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The incoming fighter is a multirole class PAK-FA approaching at Mach 2, ETA ten minutes. According to this notification from HQ, it is armed with Crucible; a specialized cruise missile packed with experimental explosives that will level everything within three miles of the point of impact. Destruction of this facility will be certain if impact occurs.
Church sprinted down the metal hallways of the I.S. Academy, hoping to find a place where he could deploy outside.
What's the meaning of this?! The Director didn't say anything about attacking the Academy! There's hundreds of innocent people here!
Very few of them happen to be Americans however.
Exeter's pilot grit his teeth as he questioned the strange nature of this situation.
Why was an attack being carried out on an international installation? Why was this attack happening while he was still in the vicinity? If the intent was to kill him with everyone else, which wouldn't make any sense, why inform him of the danger first? Then again, the notification from HQ had not come from the official channels. It was possible that someone was helping him out against orders. Marcus, probably.
Begin an analysis of the situation and give me the best option for counterattack, now.
There was actually several moments of silence following this order, a time in which Church had to ask a question he had not considered before.
Cerberus, is this something against your programming?
It is not. I am loyal to my creator, and he is loyal to you. I highly advise against resisting Umbra Stratum for many reasons, but should you choose to do so I will comply.
Church activated Exeter's sprint capacitors, boosting his running speed significantly. He'd have to be extra careful to avoid colliding with hallway pedestrians; class would be ending in less than a minute, and an impact at this speed could kill someone.
Great, then tell me where the nearest exit is!
Apologies Operator, but seeing as this is not the first floor, there are no exits. And there is certainly no time to ride the elevator.
Then I'll make my own!
Precisely. Also, the bell is going to ring…now.
As Cerberus said, the bell that signaled the end of class rang at that moment. Church turned the corner just in time to see Yamada shouting after her class as they spilled into the hallway.
"Alright, the weekend tournament will begin in an hour, so everybody should-!"
Church cut off the woman's sentence by leaping over the crowd of students and startling the her, as well as most of the students below him. He caught a few faces down there in the split second he flew over their heads. Orimura, Bodewig, that Pikachu girl… thankfully he couldn't see Chifuyu anywhere.
Successfully making it over the heads of his fellow teens, Church couldn't help but grin just a little at the surprised look on their faces. Well, except for Laura. She shot Church a not truly hostile glare that questioned his strange behavior. Naturally, there was no time to answer her silent query.
Church kept up his sprint for an area where he could forcefully create an exit and get airborne. Of course, several other classrooms were on the same floor, so running into another class wasn't much of a big surprise. Unfortunately, Rin and Tina were in this crowd…
Naturally, it was impossible for the class to not notice Church sprinting towards them. Rin pointed an accusing finger at the approaching American, not even thinking to question what exactly he was doing.
"Hey! Church, tell these guys that we didn't do anything last night!"
Church had no time for that, so he leaped over the heads of this class too; but this time the death glare came from Rin. Church landed on the opposite side of the group and turned another corner, leaving Rin to fume behind him. Tina didn't really help the situation either.
"Guess he's running away from respons-"
"Shut up, Tina! He doesn't have any responsibility to run away from!"
An outer surface wall is exactly forty-six meters ahead, Operator. The AZ missiles should serve to punch a sufficient hole. Though I must still question why you are so intent on intercepting this missile.
Church began closing the distance between himself and his target, while readying the AZ missiles and a mental apology for Chifuyu for destroying yet another wall.
My mission was to retrieve data. Not kill anyone. Not let anyone be killed. I might not be a real soldier, but I'm still not going to stand around and watch while dozens of people are slaughtered. I'm the only Umbra Stratum operative here, so I will decide what Umbra Stratum does, period!
Very aggressive of you Operator. On a more important note, I suggest you fire now, before a student accidentally steps in front of you. That would be... unfortunate.
Church followed his A.I.'s advice and launched a single AZ missile at the wall ahead of him. Fortunately, no student accidentally stepped in front of the projectile before it impacted the target. A clear opening was made, and Church could easily see the blue sky beyond, dotted with fluffy white clouds.
