There was another plane, just behind the Skyline maybe one or two football fields behind. It was a small jet with two engines mounted over its tail. John didn’t know many things about aviation, but he knew that the jet was far closer that it should have been. Suddenly the plane banked hard to one side and changed course, as if it had been spotted. John shook the thought and focused on the job at hand.
With one final shove, John, Aerin, and the Marshall pushed the bomb over the edge. It fell off of the ramp and tumbled end over end as the high altitude winds caught it and carried it away behind them. There was a sudden flash of light and then the sky was painted a brilliant shade of red as the device detonated. It expanded outward as a sphere of destruction that sent shock waves in all directions. One such wave caught a hold of the Skyline, and caused it to shake violently and lose altitude. The sudden turbulence caused John and the Marshall to lose their footing. John grabbed hold of some netting along the ramp and stabilized himself as he reached out and grabbed the Marshall’s arm. He had caught the man just before he had fallen over the edge. Filled with a sudden sense of vertigo, John quickly pulled the Marshall back into the safety of the cargo hold with Aerin’s assistance.
Once they were inside, the Marshall pressed a large red button on the side of the wall. With another loud buzz, the cargo door slowly began to close. John collapsed on the floor panting hard as Aerin collapsed beside him. The Marshall made it a few more steps before his legs became too weary to hold him and he fell down as well. The true gravity of the situation had finally set in among them, and they understood just how close things had come. John took a deep breath before sighing heavily as he rest his head back against the cold metal wall.
“That was too close.” He observed.
“You two.” The Marshall spoke. “I don’t… I don’t know how to thank you.”
“There’s one way.” Aerin suddenly spoke up. She caught her breath and stood slowly before coming over and kneeling down in front of the Marshal. She placed her open palm on top of his hand and a Cypher appeared between them. When she removed her hand, a number had been inscribed into his skin. “Before you tell anyone what you saw here, call this number. Do exactly as they say.”
John watched with a bit of confusion on his face at her display. He hadn’t expected this much improv from her now, especially not after all that had just happened. Somehow, Aerin was still keeping up their ruse.
“What?” The Marshal gazed down at his hand. “What do you mean do what they say?”
“It’s easier this way.” John chimed in, following her lead. “Remember, we were never here.”
“But, I…” The Marshal attempted to speak through his confusion. Aerin patted his shoulder as she stood again, and John followed suit behind her. “These people owe you their lives, Marshal.” She smiled down to him before turning.
Both John and Aerin headed back up, leaving the Marshal in the cargo hold by himself. When they were finally out of earshot, John looked down to his partner. “What was that back there?” He asked, hoping for some kind of explanation about the man’s newly acquired magical tattoo. “Insurance.” Aerin said with a smile, leaving him still wondering.
They made their way back up and snuck over to their seats. Not a single person had missed them, just what they’d hoped. Soon they both returned to what they were doing, John with his movie and Aerin with her magazine, but it wasn’t long before sleep caught up with the both of them. The weight of their fight, the worry Aerin had been feeling, and the past few weeks had been too much. For the rest of the flight they slept against each other.
Chapter Seven
John opened his eyes just in time to feel the plane violently shake. The Skyline’s massive landing gear slammed into the ground and compressed in on itself from the shock. The rubber on the wheels burned with a loud squeal as they drug against the ground momentarily before spinning. John yawned as he felt another sudden shake; the Skyline’s engines fired in reverse as it applied brakes onto the massive wheels below. Slowly the oversized craft taxied down the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
Aerin stirred in her chair and her eyes slowly came open. John watched as she let out a terribly adorable yawn and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She sat up in her chair and pulled herself off the window she had been leaning against whilst asleep. She raised her arms up into the air and arched her back as she stretched hard before leaning back once more. The seatbelt sign overhead suddenly clicked off and so John reached down and unfastened both his and Aerin’s belt. There was a sudden sense of freedom within both of them as their lower sections were no longer bound to the chairs below them.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.” A female voice resonated throughout the cabin. “On behalf of Skyline, we thank you for flying with us today. You’ve been a pleasure to fly with and we hope to see you once again. We appreciate your cooperation and would ask that you please remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stop. Please make sure that you have collected your belongings, the luggage compartment above you is empty, and that nothing is left below the seats. Once more, on behalf of all of us here at Skyline, thank you for flying with us. We hope that you have a safe and pleasant time, and welcome to Los Angeles.”
The plane finally came to a complete stop next to the terminal and the long boarding arm swung over and connected to the plane’s hull with a loud thud. Once it was in place, the passengers began to disembark. John stood from his seat and opened the overhead compartment above him. His and Aerin’s bags nearly flew out after having been compressed so tightly. He handed Aerin her small red bag before shouldering his own and promptly closed the empty overhead compartment. They made their way toward the front of the plane but stopped when John glanced down at the empty seat in front of him. It was a few rows ahead of the one they had been on. This was his seat, the demon John had fought. He had not returned from the cargo hold, no one had missed him. There was a strange feeling in John’s gut as he walked away from the chair. He shook his head and continued on. John led Aerin as he retraced his steps back up the large staircase to the second level; from there it was a quick walk to the boarding arm.
