Breaking free and feeling free! I rolled right out of the simulation.
"I'm free!" filled to the top with exhilaration, I kept going forward. The dark cave where I had been kept was still a dark cave and it was horrible but I was free and there is nothing like being free after being free in a simulation because real life is pretty swell and well but wouldn't I miss the simulation?
"Uh, can we get out?" Ned asked.
Zed replied, "I'll just go through the windows."
Flipping open my nose, I said, "Just get out from here. No need to window bust, guys."
The first plane out was Ripslinger. He didn't look at me and instead snapped, "Keep your insides clean, jumbo jet."
"I'm cleaner than you."
"Pffft."
Skipper, who was the last one out, said, "Keep quiet, Ripslinger. Proto just helped us get out of the simulation. I think you owe him something."
Ripslinger sighed an audibly annoyed sigh. "Whatever. I'm going to find a way out."
"Don't," warned Skipper. "You might get lost."
Too late. Ripslinger found a small runway and he was off. However, a small glider plane dropped down and followed him. Ripslinger turned around and fled. He was stopped by a red helicopter.
A red helicopter.
I opened my mouth wide, took in a deep breath, and heard Skipper mutter, "Oh no."
"BLADE. BLADE. BLADE. BLADE. BLADE."
The helicopter turned around and smiled. "Proto."
"BLADE. BLADE. BLADE. BLADE. BLADE."
"We're ready to go," Blade said.
"I'm not," I replied. "I am not ready."
"Are you ready now?"
"Yes."
"Anyways," Blade continued. "I have a small team assembled so that we can get out of here. The only problem is that…"
A booming voice cut through the air. It was the ugly plane. "You're surrounded. That's the problem."
Then I heard a shout and a scuffle. I tried to turn around but I couldn't really turn in that space. Metal was hitting metal and there was a popping sound like bullets. Several voices intermingled and argued in the mayhem.
"Hey! Hey! Get that glider!"
"What glider? That glider that just turned into a car?"
"Ah! Get away from me, chopper!"
"I know no mercy for you," another voice said. "Got 'em, Blade."
Several planes were knocked onto the ground, all groaning. The ugly plane was the last one to hit the huge pile of airplanes. A great big green helicopter hovered over them. He had a bored looking expression on his face.
"Get away from me, big guy!" the ugly plane said.
The helicopter's response was dropping a bunch of red dust on the pile of planes. They coughed and choked and whined. One wheel twitched slightly.
"Not so tough now without your simulation, huh?" I said.
The ugly plane sneered. "You'll never escape from here alive."
"I'll show you. I'm gonna escape from here alive!"
We began to make our descent down the runway. The pile of mean planes didn't seem like they were going to move anytime soon.
Now, it has been awhile since I was out of the simulation. I forgot about how my wheels were a little hurt and one of my engines was missing. I was still existing more than I had been within the simulation where nothing existed. The strange thing is that the only thing to fear is fear itself and spiders. Most definitely spiders.
Speeding along the runway, I struggled to keep straight. It is a little difficult when you don't have your wheels working correctly. Finally, I decided that it was time to get airborne. However, once I was a few hundred feet in the air I leveled off because I really couldn't go any higher with the ceiling of the cave so close to my beautiful face.
The other planes followed close behind and Blade zipped ahead of me. The green helicopter followed and soon I was only third in line. Third! We continued to fly when I heard something buzzing. Static echoing came in and I could hear a voice incoming on my radio. It was that sinister voice of that sinister jet from the sinister simulation and apparently he wasn't gone yet.
"Uh, guys, there's a large dark jet behind us," Ned commented.
"What kind of jet?" I asked.
None of us stopped to look. Based on my radar readings, however, the airplane was large. It was larger than me and I could hear all four engines roaring like a rocket. Nothing could be louder except for maybe me after spicy chili but trust me let's not go there.
"Where do you think you're going, Proto?" the jet asked. His voice was so deep and dark and scary like boo man, boo!
"BOO!"
YEEEAAAGH. How did he know what I was thinking?
"I can see into your cockpit." The jet's voice was snarky.
"How?" I was a little confused.
"Can you see into yourself?"
"Maybe…?"
"Of course you can. Everyone can see into themselves."
"But that doesn't explain how you can see into me."
"Simple. I'm you."
Cockpit. Blown.
"Proto."
I didn't listen. JUMBO JUMBO JUMBO JUMBO CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER MY AMAZING JUMBO.
Something went rattling through the air and I felt pain shoot through my wings. My hull shrieked and I shrieked and my wings wiggled in the air. They were bouncing and flexing. The air became rugged and my mouth hurt. My nose hurt. Everything hurt.
"Stop it!" I yelled. It felt like everything was breaking but I was still in the air. Nothing was breaking. "We're out of the simulator and if this is another one then the pain is fake!"
"I can assure you that this pain is very real."
"Then we will just keep flying!"
I was soon passed by the large jet who claimed to be me. He steadied beside me and I felt something wash over my eyes; all of a sudden I was seeing… this small fleet that we had.
"What are you showing me?" I asked.
"Don't pay attention, Proto! Keep flying!" Skipper commanded. "The jet can't shoot us down yet; any movement and this place is sure to fall."
Can't shoot us down yet. Yay.
"We're almost to the designated landing area near the entrance." Blade kept flying.
There was a jolting and suddenly everyone in the fleet yelled with pain. The jet let out a loud laugh. "I can bring pain upon you! As long as you are here, I can send electric shocks through your hulls and you will feel pain!"
About a mile away, someone yelled on the radio set, "Turn off this here generator an' th' pain'll stop." He was parked atop a large runway, the one I presumed I was supposed to land on.
"NO!" The jet yelled. "Dumb tow-truck!"
"Wait… ya gotta git in th' small crevice thing t' turn it off," the truck said, sounding defeated.
"Blade Ranger on it," I heard a helicopter say. He turned and began flying at a crevice.
"If you go in there," the jet warned. "hydraulic fluid will be spilled."
"No, Blade! Don't go in there!"
Blade zeroed in on the crevice but then he stopped.
"Blade! Are you not going to die because you love me?"
"No. I'm too big to fit in here. But, peering inside, the machinery is quite complex."
"Tinkering with it wrong will cause the place to explode," warned the enemy jet.
Skipper flew forward and began to lean into the crevice. He gave me a sorrowful glance and his voice echoed eerily on the radio. "Bye. Tell Dusty that I'm proud of him. I'm proud of you, too, Proto."
CRACK. CRASH.
"Ouch!" Skipper went tumbling.
A green plane whizzed by and leaned into the turn, fitting through the crevice. Before he went in, he winked and said, "Stay on my good side, fellas."
With that, I heard an unbelievable explosion. Metal came flying out of the crevice and the great jet cursed. Ned and Zed began to land on the runway. Zed looked at the crevice.
"Boss?"
A large door opened the light began to shine through I could see outside. I began to land to recuperate before leaving like everyone else, but the large jet wouldn't give up.
He slammed into me and we both went tumbling down to the ground. I bit at the jet and he bit back at me. Two large jets, fighting. A helicopter hovered above us and watched because he couldn't do anything. Everything was just a struggle, a battle against this evil jet. My metal hurt and my wings cracked and my tail was busted. The dark jet butted into my underbelly and I grunted as my air escaped from my mouth.
"Scrap to the 747-400! Scrap to it! Scrap!" the jet yelled.
Baring my teeth, I replied back with, "So be it! I am a…."
Pause for amazing effects.
"…747-8!"