Chapter eight: The Hornet's nest
With a satisfying 'THUD' Yang disconnects her A-10 from the refueling arm of the huge KC-135 tanker aircraft in front of her. The blonde aviator falls into formation with her squad consisting of five heavily-modified A-10C Warthogs. Yang says into her mic "Vulcan 05 is all fueled up and ready to go." Coco responds "Excellent, we're two minutes from the objective. Keep it tight people!"
As Vacuo's capital is a coastal city, the group of A-10s have a few dozen more miles of ocean to cross before arriving at the huge urban sprawl. Once there, the attack jets are to cause as much damage to enemy forces as possible, allowing for the stranded ground forces to escape the city for pickup.
Coco says to her squad "Reduce altitude to 400 feet and throttle up. I don't want any missiles getting any of you guys." The four other A-10 s acknowledge Coco and reduce their altitude as instructed. Yang checks her instrument panel and sees that her six AGM-65 Maverick anti-surface missiles are fully operational. With a 136 kilogram explosive warhead in each missile, Yang can convert almost any armored vehicle into scrap metal.
With only a few miles to the city, Coco says "05, you're with me. Everybody else spread yourselves out." Yang sees the other three A-10s peel off as the entire sky is filled with anti-air tracer rounds. Coco merely scoffs as the rounds aren't nearly large enough to penetrate the A-10's titanium armor.
Coco changes her radio to an open channel and says "Ground forces. Five Warthogs on station and ready to assist, give us some targets." Winter responds "Warthogs! We've got a tank group blocking our way out of the city! Sending coordinates… now!"
The attack jet pilots have a set of coordinates appear on their HUDs, Coco says "Yang, do your thing." A wicked smile spreads across Yang's face as she turns her A-10 to point at the tank group. The golden-haired aviator flicks an arming switch, readying her supply of Maverick missiles. Yang spots the group of five tanks exchanging fire with the friendly group of soldiers.
Yang calmly angles the nose of her plane down and obtains a ground-lock on the tank group and fires off two of her six missiles. The two heavy missiles accelerate quickly and impact the ground, ripping one of the tanks apart and spraying shrapnel in all directions. Yang pulls the nose of her plane up and shouts "One tank down! 01, give me a hand here!"
Coco acknowledges Yang and orients her A-10 to face the tanks and angles her plane down. A smile spreads on her face as the massive GAU-8-Avenger 30mm rotary cannon spins up to firing speed. Coco properly sights the weapon and squeezes the trigger, unleashing a torrent of 65 fist-sized armor-piercing bullets per second. The fashion-conscious pilot keeps the trigger held down until three of the remaining four tanks are riddled with holes and immobilized.
Coco pulls up and asks "Hey 05, wanna take out that last bit of armor?" Yang responds, as enthusiastic as ever, "Already on it commander!" The golden-haired pilot turns her A-10 to point at the remaining tank and reduces her speed. Yang preps a new Maverick missile and takes her time obtaining a lock. Before Yang can pull the trigger, a flash of white erupts from the tank. Yang's lilac eyes go wide and she jams the stick to one side in an attempt to dodge the tank shell.
The high-explosive tank projectile barely clips Yang's left wingtip and explodes several hundred meters behind the attack jet. The aviator's lilac eyes suddenly shift to red and Yang squeezes her trigger several times while letting out a sustained scream, releasing her remaining four Maverick missiles. The four missiles impact the tank and tear it apart, leaving only a crater with tank parts scattered about.
Seeing that her wingman has completely lost control, Coco shouts "Xiao Long! Calm yourself the hell down before you get yourself or one of us killed!" Hearing this, Yang takes several deep breaths as the fire in her eyes gets extinguished. Coco breathes a sigh of relief and says "02, 3 and 4, how are you doing?" Vulcan 02 responds "Keeping the chaos coming, we just hit every ammunition depot we could and took out two of the three bridges leading out of the city.
Pleased, Coco responds "Excellent job everyone. Ground troops! You are cleared to advance out of the city!" Yang glances down and sees the group of soldiers quickly moving through the city, only encountering minor resistance. Happy that the soldiers are advancing without much difficulty, Yang checks her radar screen and sees an unknown, small, fuzzy dot. Confused, Yang checks her surroundings and sees nothing. Yang says "Vulcan 01, I have an unidentified contact on radar, please confirm."
Coco checks her own radar screen and sees the same fuzzy image, after a minute of contemplation, she says "Unless that thing has both stealth and electronic warfare capabilities, it's probably just an equipment issue." Yang thinks nothing of it until the rough voice of Adam Taurus utters "I assure you I'm real, and I intend to make an example out of you, Xiao long."
Yang doesn't even comprehend the words she is hearing; the mere sound of Adam's voice instantly triggers a horrible series of flashbacks of that one night. The sight of Blake laying wounded on the ground, the pain, the blood, all come rushing back in one instant. In the moment of clarity and pure terror, Yang spots the PAK-FA slowly circling around the group of attack jets from above.
