That evening...
Wednesday, June 28th, 2017
17:08 GMT (17:08 GMT June 28th)
Wideawake Airfield
Ascension Island
South Atlantic Ocean
The Phoenix
Shannon Millar was fed up.
Eleven days of lying on her back in a bunk. Eleven days of not being able to properly move her body. Eleven years of feeling helpless. It had taken two or three days for her arms to begin to function partially, so she had at least been able to feed herself, but she still peed via a catheter into a bag and less said about the rest the better. She had struggled to find out what was going on during those eleven days as everyone seemed so busy but then she had seen Amber brought in and her own injuries suddenly paled into nothing against that girl's wounds. Shannon had not really known Amber very much – yes, they had come together one day in England but that had really been that. A sobbing Olivia had explained to Shannon all about how Amber had supposedly betrayed everyone but then Olivia had explained that Amber had been a double-agent and the poor girl had obviously paid for being Hit Girl's flunky. Marc had been there with her all the time, but he had just made her feel worse, so she had told him where to go until she was well enough to put him in his place. It was not his fault, but she was fed up with people offering to help her to do things. Jennifer had explained that Shannon had suffered a bump to the head after the fall which had triggered Quadriplegia – temporary paralysis from the neck down.
Finally, after over a week, her legs had started to come to life, but then she had had to wait for things like bladder control to return – much to Marc's amusement. Then had come two days of intensive prodding and poking, before she had finally been allowed to try and stand – that had not gone well as the graze on her left thigh contested. Then, Jennifer had returned that evening and it had begun again.
"Yes!" Shannon almost screamed as she finally stood upright for the first time in eleven days.
"Said you could do it," Marc grinned, genuinely happy for his favourite girl.
Shannon took two tentative steps, grimacing with the pain of her muscles operating for the first time in several days, despite Marc's attempts at physiotherapy. Jennifer smiled and she nodded happily.
"You want your catheter removed, Shannon?" Rachel asked.
"Can I watch?" Marc asked.
"Marc, piss off!" Shannon growled.
Marc knew when his life was in danger, so he swiftly headed forward.
17:12 GMT (17:12 GMT June 28th)
The little girl had barely said a word the entire day.
Wherever Chloe went, Becky went too. To be honest, it was getting a bit much, and Chloe just needed her space. They had both had a shouting match, but Chloe had not had the heart to ask Becky to leave her be for just a few hours. Chloe sat in her seat with the little girl curled up in the next seat. Mathilda came by and she grinned at the little girl who just glared back out of sightless eyes.
"Becky, you need to give Chloe some time alone – let's go for a walk," Mathilda offered.
Becky opened her mouth to respond, but then she looked up at Chloe and nodded. Becky gave Chloe a hug and then she followed Mathilda out of the aircraft onto the very noisy airfield where a pair of Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR.4 fighters had just touched down and were fast taxiing back down the runway to where a refuelling truck and a pair of inflatable quick reaction alert shelters were awaiting their arrival.
"It does pass, I promise you," Mathilda said.
Becky scowled up at Mathilda.
"What precisely would you know about losing part of your family, eh?" Becky demanded angrily as she strode over to the terminal building. "Who have you ever lost?"
"Do you really want to know the details?" Mathilda asked darkly.
"You can't scare me," the nine-year-old girl replied. "You have no idea what I'm going through."
"A psychotic cop decided he wanted some fun – I was twelve at the time. He raided our apartment, high on drugs. My mother died in the bath – single shotgun blast to the chest. My big sister was taken in the back as she tried to run for safety. My little brother – he was only four – he was gunned down as he tried to make his escape. My father was shot in the back as he too tried to run. They missed me – I was at the store. But I saw the aftermath and survived thanks to someone incredibly special to me."
"He gunned down everyone?" Becky asked, somewhat stunned.
"All of them, all because my father was being forced to hide cocaine in our apartment, but the idiot chose to steal some of it."
"Shit!" Becky breathed. "Did he die?"
