Three Strikes

by bluebellwren

Naomi Foulke - TAC 'Trigger' - the latest in a line of air force prodigies, becomes the OADF's scapegoat when she's wrongfully accused of murdering former President Harling. In the midst of war against Erusea, she's sent to a penal unit to atone. Determined to redeem herself and swiftly end the war, she finds herself facing threats from all sides as she grows from prisoner to hero.

12. I Name You My Enemy

Chapter Eleven: I Name You My Enemy

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444th Air Base, Zapland.
July 8th, 2019.
1200hrs.

|…|…|…|

They spent the night after the mission in solitary, and the following days they were left with little freedom and spent most of it in solitary as well, and come Monday they were all split up to work outside for the day. Their food privileges hadn't yet been restored, so breakfast and lunch were out of the question. They split them up, sending half of them to do some work down at the fake airbase for whatever reason and the other half of them were to work with the mechanics in the hangar. Naomi got put in the same group as Tabloid and Count, and the mechanic they had the privilege of working with was the Scrap Queen herself.

A few guards barely kept watch on them outside as they carried out a conversation, and most of the guards had gone inside to the mess hall to eat. They kept rubbing it in their faces how they got to sit in the air conditioning and eat and drink cold water. All the while the prisoners worked out in the sun with bottles of room temperature water that tasted bitter and weren't the least bit refreshing. The guards didn't seem interested in watching them, though, so that was a plus.

Count took advantage of the lack of discipline currently taking place and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, leaning against the hangar door and looking out at the runway. Tabloid sat on a crate nearby with his bottle of water, carrying out an animated conversation with Count. Ever since the mission, Count had been less hostile towards Naomi after she took that missile for him. He was still a jerk, but he seemed to ignore her instead of confront her, which wasn't any better but she'd take it. Tabloid was his usual, cheerful self, although he looked as if he hadn't been getting much sleep since the incident. None of them had been close to or particularly big fans of High Roller, but they were all subdued since he'd died.

Naomi sighed as she watched them, then looked up at her damaged plane where she saw Avril clambering around on the remainder of her wing. The look on Avril's face told her that her cellmate didn't have good news. Avril shook her head and sighed with exasperation before she carefully climbed down from the F-16 and made her way over to Naomi. "I heard that you took a missile for Count," Avril said as she approached. "Foolish thing to do. He's a pain in the ass and you sacrificed a perfectly good plane for him."

"He's not that bad. I mean, I'll agree, he is a massive pain, but…I dunno. I'd miss the pointless banter and competition. Besides, he did stay with me and Tabloid and fight." Naomi gave a small smile and glanced over at Count and Tabloid. Looking back to Avril, she put on a serious face again. Walking past Avril, she reached up and ran her hand along the side of her plane. "So…I take it you can't do anything for the wing, huh?"

"Yes and no," Avril replied simply, crossing her arms. Naomi looked at her, raising an eyebrow and inviting further explanation. She grunted with effort and limped forward to stand beside Naomi and under the wing. "I can repair pretty much any old piece of junk at this air base. But here's the thing…I don't have everything that I need to repair it. They give me the shit strewn around here and that's it. I could try it with what I have, but it'd take a while and you'd have to fly something else until I fixed it. At this point, it's best to just scrap it and use it for parts. I mean, this is the only F-16 we've had so far that made it back from an accident in one piece…more or less. Last guys that flew one of these trashed 'em. By now, they're probably at the bottom of the ocean."

"Oh…" Naomi wasn't going to lie by saying that she was fine with the idea. She'd actually grown rather fond of her little plane. It was more of a ridiculous sentimental thing. It was all she technically had left of Fort Grays and her previous squadron. Maybe it was time to accept that officially she was a member of Spare now. They probably had to give up the planes they originally flew and they didn't seem too bothered by it. Sighing, she knew she had to accept that it wasn't a pet of some sorts. It's not like she was giving up her dog or something like that. "Well, Avril…er…you're the expert, not I. Do whatever you think is best."

"Alrighty then," Avril said with mock enthusiasm, tilting her head to one side ever so slightly. "I restored a few extra planes a while back. I'll talk to McKinsey about getting you in one of 'em before the next mission." Naomi gave her a nod and offered a grateful smile, but it wasn't returned as Avril immediately brushed her off and gave her work her full attention. That was the most civil interaction she'd had with her yet.

Naomi shrugged it off and grabbed her water bottle, looking back at Avril once more before she made her way across the hangar to join Count and Tabloid. As she approached, the smell of cigarette smoke briefly burned her mouth and she could taste it on the air. Count turned towards her and blew out some of the smoke in her direction, entirely on purpose. She waved it off and gave a small cough. "Hello to you too, Count," she said sarcastically. "Enjoying destroying your lungs, are we?"

Count gave a fake laugh at this. "Hilarious," he commented, examining the cigarette for just a second before taking another drag. "Don't tell me you're one of those crazy health nuts that despises smoking and fast food. I bet you don't drink, either. Right?"

"I'm not a health nut, I've just never been a fan of smoking," she replied simply, putting the cap on her water bottle and setting it down on the ground beside her. "I'm indifferent on fast food. As for drinking, a beer once in a while is no problem. Now that's how you unwind, but, to each his own, I suppose. We all have different ways of letting loose." Count nodded slowly in agreement and the three of them fell into silence for a minute or two. Naomi finally tried to start a conversation up, raising a genuine concern she had, "Hey, Tabloid. I saw you talking to Full Band this morning and I figured we'd see him around. They didn't put him back in solitary, did they?"

Tabloid shrugged. "I don't think so," he said, furrowing his brow. "Full Band said that he was gonna try and sneak into HQ and get ahold of one of their computers. Apparently he really does want to check out the doctrine I mentioned." Tabloid shrugged and looked down at his hands. "I think he mentioned convincing Bandog to help him sneak in. I don't know how he expects that to work out."

"Yeah, especially after Full Band and the others got Bandog's ass chewed out by McKinsey," Count added with a chuckle. "Full Band would be lucky if Bandog didn't decide to sell him out to the guards just for the hell of it." Naomi didn't know what to think of Bandog, nor did she know whether or not to agree with Count. He did try and get the three of them out of solitary, though he must not have tried too hard since they got thrown in anyways.

"Ah, you never know," Tabloid said optimistically. "Maybe he'll go easy on the guy for once."

"Maybe…" Naomi agreed. She looked up at the clear, crystal blue sky overhead and gave a longing sigh. It was a perfect day, and here they were, stuck on the ground. "I wish we could fly today." Naomi looked away from it and back at Count and Tabloid. "Don't they allow us any training or anything to keep us in shape around here?"

"Nope," Count huffed and blew some smoke out of his mouth, watching it drift through the air. There was contempt in his voice as he went on, "If you want to get any exercise or PT then you behave like a good little prisoner and get let out in the yard on your daily walk. Or you stay cooped up in your cell and work on your pushups. We don't get a lot of options and unless we're working on them or they can get some use out of us, they don't let us near a cockpit."

