Chapter 7: Inside the Cockpit

When Jacen Tyner returned to Hangar Deck A-53 an hour later, he saw the same crowd of recruits that he had left, talking. Nicholas, Lisa, and Chloe were still there as well, waiting for his return. Anxiety hung about the air in a thick, invisible fog. He decided he might as well go ahead and direct them to where they ought to go.

"Alright, listen up," he began. "As you guys have probably already noticed, this place is pretty big"—largest understatement in recorded history—"and very confusing when you have no clue where you're going. Fortunately for you all, most of the people here know this place rather well. You'll be assigned someone to stay near. That someone will also show you around, help to train you, and protect you. I don't suggest you make enemies with that someone because no one's someone is getting changed; got it?"

He received several blank stares. Slowly, they started to nod feebly.

"Good. Now I get the honors of assigning you your someone," he said. Only a handful of recruits in the crowd caught the sarcasm in his voice. "You two in the back there"—he pointed to Gwen and Kevin—"you guys will be assigned to Ri Stellar and Jone Aral. They're the best of the best. You probably already know that Jone runs this show. I'll show you where to find them in a moment."

The supreme commander of the Galactic KND looked around. "Sector V, I'm placing you all under the authority of Squad-Leader Kaczynski, understood?"

Nigel Uno saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"And PowerPuff Girls"—Jacen turned his gaze to the three standing before Professor Utonium—"you'll be assigned to Alexandria Venus and Daniel Cooper. I'll show you to them as well."

Bubbles squealed with excitement, and Blossom smiled. Buttercup smirked and crossed her arms, favoring one leg. Professor Utonium looked to Jacen.

"I suppose that includes me," he stated.

"Actually—" he was interrupted by the door not three yards behind him sliding open and a slender young woman walking in.

"No, Professor, you'll be coming with me. I could use your assistance."

Jacen Tyner whirled around. "And you are . . . ?"

"Angel Meriwether," she replied, adjusting the white top to her professional-looking uniform. "I'm the chief attending physician. Or in simpler terms, the chief medical officer."

"I know what it means," Jacen snapped.

She ignored him and continued, "I could use your services, Professor. We are short on medical officers, and a war is about to erupt."

"Well," he glanced at his three creations. "If I agree to assist you, may I still see my girls?"

Angel nodded. "Of course. You will only be serving 24/7 if the circumstances demand such."

Blossom gave her father a nudge and nodded her head in Angel's direction, telling her father to go. A smile on her face told him they'd be fine. He smiled back at her then looked up to the medical officer.

"I accept the offer."

"Good." Angel gave a sharp wave of her hand, motioning for him to follow. "Come. You start immediately."

"Oh-?" He followed without question. It was an odd sight, the rather tall professor scampering after a fifteen-year-old blonde through the sliding door.

Jacen allowed himself to glare after the girl for a moment. Then he turned back to the group around him. Motioning to Gwen, Kevin, and the three super-girls, he said, "Alright, now if you five wouldn't mind—"

"Commander Tyner, sir," Nicholas interjected, stepping forward.

He suppressed an aggravated groan and looked to him. "Yes, Kaz?"

Nicholas took several steps towards him. "Sir, I needed to talk to you about one of my Ground Division Officers. Officer Peterson. Wesley Peterson. Since the disappearance of his younger siblings, he is . . . emotionally compromised. I would like to ask that you don't give him any responsibilities until he regains control of his emotions."

Translated, Nick simply stated, 'Wesley's not himself because his little brother and sister are missing; could you give him time to get his head on straight?' Most everyone in the room was able to interpret his words.

Jacen's expression softened. The fleet admiral, also his best friend since preschool, was the eldest of his four siblings. While Wallis was helping the Gamma Agency transfer its equipment to G7's huge station, Wesley (a Ground Division Officer, more specifically a Division MS-US Officer) was flying towards the station with his younger brother (William, a cadet of only eight years of age) and his three-year-old sister (Willa) on board. He was attacked, boarded by the enemy after a blast from an ion cannon and the Fusions taking out his electron generator, and was knocked unconscious. When he awoke, his sister and brother were gone.

The leader of the Gamma Agency sighed, "Sure. Tell him that we're still searching."

