The Escape

One of the agents neared the captain, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Captain, he's with a civilian," he stated hesitantly. "We're not permitted to interfere with civilians."

"She collaborated with an alien, she's a traitor to mankind. Shoot them down," Captain Thomas replied, his voice cold.

"But sir…"

"What?"

"Will things be alright, sir?" 

Captain Thomas let out a deep sigh of resignation. "Sometimes, a sacrifice has to be made to achieve a greater goal," he muttered, his voice drowned by the sound of his own men preparing to open fire.

With a curt nod, Captain Thomas gave the order to fire. "Now, take them down!" he said.

Djuma's reaction was instantaneous. In a split second, he transformed into his Anthropteroid form, his wings unfolding from his back, tearing off his suit. He then swiftly wrapped his wings around Christina, shielding her from the impending barrage of gunfire.

The NPS agents unleashed a hail of bullets, but the bullets ricocheted off an invisible shield around Djuma's wings, sparking and whining as they fell harmlessly to the ground.

The agents paused, momentarily stunned by the failure of their attack. As they reloaded their guns, preparing to launch another assault, a familiar voice echoed toward them, momentarily halting the chaos.

"Stop! Stop shooting for goddamned sake! My daughter is there!" 

The voice was unmistakable, and everyone turned around to see Dr. Idris and Lara running toward them. Captain Thomas's face turned surprised when he saw him. "Dr. Idris! What are you doing here, sir?" he asked.

"Who issued the permission to shoot at civilians?!" Dr. Idris thundered. "That's my daughter you're shooting at!"

"What!?" Captain Thomas stuttered, his face turning from surprise to shock.

As the chaos subsided, Christina raised her head to verify the reason for the sudden interruption. Her eyes locked onto her father, who was scolding Captain Thomas.

"My father is here; we need to leave immediately," she urged Djuma.

Djuma swiftly unwrapped his wings from her, and he scooped her up to his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. With a powerful beat of his wings, he levitated off the ground, flapping his wings horizontally to generate lift and propel them upward.

"We're losing them!" one of the agents yelled. Everyone raised their heads to watch as Djuma began to fly away with Christina.

Just as it seemed like they were making their escape, John arrived at the scene, his face red with exertion. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled out his pistol and took aim at Djuma's retreating form. 

Bang!

Bang!!

Bang!!!

The sound of the gunfire echoed through the alleyway, the sharp reports of the pistol shots ringing out in rapid succession. The bullets ripped through the air, and two of them struck Djuma's wings, tearing through the thin membrane and leaving gaping holes. The third bullet marks its target, clinging onto his forearm.

Djuma's wings faltered, and he lost control, plummeting toward the ground. Christina's eyes went wide with terror as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

But just as Djuma was about to crash to the ground, he somehow managed to regain control, his wings beating weakly as he struggled to stay aloft. In a surprising move, he flew directly toward the NPS agents, who were forced to duck for cover to avoid being struck. 

As Djuma flew overhead, his wings began to heal at an astonishing rate, the punctured skin rapidly closing over and blending together seamlessly. The NPS agents watched in awe as the alien soared high into the sky.

John stomped toward Captain Thomas, his eyes blazing with fury. "I warned you to use everything at our disposal to capture him," he growled. "How can you lose him!?"

"Everything at your disposal? Including a civilian?" Dr. Idris quipped, stepping forward. "Do you know my daughter almost died because of your reckless action?"

John glanced at Dr. Idris, his eyes boring into the older man's. "Why was your daughter with the alien in the first place?" he snapped. "If not for your daughter breaching the facility, we would still have the alien at our grasp. Your inability to put your daughter under control has cost us a lot."

"You'd better watch your words, John!" Dr. Idris growled, glaring warningly. "Your hunger for vengeance is taking the better of you and slowly consuming the good in you. Try to think before you act, your resentment is clouding your judgment."

"And why do you think that's happening, sir?" John inquired. "It's because of you, sir. You've grown vulnerable because of your daughter. She has killed the once unwavering zeal and ambitious resolution in you."

He stepped back, but his hungry eyes never left the head scientist. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Contact the space force team immediately and ask for their cooperation in apprehending the alien," he ordered, and he hung up.

"We'll leave the rest to the space force team," he said to the NPS captain. "Let's go back to the facility and assist them in any way we can."

The NPS agents nodded in unison, their voices echoing in a chorus of "Yes, sir!"

The NPS agents departed at once, leaving Dr. Idris and Lara standing alone at the scene. Dr. Idris's face was filled with frustration and worry, his eyes scanning the sky for a glimpse of his daughter.

"Christina! What have you done!" he mumbled, gritting his teeth in exasperation.

Meanwhile, high above the clouds. "Harrrrr!!!" Christina's scream of terror and amazement echoed through the wind.

With each upward stroke, Djuma's wings created a gentle buffeting of air that caressed her face. She felt a thrill of excitement mixed with a touch of trepidation as she gazed down at the rapidly receding ground below.

"OMG! It's so fucking high!" she exclaimed. "Imagine falling from here, that's one fast method to meet the Creator."

Djuma's lips curled back, revealing his short, white teeth, and he almost seemed to smile. "There's no way I'll let you fall," he replied. "So rest assured, you're safe with me."

Christina glanced down at the ground once more, and she gasped. Certain death awaited anyone who fell from this altitude. She knew it.

As they continued to soar through the sky, the world below began to fade into the distance. Clouds rapidly descended, shrouding the ground in a thick, white mist. Christina's view of the world below was obscured, and she felt a sense of disorientation wash over her.

The wind began to pick up, whipping through her hair and sending her clothes flapping wildly. She felt like she was in the midst of a storm, and her fear of falling only intensified. Despite Djuma's firm grip on her, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to plummet to her death at any moment.

However, Djuma seemed entirely unaffected by the wind and the turbulence. His wings beat steadily, propelling them through the air with ease. It was like he was impervious to the elements, his wings an evidence of the incredible resilience of the Anthropters.

Their wings, though they may appear fragile and thin, were in fact indestructible. They possessed the ability to respond to injuries with extremely sensitive and powerful stem cells, which allowed for rapid tissue regeneration and healing. Injuries to the wings healed at an incredible rate, far faster than those sustained by the rest of their bodies.

While their bodies relied on external sources of power to heal, such as shins or gastral energy, their wings produced their own healing powers. This unique ability made the Anthropters' wings truly remarkable, and a key factor in their incredible agility and endurance.