Chapter 7
It turned out that my father had wanted to tell us about some kind of new weapon on the Phoenix. We all had to spend the night at Center Neptune, so that we could test it out first thing in the morning. To top it all off, my father had given me a stack of training manuals about a foot thick, so that I could learn how to operate my station onboard.
Crap.
Fortunately, Tiny had taken pity on me and had helped me out, showing me what was important and what was just useless nonsense. I'll give him credit, that fat boy knew his ship inside and out. No one was ever going to pull one over on him, when it came to the Phoenix.
So thanks to Tiny, I felt like I was prepared when I was led to the hangar doors the following morning. Since Center Neptune was under water, the Phoenix docked in a submerged hangar, which was drained of water after the outer doors were closed. Tiny had taken a quick flight early this morning, and he had just returned. Mark, Jason, Princess and I were waiting, in uniform, for the hangar to drain.
"Are you ready for this, Keyop?" Mark asked me.
"I'd damn well better be, after studying that shitload of manuals!" I grumbled. "Drrrrrt… broop…. think so…"
"How about you, Princess?" Mark turned to her. I looked up, surprised.
"It's my first time on the Phoenix as well." Princess explained to me. "Although, I think I had a little longer to study the training manuals, than you did, Keyop."
"It's not like he had that much to read." Jason drawled, "You should have seen the monstrous pile of papers I had to go through to figure out the weapons system. And do you know what it all came down to? 'Press the red button to fire.' Seriously! One thousand damn pages just to tell me something I could have figured out in five seconds."
I couldn't help snickering. After the manuals I had just read, I could believe it. If Tiny hadn't been there to help me sort out the useful information from the garbage, I'd still be reading it!
Our conversation was interrupted by the opening of the hangar doors. And then, I caught my first glimpse of the Phoenix.
I had thought I was ready, but nothing could have prepared me for this. The Phoenix was a thing of beauty, its blue hull shining with water droplets from the ocean waters. Its lines were elegant, yet functional. I could see that this was a warship, as well as one damn fast supersonic jet. The sight was so entrancing that I forgot for a moment just how big it was, and so I was overwhelmed again as I approached it, feeling insignificant beside its mighty power.
I heard Princess gasp beside me, and I knew that it had had the same effect on her as well. Mark and Jason grinned next to us, excited to be flying again.
"Just wait until they see the individual mechas." Jason smirked.
The individual mechas. I had almost forgotten about those. My father had said that I was to have some kind of all-purpose vehicle that could drive on land like an ATV, fly like a helicopter, and pilot underwater like a mini-sub. I felt my mouth going dry at the prospect of that.
But today, we weren't going to test the individual mechas. Today we were going to test the Phoenix herself. Although, I knew my individual mecha had to be onboard right then. One thing the training materials had pointed out over and over again was that if all four weren't onboard, all the Phoenix could do was fly.
Mark and Jason leapt up to the top of the Phoenix, and Princess and I quickly followed. There was some kind of circular depression on top, and as soon as we stepped on it, a glass dome rose up and surrounded us, while we descended onto the Bridge.
"So, what do you think?" Tiny asked us, a beaming smile on his face.
"Sweet!" I cried. At this moment, it was the only word I could think of that would do this incredible warship justice.
"It's incredible." Princess whispered, her eyes huge. "I had no idea it would be like this."
"You're reminding me of the day I first saw her, Princess." Mark smiled. "I've become so used to her; it's good to be reminded how amazing she really is."
"Just wait until you see her in action!" Jason boasted. "One TBX missile and anything that even tries to get close to us is toast!"
Cautiously, I approached my station. It was right next to Princess', and we shared the same control station. Although technically we both had the same duties, realistically, I was supposed to be her backup, and to help her perform multiple tasks at once.
No sooner was I seated, than a monitor toward the front of the Bridge activated, and I saw my father looking at us.
"I cannot express to you all the full range of emotions I am feeling at this moment," he said, "seeing you all on the Phoenix… together… for the first time. I am incredibly proud of you all, and I know that together you will all accomplish great things."
Man, this was some emotional shit. I turned away so that no one would see me wiping my eye. Princess softly squeezed my other hand, but when I swiveled to look at her, she was staring straight at the monitor.
"Today, you are testing the most powerful weapon you possess." my father continued. "In order to use it, all five of you must be onboard, and it will tax you to your physical limits. You are all being closely monitored, to ensure that no harm comes to you."
We all nodded. My father had mentioned this last night as well. Apparently this maneuver was pretty dangerous, and was only supposed to be used in emergency situations.
"Tiny, take the Phoenix out and up to 30,000 feet, then engage the Fiery Phoenix." my father ordered. Tiny nodded, and began the launch sequence. The hangar began to fill with water.
I scanned my control station, panicking slightly as I saw the myriad of buttons, levers and controls that were laid out in front of me. I closed my eyes, and let out a long breath, then carefully examined them again. The layout began to look a little familiar, and I silently thanked Tiny for all of his help the evening before.
Slowly, the Phoenix moved forward and out into the ocean water. But the moment we had cleared the hangar doors, we took off like a rocket.
This was fucking incredible! I had never dreamed that I would go this fast. I nearly peed my pants in excitement. Princess was grinning from ear to ear. She obviously had a love of speed as well.
"Okay, Team," Mark turned to us, "we're going to initiate the Fiery Phoenix, and it will be engaged for sixty seconds. We'll be approaching outer hull temperatures of three thousand degrees, but we are shielded with a special heat-resistant super-structure to protect us. Hold on tight, and remember to breathe."
Our Commander nodded to Tiny, and we all braced ourselves.
I had thought that Mark was joking about breathing, but I quickly realized that he had been deadly serious. The incredible pressure I felt on my body made it difficult to raise and lower my chest, in order to fill my lungs. I gasped for air, and after a few seconds managed to find a rhythm that worked with the massive forces being exerted on my body. I couldn't open my eyes, but I felt Princess' hand squeezing mine again. I squeezed back slightly; glad to know that she was there next to me. I fell forward onto my control panel, burying my face in my free arm.
I don't know how long we had been Fiery, but I was finally beginning to feel like the invisible hand that had clamped itself around my chest was loosening. I was just starting to open my eyes, when I felt a scorching wall of heat pass over my body. Suddenly, it seemed like I was being baked alive; every breath searing the inside of my lungs. I couldn't see, I could barely gasp for air, and I was unable to move.
I heard Princess cry out, and she weakly grabbed my hand, as I succumbed to the cool darkness within my mind.
