Just What I Needed to Hear…
Phoenix Rising
I need to stay awake for my partner in crime, but my head is all fucked up and everything's orange. Crimson 1 is a madman that needed to be stopped, I'm sure Monarch could take him down, but they need me around to do it. My breathing is getting heavy, My vision starts to blur and I couldn't get a good hit on him, even though he's clearly right in front of us. "I don't know if I could do this, Monarch," I gasp, heaving even with all my focus aimed on that cocky, long-winded bastard.
"You're a slave to history." The low, monotoned voice buzzed over that radio.
I wanted to tell him to shut up, to tell him that he's wrong, but I feel myself fading. "I'm braced." I tell my partner, my body's all tight and my head is pounding. "I'm…sorry." I black out before I could say anymore. I hope Monarch's okay without me. They did fly single seater planes before, but when they touch back down, they always want to find me first. They tell me every time that it's lonely up there. But hey, that's to be expected, a mercenary is a lonely job.
When I came too, it was night. Clear sky, and only the moon is out there. Gods, how long was I out? We're still flying?! I dart my eyes around my surroundings. Wait, the city's not on fire anymore. There's no way that anyone could put out that kind of hellfire that quick. No ruins either. Something's very wrong here. I see my partner's limp body in front of me and my blood runs cold. "Monarch? Monarch!" I shake their body as I try to force them awake. "No, please! I can't lose you too!" I gently prod his neck with my fingers, they're still breathing at least. But my heart is still racing. If Monarch is unconscious with a still flying plane, I'm no more than a jester. But how did this happen? Did Crimson-?
"Can't let you do that." Buzzed a different voice entirely. Now, I've met pompus asses in my time, but man, whoever said that, takes the cake. I look up above the night's sky and see four futuristic red…spaceships? Okay, clearly who has designed these federation ships must be on something strong. Honestly? I might want a piece.
"Andross has ordered to take you down." Came a really posh sounding voice, he's clearly from Albion if anywhere. You know what? Tired of them already. I grab my radio and spoke to these…guys. Eurgh.
"This is Hitman 1, The last surviving Sicario Mercenary, as far as I know. First of all, who the hell's Andross?"
"Andross's enemy, is my enemy." Said a nasally, annoying nerd voice. God, it's like ringing from hearing something way too loud.
Okay, I think my headache's coming back. "You know what? I think I hate you the most, kid."
"Daddy screamed reaaal good before he died!" Oinked a disgusting, high pitched squeal.
"I bet yours did too when you came out of your mother." I shot back, "You know nothing about my family, buddy. Now how about you and your little friends fuck off before I start hurting you?"
Their response? They just shot lasers at us. I couldn't help but flinch, but it only left burn marks on the wings. Great, they're toying with me, their supposed pray. I shake Monarch again. "Come on, Monarch, we gotta go!" I sigh, they're not coming to.
I reluctantly placed a hand on the spare stick, and switched control over to me. Comic wasn't entirely wrong about how mediocre my flying was. Got eyes of a hawk, wings of a newborn chick. But I want to touch down alive, and I want to make sure Monarch gets to touch down with me. "Sorry, partner." I say sadly, "I gotta take over." I pull up, whoever these guys are, they're fast. But Monarch and I are nothing without good taste in planes, I could keep up just about.
Caution: Star Wolf
My red eyes blink at the radar screen in front of me. "Who the hell is… You know what never mind. You caught me on a real bad day!" I snarl, and started chasing after one of their ships, flown by…what looks like a lizard? A chameleon? Wow, this war made me crazy faster than I thought. "So, what's your story? Need the bounty on my head to by flies or something?"
"You fool! I'm the great Leon!" The pompus ass yelled back.
"And I'm Prez…Reluctant to meet you." I start blasting at this guy as he bobbed and weaved. It was like watching one of those air shows. He was trying to be all graceful, before he turned swiftly and took a shot at my wings, I barely just dodged that.
"You'll be seeing your dad soon." That wolf guy just grinned smugly, I saw red and turned right round and attacked him aggressively. I shot Fox 1 and Fox 2 at him, and he just spun around deflecting the missles away before they explode behind him.
"You know what? Never mind." I snarl, "I hate you the most!"
Let me tell you how hard it is to dog fight these guys. Everything I do, I'm a second too slow, They fly loops and spin round in circles, they keep firing laser guns and I'm always just an inch away from death. I can't tell you whether I am terrified, or really fucking angry. It's like they knew I couldn't handle the g's these guys were doing. So I need a new strategy.
"I got two words for ya, Lo-Ser!" squeaked that fucking pig, I'll have a lot of pleasure taking him out first. His flying is basic, as about his basic as his shooting. He kept predictably coming at me. What did he not expect me to just move out of the way like I had been doing?
He squealed in panic every time I moved aside and shot back. Nice to know they can be hurt. Anything to keep myself and my partner alive. It was hard, but I can now control my breath, I can now really fight them off. I couldn't hurt but smirk. "All I need is ten minutes with you and I'm in the black for the week." But then came the downside of fighting four on one. You have the advantage over one, and the other three take over. The hull took a lot of damage as three of those red crewmates took a shot at me. I could only hope and pray that it didn't hit anything vital. Then I saw Monarch, he's bleeding from the leg, and fizzing a little, and the little hole right below him.
Somehow, they got them. The headache went away quick, my nausea along with it. My eyes are now completely focused. This is what it's like to be them. Complete tunnel vision, there's nothing else but me, my shot partner, and these stupid bastards. "You just made the biggest mistake of your lives." I sneer and swiftly got behind that damn pig. I took him out of the sky before he could even react. "My beautiful reward!" He managed to scream before ejecting the exploding ship. It took a lot of willpower not to make him bacon from there. "I could kill you right now, but you're not worth my time." Bright flashes started to sting my eyes from all around me, luckily, I managed to squeeze through these air bomb attacks. "I felt that in my teeth, hot damn." I exhaled. That was far too close to death.