He leaped out of the opening and activated the thrusters on his back, setting course for the incoming PAK-FA fighter. The approaching aircraft was still out of sight, as well as suspiciously off-radar, but Cerberus had already worked out the plane's flight path based on its location of dispatch, and Church rocketed in that direction. With the two pilots approaching each other at high speed, Church would get a visual in no time.
Has Crucible been fired yet? If not, will the destruction of the aircraft set it off?
Cerberus made a few computer calculations. It would appear that the cruise missile is not being lased on target by another aircraft. It cannot be fired until the PAK-FA has a clear target; the missile is laser guided, but requires a lock first, unless lased on target by another aircraft. And no, the missile cannot be detonated unless it is primed and fired.
I'm a little against shooting down a fellow American pilot. Do you have a solution for stopping Crucible?
Cerberus paused, as if questioning whether or not it should actually inform Church of the solution.
…Indeed I do, Operator. But you are not going to like it.
Naturally... lay it on me.
If you truly wish to spare the pilot and intercept Crucible after it is fired, you will have to physically come into contact with the missile, because it is electronically shielded and I will be unable to hack the ordnance from a distance.
That doesn't sound so bad. I'm sure I can outrun a missile.
The distance between Church and his target was closing rapidly. Cerberus had better finish his explanation fast.
That is the easy part, Operator. Once the missile is successfully hacked at close range, its laser guidance systems will be disabled. At that point, it will basically become a dumb rocket, unable to be steered. You will then need to physically push Crucible away from its intended target, the Academy.
Still sounds like a cinch.
Unfortunately Cerberus was not done yet.
The missile has a failsafe function that will cause it to detonate if it misses the target. That way it is still likely to destroy the target if there is a malfunction in the guidance system. As soon as Crucible passes the central tower, it will detonate. And since my mathematical computations are flawless, it is impossible for you to move Crucible far enough from the Academy before the failsafe detonation occurs. If the Academy is not destroyed, it will at least be heavily damaged, and most of the inhabitants will perish.
Can't you deactivate the failsafe function too?
Not indefinitely.
…so we're fucked, right? If it hits, we all die, and if I try to push it off course, most of us die. How is this is a solution?
I am still not done Operator. I cannot deactivate the failsafe detonation, but I can delay it for a few minutes. If you can get the warhead out of range of the Academy and other civilian areas, we can detonate the missile there. However…
It didn't take a genius to figure out what Cerberus was going to say next.
I won't have time to escape the blast, right?
Correct. Also, the PAK-FA will be in sight momentarily.
Church pushed the thoughts of self-preservation out of his mind. Personally he was not all fine and dandy with the noble sacrifice thing, as he would definitely not die content no matter how heroically he did it in his current state. But even so, he considered himself a soldier of sorts. Soldiers didn't let the innocent die on their watch. At least not in his mind.
As Cerberus had predicted, a small speck of black was just becoming visible in the sky ahead. Church magnified his visor optics in order to get a good look at the aircraft. It was a wide fighter with no weapons under its wings; meaning that like most modern combat aircraft, it carried its armaments in weapon bays.
The wings hugged the side of the craft much like a F-22 Raptor, and it had dual fins as well as twin engines in the rear. The most surprising feature of the fighter was its aesthetic design; instead of any markings that attached the fighter to its real homeland, it bore the insignia of the Russian aerial forces. This was no doubt a precaution in case the aircraft was shot down and investigated. However, as a fellow pilot with Umbra Stratum tech, Church could see the IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) tag of the pilot, which undoubtedly identified it as an Umbra Stratum craft.
The fighter was approaching quickly, and Church decided he would try negotiation before aggression. He had Cerberus select an open communication channel that the pilot should've been able to hear.
"Attention incoming Umbra Stratum aircraft Designation Beta-0062. This is Umbra Stratum Operator Designation Epsilon-001A. You are on an aggressive course towards a civilian installation. Change course immediately."
Church waited a few seconds for a response, but none came. Meanwhile, the PAK-FA would be within cannon range in half a minute.
Did he hear me, Cerb?
Yes, Operator. The transmission went through.
Let's try one more time.
Church decided to try a less formal approach this time around. "Beta-62, listen to me. Your target is a civilian installation with nearly one thousand students and staff. Ninety percent of the casualties will be children. Kids! Please, abort-!"
