Chapter 158: The Black Titan’s Takeoff (Bonus - )

Captain Adler slipped his headset down and keyed into the ops frequency, his voice calm, professional,"Ground Ops, this is Hangar Fourteen, requesting tow clearance for Airbus A380, registry N914LX, from Imperial Terminal to taxiway Bravo."There was a pause. Then another. On the other end, someone cleared their throat and asked carefully, "...Did you say A380? From Hangar Fourteen?"

"Affirmative," Adler replied with a steady voice.

More silence, then the sound of papers rustling, voices murmured and finally, a different voice came on, sharper, incredulous, "This is Ground Ops. Confirm aircraft type again."

Adler’s lips curved faintly. "Airbus A380-800. Private configuration. Fully registered, cleared, and flight-ready."

The line went dead for a second, as if even the radios had to absorb it, then the voices came again, "...Tow request acknowledged. Stand by for movement crew."

Adler closed the line without another word and turned to his co-pilot who shares the same faint smirk on his face. It did feel good hearing the shock in their voices.

***

Hangar Floor

The thunder of machinery grew louder. From the far end of the hangar apron, a massive tow tug rolled into view — one of the hulking beasts usually reserved for Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

Its diesel heart growled as it lumbered closer, flanked by wing-walkers, marshallers, and ground engineers. At least ten men and women marched in its wake, reflective vests catching the afternoon sun.

They slowed as hey approached the already opened hangar and then they saw it.

A A380 that wasn’t painted in airline colors, not wearing the livery of nations or corporations.

Instead, it gleamed like obsidian under the lights, platinum streaks tracing along its body, the nose pointed downward like a predator preparing to strike.

The ground crew froze.

"Holy..." the tug driver whispered, voice caught in his throat. "That’s not Emirates’."

"It doesn’t look like it," another muttered. His eyes swept over the black sheen, the mirror-like finish, the impossible perfection. "It’s private ...has to be some oil prince. Or... hell, military?"

"Military doesn’t paint their birds like that," one of the wing-walkers murmured, awe softening his professional mask.

Phones twitched in pockets, fingers itched toward them. But supervisors barked sharp orders, snapping the crew back to motion. Cameras would mean instant dismissal. Still, disbelief clung to their faces like sweat.

The tug groaned into place beneath the titan’s nose. Hydraulic clamps locked onto the landing gear, and with a low rumble, the A380 rolled forward.

Sunlight spilled across its body as the nose breached the open hangar doors. Shadows bent and broke under its wingspan, swallowing vehicles, people, even the tug itself beneath their sheer reach. The ground trembled faintly as hundreds of tons of steel and engineering crept toward the taxiway.

From the position where he was seated, Liam watched silently. Daniel sat slightly back, but he looked a bit uneasy.

"Is anything the problem, Daniel?" Liam asked.

Daniel exhaled softly and his gaze focused on Liam, as he said, "Sir... you realize what happens now, don’t you?"

Liam glanced at him. Of course he knew but he still asked, "Enlighten me."

Daniel’s throat bobbed. "An A380 hasn’t flown privately in... well, ever. The few rumored projects were fantasies for oil kings that never reached completion. For you to roll one out of LAX — the busiest hub on the West Coast — every aviation enthusiast, every airline executive, every regulator, and every government agency with a satellite feed is going to notice. There will be chatter in Washington within the hour. London, Dubai, Singapore — they’ll all be asking the same question: Who owns the black A380?"

He continued as his voice hardened, "This isn’t like the car that caused a gridlock on the way. This is global aviation politics and an entire industries will pivot to investigate."

"Car? You mean that Maybach concept car? It’s mine. As for investigations? I don’t really mind. It’s not like I did anything wrong. Besides, I have you," Liam smiled and relaxed back.

Daniel stared at him blankly for a moment.

You own the car???

He looked towards Mason and Nick, and they pointed at the Cabriolet parked a some distance from the hangar entrance.

Daniel’s eyes widened in shock, then he glanced at Liam, then back to the car. He couldn’t help but feel that he signed up for something so far beyond him.

