On the 14th of July, a third plane crosses the sky into the greater area of Fairbanks, Alaska. Its arrival is not only expected, it is feared. It carries three souls aboard, one human and two Nexians. Its flight path has been known since it took off from Anchorage.

“You’re absolutely sure they’re on that plane?” Nick asked, squinting up at the sky. “If we’re wrong, we’re going to be in serious breach of the Charter.”

“It can’t be anyone else,” Jerik said. He was in the process of removing his bulky fur cloak, all to free his arms up. The garment was almost entirely useless in the summer, but he wore it as a matter of course. “We know exactly when they left Anchorage. Based on that time, there’s no chance it’s any other plane.”

“Alright, I just wanted to make sure you’re confident.”

Nick crouched low on the tarmac of the runway, stretching his legs with a grunt. “I almost feel bad for the airport. This might do a lot of damage to their runway.”

“They’ve got ways of paying for it,” Jerik said. “It’s beyond our concern. Now get going, before they get too low.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nick retorted. He took several long steps forward, then leaped into the air. There was a rush of wind as he jumped, pushing upward with his body and throwing it even higher. Jerik hurriedly lifted an arm to protect against the dust, and by the time he’d lowered it, Nick was already a dark speck in the bright blue sky and quickly becoming smaller.

“Now remember,” Grimr said, perched on the edge of his seat as if nervous, “We cannot let ourselves be seen before we reach the Tundra. If the Thunder Nexus has advance warning of our approach, our fight will become even more difficult.”

Eric, seated across from him, nodded but didn’t say anything. Not for the first time, his throat was tight at the thought of the approaching battle. It was always this way, he thought. Preparing and waiting for a fight was always worse than the actual fight itself. And yet, he was certain that he and Grimr could win this fight. Quite apart from the rewards and ramifications, they were exceptionally strong, and had long since mastered the Nexus powers, all for this moment.

In Anchorage, they’d assumed false identities and boarded the plane under their fake names. The airport employees only knew them as an eccentric businessman and his son. Grimr looked too young to be passed off as anything else. If the Ancient was angered by being cast as a child, he showed no sign of it on his face. He’d spent just under an hour - the duration of the fight - sitting on the edge of his seat with a tense expression, preparing himself.

Eric might have given some thought to how many fights Grimr had seen in his long life. Was he immune to the paralyzing dread that wrapped around one when they knew a fight was coming? Or did that feeling persist, no matter how many times you experienced it? He supposed he would find out himself, once he was made an Ancient himself, and lived long enough to know.

In any case, he never got the chance to continue the thought. He’d just opened his mouth to speak again when a violent shudder went through the plane, nearly knocking Grimr out of his seat. Eric had no real cause for concern, however. He’d experienced rough turbulence before, which this surely was. Then another vibration rocked the aircraft, and it lurched unnaturally to one side. That wasn’t a byproduct of turbulence.

He met Grimr’s eyes as the Ancient pulled himself back to his seat, frowning slightly. Something was off here, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Then, as the third vibration hit them, and they could hear the Captain shouting in alarm at the front, he realized instantly what it must be.

“Nick,” he growled. He ripped the straps holding him to the chair away and shot to his feet. That was a mistake, as the continued turbulence knocked him to the ground now. Dragging himself back onto the seat, he peered out the window just in time to see a figure flash past. There was no mistaking that yellow tracksuit. “Damn! He’s going to take the entire plane out of the sky with us on it!”

For the first time since their arrival on Earth, the faintest flicker of fear appeared on Grimr’s face. Ancient or not, they were now facing the very real chance of a fall from several hundred feet in the air, and they were trapped in a giant metal container that would most certainly explode when it crashed down.

Strangely, seeing that the Ancient was afraid for his life worked to steel his own nerves. Time seemed to slow as another bout of turbulence rocked the plane, and he thought quickly. Neither he nor Grimr could fly, but surely there was a way they could escape the plane and hit the ground safely. He raced to the cockpit, where the Captain was fighting valiantly against the controls, trying to keep them out of danger.

“We’re under attack!” the human said, pulling back desperately, tipping the nose of the plane a little more toward level.

“No shit,” Eric said coldly. “Is there any chance you can outrun him?”

“Not a chance!” the man yelped under a new attack. “I have to land before that monster blasts us out of the sky. We’re hitting the ground, one way or another!”

Then, without warning, the man lost consciousness and slumped against the controls. What in the world? Then Eric felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and, though he couldn’t figure out what was causing that, he knew it had to be the cause. Either way, the need to escape was even more important than ever. He yanked the unconscious man out of his seat, determined to take him with them. He wouldn’t let the man die in this fight.

“Grimr!” He shouted for the Ancient. It was all he could do to keep his feet as the plane continued to fly at a steep angle toward the ground. A second later, Grimr appeared, clutching the doorway to the cockpit for support, a strained expression on his face.

“Air pressure,” the Ancient grunted. “He’s making it harder to breathe.”

And, at last, Eric understood the nature of the attack. Nick wasn’t just making sure their plane went down, he was adding another layer to the attack. As if on cue, compartments above each seat including the pilot’s popped open, and masks tumbled down on long strings. Oxygen, he thought. A countermeasure to loss of cabin pressure. Quick as he could, he reached down and grabbed the pilot’s mask, pressing it to his face and taking a deep breath. The feeling of dizziness faded after a few seconds.

