Who's excited for the reveal? I hope I can write this well. This is going to be really difficult… enjoy!
Chapter Quote:
"I'm more interested in being good than being famous."
~Annie Leibovitz
Chapter 2: Debut
Grimm
"I'm not ready for this I'm not ready for this I'm not ready for this I'm not-"
"Cassie! Calm down. Everything's going to be fine!" I assured.
"You're a guy. Nothing bothers you. I'm a girl. We overthink everything. Do not tell me to calm down. I'm not even sure what type of smile I'm going to give the crowd. I mean, should I do the sweet, small one, the sly one, or just a big toothy one?"
"I'm going to give this one," Chopper said before scrunching up his face and widening his eyes.
"Don't do that! That's freaking scary!" Cassie whined as the rest of us started cracking up laughing. She sighed. "We'll see you in a few hours. The hair stylists and makeup artists wanted us to get there early so they could decide what to do."
"Maybe they can hide this pimple for me. All this stress over the premiere is making me break out," Nagase grouched.
"Since when did you become worried about how you look?" Genette queried. "You're naturally beautiful."
"Since I found out millions of people will be watching us live or on television, dear, but you're very sweet. Okay, let's go," Nagase urged. The girls gave their significant others kisses on the cheek before grouping together and walking to their room in the theater. I caught a glance of one of the makeup artists scurrying around doing… something.
"Girls will be girls," Snow mused.
"You guys ready for this?" I asked.
"Yeeeeeeeaaaahhhhhh-no. No I'm not," Chopper admitted, scratching the back of his head. "We have what… two hours to kill before we actually have to start getting ready?"
"Something like that. That's why I brought food," Bartlett's voice announced, carrying in bags of food. Pops, Anderson, Geller, Cipher, and Pixy were behind him. They had bags of food too. "When in wait, we eat."
Bartlett handed us each a bag of food. Upon opening it, I found a large, messy, pulled pork sandwich slathered in barbecue sauce.
"Bartlett, I love you," Chopper remarked, shoving his hand into the bag and pulling the sandwich out.
"Do I smell food?" Nagase poked her head out of her room. The guys and I quickly hid our bags behind our back, not wanting to share the delicious barbecue.
"What food?" I asked as I looked over at Chopper who had as entire mouth stuffed to the brim.
"Then why does Chopper look like a hamster?" Cassie inquired, sticking her head out the door as well. At that moment, Chopper gulped half of the food in his mouth.
"Cassie? Nagase? Can you come here really quick?" Major's voice floated from inside their room. The girls disappeared and shut the door. Our food was safe for now.
Nagase
"Yeah?" I asked Major after shutting the door.
"Blaze just got sick," she said gravely.
"What?!" I demanded.
"She thinks it's food poisoning. She's still in the bathroom."
"Could it be something else besides food poisoning?" I queried.
"Think it's morning sickness?" Cassie inquired. All three of us looked down at our stomachs. Major's protruded out the most since she was five months pregnant. Cassie was four, I was three.
"She'd tell us if she was pregnant though wouldn't she?" I remarked.
"You know she's hidden things before. Maybe she doesn't know she is or maybe she hasn't told anyone," Cassie pointed out. I didn't respond, deciding not to pursue the subject any farther. I didn't want to get on the topic; admittedly, we sometimes had trouble trusting Blaze after what she hid from us during the war. We would never admit to her that we'd been offended by it for her sanity because we knew she all felt horrible about it, but we had; we felt like she hadn't trusted us enough.
"Blaze?" I called out hesitantly. Within a few minutes, she came out of the bathroom, looking frighteningly pale.
"I'm okay. I think it's food poisoning mixed with nerves. That's not a good mixture for the record," Blaze said, stumbling over to the couch. I knelt in front of her.
"If you're not up to doing the premiere, you don't have to," Major commented gently.
"No, I have to do this. I've been in worse condition than this. If I can survive being stabbed in the stomach, I can survive a few hours without throwing up. Let my stomach just settle down, and then I'll be fine," she insisted with a smile. The girls and I sighed, knowing we wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. Instead, we stood up and went to our designated chairs which were situated in front of mirrors so the hair stylists and makeup artists could see what they were doing (if need be), and we could see how we looked.
Blaze sat on the couch for a good thirty minutes before she went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She came out and sat in her chair, assuring her stylists she was fine now. I didn't necessarily believe her since she still looked sickly, but I let it go.
In the end, my hair had been pulled back into a slick ponytail. Cassie's had been straightened to absolute perfection, Major's had been pulled into a really complex, beautiful bun (how do these hair people do that? It's not normal), and Blaze's had been rolled and given a lot of volume. We looked at each other's hairdos, grinning like dorks. We loved it.