"I think I'll torture you for a while!" bragged that slimy green lizard. What's his name? I don't care, he's the next one in line.
"Eat my ass!" I shot back, as he kept sliding left and right away from the missiles just as I had a lock on him. Gods, I couldn't get a clear shot, and the kid's right on my six.
"You'll be sorry you ever crossed us!" That nerdy kid snorted, "Andross's enemy, is my enemy!"
"You said that already!" I snarled, "Why don't you crawl out of your uncle's pocket and make some real money?!" I shot straight up to the air before the kid could take a quick shot at me, I barely missed the ship in front. But Gods, nothing's better than watching the enemy take friendly fire.
"What the heck?!" That puppy dog responded, turned on his airbrakes and I could just feel the death glare he gave to his colleague. Hmm, tasty, bitter salt.
"Right where I want you." I peppered the monkey kid's ship with bullets, listening to them ping off his ship and leave holes behind. I almost feel sorry for him, as he panicked and shuddered in the air. That inexperience is really showing. But you don't get to be a damn good merc by showing mercy. So I make one thing clear to him. "That's right, get out of my radar range. RUN!"
"Give it up! You can't win!" the monkey replied in typical, teenage defiance.
"You're not so tough!" The wolf added as the two split apart, but I smell blood in the water and chase after the kid. The lizard came back again dropping the bomb that grazed me. I can't keep taking hits like this.
"I'll take care of you." He confidently purred, he was baring down close at me, I can't make friendly fire happen again. It's clear he's smarter than damn monkey. But what I can do…
"Like hell you will!" I bit, diving straight down, hurtling towards the water below. Good, he took the bait. I slip and slid each flurry of attacks he threw at me. I waited until the last moment to pull up and skim the water. The one good thing about having a slower ship than your opponent's is that they have less time to pull up. There was a massive crash of water from behind me. Excellent, I got the slimy bastard.
"This can't be happening!" The green pilot was in shock, slowed down, and flipped him off. I want to make sure he sees it.
"Better start swimming before I start fishing." I chuckled, before turning my attention to the kid again. His flying is faulty and that made it easy to chase him down. Poor kid never stood a chance while I let fly two new missiles right on the side. I want him to see who shot him down. I want him to know it was me. "UNCLE ANDROSS!" The kid cried out before he was blasted out of the sky. He unfortunately, just managed to survive. I'm not one for killing kids, but killing brats is another thing entirely. "We should tell him to shut up one of these days, don't you think?" I asked the last one standing, with a knowing smirk. That puppy is not a better pilot than me.
"You're good. But I'm better!" He bragged as he slipped past me, turned then charged right at my nose. Playing chicken with a wolf, I never thought I'd see the day. My red eyes lowered, I need to time it just right for this shot. Fox 1. He quickly deflected the missile with an aileron roll, not a barrel roll. He nearly got me back as well. The explosion in front did make my body convulse in the air.
Fuck me that hurt! We went back and forth, shooting lasers and bullets, I had one missile left and I want to make that count. We danced across the night's sky as we battled one another. He's as good as Monarch is, as good as Crimson 1 is. I couldn't land a hit if I tried, I couldn't quite get close enough. But in turn, he couldn't get a hit on me either. Every time there's a lock, I escape. But he knows how to get inside my head. "What? Is that all you got?"
"You're really pushing me to my limit." I respond honestly, the brain fog is back, and my limbs are hurting. It was getting harder to fly well at all, the old bird's feeling it as well.
"You're in my sights, you're going down!" He triumphantly yelled, as he plunged nose first towards me as I climbed up to meet him mid-air. My breathing was getting heavy as I reached an arm out to my partner in front. The eject handle is just too far away with the other hand. Inches. I don't want to risk my partner in crime to put down a dog. But it's now very clear, I have no choice. I sigh and lean close to their ear.
"I'm still with you. Promise." I don't know if they could hear me or feel me or what. But being there in spirit is better than not being there at all. With one last clean shot, I got him right in the face, he got me as well. There was a huge explosion and for a long while, it felt like crashing was just something that's going to happen. But I will say this. It at least felt good to finally shut up that damn dog with an eyepatch. "That could have worked out a lot better with two eyes, huh?" I taunted, chuckling, then laughing loudly as I watch him crash into the earth below screaming
"I! Can't! Lose!"
"Piss off, you Yuppie!" I flip him off as one last moment of victory, whether I crash or not. Then I heard a different voice, a voice of a different bastard, the old rival back in the real world. Orange once again started to invade my eyes, and the fire once again destroyed everything from down below. Oh yeah… a lot of people died because of that bastard that is now twirling in the air and on fire. "Monarch…When you hear the thunder…" he breathed heavily. He was tired, near dead. Good. "When the storm…comes for you…Remember me."
Gods, Crimson just had to get the last word in, even now. Prick. I tiredly groaned and rubbed my head. "Fuck… my head. Monarch? Did…Did you get him?" It wouldn't be as satisfying if he did himself in. Crimson had to pay for what he did, he shouldn't be allowed to run away like a coward. It was the best sight in the world to see them nod, confirming the kill. I sigh and lean back against the seat, still breathing, my head still pounding. "You would not believe the dream I had, Monarch. I shot down a shit talking wolf and you know what? It felt good." I cricked my stiff neck and turned my head away from the ruins below. Nobody should want to see that. "I think I'm going to be on the ground for a little while. I need a break. Is that okay with you?" They nod again. I could help but have tears in my eyes and the biggest smile. Fuck me. Nothing is better than a friend to save you from the loneliest job in the world.
END