Chapter 89: The Second Order
The pickup station was quiet, just the distant hum of the city air traffic above and the occasional flicker of holograms advertising things Xavier would never buy.
And then, the silence shattered.
A convoy of armored AeroCruisers descended like thunder, scattering the few pedestrians and bringing traffic to a halt. Patrol cops blocked the road, guiding all nearby flyers to reroute. The lead black vehicle hovered down first, lowering itself with a hiss of pressurized air before touching ground.
The side door of the car opened. One of the officers who had been riding inside stepped out and walked straight to the transport van behind. The van’s rear door slid open.
Dominic Hart was seated comfortably in the back seat, one leg crossed, eyes behind dark visors glowing with interface data. He looked at Xavier through the open door.
"What are you waiting for? Get in," Dominic said.
Xavier didn’t move. His expression was blank. "This isn’t how I was taken from the academy."
Dominic’s eye twitched. His hand balled into a fist for a moment before he gave a sharp exhale and tapped his wrist device. "Switch it," he ordered.
The officer who had gone to the van turned back, signaled the others. They stepped out wordlessly and guided Xavier into the same car as Dominic.
As Xavier sat down beside him, the door closed with a quiet thunk, sealing them off from the noise outside. A moment later, the engines flared and the entire convoy lifted off.
Inside the cruiser, the silence was tense. Dominic watched Xavier out of the corner of his eye.