Page 56 of Flight of the Omega

XXII

JP winced as the lightclicked on overhead, burning into his eyes. Slowly, he lifted his head, then dropped it again. He remembered, briefly, being woken up by a man he didn’t know. Then he was hustled into a truck and driven to a barn. He remembered looking back at the eggs, nestled in a bunch of blankets, and worrying that they were all going to topple over or break.

He was hustled to another nest. Then his eggs were under him again, safe and sound and warm.

Then he’d fallen asleep for a while. Now he could see he was in a barn, a single lightbulb glowing from the ceiling. The place was rough, covered in hay and dust, and he was the only critter in the barn.

He peered at the man who had brought him here, Hank. Standing beside him was William Crane, his face so red it almost matched his shirt, huffing with anger.

“JP!” he cried. “What the hell are you doing out here?!”

JP squawked, then tried to cover the eggs more, as though that were possible. He didn’t want his father to see the eggs. Didn’t want him to touch them.

“You weren’t supposed to leave!” his father continued. “You weren’tallowedto leave! You got yourself into trouble, the least you can do is turn those eggs over—you’re not fit to take care of them!”

Hank turned and frowned at William. “Not fit?” he asked.

“Of course not!” William bellowed. “He’s sick!”

“He doesn’t seem sick—”

“Sick in the head! He’s all …” William made a motion, and JP cawed, because he didn’t like that. At all. “You know how they get—they lose their minds.”

Hank’s frown deepened. “Shifters? ’Cause they shift?”

“Yes! Exactly that—”

“I’ve never heard of that,” Hank said.

William waved a hand. “Well, it’s a thing. And my boy—bless him—he can’t make decisions for himself, and he cannot be trusted to mind a nest.”

“I guess,” Hank said. “That makes sense. That’s why Jack called Amanda and me up the mountain there—”

“Jack did what?” William cried, doing a double-take, and JP cawed loudly, flapping his wings. “Oh—settle down! Quiet. Be quiet, JP!”

JP made to peck at his father’s hands. He wanted him away from the eggs. Now. He shrieked again and spread his wings wide.

“I don’t think he’s happy,” Hank said.

William waved a hand. “He doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

JP screeched, then lunged at his father, beating his wings furiously. He started shrieking between pecks, trying to drive the two men away.

Hank dragged William back. “I’d say he’s really not happy to see you.”

JP hissed. It was a strange noise, but one he could make. He lifted all his tail feathers and wound his neck up.

“Shit,” Hank said, then dragged William out of the way. JP jumped at them, talons extended.

“The hell is wrong with you!” William barked. “Don’t you recognize your old man!”

“I think that’s the problem,” Dr. Vogel said as she darted by the other two. “He does recognize you, Mr. Crane.”

JP scratched the ground and lowered his head, getting ready to charge.

“What the hell is his problem?” William thundered.

“He wants you away from the eggs and the nest,” Dr. Vogel said, laying a hand on JP’s neck. He had half a mind to hiss at her too.