Mathilda grinned darkly.
"Yes, he died."
Becky could see the pain in Mathilda's expression at the memory and she felt regret at making Mathilda dig into her past.
"You're not the first person to lose their Dad and you won't be the last," Mathilda said.
"I know – it's just that Josh meant so much to me . . . he was so nice..."
Becky folded into Mathilda sobbing her heart out.
That same time...
Someone was in trouble.
"Stop, right there, you little shits!"
Several faces turned to look at Mindy who laughed.
"Not you, Megan – surprisingly," Mindy grinned. "No, I was referring to Kaitlin and Isaac."
"Phew!" Abigail grinned as she vanished rapidly along with Megan and Yvette.
"I did nothing," Kaitlin tried.
"Yes, we did," Isaac said.
"No, we didn't," Kaitlin pointed out.
"Yes, we did," Isaac repeated.
"What did you do, Isaac?" Mindy asked.
"We stole Stephanie's journal," the youngster grinned happily.
"You're not supposed to tell anyone," Kaitlin lectured the boy. "And not while we're still in enemy territory!"
"Oh," Mindy replied with an evil grin. "Stephanie's journal, you say?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kaitlin admitted, expecting the sky to come crashing down.
"Let's just keep that our little secret, shall we?" Mindy said. "Now, skat!"
The two kids bolted for safety.
"Is that Steph's journal?" Saoirse asked, innocently.
"No," Mindy said, shoving the pink book behind her back.
"You're a bad liar," Saoirse pointed out.
"Mother!"
Mindy turned to see a scowling Stephanie.
"Hi, Steph!"
"What sort of a mother would steal her own daughter's journal?" Stephanie demanded.
"I didn't...," Mindy tried.
"Shame on you!" Saoirse grinned.
"But..."
"That is so low, Mum!" Stephanie pointed out as she grabbed the pink book and stalked off down the aircraft.
Saoirse simply stood there, grinning.
"This was a fucking setup, wasn't it?" Mindy growled with menace in her tone.
Stephanie peered around the nearest bulkhead, grinning from ear to ear before she quickly vanished as Saoirse ran off giggling. Mindy turned to glare toward the front of the aircraft, and she spied Kaitlin and Isaac peering round another bulkhead. Kaitlin squealed and she dragged Isaac towards the closest exit.
"Funny twats!" Mindy growled but then she laughed; people laughing at her expense was good for morale she figured.
Mindy ignored the giggling girls as she stalked past in search of something to eat.
The Galley
Unlike many airborne galleys which could do little more than brew coffee and reheat premade 'meals', the galley aboard THE PHOENIX was equipped with the absolute best that Boeing could provide.
Meals could be assembled from fresh produce stored in the capacious fridges aboard as well as from the frozen produce stored in the large freezers fitted in the bowels of the aircraft. Those assembled meals could then be cooked on the four-ring electric galley stove or in the high-speed convection oven. The galley could produce a simple sandwich, or it could produce a five-course dinner for two-dozen people. Admittedly, most meals were premade and then stored to ease feeding the masses, but the calibre of food was a long way beyond that normally served aboard the average Boeing. Instead of normal coffee of the cheaper variety served aboard the majority of airborne mass transportation, THE PHOENIX only carried the best beans and the best machines to process and brew said beans. Four coffee machines ran twenty-four-seven to keep everyone aboard on a caffeine high.
Junior Flight Service Attendant Laura-Lee Hampton was busy putting together dinner. Three weeks in the company of some decidedly underhanded kids and some shady adults had given the young woman a new outlook on life, not to mention a sixth sense.
"Touch that, and I take your hand off," she growled as she raised a knife.
"I was hungry," Mindy muttered.
"I am sorry, Mrs Lizewski, but the rules are set in stone," Laura-Lee told her employer.
"I know," Mindy growled as she eyed the bread roll she had reached for. "I set the rules with Captain Anderson!"
"The galley is off limits to all, even you, ma'am."