Church's plea was cut off by the whir of a machine gun and the whizzing sound of passing cannon rounds. The pilot of the PAK-FA was firing at him, in hopes of either destroying or scaring off Exeter's Operator.
Most of the .50 caliber rounds missed the small target they were aiming for, but two of them ricocheted off of Exeter's frontal shielding, causing the shield gauge in Church's HUD to drop by seven percent. That seemed like minimal damage, but concentrated fire would have dropped the shields in no time.
The PAK-FA blasted past Church, its roar fortunately dampened by Exeter's safety measures. Church reversed the thrusters and proceeded to chase after the jet. Thankfully, Exeter's maneuverability was much higher than any regular aircraft. He was able to turn on a dime without needing to make a wide turn.
I guess peaceful negotiation is out of the question. Just what the hell is the Director trying to pull here?!
I'm afraid I have no answer, Operator.
What's the estimated time until Crucible has target lock?
Roughly six seconds. Firing now could save some heartache.
It was true that Church could shoot down the jet before it launched, but killing a fellow countryman felt like some sort of betrayal. Instead, he waited for the pilot to launch his payload.
As Cerberus had said, the PAK-FA opened its underbelly weapon bays within a ten second time frame. Two weapon racks stretched out from the interior; one with six AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and another with a much larger, orange missile with fins in an x shape. It was clear which weapon was the real threat.
After a few moments of pause, the Crucible missile detached from its weapon rack, fell a few feet, and then rocketed forward with a burst of flame, heading directly for the central tower of the Academy, which was still nearly two thousand feet away.
Estimated time 'till impact?
Twenty-eight seconds, Operator.
Maximize thruster output. We have to catch up fast.
Cerberus did as instructed, boosting Exeter's thrusters to three hundred percent. The HUD readings calculated the interception time, totaling eight seconds. When Church reached the missile, Cerberus would have to work fast.
Church pulled ahead of the PAK-FA, which was already beginning to break off from its course.
Operator, putting yourself ahead of the enemy puts you at risk of-
Cerberus was cut off by a high pitched beeping in Church's ears; one that he recognized as a target lock. A second later, Exeter's automated warning system spoke out.
"WARNING-MISSILE LOCK. EVASIVE MANEUVERS RECOMMENDED."
The close range of the two aircraft meant that the incoming projectile would reach its target in no time. Fortunately, Cerberus had faster reflexes than any missile.
DO A BARREL ROLL!
Ignoring the completely unwelcome joke during such a stressful situation, Church did as he was told, shifting position to roll to the right just as the missile was about to impact. With its target suddenly beyond its range, the explosive flew past him, unable to regain its lock-on.
All right, let's deal with this guy fast!
While Church still wasn't going to destroy the fighter, he knew a few methods for getting rid of it. He slowed himself down just a bit, until he was just a few meters in front of the PAK-FA. He only had a second or two before the enemy used his cannons; and at this range it would be devastating.
Opening up Exeter's brake flaps, Church instantly encountered a wall of wind that pushed him backwards. Being the sole object that was holding it back, he then closed the flaps again and dove out of the PAK-FA's line of fire. The huge gust of wind that Church had obstructed now blasted towards the fighter behind him with full force. It buffeted the plane sideways, cutting off the flow of air into the intakes. The aircraft practically dropped out of the sky, unable to work its engines with the air flow disturbed.
Church knew nothing was scarier than losing control of your aircraft while it fell straight down, but he didn't have time to pity the pilot as he fought for control of his plane, as he now only had fifteen seconds to catch Crucible.
Cutting power to other systems to push his thrusters back to maximum, Church chased after the missile that would obliterate the Academy if it hit. Each excruciating second, he gained a handful of feet on the missile. But each second also brought the deadly explosive closer to its goal.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity though it definitely couldn't have been more than a few moments, Church came close enough to the half-meter long missile to place his hands on it, with nine seconds to spare.
Do your thing, Cerberus! Make it quick!
Once again displaying its prowess, only two precious seconds passed before Cerberus spoke to its pilot.
Push now Operator, hard to the left.