Next came makeup. All of our makeup was similar to each other's except for the foundation colors since some of us were tanner than the others. I had the darkest since I'd been outside so much. Cassie had the lightest. It amazed how much the makeup people could make my eyes just… pop. They kept my eyeliner light compared to Blaze whose eyeliner made her eyes look very catlike. But no matter what our eyeliner looked like, it perfectly suited our personalities which I believe is what the artists were going for. Finally, it was time to put on our dresses. Of course, the girls and I fought over who got the bathroom first since there was only one in the room, and we didn't want to risk going to one outside of our room and having one of the boys see us. We're weird like that. Major won out. Cassie went next; I went after Cassie. Blaze voluntarily went last.
Finally we got on our dresses and shoes. We all glared at Blaze who had chosen to wear four inch heels which made her six foot tall. She towered over the rest of us.
"Y'all ready?" Blaze inquired, putting on her jewelry.
I snorted. "No. Do we really have to do this?"
"Unfortunately. Okay. Everyone have their jewelry in?"
"Yep. Let's roll out cub scouts!" Cassie hollered.
"Shouldn't it be girl scouts since we're not boys?" I noted.
"So picky," she retorted. I smirked but said nothing. The four of us walked out in the waiting area. All the boys, Genette, Chopper, Grimm, Snow, Bartlett, Anderson, Pops, Geller, Cipher, and Pixy were there. They were dressed in sharp black suits. Pixy and Cipher were the only ones with red ties since they were representing Ustio more than Osea. I realized, ironically, that they were wearing white, red, and black: the colors of the Ustian flag.
It amused me that even though we were outnumbered by guys, we could still convince them to do almost whatever we wanted them to.
"You all look absolutely beautiful," Anderson praised, coming up to give each of us a hug and all but Bartlett, Chopper, Grimm, and Genette followed; those four simply stood stupefied.
"It's like a repeat of our wedding days," Blaze mused drolly, staring at the four gaping boys.
"Let's hope they regain their wits before they have to say something," I said.
"At least I regained my ability to talk before my vows unlike someone whose initials begin with Grimm!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Shut it, hamster!" Grimm snapped, his cheeks flushing deeply.
I walked up and greeted my husband with a kiss, which broke him out of his trance. I then hugged Chopper, whispering to him, "Blaze was sick earlier. Keep an eye on her and don't let her know I told you."
"Deal," he replied quietly. He walked over to his wife and slipped his hand into hers. Those two were still as madly in love with each other as the day they first started dating.
"Now we have… what? An hour before we actually go on?" Genette asked.
"Well, you go on in an hour. We go on in like… an hour thirty," Chopper grumbled. "Well, at least Cipher and Pixy have to do this first so the rest of us can learn what to do and what not to do."
"Thanks for reminding us that we have to go out there first," Pixy said. "That makes us feel really good."
"Anytime my good man."
"Good evening everyone," President Harling greeted. We greeted him with cheerful hellos. "Pops, Bartlett, if you will come with me, you two are to introduce the Galm Team and Demon Lord. And Cipher, I have a surprise for you."
A guy, shorter than the rest of the guys, approached us. He had a mirthful expression, telling me he loved to laugh. He had brown hair and blue eyes. I liked him immediately.
"Hey Cipher. Long time no see, friend," the guy said.
"PJ!" Cipher exclaimed, his mouth dropping open. Blaze's uncle gave the new guy a hug. "It's great to see you!"
"Same to you! God, finally I get to brag that I know the Demon Lord," PJ laughed.
Cipher grinned. "Let me introduce you to everyone." Cipher quickly named off everyone. "Everyone, this is PJ Beckett, my old wingman."
We stayed a chatted with him for a few minutes before Harling urged PJ, Pops, Bartlett, Cipher, and Pixy to follow him, leaving me and the Razgriz behind. We went to the lounge area where we turned on the TV to the news channel to watch our own premiere.
Harling walked onto the stage with Nikanor (I didn't even know he'd been here). First on the agenda was to listen to the national anthem. For this, everyone, including us, stood up with our hands over our hearts. In fact, Chopper started singing along (off key might I add) and we joined in with him. Afterwards, Harling began to speak: "Good evening ladies and gentleman, and welcome the premiere I know many of you have been waiting for. It has been my honor to meet two very profound squadrons from the Belkan and Circum-Pacific War: the Galm Team and the Demons of Razgriz. I have had the honor of getting to know each individual and becoming personal friends with all of them. The sacrifices they have made for their country are extraordinary, and had it not been for them, the two wars might have gone on longer than they did. These two squadrons aided in uniting militaries together, some even from the enemy military. For their protection, their identities have been kept in secret for some time. For the Galm Team, almost twenty years. For the Razgriz, just about two years."
