[ * Brief change in POV here. A mysterious character. 😉 ]

A few minutes later, a stranger in a black hood walked up to the front door of Sky's home. Rain soaked him from head to toe.

"Hello?" his deep voice said as he knocked on the front door of Sky's home. "Anybody home?"

The stranger tried to spy through the windows, but all the lights were off. He sighed in defeat as he turned and stared at the stormy sky. Raindrops washed the gentle wrinkles beside his eyes and his greying eyebrows.

After all I've been through, I really hoped I'd find Halle and Sky. A shame nobody's here. I wonder where they might be, whether they're safe. Most of the city is destroyed. Evergreen... you'll pay for this!

How could Naomi, as Head of the Elite, allow this to happen? I need to talk to her. The sooner I do something about it, the better.

He walked back downtown while thunder echoed in the sky.

Hugging my family will have to wait.

[ * Back to Sky's POV. ]

Naomi opened the door of her garage.

The Nizzan Hyper Tourer, a marvel of automotive engineering resting in her garage, seamlessly blended aerodynamic prowess with futuristic aesthetics. Its sleek, streamlined body, adorned with a reflective rose gold and black coating, gave it an otherworldly appearance. The car's frame was accentuated by smooth, sweeping curves—which Kovak caressed with an approving nod, making Naomi smirk.

Kovak squatted right beside it as he stared at some components and said, "Innovative propulsion systems, including state-of-the-art electric turbines that extend from the sides of the vehicle during flight, right?"

Naomi nodded, the smile never fading from her face. "When grounded, these turbines seamlessly retract into the body, maintaining the car's elegant and compact design. The wings, crafted from lightweight yet durable materials, unfold gracefully to provide stability and lift during flight."

Kovak smiled and nodded, "Nice."

The teens stood behind them with a puzzled look on their faces when Kovak lengthened the vowel of that short compliment. Sky raised an eyebrow. These two get on really well, especially when mentioning tech—not to mention that they seem in love with the car.

When her Hyper Tourer was fully loaded with weapons, ammo, and people, Naomi climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the engine.

"Let's go to battle, people," she said with a hopeful smile.

They went into the vehicle. The interior of the Hyper Tourer was a futuristic cockpit, adorned with a holographic display that provided the driver with real-time data on altitude, speed, and navigation. The plush, black ergonomic seats were designed for both comfort and functionality.

The engine roared when Naomi started it. Buttons in neon rose gold light turned on, enabling all features. The wheels soon rolled on and on down the street.

Raindrops collided against the windshield in a harmonious but rash melody.

"Evergreen has too much advantage already. We have to hurry," Kovak said.

"Understood," Naomi replied.

Dodging debris and other remains of destruction, the tyres squeaked, but Naomi pushed the engine to work harder and gain more speed.

They entered the Main Avenue. The propulsion turbines raged when Naomi activated them. Wings unfolded on both sides and the Hyper Tourer took off into the sky. The vehicle's ability to seamlessly transition between driving and flying modes marked it as a symbol of cutting-edge automotive technology, setting new standards for efficiency, style, and innovation on both the ground and in the sky.

Kovak was seated in the co-pilot seat, wearing a distant yet smug smile on his face. "May I insert Endurance's coordinates?"

"Sure. Thank the Lord you spied on Mrs Evergreen to get them," Naomi said. "But I'll have my eyes peeled to check on her fleet, just in case. We need the surprise factor."

As she hit the gas pedal, the vehicle leapt into the air and escaped from the city. The crops and roads below soon turned into a blur and the Hovering Hive became a quaint little town on a Christmas snow globe.

Naomi took a glimpse at Sky in the rearview mirror. He was pensive, his gaze unfocused, and his frown deep. Sky's friends engaged in their private conversations, but it was obvious that he wasn't paying any attention.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't wanna wait for your mother?" Naomi asked, calling Sky's attention.

He snapped out of his trance with a shudder.

"She could be a great ally in combat, you know," she added.

He turned around and leaned towards her to speak from a closer position. "I..." Sky's hesitation forced his vocal cords to stop.

How many times have I given my mother a chance? How many times I wished she loved me for who I am and she denied me what I've been longing for years? How many times have I fooled myself into thinking that she could be kinder and understanding like before my father died?

No. Enough.

"Her military-mother persona was only an act to toughen you up," Naomi confessed. "We had a pact. After your father died, she said you needed to grow up and harden your character—and fast. She said there was no other way to do it but becoming tougher on you."

"She was wrong," Sky whispered.

"I agree, but she loves you, Sky. She's always loved you, despite being both too hard on you—and wrong. We could fly over the headquarters and–"

"I–" Sky whispered with cloudy eyes.

A loud explosion shook the airspace, making the flying van shake out of control. The sudden movement reaped gasps and shrieks from everybody in the vehicle while every object which hadn't been tied down or held flew and crashed onto their bodies or the inside sides of the van.

"What the fuck was that?" Kenji said with a hand over his forehead because his phone had hit him hard there.

Sky rushed to lean on the window.

