Area 88: Dogfighters

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Area 88 are under the copyright of Kaoru Shintani, TV Asahi and Group TAC. I exclusively own the rights to the character Paul Yeung.

Summary:

Back in Japan, Satoru Kanzaki continues his plans to marry the unsuspecting Ryoko Tsugumo, as Shin and Paul continue to battle on with the last leg of their lives as mercenary fighters for the Asranian Air Force after engaging three MiG-21 Fishbed fighters of the communist rebels over the heat of the Asranian desert. Can the two friends live on to get back to Japan before it could be too late? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Note - Any underlined name in this story indicates that an aircraft has appeared for the first time in any chapter with its detailed specs at the end.

Chapter 21: Brink of Death

Journal of Paul Yeung, ex-Captain, Philippine Air Force

Day 19, Asran

Our dogfight back in the desert was a bit gruesome, not to mention confusing. The major thing I've noticed was with Shin. I never heard anything about getting a miss until I saw him missing a direct hit on his Sidewinder on one of the rebel MiG-21 fighters.

Has to be with the fact that Satoru must be gearing up his plans to marry Ryoko back in Japan. Bastard! When I get back to Japan, first thing I'm going to do is to look for him and give him a taste of my fist.

I just hope I come back alive before I become a statistic in the Asranian civil war.

Airspace, Desert, Asran

"This... will be the end of it."

Shin murmured his last words to the doomed MiG-21 after he adjusted the targeting cursor on the afterburner. He then launched his second and last AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.

The MiG-21 tried to evade the incoming Sidewinder, but was doomed to die when the Sidewinder made impact on the jet's afterburner, setting the enemy fighter ablaze before it exploded.

"At last! I did it!" Shin flew his F-5 over the black smoke that was formerly the MiG-21's spot. In a fit of rage, the Japanese pilot fired the remaining ammo from the 20 mm Pontiac M39A2 cannon into the horizon ahead of him until he saw white smoke exiting the cannon's firing ports.

Shin relaxed himself, slowly removing his grip from the F-5's control stick and closed his eyes. "I don't have to do that anymore." He then inhaled and exhaled in his seat. "It's over."

Removing the straps of his oxygen mask, Shin smiled. "It's over. Ryoko."

Suddenly, Kitori's voice came over his radio. "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!"

Shocked at the radio distress, Shin looked behind his shoulders. "He's got my tail! I can't get him off me!" He saw the third and last MiG-21 pursuing Kitori and firing its 30 mm NR-30 cannon, being chased far behind by Paul's F-1.

"Damn it!" cursed Shin, boosting his F-5 and turning his jet to the direction where Kitori and the others went to. He went in between the third MiG-21 and Kitori's F1, forcing the two to get out of his way.

"Damn you, Shin!" retorted Paul on Shin's radio. "If you want to vent your frustration out, don't do it on the Pontiac M39A2 cannons! Do it on the rebels!"

"Rouge One!" hailed Shin on his radio. "This is 00-Section. I'm unarmed!" Kitori didn't believe what she was hearing. "I'll try and draw him out."

"Why are you unarmed?" Kitori began to question the pilot.

"I don't have time to explain!"

"Kitori!" Paul's voice came on her radio. "Watch my back! I'll take out the MiG-21 while it chases Shin."

The MiG-21 pursued Shin, firing its 30 mm NR-30 cannon again on the helpless pilot as 30 mm bullets riddled on the plane without causing any significant damage. The enemy plane unleashed an AA-8 Aphid missile aimed at the F-5's afterburner.

"Damn!" The missile was getting closer and closer to the afterburner, but a streak of 30 mm bullets from Kitori's DEFA 553 cannon had destroyed the weapon.

"Got it!" Kitori said on her radio, getting rid of the object before it got close to Shin.

"Kitori!" Shin hailed her when 30 mm bullets from the MiG-21's NR-30 cannon began to pour on the woman's Mirage.

"Darn!" cursed Paul on their channel. "Can't get a good shot!"

Shin had began a dive, piloting his F-5 towards her direction. "Kitori! Paul! Turn to the left, now!" At once, Kitori and Paul veered their planes out of Shin's way, making straight for the MiG-21. The MiG's pilot, in instinct, turned to the right.

"On my sights!" grinned Paul, who was in front of Kitori's Mirage. "Shutdown!" Firing an AAM-1 missile at the MiG-21's rear, he watched with satisfaction as the enemy fighter exploded in the air.

"Oh yeah!" Paul pumped his fist inside the cockpit, managing to hit the target without a miss.

"All right, Paul!" Kitori cheered on for the Filipino mercenary, achieving another kill for Area 88. The two pilots noted that Shin's F-5 had smoke coming out from the bullets hole inflicted by the MiG-21. Kitori flew on the F-5's left side while Paul went to the right.

"Shin," Kitori hailed him on his radio. "are you okay?"

"Somehow." assured the Japanese pilot.

"I hope so." Paul sighed before hearing Kitori's voice on the radio. "Why did you use up all your bullets?" She faced Shin on her right. "Why?"

Shin sighed, explaining his actions to his two comrades. "I forgot about fighting in the battlefield. "

"Why?"