Harling stepped aside, allowing for Nikanor to step up. In his clipped accent, the Prime Minister of Yuktobania said: "I have also had the honor of knowing the two teams, the Demons of Razgriz more than the Galm Team, but from the meetings I had with the latter, they have my utmost respect. I first found the Razgriz as my enemy, but little did I know, they were in reality my friend, for they helped make it possible for me to be rescued from a coup d'état. There, however, will be more on that later. It is my pleasure to introduce Captain Jack 'Heartbreak One' Bartlett, and Peter N. Beagle, callsign 'Pops.' They have had personal experiences flying with the Demon Lord and one of his companions."
Pops and Bartlett strode out onto stage; well, more like Bartlett strutted out onto the stage. Pops spoke first. "During the Belkan War, I went AWOL after being ordered to drop one of the seven nukes on my own country. I fled to the Round Table where I entered one of the most intense battles I have fought in. In those skies, I came face to face with the one and only Demon Lord. He shot down the people who were after me after checking to make sure I wasn't coming after him. Thanks to him, I escaped from being killed by my own country."
Bartlett then came on. "I met the Demon Lord and Pops here on the same day. Difference was, I was on the Demon Lord's side at the beginning. I thought I was a good flyer. Then I saw him and I was quickly knocked into my senses. There is a reason we won that war and the Demon Lord is that reason. I would like to introduce his first wingman, Larry 'Solo Wing Pixy' Foulke."
Pixy strode up onto the stage, looking much calmer than he'd been acting earlier. How he pulled that off, I'd really like to know so I could do the same thing. I didn't have to go on stage for another hour and the butterflies in my stomach were rapidly turning into stampeding cows.
"Hello everyone, I'm Pixy, and the Demon Lord was my friend and my enemy. He's my friend now, thank god," Pixy chuckled. "The first day I flew with him, I knew he had potential to be something great. I never imagined he'd be the hero of the entire war. I also owe him my life. After I defected from the Ustian Air Force to the Belkan Air Force, I went head to head against the Demon Lord. I knew his flying style, and I knew that he had the ultimate capability of shooting me down and killing me. I don't know why, but he didn't. For that, I'm grateful. It gave me time to redeem myself. I ended up fighting with ISAF and then being invited to search for Waldemarr Rald. The Demon Lord was more than just a friend or an enemy to me. He was my buddy. I would now like to introduce Patrick James Beckett, or PJ as his friends call him."
PJ entered onto the stage and took the microphone from Pixy. If PJ had any hatred for the guy that had shot him down and nearly killed him, be certainly hid it well. "I served with the Demon Lord after his previous wingman left. The Demon Lord had already gained recognition in the military, so I was already intimidated to be flying with him. I quickly learned that although he was famous, none of it had gone to his head. I had the honor of flying with him until the very last mission where I was unfortunately shot down. I lost touch with him after that. And now, for the first time since almost twenty years ago, I got to see my captain, wingman, and best friend again. And I am happy to be the one to introduce him to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, Jason 'Cipher' Banks, a.k.a. The Demon Lord!"
The cheering went wild before Blaze's uncle even walked onto the stage. It only got louder when he did. He was smiling amiably, but I could tell he was nervous as hell. He walked up to the people who had talked about him, shaking hands and giving bro hugs. He went to the microphone and cleared his throat. "Wow, uh, first of all thank you so much for the applause. I did not expect it to be so enthusiastic," Cipher laughed nervously as more applause ensued. "To Bartlett and Pops, I had no idea I did those things for you, but I'm glad I helped you out. To PJ, thanks for being there for me after my old wingman left. You were a great fighter pilot then and I'm sorry I couldn't save you from being shot down. To Pixy, we've had our problems, a.k.a. us trying to kill each other, but you'll always be my buddy, and I'm glad we're on the same side again. To Ustio, thank you for taking me in when I pretty much had nowhere else to go. To the allied forces, thank you for fighting alongside with me. We couldn't have won that war without you, no matter what my comrades here said. I do believe those missions could've been won without me."
"I see modesty runs in the family," Bartlett commented. The crowd laughed.
"Yes, I happen to be the uncle of the Leader of the Razgriz and also the reporter who first discovered them, since, well, they're siblings. But more on that later, I promise. Bartlett's getting me all distracted," Cipher said with a smirk.
"Something had to loosen you up. You're tense as a… I can't think of a good word," PJ mused.