From inside they could see through small windows out at the tarmac. Dozens of planes of all shapes and sizes landed and ascended all around them. There were multinational airplanes with various patterns across their hull docked in terminals nearby them. As far as traffic went, LAX was much busier than Station’s own airport had been. The catwalk that they were walking across even seemed to be longer than the one John and Aerin had walked across only hours before. Everything in Los Angeles seemed larger.
This statement definitely held true within the terminal itself. As they exited the boarding arm and crossed through the gate, there was a large sign that was suspended from the high-arching rooftop overhead. “LAX TERMINAL 2” It read in large black letters. Just below that was a slightly italic font that appeared almost cursive. Welcome to Los Angeles, the city of Angels. John smirked at that last bit as they continued on through the terminal. It had the look of a large mall about it. There were skylights in the ceiling that brought natural lighting down onto the white tile floors below. Every ten feet or so on either side were stores and shops. There was anything and everything ranging from a small Japanese style sushi bar to a large gift shop with all things LA themed within.
Once they had gotten out into the larger lobby though, the place appeared more like an airport. There were desks scattered to and fro full of workers handling tickets. On the walls there were large digital departure boards that changed every so often. What also made it seem more like an airport now was the veritable sea of faces that swarmed about. Hundreds of flyers moved in and around each other as they made their way toward their respective gates. Los Angeles was much more crowded than Station; that much was for sure.
“Is that…?” Aerin muttered almost under her breath. Something had caught her eye within the crowd. John watched her expressions as they made their way onw
ard. She had seen it briefly, but then lost it. “It looked like…” She thought aloud in short bursts. Suddenly, joy spread across her face. “Meredith!”
Aerin dropped her bag beside John and suddenly ran forward. John nearly lost her in the crowd as he scrambled to shoulder the bag as he followed behind. He heard her shout the name Meredith, the name of the person they were here to meet. There was a mix of anticipation and urgency within him as he hurried along. Aerin found who she was looking for within the crowd and instantly took the girl into a big hug. She spun the girl around in the air before setting her down gently on the floor. Meredith was not what John had expected.
With a title like “Dragon of the West” one would expect someone powerful, someone with an air of greatness about them, a sting in their voice, and a fire in their eyes. Someone would expect them to be, well a bit taller. Meredith stood roughly at about four feet and looked like a child no older than twelve. She had long pitch black hair that ran down to the middle of her back; it was straight all the way down, but curved outward at the ends. Her eyes were a bright, crystal blue that seemed to twinkle in the sunlight. Her skin was a soft peach color that looked to be extremely smooth, as expected from such a childlike complexion. Meredith wore a white dress that made her stand out from the Los Angeles crowd. It was covered in ribbon and frills and there were many strings running up the front that were laced together holding the whole thing in place. She had a pair of small boots covering her little feet. Above that, she wore black and white striped stockings on her legs.
“Aerin!” Meredith shouted gleefully as they hugged each other. “It’s been so long!”
“I know!” Aerin responded with a bright smile. “How did you know we were here?” She asked as she released her hold on the small girl.
“Oh come on, Aerin.” Meredith smiled slyly and placed her hands on her hips. “You know how I am. I had you pinged as soon as you were in California.” She said with a giggle.
“So this is Meredith?” John asked as he approached the two girls. He dropped Aerin’s bag beside her and promptly cut into their merriment.
“Yep, that’s me!” Meredith immediately responded with a nod.
“The Meredith.” John emphasized as he looked down at her. “The Dragon of the West? That’s you?” He asked.
“Oh wow, I haven’t been called that in a long time.” Meredith cupped her chin in her hand in thought. “Last ones to call me that were those funny bald guys. But, yep! That’s my name!” She answered with a smile.
“You know.” John spoke while glancing between both Meredith and Aerin. “You’re a lot smaller than I imagined.”
Meredith stared up at him as he spoke. She tilted her head slightly to the right in a quizzical manner. When he was finished speaking, she smiled bright and burst out laughing from his statement. Her laughter made John feel a bit embarrassed, as if he had said something wrong. And it didn’t help that he had elicited a smile from Aerin as well. He scratched the back of his head as Meredith gripped her sides. The laughter came from deep within her, and it brought a tear to her eye.
“Aerin.” Meredith spoke as she finally caught her breath. “Who… Who is he?” She asked as she wiped her eyes.
“This is John.” Aerin answered. “He’s my partner.”
“Partner?” Meredith echoed the word. It seemed to drag on, hanging just on the tip of her tongue. The way she spoke it, it seemed like the word had some strange ulterior meaning. “I see.” Her eyes suddenly narrowed in John’s direction. “Slayer.”
“Uh, yeah.” John suddenly felt smaller. “That’s me.”
