Chapter Five: A True Amigo
…..maybe they didn't have this…
Sky's job seemed easy enough: keep the connection up, give encouragement, and let Dusty know when he passed the other racers. But that last part became harder when they flew right under some clouds. Not only did they both finish last, but by the time they reached the airport in Iceland both of them had snow all over their bodies and they shivered fiercely. Sky's goggles were so frosted over she had to pull them off to see anything, leaving large circles of bare skin around her eyes like a raccoon mask.
"You do know this is a race, right?" Ripslinger noted, much to his lackeys' amusement.
"J-j-j-just ign-n-nore them, D-D-D-Dusty." Sky's teeth chattered. "I-I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-wanna g-g-get w-w-warm."
Dusty obeyed, moving over to an empty fire pit and sighing in relief at the heat. Sky finally managed to uncurl her fingers from the handlebar and shakily pulled the harness off. She sat as close to the fire as she could without burning herself, her clothes cracking as the ice inside the fabric broke. After managing to get all the ice and snow off, the two moved to their station and set up several heat lamps to keep them warm. Dusty practically gulped down a warm can of oil while Sky quietly sipped some tea, sighing.
"This is Propwash Junction to Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Riley." Chug's voice said over the radio.
"I read you, Chug." Dusty said pressing on the radio pedal to talk.
"Me too." Sky piped up.
"So what's it like racing with the big dogs, Duster? You see any other humans, Sky?" Chug asked excitedly.
"A couple." Sky bobbed her head.
"My wings froze solid." Dusty reported. "I had icicles hanging off my sprayer. And I nearly smashed into a ten-story iceberg."
"And I almost got frostbite!" Sky snapped, drinking more of her tea.
"Awesome!" Chug cheered.
"No, it was a gruesome near-death experience!" Dusty protested.
"Dusty, Sky, just like when the Jolly Wrenches were up in the Aleutians, the air down close to the sea has more moisture, which is why you took on ice." Skipper explained. "You gotta try to fly higher."
"Great." Dusty groaned.
"Skylar, you doing all right?" Skipper asked.
"Just trying to stay warm for now, Dad." Sky said with a smile. "Thanks. We got bigger problems to worry about."
"The good news is tomorrow's leg goes through the Bavarian obstacle course." Skipper pointed out. "It's all about agility, so it's your chance to move up. And remember, it's not speed that wins races, it's skill."
If skill really was all it took to win, then this next leg was in the bag for Sky and Dusty. All those drills Skipper planted in their heads allowed them to move up several spots in the ranking in no time.
"We got this, Dusty!" Sky said as they neared the end of the leg. "Once we pass Bulldog, it's a straight shot over Ishani, El Chu, and even Ripslinger. Just keep that radial-G in mind; we may need it."
"Roger that." Dusty said, keeping his eyes ahead.
"So as long as we don't run into any—" Sky gasped when smoke suddenly began streaming from one of Bulldog's engines, and he took a nosedive. He began calling out "Mayday! I'm blinded!" into the radio. "Oh no!"
Dusty stared after Bulldog. "He's gonna crash if someone doesn't help him!"
Sky looked around, but there didn't seem to be a rescue team on hand. "I don't think anyone can get to him in time!" Skipper was right; sometimes even the best racers in the world don't finish this race. But it was only the second leg; how could they lose someone already?
Suddenly, she felt a lurch as Dusty shot straight downward and began flying alongside the British racer. "Bulldog, apply your left aileron!"
"Okay!" Bulldog did so, spinning himself around so he didn't fly upside down. Oil covered his windshield, completely blinding him.
"Stop roll!" Dusty ordered as they continued flying. "Quick, pull up!" They shot under a low bridge, pulling up again and heading straight towards a large castle. "Whoa! Big castle!" As Dusty shouted his orders, Bulldog obeyed without question. He ended up tearing through a WAG flag on the castle, but otherwise remained intact and didn't crash.
"Are you still there?" Bulldog called worriedly.
"I'm right here!" Dusty called. "I'll fly right alongside you."
"Dusty, get me above and closer to him!" Sky ordered. Dusty was confused, but obeyed without question. Sky unhooked herself from the handlebar and jumped off Dusty. She landed a bit hard on Bulldog's wing, grabbing the edge so she didn't slip off. Bulldog turned a bit, but managed to right himself. "Hang on, Bulldog!" Sky called over the wind. "I'm going to connect with your consciousness so you can see through my eyes!" Keeping an arm hooked on his wing, Sky reached her other hand up and placed it alongside Bulldog's cockpit. In seconds, she was able to make the connection and her eyes turned snow-white.
