The view of the city from that height was majestic. The sun had reached its peak, and as it rose above the horizon, its rays cast a golden glow over the buildings below them.
It reminded him of his first time flying with his father years before. He was younger than and free of any worry. Now he knew better than anyone what kind of world lay beyond these skies.
The skyscrapers surrounded them, lining the streets below. They were arranged in rows along both sides of the streets below, some well maintained, while others seemed more run-down or dilapidated.
Each building had multiple shop signs advertising this or that product. Food stands selling hot dogs, coffee shops offering lattes, fast-food restaurants advertising hamburgers, pizza joints serving pasta dishes.
The people below looked like tiny working ants scurrying through a maze beneath giant feet. Some of them seemed unhappy, some others the opposite.
"Are you ok?" Benjamin asked.
Erik shook himself out of his reverie before replying. "Yeah," he said. "I'm fine."
"We almost arrived at the restaurant," the older man said. "Are you hungry?"
Erik's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. "Sorry," he said.
"Don't worry."
They finally arrived at the restaurant. It was a giant building with an indoor parking lot built inside the building. The two entered, passing by a sort of barrier, and then Uncle Ben parked in an empty spot.
The parking lot was huge, easily large enough for several dozen vehicles to park side by side without interfering with one another.
Benches lined either wall, and vending machines were placed throughout the area. In fact, it looked more like a mall than anything.
Erik noticed a line of people waiting for the elevator at the far end of the parking lot. Two men in suits stood by the elevator doors, looking like security guards.
The two waited in line, and Benjamin showed his ID when it was their turn.
"You can enter, sir," one of the bouncers said. Then they entered the elevator. The elevator's door opened, revealing the huge restaurant.
The restaurant was huge. Everything was white and gold. On nearby tables, there were golden forks on plates full of different high-class food. A server came to them with a menu.
Benjamin smiled. "Please follow me; I will bring you to your table," the server said.
The server led Benjamin and Erik to their table at the far end of the restaurant. They sat in front of a large window that offered a stunning view of the entire city below.
Benjamin ordered for two. The two ate, enjoying the view of the city outside the windows. They would sometimes talk about random things, mostly work-related topics for Benjamin and school-related ones for Erik.
They also talked about sports, movies, books, music, and TV shows.
"So, do you have any news about your father? Did he contact you recently?"
That question came out as weird to him. The man never asked about Lucius, and he recently came back home to deliver the biological supercomputer. It felt oddly coincidental.
The older man, in the past, openly admitted he hoped for his friend to find a way to contact at least his son, if he was still alive. Which they couldn't be certain about back then.
However, due to the recent events, Erik couldn't stop thinking the question had a deeper meaning behind it.
Erik couldn't tell Benjamin about his father's return or the biological supercomputer. Benjamin worked for the military, which made Erik cautious. Usually, Erik would have shared this news with him. But now he felt it was safer to keep quiet.
Erik's father had made it clear how dangerous the situation was. The biological supercomputer was the cause of the Sinister Cold, and the fact it gave him incredible powers was sure to make greed surge even into saints.
Erik knew it wasn't safe to tell a military person like Benjamin about it.
"Not at all. He disappeared. As much as I know, he is dead," Erik lied.
A silence fell over the two. Benjamin stared at Erik. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be... It doesn't matter anymore. Dad chose his life, and his and only his are the consequences of his actions."
After a brief pause, Benjamin spoke again.
"I shouldn't really say this to you, Erik, but... I don't want you to live thinking your father abandoned you. The truth is that the higher-ups sent him on a dangerous mission."
"A dangerous mission?"
"Yes, but I can't really say much, aside from the fact that he loved you dearly, and that he had your well-being in his mind."
Erik didn't reply.
"You know that if you need anything, you can count on me, right? I may not be your father, but I love you like a son."
He was being too affectionate. It was weird, even for Erik.
"Yes, thanks, Uncle Ben."
They continued eating and ordered dessert. However, Erik's mind was full of things. He reflected on how, for a long time, he had wished Uncle Benjamin was his real father.
He was a lovely man. But now, things were changing, and all that made things change was the biological supercomputer.
Honestly, the man's visit was too coincidental. At that point, he wasn't sure the older man's actions were genuine anymore.
He didn't have proof, but wasn't even stupid.
After that, they finished eating without much talking. It felt a bit uncomfortable. Then they got ready to leave.
Benjamin added Erik could call him anytime, as long as he wasn't busy. Then they started driving back home.
They arrived at Erik's house, and Benjamin parked the car. Before Erik got out, Benjamin turned to him. "Take care."
"You too, Uncle Ben."
Erik jumped out of the car.
"Bye, Erik."
"Bye, Uncle Ben!" He faked a smile.
Erik climbed to the third floor and unlocked his apartment door.
Erik entered his apartment and stopped in shock. His home was a mess. It was clear someone had searched through everything, looking for something.
That was proof that Becker knew something, and Uncle Benjamin was implicated. It was clear bringing him to eat was just a pretense to make him leave the house.
Though Erik had hoped Benjamin was related to this and that this mess resulted from a burglary.
Erik checked around. His phone was with him, and the computer was still there.
Whoever was chasing his father knew he had met him here. And now he, too, was implicated in the matter.
Erik sat down and sighed, not knowing what else to do. He was scared. All of this was much bigger than him, and he didn't have the power to protect himself.
For now, Erik could only wait to fix his physical problem. He hoped that once he did, he would become stronger. That way, he might be able to stop these scary things from happening to him.