Second Wind

Chapter 7: Back to Detroit

As per the scientists' instructions, she got herself a final ride to the San Jose Airport - as she watched the buildings of Silicon Valley move past her from the taxi window, she let out a sigh as she looked out into the rapidly shifting environment around her. She did not stay here long, and although she enjoyed the overall feel of this place, she knew that she could not rest knowing that her killers were still rampaging on the streets of her home. With that thought fresh in her mind, she closed her eyes as a small frown cracked on her lips. A lone thought took center stage in her conscience as they soon arrived at the airport:

"Rest time is over, you Pathfinder scum..."

After coughing up the money for the driver, she got herself off the vehicle and on the pavement next to the road as she made her way towards the entrance gates. As she got herself into the general vicinity, many quickly noticed the shotgun that was holstered on her back along with the machine pistol on her side - because of this, most of the people near the entrance found themselves in a panic as they quickly backed away from her, essentially distancing themselves from the vigilante and not getting themselves close to her as Blake looked around, wondering what was bothering them. When she momentarily shifted her attention towards her firearms, she rolled her eyes from one end to another before speaking up to the others surrounding her in a clearly irritated fashion. In reality, she was lot more miffed, but she chose to restrain her anger, knowing that it was pointless to waste it on them.

"Jeez, calm down, you guys. You've seen a lot worse, you know."

Once she provided them with at least some reassurance that she will not go hostile on them, most of the citizens seemed to have relaxed themselves before moving on, returning to their own business. A few of them looked to still be cautious though, given how they occasionally looked at her to see if she would do anything dodgy, but really, she chose to ignore those paranoia-fueled people at the end of the day. After a bit of walking around to find the person that she was looking for, she finally found the man in black, which just so happened to be the Asian guard that took her from the Davison Freeway on the day she died...but that was something she did not know yet.

Upon setting her gaze on him, she walked up to the man as she flashed him a smile before speaking up.

"You must be the one who they spoke of. You're the guy from the company, right?"

"...if you're talking about the place where they brought you back to life, then yes. I am the one you are looking for."

"Damn, that was direct. How are you related to them, anyway?"

"...I brought you here in the first place."

Upon hearing the guard's involvement in this whole debacle, her eyes widened as she blankly stared at him for a good moment before closing her eyes and shut and taking a deep breath, letting it all off in one calming sigh as she gave her a nod afterward.

"I see...thanks, I guess. Anyways, no more wasting time. We should get going."

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

With that, the guard got moving as he gestured her to follow behind him, a gesture which she instantly received as she tailed him. The interior of the airport definitely looked like something straight out of a movie - the place looked so unimaginably pristine, it was hard to believe that it was so well-maintained. The airport, much like the city, was immensely busy as well...probably even busier than Silicon Valley itself. There were people moving around and about, some heading for the departure halls, some going for the cacophony of duty-free stores that were free for one to peruse and visit. There were some going to the countless restaurants and cafes that existed within the airport grounds as well - this place really did have everything.

The guard ignored everything around him and just made his way directly to the departure hall, and as he made his way towards the security gates, a female guard momentarily stopped them from in their tracks as she posed a question to the man upon noticing the lack of a passport or even flight tickets for that matter.

"I see you don't have your necessary documents. State your purpose and where you are heading to."

"...private flight. The destination is Detroit."

"Detroit...I'm sure you know that Wayne County has long since discontinued."

"I'm aware. I'm not the one going there. She is."

The guard then stepped over to the side, revealing Blake as she waved at the woman. When she noticed the firearms that she possessed on her person, she quickly shifted her attention back to him as she spoke up involving the weapons that she was carrying on her.

"You know we don't allow weapons in the premises."

"Look, I know that you're doing your job, but this is of urgent matters. She's being taken back to her home ground at the request of VitaTech."

"VitaTech...you mean that pharmaceutical company? Why are they involved with this?''

As soon as that question was posed to him, he pulled something out of his pocket, revealing some folded up papers. After unfolding them and handing it to her, she received it from the guard before beginning to read its contents. They seemed to be clearance papers of sorts which granted him and Blake permission to leave the state, and when she read the end of the papers, which displayed some signatures along with some summarizing words, she folded up the papers once again before handing it to the guard and stepping aside, allowing them passage.

"Go right ahead. Be careful."

He merely gave her a nod as he gestured towards Blake once again whilst heading down the escalators to get through the customs, and later the airport runway.

"Let's get moving."

"Ugh, don't have to remind me, big man..."

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After a relatively uneventful time through the rest of airport security, the two would eventually find themselves outside of the airport building and on the runway. Blake could see dozens of airplanes surrounding her - some still stationary, a few already moving out. She could even see some taking off as well, though the sound of the planes proved to be rather deafening, which probably explains why she was keeping her ears plugged at all times using her hands as she silently followed the guard towards their designated plane.

It would take a few minutes, but the duo eventually arrived at their aircraft, which was revealed to be a pitch black jet with VitaTech's logo emblazoned on the tail of the vehicle. Blake displayed a rather impressed look on her face, and after the man approached the plane until he was basically standing a few meters away from it, he brought out a key in his pocket as he pressed a button on it - at that split second, the entrance door of the jet opened up as it slowly dropped down to the floor. Once it came into contact with the asphalt, a set of metal bars jutted out from the door, essentially making it into a makeshift staircase in the process to allow them access into the jet interior.

