Nagase woke up one day to find Blaze already out of bed. He had a pair of headphones on and seemed to be listening to music. He was staring off into space—he looked to be lost in thought.

"Edward?" she called gently to him, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hmm?" he murmured as he looked to investigate the source of the disembodied hand. He smiled when he saw Nagase.

"Oh, Kei," he greeted, taking the headphones away from his ears. "Good morning. You sleep OK?"

"Better than I thought I would after everything we've been through," admitted Nagase. "You?"

"Much the same…" responded Blaze. "I can't stop thinking about that message from yesterday, though…I wonder what's going down today…"

"Could be much of anything," muttered Nagase. It was then that Captain Andersen's voice came over the PA system.

"Captain Edward Randolph to the briefing room at this time," it requested. "I repeat…"

"I guess I'm about to find out," mused Blaze with a shrug. "Gotta go, Kei…duty calls."

"Be safe, Edward…" warned Nagase. "Come back in one piece."

"Roger; wilco," answered Blaze with a smile and a chuckle. He stole a brief kiss and then he was gone.

Chapter 21: Solitaire

"So what are we doing?" queried Blaze as he walked into the room. Pops and Andersen wasted no time giving him the rundown:

We're carrying out a reconnaissance mission
in order to obtain photographs of the enemy complex.

After deciphering the code we received earlier,
we've learned that the mining facility in the forest area
northwest of Belka is active.

An early-warning radar network
has been spread across the entire forest.

To reduce the probability of enemy detection,
this mission will be carried out by a single aircraft.

Try to approach the target under complete electronic silence,
evading radar and passive search techniques.

Flying at low altitude is an effective method
of delaying or denying enemy detection.

You will receive instructions on your recon target
from the Command Information Center
upon arriving in the mission area.

The CIC will monitor you from a support camera.

Concentrate on slipping through the enemy radar net first.

Your plane in this mission will be completely stripped of weaponry.

Instead, it will be equipped with the necessary
visual reconnaissance equipment.

There is a chance you may encounter the enemy,
but your recon mission always takes top priority.

Once you take the photos, egress from the target area
and return through the enemy defenses as instructed.

"Any questions, Blaze?" asked Pops.

"No, sir," answered Blaze readily.

"Get to it, then," ordered Andersen.

Mt. Schirm, located at the northern terminus of the Waldreich Mountains, southwest of the city of Hornstadt, had long been a strategic haven for Belka. Formerly the construction site for a superbomber the likes of which had only been seen once before—and still home to a small airfield left over from those days—it was now best known for the Yering Mine, the source of much of Belka's ore during its industrial glory days.

Blaze was approaching from the southwest, coming up on the edge of the early-warning radar network.

"Blaze, how you feelin'?" came Pops' voice through Blaze's helmet as he banked his Razgriz-themed F-15C Eagle towards the river that would take him towards the airfield which was his destination.

"Not gonna lie," he answered. "A little lonely."

"Solo flights can be real lonely," chuckled Pops. "But that's what flying's all about, really."

I'd tend to disagree… thought Blaze. But that's just me.

"Take a look at your radar," instructed Pops. Blaze did so. He saw a sea of green circles representing the enemy's radar range, as Pops went on to indicate.

"Make sure you don't enter any of those circles," ordered Pops, "and fly to the east."

"Any tips?" asked Blaze. "Those circles have got this forest choked up pretty tight."

"The enemy's radar coverage is smaller at low altitude," offered Pops. "See for yourself."

Blaze tried, and found, to his pleasant surprise, that the radar network became extremely manageable at an altitude of 700 feet. Moreover, he could now see a clear path to the airfield.

"Well, I'll be damned…" he breathed as he started to follow the river. "Thanks, Pops."

"I aim to please, Blaze," responded Pops. "Remember, this is strictly a recon mission, so you will be unarmed."

"So I can't destroy the enemy radar…" murmured Blaze.

