London Pale Read online

  ***

  There was no time to think, but Aiden accepted the challenge, despite D'Natis' warnings that it sounded a little strange after all. He had dismissed the raven's comments by noting how pessimistic D'Natis could be, which wasn't entirely untrue. On the other hand, Aiden continued seeing dollar signs. His own curiosity was also driving him to see whether or not London could really be a sympathizer.

  In the end, it was just another job, right?

  It came as a surprise that London was traveling by plane, because there were other ways that both N'Iatari and D'Tari could travel, but according to Menlir, London was trying not to draw attention to herself.

  On their way to the airport, Menlir had tried to disguise his Agnec nature by covering his legs in a blanket and wheeling around in a wheelchair, while wearing a bowler hat to disguise his horns. Aiden found it hard to suppress his laughter during their train ride. Most people would stop and stare at D'Natis, but usually moved on after Aiden glared at the onlookers.

  After arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, they stumbled off the train near Terminal A-East, Aiden still feeling confused as to exactly what he would do. Menlir stayed outside, wheeling himself around the platform, saying that he'd watch the exits if London should run. D'Natis naturally offered to stay inconspicuous by being the eye in the sky. It was all up to Aiden now, and he wandered inside, his eyes wildly roaming the crowded entry ways.

  He swore, realizing he of course had no tickets, and no money to buy one. Menlir certainly wouldn't pay him up front. He had no choice but to wait in line at a ticketing counter, only to request a gate pass instead. He silently cursed Menlir for making this so difficult. The lady behind the counter looked tired, and her hair, no doubt well-kept at the beginning of her shift, had begun to fall out of place haphazardly. She glared at him as if he had just asked for the moon.

  "I'm here to see someone take off," Aiden insisted, but the lady didn't seem to buy it.

  "Who?' she asked. "Do they have a ticket?"

  Aiden paused for a moment, then looked around, only to see an elderly Chinese man with a hat and a ticket in hand, passing on the other side of him. He tapped the man's shoulder, causing the man to spin around.

  "Oh!" Aiden almost shouted. "He's right here," Aiden said, smiling at the lady behind the counter. "I knew he was around here somewhere. Already got his ticket and everything."

  The man stammered in confusion. "Me?" he asked, his accent heavy.

  Aiden smiled, patting the man's arm, this time more gently. "Yes, you," Aiden laughed as if he'd known the man all his life, glancing back and forth from the old man to the lady. "I lost you there for a sec, but now it's good and we need to get moving."

  The lady hesitated, glaring at Aiden and the old man. The old man seemed confused, but he said nothing. Then he gestured to his ticket and said something in Chinese, looking rushed.

  Aiden had been hoping the fact that he himself was part Japanese would at least confuse or convince the lady enough, but she still seemed unsure. Maybe he had wrongly assumed she wouldn't know the difference.

  Now he knew he had to think fast, and looked to the man, repeating the only word in Chinese he knew: “Tāng.”

  The man didn't seem any more confused, but simply said "OK!" as he turned to leave.

  "I'll meet you there once this nice lady gets me a pass..." Aiden called, as the man began walking down the terminal. Aiden turned to the lady behind the desk. "So..."

  The lady sighed, unimpressed, but soon printed him a pass.

  Aiden exhaled with relief as he left the ticketing area, trailing the elderly man with the hat for quite some ways until he was out of sight from anyone who might cast a suspicious eye. He was thankful the lady had not realized the true meaning of the Chinese word he'd used, or else she would have wondered why he had just used the word for 'soup'.

  Aiden wandered through a lobby hoping to catch a glimpse of London. She was supposed to be here, but chances were that she had already bought a ticket and was waiting somewhere at the end of the terminal, past the security checkpoints. Families, business men, and hosts of others rushed, jostled and wandered past Aiden. He searched the crowds fiercely, struggling to see individuals in certain parts of the shifting throng.

  He knew London was tall, and likely to be visible in most crowds. He felt like her face was still clear in his mind.

