Lancaster tucks the egg under his arm and runs for the cliff. He pulls out his com with his free hand and calls Little Jack frantically. "Pick up near the cliff!" he shouts.
"Always in a hurry," Little Jack exclaims, but he'll be there.
The bird chases for a number of steps, then jumps up and disappears in the fog above. When it reappears, it's swooping down on top of him. Lancaster doesn't even have time to duck, he just kneels down, holding the egg.
But then Little Jack's ship Odin's Revenge flies in from the side, knocking the bird over. He touches down with the engine still going, and opens the hatch just large enough for Lancaster to jump in with his prize. He does so, and the ship takes off.
The mother bird jumps at the ship, knocking it senseless as it reels in the air. The mother bird flaps its wings in place as Odin's Revenge recovers in the air, straightening out. The bird sees this and goes in for another strike. Little Jack sees this coming and flies out of the way. The bird recovers faster than Jack anticipated, and it gets another blow in. The ship tumbles for a little ways, then Little Jack punches the thrust in highest gear and it rockets off. The bird flaps its wings as hard as it can, taking desperate chase, screaming at the iron bird that's getting away with its baby. But it's no use. Little Jack leaves it in the fog, quite literally.
Having made it away, Lancaster looks at his treasure. The egg has cracked either when he jumped inside, or as the ship was swinging wildly. Inside the crack of the egg, Little Jack sees a dead bird, about the size of a small human. It looks helpless and miserable. It would have been born and lived a full life in the woods with its family if Lancaster had not tries to steal it away.
THE END
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