"Sorry…" shrugged Pops. "Maintain radio silence until you reach the destination. I'll then explain the target and how to photograph it. Got it?"

"Roger," acknowledged Blaze.

"We'll go into radio silence in a moment," informed Pops. "Hang in there until the next transmission, and make sure you don't get caught within the coverage area of the enemy radar. Good luck."

The radio cut off and Blaze began to follow the river north. As he dodged and wove through the radar coverage, he caught himself appreciating the beauty of the area.

This place is gorgeous… he thought wistfully. Circumstances permitting, I could easily see myself spending a day or two out here with Kei, just getting away from it all…

Not that Osea didn't have its fair share of beautiful national parks and campgrounds. But there was something about the untamed, untouched wilderness that called to Blaze and made him feel at peace. He made a mental note to search around for more places like this and invite Nagase to one, provided they survived the war.

Presently, the river turned to the east. Blaze kept his plane almost dangerously low, and as he neared the airfield, he flew over a thankfully empty rail bridge near what looked to be an abandoned construction site off to his left. A massive crane dominated the small beach—no doubt they would have been building a small naval outpost there.

Why couldn't Belka just leave well enough alone? wondered Blaze. If their economy hadn't gotten out of hand, so much of this would likely have never happened…

On the other hand, however…if none of this had ever happened…he might never have met Nagase.

And he wasn't about to trade that for anything.

It was about that time that the airfield finally came into sight. The Yering Mine entrance loomed off in the distance behind it.

"All right," Pops' voice came back through his helmet. "You've arrived over the target area. Cancel radio silence. I'm monitoring your status with a low-resolution camera. Something's being moved from the mine entrance to a transport plane on the runway."

Blaze looked and saw said transport plane—a C-5 with its hatch down, no doubt awaiting its cargo.

"All right," instructed Pops. "Let's get a photo with the mine entrance and the transport plane in the frame. The camera's triggered by the missile launch button."

Blaze climbed to around 2,000 feet—the radar network would not pick him up here—and positioned his plane so he was looking at the mine entrance, with the transport plane and runway just off-center, moving a little closer before snapping the picture and splitting off.

"Photo received," reported Pops.

"That was quick," chuckled Blaze. "What have you got?"

"I see some 8492nd Squadron members," answered Pops, "and some planes with the Yuktobanian Air Force mark on them. The Belkans are sending aggressors posing as allies over to Yuktobania as well."

"Why does that not surprise me?" deadpanned Blaze.

"My sentiments exactly," agreed Pops. "All right, let's get a shot of both countries' emblems next to each other for evidence. I'd suggest those two fighter jets that look like they're about to take off from the opposite end of the runway from the transport plane."

Blaze wordlessly aligned himself so that he was parallel to the runway, buzzing it from east to west. The two aggressor jets were, indeed, about to take off. Blaze waited until the first jet was just turning onto the runway before he grabbed the shot.

"Photo received," chimed Pops. "This is just the evidence we need. Nice work."

"Perfect timing," answered Blaze as he noticed the first jet taking off and turning to engage him. It was only now that he recognized it for what it was: an Su-35 Super Flanker. And then he saw an F-15 S/MTD rising up to join it.

"I think I've overstayed my welcome," he informed Pops. "They're coming up after me."

"Shake them off and return home," ordered Pops.

No time for fancy maneuvers, thought Blaze. All I can do right now is pour on the speed and hope it works. He put the proverbial pedal to the metal, edging his throttle forward as far as it would go. Next thing he knew, he was breaking the sound barrier and still gaining speed. He reached 1100 mph before the return line was in sight. And just beyond it, he could see his squadmates.

Safety… thought Blaze. But the Super Flanker was closing the gap, having overcome the speed differential from the start of the chase.

"Good work," praised Snow.

"Need a lift home, sir?" queried Grimm.

"Yeah, I could use a ride," chuckled Blaze.