"Well yes I am nervous considering I'm speaking in front of millions and millions of people. Now shush! I'm trying to get through this speech without messing up!" Cipher attempted to chastise but he was obviously trying not to laugh.
"That didn't work so well," Pixy mused.
"Thanks to y'all," Cipher pointed out drolly. "Okay, back to where I left off. Actually, I only have a few more things to say. This is to my two wingmen: Pixy and PJ. They never served under my wing at the same time, but without them, I would've died. They saved my necks more times than I can remember and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have gotten to go back home to my family. And to the citizens and soldiers affected by the war, on either side, I'm sorry. I know I caused a lot of damage to many cities and wreaked havoc in peoples' lives. I didn't think much about it then, but it weighs a lot on my conscience now. I plan to never fly in the skies of battle again unless I find it absolutely necessary. Hopefully, our world will never come to such a state again. Thank you so much for the warm welcome and now I will pass the microphone back over to President Harling, who will introduce the people we all know you all really came to see."
Cipher backed down from the microphone, giving an obvious sign of relief to be away from the thing.
"Razgriz, it's time for you to get ready. Blaze, Nagase, Chopper, Grimm, and Snow, come with me. Cassie, Major, Geller, Anderson and Genette, follow Jane out here to the entrance to the stage for your speeches. Cassie gave Grimm a kiss, whispering words of encouragement that everything would be fine. I gave Genette a kiss and he did the same thing.
"Everything will be fine," he assured me. "You don't have to say much."
"I know. I got this," I breathed. "I'll see you soon."
He left with the others, leaving me with my squadron.
Cipher
When Harling stepped back up to the microphone, I let out a sigh of relief; except for the others bantering with me, my speech had gone flawlessly. Now I just had to give one more…
"Earlier I mentioned I have become personal friends with both the Galm Team and the Demons of Razgriz. Having introduced the Galm Team, it is not time to reveal the heroes of the most recent war: the Circum-Pacific. Before I share my story of my first meeting with the Razgriz, I would like to introduce Albert Genette Banks, the reporter who discovered the unparalleled talent of the famous, black-winged fighter squadron."
My nephew came out looking calm, collected, and sharp. I could practically hear all the single women in the room oohing over him. He smiled.
"Amidst the eternal waves of time,
From a ripple of change shall the storm rise.
Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon
Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath
The demon soars through the dark skies
Fear and Death trail its shadow beneath.
Until Men united wield a hallowed sabre
In the final reckoning, the beast is slain.
As the demon sleeps, man turns on man
Its own blood and madness soon cover the earth.
From the depths of despair awaken the Razgriz
Its raven wings ablaze in majestic light."
Genette finished the poem and a collective breath from the audience was let out. The poem had been hauntingly beautiful and frighteningly accurate. It had been written even before the Razgriz Squadron had been created. Genette continued with his speech: "The poem I just recited is probably the most accurate description of the Razgriz from a person who did not have firsthand experience with them. With their part in the war, which you will learn all about, you will learn their paths have not always been easy.
"As Harling said, I am the one who discovered the Demons of Razgriz, but at the time, they had not been yet given that title. The first time I met them, they were under the wing of Captain Bartlett here, part of the Wardog Squadron. So to all of you conspiracy theorists out there, I am confirming for you that the Wardog Squadron, also commonly called the Four Wings of Sand Island, is indeed the Razgriz Squadron. I did not know that I had met the people who would be the most famous, or infamous, whichever you may choose, figures of the war. They fought for Osea originally, and then, being branded traitors, fled from their country to the safety of Captain Anderson's ship, the magnificent Kestrel. From there, they did not fight for just Osea. They did not fight for just themselves. They fought for the Osea, Yuktobania, and Belka. They fought for those citizens and soldiers of those countries who wanted the war to end. For many soldiers, they did not know what they were fighting for until the Razgriz revealed to them the treachery of what the Grey Men had done. The Razgriz befriended not only Osean and Yuktobanian soldiers, but also a few Belkans as well. The first Belkan I would like to introduce is Jens Geller, the only person to go to when there's an unbreakable code to crack."
Geller took to the podium, smiling. He looked surprisingly at ease. "My first meeting with the Razgriz happened in an interrogation room. I had been guarding President Harling in Stier Castle which is located near one of the seven craters created by the nukes. I was then captured by the forces of Sea Goblin after I sort of… jumped from the roof of a castle onto a helicopter in midair. Not one of my smartest decisions, but it did lead me to one of the most important decisions of my life. It led me to a group of people who at the time, were severely judged by the people they were fighting for. The captain is the one who convinced me to help them decode the plans of the Belkan Grey Men which led to the discovery of the V2 weapon. I owe the Razgriz more than they know. Not only did they give me a reason to fight for, but they also gave me hope the war would end, and they did not fail me. I would now like to invite Harling back to the microphone and let him recite his experience with the Razgriz."