The sword-like crystal tower of Anti-Ageing Inc. was framed in a cataclysmic eruption of fire that consumed it with a voracious appetite. Glass from every floor broke and the subsequent rain of shards spread all over the neighbouring areas. Despite the rain, the fire raged out of control.

Sky became paler. His breath clouded the window as his eyes went shot wide open in horror. Mom? What have you done?

"The headquarters!" Naomi yelled. "It's on fire!"

"But nobody's attacking it," Kovak replied quickly, with a deep frown. "I don't understand. Your sister said she wasn't planning on destroying it, did she?"

Sky frowned as he stared at the metal skeleton of the glass tower, now an ebony mockery of its former elegant self. This doesn't make sense.

"No, she only–" But Naomi couldn't finish.

Further explosions roared with a hatred as fierce as the blaze itself. The once proud structure succumbed to the wrath of that fiery inferno when the beams couldn't hold their own weight any longer.

The cacophony that followed, a dissonant orchestra of shattering glass and collapsing metal, echoed through the entire city. The tower's demise unfolded in horrifying, teeth-grinding crescendos as the structure, once a symbol of corporate arrogance, had crumbled in on itself and all over the nearest buildings, where the labs and warehouses were. Speedy Recovery's scaffolding didn't stand a chance against the explosions either.

The dramatic fall sent waves of fire and smoke in every direction. Despite being far, the van received the impact of more turbulences, making all its occupants shriek.

Sky's gaze, now with shrunken pupils and a shaky breath, couldn't let go of that horrific site, Anti-Aging Inc.'s ember-lit ruins. Mom... but...

"Sky, we have to go back and check on your mother," Naomi urged him as she already turned the steering wheel. "She could be–"

"No!" Kovak yelled, putting a hand over hers on the steering wheel, stopping her. "We can't lose more time! Evergreen has already gained too much advantage!"

"It's Sky's mother and my sister!" she yelled back. "Sky, say something!"

Both adults turned to watch him. His friends were already staring at him.

Why should I say something? If I beg Kovak to let Naomi's hand, what would it mean? That I love my mother? That I care for her well-being? How many times have I given her a chance to love me? Too many. And how many times have I fooled myself into thinking she cares for me? Too many as well.

My mother's been acting like a soldier to me all these years. I can't bear it any longer. Why should I trust her anymore, anyway? According to Naomi, she's changed. But she's always failed to earn my trust despite my open-mindedness... over and over again. She hurts me every time I give her a chance!

Besides, Mrs Evergreen took Haywire on a suicide mission against Endurance! If we go back to save my mother, we might lose some precious time to save him!

Sky looked ahead to the horizon, where Mrs Evergreen's fleet was headed, with a pale face and clenching his jaw. The sky beckoned him.

Then, he rashly turned to look back at the firey ruins of the company which had made his life hell, where his unloving mother was trapped. 

What if Naomi's right? What if she has really changed... and become the loving mother she used to be before my father died?

Old memories of Halle flashed through his mind. He showed her a picture of them which he drew in elementary school. She loved it and kissed his cheek. Her smile had then been pure and genuine.

His breath became ragged; his eyes, teary. His fists turned white and started shaking.

Choosing between my mother and Haywire? I can't do this. God, please, don't make me do this! I can't fuck this up like almost everything else I've done so far.

"Sky?" Hazel asked, gently putting a hand over his.

Sky swallowed hard.

My dream was wrong. Becoming an Elite soldier to please my mother? A stupid justification for all that waste of time and feelings. She was never worth it. She will never be.

My aunt is wrong. My mother won't ever change.

I've been an idiot. All this time, I wanted something that's not... it's not me. It was all my mother, influence of her negativity and harshness. 

Self-doubt didn't kill my dream. It never did—I killed it when I found my true calling in life: sharing my life with loved ones... and saving them from both Endurance and Mrs Evergreen. Haywire made that change of mentality in me possible. And my mother never shared with me an ounce of love during all this time. She won't ever change.

It doesn't matter how many times I might fail to achieve what I want, or how much self-pity I indulge in myself. I'll get over this.

Aunt Naomi was right: only self-doubt could stop me—but self-doubt is no more now. I know what I need to do.

As whispers of doubt threatened to cloud his mind, he nurtured it like a delicate flower, sheltering it from the chill of uncertainty.

His look of worry and puzzlement faded, and a look of distrust and anger dawned on his face. With that furrowed brow and those clenched teeth, there was no doubt that he had made up his mind.

Forcing his gaze away from the headquarters' demise, he said in a husky voice and a glare, "Don't turn back, Naomi."

"But–" she complained.

But Sky interrupted her. "No buts. I want to save Haywire—now. My mother can survive on her own."

An awkward silence filled the vehicle. Every raindrop drummed heavily on Sky's heart, pinching it over and over with long needles instead of drumsticks.

The van moved onwards at full speed, leaving behind the haunting and burning echoes of Anti-Ageing Inc.'s once-vaunted, glamorous existence.

Hello, my sugar cubes!

I loved writing about the destruction of the HQ's crystal tower and the entire company... but Sky's final decision was hard.
What would you do?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar