Chapter Six
Jess stormed through Green Earth Headquarters, urgent intelligence in her hand. Minor staff of green Earth shied away from her. It was not safe to be in Jess' path when she was like this. She was too serious for her age. The only person who could handle her when she was in one of these moods was Eagle, and even then it was stalemate.
Jess approached the double doors of the Green Earth Headquarters' inner sanctum. During peacetime, at least one Commanding officer had to be present in the sanctum at all times. She rapped curtly on the polished wood, awaiting a response.
There was no reply.
A vein bulged on her temple. In a fit of rage, Jess kicked out violently at the doors. They flew open, revealing the office within. Papers and documents were strewn all over the floor, punctuated with broken glass. The room was in total disarray, something she would never allow on her shift. In the middle of the clutter was the person she was looking for.
Eagle lay prone over the desk, his head resting gently on one of his hands. The other hand clutched protectively a (nearly empty) bottle of scotch. Eagle snored lightly, dead to the world around him.
Jess coughed awkwardly. Eagle slept on. Changing tact, Jess slammed her fists down on the desk and roared "EAGLE!" The Green Earth flying ace woke up with a start, shooting back into the worn fabric of his chair. He clutched his head and blinked painfully, his rheumy eyes adjusting to the light.
"Jess?" he croaked as he looked up at the furious Green Earth CO towering over him.
"You've been drinking again, haven't you?" Jess asked, worryingly calm. Eagle rubbed his stubble-covered chin and stared at the scotch bottle on his desk, trying to remember last night, or indeed the past few days. It was all just one big alcohol-fuelled blur. He nodded sheepishly.
"A few bottles," he replied in a quiet voice. "It doesn't matter. Since we defeated Black Hole, the Green Earth army has been nothing more than a glorified police force. There's nothing to do. It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does matter, Eagle…look at this field report." Jess retorted acidly, shoving her papers under his nose. Eagle glanced at her, and then turned his gaze on the intelligence. After a few moments, he put them down on his desk and pushed them away from him.
"So what. A few Black Hole aircraft have been spotted in our skies. Can't Drake handle them? He's been asking for an increase budget for the navy; let him earn it. Surely Drake can handle a few Fighters." He sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Drake…can't. He's in the infirmary after eating a whole portion of bad prawns. He can barely move, let alone command a naval sortie. That only leaves one option; you. AND YOU'RE DRUNK!" Jess explained violently. Eagle physically recoiled from her, grabbing his ears as his eardrums threatened to burst.
"Fine, I'll go. It will be good to be back in the cockpit once again." Eagle shakily got to his feet, stumbling through the sea of documents on the floor. Wearily, he pushed the doors open.
All of the soldiers milling around suddenly froze. They stared at their dishevelled leader for a moment. Then as one, they stood to attention in two rows lining the corridor. As one, they saluted valiantly.
This had an extreme sobering effect on eagle. This display of loyalty by his troops brought tears to his bloodshot eyes. This wasn't an empty drill of obedience; this was a sincere sign of devotion.
Eagle stumbled down the corridor, looking around at the faces of his men. This filled him with renewed confidence. Before he was halfway down the corridor, Eagle had tidied his stride and was marching with pride again. At the end of the corridor he spun around on his heels to face his men.
"Men, I…I…" unable to find the words to describe the deep emotions he felt, Eagle smirked and silently saluted. Then he turned to run down the stairs to the airfield.
Jess watched all of this from the inner sanctum. There just wasn't the word to explain Eagle. Smiling to herself, she closed the doors to the sanctum and began to tidy up.
The Green Earth Flying Core had been in a similar position to Eagle after Black Hole had been defeated. But whereas Eagle had been confined to an office to idly shift paperwork, they had been given no assignment whatsoever. Because of this, they had basically whiled away the months playing cards in the mess hall. Most of them couldn't stand the boredom and went A.W.O.L. This left only one Squadron in the airfield when the bells rang.
As one, the entire squadron lifted their heads at the sound of the bells, like a dog that has caught a scent. Excitement in their eyes, they frantically scrambled to their aircraft. The polished Green Earth fighters were waiting for them on the field. There was a single man standing by them. The Squadron froze as they recognized the figure.
"Commander Eagle, Sir?" one soldier blurted out, saying aloud what everyone else was thinking. Eagle crossed his arms.