With little time to waste, Church did as he was told, pushing with all of his might, greatly amplified by Exeter, to shove the missile off its course for the Central Tower, which was a mere three hundred feet away. Crucible gradually curved away from its path, but it would still impact the tower at this rate. Seeing that he wouldn't make it quite like this, Church gave a final boost to his engines, just barely scraping by the tower as the back of his thrusters literally screeched against the tower's metal framework.
He half expected the missile to detonate, but he knew Cerberus was keeping the failsafe detonation on ice. Crucible slowly gained distance from the Central Tower, forced to bank left by Church's physical persuasion.
Great, now what?
You must keep physical contact with the missile; the electronic shielding will resume within moments if you lose contact, and then the missile's computer will realize that the target has been missed, at which time the failsafe detonation will commence.
So I have to keep my hands on it? How am I supposed to do this then? How long can you delay the detonation?
I can delay the failsafe detonation for approximately five minutes. You must get the missile as far from here as possible. Directing Crucible forty-seven degrees Northeast will avoid any other civilian population centers and should get you slightly over the Pacific Ocean, for minimal damage to landscape. If you were able to fly faster that would be quick and easy, but obviously you must maintain the same gradual speed of the missile.
Church changed his course as Cerberus had directed. The map in his HUD showed that he should be able to get six miles over the ocean within the five minutes that he had at the speed he being was forced to go.
Operator, there's an incoming transmission from the Academy.
I was hoping that they wouldn't notice.
It is a little hard to be oblivious to a fighter jet launching a missile directly at your installation. If there had not been a mandatory I.S. maintenance checkup just before this situation, it is likely that there would have been several Academy I.S. to defend the Academy as well.
Opening up the Academy's com channel, Church tried his best to sound less than terrified by the prospect of dying. "Hello, this is Academy savior Church speaking, how may I help you?"
"Care to explain this situation to me?"
Church could easily distinguish Chifuyu's voice through the gel receptors Exeter possessed, which made audio sound as though the speaker were in the helmet with him.
"Actually, I would rather not: I'm a little busy here. Sorry about the wall, by the way."
"You broke another one? Great… I expect a full explanation of this situation when you get back. And don't give me that 'I don't know' excuse either. You were on top of this thing way too soon to have not been expecting it."
"Maybe I'm just more aware than you guys?"
"Just fix this and get back here so you can fix the wall too."
The transmission ended before Church could tell his conversational partner that he would probably not survive this situation in the first place, allowing him to refocus on the current problen. He was just a few minutes out from his oceanic destination.
So what exactly are my chances of survival in this situation, Cerberus?
Well, the sonic blast from Niddhog did not even cause Class-D structural damage, but that is because the blast was directed away from you. The point blank proximity of the Crucible detonation will likely cause Class-A or even Class-S damage. Almost all systems will be disabled, and depending on where you land, chances of survival vary from twenty three percent to sixty seven.
Depending on where I land?
The ocean or the shore.
Which is which?
The ocean survival rate is twenty three percent.
Because of impact?
Negative. Because of oxygen deprivation. As I said, almost all functions will be disabled. That includes life support. And your armor, regardless of damage, is relatively heavy. I imagine you will sink rather quickly.
Not at all pleased to hear any of that, Church did his best to stay calm, though his next rhetorical statement really just ended up sounding bitter. "Stellar. You do realize that being six miles out to sea means that I can only land in the ocean, right?"
Regardless of his feelings on the matter, Church realized that he was coming ever closer to the limit of Cerberus' ability to delay the Crucible detonation. There was only about another minute and a half before the the A.I. could no longer halt the missile's failsafe. That being said, he still wasn't at minimal safe distance from the Academy. He had to go farther...
For some reason, Cerberus felt the need to speak here. This will be quite the ironic way to die, hmm? Saving a plethora of foreigners that you don't even know?
I know a few of them.
Enough to die for them?
Enough to know that they don't deserve to be murdered like this.
Be that as it may, as a machine, I cannot be so pleased with my destruction for the sake of a bunch of humans. I do so hope that we survive this.
With only a one in five chance of doing so?
Indeed.
As the timer came ever closer to the end of its countdown, Church did his best to distract himself from what was very likely his imminent demise. Surprisingly, the ocean blue below him did make him feel a little more at peace.