"Thank you Geller," Harling said, stepping to the podium. "Ironically, the first two times I spoke to the Razgriz, they were rescuing me. First time, they were called Wardog, and the captain of my plane had been killed by a spy. They helped my secretary land the massive Air Force One plane safely on the ground. Of course, then I was kidnapped which they didn't know about until a few months later when they rescued me from Stier Castle. The disposition of the squadron had changed. I had sensed they'd become even deadlier since the first time I met and saw them, particularly the captain. When I met them in person, I never expected to find a squadron made up of such young soldiers. Even more surprising was the captain was the youngest of all. With their help, I was able to get back into Osea and regain the power I had lost. And now, speaking of power, I will hand the microphone over to Nikanor."
"Hello again," Nikanor greeted. "My meeting with the Razgriz was unfortunately too brief, for I owe them much. Captain Bartlett and a group of resistance rescued me, and for that, they will forever have my gratitude. But even Bartlett agrees with me that without the Razgriz's air support, we would not have been able to escape. I owe not only Bartlett and his resistance group my life, but also the Razgriz. For that, I thank them. Now, Pixy is next to speak."
"Like Prime Minister Nikanor here, I did not see much of the Razgriz until after the war was over. I had been held captive in Stier Castle with President Harling with the charges of treason in the last war. When I was rescued by the Razgriz, I had no idea that, first of all, Genette and the leader of the Razgriz had my old captain as an uncle, and that secondly, I had just met the most important people in the war. These people had a way of convincing others to help them with their cause. Henri Rald is one such person."
Gasps went around the room as the son of one of the most hated men in the world stepped up into the spotlight. "My name is Henri Rald. For the record, I am never going to be a politician. I don't want the stress," Henri joked nervously. The crowd responded affably. "I did not meet the Razgriz up in the air. In fact, the first time I met them, I only met one. The leader, actually. They had been captured by my father and in a rare moment where I was left alone with them, they persuaded me to help them. To this day, I will never understand how they persuaded me, but they did, and with that, I was able to meet the rest. I have never met a kinder, more compassionate military squadron in my life. Growing up with the Belkan military all around me, I thought all militaries were the same. The Razgriz proved me wrong. They taught me how to care again, as I didn't have much to care about in my life before. One of the most caring people, although not a pilot, knew the Razgriz long before they were even on Sand Island. That person is Cassie 'Venus' Peterson."
Cassie, with her blonde hair shining in the light, took over Henri's place. "I can't believe I'm up here getting to talk about my friends. I was a RIO for one of the fighter pilots for the Razgriz, who is now my husband. I knew Razgriz One and Three from a time before they were in the military. I grew up with them, and let me tell you, none of us had any notion we'd be where we are today. But when I went to Sand Island and I met the rest of the squadron, I expected them to be friends. But they turned out to be so much more. They turned out to be my family. I was with them from day one on their twisted journey to where they are now. We suffered a lot of heartbreak, but we also experienced a lot of joy together. If I knew what I know now back then, I would still go through with it because I know I can do anything as long as my family is with me. And talking about family, I'll pass the mic on over to the incredible Jason Banks, the uncle of the leader of the Razgriz and my best friend Genette."
"I'm back at the mic. Let's hope my friends don't interrupt me this time," I said amusedly. "The two kids I'm the uncle of knew my identity as the Demon Lord for a long time. They were both extremely trustworthy kids, so you can imagine my surprise when I received the call from my sister saying the Wardog Squadron had been shot down and presumably killed along with the reporter who'd been writing articles about them. I had heard things about that squadron, and I knew Genette and Blaze, the leader, were in it. I knew they would never do such a thing, nor would any of the people they surrounded themself with. Turns out my intuition was right. I got a call from them a little while later, telling me my own frenemy was on the Kestrel. Thanks to the leader of the Razgriz, I was actually able to reunite with Pixy a lot sooner than I thought I would. I thank them for that. I'm extremely proud that I know them all and that I got to see them go on their final mission. If it weren't for them, Oured wouldn't be here, nor would most of us. Bartlett, it's your turn again."