Meredith stepped away from Aerin and approached John. She walked directly up to him and stared up into his eyes. Her close proximity caused John to unconsciously take a step backward. The air of childishness that she had worn just moments before had completely vanished. John was feeling something strange emanating from the small girl; it was something that shouldn’t hang around a little girl of Meredith’s size. John felt intimidated. She walked around him slowly and John could literally feel her gaze running up and down his body as she inspected him. It felt odd being so seriously critiqued by someone of such a small stature, but there was nothing he could do about it.
“Have you been taking good care of Aerin?” Meredith’s words seemed sharp and direct. John could feel that he was suddenly in a dire situation.
“Yes.” He immediately responded. He had nearly blurted out the word, but it didn’t seem to be enough. He could still feel Meredith’s cold stare all over him, so he quickly added something else. “As good as I can.” He said with an unintentionally cynical twist.
“Good.” Meredith seemed pleased with his response. The air of intimidation about her quickly faded away and was replaced by her childlike disposition once more. “You should count yourself lucky, John.” She stated, the words seemingly dripping with sarcasm. “Aerin doesn’t just make a pact with anyone. It’s been years since her last partner.” She said with a giggle.
“Meredith…” Aerin suddenly squeezed the small girl from behind.
The scene before John was almost comical. Aerin squeezed her arms tightly around Meredith as the smaller girl attempted to free herself, but to no avail. It was strange; Aerin was a Demon hunting Angel but was acting in such a carefree manner. And for that matter, Meredith was supposed to be a “Dragon” but was the size of an elementary school girl. Nothing made sense to John anymore, and he shook his head as the two girls played in front of him. There was something that stuck out in his mind, though, what Meredith had said about Aerin not making pacts with just anyone. He made a mental note to look into that later out of sheer curiosity, but for now he pushed it to the back of his mind.
“Okay! Okay!” Meredith shouted. “Sorry! Sorry!” She squealed an apology. Aerin released her grip and the small girl spun around before they both laughed.
“Hey, Meredith, are you still running the group out here?” Aerin asked, giving their encounter a bit more direction.
“Of course!” Meredith promptly responded nearly with a shout. “Would you like to come visit?!” She excitedly asked with her eyes wide open in anticipation.
“Well.” Aerin stopped herself, allowing Meredith’s anticipation to fluster. “We’re actually here to do just that.” She finally finished.
“Really?!” Meredith shouted. “Yay!” She jumped up and down in place as she pumped her fists. “Come on, I’ve got a car waiting!”
Meredith suddenly took hold of Aerin’s hand and ran towards the doors leading outside. John sighed as he once again shouldered Aerin’s bag and followed along behind them. The first thing that John noticed about Los Angeles was its distinct smell. It was a mixture of tar, rubber, and an odd metallic flavoring. It was definitely a far cry from the mountainous smell that Station carried. The sky overhead was a bright, cloudless blue, yet there was a slight yellow tint to the air. A roadway overhead cast a shadow over the front entrance, keeping the entrance cool under the bright sun above. A cool pacific breeze blew through the palm trees across the street; their long, thick leaves dancing around in the salty ocean air.
John had momentarily lost sight of Aerin and Meredith. He looked left and then right until he found them again. They were standing beside a large black SUV. The windows were tinted limo black and it had an oversized brush guard on the front that protected the grill and headlights. It was clean; not a single speck of dust could be seen on its glossy paintjob. The car gave off a very police vibe and John wondered why such a small girl would have access to a vehicle like this; but then again, nothing so far had made sense, so why start now?
As John approached, he was suddenly greeted by a man who had been conversing with Meredith. After the man had opened the front and rear passenger doors for Aerin and Meredith, he had made his way over to John. The man wore black pinstriped slacks on his legs and shiny black colored loafers on his feet with matching dress socks. He had a white button down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. On to
p of that was a black pinstriped vest with gold colored buttons. The man’s head was shaved and reflected the sun’s rays every so often. His eyes were covered by small circular black sunglasses with a silver frame. The way the man carried himself seemed to be very professional, which matched the look of the vehicle he appeared to be in charge of. Suddenly the man bowed slightly to John.
“Please, let me help you with those.” He said as he gestured toward the bags that hung on either of John’s shoulders.
“Oh, sure.” John said as he pulled Aerin’s bag off of his shoulder. He handed it to the man and followed him around to the back of the vehicle. The man quickly opened the trunk and set Aerin’s bag in first before taking John’s as well. “Thanks.” John said.
“No problem at all.” The man assured.
He closed the trunk and stepped around to the left side of the SUV and opened the door before motioning for John to step up inside. The step up was a little more than John was accustomed to, definitely more than he ever had to deal with in his Charger. The inside of the SUV was spacious and built for comfort. The seats were a soft fabric that shaped to your form. There was ample leg and head room below and above, respectively. Up front, John got a good look at the instrumentation on the vehicle’s dashboard. There was a digital radio with multiple buttons, dials, and switches that John had never seen before on a radio. Below that was a large LCD screen that appeared to display the local map.
Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale Page 9
