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….
"No, no, not there," I stopped my companions, who, upon exiting the bunker, had headed toward the duty helicopter belonging to the base staff.
"Don't we need a helicopter?" Sarah worried, squinting hard against the hot Mexican sun, which, after the artificial lighting of the bunker, slightly hurt even my eyes.
"There are no roads nearby, and it's several days' walk to the nearest settlement," she added, as if genuinely afraid I would drag them through the desert despite all previous assurances… Or maybe because of them, I did mention the need to walk a bit…
"You don't want your employers' specialists investigating the incident to discover one of the helicopters missing, do you? Honestly, that wouldn't fit the legend of your demise very well," I winked at the woman. "Besides, we have our own transport."
Turning around, I snapped my fingers, dispelling the illusion on the vertical take-off aerial steed I had borrowed back in New York.
It was positioned specifically in the far corner of the airfield, away from the hangar where the local vehicles stood.
But I didn't overcomplicate the distance; after all, even a live broadcast from the bunker's surveillance cameras to the world wide web wouldn't have hindered my plans.
In short, a couple of dozen steps later, we were climbing into the cabin.
"Where to next?" the scientist asked when the entrance door slammed shut.
"North, obviously. All roads lead north," I answered carelessly, settling comfortably into the pilot's seat.
"Um…" it was clear Miss Kinney just couldn't get into the Spirit of the Hunt or simply the situation.
But Laura was great; she obviously didn't give a damn.
Walk through a base full of corpses? OK. Climb into a helicopter that appeared out of thin air? OK. Blow the bunker to hell? Also OK. Gold, not a child. If only I could teach her to smile, she'd be absolutely delightful!
"Right," I cracked my knuckles, surveying the instruments with anticipation, "need to pull this thingy, flip this pimple, and press this button."
"Do you know how to fly helicopters, Mr. Loki?" Sarah inquired cautiously.
"I am an ancient Norse God!" I was outraged. "Of course I know how to fly this helicopter of yours, I saw something similar in a movie! What was it called?.. Ah yes, Mad Max! True, we'll be in the sky, but that's even better!"
In response, the woman began frantically strapping Laura in, and then herself.
"Just kidding, just kidding," I calmed the passenger. "All your Earth technology is terribly primitive. No Machine Spirits, no Cyberdemons, not even a simple neural interface with a genetic marker, just grab whatever you want and do whatever comes into your head!"
I was exaggerating a little, of course, but I couldn't exactly explain that I downloaded piloting knowledge from Stryker's memory, could I?
That doesn't sound nearly as impressive as Machine Spirits, although I can't imagine what fool would use them for a vehicle smaller than a strike cruiser.
Confirming my words, the helicopter engine roared, and soon it rose into the air. I set a course for the northeast, mentally preparing to be bored.
We had about five hours of flight ahead, and then another hour of trudging to the city through uninhabited wasteland from the place where I planned to land and hide the chopper.
And for most of that time, I wouldn't have time for entertainment, even ignoring the numerous phantoms.
When we had flown about eight kilometers away, a dull pop sounded from behind.
A cloud of dust rose over the base, after which the top of the bunker neatly folded inward, the structure couldn't withstand the powerful internal explosion and collapsed like a house of cards.
"Well, that's that," I announced with relief for Sarah. Say what you will, but maintaining so many pseudo-material illusions, and casting through them, even just one spell, is very stressful.
"You managed to transform that volume of air so quickly?" the scientist stared at me in amazement.
"Oh! It was not quickly, Surtur take it!" I objected with all my inner feeling. "I almost got a migraine from distributing attention in fifty directions! By the way, there's a thermos of cocoa and a fridge with pastries in the corner," I nodded toward the cabin.
"Knowing the power of small children, I took extra, but I'm counting on at least one éclair and one cup!" I emphasized the particularly important part of the sentence.
By the way, it wouldn't hurt to warn Charles that he's expecting an addition to the student body. And the faculty, yes… Although he'll be discussing that with the geneticist woman himself…
….
Everything went strictly according to plan, as befits the God of Intrigue, Cunning, and Other-Interesting-Things.
I didn't bother Charles, though. He's an elderly man; why give him unnecessary worries? This way it will be a pleasant surprise.
And no, this is, of course, in no way connected with the fact that he won't be able to immediately place a "woman with a child" dragged in by his slightly mad history teacher anywhere, but won't throw them out either.
Therefore, the only way out will be to leave Sarah at the school. And then things will work themselves out… ahem, in a manner of speaking.
Anyway, we landed safely among the hills… or should I say dunes here? Various bushes with tufts of grass seem to grow, but the wind carries sand too… In short, doesn't matter.
Basically, the helicopter touched down about a kilometer and a half from some small American town, and I gave the command to leave the vehicle.
"Where are we?" Dr. Kinney didn't fail to inquire, looking around through the cockpit glass.
"Somewhere in the USA," I answered honestly.
"I understand that, but where exactly?"
"No idea," not looking at the scientist, I succinctly cut all systems, "but it doesn't matter. Unload."
"Is this a joke?"
"No. And not mockery," I suppressed an involuntary smile trying to crawl onto my face at the sight of the woman. "We just need to get rid of the helicopter, there's barely any fuel left, and I don't want to suffer transforming it out of the surrounding sand."
"But why couldn't we fly to the city? We saw it from above!" Sarah didn't stop her questioning.
"Because it will be easier for us if no one finds it."
"But how will they not find it just a kilometer from the city?"
"Oh, these scientists," I turned to Laura with a smirk, "you'd think they'd wait and see, but no, just let them bombard you with questions."
The girl remained silent in response, continuing to portray a thinking brick with her face, only shifting her gaze from me to mom and back.
Such a good, wary, and at the same time very curious look, like: what else will these adults pull, and how should I react?
….
Bonus Chapter on every 500 power stones;
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters from here you can visit my Patre-on.
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