"I can see!" Bulldog cheered. "But why can't I move my eyes?!"
"You're looking through my eyes!" Sky explained. "Don't worry, I'll stare straight ahead."
"I'm still right beside you!" Dusty assured as they made their way to the finish line.
It took all of Sky's physical strength to keep her grip on Bulldog, and it required all her willpower to not look around as she held onto the British racer, knowing if she did it would only scare him more. Dusty calmly gave the orders as they neared the runway, Bulldog obeying every one without hesitation. He could appreciate that he had some idea of what was going on, but at the same time felt thankful his savior remained beside him just in case. Relief overwhelmed him as he touched down onto the tarmac and slowed to a halt.
"Disconnecting now!" Sky announced as she broke the connection and slid off Bulldog. She hit the ground running a bit, jogging over to Dusty as they stayed close to Bulldog's side. Her eyes returned to their normal blue-green as she watched medical crews wash the oil from Bulldog's windshield.
"Thanks for your help, matey." Bulldog sighed. "I couldn't have done it without—" He caught sight of Dusty and Sky before him. "You two saved me? I thought I told you every plane for himself!"
"Would you rather we had let you crash?" Sky sassed. "Not that we would have."
"Well, no, but you just threw the race because of me!" Bulldog snapped. But he started sniffling a bit. "And I owe you my life."
Dusty blinked. "Are you crying?"
"I don't cry, I'm British." Bulldog barked. But he couldn't stop a few more sniffles from escaping, and he smiled at Dusty and Sky. "Thanks, matey."
"Sure thing, Bulldog." Dusty nodded, happy to have earned Bulldog's respect.
"And thank you, milady, for your help." Bulldog looked to Sky. "I've never met a psyche human who could control her powers so well."
Sky blushed a bit. "Thank you."
Dusty and Sky backed up as reporters swarmed around Bulldog. "I gotta say, farmers, you are nice guys." Ripslinger said as he approached.
Dusty smiled. "Hey, thanks Rip."
"And we all know where nice guys finish." Ripslinger added, laughing as he and his flunkies rolled off.
Sky and Dusty glowered in their direction. "I officially hate him." Sky said.
Dusty sighed. "Yeah. But he's right. We're dead last."
In a German restaurant that night, Dusty and Sky couldn't help moping a bit. While they didn't regret helping Bulldog, it wasn't exactly a good feeling to be in last place for a second time. They're dream race wasn't off to a very good start.
"Dead last." Dusty sighed.
"Well this race keeps getting better and better." Sky droned sarcastically.
El Chu, sitting beside them, sniffled. "At least you are not last in the race for love."
"Rochelle?" Dusty asked.
"Her passion is, sadly, not for me." El Chu sobbed, looking quite upset.
"Tough break, El Chu." Dusty said sympathetically.
Sky walked over and patted the Mexican racer's nose. "It's okay, El Chu. She'll warm up to you."
El Chu sniffled. "Gracias, amiga." He didn't look very convinced, but at least he stopped sobbing.
A horn honking caught their attention, and they turned to see a small car with some sort of trailer drive up to them. "Excuse me." The German car said nervously. "My name is Franz and I am a huge fan!"
"Sky and I have fans?" Dusty asked excitedly.
"Oh, no. Just me." Franz corrected.
"Figures." Sky shrugged, moving to sit on Dusty's wing.
"I just want to say danke for representing all us little planes." Franz said.
Dusty and Sky shared a look. "Uh…..you're a car." Dusty noted.
Franz nodded. "But I am what you call a Flugzeugauto, one of only six flying cars ever built!"
"Flying cars?" Sky repeated. Then, before their eyes, the "trailer" hitched up to Franz hooked up to the small car to give him plane wings, a tail, and a propeller. "Oh, cool! Wonder if they can do that for humans."
"Whoa!" Dusty breathed.
"Guten Tag, Herr Dusty und Frau Sky." Franz said, his voice noticeably deeper. "I am Von Fliegenhozen."
"Didn't you just say your name was Franz?" Dusty noted.
"Nein." The German car/plane said. "Franz is a guy with no shpine who is in charge when we putter about the cobblestones. In ze air, I am in charge."
Sky scooted back a bit. "Um….okay…."
"Serious identity issues." El Chu whispered to Dusty and Sky, the two nodding in agreement.