"That's right, soldier. I'm leading this sortie. Black Hole has invaded our air space. We cannot let this go unchecked. You see that building over there?" Eagle replied. He pointed to the Green Earth Headquarters rising up in the distance. The Squadron nodded, unsure of what an eye-test had to do with Black Hole. "Every single person in that building, and everyone in Green Earth are counting on us. Are we going to let them down?"
"No," came the reply.
"I can't hear you!" Eagle roared. He certainly knew how to bolster his men.
"NO!" the men bellowed in a furious unison.
"That's what I like to hear! Now, to the skies!" Eagle raised his hand skyward. The Squadron cheered and rushed forward. They quickly clambered into their pilot seats, ready for take-off. Eagle followed suit, climbing across the wing of his own Fighter and into the cockpit. Just before he gave the order to fly, Eagle took two things out of his tunic and laid them on the dashboard.
One was a photograph of Sami, at the barbecue after Black Hole was defeated. She was smiling genially, with barbecue sauce staining her vest. Eagle thought back pleasantly to that moment, if only for a second.
The other object was his father's goggles; Eagle never flew without them. They were the only things Eagle had left of his father. What would his father say if he could see Eagle now?
"For Sami and for Father," Eagle whispered to himself. "LET'S FLY!"
The Squadron of Fighters soon found the enemy forces. They were the only other things on radar; they were the only other things in the air. Eagle grinned when he counted their numbers. Even with their diminished force, Green Earth still out-numbered Black Hole, almost two to one.
There was something odd about Black Hole's formation though. It wasn't the standard flying pattern. It was as if they were escorting something, like a convoy. Eagle put such trivial thoughts out of his head and concentrated on the impending battle.
Both groups were all flying above the clouds. Eagle likes it like this. It seemed like a whole new world at this height, just for Fighters.
"Orders, Sir?" a voice crackled over the radio. Eagle thought for a moment then picked up the microphone.
"Delta pattern; follow my lead." Eagle announced briefly. In what seemed like no time at all, the Green Earth Fighters were assembled in the classic formation. Seeing the line of planes to his right and left, Eagle increased his thrust and darted forward. Let the battle begin.
In their first pass, Eagle's Squadron fought keenly and accurately. Two Black Hole Fighters fell from the sky, and several more were smoking. This would be all over soon.
"Good work, men. Let's try another pass. Sound off." Eagle congratulated heartily.
"Ace 1, over,"
"Ace 2 is alright,"
"Ace 3, a-ok,"
"Ace 4, looking good."
Then, when Aces 5 though 11 should have answered, there was just static. Eagle frowned and adjusted his radio.
"Calling Aces 5 through 11; where are you?" Eagle asked, tapping his radio.
"There's no sign of them, Commander," a voice crackled over the radio, not one of the seven Eagle wanted to hear though.
"Never mind, they must have got lost …or something. Attempting second pass." Eagle muttered half-heartedly to his four remaining pilots. They carried the sentiment, trying to mask their anxiety.
The remaining Fighters made another successful pass over the Black Hole aircraft. Three more planes went down with the final Fighter beginning to smoke. Something was definitely odd. Black Hole didn't seem to care or mind that they were losing the battle. They hadn't even fired a single missile yet.
"This fight is nearly won now, men. One more pass, I think. Sound off." Eagle said enthusiastically, despite these several oddities pressing down on his mind.
"Ace 1, still here," Eagle's second replied. Then the ominous static again. No Ace 2, 3 or 4. What was going on here?
"Ace 1, can you see any of our comrades behind us?" Eagle asked, peering out of his own window.
"No, sir. There's nothing except …WHAT THE HELL IS THAT! ARGGHHH!" Ace 1's line suddenly went dead. His plane disappeared from Eagle's Radar.
"Ace 1? ACE1!" Eagle screamed. He quickly wheeled his Fighter around to face the final Fighter head on. He checked his missile count. The display read zero. No missiles meant no attack. Not today, not for Eagle.
Eagle pushed his thrust to the maximum, accelerating like a bat out of hell at the rival plane. Guessing his intention, the Black Hole Fighter sheepishly turned and dived into the clouds.
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Eagle roared, chasing after it like a madman. There was a moment of blindness as he passed through the clouds and then the enemy was in sight again. He was almost upon it. He grinned with vengeful glee.
Eagle's smile dropped away as he saw beyond his prey. It turned to a look of terror as he saw the enormous black behemoth, as he realised what had happened to his squadron, as he realised what was going to happen to him in a matter of seconds.
"Oh…" was all he managed to mumble before the massive ball of flaming energy engulfed the Green Earth Fighter.
