collisions and steam and smoke vented from their hoods.
The stunned gunners managed to get in a few parting shots, but the fugitives
pulled away quickly.
Chapter 7
June 27, 2029
Santa Monica, California
Amazingly they made it to
the Santa Monica airport without any further trouble. Rora wove in and out of
the city streets dodging any pursuers. They saw many sets of headlights, but
the maze of streets provided excellent cover until they arrived at the airport.
The entrance was guarded by five gang members and one pickup technical with a
machine gun mounted in the back. Rora wanted to shoot their way in, but the colonel
persuaded her that attacking them would draw too much attention.
Instead, they snuck in
through a drainage pipe that connected to the airport’s fire prevention pond.
Once it held thousands of gallons of water to be pumped in case of a fire, but
the California coast had been dry as a bone since the Aftermath. The pond had
long since dried out and no one had bothered to block the overflow pipe. It was
a tight fit, and a challenge dragging Anna through; but they made it out. Dirty
and scraped, all of them were relieved to be inside the airport without being
spotted.
The commander guided them
to the hangar that housed the vintage planes. They had to hide once to avoid an
open top jeep with a machine gun mounted on top that was patrolling, but other
than that they saw no one. Surprisingly the hangar was locked with a padlock,
but Rora picked the lock and they rushed inside. Inside the hangar were the
vintage planes, a thick coating of dust indicating they hadn’t been moved in a
while. The tools and just about everything else had been stripped from the
hangar; but the gangbangers hadn’t had much use for the planes, so they just
left them.
The colonel and the
commander went over and began examining the planes leaving Rora with the still
catatonic Anna. She waited patiently as the two astronauts searched for a
viable ride. Aviation hadn’t been part of Rora’s education so she knew little
about the individual planes. Hopefully they could find a working one and get
out of here. Judging by the two men’s excited reactions they had found one.
“We just need to find some
fuel.” The commander informed her.
“Wouldn’t the gangs have
taken any leftover fuel?” She asked.
“Unlikely. It isn’t usable
for much else besides a plane.” He replied.
“I wouldn’t be surprised
if one or more of the gang Lords keep a small plane here for personal use.” The
colonel added. “They would need fuel on hand for that.”
“The fuel tanks aren’t far
from here if I remember correctly.” Commander Khodorov informed them. “Let’s go
over there and see if we can scavenge some fuel.”
“What about Anna?” Rora
asked.
“We’ll have to leave her
here.” The colonel stated. “If we find fuel, we will need all three of us to
carry enough back for our return trip.”
Reluctantly Rora and the
commander agreed and they snuck out of the hangar towards the fuel tanks. Just
like everywhere else, there were no lights on. Darkness blanketed the airport
and nothing moved. The silence was almost deafening. Ever since the Aftermath,
the world had become a much quieter place. Most animals including insects had
died off so the usual nocturnal noises of animals on the move no longer
existed. Few cars and little electricity meant no businesses or nighttime
activities. So it had become almost peaceful at night.
That peace was shattered
before they got too far from the hangar. Bright floodlights snapped on,
blinding the three of them. Armored cars swiftly rolled out from behind the
hangar and other buildings. Praetorians poured out of the armored cars and
pointed their guns at the trio. Rora and the two astronauts found themselves
surrounded and hopelessly outgunned. They acquiesced to the screamed orders to
drop their weapons and lie face down on
The stunned gunners managed to get in a few parting shots, but the fugitives
pulled away quickly.
Chapter 7
June 27, 2029
Santa Monica, California
Amazingly they made it to
the Santa Monica airport without any further trouble. Rora wove in and out of
the city streets dodging any pursuers. They saw many sets of headlights, but
the maze of streets provided excellent cover until they arrived at the airport.
The entrance was guarded by five gang members and one pickup technical with a
machine gun mounted in the back. Rora wanted to shoot their way in, but the colonel
persuaded her that attacking them would draw too much attention.
Instead, they snuck in
through a drainage pipe that connected to the airport’s fire prevention pond.
Once it held thousands of gallons of water to be pumped in case of a fire, but
the California coast had been dry as a bone since the Aftermath. The pond had
long since dried out and no one had bothered to block the overflow pipe. It was
a tight fit, and a challenge dragging Anna through; but they made it out. Dirty
and scraped, all of them were relieved to be inside the airport without being
spotted.
The commander guided them
to the hangar that housed the vintage planes. They had to hide once to avoid an
open top jeep with a machine gun mounted on top that was patrolling, but other
than that they saw no one. Surprisingly the hangar was locked with a padlock,
but Rora picked the lock and they rushed inside. Inside the hangar were the
vintage planes, a thick coating of dust indicating they hadn’t been moved in a
while. The tools and just about everything else had been stripped from the
hangar; but the gangbangers hadn’t had much use for the planes, so they just
left them.
The colonel and the
commander went over and began examining the planes leaving Rora with the still
catatonic Anna. She waited patiently as the two astronauts searched for a
viable ride. Aviation hadn’t been part of Rora’s education so she knew little
about the individual planes. Hopefully they could find a working one and get
out of here. Judging by the two men’s excited reactions they had found one.
“We just need to find some
fuel.” The commander informed her.
“Wouldn’t the gangs have
taken any leftover fuel?” She asked.
“Unlikely. It isn’t usable
for much else besides a plane.” He replied.
“I wouldn’t be surprised
if one or more of the gang Lords keep a small plane here for personal use.” The
colonel added. “They would need fuel on hand for that.”
“The fuel tanks aren’t far
from here if I remember correctly.” Commander Khodorov informed them. “Let’s go
over there and see if we can scavenge some fuel.”
“What about Anna?” Rora
asked.
“We’ll have to leave her
here.” The colonel stated. “If we find fuel, we will need all three of us to
carry enough back for our return trip.”
Reluctantly Rora and the
commander agreed and they snuck out of the hangar towards the fuel tanks. Just
like everywhere else, there were no lights on. Darkness blanketed the airport
and nothing moved. The silence was almost deafening. Ever since the Aftermath,
the world had become a much quieter place. Most animals including insects had
died off so the usual nocturnal noises of animals on the move no longer
existed. Few cars and little electricity meant no businesses or nighttime
activities. So it had become almost peaceful at night.
That peace was shattered
before they got too far from the hangar. Bright floodlights snapped on,
blinding the three of them. Armored cars swiftly rolled out from behind the
hangar and other buildings. Praetorians poured out of the armored cars and
pointed their guns at the trio. Rora and the two astronauts found themselves
surrounded and hopelessly outgunned. They acquiesced to the screamed orders to
drop their weapons and lie face down on
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