After packing his things into several bags, Marcus stared at his now-empty dorm. He took in the sight one last time, recalling every moment and memory he had made here.
He had spent a decent amount of time here, this scene would soon be replaced with a cramped apartment in New York, with the sounds of busy streets and the occasional shouting match becoming his new norm.
"Time to go, Marcus," Lance said as he knocked on the open dorm door.
Marcus turned around, where he was greeted by Lance and Kael standing at the door. "Don't tell me you're sentimental about this place." Kael said in disbelief, "Because of this place I've seen more deaths than I'm comfortable with."
Lance chuckled as he crossed his arms, "Well you weren't agreeing to go for a walk in the park, anyway, it's time to go kiddo."
Marcus sighed as he looked down at Luna, who was standing by his side. "You ready?" He asked her.
"Absolutely." She stated with a smile.
Together the group began making its way towards the main gate, where there was a car waiting to take them to airstrip 47. The walk was a silent one, but the atmosphere was full of anticipation and excitement.
Reaching the car, which was a black Sudan, Lance gestured for Kael and Marcus to to their bags in the trunk, while he made his way toward the front.
As Marcus and Kael began unloading their bags, Kael glanced over at Luna with a curious expression. "Is she coming with us?" He asked.
Marcus nodded. "Yeah, she goes where I go, unless I really can't take her, then she goes with Dr. Fletcher," Marcus explained.
Kael nodded as he glanced over at Luna, who was now looking back at him with a curious gaze. "I'm guessing she's an anomaly, she doesn't carry herself like a typical nine-year-old." Kael reasoned as he closed the trunk.
Marcus shrugged as he made his way around the Sudan, quickly opening the door and sliding inside the backseat. Kael slid in on the other side, closing the door as he looked at Marcus with a curious expression.
"Yes Kael," Marcus affirmed. "She's an anomaly."
Kael nodded as he crossed his arms, "I've never actually seen an anomaly that looked human before, it's strange how normal she looks."
Marcus thought about it for a moment, and Kael was right, Luna was the only humanoid anomaly Marcus had ever come across.
"You make a good point," Marcus said.
"There are others." Lance chimed in, his eyes focused on the path leading to the airstrip. "But they're rare, extremely so, in fact, that last humanoid anomaly to be captured was in 2018, in Florida if you can believe it or not Marcus."
"What happened to them?" Marcus asked.
"He killed himself." Lance replied with a sigh, "For some reason all humanoid anomalies kill themselves before capture."
"Then how did Marcus procure Luna?" Kael asked.
"I honestly don't know," Lance said as he glanced at Marcus through the rear-view mirror. "But I do know she is under a protection order, so don't get any ideas." Lance joked.
"A protection order?" Marcus asked curiously, "Who did that?"
"Dr. Fletcher." Lance answered, "She uhm, she didn't tell you?"
Marcus shrugged. "In a way, she said the organization would view Luna the same way it viewed her pet, Alexander."
"Ahh." Lance nodded his head. "Yeah, that dog, wolf, anomaly is under a protection order too, essentially it just means the organization can't just kidnap Luna into the night and experiment on her."
Marcus breathed a sigh of relief as he hugged Luna, kissing her on her cold cheek.
Luna giggled as she tried to push Marcus away, yet his efforts were little more than suggestions. "Stop Marcus, not in front of people." She whispered in his ear.
Kael watched with an unreadable expression. "You know, even with Luna being an anomaly, Marcus is still weirder." He said with a smirk.
"You're just jealous." Marcus quipped.
Eventually, the group arrived at airstrip 47, where there were several small planes arrayed along its sides.
Lance parked the car and stepped outside, gesturing for the boys to follow. "Leave your bags in the car, someone will unload them for us."
Marcus nodded as he and Luna followed Lance out of the car, Kael soon followed after grabbing something from his bag.
Together they made their way to the closest aircraft, where a few other newly promoted officers, were loading onboard.
"North America?" The assistant at the bottom of the airstairs.
"Yeah." Lance nodded.
The assistant stepped aside, allowing Lance and his group to board the plane.
Inside the plane was simple and modest, with a simple white and beige color scheme. Marcus found himself seated next to a window, with Luna sitting beside him.
Kael sat alone at another window seat, and Lance made his way to the back of the plane.
The atmosphere inside the plane was rather calm, with the other passengers onboard chatting about their new assignments.
Marcus leaned back in his seat as he crossed his arms. Luna looked up to him with an amused expression. "You certainly look confident." She teased.