Tabloid scowled. "It's bullshit if you ask me," he said. "We could all use the the extra experience. And they wonder why we're out there dropping like flies."

Once again, there was nothing more than silence as they went about their break. A dog barking in the distance broke the silence and the three of them perked up to get a look at the source of the sound. Two people and a dog were on their way towards the hangar, and there wasn't much doubt in Naomi's mind who it was. Count took one last drag before he dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his heel. "Looks like Bandog and Full Band," he said with a sigh. "Time to find out what they've been up to."

The closer Bandog and Full Band got, the louder their conversation became. As soon as Sarge saw Naomi, Tabloid, and Count, she broke off from Bandog and came sprinting into the hangar. Naomi grinned and crouched down to greet the guard dog, who wagged her tail eagerly and attempted to jump up and lick Naomi's face. Count groaned in disgust as he watched them. "What's the matter, Count? Not a fan of dogs?" she teased, patting Sarge on the side.

"I have no problem with normal dogs," Count replied, clearly annoyed. "Y'know, dogs that aren't around me for the sole purpose of breaking my arm if I get out of line."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Count, you'd have to make this dog pretty damn mad for her to bite down that hard," she said. Leaning close to Sarge, she made her voice go higher as she spoke more to the dog than to Count, "But why would you wanna do that, huh? She's such a sweet girl! Yes she is! Isn't that right Sarge? Pretty girl!"

Count wrinkled his nose, stifling a laugh. "Women and their strange attachment to animals is something I'll never understand," he said, shaking his head. Naomi scowled at his comment and stood up, wiping the dog hair from off of her flight suit. Count chuckled and pushed himself away from the hangar door, cautiously approaching Sarge and giving her a couple of pats on the head. He looked at Naomi. "Happy now that I've given Bandog's mutt some attention, Trigger?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but Bandog and Full Band were finally within earshot and she was cut off by Bandog shouting, "I put my ass on the line for you, Full Band, which is more than you deserve after you turned tail and ran the other day!" Full Band simply kept walking, ignoring the scene they were making. The guards barely acknowledged it, though, so it probably wasn't about anything too serious. However, something had Bandog worked up. "Full Band, are you listening to me? McKinsey is going to kill both of us if he finds out. You cut it way too close!"

As if Bandog wasn't even there, Full Band greeted the three of them with a friendly smile as he entered the hangar. "Afternoon, gentlemen," he said to Tabloid and Count, then quickly added with a look towards Naomi, "And ladies, of course." Naomi offered a smile of her own as he gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"You're in an awfully good mood, Full Band," Tabloid said as he stood up from his seat. "I'm amazed, what with Bandog shouting at you like that. What's he going on about, anyways?"

It was Bandog who answered Tabloid's question, "Full Band nearly got caught snooping where he shouldn't have." Full Band crossed his arms and sighed, obviously not pleased by the treatment he was receiving from Bandog. "Like a dumbass I kept watch and he nearly got us both caught." Bandog walked himself right up to Full Band, towering over him, and snapped, "Next time, you're on your own, Full Band!"

"Well, if that's the case, then you don't get anymore compensation or any intel I manage to dig up," Full Band replied calmly, but he was smiling when he said this. Bandog seemed to consider what he said carefully. To Naomi's surprise, Full Band put his hand on Bandog's back and guided him over to the crate that Tabloid had previously been sitting on. "Well, I'll tell you all what I found before you make your decision. Aaand I'll even throw in some extra cash for you, Bandog."

Count crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, interested in the conversation that was about to take place. "So you decided to start sneaking around again, eh?"

"What'd you find out this time?" Tabloid asked. "More useless info that wasn't worth the risk?"

"Quite the opposite, actually, Tabloid," Full Band replied. He seemed rather confident in whatever it was he found out. "Remember how High Roller wanted to make a bet about who would guess the next strategy based on that doctrine thing or whatever?"

"Yeah, we do," Naomi replied. Kind of hard not to, she added to herself. It was his last official bet, after all, unless you counted his last words as a final bet. If she had to compliment that guy on one thing now that he was gone, it was that he made an impression. "I didn't think that anyone took it seriously after…well, after he died. Why do you ask?"

Full Band grinned. "Because I won the bet. I guessed the next strategy for the regular forces, anyways. I dunno about us." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he showed the side that had writing on it to his wingmen. "Well, technically I didn't guess it, but I did put a bunch of puzzle pieces together to get the full picture."

Bandog reached forward snatched the paper from Full Band's hand, looking it over with suspicion. "This says that they're sending in a few fighters to Erusea for a reconnaissance mission," he said, reading it carefully and holding it out of reach of Sarge, who kept trying to lick it. "Doesn't say what else…where the hell did you find out all of this, Full Band?"

"Now, if I told you all my secrets, then they wouldn't be secrets anymore," Full Band said, taking his paper back and returning it to the safety of his pocket. "Anyways, I've got to do some more digging, but I think McKinsey is trying to get involved in the operation anyway he can, so I think we might end up being sent out for some kind of support mission. Apparently the higher-ups in Osea are trying to keep it under wraps, though, and don't want a penal unit poking around out there."

"Why are they being sent into Erusea? What are they investigating?" Tabloid asked.

"I said that I need to do some more investigating. I don't know why they're there, I just know that they are," Full Band said. He looked around at them, then took a few steps closer after checking to see where Avril was and then how close the guards were. "I did find out something about McKinsey, though. Bandog, can I trust you to keep it between the five of us." Bandog took a moment and then nodded slowly. "Alright…well, I found out that ever since the start of the war, McKinsey has been receiving large sums of money from somewhere — apparently the same thing happened in the Circum-Pacific War that started an investigation.

"Anyways, they first started coming through after Erusea took the Lighthouse. He's also been receiving some mail from various places. Only problem is that all of the letters and emails I managed to uncover are written in two different languages." Full Band paused before he slowly said, "They were in Erusean and Belkan, from the looks of things." Naomi and Tabloid both gave Full Band their full attention as soon as he said 'Belkan'. For Naomi it was an instinctive reaction, but for Tabloid? Why did he perk up?

"Wait, you said Belkan, right?" Naomi asked and Full Band nodded. Tabloid played it cool and settled down. That was odd. The letters being written in Belkan and Erusean was odd, too. Erusean was a common language to know, but few people flaunted the fact that they could speak or understand Belkan. Her dad had taught her only because he didn't see any shame in it. She didn't see any shame in it either, so she decided to offer her expertise. "Well…I'm fluent in Belkan. If you could bring one of the letters, then I could pick out the words written in it. Not sure about Erusean, though."

