Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(39)

Almost three hours later, Destin glanced out of the window of the transport as it flew over the area now known as New Chicago. His breath caught when he saw all of the work that had been completed during his absence. Pride swelled through him at seeing the new buildings already completed and the ones still under construction.

The wall that had divided the city was completely gone. The scar from the wall was still present, but he was seeing progress spreading from the middle of it outward, both east and west. The few historic buildings that had not been destroyed in the fighting over the years and were salvageable stood out against the new construction. Cargo transports, assembly drones, and construction bots littered the city.

A soft whistle drew his attention. He glanced over at Trig. The other man was staring down at all the destruction.

“I’m taking a guess that this is not the way your city looked before our arrival. Why would you humans destroy your own world?” Trig murmured with a shake of his head.

Destin could see the slight disgust in the other man’s expression. He glanced down at the city, seeing it from Trig’s point-of-view. His jaw tightened when they passed over the remains of the Harrison Hotel Electric Garage. Completed in 1930, the building was one of the tallest left standing in the Chicago area after the first year of fighting. It had been Kali’s favorite place to retreat and it was where she had saved Razor’s life.

At the moment, it was surrounded by construction platforms. There was a lot that the Trivators could do when it came to rebuilding the city with new technology, but reconstruction of the historical buildings had been left to the humans. The preservation of as many historical sites as possible had been paramount to Destin. He wanted future generations to have some visual examples of their history and heritage to show future generations of what life had been like before Earth had received their first contact.

“What is it?” Sula asked, reaching over to grasp his hand.

“It’s good to be home,” Destin murmured, staring down at the city.

“It has changed for the better since I was last here. I now see hope for a better future.” she said.

“So do I,” Destin murmured, his lips curving up at the corners.

Destin felt Sula squeeze his hand. His throat tightened with emotion when the transport made a wide circle over the city. He knew that Trig had requested the pilot to do a tour so he could see all the progress that had been made since he’d been off planet.

He glanced over along the lake. A large skyscraper that looked like it was straight out of a science fiction movie rose up in front of them. It had been under construction when he had left, but it looked like it was complete now. He shook his head in disbelief. Something that should have taken years to build had been completed in less than one. The same went for many of the other buildings that were standing like sentinels dotted across the horizon. This one would be the headquarters for New Chicago as well as apartments for him and many of the others who had fought beside him. The other buildings were housing for the residents of the city. It had been one of his first goals: shelter from the biting winds and horrific winters for everyone.

“Prepare for landing,” the pilot instructed.

Destin sat back and looked out the front windshield. The transport swept in a wide arc before aligning with the opening in the center of the building. He released a deep breath when the vehicle they were traveling in passed through easily. The craft rotated while hovering in the opening. It turned in midair before gently setting down on the landing platform. Even as they undid the straps holding them in, Destin could feel the platform moving the transport out of the landing area and back into the protected area of the building.

He bent and grabbed his duffel bag when the door opened. Trig jumped out and turned to help Sula down. Destin walked to the open door and stared out. A grin lit his face when he saw Tim and Mason standing off to the side near a door. He jumped down out of the transport and shouldered his bag.

He strode across the docking area to where his two friends stood waiting. They both walked forward, grins on their faces. Tim reached him first and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Good to have you back, Destin,” Tim said with a broad grin.

“Ain’t that the damn truth,” Mason added, his face creasing into a crooked smile.

“This place… The city… They both look incredible,” Destin said, waving his hand at the opening behind him. “And this….” He paused, turning in a slow circle as he looked around. “I can’t believe it’s done.”

“Yeah, well, while you were off playing, we’ve been working our asses off,” Mason chuckled. “I tell you what, when those aliens decide they want to build something, they don’t do it half-assed.”

“It’s good to be back and to see what has been done while I was away,” Destin admitted.

“How’s Kali? Is she—,” Tim started to say before his smile faded and his lips became taut. “What is she doing here?”

Destin stiffened and turned. Sula and Trig had walked up and were standing behind them. His gaze flickered to Tim and Mason’s faces. Both men’s expressions held a barely suppressed sneer of contempt.

“This is Councilor Jersula Ikera. She is the Usoleum representative who has been assigned to act as a liaison between the Alliance Council and the rebuilding of New Chicago. She is also with me,” Destin added in a warning tone. “Sula, I’d like to introduce Tim Daniels, my right-hand man, and Mason Cruz, the best damn builder on the planet.”