Mindy fantasised sweeping the blade from the woman's hands and burying the kitchen knife...
"Of course, Miss Hampton."
Mindy scowled as a small hand slipped past her back and made to grasp the same bread roll which she herself had been going for. Laura-Lee had noticed too, and her eyes followed the hand before she brought the kitchen knife down hard, turning it ninety-degrees and slapping the hand with the flat of the blade.
"Motherfucker!" a familiar voice exclaimed. "Oh, hello, Mum," Jamie said as he rubbed his left wrist.
"This is what I have to put up with on a daily basis," Laura-Lee explained. "Food is put out for them, but they seem to prefer sneaking in here instead!"
"It's more satisfying when you've had to work to get it," Jamie admitted.
"I apologise, Miss Hampton. I will do what I can to control the animals."
"Thank you, Mrs Lizewski."
"Sorry, Laura-Lee."
"Apology accepted, Jamie."
The boy grinned and then he vanished, heading aft. Mindy just shrugged as Laura-Lee went back to her food preparation and then she slunk out of the galley, annoyed with being booted from her own galley aboard her own aircraft.
The Command Centre
Rodney Staite had settled down some.
Delving through masses of scientific material was shear heaven to the man as he pieced together the information discovered in the facility beneath the Mediterranean Sea and that since vaporised in the Sahara Desert. The man was in his element and with a constant supply of food and drink via his two daughters, he generally overlooked the armed children and the seemingly constant threat of impending doom. However, the man's tolerances were to be severally tested over the next couple of days. But, overall, he was happy to have his wife and two daughters with him, rather than languishing alone, back in Chicago.
His ordered mind was beginning to make sense of what lay before him. If it were not for the seriousness of the threat, he may have considered the plan to be amazingly well put together, heinous though it was. The physics and nucleonics were exacting and appealed to Rodney's attention to detail as he identified and confirmed that the threat was very, very real. Even more chilling was the fact that the entire plan had every chance of working and inflicting nuclear Armageddon on the world.
"I can't fault any of this," Rodney admitted as she stood up. "Everything adds up. They've crossed every T and dotted every I. Those devices are very capable and very deadly. I'm sorry, but the chances of even a single device failing, is astronomical."
"Thanks, Dr Staite," Jasper said. "But on a positive note, am I right in saying that the devices are predictable in their yield?"
"Yes," Rodney confirmed.
"That gives us an idea on where the weapons have to be placed, right?"
"Yes."
"I am also assuming that as they weapons are so well made, the chances of deactivating them is higher than if they were some ex-Soviet piece of shit?"
"Definitely," Rodney agreed.
"Okay," Jasper went on. "What about the deactivating of these things?"
"The specs show that they are command detonated," Eric explained. "But every device has a manual trigger as backup."
"That manual backup have a timer?" Mindy asked.
"Apparently not," Marty admitted.
"Well, that sucks," Mindy stated for the record. "What about a location for the bald bastard deep inside a volcano stroking his white cat? I'm assuming the same bald bastard has a big red button under a cover locked by a key for detonating these goddamn things."
"A little cliché, Mindy," Dave chuckled.
"She's right, we still need a location," Jasper said as he grinned broadly. "What do we know about Mindy's volcano?"
"Some of the stuff Laurel recorded identifies a large complex with a lot of computer hardware," Marty responded. "Seems that Laurel was adept at digging through Dieter's stash of dodgy shit and recording what she saw. As for an exact location, still working on that."
"As long as the location is somewhere cool," Mindy growled. "Please? I am fed up of fucking sweatboxes!"
"I'll do my best, my queen!" Marty grinned.
Mindy grimaced as she headed out of the command centre.
Later that evening...
18:45 GMT (18:45 GMT June 28th)
COCKBURN ONE
The Lady Cockburn was entertaining.