Nicholas nodded. He walked back to his division squad and Sector V. Jacen walked towards the door on the left side of the Hangar Deck. Kevin and Gwen quickly followed, and so did Blossom and Buttercup. But Bubbles stopped and looked back to Nicholas who had his back to her. She held arms about her in a position that was thoughtful and empathetic.

She looked back to her sisters and muttered a soft, "Hold on."

Bubbles hovered into the air, trailing blue energy as floated up beside the squad leader. He looked up to her with a skeptical look on his face. "Um, can I help you?"

She smiled brightly. "Could I meet Wesley? I think I can cheer him up. That's what I do best!"

"Well, I don't see any problem with letting you try," he said. "I wish you luck."

She looked to her sisters. "I'll catch up later!"

LlLlLlLlLlLlLlLlLlLlLlLl

Once Angel had familiarized the professor with all of the medicines, machinery, and other equipment in the impressive, huge medical laboratory, Angel allowed him to toy around with the computer a bit. Reluctantly, though. Then they received the urgent video message.

"Dr. Meriwether!"

She raced out in front of the monitor to see the image projected. Brushing back a lock of blonde hair, she asked, "Donavan, what is it?"

"It's Ray," he replied, a grim look on his face. "He was training one of the Earth recruits when a force of Fusion Stargliders ambushed him. He stalled until I showed up, but there's a leak in the view port. And Ray doesn't have his helmet. He's got less than four minutes of air and it's gonna take at least seven for Tennyson to fly him back to Headquarters."

"I certainly hope he knows how to regulate his breathing in a situation like that," Angel muttered to herself.

Donavan, who didn't hear, continued, "I contacted you because I have a feeling that by the time he reaches Hangar Deck B-47 that he'd have gone at least two to three minutes without air."

"Understood," she nodded, "I'll send a paramedic to Hangar Deck B-47 immediately."

He gave a short nod, "Affirmative."

The image on the screen flickered away, and Angel called, "Grayson Xavier Stellar! Front and center!"

In a matter of seconds, a ginger-blonde with black, round glasses stood before her. He wore a blue doctor's shirt and slacks. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I need you and the walking defibrillator to report to Hangar Deck B-47 straight away," she stated.

He nodded, and then questioned, "What for?"

"Your brother decided to forego a crucial flight-safety regulation and did not wear a helmet as he was training a recruit by the name of Tennyson," she replied. "The view port was fractured and now he's losing oxygen rapidly. Tennyson is flying him back to Headquarters but I'm afraid he'll run out of air long before he reaches the Hangar Deck."

Professor Utonium felt a pang of sympathy for the boy as Grayson paled at the mention of his twin. He nodded quickly and waved towards a boy, 'Laser' as he called him. This boy, dressed from head to toe in an age-old private investigator's uniform, was the 'walking defibrillator, the professor assumed.

Without another word the two raced out of the medical laboratory and Angel followed their movements by security cameras that she projected live footage on the huge monitor before them. Neither of the two slowed as they ran and they reached the Hangar Deck as soon as Ben Tennyson was dragging the unconscious, and possibly dead, ace out of the cockpit. Grayson shouted his brother's name and took action right away.

Patrick Utonium and Angel watched silently as the paramedic and electro-mutant attempted to revive the pilot by trying to jumpstart his heart. Utonium's face fell as it became apparent that they could not revive him. But then they all jerked their heads up and the pilot sat up after several painfully long moments passed.

Angel keyed in a command to add audio, and they listened.

The revived pilot said, "Gray, Don's out there facing five Fusions SG's last I checked. You up for a flight?"

Grayson stood and held out a hand for him. "Of course."

After only a slight bit of conversation, the two raced towards two separate stargliders and Ray called out to Ben, "You might have a sub tomorrow."

The professor failed to suppress an amused smile. Meanwhile, Angel switched the footage to live footage from inside the cockpits of the stargliders the twins had chosen. Professor Utonium was amazed at how much access she had to things in the space station. The screen was split, one side showing Horatio, the other showing Grayson.

The twins simultaneously secured their safety harnesses, put on their helmets, and lowered the facemasks. After doing a quick, standard check like the one Horatio had put Ben through, they flew out of the Hangar Deck.

