. Benji heard the girl begin to cry as he went back to his spot at the dining table. Isabel looked at the girl with a concerned look on her face but joined her son at the table.

The front door opened as Duncan ran inside followed by Lu Bu and Miami. The three joined Benji at the table, eager for news.

"Okay, Benji, what happened? Why is Zoe crying on the couch?"

Benji took a moment to collect his thoughts before he spoke. "So the good news is we found the seeds we needed. I was able to help heal a shop owner in exchange. The southern district was abandoned after a pack of giant Akita's tore through the city. We tried to get to the hospital to so Zoe could see her father but we were fired upon by the soldiers guarding the center of the city."

"Wait, they shot at you?" Isabel had a surprised look on her face.

"Zoe was able to find some news on her phone. Martial law was declared. The center of the city is a safezone. Anything outside it was abandoned. Anyone who uses force against the barriers is being treated as enemy combatants."

"Sire, what of the citizens outside this safezone?"

Benji looked at the Sword Saint. Benji knew much of Miami's backstory. He would wish to save as many as possible. It was his nature to protect the innocent.

"Most of the police stations are still active but the government only cares about maintaining the core of the city. If it falls the city falls."

Duncan finally spoke after being lost in thought. "So nothing can be done, Benji?"

"My first concern is getting the seeds we got into the ground. Only once we have a stable source of food can I worry about anything else."

Benji stood and pulled up Free Build Mode as he left through the front door. Under a section for agriculture he browsed through to find the fastest growing plants. As he walked out into the grass he heard the front door slam behind him. He turned to see his mother, an angry look on her face.

"We need to help them, Benjamin. You have the power."

"Mom, I know you're concerned but I can't save one million people single-handedly."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to try."

"And I'm asking you to let me work in peace!" The anxiety and stress finally broke free in a burst of anger. "If I don't get these seeds into the ground soon we risk running out of food in a few months. If I can't feed seven people then I'd only be bringing refugees out here to starve to death."

Isabel crossed her arms as she stared at her son. "Benji you can snap things into being from video games!"

"Oh sure, I could snap my fingers and cause one hundred tons of food to appear and then what? I store it all in my backpack because it would spoil within days? Do I station myself as a living refrigerator in case someone is hungry? We need permanent solutions that don't require me and my powers."

"So let's just keep the refugees inside your backpack until we're ready."

"You want them to be stuck in perpetual statis for who knows how long?" Benji couldn't believe the absurdity of the idea.

"It's better than letting them die."

Isabel turned and left Benji standing in the tall grass.