With her assailant clearly identified, Yang's eyes flare red and her hair ignites hotter than ever, singing her fireproof flight suit. The now enraged blonde pushes her throttles forward to maximum and pulls up, despite knowing full well that she only has her gun and two Sidewinder missiles to defend herself. Seeing this, Coco screams "DON'T ATTACK HIM, XIAO LONG! THAT'S AN ORDER!" This order, as well as similar commands from various squad mates fall on deaf ears.
Gaining altitude as fast as possible, Yang remembers a phrase her therapist told her a long time ago, "I know that fighting back blindly is your go-to response when confronted with a threatening situation. At least try to focus your rage and properly assess the situation, then use your anger to your advantage."
It now dawns on Yang that attacking a PAK-FA with a slow, not very maneuverable, ground-attack aircraft is completely suicidal. Just before she can adjust her heading and reach safety, Adam sights in Yang's A-10 and opens fire. The 30mm rounds from the PAK-FA impact the A-10 and blow off 1/3 of the attack jet's right wing.
After realizing the irony and extreme danger of the situation, Yang re-gains control of her aircraft and sends the A-10 hurtling toward the ground with Adam choosing not to pursue. The White Fang pilot says, almost disappointed "I expected more of a fight out of you, Yang. Do you think I'll get more resistance out of your sister or that Shnee bitch? How about that traitorous whore, Blake?"
Adam only hears laughter in response and Coco says "Oh boy, you're going to be sorry. The guy she replaced you with and his best friend just heard all of that." Before Adam can even respond, Coco shouts "Vulcan squad! The troops on the ground just escaped the city! Let's get out of here!" Immediately, all the A-10s accelerate and escape the city over the ocean.
50 kilometers away, Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias lie in wait on the flight deck of the Atlas military's brand new Maiden-class carrier airship. Being the only flying aircraft carrier in the allies' inventory, it is easily the most useful asset the entire fighting force has to offer.
Sun slowly steadies his breathing as he maneuvers his F/A-18F Super Hornet onto one of the carrier's two catapults. After properly connecting the plane with the launch system, Sun says to Neptune in the rear seat of the F-18 "You ready for this Hydrophobe?" Neptune responds, "All set, let's take this douche out!"
After a quick conversation with the 'island' control tower on the carrier, Sun receives launch clearance. The monkey Faunus sees the yellow-clad launch systems officer on the deck snap a sharp salute to which Sun replies with a similar salute. The deck engineers raise a large section of the deck behind the F-18 at an 80-degree angle to deflect any jet blast from the fighter's engines.
Sun then pushes the F-18 to full afterburner but the jet remains motionless due to being firmly attached to the catapult system. With a final confirmation signal from the island, the catapult fires and sends the jet hurtling down the length of the carrier and off the edge. Sun pulls up slightly and begins rapidly gaining speed, heading directly toward the center of the city.
Upon reaching Mach 1.5, Sun mutters under his breath "Nobody talks about Blake that way." Neptune replies "C'mon man, get your head in the game. I wanna fry this prick just as badly as you do."
Being a practitioner of Zen for many years, Sun slows down his breathing and enters a calm, hyperaware state where his focus is only on the task at hand. In this case, his objective is killing Adam quickly and cleanly.
With Sun properly in his 'zone' Neptune hears his commander say "We're sending a trio of F-35Cs to back you guys up. I don't want you taking on that psychopath alone." Neptune acknowledges his commander and re-focuses on the task of aiding Sun. After another two minutes of supersonic travel, the PAK-FA comes into view.
Often described as a 'Crazed dogfighting machine' Sun and Neptune have come out on top during every single test the Navy could hope to throw at them to measure their skill in air combat. Confident that a single opponent, albeit in a superior aircraft would be no trouble, Sun decelerates and falls behind the enemy fighter.
Seeing the F-18, Adam inverts his plane and pulls back on the control stick, sending the PAK-FA toward the surface. Expertly keeping pace, Sun fires three short bursts from the F-18's 20mm cannon, with the last burst connecting and blowing off a small chunk of Adam's right tailfin. In response, Adam levels out and performs a half-loop followed by a half-roll, sending him in the opposite direction of the pursuing F-18.
Sun watches the plane blow by the F-18's canopy and asks Neptune "Where's he at?! I need a target!" Neptune checks his radar screen and says "He's three kilometers out and arcing around, definitely trying for a missile lock!" Sun immediately performs a series of rapid turns and rolls to avoid a missile lock while saying into his radio "Command! When is my backup arriving?!" Almost instantly, the commander responds "We're getting two of the F-35s ready to launch with a third bringing up the rear. Just hold out for a few more minutes."
Back on the flight deck of the carrier, the crews continue putting the finishing touches on the trio of F-35Cs. Behind a stack of crates, a certain ice cream lady sits waiting for the perfect opportunity to do some damage. Neo casually scans the flight deck and spots one of the two F-35s being prepared for the catapult launch and immediately makes her way over, taking particular care to avoid blowing her cover.
Upon reaching the fighter plane, Neo sneaks behind one of the landing gear at the rear of the plane and takes a look inside, seeing a large bundle of heavily-insulated wires. With a smile on her face, Neo grabs a fistful of the wires and yanks them out, sending sparks flying everywhere. Neo then sneaks off toward one of the stairwells that leads to the catapult control area just as the pilot enters the cockpit.