While the younger munchkins were being entertained aboard THE PHOENIX under the watchful eyes of Yvonne Porter and First Officer Michelle Martinez, the adults and most of the elder teenagers had been invited to a buffet dinner with drinks. Mindy and Dave walked across from their Boeing with Reg Anderson and his daughter, Arya, in tow. They were met as they stepped aboard the smaller Boeing by Captain Jeremy Hodges and his co-pilot, First Officer Hamish Galbraith.
"Mrs Lizewski," Captain Hodges said with a nod of his head as he took Mindy's right hand and welcomed her aboard. "Welcome aboard, ma'am – that dress looks amazing on you."
"Thank you, Captain," Mindy grinned as her cheeks flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
"Mr Lizewski, welcome aboard."
"Thank you, Captain," Dave grinned.
"Miss Bennett, welcome aboard – and my condolences."
"Much appreciated, Captain," Chloe said with a grin.
"A lovely dress as well," Captain Hodges added. "Ah, Captain, Arya."
"Captain," Reg chuckled.
"Hello, Captain," Arya grinned.
Mindy, Dave, and Chloe were ushered through to the central accommodation where a drink was pressed into their hands by one of the stewards who then directed them towards the food.
"Ah, Mindy!" Jasper exclaimed as he caught sight of their illustrious leader.
"Hello, Jasper," Mindy grinned – the Brit was as smooth and suave as ever.
"She actually gets more beautiful every time I see her," Jasper grinned at Dave.
Dave grinned back as he saw Mindy blush.
"Enough, Jasper!" Lynn said. "You're embarrassing the girl."
"I can handle him," Mindy pointed out as she took a sip of her wine which was remarkably good.
"Jasper's a push over," Lynn said with a sly grin.
Mindy just rolled her eyes.
..._...
A few feet away, Keira was talking to the two apprentice pilots.
"Well, how have you both enjoyed your first combat missions?"
"Apart from Mindy giving me a piece of junk, it went okay," Willow replied. "I enjoyed it. Flying over the desert was a challenge but a fun one, and I am pleased to say that my autorotation drill is perfect!"
Kate laughed.
"I suppose I'm spoilt by Nightshade," she admitted. "But I've not been solo all that much, and not in command like you."
"Something you are perfectly capable of doing," Keira pointed out.
"It was hard work," Willow admitted. "Mind you, I'm not all that keen flying long distances over water, and you both crossed over a lot of water flying from England."
"Yes, that was a little scary," Kate admitted.
"I'm glad I never went up against those Hinds – they would have cut me to pieces, but at least you guys had Stingers," Willow said. "Mind you, I could have done with some rocket pods."
"It's been one hell of a learning curve, but a damn good one," Kate stated, and Willow nodded her agreement.
"Well, I can speak for Kate who has done amazingly well, despite being wounded in action," Keira said. "But I do know that Mindy was very impressed by your skills in the sandbox, Willow."
Willow and Kate both grinned, blushing at the praise. Then Keira chose a new subject.
"You got a boy, Willow?" she asked.
Willow blushed bright red and the girl scowled as Kate roared with laughter.
"Shut up, Katie!"
"Willow would do anything to be shafted by Joel – actually, from what I hear, he's been dunking his shaft on a regular basis," Kate informed Keira as she received daggers from Willow's eyes.
"Oh?" Keira probed.
"He's nice," Willow mumbled.
"He is that," Kate confirmed. "He has a good-sized dick, too."
"Kate!" Willow exclaimed as she felt her face quite literally burning.
"What's up with Willow?" Natalie Bourne asked.
"Nothing to do with you, Nats!" Willow growled.
"We were just talking about Joel," Kate said with a smile.
"Oh, Joel!" Natalie. "Willow's had a soft spot for him ever since she hit puberty."
"Have not...!"
"Get over it, Willow," Kate grinned. "You used to masturbate and call out his name when you came."
"You're all bitches!" Willow sighed.
Keira laughed as she left the three girls animatedly discussing the boy called Joel.
..._...
Mindy found herself with Jason and Nicky.
"You're looking good, Mindy."
