The sun was at its highest point, searing the ground with its punishing warmth. The preliminaries of the airport were just in sight. From the corner of his eye, Jason noticed something familiar heading towards them. It was another person. He sprinted towards them, nearly tripping several times as he kept losing balance. Finally, he slipped and fell right beside them. He got up and brushed the dust off himself.
"Hello guys," he frantically said. He was noticeably younger than the three survivors, reflected in his informal tone. Jason stepped forwards, preparing to ask questions.
"What are you looking for?" He inquired
"I don't know. Just a moment, I was here in Brisbane then-"
"Bris-BAINE?" Asked Hayden, practically horrified by the mispronunciation of his hometown. "You're not from Australia, are you?"
"I'm from Maine," the boy managed to say, trying to catch his breath.
"I could tell you're not from anywhere here," he lectured. "Had you said "BrisBAINE" in one of our schools you'd never hear the end of it. Anyways, we don't have much time for words. We need to get to the airport as soon as we can." The four headed towards the airport uninterrupted, with the vast emptiness of the outback as company. As they finally reach the outskirts of the airport, a fifth person showed up, somewhere between Fahad and the youngest boy in terms of age.
"Looks like more people made it than we thought" Remarked Jason. "That's good, there's hope for us now."
"I'm Joseph," He said, introducing himself. "Do any of you know what's going on?"
"No. But we know what we have to do" Declared Fahad. Joseph followed them as they entered the field. In the middle stood exactly what they were looking for. A heavy, box-shaped plane that looked like it had come from 20 years prior. Its wings each bearded two propellers instead of the new engines the civilian society had become accustomed to.
"A TORGOS-58?" Said Fahad out loud. "Are we here to fly or attend a history lesson? How are we going to get this artefact off the ground?"
"I'll take care of that," noted Hayden. "The two gentlemen here will follow me and hijack the plane. You and Jason watch my back, since the airport is still in operation the chance of us finding ourselves in a bad encounter is guaranteed."
Gripping the roadblock with one hand, Hayden threw himself onto the airfield. The boy and Joseph climbed over it, following his instructions. Tracing a beeline to the cargo door that hung open, the three began a stealthy approach. Jason climbed over the roadblock while Fahad jumped over it.
"We're in risky territory now," noted Jason. "Let's make this quick, we catch up to them and watch their backs."
"Alright," said Fahad. "We have to be ready." They began to follow the first group, but then they realised they'd been hiding behind a stair truck. Jason realised that Hayden was looking at them, gesturing with his arms for them to duck. Jason crouched behind the cargo box, waiting for the signal to get back up. He saw two figures emerge from the garages, unaware of the presence of five intruders. As he turned to check on Fahad, his heart sank. He seemed to be daydreaming, not noticing the gesture that was sent to them. Quickly, Jason elbowed Fahad's knee, prompting him to snap back. Upon realising the situation, Fahad quickly crouched.
"What we're you doing?" Asked Jason, with a hint of frustration in his voice.
"I was thinking about something," Fahad replied, not yet grasping the gravity of the situation.
"We need to concentrate," stated Jason. "Otherwise we'll all die."
The figures got closer, inspecting the plane. The rest of the aircraft in the garage appeared to be fighter jets, the remnants of a strong fighting force that was once feared all round the world just for it to end under the rule of a new, nondescript occupier. The insignia on the helmets worn by the two figures had an insignia unfamiliar to the survivors, black with gold engravings. Their faces were hidden behind a stylised mask, as well as opaque goggles ensuring every facial feature was not to be seen by anyone on the outside. One of them wielded a rifle, leading to the conclusion reach by Jason that they were soldiers. Hayden squinted at them from behind the stair truck, memorising the insignia imprinted on their helmets. They finished the inspection, then the unarmed soldier took out a device. He talked into it, however the distance separating them from the survivors made it impossible for them to understand anything he was saying, if even in the same language as the one they spoke.
