She takes the battery and brings it to her chest. “And this is our ticket in,” she whispers.
“It’s at least a twelve hour drive,” Vash says. “There’s no point going on foot. Ask your husband, the commander, for a car. I’m sure he’d be happy to oblige.”
Ruby frowns. “Our negotiation was nothin more than an opportunity to win against me,” she says. “He doesn’t care either way if I come back. Look at this place. He’s given up hope.”
Ruby walks out of the hanger and a nearby runway with three planes. “We’ll fly there,” she announces.
Killian laughs. “You know how to fly a plane?”
“Three years in the sky. Two on ground. I’ve fought everywhere on the planet,” she says.
To avoid detection, they crawl through the grass.
Ruby inhales the scent of nearby gasoline, and she remembers the wars she fought. The honor the public felt rewarded her with felt nice, and seeing the plane before her brings it all back.
“It’s home,” she whispers to herself.
She stares for a moment. This is her final chance to do something real.
It’s overwhelming. The thought drains her remaining energy.
She falters. For a second, everything in her peripheral drifts. She drops to the floor, but repositions and leans on one leg.
Stunned, her heart flashes. “Home,” she repeats, blinking to gain her clarity back.
“Your leg... What happened?” Killian asks.
Ruby looks at her leg, stunned. She feels weak. With shallow breath, she stumbles but regains her step. “I must have hurt it on boat,” she says.
Adrenaline courses through her veins, solidifying in cold fear. What is happening to me?
Vash eyes her. “We should go,” he says. “If we have the key to shutting down the accelerator, Lucas will need the help. It’s about time I settle the score with him.”
Killian nods and keeps the children together. “The pack needs to converge.”
Flushed, Ruby nods and gets into the plane with the others at her tail. She starts the systems and rolls the vehicle onto the runway.
Every time her heart beats, the world whisks away.
“Systems ready,” she says.
Her palms sweat as she increases speed. The sound of the engines roars against her eardrums. On the runway, an alarm blares, and lights shine around them. They’re caught, but she can get them out of this.
“Increasing speed,” she mutters to herself. “Come on...”
A loudspeaker echoes: “Stop!”
“Let’s go!” Vash cries, holding the frightened children.
They take off into the air. They rise above the toxic haze of the world below, treading into blue skies.
That’s when Ruby feels it. Her blood pressure drops, and she fades like a fallen leaf. Her vision distorts until everything disappears. She let’s go of the wheel.
What’s… happening…?
She feels the engines putter out. They’re going down.
Rae