With the staircase set up, the man walked over to the side of the stairs before coming to a halt just at the staircase's foot. He then motioned to Blake to enter the plane first. Not wanting to waste any more time, she quickly made her way towards the jet before walking up the flight of stairs. However, just as she was about to head inside, she took one last look at the airport building behind her, cracking a rather solemn smile before letting out a huff and promptly getting herself in. Now that the vigilante was inside, the guard swiftly followed suit as he jogged up the stairs, and once he was inside the vehicle, he pressed on the button on his key as the metal bars retreated back inside in an instant before the door closed itself up, sealing them inside the vehicle in the process.

As the man made himself comfortable at the driver's seat, Blake was busy making herself comfortable at the passenger seat as she took one good look at the jet interior which surrounded her - it definitely looked posh in design, and it was definitely made with more than two people in mind, as there were four chairs that faced opposite each other, with a small table separating those chairs. There was also a bathroom behind her as well, along with a small kitchenette which could be used to cook something basic, provided they actually brought some readymade food to work with, anyway. The guard looked over to the side, posing Blake a question as he powered the vehicle on. The sound of turbines could be heard roaring with exponentially increasing loudness as the seconds ticked on.

"You ready, ma'am?"

"...ready as I'll ever be."

"Then put your seatbelt on, we're preparing for takeoff."

With that, the guard places his hands on the steering wheel of the plane as he gets the jet onto the runway while Blake gets her seatbelt buckled. After a few minutes of bolting down the runway at an increasing speed, the man gets the plane moving upward into the air as the aircraft takes off, bringing the vehicle soaring through the skies as the vigilante looked out the window, seeing how they were getting further away from the ground, much to her amazement. Sure, she knew how flights work, but judging by her reaction, she most certainly has never been in one until now. Once the plane was above the clouds and the initial take off turbulence ceased, she continued staring out the window, gazing towards the clouds that soared alongside the plane as she expressed her thoughts out loud.

"You know...I've never had an experience like this before."

"Flying, madam?"

"...yeah. I'm surprised that you actually answered me. You strike me as the very quiet time."

"That is true, but...it is only fair that you have someone to talk to."

"...that sounds nice."

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After spending a few hours airborne, the duo finally arrived at the city of Detroit as the guard prepared for landing at the dilapidated Wayne County Airport. As the plane dived downward and went below the clouds, both he and Blake could see how the airport looked from above. The same could be seen for most of the city as well. For the vigilante, it was fun for her to just let go of her worries for a while, but she knew that good things had to come to an end either way. A saddened look was evident on her face when she saw the sorry state of the entire city down below. Everything looked destroyed, ruined...devoid of life and peace. It was a depressing sight to behold.

As they inched closer and closer towards the airport runway, Blake closed her eyes as the man brought the jet downward even further. After a few minutes had transpired, the jet's wheels were brought out as they inevitably came into contact with the asphalt. As they barreled down the road, the aircraft's speed began to rapidly dwindle as they grew slower and slower, and with it, the turbulence grew less prevalent with each passing second. It soon reached a point where the shakiness ceased while the jet soon grounded itself to a complete halt.

Once the turbines died down as the vehicle was powered off, the guard got himself off the driver's seat before approaching the vigilante.

"We've arrived."

"...I'm aware. I can already feel the need for violence creeping in."

Although the man did not display any form of emotion involving Blake's omen, he was admittedly slightly unnerved when he heard this - it was as if she was a completely different person here. Nevertheless, he brought forth the key to bring down the door and activate the staircase, and after he escorted Blake out of the plane and onto the runway, the man would remain within the vehicle as he stood on top of the staircase.

While Blake attempted to adjust herself to familiar territory, she heard a few parting words from the guard behind him as he gave her a wave goodbye just as she tilted her head to the side to glance at him.

"Watch yourself. You have a long road ahead of you - I just hope that you can make it to the end of your ordeal."

In response to his motivational words, she merely cracks a smile before returning his wave with another, all while giving him some reassuring words.

"I'll be fine. Now get outta here before someone spots you."

Taking the vigilante's words to heart, the man quickly heads back inside the plane as he withdrew the door once more, and in a matter of seconds, the plane turbines burst to life yet again as the jet remained stationary for about a minute or two in order for the turbines to reach full power - it did not take long for the plane to soon hit the runway, and as Blake watched it take off and enter the veil of clouds, she stared back down on the road as she took a deep breath.

Here she was, back home where she belonged. This...ground of pandemonium.

Time to get to work.

Knowing that the first order of business was to get herself a ride, she quickly got herself out of the runway and into the abandoned airport as she sought to get herself to an impound which she knew was near this building - this place in particular was a complete far cry compared to the near-perfect status that San Jose boasted. The halls were barren, with some floor tiles chipped off from the ground, revealing the dusty cement underneath it. Some pillars were either partially or completely overrun with creepers, and the air within the building felt arid...one could easily suffocate in such an environment. Nevertheless, Blake pressed on and eventually gets herself out of the airport. Once she was out on the road, she looked side to side, seeing that there were virtually no cars or even motorcycles around. Even if there were, they looked to have rusted beyond rescue or pillaged to the point where all of its parts have been robbed.