"She always does, Jason," Nicky reminded her husband.
"Don't fucking start," Mindy hissed good-naturedly.
"How are you doing, Mindy?" Nicky asked. "Really?"
"Dealing with death isn't my best thing if I'm honest. Losing Josh hasn't properly registered yet, but I know it'll hit me hard in time. I just need to focus on what's ahead and worry about where we've been once this crap is over. How are the kids doing?"
"Nats had a bad time in the forest, but she's tough," Jason replied.
"I think the two of them are closer than they were, thanks to the forest," Nicky admitted. "They've both grown up in the past few months which can only be a good thing."
"Everyone has changed," Mindy confirmed. "Mostly for the better, I think, but So many have been hurt, some badly. The mental scars are what worry me, though."
At that moment, Shannon came hobbling past on a crutch with Marc's assistance.
"Hi, Mindy!" Shannon grinned.
"It's good to see you on your feet," Mindy said.
"It feels a bit weird, but I'm getting it."
"Is Marc helping or hindering?" Nicky asked.
"He's trying to help, but he's getting really annoying," Shannon responded.
Marc simply grinned. "She's my girl, and I am going to help her get better."
"You just want me in the sack," Shannon grinned.
Marc grinned as his cheeks flushed.
"Ah, young love, Jason," Nicky laughed as the two youngsters moved off to see their friends.
"We're still young, dear," Jason pointed out.
"Not all that young, honey."
"Well, I feel young and that's all that matters," Jason tried.
"Think positive, Jason," Dave chuckled.
"I try to," the man conceded.
Mindy grinned; she knew Jason hated anybody suggesting that he was getting old.
"I am forty-seven," he whispered to Mindy. "I am not old!"
"You keep telling yourself that," Mindy whispered back.
Mindy left Jason grumbling about his advancing years.
That same time...
THE PHOENIX
Stephanie was doing her best to behave like a normal civilised human being.
Only, the more she tried, the more she failed. Indeed, Yvonne had made it abundantly clear that she had a number of Tasers to hand and that she knew how to use them. It was not entirely her fault as her sweet little brother was doing his absolute best to make his big sister misbehave. Actually, Jamie's strings were being pulled by Yvette and Ruth – Stephanie had forgotten how damned annoying the pair of them could be when they were together. Then the Lau twins had started causing shit and jabbering away in Chinese just to ensure that nobody knew what they were planning – only it turned out that First Officer Michelle Martinez spoke Chinese . . . extremely well apparently. Enough so that Michelle fed the two girls' plan to Rylee who was able to ambush the two bitches. That had caused a little argument which had resulted in Harper almost being Tasered – how Harper had ended up involved, Stephanie could not quite figure out. However, in the aftermath of that little drama, Stephanie noticed that someone was missing.
It was Electra.
..._...
Stephanie found her friend curled up in a seat back aft.
"What ya doing, 'lectra?" Stephanie asked jovially.
Electra barely moved, ignoring Stephanie completely. But Stephanie did here a sob and as she pulled Electra around, Stephanie was appalled to see her friend in tears.
"What the fuck?"
"It's nothing," Electra insisted as she used the backs of her hands to wipe the tears away from her eyes.
"Bullshit! Talk to me."
"That car crash shook the hell out of me. Then came that shitstorm on Sicily. Then the desert. I'm scared. I'm really scared, Steph."
Stephanie was stunned. Electra was always brave, and she never let things get on top of her. But the girl was right; the rollercoaster of events had been shocking. For them all to have survived to much shit – it was like some bad work of fiction – was some form of miracle. Yes, the same events had scared Stephanie too, but she was dealing with it in her own way, like they all did.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't want you to think I was a wus – I didn't want you to think less of me."
"Fuck 'lectra!" Stephanie exclaimed as she pushed into the seat next to her friend. "We've known each other for a long time, and we have been there for each other as well. You are one of the bravest people I know, 'lectra. You survived the woods with Abigail, and you've survived everything thrown at you since that moment. We survived Urban Predator and we each found a family. But you're right, as usual; we have been through a major shitstorm that took us down and so nearly killed us. The whole thing really sucks."