To her surprise, Count was the one who spoke up. "I can speak Erusean," he said. Everyone looked at him with expressions of shock that mostly said 'yeah right', which caused him to clear his throat and adopt an accent. Smugly, he said, "Je l'ai appris à l'école. Cela faisait partie d'un programme de crédit supplémentaire." Everyone stared at him. Naomi was actually impressed by it. Pleased that everyone was left wondering, he translated, "I said that I learned it in school. Osea had a couple of extra credit classes back in high school and most of them were languages, so I took Erusean and Sapinish."

Tabloid and Naomi were grinning, while Full Band and Bandog were still trying to process what had just happened. "Damn…and here I was thinking you actually had to be smart in order to know a different language," Tabloid said, laughing when Count reached forward and attempted to smack him on the back of the head for his quip. Tabloid dodged, but Count didn't give up. Eventually, through his laughter, Tabloid managed to hold his hands up and say, "Hey, hey, calm down, Count! Truce, alright?"

Full Band had finally recovered from the shock and was grinning. "Well, if Count and Trigger don't mind being our bilingual translating duo, then I could try and sneak back in to get some more info and one of those letters." He looked to Bandog. "I'm going to need your help again, though."

Bandog groaned in frustration. "Fine," he snapped. "I'll help you out, but I expect some compensation. McKinsey's still mad at me for letting you and the rest of those nutcases return to base."

"Hey, it was the mission and the ones who stayed behind who were crazy," Full Band said, glancing at Count, Tabloid, and Naomi. He meant well, since there was a bit of amusement in his voice. "Well, I guess we should get to work, huh? Bandog, you and I can try to get into HQ again tomorrow. Shouldn't be too long before things start getting real interesting around here, eh?"

Just like that, the group dispersed throughout the hangar to get to work on their planes. Naomi noticed a curious and suspicious look from Avril as she watched them all go about their day. She hadn't overheard their conversation, had she? If she had, would she turn them in? Naomi decided that it was best to keep an eye on her in case she had some sort of fondness for McKinsey. Knowing her attitude towards everyone, though, that didn't seem too likely.

---

444th Air Base, Zapland.
July 12th, 2019.
0500hrs.

The prisoners were all greeted by a rude awakening early one morning. The guards came through, shouting and making as much noise as possible as they came in to unlock their cells. Typically, the wake up call was an alarm blaring in their ears and the guards hitting the cells with the weapons they carried. There was probably a reason for the change of pace, not that Naomi was a big fan of it.

When Naomi sat up in her bunk, she saw that Avril had already climbed out of bed and was putting her leg brace on. She looked up when she noticed Naomi was awake and then went back to what she was doing. "The guards say that ya'll need to get to HQ for a briefing," she said curtly. "They're pretty pissed, so I'd suggest you hurry it up."

Groaning, Naomi hopped down and slipped her flight suit on over her 'regular' clothes and waited for the guards to reach their cell. They finally unlocked the cell and opened the door. "Good, you two are already awake," the guard said. He looked to Avril first. "Mead, McKinsey said that you're to go down to the hangars and prep the planes." Glaring as he stepped away from the door, he said to Naomi, "Trigger, you go with the rest of Spare to HQ now. You morons have kept the commander waiting long enough!"

Naomi sighed and watched them move on down the hallway. "See ya later, Avril," she said, waving goodbye to her cellmate. Avril barely acknowledged her, rolling her eyes as she tied her boots on. Naomi pushed through the prisoners that were filing out of the cellblock and made her way to the center of the crowd, where Count, Tabloid, and Full Band were walking. Although she was tired, she still managed to greet them in a cheerful tone, "Good morning, boys. What's going on?"

Count, looking more disheveled than he usually did, yawned and looked at her with a blank expression. "How on Earth are you this cheery in the morning? God…I feel like I'm gonna fall over."

"Why is there a briefing this early in the morning, you think?" Tabloid asked, scratching at the side of his face. "Usually they wait until we're all coherent enough to understand their insults…"

Full Band, the most lucid of the three of them, chuckled. "It's not like they don't wake us up early, y'know," he said. "They actually let us sleep in. Probably why they're so upset with us now." They all stepped outside, where the sky was just beginning to light up. It was a dark blanket of blue, most of the stars having faded with the approaching morning light. Full Band took a deep breath as they all exited the cellblock. Naomi did the same. It was crisp and cool, but it would be another hot day for sure. "I think I know what this mission's gonna be about, though."

"Really? Did you do some more digging?" Naomi asked eagerly. She'd been dying to know when Full Band and Bandog would finish their searching. She was still looking forward to finding out about those letters that Full Band found.

"Last night I went with Bandog to search McKinsey's office," Full Band replied, lowering his voice. "I was going to try and dig up some of those letters I mentioned, or print out one of the emails or something. However…he went back and deleted most of the emails and I didn't have time to search through his desk for the letters I saw. Anyways, I looked into the doctrine that Tabloid told me about and got the rest of the intel on the reconnoissance mission. The regular forces are due back today, so—" He cut off abruptly as they reached the door to HQ. Quietly, he said, "I'll fill you in on the rest later, alright?"

They watched him lead the way into the main building and into the briefing room. Full Band was the first to take a seat, choosing a spot towards the back of the room. During briefings, it had become the norm for Naomi to sit in the front row with Tabloid and Count on either side. She wasn't sure how, but at this point it was just a habit. The three of them took their seats, carrying out a quiet conversation amongst themselves before Champ joined them, plopping down in the seat beside Count. Clearly in a grouchy mood, he asked, "So anyone know why the hell we're gettin' up this early for a damned briefing?"

Naomi shook her head. "Our guess is as good as yours, Champ." He scowled at the lack of an informative answer and Naomi could only shrug and lean back in her seat. McKinsey wasn't there yet, and knowing him he'd keep them waiting even longer. To Count and Tabloid she said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish McKinsey would hurry up and get his stupid ass in here…if we're gonna get to fly then could he just get us in the air and get it over with?"

"Sounds like somebody's gettin' a little antsy being on the ground," Count said, a small smirk on his lips.

"I like flying, is that such a crime?" Naomi asked. It wasn't until after she said it that she realized the poor choice in words. Count and Tabloid didn't seem at all bothered by what she had said, so she just assumed that they didn't care.

"Nah, it's not," Tabloid replied. "Otherwise most of the OADF would probably be here with us."

"I can't actually argue with you there, Trigger," Count said with a sigh. "Being in the sky beats being stuck in this hellhole…"

The conversation came to a halt as the base commander finally entered the room. Everyone groaned upon seeing him, but he didn't let it interfere with his 'cheery' attitude. McKinsey was his usual smug self. Apparently he was an early bird. Or just an annoying bastard. Naomi guessed that they could be one in the same. Instead of greeting them with 'good morning' as the computer started up, he jumped right into the briefing, "You know, I've recently received a medal for my ingenuity in finding a use for you cons."

"Glad we could be of service…" Naomi grumbled. He'd barely started talking and already she could feel a headache coming on. So far, the day was looking spectacular.