"This is getting long isn't it?" Bartlett chuckled. "The Razgriz, when they were under my wing, were called the Wardog squadron. I only had three of the four since the fourth joined after I'd disappeared. I didn't know I had what would be the most renowned squadron in the war when they were under my wing. I thought they were regular nuggets. I'll admit, I was pretty harsh on one of them; I honestly thought they'd get shot down. Well, they obviously showed me up." Bartlett grinned. "But the first battle, I saw something in them I hadn't seen in other nuggets. I saw a type of team that worked flawlessly together. They had a mutual understanding of each other. Mix that with their natural flying ability, and you had the beginnings of a deadly team. And yes, I do brag that I am trained the famous squadron because that's just me and unlike the Razgriz leader and Cipher over here, I sometimes eighty-six on the modesty.
"After I escaped from Yuktobania with the help of the Razgriz, I was reunited with my nuggets on the Kestrel, where I also met Captain Nicholas Anderson."
The white haired captain walked over to where Bartlett stood and cleared his throat. "My old ship, the Kestrel, is where the Demons of Razgriz were born. The squadron at least. They had been the Razgriz long before. I had the pleasure of watching them go off on sorties and being a part of their adopted family. I had never met such an amazing group of fighter pilots in all my years, especially one so young. I saw them launch to go to Sudentor where they attempted and succeeded in one of the most dangerous flights known to man. They flew through a tunnel, underground, destroyed the control panel to the V2 weapon, and flew out the other end. Kudos to Captain Bartlett for doing the same thing from the opposite direction. I have not seen a squadron from either Osea, Yuktobania, or Belka that could match their prowess on the battlefield. The first time I saw them fighting with my own eyes is when I understood why the enemy was so scared of them. I was proud to be the captain of the ship they based themselves out of. When they came to me, they'd just gone through one of the most horrific situations a soldier can experience; they lost one of their own and only a little while later, had to flee as supposed traitors to Osea. With them came the one and only, Colonel Peter N. Beagle. Or as everyone affectionately calls him, Pops. Here he is ladies and gentlemen."
"No one's going to be listening to me. They'll all be too eager to see my former pupils since I'm the second to last speaker. And speaking of them, I have watched them become what they are from the very beginning of their career. I was there when they were first assigned to Bartlett's group. I was there during their first sortie. I was there when Wardog Four was promoted to Wardog One after only two missions. I was there when the new Wardog Four joined the squadron. I was there when Wardog Three crashed into the November Stadium, saving thousands of lives in the process. I was there when they were branded as traitors, and I led them to the safety of the Kestrel with the much appreciated help of Captain Anderson and Sea Goblin. I was there when they rescued Harling, when they were made his personal air fleet, when they were given the name the Demons of Razgriz, when they rescued Bartlett and Nikanor, and when they launched off of the Kestrel when half of it was underwater. I also saw them defeat the two most powerful Belkan Air Force Squadrons to date: Ofnir and Grabacr. I always knew this group of people had something special to them, but I never imagined this."
I turned my head to the back of the stage where five curtains suddenly lighted up, showing the silhouette of five people standing behind them. It was impossible to tell whether they were male or female though. That had been Harling's idea. We didn't want them to know Blaze was a female. It would add a lot of shock to the whole thing since not many people would expect a woman to lead a squadron to this type of recognition, you know?
"Hello everyone. I am Major Nastasya Bartlett, a Recon Major from the mighty Yuktobanian military. I have been given the honor of getting to introduce the world not only to the pilots of the Razgriz Squadron, but also people who I now consider family.
"We start off with Razgriz Five, who was originally a fighter on the Kestrel and was given the position as Razgriz Three and moved to the position of Razgriz Five. I give to you Captain Marcus 'Swordsman' Snow!" Major announced. The curtain on the farthest side of the left part of the stage rose up, showing Snow standing tall and proud in the spotlight. The applause was thunderous.
"Next we have Razgriz Four, who was originally a part of the Wardog squadron as Wardog Four; he became a part of the squadron during an air raid on Sand Island. He then became Wardog Three when the previous one crashed into November Stadium, and was then named Razgriz Four when the Demons of Razgriz were made President Harling's personal fleet and when Captain Snow joined the team. I introduce to you Captain Hans 'Archer' Grimm!" The curtain on the farthest side of the right part of the stage rose, revealing a very nervous but smiling Grimm. His age definitely showed right then, a reminder to everyone in the room just how young this squadron really was.
"For the next person, he has been through quite a lot. He started out with the Wardog Squadron as Wardog Three and stayed in that position until, on the squadron's seventeenth mission, his plane was damaged in battle. Rather than bailing out and allowing his plane to crash into the stadium where hundreds of people had still not evacuated, he kept flying and fighting. His choice almost cost him his life. He was found and taken to the hospital where hardly any of his memory of his life remained. He was then taken prisoner for over six months by Waldemarr Rald's forces. When the Razgriz found out it was their missing member, he was immediately reinstated to his former position, except his new title was Razgriz Three. I present to Captain Alvin 'Chopper' Davenport!"