"I don't know if I can go on with this: I might never see my family again, and I don't know what that might do to them – they lost me once."
"I don't want to lose you, 'lectra; I don't want to lose anybody. But what we're doing here is so vital and if that means laying down our lives so that other kids – normal kids – can enjoy their childhoods without the threat of some insane bastards who want to nuke everyone. We can't do this without you, 'lectra – I can't do it without you."
"You survived perfectly well before I came on the scene."
"Yeah, I had a broken rib and I was just left to sort myself out, not to mention the beating I received the next day. Forgive me if I look back at that as a particularly low point of my wretched life."
Electra grinned.
"Watching you get strapped was horrible and I felt like I was going to puke – they made me watch."
"I didn't know that they made you watch."
"I suppose it was a warning."
"Not that you ever listened to warnings," Stephanie grinned.
"No – wasn't too good at that," Electra conceded. "But you taught me how to watch for problems and how to avoid them."
"I taught you to be in control of your own destiny, and it was one of the few things I actually succeeded at."
"I'm sorry..."
"Never apologise – it's a sign of weakness; unless you really mean it of course, and you correct whatever fuck up you are apologising for . . . a great man told me that."
Electra thought about that and then rephrased her response.
"I am not quitting. I am going to suck it up and move past this. I will also speak to people when things get on top of me. I also know that I am not alone, and I know that I should never have thought that I was.
"Better!" Stephanie responded. "Apology accepted!"
"I'm hungry," Electra said as she pushed past Stephanie. "You coming or what?"
Stephanie laughed as she ran to catch up with the younger girl.
The following day...
Thursday, June 29th, 2017
10:00 GMT (10:00 GMT June 29th)
Pan Am Beach
South West Bay
The young girl walked somewhat aimlessly on the sand.
Her mind was struggling with so much. So much had happened, and she had lost so much. Her mind just could not cope with so much going on inside and she felt like she was going to explode.
"A penny for your thoughts?" a voice asked.
"Huh?" Becky asked as she turned around to see a young woman striding towards her.
The young woman wore shorts, sandals, and a blouse. On her head she wore a white baseball cap displaying the name 'Chicago Medical Center' on the front. The young woman removed her dark sunglass and she grinned down at the little girl.
"Hello, Becky."
"Sarah? What are you doing here?"
"Just got off the plane – had a long flight over," Doctor Sarah Reese replied. "I came to see you."
"Me? I don't need no shrink!"
Sarah laughed.
"I'm here just to help you talk through what you've experienced. Losing someone is not easy for anyone, let alone a little girl losing her father."
"Let's get something straight, right now, shall we?"
"Okay."
"I am not LITTLE!"
"My apologies, Becky," Sarah grinned.
"I loved Joshua second only to Chloe – he and I had something really special. I was never a normal child, but he tolerated all my crap and he just loved me for who I was. I loved him so much..."
Becky collapsed onto the sand, folding like a marionette whose strings had just been severed. Sarah sat down next to the distraught youngster as the floodgates opened.
"Why do bad things always happen to good people?" Becky sobbed. "I lost my grandmother too, just last year. Every time that I think my life is coming together, then something bad happens. Why me? Why me? What have I ever done to deserve all this sadness?"
Sarah listened as Becky sobbed, spoke some, sobbed some more, then spoke a little more. It was obvious that Joshua had been a big part in the little girl's life. Youngsters handled death in different ways, Sarah Knew, and youngsters who were already troubled, well, they handled death badly. Sarah knew what the young girl was. Sarah knew that the young Rebecca Wren had been the very last child to be taken for Urban Predator and Sarah had been the first to figure out that the girl was not as well equipped to handle her emotions as were the older children were who had endured the shaping of their young minds to cope with the stress and horror of death – indeed, Becky seemed to be able to handle the death of someone she did not know at her own hands, but when it came to the death of someone she deeply loved and cared about, her young mind could not cope. Mainly, it was the lack of acceptance; plain and simple, Becky could not accept that Joshua was dead. That was the problem with death when there was no body to prove that death had actually occurred. With no body to see or grieve over, the grieving process could not begin, let alone conclude.