McKinsey glared at her. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But just remember that if you disobey orders, there's a special place in solitary confinement for you. Your so-called right to complain was forfeited the moment you chose to break the law. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone mumbled some sort of 'yes' and he nodded with satisfaction. "Okay, then. You get to go make yourselves useful."

The screen, as expected, displayed a map of the Usean continent. It showed a route from an allied base that led to Stonehenge. Wait…why were they all the way out there? "An Osean Air Force squadron is currently entering Erusean territory for reconnaissance. Due to certain factors, their return route has been changed." The line that showed the route changed into a perfectly straight line between Stonehenge and the allied base. "The new return route will be through Yinshi Valley, a scenic and rocky karst area."

It displayed a 3-D image of the rocks in the area, then a map appeared beside it that showed a few enemy locations. "The enemy's radar facilities and anti-aircraft weapons hidden on the mountainside pose a serious threat. Your mission is to destroy them and get our guys out in one piece, even if it puts your own lives in danger." McKinsey suddenly smiled. It was an eery smile that sent a chill down Naomi's spine. "And it is important to remember they will send up interceptors if you're detected. So you will need to choose something useful in a dogfight. The weather won't be on your side, but you're doing this whether you like it or not. Worry about the squadron's return route, not your own. Your mission is to get them back safely. Which I think is the perfect punishment for your crimes."

Of course. Any chance to put them at risk…oh well, at least it got them out of there for a while. McKinsey dismissed them and sent them all out to the hangars to get their planes ready. The others didn't really deviate from their usual choice in planes, in spite of the commander's advice. They probably didn't care. Naomi, on the other hand, wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with her F-16 out of commission.

When she arrived at the hangar where her plane was kept, she found a new plane in its place. New wasn't exactly the right word for it, since it was just a restored piece of junk, but it looked decent for the most part. An F-2A with a nice, dark blue paint job. It resembled Naomi's F-16, but had several noticeable differences. Not that she cared too much about it. Avril noticed her when she approached and finished up whatever she was doing before she greeted Naomi. "I talked with McKinsey and got him to get you somethin' pretty similar to what you already had," she explained, getting right to the point. "Nothing fancy and it'll take some getting used to, but it'll get the job done."

"It's nice…" Naomi said, ducking under the nose to run her hand along it. Smooth…clean for the most part. It wasn't in perfect condition, but it was something she could work with. She looked at Avril and gave a small smile. "Uhh…thanks?" It was unusual that the renowned Scrap Queen was actually doing favors for her, especially after the way she acted. Maybe she's gonna finally calm down, maybe act a little nicer...

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," Avril responded briskly as she turned around and began to limp away. "Just don't wreck it, alright? I spent a lot of work on it."

Spoke too soon.

---

Yinshi Valley, Usea.
July 12th, 2019.
1503hrs.

It was a long flight and there were storms all along the way, causing the moral to plummet significantly as they were all fully aware that it would get worse once they arrived at the valley. For the most part, Naomi took the time to appreciate the scenery. The dark greens and brownish grays of the rocks below stood out against the grays and whites of the storm clouds. It was difficult to really see them, yes, but nonetheless she found herself studying it intently as they flew along in their usual, hectic idea of a formation, drawing closer to Yinshi Valley every minute.

Count and Champ were at the front, as always, leading the way through the clouds and area surrounding the valley. Tabloid flew towards the back, on Naomi's wing, with Full Band off to the sides. The rest of the squadron spread out to wherever they felt like flying. Naomi noticed that for once she hadn't been corralled to the back of the squadron's formation, instead flying safely surrounded by her allies. In a strange way, it offered some comfort. She wouldn't be the first to go out if they were attacked anyway, as morbid a thought as that was.

The wind began to pick up and the clouds became thicker and obscured the already limited view they had of the terrain ahead of them. With no other choice, the other Spare pilots lowered their altitude to duck under the clouds. Naomi pulled up over it, flying through the thin, upper part of it. She then carefully lowered her altitude. The F-2 wasn't half bad, in fact it handled surprisingly smooth in the weather. It wasn't her F-16, but it wouldn't be too hard to handle.

Several blips appeared on her radar, catching her attention. Naomi looked up, out of her cockpit. Between the rocks were the enemy targets, set up in a pattern that likely continued throughout the area. "Alright, Bandog," she radioed the AWACS, who'd been unusually quiet through the entire trip. "I have a visual on the targets. There don't appear to be that many."

"That's for the better, Trigger," Bandog grumbled in response. "This mission needs to be quick, so the fewer the better. Less can hide that way, too." He took a deep breath. "Alright, listen up Spare Squadron. You need to target radar facilities and AA weaponry. They take the top priority, but you're free to blow up any helicopters that wanna give you a hard time. Fair warning, the main targets are set up on rugged terrain and there's a lot of cloud cover. You will be near thunderclouds, so be careful and stay sharp. Also, the wind and rain makes the airstream bumpy. Try not to damage those planes." Bandog scoffed as he added, "Man, you guys were born unlucky…"

Naomi could hear just a hint of concern in Bandog's voice, and he was oddly calm for once. Perhaps the information that he and Full Band had been working together to uncover coupled with how much time he'd been spending around the rest of them was starting to soften his attitude. Then again, he could be acting on his best behavior for their VIPs. Speaking of which, they should be arriving anytime now. Naomi started a dive for the first target. "Well, boys, you heard the man. Let's get to work, shall we? Careful of the rocks when you go down."

"Wait a minute," Champ said, maintaining a steady altitude while the rest of the squadron all got to work. "Who was the dumbass that came up with this batshit plan, anyways?" The answer was easy enough to figure out, but Naomi knew that Champ wasn't renowned for his intelligence. Quite the opposite, actually, but who was she to talk?

Bandog let out an exasperated sigh. "What does it matter, Champ? Just obey orders and get the job done. You can complain and badmouth HQ after we finish our escort."

As soon as Bandog had finished talking and Naomi had taken out the first two AA guns, a new voice came over the radio. "Air Force Base 444 Squadron, this is Cyclops 1. Feel free to call me Wiseman." The voice belonged to a man, likely the flight lead of the allied fighters. Naomi wondered if he was as bad a leader as McKinsey was. Probably not. Wiseman went on, "The Cyclops and Strider squadrons currently contain seven aircraft. Stand by. We'll be arriving shortly."

"Understood," was Bandog's short reply.

As Naomi weaved through the rocks to get to the next target, she saw that the rest of the squadron was all taking different routes to pursue the enemy. The rain pelted down against them and Naomi saw a few of them struggling against the wind. The only plus was that the rain hitting her canopy was kind of soothing in a way. She would have enjoyed watching it had she not been trying to navigate the valley and keep from crashing into the rocks.