"Horatio, do you by chance have the coordinates of where you left Donavan?" Grayson asked.

"Nah, but I remember what direction I flew in and for how long," he replied.

"Wonderful."

"You know all the flight schematics and maneuvers?" Horatio asked.

Grayson rolled his eyes, "I memorized the manual, Horatio. Of course I do."

"Just checking."

The more formal twin calibrated a few of the mechanisms on the control desk before him on which the camera that the medical staff were viewing him through.

"Gyro Maneuver?"

Grayson sighed and quoted, "'Cock the flight sticks and deactivate stabilizers temporarily, seemingly uncontrollable rotation disorients enemies.' Honestly, Horatio, if your going to quiz me choose a bit more challenging piece of material, why don't you?"

There was a slight pause.

"Slingshot maneuver?"

"'Partially circumnavigate around the atmosphere of a nearby dwarf planet or any other sort of miniscule object possessing a strong enough gravitational pull and use the pull of gravity to one's advantage to hurl back around and catch the enemy off guard,'" Grayson once again quoted from the manual. "Happy?"

"Almost. . . Hydro-Magneto-Carborator-Net-O Maneuver?"

The interrogative statement received an open-mouthed, blank stare from the paramedic. "You. . . You made that up!"

"Maybe." The image of Horatio smirked. "Then again maybe not."

He shook his head. "This isn't a time for games, Horatio. If I remember correctly, your friend Donavan is in need of our assistance."

That made the redhead snap into attention. "Right. We're coming up on his position. You can see the cannon fire from here."

"Your right," Grayson half admitted, half confirmed. "Oh my! Their numbers seemed to have doubled since your encounter with them."

Horatio's eyes narrowed and his grip on the flight sticks noticeably tightened. "Affirmative."

Professor Utonium was at a total loss for words. Sure, he had seen incredible acts performed fluidly by children during the Fusion war on Earth, but out here in space (one of the most dangerous frontiers known to man, alien, and beast), things, particularly odds, were much different. Yet the children that had been recruited for this war seemed to work as though trained professionals. The chief attending physician before him and the many ace-pilots on board this station were living proof.

The next series of events moved so quickly that the professor was hardly able to catch the words being spoken.

"Horatio, two on your right flank!"

"I see 'em!"

"Make sure you're using ELC only; that seems to work best on thesegrotesques."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, watch out! You've got a gang of 'em coming in on your stern!"

"I've got them!"

The image of Grayson was shaken and he winced and groaned as the cockpit apparently spiraled.

"Need a hand, bro?"

"That would be nice, yes."

After peppering the Fusion Stargliders which neither the professor nor chief attending physician were able to see with cannon blasts, Grayson commented, "There's no possible way for us to get to Donavan through this mess! What are there? Thirty of these Fusion freaks?"

"Oh, we'll get there alright."

"Horatio. . . What are you planning?"

"Something stupid enough it might work."

"What . . . ? Oh no, Horatio, you can't be serious."

Ray's mouth formed a grim line, and he did not reply. Professor Utonium felt a growing sense of dread welling up inside him.

"Horatio? Horatio, I know what your thinking. Don't do it. I can assure you it won't end well."

A pause. The redhead revved his thrusters. Swiftly, Angel added box of footage to her screen. It was obviously the view that Horatio had of what was outside his view port.

How many cameras are on those stargliders? The professor wondered.

They now had a clear image of what had suddenly given Horatio his grand determination. Donavan's starglider was swarmed. Completely. The Fusions were mercilessly firing blast after blast at the craft. It was obvious that Donavan's shields wouldn't hold out much longer, for he had resorted to conserving as much negative energy as possible to put into the shields by ceasing fire.

"Horatio, are you listening to me? You'll do more harm than good! Horatio!"

But there was no stopping him now. His mind was set.

"Horatio!"

Dun, dun, duuuuun. Dramatic cliffhanger. I want to go ahead and mention that I got the idea for an ion cannon from a book that contained an ion cannon that seemed to knock out all positive, electrical energy so if that's not really what it does. . . eh, I can't think of much else to resort to. I hope you enjoyed this chap! Tell me in your reviews!