Chapter 9 – Chasing Many, Catching None

It was another two days before the first signal erupted across the Gliders’ open comms. The city staff had tracked the radio frequency that was used to trigger the first bomb, using that to detect any others in the vicinity.

“Report! Bogey detected in the Cloudview Sporting Arena. Personnel close by requested to investigate.”

Arwain checked his current position. It would take roughly one minute for him to intercept it. Before he could reply to the open channel, someone else did.

“This is Jake from State Fa- er, I mean FlightEx. Bogey is confirmed to be live. Already in hand and transporting out of the city. Please lock onto my location for radio interference.”

A few chuckles could be heard over the comms. Jake was well known for being a former poster boy for an insurance company before it went under. After a citywide measure to set up flight safety, claims for aerial accidents went straight to the government’s hands. With cars phased out and homes provided by the city, the typical insurance company gradually fell into ruin. Jake transferred jobs, taking his famed identity with him to lead a new Glider company.

Arwain was the only one not laughing. FlightEx and other large companies had a big roster of Gliders compared to Silver Stream, making it easier to cover the entire city. He floated idly while Jake zoomed across the sky, an electronic shield materialized around him. This ensured that whoever was sending the destruct command would be blocked.

“Darn, there’s always next time,” Arwain whispered to himself.

“Bogey detected in Greenview Business District. Please confirm when bogey is found.”

Arwain didn’t hesitate to break away from his package route and zoom toward the new location, but as he approached the entrance to the congested district, someone else replied.

“Aerial from UGS. Bogey is live! Proceeding to escort outside the city.”

Arwain skidded to a halt, heaving a sigh at being beat once again. He started to fly back on track until more and more notices flooded the comms. With every call to action, he broke from his current objective to chase after it. And every time, someone happened to be closer.

Frustration built up as he didn’t get his chance, finally making his way to a customer with the package he was carrying.

“What kept you? I thought Silver Stream was supposed to be fast with the priority deliveries?”

Arwain gawked at the man, finally noticing that he had taken over an hour to deliver what should normally have taken under ten minutes. His repeated detours to chase after bombs had left him zigzagging across the city pointlessly.

“Sorry, Sir. There’s a bit of an event ongoing on that is slowing down service. I’ll definitely make it up to you next time.”

Arwain bowed at the man, who gave him a strange look. The public had no idea yet about the bomb threats all around. Mayor DeWine thought it was important to prevent any panic that would ensue. The public didn’t need to know that their livelihoods were being threatened. With a dissatisfied grunt, the man stomped away with his package.

“Jolly, hit me with-”

“Geez, Arwain. It’s not like you to go silent for so long. I was busy directing the others and nearly forgot about you!”

“Sorry, I was just-”

“Yes, yes. I can see what exactly you were doing. Your flight path tells me that you just had to poke your head at every opportunity, didn’t you? The mayor simply requested for everyone to work together and transport the bombs out of the city. There’s no need to get all gung-ho and forget your day job.”

Jolly knew how to stick it to him when it mattered. Her lack of tact when it came to him was an endearing point of hers. It was the wake-up call he needed to put his mind back on doing what needed to be done.

A package soared through the air, coming right for him. He zoomed upward and snatched it from the sky, just as the comms flared up again.

“Bogey detected at the university main entrance on-”

Arwain immediately shut it from his mind. He knew instantly that it was too far away. Someone else would take care of it. He had seen the entire crowd at city hall. No one wanted another tragedy to happen. They were united against ordeals, not rivals.

“Romain here with the live bogey! CityWide is on your side!~~”

Citywide was an example of an entire company shifting from insurance to delivery. It was hard for people to resist gloating about their company on open comms as a crew member got the spotlight for the moment, particularly if it had a memorable jingle to carry it.

With his wings firmly thrust in delivering the package in hand, he ignored the next few calls, taking only a few moments to acknowledge that they were out of reach.

“Greetings from Jester of Silver Stream! Bogey located and proceeding to exit, stage left.”

Arwain screeched to a halt. He started to open a comms directly with Jester, but then, he stopped himself.

What the hell am I doing?

Arwain’s first thought was to ask Jester to pass the bomb to him. He punched himself in the face to strike that from his mind. What the hell kind of person did it make him if he stole the glory from his own teammates?

“Yes, Arwain?” Jester replied, noticing the direct link.

“Errr, whacha doing there, Jester? That was our chance to advertise!” he quickly commented, diverting to a different topic.

“Hmm, maybe if you can convince me with a jingle that can stir the masses…”

Static overshadowed Jester’s voice as the signal jammer went into effect. Arwain’s plea to use his ‘riot’ shoutout fell on deaf ears.

-----

Jester smirked, knowing full well what Arwain was trying to convince him to say. But as it was in show biz, one only became a household name after people recalled fondly of one’s actions.

His fresh companion had much to learn about keeping a devoted audience. It was something that Jester had grown up facing since a young age.

“Starry-eyed youths are a treasure of their own,” Jester said as he soared farther and farther from the city limits. His destination was a landfill that stretched many kilometers wide, where the bomb could safely detonate in isolation. It posed a far less risk than trying to deactivate it themselves.

After all, Gliders had no experience in such things. Their duty was being the best at transport.

Jester looked down at the palm-sized ball blinking purple in his hands. He had found it at a nearby park for children, a dastardly place to stash it. There was no hesitation as soon as the signal for it locked onto a spot underneath a trampoline.

Despite the jamming signal around Jester now, there was no question that he was vulnerable to its detonation in the time that it took to retrieve the bomb and for city staff to lock onto his location.

If the bomb was interfered with any sooner, there was a risk that the jamming signal would be decoded and reversed, thereby endangering the Glider carrying it. Swift recovery and disposal were necessary as a result.

Jester had no qualms with putting himself on the line to preserve the smiling faces of children. There was no bigger anguish than seeing their hopes and dreams dashed in an instant. An entertainer of his caliber forbade such possibilities.

Once an entertainer, always one. Jester wouldn’t change himself simply because the circus tents were no longer filled and the crowds no longer felt thrilled. His next show could take on any form he desired.

The bomb left his grip, falling into the pit of discarded waste below. With a flap of his wings, Jester bolted from the site, turning his head back to see a large purple dome erupt and expand.

“Fireworks are necessary to end a grand show,” he joked to himself, stopping once he confirmed that the explosion was dying down. Moments later, the jamming shield dissolved.

“Bogey neutralized. No anomalies detected. We are grateful to you, Jester from Silver Stream.”

Even though he knew he couldn’t be seen from so far away, his first instinct was to bow.

“The pleasure is mine.”

With that, Jester made his way back toward the city. From the reports, a total of 12 bombs had been registered so far. No others had been announced in the time that it took for him to travel to the disposal site, half an hour away.

It seemed like things had died down, but Jester couldn’t help but wonder if it was too early to relax. After all, there were times when an audience wanted an encore.

“Umm, guys?”

Jester noticed that the Silver Stream channel was open suddenly.

“This is Arwain. What’s the worry, Dingleberry?”

“These bombs are supposed to react to proximity, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, we’re wearing sweepers that detect any traces of them. Why?”

“Oh good, then this beeping, round, purple thing in front of me isn’t a bomb. That’s a relief.”