"We're low on ammunition," Wiseman went on to explain. "It'll be hard to take on hostiles, so we'll have to rely on you guys to make it home." He seemed hesitant in saying this, probably dubious of Spare and how trustworthy they were. Naomi assumed that they had been briefed on the fact that they'd be joining a bunch of trigger happy convicts. Hell, Naomi was just starting to 'get' them and she still could easily see where these strangers were coming from.

"Cyclops 1, this is Bandog," Bandog replied. "We need the job done on time, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about support cooperating. They'll do what it takes, trust me." There was a weak, underlying threat to Spare Squadron hidden in his words that Naomi only noticed because she was used to him threatening them at this point. If he wanted to look like a good guy, then he could. She'd tell Full Band that he should be careful working with Bandog. Naomi didn't trust him entirely yet.

"Bandog?" the Cyclops leader repeated. "Heh. Cool name. It's nice working with you, Mr. Guard Dog." With that, the arriving allies went quiet. Naomi spotted them on radar, fast approaching. They didn't have much time left, meaning Spare had to work faster.

Naomi carefully maneuvered through the fog, spotting a radar site beside a SAM. That would be an issue. She kept herself flying low and at an angle, deciding that it was a good time to put her special weapons to use. It wasn't long before she got a lock on the first target. She fired and the radar site went up in flames. The missile warnings in her ear were the next thing to go, ceasing as soon as the SAM site was destroyed. All that was left was an AA gun that Naomi wanted to take out for good measure. She pulled up and pulled into a hard turn, narrowly missing one of the rock formations as she got a lock on the AA gun and fired. This mission was going to be a piece of cake.

The next radar site wasn't deep between the rocks, instead it was on the top of a massive rock formation that resembled a giant hill from the way Naomi was approaching it. She pulled up through the clouds, maintaining a good speed so that she could make a quick correction to her course in case the wind started beating her up. Checking her special weapons supply, she was sure she'd have enough to make it through the mission. The rest of the squadron was taking on the helicopters and AA guns hidden between the rocks, leaving Naomi, Count, and Tabloid with the SAMs and radar facilities. The 'difficult' stuff, apparently.

"I need missions that challenge me and help me improve my score, not this shit." Count grumbled as he carefully maneuvered through the rocks and took down a radar facility.

"Tell me about it…and these damned crosswinds are such a pain," Full Band complained. Naomi saw the faint speck of his plane make a wobbly descent in between two rocks to pursue one of the enemy helicopters. "How the hell are we supposed to fly like this if it's constantly trying to slam us into the rocks?"

"You use the winds to guide you, amateur," Count answered, his tone a mix of its usual arrogance and amusement at the situation. He actually made a pretty good point, for once. Perhaps his claims of glory weren't entirely false. He had a couple of good ideas and he was one of the better pilots, she had to give him that. As if it was something everyone should know, he didn't bother elaborating on his advice and went back to his task.

"Whatever…I'd rather be back in my cell right now," grumbled one of their other wingmen. "Hell, solitary is a nicer place than this." Naomi found the comparison unfair. They were free of the base commander for the next few hours and the only person they had to worry about bothering them was Bandog. Compared to the last mission, this one was a walk in the park. Simple and straightforward. It looked like they'd all make it out and spend the night out of solitary.

"You kiddin'?! No way I'm goin' back to the brig! Anything's better than solitary!" Champ bellowed, sounding…almost nervous. "Don't even think about getting in my way!" Everyone ignored his outburst, and Bandog didn't complain about it since it wasn't interfering with their task. If anything, it was motivating him to work even harder. He'd taken out a surprising amount of enemies, but they weren't done just yet.

Naomi was focusing on taking out the targets while the rest of her squadron conversed. Count brought up the long awaited topic that Full Band had said he'd finish later. "So, Full Band," he said. "Why are the regular forces sending reconnaissance planes so deep into Erusea?"

"Oh, that…" Full Band almost sounded disappointed that he'd brought it up during the mission. "They're investigating the ruins…that's all I know." So that's why they were near Stonehenge. Why would they need that? It was practically useless.

"You sure found out quick," Tabloid said. "You think they've got a secret weapon, maybe?"

"What, Stonehenge?" Naomi asked, not entirely buying it. "That's the only thing it could be, but that rust bucket's probably long dead by now. Why would they waste resources investigating that?"

"There's only so much I could find out." Full Band answered sheepishly, not seeming too interested in continuing the conversation. He probably wasn't comfortable discussing it when other people could overhear. Never stopped him before.

"Enough talk," Bandog ordered them. "The mission doesn't require it. You're all pushing it right now. Focus on the mission and take down the last two targets."

Naomi and Tabloid worked together to finish the mission up like Bandog had asked. The two of them twisted among the rocks, careful of the winds, and approached the enemy. Tabloid got a lock first and fired at the radar site, sending it up in flames. He pulled up and out from between the rocks while Naomi handled the last of the SAMs before joining him. Both circled back around to form up with the rest of their squadron. Bandog radioed them all once again, sounding satisfied, "All targets confirmed destroyed. No complaints here. Looks like you lot are getting out of solitary for once."

"Alright!" Naomi cheered. "Got finished just in time!" She looked out to the distance where a thunderstorm was closing in fast. Purple-ish blue lightning crackled, lighting up the dark gray clouds. A flight of seven F-15Cs was flying below them, just above the rocks, all in a perfect formation. They must be Cyclops and Strider, Naomi thought. There was a pang of jealousy at the fact that they were able to fly like that. So effortlessly and with actual order and skill, rather than all on luck. Must be nice.

Before Spare Squadron got too caught up in celebrating their minor victory, a member of the allied squadron suddenly interrupted them. "Caution! Bandits inbound!" the man called out. "Here come the UAVs." Naomi heard the last word and groaned in frustration. Aw, not this shit again…

"We might have crossed the line," Wiseman said calmly. What did he mean by that? What line? She didn't get the chance to ask him before the UAVs closed in on the squadrons' rear. Their planes zipped through the rocks, maintaining their formation as they each followed the plane in front of them. Naomi had a good look at them, and she was beyond impressed by their skill. No errors, not a single one. Wiseman spoke to his squadron, "We don't have the supplies. Leave this one to our friends."

"Wish we'd used that hole to get home too," one of them muttered. The planes discarded the drop tanks under their wings and veered away from the swarm of drones, flying right into the thunderstorm. Another bolt of lightning light up the sky, narrowly missing their planes.

"Well, things don't always go perfectly," Wiseman said to his wingman. All of the planes broke their formation and spread out throughout the clouds in an attempt to make themselves more difficult targets. They all split off into groups of two, some climbing above the clouds, some climbing below to the rocks, and the rest spreading out into the storm. If the UAVs got hit by lightning then things might just be a little easier on them.

As Spare Squadron continued on their own, the recon planes zipped past them, practically dancing with the UAVs on their tails. Suddenly, they all split up and spread out among the rocks to join their wingmen. Bandog shouted at Spare, urgency in his voice, "Shit! The drones have jumped on the recon team! Our friends aren't equipped for air-to-air, they need our support, you morons. All 444 aircraft, get them out of there! Not even one is to go down! Destroy the UAVs!"