"I never got to say goodbye. I was safe on that sodding plane while he was in the desert being atomised."
"Atomised?"
"It means..."
"I know what it means. Death is a problem. I struggled with it during my early time at Chicago Med. People would just die, sometimes for no good reason. We did everything we could, but people still died. One night, when I was on call, I had to notify three families that they had lost a loved one – that one shift almost put me over the edge. Just about everyone I see die is good and, in most cases, their death is not of their own making."
"For me it is the first time," Becky said as her sobbing came under control. "For Chloe it's much worse. She lost Joshua once, then he took two bullets meant for her and she almost lost him for a second time. I can't even begin to think how she's handling this – shit! Here's me sobbing like a baby when Chloe needs me."
Becky jumped to her feet, wiping her eyes.
"Chloe is okay – she's been talking with Cassie and Mindy. Everybody is worried about you."
"It was a shock, seeing Chloe coming back aboard without him. It took a while to sink in."
Together the pair headed back up the beach towards the airfield.
A short while later...
12:05 GMT (12:05 GMT June 29th)
The Phoenix
Chloe and Becky stood at one end of the large central sparring compartment.
Facing them stood Mindy and Stephanie. All four girls were dressed to spar in just t-shirts and shorts with bare feet, but they were wearing head protectors as well as pads for their hands and feet – actual injuries would not help any of them. A small crowd had gathered to watch the sparring match. The match had been arranged by Stephanie as she could tell that Chloe and Becky needed to get everything off their chests and a good sparring match should help with that. Stephanie raised her left hand and she pointed at Jamie who pressed play on the expensive music system connected up to the surround sound speakers in the compartment. Immediately, a recognisable guitar riff began.
Yeah
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight
Chloe advanced on Mindy who had waved her forward, knowing that she could never hurt her mentor, but that would not be that she would not try. Becky was studying Stephanie, thinking the same thing but if punching Stephanie helped her cope with her emotions, then so be it – Stephanie had volunteered. For Doctor Reese, it would be one of the first fights which she had witnessed where it was all out fighting. Chloe got the first jab in, catching Mindy on the chest, but Mindy responded with a vicious slap to the left cheek which enraged Chloe. But as the Queen track told, Lady Mercy was not home. Stephanie got in the first blood for her and Becky, by kicking the young girl to the deck. Doctor Reese knew that that was a low blow, but she also knew how Predators played and Becky took the kick and she sprang back up, raising her diminutive fists as she went for Stephanie.
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
Chloe and Mindy had to be careful with the limited height available but that did not stop Chloe from using her dexterity to jump and kick, catching her mentor in the side of the head and putting Mindy into the circular couches behind where the now growing crowd had gathered. Mindy was angry, but she managed to contain her anger and not rip Chloe's head off, knowing that the idea was to allow Chloe and Becky to let off some steam. Indeed, Becky was releasing the proverbial can of whoopass on Stephanie as the younger girl was thrown a short wooden training bokken modelled after a Tanto blade. Stephanie scowled at her brother and she yelled out in pain as the wooden bokken was brought down across her left hand.
Oh every night, and every day
A little piece of you is falling away
But lift your face the Western way
Build your muscles as your body decays, yeah
Deftly, Becky threw the bokken to Chloe who used it to put Mindy on the defensive. That left an enraged Stephanie to face Becky who surprised everyone by leaping and putting a foot into Stephanie's face, toppling the older girl even as Chloe tripped Mindy with the bokken. There was a roar of appreciation from the crowd as Mindy and Stephanie went down almost simultaneously. Dave and Jason were keeping an awfully close watch so that they could intervene should things get out of hand, but both had agreed to allow Mindy to suffer just a little.