Kinda sucks to go out like this. Still a virgin and all that.
Well, if it makes you feel any better; if I were a human female at that Academy, my panties would hit the floor for you if I knew you had saved me so selflessly.
That wasn't comforting in the slightest. That was just really weird and disturbing as I tried to imagine what you would look like as a girl. I appreciate the attempt though.
For once, Cerberus replied with something that was not snark or a joke. I'm sure they will all appreciate your sacrifice.
I just hope this doesn't happen a second time. Or if it does, that they'll at least be prepared for it.
With nothing to say to that, Cerberus merely gave its pilot the remaining time. ETA thirty-seven seconds Operator.
With that comment weighing heavily on Exeter's pilot, Church stayed silent as he made the final run with Crucible, allowing another ten seconds to pass without a word. It was only then that Cerberus spoke up after being struck with some level of inspiration.
Operator, it will take approximately six seconds for Crucible's failsafe detonation to activate after contact is broken. I think I may have a solution for increasing our chances of survival.
While he was hesitant to feel hopeful, Church nevertheless indulged the machine. I think I'd like to hear that.
If you can make it underwater before the explosion, the water's surface could serve as a shield of sorts, significantly reducing damage to yourself.
Enough to prevent total system destruction?
Enough to hopefully keep life support online, perhaps giving you time to be rescued.
I see.
Maximum distance in ten. Get ready for maximum speed towards the water, Operator.
Church watched the line in his HUD that was leading him to the point that was the limit of Cerberus' capability while giving him a very small window to put some distance between himself and the explosion. As soon as he reached it, he took his hands off of the missile, and a six second countdown popped up in his vision.
He reversed his thrusters again and aimed for the waters below. His only chance for survival here was to maintain life support functions. Without oxygen, he would have no chance of living through this situation.
Six seconds Operator. Should I say something about it being an honor?
Don't jinx us.
Church crashed into the waves below with three seconds left on the clock. He continued to push as far down as he could, in hopes of getting a thicker wall of water between him and the imminent blast of fire and destruction.
About sixty feet down, the countdown in his HUD reached zero. It turned out that the timer was just a few milliseconds off, for all the difference that it made. There was a distorted roar from above that vibrated through the water. Church felt the huge shockwave long before the blast itself, which slammed down into the ocean mere seconds later.
The engulfing wave of flame either vaporized the water above, or it was so hot that the water did nothing to cool it. Either way, Exeter's extreme condition shielding was quickly overloaded, bringing the heat down on the suit itself, and the pilot within. The temperature climbed so quickly that Church temporarily blacked out within seconds.
Although his vision was claimed, his nerves were still functioning as they should, and Church felt the scalding heat for what felt like an eternity. The pain never seemed to end, but he was unable to make any cry of agony.
Finally, the blast and pain both subsided. Church was still blind, but he was aware of the sinking sensation taking over his senses. He knew what was happening, but could do nothing about it until he regained some sense of stability in his own mind.
Every second felt like much longer, but Church fought through his pain to check the operational ability of his suit. He couldn't see, so he'd have to ask Cerberus about it, if the insufferable A.I. was still functional.
Cerberus… what's our... status?
Unfortunately, the answer was not immediately forthcoming. There was a long break, far longer than there should have been, in the question and answer.
L-l-l-l-life su-p-p-port online… damage at s-s-s-seventy ni-i-i-i-i-ine percent.
The stuttering, broken record-like answer must've have been caused by damage to Cerberus' hardware itself. Who knows what the intense heat had damaged within the suit?
Point was, there was no thruster capability available. Church was just sinking, with no ability to move himself. He couldn't even see anything, but even if he could, he lacked the strength to bring himself to the surface. It briefly occurred to him that this wasn't anywhere near the death he had envisioned for himself. It wasn't heroic, or noble. It was just a guy in a metal suit sinking to the bottom of the briny deep. Pitiful in every sense of the word. And far more lonely than he had ever wished for.
Well, I would have published this sooner, but my grandparents down in Columbus Georgia live out in the middle of nowhere, and as you can probably imagine, they have no wifi. Sorry about the delay guys, but there's nothing I could do about it this time.