Naomi swallowed hard as she saw the lightning becoming more and more frequent. They didn't have a choice. Their allies needed their help. She took a deep breath and took off for the nearest UAV that she was tracking on radar, chasing down one of Strider Squadron's aircraft. She heard Count in her ear. "That's impossible!" he shouted at Bandog, clearly not too pleased about the idea of flying through a thunderstorm.

"I'm not flyin' in there to help out some assholes I don't know shit about!" Champ snarled. He and the rest of the squadron were hesitating to engage, meanwhile Count, Tabloid, and Full Band began to follow, maintaining an altitude high enough so they wouldn't be in any danger of crashing or getting hit by lightning. They wouldn't be of any use up there.

"C'mon guys, show a little bravery once in a while," Naomi said as she began pursuit of the drone, maneuvering through the rocks as she tried to get missile lock on the slippery bastard.

"As they say in my house, there's a thin line between bravery and stupidity," Count snapped at her. Nonetheless, he and Full Band began to move to help out their allies. "Ah, what the hell…might as well get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Tabloid chuckled as he stuck close to Naomi's wing, helping her out in cornering the drone.

"Hey, Count, how about we have a little fun out here. Think you're up for a little friendly competition?" Naomi asked him, trying to cheer him up. If she gave him a goal to work towards, maybe it'd give him the motivation he needed to focus on his job. This would help his score after all. Count didn't respond at first. Uh-oh. Had he crashed? No, Full Band would have said something. Unless, of course, he didn't see it through the clouds. "Uh…Count, are you still alive, buddy?"

There was another few seconds of silence before Count suddenly shouted with a laugh, "That's one down for me, Trigger! Try and keep up!" Of course he did. Both Naomi and Tabloid laughed, able to set aside the urgency of their situation for a moment as they pursued the drone through the rocks. Naomi finally had an opening. She got missile lock and fired. Down the drone went, crashing into one of the rocks. Count must have been aware of the kill. "Damn! Gimme a fair chance here, Trigger."

"Two UAVs splashed," Bandog announced. "Take care of the rest."

As Strider 2, the pilot that Naomi had helped out, broke off, Naomi heard him say, "Thanks. I owe you." With that, his plane exited the area, able to fly freely while the drones chased down his wingmen. That must not have been too pleasant. She knew from too much experience that being helpless when something was happening to your friends wasn't a fun feeling.

"All right, good start," Wiseman said, mildly impressed by the display. "Now let's get the remaining six out of there."

The next one that Naomi saw on her radar was hiding in one of the clouds, chasing down an ally who'd flown up in an attempt to shake the drone off. Naomi took a deep breath and pulled her plane up and towards the cloud. A bolt of lightning came down right in front of her and Naomi grunted in surprise and rolled her plane onto its side, flying through the gap between two of the streaks of light just before it vanished. That was a bit too close for her liking.

"Someone just flew into the thunderclouds!" Full Band shouted, his anxiousness affecting his performance.

Naomi emerged from the cloud and dived in pursuit of the UAV. She heard Bandog shout, "Spare 15 has broken through the thunderclouds! Haha! Nice work for a dumbass!" Naomi marked down a personal achievement in her mind: she successfully got Bandog to laugh and give her a compliment. Okay, maybe he did still insult her, but she managed to get something positive from him. Also, she now knew for sure that Bandog wasn't entirely made of stone, so that was good to know. Maybe...

"Trigger just flew into a thundercloud without even blinkin'!" Champ observed, sounding equally as nervous as Full Band did. Naomi grinned, finding some sort of satisfaction in the compliments she was receiving from her wingmen. Seems she was starting to make an impression on them.

She finally got a lock on the UAV and fired two missiles at it. The first one it evaded, but the second one took it out without any trouble. "Strider 4, breaking off!" the pilot announced and turned his plane away from the storm to join Strider 2. Count and Tabloid had just taken care of the UAVs that were pursuing Cyclops 3, so he joined the Strider planes without hesitation.

"These things move pretty good for machines," Count chuckled. "But, they're a little sluggish when it comes down to it."

There were four aircraft left, at least two drones on each one. Naomi, Count, Tabloid, and eventually Full Band all headed to their allies aid, distracting the drones from the aircraft nearest to them. The man that had alerted them to the UAVs arrival radioed his leader, "Wiseman, 444 Squadron support incoming. Sorry, but I'm using this chance to break off."

"Jaeger, you look after the survivors. Keep 'em in line until I get back," Wiseman joked as Jaeger broke off and left the UAVs to Naomi and Count. Both of them simultaneously got a lock on each UAV and fired. Both drones were taken out in the blink of an eye. Wiseman informed them, "Alright, now there's just three more to go. Cyclops 4, look out! Evade that missile!"

Naomi split off from Count to rush to Cyclops 4's aid. The missile narrowly missed the Eagle's wing and Naomi quickly got a lock on the UAV and fired. Bandog announced that its destruction was confirmed. To Naomi's surprise, the voice that came over the radio was a woman's voice. It'd been a while since she'd come across another female pilot, save for Avril, but this one was…friendly. Out of breath, Cyclops 4 sighed and managed a small, "I owe you one." Naomi watched as she flew off to follow Jaeger.

"Cyclops 4 has broken off!" Wiseman announced, sounding encouraging to both his own squadron and to Spare. "There you go! Things are looking up now that we've finally got some good guys in support!"

"Looks like there's a few guys that have got everyone's backs," Jaeger said.

Naomi smiled and circled around to move on to the next target. She was suddenly thrown off course when something hit her wing. It was sharp and there was a loud thud. The world around her shook and her HUD began to malfunction. By the time she'd regained herself, she had to pull up from the ground and swerve through the rocks to avoid crashing. Instinctively, she craned her neck and turned around to get a look at her wing and make sure it was still there. It was there and it didn't seem like any damage had been done to it. "Shit! What the hell was that?!"

"You were struck by lightning," Tabloid answered.

"Hey, Trigger, are you alright?" Count asked before Tabloid could. When did he start acting so concerned about her?

"Yeah, I'm fine, but everything's acting all weird," Naomi said, checking over her radar and HUD.

"Calm down and keep checking your HUD for errors, Trigger," Bandog instructed her sternly. "You'll make it if you don't panic. Now stop scratching your asses and approach the enemy!"

Naomi sighed and steadied her plane, pulling out of the rocks and getting a visual on Cyclops 2 and Wiseman. Both of them were being pursued by the enemy. Count moved to assist Cyclops 2 while Naomi and Tabloid went after the UAVs on Wiseman's tail. Count took care of Cyclops 3 and allowed him to break off, leaving only Wiseman. "Cyclops 2 has broken off," Wiseman announced. "All my guys managed to escape. Got big gratitude for you."

