TURBULANCE

Dawn and Maddie made it outside on their motorcycles. The chill of the desert air blew into them, but Dawn and Maddie ignored it. They saw the tire tracks of the vehicles left by the Outcasts and followed them across the desert as they rode side by side. Then, they saw the large military plane ahead. The cargo bay was down and the lights were on. The plane was about to take off. Dawn saw that the plane was used to store large supply boxes and the armored vehicle. They drove into the cargo plane just as the door began to close. Dawn and Maddie sat down against the wall as the plane took off. The inside was rather large and it looked like they were encased by the steel structure. There did not appear to be anyone else inside. The plane increased altitude and Dawn decided to look around. She kept her balance by holding on the armored vehicle. As she made her way toward the front, she saw the bullet impact on the window. She moved alongside the large boxes with netting and parachutes attached to them. Maddie moved to the opposite side, walking along the wall. They checked the area for armed mercenaries. Dawn took out Slayer, the knife she used to get herself and Damon into this mess. Then, they heard mercenaries heading their way. Dawn motion for Maddie to be quiet as the mercenaries came closer. They hid behind the large cargo. When they approached, Dawn and Maddie disarmed them and took them down. Dawn stabbed one and Maddie stabbed the other.

"I say we kill whoever's flying the plane and take control," Maddie was hoping.

"I don't know. If we take control, well who knows how many guys they have. Stay here, I'll see if I can find anything."

Dawn walked towards the front of the plane while Maddie waited near the cargo. She looked to the side and saw the switch to open the bay. In front of her was an arm of an android peering out from under a cover. She removed it and saw body parts from synths. There were robotic arms, legs, torsos, and cracked heads laying inside wooden containers. Right beside it was a container with electronic parts and wires.

Dawn snuck closer to the front and saw that a door was slightly open. She peaked inside and saw two mercenaries sitting down and one piloting the plane.

"Those guys should be back by now," one of them worried.

"Let's see what's keeping them."

Dawn ran back towards Maddie.

"Get ready, they're coming," Dawn alerted her.

The two mercenaries entered the cargo area with their assault rifles ready and quickly moved towards the back. One of them saw blood on the ground. Dawn got her .45 and Maddie had her knives out. The two mercenaries saw the dead bodies. One of them took out a two-way radio.

"Rowan, we have an intruder," he notified.

"Damn it! She's onboard," he fumed over the radio, "Kill that bitch! We can't let her get to Damon."

"Copy that."

Dawn and Maddie backed up against the wall. Then, Dawn accidentally bumped into a gas cylinder which fell over and rolled towards the armored vehicle. This got the attention of the two mercenaries. They shot where Dawn and Maddie were. Dawn fired back from behind cover, but they took cover in front the armored vehicle. The gas cylinder rolled back towards her and one of the mercenaries aimed his gun at it. Dawn slid out and kicked the cylinder to the other side of the plane. The mercenaries fired at her, but Dawn quickly dived behind the back of the armored vehicle. Maddie threw a knife at one of the mercenaries, striking him in the arm. The cylinder rolled towards the front of the plane. The mercenary ran towards the back, but Dawn fired shots at him. A bullet struck the mercenary in the armor causing him to fall behind a large cargo.

Maddie searched for the other mercenary who hid in front of the armored vehicle. He pulled the knife out of his bleeding arm. Then, Maddie found him and kicked him in the face. He tried to point the gun at her, but she grabbed it and kicked him in the leg. She struck him with an open palm strike, knocking him down. He tried to get up, but she kneed him in the face.

Dawn kept her gun pointed where the mercenary was. Then, he shoved a box into her. Her gun flew out of her hand as the box struck her. He fired shots at her, but Dawn ducked behind the box. She quickly pushed the box forward, knocking the mercenary down. He tried to grab the gun, but Dawn dove on top of him and struck him with an elbow. She struck him with a series of punches, but he threw her over. They simultaneously grabbed the gun and struggled to maintain possession.

Maddie taunted the other mercenary with her knife and he tried to crawl away. She giggled, striking fear into him. Then, a gunshot was heard along with an explosion. Maddie saw that the front was blown out and flames had engulfed the cockpit.

The explosion knocked Dawn and the mercenary to the back of the plane. Dawn slowly got up and saw the mercenary near the switch for the cargo door. He released it and the door opened, revealing the dawn of the morning sun.

The other mercenary grabbed Maddie and threw her down. He took out a knife and tried to stab her, but Maddie moved and cut his arm. He fell to the ground and onto the ramp.

Dawn saw the gun near the mercenary and she ran at him. She tackled him onto the ramp before he could pick up the gun. The smoke from the front was surrounding the plane. They were high in the air and it was only a matter of time before they crashed in the desert.

