Chapter Four: Burning Sands

The skies above the desert burned as two Crusader jets cleared them of enemy aircraft. Ken and Shin were alone on their run that day, and fighting hard. Ken wheeled around when he saw that there were more aircraft coming their way.

"Here comes some more, Shin! Don't hog them all!" Ken said, grinning as he took out two more enemy fighters.

"Right." Shin replied, a little sarcastically. This was a typical day for the two. Fearlessly they fought off several jets with ease. But, before anything more could be said, the sound of machine gun fire came, and Shin's Crusader was hit.

"Shin! Are you all right?" Ken asked, afraid that there would be a repeat of the night Boris died.

"I'm fine, but my engine compressor's shot!" Shin said, as his Crusader began to descend sharply.

"Try to pull up, Shin!" Ken shouted, before his Crusader's engine emitted a low groan, then died.

"Shit!" Ken cried, as he ejected from his cockpit. He watched in horror as Shin's Crusader came down hard. Then all was darkness.

Hours later, Ken awoke to find himself near the debris of his Crusader. Surprisingly, there wasn't a scratch on him!

"Somebody was watching out for me! I wonder where Shin is?" Ken wondered, as he stood up and looked around. At first, all he could see was the debris from his own aircraft, then he spotted the smoldering hulk of Shin's Crusader.

"Shin!" Ken yelped, as he rushed over to see if his friend was all right. He got within ten feet of the downed plane before he saw Shin lying on the sand, still as death.

"Shin!!" Ken shouted, as he dashed over to his fallen friend and turned him over. He could see immediately that Shin was in dire need of medical attention; his arms and chest were burned, and blood dripped from a wound on the side of his face. Adding to his problems was the fact that he was having difficulty breathing.

"Hang on, Shin. Don't die on me here! You've got somebody waiting for you back in Japan, so don't you dare die out here." Ken muttered, as he picked up and shouldered Shin's weight and began the long, hot walk back to base.

"Bastard Kanzaki…………………Gonna survive…………..to kill you……" Shin moaned, softly, as Ken stopped near a rocky outcrop to rest. Selflessly, Ken reached into his survival pack and grabbed his water ration from it.

"It's not much, but I must keep Shin hydrated. If I don't, he'll become the world's newest sun-dried mummy." Ken thought, as he brought the water packet to Shin's lips and helped him drink.

"Hurts………………Ken?…………Where are we?" Shin asked, actually becoming a little more lucid, thanks to the small sip of water.

"In the middle of nowhere, North Africa. How are you holding up?" Ken asked.

"I hurt all over. I don't want to die out here, Ken. Ryoko's waiting for me." Shin replied, his voice weak and pain-filled.

"I know. Just hang tough, we'll get through this somehow." Ken said, as he helped Shin get to his feet, and they walked a little bit farther. Every now and again, the two men would stop and rest, with Ken giving Shin small sips of water to keep him going.

"Are we in hell, Ken? Have we both died and gone to hell?" Shin asked, when they had stopped again. Ken shook his head.

"Last time I checked, we were wandering the North African desert, looking for an airbase going by the name of Area 88. We're still very much alive, Shin." Ken said, trying to encourage his injured friend. Shin sighed and leaned back, allowing the cool of the surrounding rocks to absorb into his skin.

"Do you think we'll ever find it?" Shin asked, sounding like he was losing hope.

"We won't if we give up. 'Sides, I think Harlock and Mick would come looking for us after awhile, even without Commander Saki's permission." Ken said, with confidence he didn't feel in his voice.

"What are we going to do now, Ken?" Shin asked, as Ken sat down in the shade.

"Wait till nightfall. It'll be better to travel at night, and we might locate the base faster since the runway lights will be on by then." Ken replied, as the long wait for sundown began. Hours passed slowly for the two men sheltering in the rocky outcrops, but, eventually, the sun began its descent, turning the golden desert sands a bright crimson in its setting.

"The sand looks like blood." Shin commented, tiredly, wincing as Ken hoisted him to his feet again.

"It does, but don't dwell on it. There's been way too many reminders in the past couple of days of man's mortality, and I don't want you to die on me with that in mind." Ken said, as they began again to trek across the cooling sands. As night settled itself firmly onto the desert, Ken was reminded of his own thirst when his very breath brushed against his throat.

"Ken, are you all right?" Shin asked, when he noticed that his friend had a strained look on his face.

"I'm fine, Shin. Just a little thirsty, that's all." Ken replied, ignoring the scratchy quality that was now only just emerging in his voice.

"You haven't had any water since we left the Crusaders, have you?" Shin asked, again.

"No, I haven't. And the water in your survival pack is for tomorrow, if we're out here that long." Ken said, as he scanned the horizon for anything that resembled runway lights.

"I hope we aren't." Shin murmured, as they continued on in silence. After awhile, to their relief, they saw the base in the distance, and the jets taking off from there.

"Area 88. We're almost there." Ken muttered, sighing with relief at the sight.

"I never thought I would actually be happy to see the place." Shin said, equally as relieved. As they approached, they could see two familiar looking pilots standing around, looking just a tad bit concerned about something. Ken chuckled when he saw one of them, most likely Harlock, begin pacing, bringing into mind the image of a caged tiger. As they stepped onto the tarmac, Ken and Shin waited for the last of the jets to take off, before they approached their two anxious looking friends.

"Ken! Shin! Where the hell have you been?!" Mick asked, getting the German equivalent to his exclamation from Harlock, directed at the two once-missing pilots.

"We got shot down. Shin's been hurt, as you can see." Ken said, watching as the two men's faces paled when they looked upon Shin.

"And you don't look very well yourself, Hidaka. Get yourselves checked into sickbay. We'll explain what has happened to Commander Saki." Harlock said, calmly, yet with some concern, as they both did as they were told. As it turned out, Shin's burns weren't as serious as Ken had originally thought, but Ken was badly dehydrated, and was restrained from doing anything for twenty-four hours.

"I must say that this is something I don't hear too much about. That was a brave, yet rather foolhardy, thing to do, Ken." Saki said, when things had quieted down for a while.

"I know, sir. But I couldn't just leave Shin out there to die. It wouldn't have been right." Ken replied. He was confused when Saki got a sad, distant look in his eyes.

"You sound as my brother had. He had the same beliefs you do. Well, in any event, you're here. Take it easy for the next couple of days. I'll let you know when you are to go back on duty." Saki said, calmly.

"Yes sir. Understood sir." Ken said, with a slight salute.