Chapter 51

TOWER TAKEDOWN

South Los Angeles, California, United States

Gen’s heart raced as Emperor soared higher, his wings slicing through the air like a spear through mist. The city behind them felt like it could attack at any moment. That’s why Gen knew they had to take chances. She wished that she could write her own message on a billboard, explaining what was happening. Since she couldn’t, she had to extinguish the brainwashing before the citizens took her down.

As they reached the apex of the tower, Emperor’s talons latched onto the structure. With a jerk, he followed Gen’s plan, but wasn’t immediately successful—the permanent structure resisting his attempts to yank it from its place. They assumed it would take a massive effort and weren’t deterred. Emperor’s muscles strained as he began to pull. The tower groaned in protest, its metal bones creaking and popping as the dragon’s colossal strength tested its limits.

Gen braced herself as her dragon yanked and pulled, his muscles buckling under her. She felt powerless, only watching his efforts. Still, she was in awe of his strength as Emperor wrenched. His actions caused wires to snap and bolts to pop. The tower’s foundation began to crumble under Emperor’s relentless assault. The sound of metal crunching filled the air, a symphony of destruction that was music to her ears.

But even as the dragon worked, Gen couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Where were the authorities? They had to know what was happening, especially with the billboards now spewing their venomous messages, targeting the dragon and his rider with a fury that made Gen’s blood boil.

She kept a vigilant eye on the city around them, although Emperor’s attempts to uproot the tower were yanking her every which way. Gen stayed low, not wanting to risk whiplash when the tower finally gave way. Also, wires and debris were flying everywhere as the dragon dismantled the tower with his efforts of upending it.

Gen felt one of the legs in the foundation give way. She almost rejoiced, but immediately after the small victory, she saw something. A swarm of helicopters was rising up from the horizon like angry hornets. Headed straight in their direction. And they were equipped with weapons—at the ready.

“Oh, hell,” Gen muttered, her heart sinking as she realized just how real this fight had become. But she wasn’t about to back down, not when they were so close to their goal.

Emperor didn’t look away from his job. Actually, his attempts only intensified. They now had a very fast ticking clock.

With a surge of determination, Gen decided to help using magic. Emperor and she had wanted to conserve their magical reserves since there were five towers and much to do. However, she’d just have to replace the energy after this. Getting this tower destroyed was the immediate goal. Then surviving the oncoming attacks. What came next, well, they’d deal with that afterwards.

Gen felt her magical powers coursing through her veins like liquid fire. She focused her energy on the tower, her spells weaving through Emperor’s brute force like a needle through cloth. Like before, she was loaning him her strength, enhancing his own by using the power owed to her by being a magician.

Together, they worked in perfect harmony, the dragon’s strength and the rider’s magic. It made for a lethal combination that the tower was powerless to resist. Metal screeched and groaned as the structure began to tear away from its foundation, the ground shaking with the force of their assault. The other three legs were almost separated completely.

However, the helicopters were closing in on them like angry birds in the sky. Their blades sliced through the air like razors through fine silk. The torrent of wind that the massive machines unleashed was unnerving. And the noise was deafening. The smell, well, it was unnatural.

Immediately, like they’d been magically powered, the vehicles surged forward. Suddenly, the helicopters were on them. Gen ducked and weaved, trying to avoid being tossed off her dragon’s back. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she tried to escape the whirling blades that seemed to come at her from every direction.

One chopper got so close, its blades sliced through the air just inches from Gen’s head. She could feel the wind from the near miss, the adrenaline surging through her veins like a drug. The massive machine-like dragons were so close that several times, Gen spotted the men hanging from the open doors. They held guns, but luckily, they were too off-balance to shoot. Emperor’s efforts to yank the tower from its place and his own beating wings were complicating things for everyone. It was the most chaos that Gen had ever been a part of.

Gen watched as one of the helicopters retreated and she knew that wasn’t a good sign. She couldn’t even pretend to hope that they were giving up. All too well, Gen knew that they were backing up to get a better aim on the dragon and rider. And whereas the guns that the police officers had used before hadn’t harmed Emperor, Gen worried that the huge weapons mounted on the helicopter could do the dragon real damage.

Thankfully though, Emperor was relentless. In a powerful and incredible attempt, he gripped the tower and yanked what most might think unbreakable until it was free. The transmitter released entirely from its anchorages with a triumphant roar. It shot up as Emperor flew back from the sudden relief. Gen nearly was tossed off her dragon and into the ocean below. The pair did a half somersault, the tower in tow and almost hitting both of them. But in an act of grace and brilliance, Emperor corrected the movement, righting himself once more.

The helicopters all scattered like frightened animals—not wanting to be assaulted by the flinging tower held by the dragon. He was like a dog with a bone…a very large one. The pilots of the vehicles struggled to maintain control as the dragon swung the tower through the air as if it were a giant club. They darted back, battling the wind unleashed by the efforts.

With a final, mighty heave, Emperor let the tower go, flinging it far out to sea. The massive structure flew a great distance. Its metal frame hurtled through the air like a spear. It narrowly missed one of the helicopters, the pilot swerving wildly to avoid the projectile.

The tower hit the water with an incredible impact. It sent up a geyser of foam and water, spraying droplets through the air that glittered in the sun like a million diamonds. The splash was huge, creating a tidal wave of victory that washed over Gen and Emperor and sent cool mist back at them.

The helicopters were in chaos, their formation broken and their pilots disoriented by the sudden turn of events. Gen and Emperor seized their chance like before. They used the turmoil of the huge waves and upset water to their advantage, turning and finding an exit. The ocean was a tumultuous monster suddenly, swelling and spitting water up, like a hurricane was brewing.

The dragon’s wings pounded furiously as they raced away from the scene. The wind whipped at Gen’s face as she tasted salty air mixed with the sweet flavor of triumph. They had done it! Another tower had been brought down. This was another blow struck against the Commissioner’s reign of slander.

There were still more towers to destroy and more minds to free from the shackles of control. But they were one step closer. Only two more transmitters left before the final showdown.