A few moments ago...

“The rain and wind stopped? Are we in the eye of the storm already?” Felix asked Jacob inquisitively as he turns away from the window and walks into the launch control room, standing in the doorway. The room was mostly empty with only Jacob monitoring the weather and security cameras. Felix reached up to his head and yanked off the white raincoat with a swift pull. He draped the raincoat over a countertop nearby the doorway to let it dry.

Jacob breaks his focus from the security monitors to glance at the weather monitor. A massive blotch of red covered the screen indicating a mass of rain all around them. In the direct center was a spot of green, where no rain was currently falling.

Jacob turns in his desk chair to address Felix but remains seated, “It appears to be right overhead. Not that it matters very much though. The rain and wind will pick back up soon enough.”

Jacob returns to checking the security monitors for any signs of the incoming train. The screen was in black and white, currently showing the train tracks through a night-vision security camera. The train had not arrived yet, but Jacob was clearly anxious to see how this was going to turn out. Felix fully walks in and lets the door shut behind him. Electronic locks click into place behind Felix, shutting them in with a snap. Walking over to a spot beside Jacob, Felix begins to nervously watch the monitors alongside him. Crossing his arms, Felix begins to tap his fingers on his bulky forearms with an anxious tempo.

Jacob glances over at Felix saying, “Please sit down Felix. You’re making me uncomfortable just standing there.”

Felix acts surprised and stops tapping his fingers, “Oh... Sorry.”

Pulling up another desk chair, Felix takes a seat beside Jacob and they sit in silence together for some time. The emergency alert had gone out long ago and the sirens no longer screeched. However, on another monitor could be seen dozens upon dozens of security and emergency personnel on standby. They were all stationed safely inside the launch central tower behind the blast doors and waiting patiently for the incoming train. Whilst waiting, a bright flash illuminated the security monitor watching the train tracks.

Felix spotted it instantly and yelled out, “Shit! Did they crash already? That looked like it was a few miles out.”

Jacob shook his head, “That’s not possible. There aren’t any explosive materials in those train engines. That was something else...”

Another flash illuminated the screen, followed by a second, and then a third. The security monitor displayed the train vaulting up and off the tracks and began tumbling through the farm buildings in the distance before smashing into the pole housing the security camera. Just before the camera went offline Jacob had noticed a small black arrow shaped tank slowing down in the distance. It was barely noticeable, but with the high-powered night-vision cameras, almost nothing could remain hidden for long.

Jacob’s eyes widened in horror as he scrambled for the loudspeaker microphone, “All security go on high-alert! This is not a drill! We have incoming hostiles inbound at top speed and they have derailed the train with civilians on board. Emergency personnel are to remain inside the launch tower until further notice. All non-essential personnel evacuate to the nearest underground shelter immediately. This is a code black situation. I repeat. Code black. We are under siege by unknown hostiles.”

Jacob turned to look at Felix who was awestruck at the sight. Jacob asked, “Are you alright, Felix?”

Felix simply shook his head. It took him a few moments of heavy breathing before he finally blinked and said, “I can’t believe it’s happening already. I just needed a little more time. I was so close to finding the...”

Felix broke off his sentence before he said too much. He wasn’t sure if it was the right time to talk about his ventures just yet. Felix broke his gaze from the monitor and turned in his chair to stare at the doors.

Jacob grabbed Felix’s arm with a swift motion and said sharply, “Don’t do it, Felix. Let the guards handle this.”

Felix looked over his shoulder while he remained seated, “I’m not sure that they can handle what’s coming.”

Jacob tightened his grip on Felix’s arm before stating, “It doesn’t matter what you think. Protocol is protocol. You go out there and you’ll never fly another ship in this galaxy again. We’ll have to strip you of your license.”

Felix tightened his jaw in anger but forced himself to calm down. Felix turned in his chair to watch the other monitors but remained silent.

Jacob said with a small sigh, “I know it’s hard, but everyone has their position in life. You’re a pilot. Not a guard. Please don’t do something rash that you’ll regret. Please. I know you’re worried, but we can handle it. I’m sure of it.”

Felix said nothing as he watched the monitors. His jaw twitched, his muscles ached, and his fists clenched. The anger began welling up inside him. He wanted so badly just to burst out those doors and save his only family. The ones that he loved were in danger and it was his responsibility to keep them safe. He had made a promise long ago and fully intended to keep that promise.

Explosions ripped through the night as well as gunfire as the battle broke out around the train. Another camera monitor began to search for the train as another security camera turned to search for the train in the night. Spotting the position of the train, the camera zoomed in on the broken building in which the train had come to a full stop on its side. Various soldiers from both sides fought and died alongside the building, but it looked as if the security guards were taking more casualties than the currently unknown enemy. A soldier clad in black entered the building followed by several security guards. For a long time, nothing was visible except for the rear end of the train engine which was currently poking out from the side of the house. From their angle, they could not see what was happening at the other end of the building where the guards had entered.

Felix’s heart fluttered in excitement when he finally saw Echo and one of the guards carrying Vikta out around the side of the building and making their way towards the launch tower. His heart sank when he realized that Vikta might be dead when he saw his limp body being carried between the two. Grief, anger, and excitement welled up inside him and he could not figure out which to focus on.

