Chapter 8 – I’ll Do it For Her

The mayor of Stratos, Douglas DeWine, was known to be a generous man. During his tenure, he had signed many propositions into act that guaranteed the welfare of its citizens. Subsidized food and housing, medical care, and flight training were guaranteed to those who couldn’t afford it.

Arwain’s family had benefited quite a bit from that, having moved to this city for that purpose. The world outside was still playing catch up to this progressive system. Due to the influx of people wanting wings as part of improving Stratos, the current mayor enjoyed a several-decade long service, which was carried over from past generations who contributed. Even now, the mayor was doing his best to address the recent issues.

That was exactly the reason that Arwain and Silver Stream found themselves in front of City Hall, early in the morning. Before a crowd of several hundred Gliders, the mayor floated down to the podium to greet them all.

He was a portly fellow, such that one could tell that most of his life was spent at a desk. The way his wings groaned and the thick gray streaks in his hair clearly showed his age. His finger curled the peppered mustache above a mouth that fumbled for a moment before it could find the right words.

“Thank you for showing up. I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to have you here, but the situation looks ominous. We have received word that a mysterious man named Daedalus has come forward, claiming responsibility for the Icarus bombing.”

Murmurs erupted in the crowd, many having heard of the events second-hand from the news. Arwain looked around and recognized some fellow Gliders that had been at the scene, helping to catch falling victims.

“As some of you know, the bomb unleashed a virus that injects itself into the programming of wing technology. It severs the connections between organic and inorganic matter, making our wings unable to hold themselves together. It is truly a nefarious attack on our society that relies so much on flight.”

A screen behind Mayor DeWine played footage of yesterday’s event, far more detailed than what was shown on news reports. The camera zoomed in on the victims’ wings, the disintegration and scattering of the appendages in clear view moments after they were struck by the purple light.

“This Daedalus, he has riled up many No-Flyers, catered to their pride, and called for a movement against those who ‘rise above them’. He has called for those followers to join him in planting more of these Icarus bombs, so that we can taste what it is like to be discriminated like them.”

“More bombs?”

“What do you want us to do?”

“How can we be protected from this?”

Several questions spewed from the crowd, laced with fear and uncertainty. The discourse grew louder and louder until the mayor banged a hand on his podium to call for attention.

“That is why I have called for all of you. You Gliders are the best we have – the most familiar with the city and the fastest to respond. Your delivery routes take you literally everywhere, an established network that makes it hard for one to stay hidden. Frankly, I need your help. They plan to place these bombs in busy areas, targeting high densities of population. What I am asking for are brave Gliders who service the livelihood of this city to aid in retrieving and disposing of any bombs that are detected.”

“But why can’t you have your police drones or whatever grab and dispose of them?” someone in the crowd asked.

Mayor DeWine bowed his head before the crowd, showing how serious the matter was.

“Unfortunately, Daedalus has thought of such a measure. Our police droids that patrol the city have been tampered with. Any of them that so much as comes within a meter of a bomb will set it to auto-detonate.”

More murmurs bounced around the crowd. A growing uncertainty spread throughout. It seemed like one’s own safety made it hard for anyone to step forward. Until one did.

A certain red-haired Glider approached the front, his eyes fixed on the mayor while others looked around at their teammates and contemplated their options. He yelled up to the podium.

“I became a Glider because I regretted not being able to deliver the one thing someone needed. Ever since then, I swore to myself, as fast as possible, wherever you need me. If you’re saying that the people in this city need a fast delivery, then I’ll be the first to say, sign me up.”

Arwain brought his thumb to his chest, proudly making his declaration. Footsteps stopped right behind him. And then several hands slapped his back, lingering there.

“You mean sign us up, right?” Jester spoke from the right.

“Silver Stream reporting for duty!” Sarge echoed from the left.

“You’d be lost without me, so I’m in as well.” Queen flipped over Arwain and landed right in front of him.

“I-I’m part of the team, too. So I’ll help however I can.” Even Dingleberry’s voice added to Arwain’s pride for his team.

And then, Jolly snuck in a final word. “Don’t think you can do anything without me looking after your behinds.”

The team’s participation set off a flurry of reconsiderations within the crowd. Others spoke up, volunteering as well. It started with FlightEx and United Glider Service (UGS), two of the largest delivery services and trickled down to the smaller companies.

Soon enough, no team wanted to miss out, so the entire audience was on board.

Mayor DeWine looked around at the enthusiasm, a tear starting to form in his eye. He looked down at Arwain and mutter a silent ‘thank you’ for being the spark that ignited everyone.

Arwain nodded and returned a salute before the mayor once again banged on the podium to call everyone’s attention back.

“I thank you all once again. As for the details, please have your operations connect directly to the city’s servers. That will allow us to detect the unique signature that the Icarus Bombs give off when a Glider is in close proximity. We can then take steps to inform everyone nearby for proper action. Until then, please continue with your duty. Bless all of you for your help, and bless this fair city of Stratos!”

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The rest of the day continued like normal, with no Icarus bomb sightings yet to be discovered. Arwain felt relieved that no incidents happened, but anticipation kept him from calming down.

This was his calling. This was the reason he had trained so hard to fly fast and far.

And he wasn’t alone for it. As weird of a group Silver Stream was, Arwain had confidence that they would keep the city safe. More than anything, he wanted to reject the fear that tried to creep up on him. The only way to fight that back was to face it head on.

“Because you’ve never been the type to give up so easily.”

Jolly’s reassurance the night before added to his expectations. If his best friend saw him in such a light, who was he to betray that?

With a grin, Arwain flopped into bed, tucked his wings under the covers, and prayed for success. Moments later, he slipped into another eventful dream.

It was the home of his childhood days, but several years had passed since he gained wings.

Arwain walked through the entryway, a bit unsteady and out of breath. He clutched a small paper bag in his hand as he rushed to his momma’s bedroom. But opening the door, he let out a tear as he saw one arm hanging down the side of the bed.

The bag dropped from his hand as he rushed to her side. It hit the ground, and a vial of pills spilled from inside.

“I’m sorry, Momma… I won’t be late ever again… please… I’ll be faster… I’ll…”

His momma died that day. Before that, Arwain never thought that being just a bit faster would mean the difference between life and death. But it just so happened that delays piled upon each other, including some that he could have prevented.

But amid those tears, he vowed that it would never happen again.

He would be swift. He would be timely. He wouldn’t let anyone tell him that it didn’t matter. Because he learned the hard way that it certainly did.

Suddenly, the boy of that time pulled away from him. He looked down at his current self, a full-fledged delivery man.

“I’ll make you proud, Momma. I’ll do for the city what I couldn’t for you.”

With that, the adult Arwain left his crying self behind, exiting the dream of the day he decided to become a Glider. He was ready to pursue his future.