Daegelus | Volume One: Subject 0333

Chapter Forty | PNR

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A static, distorted voice suddenly blared over the radio, making Elijah flinch in startlement. He looked around the cockpit; everyone was still asleep.

"Unidentified aircraft, respond now or we will be forced to fire on you, over," the voice buzzed.

Elijah scowled and kicked August's leg.

The fae man woke with a confused grunt and sat up, taking his earplugs out. "What?"

"They're going to shoot us down if you don't say something," Elijah snarled.

"What?"

"Unidentified aircraft, you are flying in a restricted zone."

"Oh, shit," August muttered as he grabbed his headset and put it on. "Uh, this is Emberwing 7118, please repeat message, over."

"Emberwing 7118, you are flying in restricted airspace. Turn back now or we will be forced to send a military escort. Over."

"Military escort?" came Jake's confused voice. "What's going on?"

"We've reached Ascela," August said as he started hastily rummaging through a drawer of papers and files. "Uh...copy that, I, uh..." he grabbed a piece of brown card with messy writing on it. "I'm transporting a V.I.P. His security passcode is 0-4-5-5-3-1-0-0. Over."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "I thought you couldn't lie."

"Only when I'm asked questions," August said matter-of-factly.

"That security code is void," the voice over the radio replied. "Its owner died three weeks ago. Please stand by for military escort. Over."

"He died?" August exclaimed to himself.

"Don't you have other codes?" Elijah questioned.

The fae man shook his head. "I've only ever transported that one guy before; I didn't know he died—that was our only way through Ascela."

Elijah scowled frustratedly and gritted his teeth—

"Zoe has a code," Jake blurted. "She...she should have one."

August's eyes widened a little. "Right, yeah. Rich parents means no-go zones are let's-go zones."

Jake leaned across the cockpit and shook the girl. "Zoe," he insisted. "Zoe, wake up."

The girl murmured in complaint. "What?" she grumbled.

"We're in a bit of an emergency right now."

Zoe sat up. "What? What's going on?"

"We need your dads' security code," Jake told her.

She frowned at him. "What?"

"We're in restricted airspace," August said. "You have a V.I.P. code or something, right?"

Zoe looked hesitant as she set her eyes on Elijah.

"Give it to him," the demon said.

"Emberwing 7118, military escort is en-route. Over."

The girl's frown thickened. "Military escort?" she exclaimed.

"Give him the code!" Jake insisted.

"Uh...it's...uh...0-2-7-1-1-9-6-0," she said.

August spoke into his microphone, "Uh, this is Emberwing 7118. We've had a little mix-up with our security code. V.I.P.'s code is 0-2-7-1-1-9-6-0. Over."