With time clearly of the essence here, she briskly walked down the road, knowing that she needed to check out the nearby impound for herself - there had to be something there which she could use to allow her navigation throughout Detroit's streets. After all, there was no way she was going to walk to and fro like what she was doing now. After ten minutes had passed, she finally found the place that she was looking for - the impound. However, the closer she got to the area, the more suspicious and cautious she became as she slowed herself down with each step that she took. The fact that there were a slew of motorcycles parked on the opposite end of the impound meant that there were people there - what kind of people, though...that was what she had to find out for herself.

Once she got herself considerably close to the western end of the impound, she hides herself amongst some dried out shrubbery and half-dead plants as she decided to see what was going on from afar. While one half of the impound was obstructed by a wall of tires behind another wall which was made of barbed wire, she could see what was going on at the other half, which was made up of a big open area that filled with some motorcycles lined up in rows and columns, a separate office-like building presumably situated in the middle of the impound, and the entrance of the impound itself, with no gate to be seen.

However, what caught her attention the most was the scene that was going on at the open area of the impound. There were a bunch of masked individuals that seemed to have cornered someone to the wall, and judging by how much the cornered person was cowering and shaking, she made the assumption that this unfortunate soul was possibly the impound owner. Not wanting to have excessive attention directed towards her, she continued to keep herself within cover - this time, however, she draws her pistol as she slightly aimed it out from the shrubbery. She closes her eyes to focus down on one of the individuals as she waited for some kind of indication that would force her to sting into action. Upon seeing that person she was targeting was wearing an animal mask, she felt her heart sink as she was overwhelmed with irritation at that moment - great. There was a Pathfinder presence before her.

What were they doing there, though? Wayne County, according to what she could recall, was a place that was not supposed to have much of a gangster presence to begin with , seeing how the overall area displayed a lack of...well, interesting locations. The fact that mobsters were suddenly here meant that something was definitely going on. A conclusion seemed to have formed in her conscience while she thought about why they would be here in the first place, all while she kept her focus on the assailants and monitoring the situation's developments.

"They must've spotted the plane..."

That seemed to be the only reason she could only think of, and it also sounded like the most sensible as well. Her arrival could definitely alert the gang, seeing how very little gets in and out of Michigan, let alone Detroit. With that in her mind, she knew that she needed to make sure that her identity was masked completely, to ensure that no one will know about her return to the city. Once she came to that decision, she quickly shifted her attention back to the masked gangsters and the impound owner that they were harassing. She could hear a conversation being shared between them as well, though the air of hostility could be very much felt, implying that there was nothing civil going on at the moment between them.

"Alright, you goddamn coffin-dodger. We've learned that a plane has landed at the nearby airport. What do you know about it, and has anyone visited this place after the plane landed? You better be honest with us, or else we'll chop your tongue out and nail it to your damn forehead."

"I-I swear I don't know what you're talking about! I heard the plane, yeah, but I've not seen any one other than you and your posse show up here! I'm being honest!"

Despite the man desperately telling his captors his side of the story, it seems that they're not buying it, as the frustrations began to intensify. One of them, who was wearing a pig mask, begins to step out and separate themselves from the group as they started to brandish a knife - an act that begins to terrify the absolute daylights of the owner as he began to look side to side, realizing that he could not escape them seeing how they virtually cornered him against the wall now as the slowly approaching gangster (who'll now be named by the animal mask they wear, Pig), quickly grabs them by the throat, causing the man to stop moving on the spot. However, this did not stop him from huffing and puffing intensely, further displaying his current state of panic.

While Pig keeps him immobilized, the mobster who initially spoke with him, who is wearing a pigeon mask, reiterated his question once again with greater ferocity in their voice.

"I'll ask you one more time. WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"I don't know, I swear to god I don't know...!"

"God dammit...this guy is fuckin' USELESS! NECK 'EM!"

As soon as Pigeon gave the command to kill, Pig quickly raises his knife into the air, getting ready to plunge it right into the owner's mouth - something that makes the man completley hysterical as he desperately started to thrash about, wanting to free himself from his assailant's vicelike grip.

"PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!!!"

Just as he was about to get the job done and dispatch the impound owner, however, a gunshot would suddenly ring out into the air - a noise that immediately caught everyone's attention as their vigilance shot through the roof. They quickly looked around them, attempting to find where the source of the noise came from, but nothing was discovered. A few meters away from the impound, a nearly invisible trail of smoke could be seen bellowing from the shrubbery that Blake was hiding herself in - she had taken the shot.

As she eyed the mobsters, she cracked a smile as she realized that she truly was back in action. Pig, who was planning to drive the knife down the man's throat, was completely still. It was at this moment where Pigeon immediately noticed him violently shaking in place before letting go of the owner and collapsing onto the ground, revealing a bullet wound on his forehead in the process.

"...we're not alone! FIND THEM!!"