“Can you survive a fall from this height?” He asked Grimr, who nodded.

“I’ve leapt from buildings before. As long as nothing hits me on my way down, I will be fine.”

“Alright,” Eric said, thinking quickly. “That just leaves me. I have to be able to get my feet under me. If I can do that, I think I can survive.”

“There’s still the problem of jumping out,” Grimr said. “In case you didn’t notice, there are wings on this craft. They will catch us.”

“Depends on which door we use,” Eric corrected. He made a shooting gesture and, together, they struggled their way to the back of the plane. Just past the wings was another door. In all the movies, people were sucked out of the plane when that was opened. But Eric knew that was fake. With a firm tug, he yanked down the release handle. At once, the door fell outward and vanished. If it hadn’t hit the tail, it would fall to the earth somewhere.

“I’ll knock out the tail wings!” Eric shouted, raising his voice above the roar of the wind outside. Fortunately, they were low enough that the air was quite easily breathable. “Once I do, you jump out!”

“What are you going to do?” Grimr yelled back. “You can’t survive a fall like I can!”

“I’m going to jump at the last second!” Eric replied. “As long as I get my feet under me, I’ll be fine!”

That was, of course, as long as he could outrun the explosion of the crashing plane. He’d have to land so soon before the plane that death was still highly likely as the jet fuel ignited. He saw no need to inform Grimr of this, however, as death was guaranteed if he did nothing. “Get ready!”

Using the strap of the closest seat to hold himself steady, he pushed his upper body outside of the plane, bringing the tail into view. There was no sign of Nick, thankfully. He shot a bolt of lightning at his target. It was resilient, however, and took three shots before a huge piece broke off. He could see the ground rising up quickly beneath them, almost as if the earth were reaching up to embrace them.

“Go!” He shouted, pushing Grimr in front. The Ancient took a deep breath and shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to do, then jumped out of the open door. He vanished from view almost at once, and Eric had no way of telling if he made it or not.

“Our turn now, friend,” he told the unconscious pilot. “Sorry for what’s about to happen.”

As he was carrying the man on his back, Eric could rely only on his legs. He activated his power, almost certainly giving off enough electricity to knock the man unconscious if he hadn’t already been so. Then he waited, his body and nerves tensed to the highest degree, waiting. Waiting. Then, with only seconds to spare, he jumped as well.

Freefall, he reflected, was not a feeling one could grow accustomed to. Even if it only lasted for half a second, it still sent his gut on a fast track toward the direction of his heart. He’d maintained most of the plane’s momentum as he’d leaped, angling for a direction slightly to the right. The weight of the pilot threw his own body a little too far forward for his liking. If he pitched any further, he’d land face-first, and it would all be over.

But then his feet caught the ground, and, despite a slight stumble, he found his pace quickly. Now it was a matter of speed. He put as much force as he could into each step, turning sharply and racing away from the plane at a right angle. The sound of the explosion reached him before the heat did. It slammed into him like a physical presence, stumbling him further. But then he was steady again and racing away from the searing heat of the flames that burst outward.

In an instant, he was clear of the danger. What was left of the explosion was little more than debris raining down on the field. Dodging that was child’s play while his speed was active. When that finally came to a halt as well, he slid to a stop and let the pilot down. The man let out a faint groan as he was laid on the hard earth, but at least he was alive and seemed uninjured apart from the scorched clothing.

Eric barely had a moment to ponder their survival before Nick attacked him. Eric darted away from the unconscious pilot, cursing. Did that fool not care if an innocent human was harmed as a direct result of his attacks? He led Nick away from the site of the wreckage, trying to find and reunite with Grimr. He could see flashes of light and bursts of fire up ahead, which seemed to indicate a fight. Grimr had to be facing off against Jerik. He wondered how many Fire Nexians were here, determined to repel the foreign invader.

Nick landed on the ground in front of him without warning, that wind staff of his flashing out and forcing Eric to dive to the ground to avoid it. He’d clearly learned from their fights in the Nexus Games and was taking the fight to a much closer range. Not that Eric was complaining, of course. Close quarters suited him much better than it did Nick. At least he wouldn’t have to waste time chasing the idiot down.

He ended his dive in a long roll, quickly regaining his feet and turning back to Nick. He jumped up before he got into reach, and kicked twice, aiming for the Air Nexian’s head. He wasn’t constrained by non-lethal techniques now, and he could use the full range of training he’d received from both Master Ehran and Will.

Nick parried the first two attacks without issue, but the force of them drove him back, and he scowled in concentration as he countered. The end of his staff whipped through the air, missing Eric’s face by mere centimeters as he twisted. Then there was another flurry of limbs, and one of his flailing feet caught Nick on his right arm. That kick would have broken the arm of any ordinary human, but he weathered the hit.

“You picked the wrong team in this fight, Nick,” Eric said. “I’m not going to show you any mercy as long as you stand between me and my family.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Nick snarled. He lifted the jacket of his tracksuit to reveal a belt full of knives and drew one with a flourish. “I’m not letting you destroy my home.”