For the fifth time, Laura could not help but stare at Alec in disbelief. "I thought you told me you can't fly a plane?" Alec shrugged mindlessly as he made another manoeuvre. "I don't. Maybe flying wasn't hard after all.
"Flying isn't? Don't tell me that. Even on my first try, I was terrible, it took me ten tries before I was considered a beginner, and you... you are flying like a professional pilot", Laura said in awe.
"I don't know what to say", Alec said without smiling. The reason he was good at flying was not that he was a born pilot though. He had played a lot of flying simulators over the years, but he didn't know how accurate those games were until he flew a real plane, which was in this case.
Maybe games have their good sides too.
Now, Alec was comfortable manoeuvring the plane while checking for the fuel gauge simultaneously. He could even remove his hands on the steering and wait for the plane to swerve at a specific angle, before taking the wheels again, turning the aircraft. This action would cut down a significant amount of fuel usage.
"Skill Gained: Air Maneuverability (Level 0)".
As soon as he made another turn with his invented skill, the game system displayed a new skill gain popup. 'Air Maneuverability: Isn't that a bit general don't you think, Alec thought as he saw the skill notification.
Air manoeuvrability can mean many things, like jumping off an aeroplane and performing some manoeuvres with your body, controlling a drone to perform a series of movements in the air...
At most, he was happy that he had a new skill. Laura had recovered fully and was fit to take the wheels. "Should we switch back?" Alec asked when he saw Laura stretched to her full height on the seat. "Oh hell no. Why should we delay ourselves further? Go ahead and keep flying. We have almost arrived anyway", Laura said.
Alec nodded and accelerated the aircraft. Two hours later, at dusk, Laura informed Alec they were at their destination, so Alec began descending the aircraft. When the aircraft dropped to three hundred feet, Alec was able to see the buildings clearly. It turned out it was a small city.
There were high-rise buildings scattered across the city. The smaller buildings which made up the majority of the buildings were so aligned and unique on their own, causing anyone to feel satisfied just by looking at them. The setting sun further accentuated the beauty of the small city. It looks almost corporeal.
Alec could not help but marvel at this sight. This was not a real place in reality he could bet. It appeared this place was a custom map created by the system. Nevertheless, this looked absolutely mesmerizing.
"Do you live here?" Alec asked as he flew above a high-rise building. "Yes and no. We originally lived in the Eastern side of Boston, but after the death of my hus... ex-husband, my son and I moved here, to start a new life.
"I can't tell you much detail on how we got here, but let's just say it was the best decision I ever made", Laura said absent-mindedly. "Why did you say that?" Alec probed.
"Well, right after we moved to this place, we saw on the TV an entire building engulfed in fire. The fire-fighters desperately tried to put out the fire, but it took a really long time before it was finally doused out.
Unfortunately, many people living in that building died tragically. Mothers, fathers, children-- they were all burned without recognition. When I saw it, I couldn't help but sob uncontrollably".
There were tears on Laura's face as she recounted that incident. Alec did not even need to ask Laura that the building was where she once lived. If she had spent a day back there, she would have joined them.
He said it once, and he said it again, Alec was reverent for the creator of this game. This kind of backstory is what engages players to keep playing this game without weariness.
Alec enjoyed playing his first game, but this one, made him absorbed in this game. He was glad he was given this opportunity to play this game. Now, the desire to complete the mission even grew stronger. He was more than ever willing to help Laura, whatever it takes.
Laura tapped Alec on the arm, jolting him out of his thoughts. She began making hand signs, pointing to a place below the city. Alec opened his mouth to say something, but Laura quickly covered it. She made a sign not to say anything.
"What is going on", Alec asked with sign language. "This is the part where we cannot speak anymore. Look at the radio's communication led light, it is active. Normally when I request communication, the led light turns on after it gets connected to the control centre, but right now, it's connected for no apparent reason", Laura gestured back.
"Are you insinuating someone was listening to us, all this time?" Alec gesture back. "No, not all the time. During the time I was telling you that story, I subtly noticed the led light flicker before it was fully on", Laura said.
"What are we going to do?" Alec asked. "Turn around and land at that high-rise building", Laura said as she pointed at a highrise building at his left. Alec slowly moved the aircraft and headed for the highrise building. "We cannot just stay silent like this, they might notice. Let's talk about random things to keep things lively", Alec suggested. "Alright", Laura replied.
"How much fuel does it takes to fly this aircraft from here to say, New York?" Alec asked with his voice. "Uhh, couple of litres. Let's say more than sixty litres of fuel, best case scenario", Laura commented also with her voice.
"What do you mean by the best-case scenario?" Alec asked, somehow interested. "Well because this aircraft is not suited for that long distance. The maximum time this aircraft can stay on the air is fifteen hours. Anything more than that would damage to the engine", Laura replied.
The man and woman kept chatting until they made a touch down at the platform of the highrise building. Laura immediately turned off the engine, cutting off the radio communication.
"Oh my god that was traumatizing", Laura sighed deeply and came out of the small plane. Alec nodded slightly. "Where are we going from here", Alec asked. "There is someone I know that can borrow us a car we can use to get to my home", Laura replied without looking back
"Alright", Alec replied.