Chapter Six
I did just that. I said my prayers, knowing that they were the last words I was ever going to say. I opened my eyes to get one last look at the dashboard. I put out a hand to touch my Honiara one last time. Wherever she went after this life, I would faithfully follow.
"Well," I shouted, "just get it over with!"
Why was he making me wait like this? As though he'd read my thoughts he replied mockingly, "I enjoyed listening to your final words, pilot. But now, you die."
"Stop!" My first thought was that it was Duo. But the voice was different. "Colonel Une's orders were to take them alive, if possible. Do not kill that pilot!"
The pilot took the gun and smashed it over the side of Honiara's head, rattling the whole cockpit. My head was swimming. I couldn't think straight. "But sir," began the Aries pilot in protest.
"That was an order!"
The pilot sighed. "Yes sir." He knelt down and turned Honiara onto her front. I hung down from the seat restraints, feeling them bite mercilessly into my injured shoulder. A shot sounded from behind me, but nothing happened. Then it clicked! He'd sabotaged my fuel tank. I couldn't leave! At least not in my machine.
The pilot flew back off to join the fight, leaving me safe for him to come back for. Or so he thought.
There's something you have to understand. The relationship between a pilot and his machine is priceless. Even the OZ pilots care for their machines. Honiara and I are like twin sisters, fully understanding each other. I can't explain it any better than that. You'll just have to trust me.
Without waiting for me to activate it, she opened the hatch. Even opening the hatch used up fuel. She wanted me to leave. That was the only explanation.
I released my restraints and fell onto the dashboard. I scrambled to the hatch and dropped to the ground, which was a safe distance beneath me this time. Grabbing at my arm I made for the undergrowth.
"Stop!"
The Aries pilot had had second thoughts and had seen me making for the woods. The gun his suit toted looked awful. "Make one move and I'll shoot."
Another suit descended from above me. I squinted to see who it was. Wufei. "You make one move to harm a hair on her head and I'll kill you."
"I'm so scared," taunted the Aries mockingly.
"Good." Wufei moved an extendable arm towards the other suit. He put a claw-like hand on the machine's cockpit. "Let her go or I'll kill you."
I took that as my cue. I ran for cover. I heard an explosion from behind me, and turned to see that the Aries had tried to follow me. Now the cockpit was missing. Wufei had gone back to the main fight leaving me to fend for myself.
If I could find somewhere to hide, I would be fine. Once this had all blown over, I could fix Honiara's fuel tank, find some fuel and catch up with the other later. I knew that it wouldn't be as easy as I was making it out to be, but I had to convince myself that there was at least something to hope for.
I could still see the battle raging on around me if I looked up into the trees. An Aries was shot from the sky and landed only a few feet from where I stood. I gulped painfully as I took a step back. I felt very vulnerable without Honiara to protect me.
I kept walking for a few more minutes. Everything looked the same down here. What was I supposed to do? Smell my way back?
"Pilot!"
Who the hell…? I spun to face the owner of the voice, an Aries pilot who'd abandoned her machine. Her brown hair was tied into an elusive bun, and round glasses perched haughtily on the end of her nose. She wore uniform that was appropriate to the OZ military. Trust me – Very bad.
"Stop!"
I shook my head untrustingly and backed up a few paces. Then I turned and broke into a full-out run.