"Zis from the one wearing a mask?" Von Fliegenhozen said.
Sky looked to El Chu for his reaction, expecting another cape swish. But El Chu took the counter and said, "Touché."
The wings and propeller detached to their trailer form, and Franz was back. "We are both pulling for you, Herr Dusty and Frau Sky."
"We appreciate it." Sky said thankfully.
"Yeah, thanks for the support." Dusty nodded. "We kind of need all the help we can get."
"Would you not be much faster without the pipes and tank and whatnot weighing you down?" Franz suggested.
"My sprayer." Dusty realized with a groan. "Again?"
"Yeah." Franz confirmed. "Why carry around the extra weight?"
"He's got a point, Dusty." Sky shrugged. "I mean, you already have to lug my butt around during this race."
"Yeah, but you're part of the team." Dusty protested. "We work together."
"Then ask yourself this: is the sprayer part of our team or is it just holding you back?" Sky pointed out.
"The little crazy car and your friend are right." El Chu agreed. "Perhaps you need to start thinking like a racer."
Dusty thought for a moment. The idea of getting his sprayer taken off just seemed like a medical/mechanical procedure he really didn't want to go through. But then again….he wasn't a crop duster anymore. He wasn't going back now, especially after making it into the race. Sky was right; the sprayer was just extra weight, holding him down.
So, the next morning, Dusty went into a garage to have his sprayer taken off. El Chu, Sky, and Franz waited outside, listening amusedly to Dusty's yelps from in the garage. But they smiled warmly when Dusty emerged sans sprayer.
"So, what do you think?" Dusty asked.
"Dust Storm, I barely recognize you." Sky laughed.
"Wunderbar, Dusty!" Franz complimented.
"Fantastico!" El Chu laughed. "It is freeing, yes?"
"Freeing" perfectly described how Dusty felt right now. And when he and Sky went zipping across the skies, the two of them couldn't stop whooping and laughing at the extra speed they could finally achieve without the sprayer. They bid Franz/Von Fliegenhozen a reluctant farewell before they and El Chu hurried off to restart the race. Several of the competitors began falling out due to equipment failure. But Sky and Dusty managed to keep up with the racers without a problem. The third leg to India proved to be right up their alley, as it required them to stay under a thousand feet and fly through a rocky canyon. Dusty and Sky perfectly executed the radial-G passes Skipper drilled into their heads, passing racer after racer and managing to finish in eighth place. It certainly wasn't first or second or even third, but it was high enough to get them on the leaderboard on TV. Not only that, but their success caught the attention of the entire world. Before they knew it, the two Propwash residents found themselves surrounded by reporters asking a dozen questions at once. They were surprised, but welcomed the attention with modesty and politeness.
"Miss Riley, how do your psyche human abilities play a part in this race?" one of the reporters asked.
"It's a connection I'm able to make to basically combine my physical strength with Dusty's." Sky explained, relishing in the positive attention her powers received.
"Dusty, Dusty, where did you and Sky learn to race?" another reporter asked.
"From my coach and Sky's dad, Skipper." Dusty explained. "He's an amazing instructor, and a great friend. He flew dozens of missions all around the world. And I'm sure, if he could, he'd be with us right now."
Sky fought to keep the smile on her face to hide her concern. Crud. I almost forgot. Sparky and I are the only ones who know Skipper's past. He only knows all those missions because he was still stationed on the Flysenhower even though he never flew. Those stories were reports from other Jolly Wrenches.
"Sky, is it true this Skipper is your father?" one of the reporters piped up, breaking Sky from her thoughts.
"Yeah." Sky nodded, fiddling with her goggles.
"A plane or a human?" another reporter asked.
"Plane. A Corsair." Sky said. "I, um, I became an orphan when I was five and Skipper took me in when I was eleven. He turned out to be an amazing guardian and I will always be thankful he adopted me. He taught me and Dusty everything we know about racing." She sighed softly. "I really wish he could be here. But, unfortunately, none of our team members could make the trip, so we're radioing back to them once we finish each leg. I know we're making them all proud, especially Skipper, whom I am very proud to call my father." She and Dusty exchanged smiles. Who ever said he needed to know Skipper's past anyway? Sky thought.
The interviews ended soon after, giving Dusty and Sky time to chat for a bit. They had to wait several hours before morning in Propwash so they could call their friends.
"This is Dusty Crophopper and Skylar Amelia Riley calling Propwash Junction!" Dusty called into the radio. Everyone responded happily, thrilled by their placement in the race and Dusty finally taking off his sprayer.