Tow the line and play their game
Yeah, let the anaesthetic cover it all
'Til one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall
Everyone was cheering Chloe and Becky, much to the annoyance of Mindy and Stephanie, but neither cared as it was for a good cause. The movements were extremely fast, and the little Becky could really move which surprised many who had never really seen her going all out. Her face was focussed and intent on hurting Stephanie. Those with acute vision could see the tears in Becky's eyes. Some mistook them for tears of pain, but while they were of pain, they were for a quite different kind of pain altogether. On that subject, Doctor Reese had selected the song herself as it contained references to the inevitability of death no matter who you were.
Rich or poor or famous
For your truth it's all the same
(Oh no, oh no)
Oh, lock your door but rain is pouring
Through your window pane
(Oh no)
Hey yeah, baby, now your struggle's all in vain, yeah
The Bokken was swapping hands as Chloe and Becky both played the weapon against their opponents the two girls fighting well for a seemingly mismatched team. Shadow and Scamp were one as they fought Hit Girl and Psyche who themselves were a formidable mother/daughter team.
For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
It was soon very apparent that young Becky was fighting something as she began to yell at Stephanie even as she cried, pounding on the older girl. Stephanie was quite surprised by the rapid assault from the half-pint, but it was obvious that the half-pint relay needed an outlet, and Stephanie was relatively happy to be that outlet. The lyrics of the track were not lost on Stephanie, nor were they lost on Becky who appreciated them as she fought through her demons and emotions.
What the hell are we fighting for?
Ah, just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
Yeah, while you're waiting for the hammer to, hammer to fall
Mindy was actually having second thoughts about the sparring match as Chloe seemingly had a lot of baggage to unload and Mindy knew that she had to take the beating rather than unleash Hit Girl on Shadow.
Hey, yes
Let's get on the floor, yeah
Hammer
You know
Hammer to fall
Stephanie crashed to the deck with Becky atop her and nothing the older girl could do would stop the inbound fists as they pummelled her.
Yeah
Hey, woo hoo
Ha ha, ha ha
Mindy found herself tripped and then as she tried to stand, she was pushed to the deck and the bokken was used to pin her arms and prevent a counterattack.
I've been waiting for the hammer to fall
Give it to me one more time
As the music stopped, Chloe and Becky stepped back from their beaten opponents for whom it had been the longest three minutes and fifty seconds of their lives!
A few hours later...
16:00 GMT (16:00 GMT June 29th)
The tranquillity of the tiny volcanic island was shattered at four that afternoon as the pair of Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR.4 fighters raced down the runway together under full afterburner.
Then, twenty minutes later, a Royal Air Force Voyager KC.2 touched down on the runway before taxiing onto the hardstanding at speed. The grey painted Airbus A330 MRTT with ROYAL AIR FORCE painted above the windows amidships on each side bore the tail number ZZ336 and was named VESPINA. The VIP transport braked to a halt beside THE PHOENIX and then shut down its two Rolls-Royce Trent 772B high-bypass turbofans. A set of steel airstairs were wheeled up to the second door on the portside as it opened.
The next warning that something untoward was happening was the roar of fast jet engines as a pair of jets lined up to land on the three kilometre runway, only they were not the Royal Air Force Typhoons which had launched twenty minutes previously, no, the pair of sleek dark grey F-15E Strike Eagles of the United States Air Force touched down and were directed to where a refuelling truck awaited them. The two Typhoons remained airborne having formed a combat air patrol to the west of the island. Out in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway to the horizon, the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Normandy kept an eye on the skies around the tiny island providing a bubble of controlled airspace within which the cruiser could down any inbound aircraft or missile. Then out of the blue sky came the roar of four jet engines as one of the world's most recognisable aircraft descended for a landing on runway one three.
The giant Boeing 747 – designated a VC-25 by the United States Air Force – bore the tail number 29000 and that evening it carried the callsign Air Force One.