Marcus chuckled. "Of course, I'm confident, in my skills and with you having my back."
"Good," Luna said with a firm nod.
As the plane to North America finally prepared for take off. Marcus took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He listened as the sounds of the engines began roaring louder and louder and the aircraft began rolling down the airstrip.
The aircraft then soon took off, and Marcus couldn't help but smile. "Next stop, New York City." He whispered to himself.
The flight to New York was smooth, of course, that was because Marcus slept through most of the flight. Waking up occasionally to eat or use the bathroom.
After a long flight, the plane began its descent. The iconic skyline of New York came into view, Marcus couldn't help but press his face against the glass as he looked out the window. His excitement and enthusiasm was palpable. "Oh man, I've only seen this place in video games and superhero movies!"
Luna chuckled as she pulled Marcus away from the window, she then crawled into his lap to look out the window herself. "It looks like skyscrapers are as common as trees," Luna commented.
"That's the future." Kael comments with a sigh, "A concrete forest."
Marcus scoffed at Kael's comment. "Don't listen to him." Marcus said as he looked down at Luna because I'm pretty sure he'd live in an apartment building before the forest any day."
Kael remained silent as he averted his gaze out the window.
The plane touched down and soon they were disembarking. Lance led the way, with Marcus, Luna, and Kael following closely behind.
The airstrip they landed at was number 17, formally known as Ocean County Airport.
A black SUV awaited them on the tarmac, and as Lance approached it, a driver stepped out to greet them. "Welcome to New Jersey sirs and madam."
"New Jersey?" Kael repeated with a raise of his eyebrow.
He then glanced over at Marcus.
Marcus shrugged, "I might be American, but I'm from Florida."
Lance sighed as he reached for his temples. "Please don't tell me you guys thought we'd land at a public airport in New York."
Kael's expression twisted with realization and embarrassment. "I did…. I did think that."
Marcus snickered.
Causing Kael to glare at him.
Lance chuckled as he opened the front passenger door of the SUV.
"We need to keep a low profile, landing in the middle of a busy airport with hundreds of witnesses isn't exactly 'sneaky'," Lance explained as he slipped inside the vehicle.
Marcus helped Luna into the backseat, before getting in himself. Kael walked around the vehicle and entered from the other side. "I just didn't think about that, I mean can you honestly say we look that suspicious?"
"Maybe, maybe not, but you know it's better not to take chances, right?" Lance answered.
"Yeah, I guess…" Kael said with a sigh.
"Plus the crowd would be massive." Marcus added, "This is New York, a lot of people would wanna visit, and a lot more live here."
The driver closed the truck as he loaded the last of their bags in the back. He quickly approached the driver's door and opened it. "Are you ready to depart?" He asked as he slipped inside the driver's seat.
"Hit the gas, Alfred!" Marcus exclaimed with a point.
The driver smirked, "Right away Mr. Bruce." He then turned his attention to Lance as he started the car. "We'll be in the city within the hour if all is well."
Lance nodded, and the journey toward the bustling metropolis began. Marcus gazed out the window with an excited smile. He took in the scenery, watching as the urban sprawl grew into the towering skyline of New York City.
Luna leaned against Marcus, nuzzling against his side as she looked out the window. "Do you like places like this Marcus?" Luna asked curiously.
Marcus looked down at Luna and nodded. "Yeah, dense cities are the coolest things ever, everywhere you turn there's something new to discover."
Luna smiled, her grin full of satisfaction. "That's good." She said softly.
Marcus chuckled as he leaned down to kiss Luna's forehead.
"Can you not," Kael said with a sigh as he watched them with narrowed eyes and a scrunched-up nose.
"It is kinda weird Marcus," Lance commented, looking at Marcus through the rear-view mirror.
Marcus rolled his eyes, sighing as he leaned back in his seat. "You guys are just mad you don't have a daughter."
"You're barely eighteen Marcus." Lance stated, "You wouldn't know how to be a father if I gave you the manual."
"Besides, you're lucky Luna isn't an actual child, trust me, young children are a pain in the ass," Kael added.
"All I'm surrounded by are jealous people," Marcus said with a French accent.
The SUV weaved through the city streets, and before long they found themselves surrounded by iconic sights from video games and movies. The crowds walking the sidewalks, the busy streets filled with the iconic yellow taxis, it all felt so thrilling.
Lance turned around from the front seat to look back at Marcus and Kael. "Alright guys, we'll be staying in the quieter part of the city, we have a safe house that's well…. Safe, we'll lie low there for a bit, and go over your future routine duties."