Chapter 50

SKYLINE SKIRMISH

South Los Angeles, California, United States

Gen and Emperor banked around a towering skyscraper as they made their way for the south end of the city. The sun glinted off the building’s glass facade like a blinding spotlight. The sprawling metropolis stretched out below them, a maze of streets and buildings that seemed to go on forever. They flew high, the wind whipping through Gen’s hair as they tried to stay out of sight of the authorities on the ground.

As they progressed into a more densely populated part of Los Angeles, the continuous battle they were facing became ever apparent. The billboards were everywhere in this area. Terrifyingly, their messages had grown even darker and more twisted with each passing block.

“Distrust the shadows in the sky,” one of the brainwashing billboards proclaimed. Unlike the others, the letters weren’t block form, but rather, sickly dripping with venom. Gen knew at once that the magitech would convince unknowing citizens to fear her and her dragon.

She had to give the Commissioner credit. He’d sprung into action, using his evil tools to his advantage. Charlie Sloane would know what she and Emperor were doing and he was going to use the very people she was trying to protect to stop them. But she was determined not to allow it to work. They just had to be smarter than their enemy.

Her gaze narrowed on another billboard, not as far as the last one, looking down on a busy six-lane highway.

“Burn the betrayers torching the towers and save your city,” it read. This was a not-so-subtle jab at the dragon and his rider—meant to destroy them. Things had just gotten a lot more personal for Gen.

She gritted her teeth, her heart pounding with a mixture of anger and disbelief. The Commissioner was playing dirty. He was trying to turn the city against them and painting them as the villains in this twisted fairy tale. Everything was all about perspective and from the viewpoint of the citizens, Gen and Emperor would look like threats. But she wasn’t about to let him win, not when the stakes were this high.

Emperor sensed her frustration, his thoughts brushing against hers like a soothing balm. “We’ve got this,” he seemed to say without saying a word out loud or in her head. His wings beat with a steady rhythm as they soared above the chaos below.

And then Gen saw it—the third tower rising up from the coast like a jagged tooth. It was nestled in the heart of the urban jungle, which was such a strange juxtaposition of nature and technology. The ocean was so gorgeous, crashing against the soft shores. And the tower was the opposite, an unnatural structure trespassing on the beauty all around it. The sight made her skin crawl.

But as they drew closer, Gen felt a flicker of hope spark to life in her chest. She had an idea, a plan that just might work. It was a long shot, but then again, what about this whole mission wasn’t?

Emperor picked up on her thoughts, his own excitement mingling with hers like a jolt of electricity. They charged forward, the ocean sparkling before them like a bed of diamonds. Conversely, the tower loomed ahead like a giant to be slain.

Gen couldn’t help but grin from the thrill of the hunt and the potential of victory singing in her veins. This was what she lived for, these moments of pure, unadulterated magic, where anything was possible and the impossible was just another challenge to be conquered. The wind whipped at her face and the salty spray of the sea was an instant welcome relief from the stifling heat of the city. Gen closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation, the freedom of the skies that was hers and Emperor’s alone.

As they neared the tower, Gen’s focus sharpened. Her mind already raced with the details of her plan. She knew that this one wouldn’t be like the other towers they’d taken down. And also, the Commissioner would have some new tricks up his sleeve. That’s why she and Emperor had to be smarter than him. They had to do the unexpected.

Gen would be ready for whatever came next. With her magic humming beneath her skin like a living and breathing being she was eager to unleash this power upon the world. And with Emperor by her side, his strength and courage were a constant reassuring presence in her mind.

As they hurtled towards the tower, the sun at their backs and the wind in their faces, Gen felt a grin spread across her face, wide and wild and full of reckless abandon. The third tower didn’t stand a chance against them. Not when she felt like such an unstoppable force who was meant to save the city, one broadcast at a time.

What Gen had planned was beyond crazy. It was a desperate gambit in a game where the rules kept changing. But she had never been one to play by the rules, and with the fate of Los Angeles hanging in the balance, she was ready to throw the playbook out the window and make her own luck.

The tower grew larger with every passing second. Its metal frame glinted brightly in the sun like a beacon of false hope. But Gen’s hope was real, a tangible force that filled her heart and hardened her resolve. She was ready for this, ready to take on the Commissioner and his army of deception. Gen was ready to fight for the truth—no matter the cost.

As they closed in on the tower, Gen’s grin only grew wider. It was her silent challenge to the forces that sought to control her city, her people and her world.

“Bring this on,” she whispered, her words lost to the wind but her meaning crystal clear. The third tower was going down, and Gen and Emperor were just the ones to do it.