The curtain next to Snow rose up, revealing a beaming Chopper. He had a mischievous smirk in his eyes that I knew just captivated everyone in the audience. My nephew-in-law just had that aura about him that made almost everyone like him immediately.
"Next up is a woman who has been with the squadron from beginning to end. She started out as Wardog Two, and stayed that way until her title changed to Razgriz Two. She was shot down in the middle of a snow storm, helped her injured rescue team trek across the snowy hills and evaded enemy soldiers sent to capture them. In fact, she held them at bay with just a simple handgun until Sea Goblin rescued her. Her tenacity is incredible and I am happy to introduce Captain Kei 'Edge' Nagase."
The curtain next to Grimm rose up. Nagase looked incredible in her striking blue dress. The bedazzled belt captured the spotlight and made her glow even more than she already was. The dress even hid her baby bump which the girls had teased her about.
"And finally, the captain and leader of the Razgriz. This person, from what I've heard, has gone through more changes than anyone else. They had more responsibility in four months than some people of the same rank have had in their entire career. They decided to fly into the tunnel in Sudentor as the way to destroy the control panel. They have been called an ace by not only their wingmen and their former captain, but also by the enemy. They started out as Wardog Four, given the position of Wardog One when their captain was shot down, and then given the title as Razgriz One. It is my honor to give you, the one and only, Captain Elizabeth 'Blaze' Banks!"
The middle and last curtain rose up, showing my niece. The applause for the other four members of the squadron had been loud, but for Blaze, it was deafening. A simultaneous gasp from the crowd accompanied the applause. I knew they'd be shocked a woman had led the squadron.
"Osea, Yuktobania, Belka, and to all the other countries watching right now, I give to you the Demons of Razgriz!" Major informed. Everyone in the audience stood up. For ten minutes, they clapped and hollered and cheered. Blaze and Nagase were blushing furiously. Grimm, Chopper, and Snow grinned so wide I thought the expressions might stick permanently on their faces.
Finally, Harling managed to get the cheering down to only thunderous applause. The stands the Razgriz were on slowly began to lower, and within a minute, they were walking down onto the stage over to President Harling. He shook hands with each member and whispered something to Blaze. She blanched but said yes. She stepped up to the microphone. Chopper stood behind her and discreetly took her hand in his. I guess he could tell how nervous she was.
"Hello everyone, I'm Blaze. First off, thank you everyone for coming. I did not expect there to be so many people here," Blaze said.
"More like she was hoping no one would be here so it wouldn't be as nerve-wracking," Bartlett commented. Blaze's head dropped down as she started laughing.
"Truer words have never been spoken," She finally said. "But really thank you all for coming. Second, thank you to all the people who made tonight happen. If I started naming everyone, we'd be here for three more hours, I'm pretty sure no one wants that to happen. Third, I would like to say thank you to the people who are a part of the Razgriz family that have not been introduced. While probably everyone thinks of my squadron when speaking of the Demons of Razgriz, we're just the poster children for the Razgriz. It's the people behind the scenes that made it possible for the Razgriz to even happen. That would be the entire crew of the Kestrel. They are currently in the audience from what Anderson has told me, so if they would please stand up so they can get the recognition they truly deserve. My squadron, Pops, and I thank you so much for helping us out when we had nowhere else to go. We would not be here if it weren't for you and Captain Anderson."
The members that had been the crew on the Kestrel stood up. Everyone cheered for them. One of the guys in the front had teared up. I'm pretty sure he hadn't been expecting her to say that.
"Finally, for the finale of this premiere, my incredible big brother, Genette, compiled a film for y'all of pictures and videos of us not just as the Razgriz, but also as Wardog, and our time after the war ended. I hope you enjoy." Blaze stepped down from the podium and a huge screen lowered from the ceiling all the way down to the floor. All the people on stage sat down in chairs on the side. We'd already seen the film, but I still looked forward to seeing it on the big screen.
The lights dimmed and the movie started playing; the song was "This is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. When the song mentioned the prophet, the video showed a picture of Blaze. We all looked at her, making her look sheepish. It showed some video clips of the air battles over Sand Island, it showed video clips of the battle when the Yuktobanian navy joined forces with the Kestrel. It showed Chopper, Grimm, and Snow laughing it up at something in the living room at Versailles Palace. That had actually been taken a few months ago. There was a picture of Genette and Blaze when she'd been in the hospital. They'd both been smiling. There were wedding pictures of everyone. Genette even managed to get pictures of me and Pixy in there. Geller appeared in a few, too.