"Cyclops 1, check your six!" Cyclops 4 suddenly called out and Naomi saw the drone fire at Wiseman, forcing him to take evasive actions. Naomi and the others were struggling with the drones on Wiseman's tail, since they were proving themselves to be especially stubborn. Wiseman managed to shake off its lock

"Hey, what's with the 444th? They're all over the place!" Strider 4 commented, and Naomi felt surprisingly defensive. Maybe it was only over herself, or maybe it was Count, Tabloid, and Full Band as well. At least they were at least trying to work together. It wasn't their fault that the others didn't know how to act like a regular squadron.

"Yeah…hell, they don't even have a formation," Cyclops 4 pointed out. "They're gonna get themselves killed like that."

Naomi shot past her three wingmen to take on the two drones on her own. She got a lock on the first and fired. It hit and the drone went down. Tabloid and Count got a lock on the last one, but both of their missiles were dodged. Naomi decided to just gun it down, moving in close so that she was in range. It was tricky, but with Wiseman helping her corral the drone into a vulnerable spot, she managed to use the machine gun and take it out. With that, Wiseman broke away and joined the rest of his squadron.

"Cyclops 1 has broken off," Bandog announced. "He could have broken off anytime if he was by himself."

"Any more surprises for us?" Naomi asked as she led the way to regroup with the rest of the squadron. The thunderstorm continued, but now she no longer had to fly into it.

"Spare 15, all UAVs in the vicinity have been destroyed," Bandog replied. "Once again, I know I'll regret saying this, but the four of you did one hell of a job out there."

"Nice teamwork! Thanks!" Wiseman laughed. "Hey, who was it that got those last two drones? Tell him I'm grateful!"

"Copy that, Cyclops 1," Bandog said cheerfully. Naomi noticed that he didn't correct Wiseman and point out that she was a woman, but she didn't see any reason to butt in and Bandog didn't give her a chance to do it. "Spare Squadron, the mission is finally complete. Return to base." Everyone adjusted and headed back in the direction they entered the valley from, tired and ready to go home. Naomi's radar suddenly showed several bogeys fast approaching and at the same moment Bandog said, "Wait a minute, something's not right. Hold it!"

"Oh, gimme a break!" Champ groaned. He had taken up the rear and had been quiet during the whole battle with the drones. "You have more chores for us?" Naomi looked at her radar. Whoever or whatever was on radar was coming in fast, and it was heading straight for Champ. Apparently, he'd only just noticed, since he broke off and began to fly towards it. Was he that stupid?

"Spare 8! Champ! Bogey approaching fast from the rear!" Bandog warned him. The panic set in when they all realized that something was about to go seriously wrong. "All available units, support Spare 8!" Naomi was the first to respond, getting a visual on the approaching aircraft. Champ was heading straight for them.

"I don't need any support!" Champ insisted, his voice changing to an over-excited growl. "This is all mine!" Naomi watched as, in an instant, the lead aircraft managed to get on his tail. "Dammit, he's glued to my tail!" he spat as he began to lead the enemy down to the rocks. Naomi followed him, but they were moving at a surprising pace. She caught a glimpse of the plane chasing Champ down. Orange wingtips…matching every move…toying with him…shit. This was him. It had to be. This was the pilot that killed Brownie. Champ started to panic like Brownie had. "He's still not firing! I don't get it! Whatever, I ain't afraid of it!"

"Champ!" Naomi cried out, although she knew he wasn't going to listen to her. Champ wasn't going to make it out of this. Not if he didn't disengage. "Champ, get the hell out of there! NOW!" She couldn't do anything but shout at him like Knocker had shouted at Brownie. Like they all had shouted at Brownie. It was no use. Champ was hardheaded just like Brownie…he wasn't going to let up.

"Spare 8, no dogfighting!" Bandog ordered.

"Negative! I'm not lettin' this slide!" Champ growled. He'd apparently grown tired of the chase and the second he discovered an opportunity, he took it. He performed a tricky maneuver, one that Naomi didn't think was even possible with his plane, and shot backwards, over the top of the enemy plane. "WOOOHOOO!" He was behind him, he had missile lock, but before he could fire the enemy aircraft pulled up and came down towards his plane. There was a massive explosion that was drowned out by the thunderstorm. Had they collided in midair?

Naomi tensed as she saw a plane emerge from the smoke. It wasn't Champ's. That sick bastard. She and the rest of Spare all regrouped above the clouds, trying to process what was going on. "He shot down Champ!" Full Band cried out, the first to come back to his senses. "He was toying with him!" The enemy plane suddenly shot up from the clouds, fired two missiles, one of which nearly hit Full Band. He dodged, but another member of Spare Squadron was hit and crashed into the rocks.

"Spare 10 lost! Another one…" Bandog informed them, something similar to sadness in his voice. It was probably more like disappointment if anything. Wasn't it? Naomi saw another explosion. "One recon aircraft lost! Shit! What's with this guy? That's an Su-30!" He took a deep breath, "All Spare Squadron aircraft, provide support for Cyclops and Strider! Keep the bandit off of them!" Naomi was trembling, trying to think of what to do next. She was numb. What was happening? Bandog's voice snapped her out of her trance, "Get in there with that monster, Spare 15! We're gonna lose more friendlies!"

Shaking herself free, the numbness was suddenly replaced by anger. Without a second thought, she performed a sharp turn and took off after the enemy ace. He wasn't getting away this time. His wingman moved to pursue Naomi, while the rest of her squadron tried to figure out what to do. As expected, the majority of them moved to retreat. "Well, you told us our jobs were done," one of them reasoned, in a ridiculously cheery tone. "I'm going home." Naomi wasn't paying much attention to who was staying and who was leaving, but most of them seemed to be retreating.

"Why are some of 444's craft flying out of bounds?" Wiseman demanded.

"Are those damn cowards bailing on us?!" Cyclops 4 shouted, although the insults wouldn't have made any difference.

"I just sent back the damaged craft craft," Bandog lied, and surprisingly well. "We only need guys we can use." Naomi continued to tangle with the enemy ace as both tried to get a lock on the other. If she was going down then she was putting up a fight. She'd get a couple of hits on that bastard before she'd call it quits. "Spare 11, Spare 6, form an element and take up the rear! Spare 2, keep an eye on the recon aircraft!"

"Forget it!" Tabloid snapped. That was unexpected. Naomi's missile warning blared in her ear and brought her back into the present, not giving her time to linger on Tabloid's sudden stubbornness.

"Trigger's taking the beast head on!" Bandog snarled. "You three deal with the support!"

"So, this is where Tabloid bows out," Full Band sneered as he engaged one of the Erusean fighters. "I guess you're not as brave as we thought you were. Just like Champ."

"Shit!" Tabloid spat, not pleased by the comparison that Full Band had made. To Bandog, he finally said, "Roger that…will do…" and complied with the order.

