Head down and dejected, Aiden stood quietly amid the bustle of Penn Station. Lost in the crowd, he stood there for a while until he heard the droning. He had seen airplanes before, and in fact he always liked to watch them fly overhead. This sounded like a whole formation, though, which was very unusual. He wasnâ€™t the only one to hear the noise, either. People all around him stopped to listen. The cacophony that was the train station quieted somewhat â€“ a rare event indeed. Then came the police officers.<br/><br/>â€œEveryone move! Downstairs to the shelters! This is an emergency!â€ they shouted. Since the country had recently gone to war, Aiden decided this must be a drill of some kind. Not wanting to be penned in with police officers who might ask questions, Aiden raced away at full speed to the nearest exit.<br/><br/>Outside the droning became louder and louder, echoing around the alleyway where he walked. He looked up but could only see a thin ribbon of the sky between the buildings. Still, the steadily increasing noise told him that something was happening. While he was looking up, an arm grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows. Instinctively he cocked his right arm to hit back, but recognized the other person before he struck.<br/><br/>â€œDamn it Jake,â€ Aiden began. â€œWhat theâ€¦â€<br/><br/>â€œShut up!â€ the young man beside him barked, â€œYou need to be in cover! And quiet!â€ Jake was part of the same anarchist movement as Aiden. While they werenâ€™t close, Aiden trusted him.<br/><br/>â€œWhy,â€ Aiden asked, suddenly more concerned about his situation.<br/><br/>â€œTri-wings â€“ those are bombers. From the naval air station. They have the â€˜Xâ€™ logo on them â€“ USX. Itâ€™s begun.â€<br/><br/>Suddenly Aiden knew exactly what was happening. Jake and he had been part of a movement to bring banding equality to the country, but without violence. The USX was a different story altogether. Well-organized, large and well-equipped, they sought violent revolution. Apparently their attack had begun, and they managed to commandeer some nearby bombers. Even more frightening than the prospect of being helplessly attacked from the air, Ewan realized that all Alphas were in great danger â€“ including Carina. He knew what he had to do.<br/><br/>â€œWait! Stop!â€ shouted Jake as Aiden ran off into the street. â€œYouâ€™re going to get killed!â€