Neo quickly reaches the control room and sees that the area is temporarily empty, much to the girl's enjoyment. Neo nonchalantly tosses a remote-detonated explosive on a panel near some important-looking computer equipment. After exiting the room and returning to the flight deck, Neo hides once more as the pair of F-35s are launched with the third on its way to the pair of catapults.
The instant the third F-35 reaches the takeoff area, Neo bolts straight toward the fighter jet, ignoring stealth entirely. Neo reaches the plane and every crewmember on the deck spots the intruder. A smile spreads on Neo's face as she pulls out a radio transmitter and detonates the explosive, putting the pair of catapults completely out of commission.
Neo leaps on top of the plane's canopy and takes the pilot completely by surprise. Before the pilot can either draw his pistol to defend himself or attempt to take off, Neo grabs the manual release and opens the canopy. Neo then grabs the pilot's helmet and pulls it off his head before bringing it down hard, seriously injuring the pilot and cracking the visor of the helmet.
The ice cream lady then grabs the now-crippled pilot by his flight suit and throws him out of the plane, albeit with extreme effort. With the pilot taken care of, Neo casually puts the helmet on and shuts the canopy. Immediately, Neo hears the pilot of one of the two F-35s over the radio say "Command! I'm having a huge amount of unknown errors! I'm losing engine thrust and my controls aren't responding!"
Upon hearing the pilot in distress, Neo spots the sabotaged aircraft only a few kilometers off the front of the carrier. Neo quickly activates the weapon systems of the plane and obtains a lock on the F-35 just as a squad of heavily armed marines arrive on the flight deck. Before she can pull the trigger, a smattering of small-arms fire impacts the plane with one of the bullets nearly piercing the cockpit. Realizing the threat, Neo pulls the trigger and fires off a Sidewinder missile.
The missile flies over the lip of the carrier and immediately homes in on the damaged F-35. The pilot quickly ejects upon seeing the missile which promptly blows the plane in half. Pleased with her work, Neo re-checks her surroundings as the marines open fire once more, before taking cover, she sees that one of the marines is armed with a rocket launcher. Neo takes cover underneath the canopy as more bullets damage her F-35 and jams her throttle forward.
With no catapult system to speak of, The F-35 gains speed slowly, knocking over both people and equipment due to the uncontained jet wash. Neo grips the controls until her knuckles are white as the fighter jet falls over the lip of the carrier. The plane gains speed rapidly in a near-vertical drop and Neo pulls up, nearly crushing the girl as she lacks a flight suit.
Now that the plane is flying somewhat steadily, Neo checks the diagnostic screen and sees that the aircraft has taken far too much damage to fight effectively. With an audible 'pop' of her lips, Neo activates the F-35's stealth systems and flies off, choosing to fight another day.
Back in the heat of the dogfight, Sun makes a hard-right turn to avoid a pair of R-77 missiles fired by the PAK-FA. Despite possessing an inferior aircraft, Sun has easily held his ground against Adam in the close-range fight. The blonde says under his breath "He's too far away, gotta close the gap."
Sun cuts his throttles and lets Adam overshoot his F-18, putting him in prime position for a quick end to the fight. Being the weapon systems officer, Neptune arms the aircraft's supply of four Sidewinder missiles. Before he can obtain a lock, Adam begins a series of wide S-turns hoping to avoid the F-18's missiles.
Expertly keeping pace, Sun says "Backup squad! Try to cut him off so I can get a clean shot!" The lone F-35 immediately accelerates and turns hard, cutting Adam off and forcing him to dodge, missing the plane by the slimmest of margins. With Adam distracted, The F-35 fires off two AMRAAM missiles as a further harassment measure. Sure enough, the pair of missiles distract Adam long enough for sun to obtain a proper attack angle.
With the F-18 and PAK-FA 10 kilometers away, the two pilots orient themselves so that the planes are on a collision course directly toward each other. Sun says "Huh, I just realized we're fighting against my own country." Neptune shrugs and replies "Well, he isn't from Vacuo. He's just some jackass that joined the White Fang?" Instantly brightening up, Sun replies "Ooh! good point!" and squeezes the trigger.
The single Sidewinder missile ignites its engine and streaks toward Adam's plane, who responds with a missile of his own. Sun pulls hard to the left and dodges the missile but Adam is not as lucky. The proximity warhead of the Sidewinder missile detonates under the PAK-FA's mid-section and turns one of the engines into scrap metal.
Sun observes his crippled opponent spiraling toward the ground and says to Neptune "Hey, let me put the final nail in this jackasses' coffin." Neptune chuckles and replies "Go ahead." Smiling, Sun says into his radio "Hey Adam, how happy do you think Blake will be when I tell her I kicked your ass and destroyed that fancy plane of yours. Silence follows, prompting Sun to lean back and hi-five his co-pilot.
With his plane crippled, Adam struggles greatly to re-gain control before he crashes into the ground. With one final pull, the PAK-FA pulls out of its dive and is somewhat stable. Adam says under his breath "I'm getting him back for this." and returns to base.
