The next day the boys went to search the armory, which they found near the edge of the city.

A series of underground bunkers, whose entrances lay peeking out from the rocks, some had been opened and others were still sealed, Dan lit his lamp and entered one of them, whose door was cut in half. He crossed a long corridor that led through a kind of waiting room covered with dirt, with many metal doors closed, dented and battered in a thousand ways, Dan approached one and entered the access key that had generated, in the electronic bolt, opening the entrance to an office. One by one he opened all the doors, until he found the one that lead to the armory.

Only then he called Msi’ who was waiting outside, together they entered the cellar that was arranged in shelves full of weapons of all types and sizes, there was also another part dedicated to spare parts, another to defense devices and finally the last room where some combat vehicles were kept and that led directly to the hangar. When Dan saw the perfectly preserved aircrafts on the spot, he smiled to himself.

–This is just what I was looking for.

–What is all this?

–It's a hangar, the place where aircrafts are kept and maintained. You remember I told you about the jets, right?

–Yes –The girl watched all around her, feeling totally out of place–. And, are you sure that these things, so big and heavy, can fly like birds in the sky?

Daniel knelt to check one.

–After a slight checkup, yes, definitely.

His great determination was admirable, the man had put aside his doubts to focus all his energy on a single goal, again it was the Daniel she knew, but deep down she was also very anxious about what those decisions could unleash on him, after all, he will end up with all his home and all the people in it, including his family. Besides, even though the man looked really excited about what he was doing, something of his attitude seemed to put a barrier between them. Daniel had turned his back on everything and everyone, he had isolated himself and now he felt more alone than ever.

The young man came and went several times between the different rooms of the bunker bringing tools and pieces to check the ship, while Msi’ waited sitting watching him do and undo, unquiet and bored. She didn’t like to distract him because, anyway when he concentrated on something, little attention would put on her, so she just waited

After several hours of work, the man finally disengaged himself from the ship.

–Ready.

–You finished? –She said, standing up.

–Yes.

–And are you sure it flies?

–It's a somewhat old model, but if everything I did worked out, yeah, one hundred percent sure.

–And if it does not?

–There's only one way to find out.

Daniel opened the glass of the jet and got into this one waiting for the girl.

–No.

–Msi', come on, don’t you trust me?

–I do trust you, but that thing scares me.

–Muult kekoo, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. Come on you'll love it.

She accepted a bit reluctant, climbed onto the ship, and Dan put her the belt on, moved some buttons, and suddenly the cockpit crystal descended on them.

–Are you sure you know how to use it?

–Msi’ on my planet I was a pilot and not any pilot, I was captain of the air force, who do you think was flying the plane where my team was in, when I had the accident in the desert?

–Yes, but that one fell down.

Daniel began to laugh as the jet began to rise, the crystal became a large navigation screen, the ship remained static a few meters from the ground, while the pilot checked some things in the system, then, a door opened whit difficulties in front of them, Dan held the control whit force, and from one second to the other, the ship was already flying at high speed out of the hangar, before Msi’ could even reason it, they were already crossing that obscure sky, passing by the clouds of dust and spinning in the air. The girl began to scream with all the force of her lungs, clinging to what was nearest, while Dan laughed excitedly, doing one pirouette after another.

–We have to go higher!

–No, no, no!

Without any consideration the young man lifted the jet and carried it beyond the cloud of dust that enveloped the planet, until the colors of the day disappeared completely. Msi’ had covered her eyes in terror, until suddenly felt that the ship had slowed down, so she looked through her fingers and an infinite starry space surrounded her. She didn’t believe what she was seeing, it seemed like one of her dreams in which she stood in the middle of the sky, where there was nothing but tinkling lights within her reach.

–Wow.

–You like it?

–Is awesome.

–This has always been my favorite part of fly.

He let her gaze at it a little more, while she got lost in the infinite. Then they descended and the speed returned to the heart of the girl who was seeing the ground approaching quickly, but with a nimble twist of the controls and immediately they were skimming the floor ready to return.

Later in the hangar as soon as she had the chance, Msi’ fled from the ship, as happy as never before because of the ground she was on, before the uncontrollable laughter of Daniel.

–This is the proof of why only birds fly.

–This is the proof that you still have a lot to live.

Then his communicator began to ring. Worried, he gestured to the girl to go away, took a moment and turned it on.

The conversation began and on the other side was the chancellor with the same cynical smile of always.

–Daniel, it’s nice to see you, boy, how's it going?

–Let's leave the formalities and tell me what you have to say.

Then his smile faded into an expression of annoyance.

–Tell me what you want, money? just say how much.

–Derian, there's nothing you can offer me.

–You know what happens because of the absence of light, people have already begun to die, are you willing to carry something so big on your shoulders?

–I would rather let a whole civilization die than allow a group of egoists to save themselves at the cost of the suffering of others!

–Don’t come to me with that shit about the great hero! you're as murder as we are! kid, you came from a long line of exceptional people, don’t waste everything we have worked on for an absurd moralistic desire. You and your family will come to make a new and better life, all of you will be safe.

–And what about those who won’t be able to go, you also worked to leave them to their fate suffering a horrible death!

–Yes! It is true! It was decided! For them and for us! All our lives have been established previously! Or tell me, do you really think that everything that happened to you has been mere coincidence? Don’t be naive!

–What are you talking about?

–All this was planned since the day we arrived on this planet and your intervention is no different, do you really think that ridiculous accident in the desert was by chance, of course not, why would I send my best men to see if there was water in the desert?

–No.

–All were sent with a defective plane to see who was leaving alive, to choose the best, the one who was worthy! You should be grateful that it was you!

–Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Daniel raised his weapon and began shooting to the device incessantly as he screamed.

On the other side the communication suddenly stopped. Derian hit his desk furiously, knowing that there wasn’t going back, Daniel would make them look for him if they wanted to survive and the chancellor would do everything he could to achieve it. But that was no longer his only goal, now the fight was personal and wouldn’t rest until he had won.

–Bring the supreme general, I want the whole air force to be ready to attack Landon immediately –He commanded Miguel as he emerged from the LIFE.

–Yes, sir, right away.

Derian stopped in the doorway of the laboratory and gave a dead glance at the chief.

–I want that jerk's head on my desk, on a silver platter, ready to show it to council members, I'm going to use it as a case for light. Understood?

–Yes sir.

The chancellor left the place like a hurricane and Miguel felt a knot in his stomach as he reasoned what to do.

When he got tired of shooting, Daniel fell on his knees screaming and hitting the floor, cursing Derian and himself. Soon tears of rage began to spring from his eyes. Msi’ approached him a little anguished, trying to hug him, and felt an intense pain in the heart when he answered the gesture. Dan dropped all his weight into the girl's arms as he wept inconsolably, clinging to her. Msi’ just closed her eyes and she stayed there, holding all his pain.

She had never seen him cry, so his condition broke her soul so much that ended up sobbing at his side, as the sun descended covering all, of those dark shades of red.