Landing at LAX

[Bravo Team Leader]

Well the bird lands at LAX for some fuel. It so happens that the Mallers were following and jump them on the tarmac. Then the inevitable zombie attack happens when the bird is on the ground . The Mallers can't kill Pegs because she can fly the bird,She makes a deal to trade Lizzie for safe passage of who ever is left from the Mallers to Fort E. Now how bad would that suck?

[nikvoodoo]

My question would be how do the Mallers track the Tower folk in the helicopter? Helicopters travel faster than the Mallers can and they would lose track of it quickly.

[Creem_Filling]

Well, the mallers now know they have a hele and LAX would be the first place most people would look for flying things. It's possible that they could just find the tower survivors through deductive reasoning. But slim chance.

That would suck, but I just don't see it as possible the to follow a helicopter throught the the debris filled roads of LA.

[Bravo Team Leader]

I know. buts it's possible. A big slow moving bird with a new pilot at the controls. I figure if the traffic is close to rush hour even with the pile ups. Then some one could (in theory) follow it on a motorcycle. I used to see people weave around cars on bikes all the time.. But I agree it would be really hard with cars and zombies everywhere.

[Zombiephyllic]

That would really suck but I don't see that happening. I agree with Creem_Filling though that LAX would be the most logical place for the mallers to look for the tower survivors and I bet they know it. However, Scratch was off mission when she attacked the tower again so I'd be surprised if she went after them especially since she "found what she was looking for".

[Cabbage Patch]

If the helicopter goes back to LAX our heroes should have a little breathing room before the Mallers find them. Here are my reasons why:
1. Scratch seemed genuinely surprised to see the helicopters at the Tower. To me this says that the Mallers aren't watching the LAX area, otherwise they would have seen the test flights taking place and given her some warning.
2. Kalani went to great lengths to hide the helicopters, doing all their test flights over the water and planning a deceptive route over water to travel and from the Tower. We don't know if Pegs used the planned route, but we know that it's the one she had from Kalani so the chances are good that she did.
3. The Tower crew has already discussed the idea that they did not expect to find helicopters at LAX (I believe that it was Kalani that said that helicopters fly out of Van Nuys airport and not LAX). So, if the Mallers are as familiar with the LA aviation scene as the Tower they wouldn't expect to see them at LAX.
4. The drive from the Tower to LAX took the Tower people several hours, due to blocked roads. There is no reason to think that the Mallers would be able to do it faster. The helicopter should be able to make the trip in between 10 minutes and a half-hour, depending on the route they take. I don't see how a car or even a motorcycle could keep up to follow them back to LAX.
Bottom line, LAX ought to be a safe place for the helicopter and the Tower survivors, at least from the Mallers, for a while.

[nikvoodoo]

4. The drive from the Tower to LAX took the Tower people several hours, due to blocked roads. There is no reason to think that the Mallers would be able to do it faster. The helicopter should be able to make the trip in between 10 minutes and a half-hour, depending on the route they take. I don't see how a car or even a motorcycle could keep up to follow them back to LAX.
Bottom line, LAX ought to be a safe place for the helicopter and the Tower survivors, at least from the Mallers, for a while.

To play the opposite side of the coin, it takes the Tower only 1 hour to reach LAX from the Tower. The longest it took was Victor and Pegs (2 hours) but that's because they got lost and went near ground zero first.

But the Tower knew the best route to take to get from the Tower to LAX. The Mallers probably don't know how to get there as efficiently, so it might take them a little longer. The idea of Van Nuys is interesting because we know the helicopter should (in theory) be able to refuel there and it would be well off the beaten path of L.A.'s downtown area that all the survivors know. But that's a lot of risk to fly there if they can't actually refuel for some reason (no power, no fuel etc). Too many unknowns, so they might avoid that area.

I agree with Zombiephyllic though. Scratch has already been off the map long enough that Durai is asking questions. Odds are she's not going to take up another side mission and risk facing his wrath which is apparently something to behold. See: Charlie being tricked into a confession so Latch and Scratch got off clean.

[GodofInsanity]

Another point unless Scratch sent someone off to follow the Jolly Green Giant soon after The Tower fell then there might (slim in my opinion) chance to follow the helicopter. But in the confusion with smoke and the Tower falling, that may have taken some doing. We know at least Scratch, Tartus and Bricks was searching wreakage of the tower. Plus do not be decieved. Those whirly birds look slow, but in truth the can be moving at a pretty good clip and could be easily lost sight of from the ground. But I do agree, LAX would seem like the place for Scratch and her crew to check 1st if they got to thinking about it.

[dontkillburt]

I don't know about LAX. Given the "rooster's" destination was Ft. Irwin (and that appears to be where they were headed), that would have been in the opposite direction of LAX from the Tower.

If they do decide to turn around and go back for a rescue at the fallen Tower, Pegs won't need an international airport to land at. She has already set down a Coast Guard helicopter on top of a building that didn't even have a landing pad! Dropping it int a nearby parking lot or a ball field would be child's play for her. And since both groups are on the move now, time will be of the essence if there is a rescue attempt in the plot.

I kinda believe Pegs will tell Michael to go eff himself and land the bird on her own shortly into chapter 25. I don't see Ft. Irwin in the near future. I also don't think Scratch even gives much of a ratt's ass where the helicopter or it's passengers are going anyway. Her last words in chapter 24 were "Put him (Angel?) with the old man (Burt)...I found what I was looking for." Sounds like the chase is over for her. But I wonder who (or what) she found? Scratch has me scratchin' my head. Can't wait for season 3.

[Cabbage Patch]

I just remembered that the Tower sent recon teams out to a number of locations looking for helicopters. I believe they mentioned a site news helicopters operated from and a police heli-pad. If those locations were well scouted they take the helicopter to one of them rather than going to LAX. Not saying they will, but I didn't want to miss the possibility.