"I knew you'd get back in one piece…" murmured Nagase as the enemy fighters broke off and returned to base, having apparently decided that two-on-four was not worth the effort.

"The enemy is withdrawing," noted Pops. "Our mission is a success."

"Open the door and get the beds ready, Pops," answered Blaze. "The Black Knights are on their way home."

The recon mission in the mining facility was a success.

The images taken clearly show
aircraft from the Yuktobanian aggressor squadron
parked next to planes from the mysterious
8492nd Squadron.

We will continue to analyze the photographs you took.

"Excellent work today, Blaze," noted Capt. Andersen after the briefing. "If not for all this treachery and backstabbing, I feel like you could have ended the war singlehandedly long ago."

"You give me too much credit, sir," chuckled Blaze humbly, blushing slightly. "I had the best teacher one could hope for, and I have the best wingmen on God's green earth. If not for them, I'd be dead at least eight times over by now."

"Maybe so," admitted Andersen. "But that does not change the fact that you are a hell of a pilot, and we all should thank our lucky stars that you're on the side of justice and truth."

"I don't like to brag, Captain," replied Blaze. "But thank you for your kind words—it means a lot to me."

"Only speaking the truth, son," dismissed Andersen. "And please, call me Nick—most of the men do outside of combat or formal discussion."

"And you're okay with that?" questioned Blaze, raising a surprised eyebrow.

"Of course," answered Andersen, nodding casually. "I run a tight ship, Blaze, but that doesn't mean I'm uptight about the small things, like titles and whatnot. Besides…we're all human. We're more than just our job description, our combat record, our callsign, the symbols on our shoulders, or numbers in a database. The military would be a lot better off—at least, in my opinion—if more people thought this way."

Blaze opened his mouth to continue the friendly debate—then realized he actually agreed with a lot of what Andersen was saying.

"You might be on to something there…Nick."

"Glad you see my point, Blaze," smiled Andersen.

"Call me Ed," requested Blaze. "Most of those that know me do, or they use some variation thereof."

Andersen nodded thoughtfully before looking back at Blaze.

"Take your squad and get some rest, son. You've earned it, and you'll need it, for very soon—if not tomorrow—you'll likely be asked to blow that base to kingdom come."

Meanwhile, the C-5 from Mt. Schirm had taken off for its unknown destination, its three pieces of cargo safely tucked away in the hold.

The pilot and co-pilot were sweating in the cockpit, knowing that they had dodged a serious bullet.

"Thank goodness we got out of there when we did, eh?" voiced the co-pilot as they flew. "At least we won't be there when they come back."

"Got that right," agreed the pilot. "Because if we had been—and this is still possible even without us being there—but if we had been there when they come back, or if that pilot had been ordered to attack instead of recon…

…Belka might find herself with an eighth nuclear crater."

A/N: One more mission out of the way. The grand climax draws ever closer...

TBC...

Next: Closure.

Also, since you're apparently still reading this, how about another teaser?

Some time has passed since the concert of a lifetime which rocked Knothole Village to its core.
News breaks that Dr. Julian Robotnik has escaped from the Void, and it's no secret what he plans to do.
He craves vengeance, and is hell-bent on getting it at any cost.
He decides to ensnare an innocent band in his scheme, and take revenge on both groups who last foiled his plot.
Can the eight people who brought Knothole Village a diamond-encased memory save the day once again?
Or will this…"Battle of the Bands"…turn deadly?

Starring:
James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
John Petrucci
Jordan Rudess

And featuring the voice/musical talents of:
Jaleel White
Kath Soucie
Bradley Michael Pierce
Casey Gallagher
Jim Cummings
Charlie Adler
Rob Paulsen
Christine Cavanaugh

Inspired by FanWriter3's "Sonic Meets Metallica" series

Infinity Entertainment Presents

An Insanity Works Production

A Luke Lynch Story

Hardwired For Super Speed

Coming soon (read: eventually)…