***

Taxiway Bravo

The tow tug crawled forward, guiding the Imperium out into the afternoon light. The sight drew eyes instantly. Pilots in cockpits craned their necks, airline crews pressed themselves against terminal glass and passengers at boarding gates froze mid-conversation, their chatter breaking into startled questions.

"Is that... an A380?"

"It can’t be, they retired those!"

"No, look — it’s black. I’ve never seen an airline livery like that. Is it... private?"

"Private? What the hell are you talking about? That’s a real A380, not a drone version. Who the hell has enough to get themself a private one? The maintenance costs along will be insane."

"We all know that, Sherlock. Just how do you explain this then?"

Phones rose against the glass. Photos snapped and videos rolled. Social feeds flared alive. Hashtags began spreading like wildfire:

#BlackTitan

#LAXMysteryJet

#PrivateA380

Airline dispatchers muttered furiously into headsets. Flight crews swapped theories in hushed voices. Even baggage handlers stopped mid-load to stare, jaws slack.

In the tower, controllers leaned forward, pressing their headsets tighter. "Ground, confirm — we’ve got an A380 taxiing out of Imperial Terminal?"

"Confirmed," Ground Ops replied, voices strained. "Registry N914LX. Private config."

The tower went silent for a moment, then came the incredulous response: "Private? ...Copy that. Clear taxi route to Runway 25R. Alert traffic. This will cause wake delays."

***

Daniel remained at the desk, already thumbing out messages to his team to set up cover stories and redirect attention. But he knew that this was going to do very little, because the world governments and the whole world will tear everything apart in less than a day.

Captain Adler’s voice came over the internal comms. "Sir, we’ve been cleared to taxi. Expect departure from 25R."

"Take us up, captain" Liam replied smoothly.

The engines rumbled awake — a low, thunderous growl that vibrated through the decks. Even throttled low, the sound shook the hangar glass as the A380 inched forward under its own power.

The black titan rolled into position at 25R.

Onlookers crowded every available window, pressed against fences, phones raised high. Pilots in cockpits radioed each other, disbelieving chatter bouncing between frequencies.

"Tower, confirm that’s private traffic?"

"Affirmative. Private registry."

"...Who the hell owns it?"

"Not in our clearance notes. Fly your plane, Captain."

The engines deepened into a roar. Concrete trembled beneath the beast’s weight. Lights along the runway shimmered against its obsidian skin.

Adler’s voice, calm, unshaken: "Imperium Heavy, cleared for takeoff, Runway 25R."

"Copy, cleared 25R."

Throttle forward.

The four Rolls-Royce Trent engines bellowed. The sound hit like a physical force, rattling windows across the terminal, sending vibrations through the bones of everyone watching.

The aircraft surged forward, wheels thundering against the asphalt, acceleration building with terrifying inevitability.

Passengers at nearby gates screamed with excitement, phones shaking as they recorded. The sound streamed instantly onto TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. Comments exploded.

"PRIVATE A380 TAKING OFF FROM LAX WTF"

"Elon? Apple? Secret project??"

"Bro I’m AT THE GATE watching this LIVE!!!"

"I just saw this on the page of plane spotter."

***

At 150 knots, the aircraft’s nose lifted, as the giant bird rose, improbably graceful, its shadow sliding across the tarmac like a drifting continent.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then the wheels left the earth, and the impossible became real.

The black titan climbed, engines roaring like gods at war. Its wings cut through the sky, banking westward. Sunlight glinted off obsidian and platinum, dazzling the crowd below.

On the ground, chaos reigned. Radios buzzed, controllers muttered, passengers screamed into phones and aviation forums caught fire with disbelief.

And in the lounge of the Imperium, Liam reclined in perfect calm, watching the blue horizon open before him.

"Sir..." Daniel called out softly.

Liam turned to him but Daniel kept quiet, and he chuckled, "Don’t worry about it too much. Let’s just enjoy the ride."

"Yes, sir," Daniel sighed, collapsing back helplessly.

Yep, my days are going to be hellish.