The security camera started to turn without notice and Felix scoffed, “What the hell? Turn the camera back! I want to see my family make it to safety dammit!”

Jacob shook his head, “No. We have a mass of movement off the screen and I need to see what’s going on further down the tracks, so I can properly inform the security teams of any incoming danger. The movement tracker has detected several anomalies in the distance. Don’t worry though. I’ll direct one of the other cameras to monitor your family... Wait... What in the fuck is that thing!?”

As the camera panned over to look down the tracks, dozens of soldiers clad in black were moving from building to building and making their way towards launch central followed by several tanks. But that wasn’t what caught Jacob off guard. Sparks of lightning constantly flowed from a singular point. Every moment was filled with a constant surge of lightning flowing from above and into a small spot on the tracks. It was hard to tell what it was through the night-vision, so Jacob pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him and the camera zoomed in on the point where the lightning was constantly striking. The tendrils of electricity illuminated a large blue Skera walking down the center of the train tracks with a sword drawn and pointed upwards. The Skera was wholly unharmed by the constant flow of lightning striking the sword, flowing through his body and into the ground.

Felix gasped and growled, “Lazarus!? That sunnuva bitch is supposed to be dead!”

Jacob asks, “Who and what the hell is Lazarus?”

Felix sharply inhaled before saying, “Only the worst possible Skera to show up at our front door. These aren’t just any soldiers. They are from BioMagiTech and he’s one of the various commanders on their payroll. I’m sorry Jacob. I have to go, NOW. Take my pilot license if you want to, but it’s going to be a slaughter out there if I don’t step in.”

Jacob scoffs, “The hell you are! I told you to let the guards handle it dammit!”

Felix yells as he stands up and kicks the chair out from under him, “Fuck the protocol. It’s time to do something or we’ll all die. Dusty! It’s time to fight. You ready?”

Jacob’s brows furrow up in confusion, “Who the hell is... HOLY SHIT!”

Jacob was interrupted by a golden spark of light the flew forth from Felix’s chest and soared directly to the ground to land next to Felix. The form of the drake spirit eyed Felix with a bit of an attitude, “Are you sure this is wise, Felix? We’ll be exposing ourselves to the galaxy and could very well be hunted down by those we call our allies.”

Felix nods his head as he stares at the doorway, fully ignoring Jacob’s surprise. Felix says, “I’m sure of it this time. If Lazarus is here with Yethica, then we’re in trouble. We don’t have much of a choice. I need wings Dusty. We gotta get down there as soon as possible.”

Dusty nods its fanged skull as it replies, “So be it. This is going to hurt tremendously without armor to clasp the wings to.”

Felix pulls his crystal out of his shirt before saying, “I know. The pain is the least of my worries at this point.”

With the Draegona Crystal still attached to the golden chain, Felix turned it around on his neck and let it lay against his back on the thick yellow cotton shirt. Dusty shot back into the crystal and a golden glow sparked to life inside of the crystal illuminating the control center in a warm radiance of light. Ten curled spikes grew out of the crystal and pierced into Felix’s back. Felix dropped to his knees in intense pain as the spikes pierced his muscles and wrapped around his spine. Moments later, a blast of golden light blinded Jacob as ethereal wings popped into existence behind Felix. The semi-opaque wings stretched outwards and reached up to the ceiling, brushing against the solid surface and bending downwards. The brilliance lit the room in warm golden light as power spewed out from the crystal and a flow of energy moving towards the tips of the wings. The wings looked almost solid with large feathers of ethereal light. Large bones made of pure golden light held the feathers in placed and spanned the entirety of the wing. With a wingspan of about ten meters, they were massive in comparison to Felix’s body.

Standing upwards and still wincing from the pain of the wings firmly attaching to his back, Felix let the wings fold behind him as the energy continued to flow through them in a current of light. Turning towards Jacob, Felix noticed that the plump man was dumbstruck and completely speechless.

Felix said with a frown, “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner old friend.”

Jacob shook his head in astonishment, “You... You’re a Draegona?”

Felix nodded his head as he walked towards Jacob with the wings dragging behind him on the floor. Without notice, Felix reached outward, pulled Jacob to his feet and gave him a strong hug. Jacob just stood there in shock as the man with golden wings gave him a hug with tears in his eyes.

As Felix pulled away with a smile, he said, “Thank you for keeping my family safe for so long. It was peaceful while it lasted. Oh, and sorry about the window.”

Jacob’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he watched the winged man walk away and out the security door. Just before the door shut behind him, Jacob saw Felix lash out with a hefty kick to the reinforced plexiglass window in the hallway, shattering it with little effort and then jumping out into the dark night sky.

The short plump man slunk back into his chair with his mouth agape. Reaching over to a spot under his desk, he pulled out a lighter and a cigar. He usually saved these for a special occasion but the time seemed right. There was nothing else he could do now. He thought he had seen it all, but now he was about to witness possibly one of the rarest sights in the entire galaxy and he had front row seats to the action.