When the video was over, there was another round of standing ovation. Blaze and Chopper were talking to each other about something. Chopper nodded and went to the microphone.
"Wow! What a crowd!" He exclaimed. "I got to say, this night has been absolutely incredible. Again, thank you to everyone who made it possible for this to happen. I'm afraid that video is the end of this premiere. Everyone, our interview will be live tomorrow starting at seven in the morning central time. We apologize now for any random bickering that may occur between us. We're kind of prone to that. Thank you so much for being here and we hope you'll tune in for the interview. Good night everyone!"
Chopper was a natural at speaking to large crowds. He had the charisma for it. The Razgriz waved at the crowd, smiling big, toothy grins, before exiting the stage.
Once out of sight from the cheering crowd, all the girls took off their heels. The boys and I cringed at how pointy those things were. First off, how did they walk in them? Second, why would they wear those? And three, remind me to never piss off any of the girls when they're wearing those heels. One stomp and I'll have a heel embedded in the center of my foot.
"That was insane," Cassie said, leaning into Grimm.
"I hate being in front of large crowds," Blaze mumbled.
"That's what your husband is for," Bartlett laughed. "Guy's a freaking natural."
"If I can play football in front of a very judgmental high school student body, this is nothing. Let's get home. I'm exhausted."
"Got the interview tomorrow," I said, walking with the group towards our changing rooms.
"I hope I don't say something stupid," Nagase mused worriedly.
"We'll be fine. We'll save you from sounding stupid if you do," Chopper consoled drolly.
"I'm not sure if I should thank you or slap you for that."
"Preferably the former."
"I'll think about it. No promises." The girls went into their changing room while the guys and I headed to ours.
Blaze
My stomach hadn't stopped churning the entire premiere. How I didn't throw up during all that time, I'll never know. I quickly changed into sweatpants, a tee shirt, and a very loose, very warm jacket. I put on fuzzy slippers too to warm my feet. I plopped down on the couch, waiting patiently for my friends. I let my mind stray. My first thoughts went to food. I was starving, and I wanted ice cream. All I had to do was bat my eyes at Chopper, and he'd give in. He was a sucker for me and ice cream. Combine the two and he stands no chance. Next my thoughts traveled to the premiere. It had been completely crazy and awesome and scary at the same time. I wasn't sure what to think now that practically the whole world knew who I was. I knew my life would be forever different, but hopefully it would be in a good way. Lastly, my thoughts went to my best friends, the pregnant ones I mean. Major and Cassie's babies just started to kick. It had been so weird the first time I felt it. Seriously, there's a little human growing inside them and between all the fat, muscle, and skin, you can still feel them kicking. The kicking led me to think about if and when I become pregnant and the baby inherits my leg muscles (or their father's for that matter), I'm going to be screwed. The baby will probably kick its way out of my stomach. Then I started to think about if I had twins and how painful that amount of kicking would be.
"Blaze? Yoo hoo! Earth to Blaze!" Nagase hollered.
"I'm up!" I claimed, bolting into sitting position.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Babies."
"Are you-" Nagase began excitedly.
"No." I cut her off. She looked crestfallen. I'll admit, it felt weird being the only girl in the room who wasn't expecting a kid or anything.
"Are you ever going to have children?"
"One day."
"You're not getting any younger," she sang.
"I'm still enjoying not having to throw up every day," I countered.
"Shut it…" she snapped. I smirked. Nagase had had some bad morning sickness. It was true though. I don't really want to be sick almost every day, multiple times a day. That's really not fun…
The girls and I walked outside to where the armored escort vehicles were waiting for us, one for each couple. Chopper was already waiting for me outside.
"Do we have ice cream at home?" I queried, getting inside the vehicle.
"Just bought two cartons of plain vanilla, a bottle of chocolate syrup, sprinkles, chocolate chip cookies, and four cartons of different Ben and Jerry's ice cream yesterday. That work?" He inquired.
"You're the best," I said. My husband smiled and kissed me on the head.
When we got home, we went straight for the fridge and ate ice cream until eleven (we got home at nine). I took a shower, put on my pajamas, and got into bed, curling up into a little ball under the covers because I was freezing my butt off.
However, exhaustion took over and I fell asleep within minutes.
So that was really long. Wow. To those of you on fanfiction who want to see the facial expression Chopper made in the beginning of the chapter, go onto google, type in "Wisegirl502 wattpad" and the first result should be my profile page for wattpad :) This story will be on here so just go to the second chapter and the picture will be located on the right hand side of the screen (you might have to scroll down a little to see it). Please review!