Maddie walked towards the other mercenary who grabbed a pipe wrench. He ran at her and tried to strike her. She kicked the wrench out of his hand and then kicked him in the face. She tried to kick him again, but he grabbed her leg and threw her down. Maddie rolled on the ramp and was near Dawn.

Dawn and the mercenary exchanged strikes. The mercenary got the upper hand and knocked Dawn near the edge. The pipe wrench slid near her and she grabbed it. When the mercenary got near, she struck him in the jaw and threw him down. He slid near the edge, almost falling off.

The mercenary tried to punch Maddie, but she moved while giggling. She threw a quick jab at his face and laughed. He tried to kick her, but Maddie moved and slapped him. He tried another kick, but she blocked it and slapped him again. He tried a backhand strike, but she moved back and kicked him on the side of the head. Then, she slammed him into the wall causing him to stumble down the ramp. Dawn saw Maddie.

"Hey, up here," Dawn called out.

Maddie followed her to the armored vehicle. Dawn saw the cord for the parachute and tried to pull it. She was not sure if it was stuck or if she was too exhausted. Maddie grabbed the cord and they pulled it as hard as they could. The parachute opened and the armored vehicle began moving off the plane. The vehicle struck the mercenary with the cut arm, sending him off the plane and towards the ground. As the armored vehicle left the plane, Dawn and Maddie realized it was attached by a steel cable to the other cargo. They dodged the boxes as it came towards them. The plane began to move around, knocking them down and sending them flying outside. Dawn and Maddie grabbed the netting on one of the boxes as they sailed in the air. Then, the mercenary, who held onto the netting of the armored vehicle, had the gun with him and began shooting at them. Dawn and Maddie moved to the other side as the mercenary continued to fire at them. There was a latch that connected the rope from the armored vehicle to the cargo they were on. Dawn unhooked the latch and the armored vehicle floated away along with the mercenary. Dawn and Maddie climbed up towards the bay. Then, the front of the cargo plane exploded. The blast sent Dawn and Maddie flying into the air along with the cargo.

Maddie was able to hold onto a box with netting and a parachute attached. Dawn flew through the air as she saw the plane go down in smoke and the cargo flying around her. As she rapidly descended towards the Mojave Desert, she saw Maddie. With her only chance, she grabbed the netting and held on. With a surge of adrenaline, they yanked the cord and the parachute deployed. They descended safely to the desert sand. Dawn caught her breath as Maddie laughed.

"Weeeee! Well that was fun!" She joked, "Wanna go again?"

Dawn chuckled.

"Same old Maddie," Dawn replied while breathing heavily.

Maddie saw the wrecked plane ahead.

"There it is. Let's see if we can find where they took Damon."

"Give me a minute," Dawn told her.

Maddie tilted her head and frowned as Dawn leaned against the cargo.

"We should have interrogated one of them," Dawn realized, "You specialize in that category."

"Well, I was about to, until someone blew the plane up."

"Let's just search that wreckage."

When they got to the wreckage, there were cargo and parts of the plane scattered around. Smoke came out of the engine, and some parts were still on fire. Dawn saw a two-way radio in the sand and picked it up.

"Breaker, breaker," she said into the radio.

"Dawn?" an irritated Rowan snapped, "You just don't know when to curl up and die."

"Where's Damon?"

"I'm taking him under my wing now. After what I'm about to offer him, he'll be on our side. The technology in the Institute will belong to the Outcasts."

"You're insane if you think that will happen."

"Yeah…insane. Add rich and powerful to that."

"Where the hell is he?"

"Dawn, as much as I would love to see that gorgeous face of yours, I got something better to deal with. This doesn't involve you. Stay out while you can still breath."

Dawn clipped the radio on her side and looked around the desert. They marched forward as the sun rose, hoping to find the Outcasts but more importantly, Damon. As they trekked under the morning sky, Dawn realized she had lost her .45 handgun and only had Slayer. Maddie's face paint began to wear leaving patches of skin. The dark makeup around her eyes was still in perfect condition and still had her knives and katanas with her. If they did run into the Outcasts, they would be dead in a heartbeat. There was nowhere to hide. Dawn thought about the offer Damon made to her but still had not reached a decision; right now, it was a matter of survival. She had to rescue him. He risked his own life for her and she had to make sure Rowan would never get the information he needed. Then, she heard static over the radio.

"Dawn? Dawn are you there?"

She recognized the voice as Damon.

"Damon!" She shouted in excitement, "Where are you?"