  He wandered down through the terminal, past fast food places and random shops, trying to focus on the passersby, and occasionally lingering to catch a glimpse of people sitting in the comfortable chairs along the center of the concourse. He thought he saw a few women who may have been London, but when he drew near, he realized his error. After checking the flight schedule on a large screen on the wall, he felt a panic beginning to rise. Her plane would leave in less than twenty minutes.

  He hadn't realized he'd taken so much time searching. There was no doubting where she was.

  Aiden rushed toward the end of the long terminal, passing confused and occupied crowds. He found himself facing a line waiting to go through security. Anxiously, he stood on the toes of his old sneakers and realized that a dark-haired woman was sitting in a chair at the end of the terminal near the gates.

  It was London. She seemed to be a bit uneasy, and Aiden could swear she had looked his way for a moment, then shifted her gaze rather suddenly.

  When finally he passed through security, Aiden realized London was gone from her seat, and the airline was allowing passengers to board. He sped up, walking swiftly to the boarding area. He caught a glimpse of London just as she passed the boarding agent, hauling only a small tote behind her. She had definitely looked back at him this time. This was no fleeting glance.

  Aiden made to follow, but the boarding agent stopped him, despite how he flashed his guest pass.

  "Sir, may I see your ticket please?" the blonde-haired woman asked him, standing between him and the open gate.

  "I just need to talk to someone. She just went on the-"

  "You can't board without a ticket, Sir," the woman said, maintaining a forced smile, despite Aiden's annoyed glare.

  "I just need to go talk with her and then I'll be right off. It's an emergency," Aiden said, knowing what the answer would still be.

  "Sorry, Sir. You'll need to purchase a ticket."

  Aiden shrugged and walked away, letting a score of others pass by and onto the plane. He went to the window at the end of the seating area and took note of the Boeing 757 that the people were boarding. He sighed, knowing what he had to do. Noticing the clock on the wall, he rushed back out of the boarding area and past the security checkpoint. Moving as fast as he could without seeming suspicious, he rushed through crowds of people, occasionally jostling passersby.

  He turned right into the nearest bathroom and locked himself inside a stall, ignoring the sounds of other men going about their business. Concentrating, Aiden faced the stall door and raised his hand, acting as though he was drawing with an invisible pencil in mid-air. In moments, the misty outline of a door materialized in front of him, as if creating a new layer atop the stall door he'd just been staring at.

  The door solidified, and Aiden took a deep breath, knowing he'd have to be quick about this. He turned the knob and cracked the door, a sudden rush of voices and movement spilling in from the other side. Just across from him, he could glimpse blue seats and upright tray tables. Someone from the neighboring stall called out in confusion, having heard the noise. Aiden stepped quickly through the door, slamming it behind him.

  He found himself sandwiched in between a rather tall man wearing an obvious wig and a heavy-set woman who hadn't seemed to notice Aiden was there until she was nearly stepping on him from behind. He realized that it must have appeared to onlookers as though he had just exited the bathroom and rejoined the boarding passengers.

  He was in the Boeing 757, moving uncomfortably along the aisle with many others who were grappling and clambering for
seats. Aiden avoided eye contact with the airline employees, finally finding an aisle seat just a few rows behind the head of dark hair he would soon realize belonged to London.

  Aiden sighed, trying to catch his breath. It was always risky to travel by door—a D'Tari form of travel that had been banned by D'Tari leaders—but doing it in public put him at twice the risk. If Amblers had seen him, he might've been finished. He glanced around at the passengers busying themselves, and sighed in relief that no one had seemed to notice.

  No one stared at him oddly. No one seemed nervous. He turned to look at London, and caught sight of her long hair settling back into place, as if she'd just been stretching to look back at him.

  She had been watching him.

  Aiden could feel the plane's engines rumbling and the systems warming up. The cabin was hissing with air while the attendants began making announcements and helping the straggling passengers find their seats. He kept his eyes forward, willing London to look back just once more. He couldn't help but be thankful for the fact that there were several empty seats on this flight. He couldn't have imagined what he would've done if it had been fully booked.

  He had hoped to stop London from boarding, but he buckled his seat belt, resolving that he was now on a plane and flying to California, apparently. He wouldn't get off until his mission was complete.