Eric and the others were about halfway back to the Fortuna before Veronica pointed out they should probably call ahead and let everyone know that the approaching Scorpion chopper wasn't a threat.
The Newmans informed the team over the phone that they'd pull the ship out of the harbor before their arrival, so that the chopper's landing would draw less attention. They'd also send someone back to L.A. later to pick up the car the four had driven. Well, Adam had driven, as he usually did on missions.
Hopefully they wouldn't rack up too much of a parking fee. The garage they'd left the car in had steep rates.
The geokinetic they'd found at the hotel had elected to stay with her family, although they now planned to move and keep their new location a secret. With that sorted out, the Fortuna Guard had taken off in their new chopper and headed back to the ship.
Eric struggled to make the chopper do anything beyond moving up and down, but once Sam and Veronica joined him and Adam in the cockpit, they were collectively able to get it to fly forward. It was a bumpy ride after that, but they decided against transforming the thing into a jet, for the time being.
All things considered, though, it was a pretty great victory.
Other altered were training on the ship's deck when the chopper made its rough landing, and they immediately moved to check it out. Both Newmans were waiting, too. And Raveena.
"Sounds like the fight with Scorpion went well," Raveena said as Eric and the others hopped onto the deck. "I'm guessing Ash was there? And, uh, Wren and Seth?"
Eric's mouth opened, but Sam responded first. "Just Ash and Wren," he said. "And some soldiers."
Eric tried to speak again, but this time, Charles interrupted him.
"How on earth did you get a chopper all the way here?" Charles asked as he circled the aircraft, his voice brimming with excitement. "None of you have flown one before, right?"
"The control panel was pretty easy to figure out," Veronica said. She rested a hand on her hip. "Believe me, I wouldn't have let them fly us back if I wasn't sure we could do it safely."
Eric finally got a word in. "I think Scorpion designed it to be easy for their kids to use."
While Charles seemed eager to put the chopper to use, his sister's expression was more apprehensive. Beth's arms folded as she studied the Scorpion logo painted on the side. "We'll have to cover that up," she said. Turning toward the altered, she added, "We'll have our technicians look it over and see what they can learn. And make sure it's not being tracked."
"I'll go see if they're ready now," Charles said. He stepped away from the chopper and headed inside. Beth followed. As they left, some of the altered returned to training, while others stayed to check out the chopper. A few kids climbed inside to give the interior a look.
Eric glanced at the rest of the group. "Hey, you guys wanna go get lunch?"
"Uh, in a little bit," Veronica said. "I, uh, told Charles I'd help him with something." Before anyone could ask questions, she ran off to follow Charles and Beth inside.
"Do you know what that's about?" Eric asked, shooting Sam a confused look.
Sam shook his head. "No idea. But I'm starving."
"Adam?" Eric asked.
"I'll eat later," Adam replied. "I was gonna hit the gym first."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Dude, we're basically on a cruise, and you're still sticking to your workout regimen?"
YOU ARE READING
The Pyramid Chronicles: Fortuna Guard (#2)
Science FictionA month ago, all Eric wanted was to pass his high school classes. Now, he and the other superpowered altered from Tyche Point are desperately searching for a way to bring down Scorpion before its army catches them. Or kills them. And they have to do...