"Some old railroad factory, must be their safehouse. I'm in an office room somewhere inside. I managed to steal a radio. Where are you?"

"Walking across the desert. We caught the plane before it crashed."

"There should be a railroad track nearby. Follow it and it will take you straight to the factory."

"Yeah, I'm following the tracks."

"Good, I gotta go before someone hears me."

Dawn and Maddie followed the tracks; some of which was buried underneath the sand. They kept walking until they saw a factory ahead. There was a broken down train in front. They walked across a fence that had been torn down and had barbed wire at the top. It was still attached to the part of the fence that was torn down.

"Keep low," Dawn told Maddie as they approached the railroad factory, "No telling how many are around here."

They hid behind a rusted boxcar that had orange paint chipping off. Dawn moved closer to the door which was slightly open. She pulled the door and opened it just enough to look inside. There were metal crates inside, but otherwise empty. Dawn crawled inside and Maddie followed. The sliding door on the other side was halfway open. Dawn peaked outside and did not see anyone. The morning sun was still sitting low and provided enough light to see across the yard. More rail cars were scattered across the broken tracks and some rail cars had been tipped over. The building looked abandoned and there were different sections that connected. Dawn and Maddie stepped outside and quickly ran behind a rail car that was on its side. The place was quiet. They got a view from inside the factory. More rail cars were inside and there were overhead cranes, metal sheets, and forklifts. Then, Maddie saw the vehicles parked near one of the big doors. They knew they were in the right place and continued towards the building. Dawn picked up a tire iron before leaning against the wall by the door. Maddie was on the opposite side. Dawn peeked through the opening and ran inside with Maddie close behind her. They hid behind a boxcar. Maddie saw a member of the Outcasts. He appeared to be unarmed and was walking alongside the rail cars. Maddie nodded at Dawn and she quietly approached him. She grabbed him by the throat and suffocated him. Dawn followed behind and they quietly made their way through the factory. There were tools, scrap metal, welding equipment, and gas cylinders scattered around. They walked into a big open space that had nothing but support beams and rail tracks ahead. The walls around had small holes and the morning sun began to poke through. Dawn spotted two more Outcasts and they quickly hid behind a large machine. One of the Outcasts heard something and they moved towards Dawn and Maddie.

"We should interrogate one of them, find out where Damon is," Dawn whispered.

Maddie smiled and Dawn smiled back. Dawn saw the shadow of the Outcasts and waited for him to approach. She also noticed Maddie had vanished. As soon as the Outcast approached, Dawn quickly struck him with the face with tire iron, knocking him unconscious. This got the attention of the other Outcast, but Maddie suddenly appeared, put a knife to his throat, and took him to the ground. She held his hair and had a wicked smile on her face. The Outcast was nervous as he stared into her eyes.

"How'd you like your throat slashed?" She calmly spoke, "An ear to ear smile?"

Dawn stood in front of them.

"Where's Damon?" Maddie pressed, "I'd rather you not tell me. I'm really looking forward to cutting you. I won't be able to contain my urge to kill much longer."

"That bald kid," he whimpered, "The office building, on the other end."

"What about Rowan?" Dawn asked.

"Go through the decking area, he's out by one of the trains."

"Thanks."

Maddie struck him with an elbow, knocking him unconscious.

"Maddie, I need you to do something for me," Dawn requested, "I want you to go find Damon."

"And what will you do?"

"I'm gonna go find Rowan. I have a score to settle with that son of a bitch. Any Outcasts that gets in my way, I'll take them down."

"You'll be outnumbered if-"

"Don't worry about me. Their numbers have dwindled. Only a few are left."

"All right, I'll go look for him. But be careful."

"I will, and please, both of you, come back alive."

Maddie went towards the office and Dawn walked through the factory. She made her way around the rail cars until she got to the decking area. There was angle iron, steel bars, and welding equipment around the area. She searched the dusty area but there was no sign of anyone. As the morning light poked through the holes of the walls, she held her tire iron tight and was ready to strike. Then, she heard someone talking near a rail car. It sounded like it was Rowan. When she approached, she saw him talking to two of the Outcasts. Dawn wanted to attack, but they were armed with shotguns. Rowan left and walked outside. Dawn crawled inside the boxcar and peeked through the small opening on the other sliding door. Only one Outcast was there and was sitting in a chair next to a radio. The song "Blue Moon" by Frank Sinatra was playing. Dawn lightly tapped the metal wall which got the attention of the Outcast. He got up and walked towards the car. As soon as he opened the door, Dawn surprised him and struck him in the face with the tire iron. While he was dazed, she pulled him inside, placed him in a front headlock, and snapped his neck. She exited and got the shotgun.