"Well, you morons stay here and die if you want," Count snapped as he pulled away from his squadron mates and started to head back home. "I'm getting out of here."

"Same here," Full Band said smoothly. "I ain't got a death wish."

Naomi was trying to concentrate on the enemy as he lured her between the rocks, but Count bailing out again suddenly made her find her voice. She was pissed off at just about everyone right now and she was getting tired of playing tag with the enemy. Count wasn't helping any. She expected Full Band to retreat, but Count was just starting to act like less of an ass and now he just ruined that. "GODDAMMIT, YOU COWARD!" Naomi yelled at him, grunting as she dodged one of the larger rock formations, now fighting the wind rather than allowing it to guide her. Count didn't respond, and Naomi was starting to drown everything around her out.

Lightning hit her plane again, but she kept after the ace. She was watching him, studying how he moved and reacted, and she had a pretty good feeling that he was doing the exact same thing to her. He tried to lose her in the clouds, then sneak up on her, but Naomi's reactions were quick. He took her through the rocks once again. The scenery flashed by, nothing more than colorful blurs that were getting in the way. She got a lock. Finally. A long, solid tone. She pulled the trigger. One missile shot right past him, but the second one hit. His plane wobbled for a moment before he recovered and pulled up to try and take her out the same way he'd done Champ.

Not so fast, you son of a bitch. She heard the missile warning in her ear and flew straight for one of the rock formations. At the last second, she released her flares and pulled up, twisting the plane in the air and leveling out, diving into the valley to pursue him once more. Another missile lock, but if she fired then she'd waste the shot. They both rounded a turn and Naomi saw a chance. She took it, firing one missile at a time. This one's for Champ. The missile struck. And this one's for Brownie. It hit his wing, but he was still flying.

"Nice! Bandit's been hit! Spare 15 got him!" she heard Bandog. It was faint, though, almost like a whisper to her. Mostly she could only hear the blood pumping in her ears. She got another lock. She fired two missiles. Both missed. Shit. To her surprise, Bandog was egging her on, "You've nearly finished him off. Stay focused, Trigger, you've got this."

"Wiseman, do you see that color…the way he's flying?" Jaeger asked. Naomi could barely hear him over her altitude warning as she dived for the ground. She seemed to have the upper hand for the most part, after all, he was the one with the target on his back now.

"It's Mr. X for sure," Wiseman replied. They had a name for him? That information would have come in handy a while ago. Then they'd have some idea of exactly what they were up against.

"Wiseman, we don't wanna mess with this guy!" Cyclops 4 called out. "It's clear by the way he flies…he's way outta my league…"

Naomi kept firing missiles at him every chance she got. For now, she was holding her own against him, but her eyes were starting to dry from her not blinking for so long. It was just her and this Mr. X guy. "He's exactly the man we didn't want to run into," Wiseman said with a sigh. "Jaeger, if it comes down to it we'll act as a shield. Just get my guys out of here!"

"Understood," Jaeger replied.

Mr. X managed to get behind her and the missile warning started to blare in her ear again. Naomi pulled into a hard turn, hitting the break to slow her plane. Once she was behind him again, she hit the throttle and fired two missiles the second she got radar lock. They both hit. How many hits could this guy handle? His plane wavered again and now his wing was trailing smoke, but he stayed in the fight. She had to give it to him, he was relentless.

"These guys don't miss an opening! Like a goddamn flying wizard! Argh!" Tabloid grunted as he evaded a missile from one of Mr. X's wingmen. He must have had his hands full with them that whole time.

"Wait, so you're telling me there's only two craft taking on the orange guy?" Cyclops 4 suddenly said.

"No…" Jaeger muttered. "Just one's taking him on…" If he said anything else, the missile warning in her ear refused to shut up and she couldn't hear it.

"No way…I wouldn't last a minute!" Cyclops 4 gasped.

"Húxiān, do not engage!" Jaeger ordered Cyclops 4. "If he comes close, just run!"

"Copy that…was gonna do that anyways," Húxiān replied, starting to sound as tired as Naomi felt.

Naomi grunted and narrowly avoided the missile fired by Mr. X. She kept trying to get a lock, but now he was refusing to give her the chance. He'd figured it out and he knew he'd taken enough damage. He got behind her again and fired. Naomi rolled to evade it, but it hit her anyways. Her plane shook from the impact, but a quick assessment told her that she was fine. It was taken in a non critical area. She could still fly. She tried to maneuver around the rocks to get behind him again, but by the time she did Mr. X had started to fly towards the clouds.

She followed him and got one last hit on him, but he soon vanished from radar and she knew she'd ice up if she stayed in the clouds for too long. "Dammit! The bastard got away!" Naomi growled, emerging from the cloud to rejoin Tabloid. To her surprise, Count was there too. They just drove off Mr. X's support planes, and they were waiting for her as she formed up beside them.

"Bandit is retreating…he managed to survive somehow…" Bandog's voice was filled with frustration and disappointment. Naomi felt the exact same, cursing herself for not finishing the job. She took a look around. Most of the squadron had survived the ordeal. That was the goal. Maybe it wasn't so bad.

"Trigger! Kindness gets you killed," Count suddenly sneered.

She said the first thing that came to mind, albeit in a more aggressive tone than she had intended, "Then why did you come back?" Count didn't reply. Why? That was the big question it would seem. That and 'how' were pretty valid.

"Hey Guard Dog," Wiseman called out to Bandog. "Who's the guy who worked his ass off at the rear?"

"She's the biggest dumbass in the unit," Bandog chuckled in response. Naomi was too drained emotionally to even bother saying anything. At this point she was running on her own personal auto-pilot.

"Makes sense," Wiseman said with a laugh. "Only an idiot would be brave enough to pull off those moves." Naomi did feel a little better after hearing Wiseman sound so impressed. It was nice to know that he'd made it through the ordeal. She wasn't sure how many Mr. X and his crew took out while she was fighting him.

The storm was finally starting to let up. Count withdrew and started to catch up to the others while Naomi and Tabloid flew alongside the recon team. "I'll guide you back to Air Force Base 444, though I doubt you'll have enough gas to make it," Bandog said. Ever the optimist.

"Well, we appreciate the help," Wiseman chirped. After a pause, he carefully asked, "That pilot…will she be at the base?"

"There might actually be a little trouble when we return," Bandog admitted as they all started along the return route. "I wouldn't get involved if I were you."

Just what they needed. Naomi was exhausted and she knew that McKinsey was probably going to find some reason to throw them in solitary even if they did the best they could. She got one good thing out of that day, though. She knew who her enemy was. Rather, she then decided who her enemy was. I hope we meet again, Mr. X…next time you won't be so lucky. I now name you my enemy.

---

Author's Note: The title of this chapter is inspired by lyrics from the song Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos. The song reminds me a lot of Trigger and Mihaly's rivalry and it's a beautiful song, so I highly recommend giving it a listen!