Her question was unanswered when Shin began to tweak his radio to Area 88's radio frequency.

Paul patched on Kitori's channel. "Kitori, just leave it at that. I think he's had enough."

"Double Echo, this is 00-Section." began Shin, communicating with control on radio. "Three planes downed. Returning to base." Shin briefly wrestled with his control stick before he continued with his transmission. "00-Section is damaged, but I can make it somehow."

"Roger." acknowledged the control tower officer. "Would you like a rescue squad and a fire engine?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Kitori looked on at him with pity. "Shin..." Catching a brief glance at Paul's F-1, she watched him remove his oxygen mask from his helmet before he retracted the helmet's visors.

Cafeteria, Area 88 Base

"Why did you call me all the way here?"

Makoto was called alone to the deserted cafeteria in a message left to him by Greg, who was disturbed from their conversation on the runway a while ago.

"I heard from McCoy." said the bearded pilot, facing his back. "It wasn't a newspaper that hired you two."

Makoto cringed on hearing Greg's revelation on his true reason for being in Area 88. "I was being bugged after all, huh?"

Greg decided to put more fuel into his interrogation. "It's not the rebels who hired you two either, is it?" He then became a bit more forceful. "What are you two here for?"

"Greg!" Makoto too became a bit more forceful in his tone as well. "Doing things this way isn't like you."

Grabbing the photographer's left shoulder, Greg forced Makoto to face him before clenching his fist on his shirt angrily. "Then should I do things the way I normally do?"

He was ready to give a fist to his face when they heard fire engine sirens from the outside. Apparently, they were deployed to be stationed on the runway.

Runway Curb, Area 88 Base

"Hey Makoto." Rocky was with Mickey and Kim, standing next to them behind the chain link fence.

"Did Shin really get hit?" asked Makoto, wanting to get the details. He was running to the scene with Greg.

"Yeah," grunted Mickey. "his plane is flying while badly damaged." Greg eyed the two reporters with suspicion.

"I hope it holds together somehow." Kim was a bit frantic when he told Makoto about his thoughts.

"Shinjo!" Greg grasped Makoto's right shoulder, but the reporter shrugged it off. Rocky looked on with much confusion.

"Now's not the time to worry about that!" shouted Makoto, trying to avoid suspicion on him or his colleague.

"Shinjo!"

One of the technicians came from behind him.

"You've got a phone call."

"A call?" Makoto raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I'm busy!" Now Kim joined Greg in eyeing Makoto very carefully.

"It's from Japan." insisted the technician. The word Japan caught the attention of Makoto and Rocky. "Are you sure?"

Gritting his teeth, he had the urge to destroy the only remaining working phone from Area 88 aside from the one personally used by Saki himself.

"Damn!" he hissed, breaking into a sprint. "Let's go, Rocky!"

The two reporters ran towards the interior of the base, being watched by Kim and Greg, now joined by a very suspicious Mickey.

Airspace, outskirts of Area 88, Asran

"Shin," said Kitori. "it's just a little bit more."

"It's okay, guys." Paul came on the radio. "I've checked with the J/AWG-12 radar and the cost is clear."

Kitori hailed Shin again on her radio, holding her oxygen mask. "I won't say thank you, you know." She then heard a chuckle from Paul.

"I know." replied Shin.

The black-haired woman wanted to face fault on hearing Shin's answer. "I absolutely not..."

"You're persistent."

"If you want me to say it, reach Area 88!"

"What an argument! Reminds me of ma and pa back home!" Paul sighed and went to hailing Shin and Kitori on their radios. "Come on, you two. We're almost near Area 88 and both of you are arguing at a time like this?"

The two pilots remained silent, but Shin answered. "Yeah. I won't die in a place like this."

Phone Room, Area 88 Base

"I told you, the phone is dangerous." Makoto whispered on the phone's receiver. Rocky, on the other hand, was keeping watch for him in case someone might sneak into the room. "It's bugged."

"Don't be so mad." Satoru grinned on the other line. "I've got good news." He stopped before saying the news. "You two are fired."

Makoto was shocked; his face turning from a shocked face to a grinned face. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear that. We were about to quit."

"I thought you would follow through." Satoru shook the wine on his wine glass. "You don't need the rest of the money, do you?"

"I'd like it, but it's fine."

"No greed, huh?" sighed Satoru. "Oh well. Can I get you to deliver one message?"

"What is it?" Makoto felt a bit surprised. "Why do I get the sinking feeling that I won't be liking this news?"

"Tell Kazama and Yeung..." Satoru squinted his eye before telling the rest of the news. "Ryoko and I are getting married."

"What?" Makoto felt his eyes were getting ready to bulge out of its socket.

"That's it." said Satoru calmly. "Anyway, there's no need to take a photo of Kazama dying anymore. Even with Yeung's intervention, it won't work anyway."

"Bastard!" Makoto slammed the receiver back into the cradle, gritting his teeth in real frustration. Satoru held a clipboard in front of him, grinning to himself.

"Ah yes!" Satoru was satisfied upon reading the paper on the clipboard.

Runway Curb, Area 88 Base

"What did you say?"

Mickey grabbed the shirt of one of the technicians, growling at him. Greg and the other pilots were eyeing him carefully.

"It's true!" insisted the terrified technician. "Those two came here to take a picture of Kazama dying! And that's not all..."

"Go on..." glared the American.

"Yeung wasn't originally here to fight with us. He came here to bring Kazama back to Japan."

Mickey threw the technician on the ground, bringing his fist up. "Those bastards isn't gonna get away with this!"

Kim gasped upon seeing Makoto and Rocky run out of the building. "Things aren't going to look good?"

"Hey guys." greeted Rocky. The pilots glared at him, nearly scaring him half to death.

"Where's Shin?" demanded Makoto. "Was he able to land all right?"

"Are you worried about him?" said Mickey with a hissing tone. Makoto stepped a bit forward.

"Of course I am." defended the reporter. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Is it because you want to take the picture you were asked to?"

"How did he know?" Rocky whispered; he did not expect some ordinary base personnel to know about the conversation between Satoru and Makoto, though he did remember Makoto warning the man on the line that the phones are bugged.

"Listen to me!" insisted Makoto, knowing that he was at the end of the line.

"I won't!" Mickey clenched his hand into a fist, punching the reporter. All the gathered pilots watched Makoto hit the dirt, butt first.

"Mickey!" Rocky rushed to help Makoto stand up.

"I won't forgive you both for this." retorted Mickey. "You guys were suspicious from the beginning."

"Paul was right when he discussed his suspicion with us;" said one of the off duty pilots. "There's no way a press man could get into Area 88!"

"Makoto!" Rocky murmured to his friend's ear. "What do we do?"

"That was true at first," explained Makoto, still on the ground. "but now..."

"I don't care." Greg came forward. He then lifted the helpless reporter from his shoulders. "This is my way of doing things."

Makoto got punched again, but his hair was caught by the American. Rocky stood helplessly as he watched the scene intensify further.

"Betraying your damn friends!" Mickey lifted his fist again; ready to punch Makoto once more. Scoring a punch in the gut, Makoto knelled on the ground with his knees.

"Makoto!" Rocky shouted after he got punched and kicked by some pilots who had surrounded him. He and Makoto were then pummeled on the ground by the freelance pilots. Kim, on the other hand, witnessed the attack with some pilots when one of the pilots announced news to them.

"It's Kazama!" The man pointed up to the sky. "Kazama's back!" The pilots grinned, seeing the three planes getting ready for descent.

"Shin! Paul!" murmured Makoto, trying to get up with Rocky before the two were kicked again to their stomachs.

"You'll pay for deceiving us!" glared another pilot, clenching his hand into a fist.

Outskirts of Barracks, Area 88 Base

Makoto and Rocky's photography equipment were in a pile, being smothered with liquid fuel. The two reporters watched on the side, restrained by some of the pilots.

"Stop it!" yelled Makoto. He was being held carefully by the pilots.

"Damn it! We didn't do it anyway!" Rocky wanted to rush at the man pouring liquid fuel, but was being restrained carefully by the others.

The man took out a lighter from his pocket. Lighting it, he tossed it on the pile.

Runway, Area 88 Base

Shin was the first to make an emergency touchdown, retracting the F-5's landing gear.

"50." murmured Shin, watching the distance that he needed to make a full landing. "30. 20. 10." The wheels made initial contact with the runway's gravel.

"Touchdown!"

Though he landed, the sudden bounce of the F-5's right landing gear wrecked the rest as the right wheel's damper was destroyed from the shock.

"Shin!" yelled Kitori and Paul in unison.

Outskirts of Barracks, Area 88 Base

The lighter bounced off the dirt before the lighted wick made contact with the liquid fuel, engulfing all of the cameras and film in flames.

All that Makoto could do was to yell on the top of his voice.

"Stop it!"

Runway, Area 88 Base

"I'm not going to die here!" Shin blurted. His F-5 was skidding to the gear since his landing gears were out of commision. His plane's right wing was in flames after sustaining serious damaging from skidding.

"Double Echo, this is 02-Section." Paul radioed the control tower. "Get all available fire engines and an ambulance on standby! Hurry!"

Outskirts of Barracks, Area 88 Base

"Oh no!"

Kim came running to the group, watching Makoto's film burn.

"Shin...Shin..."

Inside Shin's F-5, he could only shout the name of his beloved in desperation as his plane was slowly being engulfed in fire.

"RYOKO!"

Cafe, somewhere in Tokyo

Satoru passed an envelope to Ryoko, containing the documents that he had examined last night.

"It's unpleasant for me." began Satoru, getting into the mood. "but I have to tell you the truth."

Ryoko took the contents out of the photos, revealing Shin and Paul in their pilot gear. She smiled on seeing their faces.

"Shin's alive, isn't he?" Ryoko asked, filled with joy.

Satoru shook his head, pointing to the other contents. "Those are death certificates." With the photos included two sets of military dog tags and two death certificates.

"Kazama and Yeung are no longer in this world."

"That's not true!"

Ryoko glared at Satoru, fuming at the assumption of the deaths of Shin and Paul.

Chapter 21 END