Sky giggled. "Oh boy do I miss you guys. Can't wait to see you again when this is all over."
"Can't wait to see you guys cross that finish line." Skipper said. "But stay focused on what's going on now. You two got a big leg tomorrow."
"Yeah." Dusty nodded. Tomorrow was the shortest leg from India to Nepal, but it shot straight over the Himalayan Mountains. Dusty said it wouldn't be a problem, but now that he saw just how high the mountains were recorded on the maps, he got nervous again. Sky tried to reassure him, but even she felt a bit nervous about going over those mountains.
"How are you feeling?" Skipper asked.
"It's gonna be…..interesting." Sky said with a somewhat weak smile.
"Dusty, Sky, that vertical wind shear is going to be wicked over those mountains." Dottie warned.
"Well, the good thing about being that high up, you see, there's not a lot of oxygen." Chug noted.
"Yeah, we're aware, Chug." Sky said. "The other human racers and I have to wear oxygen masks and tanks the entire way through this leg."
"But if you crash, no explosion!" Chug noted.
"Great, Chug." Dusty said with a weak smile. Sometimes he wondered if Chug's fascination with crashing was a bit of a problem.
"Of course, you could die of hypothermia or an avalanche could get you. Then, of course, there's pneumonia or even frostbite…." Chug continued.
"Chug, knock it off!" Sky snapped, silencing the fuel truck. Franz isn't the only one who needs his head gasket checked.
"Skip, what if a guy wanted to fly through the mountains instead of over them?" Dusty asked.
"Bad idea." Skipper said immediately. "The Wrenches flew through terrain like that in the Assault of Kunming. Wind coming over the peaks can stir up rotors that'll drag you right down. Remember what I said about tearing your wings off if Sky got hurt?"
"Dad." Sky whined, smiling and shaking her head. Somehow, she could tell Skipper was smirking now.
Dusty sighed. "Roger that."
"Talk to you guys after the leg tomorrow. Bye!" Sky said as the line disconnected.
"Hola, corazón."
Dusty and Sky turned to see El Chu making another approach on Rochelle, only for the Canadian racer to shoot him down yet again and roll away. El Chu pouted.
"Hey, El Chu." Dusty called to his Mexican friend. "What's the problem?"
El Chu sighed. "I am Icarus and she is the sun. I fly too close and I melt."
"For quite the Casanova, you're not having much luck with her, huh?" Sky noted, smiling sympathetically.
"Maybe you're trying too hard." Dusty suggested. "Look, all you got to do is go over, open your mouth, and say—"
"Hello."
The three racers turned and stared in shock to see Ishani appeared. She had a warm smile on her face, enough to make even the most hardcore of racers collapse. Poor Dusty nearly stopped breathing as he stared.
El Chu caught the look on Dusty's face. "El Chupacabra!" He called in a fake voice. "Someone is calling me. I have to go." He sped away before anyone could protest.
Sky blinked. "And, uh, I just remembered that I have to…..call Skipper…over there." She sprinted off after El Chu, leaving Dusty alone with Ishani. The psyche human and Mexican racer watched from their corner they hid behind, amazed by Dusty's growing confidence as he talked with Ishani, casually complimenting her. Before they knew it, Ishani was inviting Dusty out for a trip to the Taj Mahal. The two planes took off, disappearing in the distance.
"Dusty." El Chu breathed, impressed.
"Good for him." Sky nodded. "The guy needs a good girlfriend."
"And what about you, amiga?" El Chu said as he and Sky walked off to wander around the airport. "Any chicos back home?"
Sky laughed. "No, not really. I'm only seventeen. Besides, any guy who wants to date me has to go through my Navy Commander father first." She and El Chu laughed. "Then, once they get past that, they have to accept that I'm a psyche human."
"Why would they not?" El Chu asked.
Sky looked down, a smile still on her face. "Not everyone accepts psyche humans. I learned that from experience."
"Oh?" El Chu asked, looking confused and a little worried. He frowned. "Is someone not treating you nicely because of your powers, amiga?"
"Oh, no." Sky shook her head. "I've managed to find plenty of people who like me even after knowing about my abilities." Her smile faltered a bit. "When I was five, my parents abandoned me for being a psyche human. I wasn't a normal human being, like they wanted."
"Shame on them!" El Chu huffed. "I shall give them a cape swish that shall carry across countries to wherever they are!" He gave a mighty spin and flourish of his cape, stopping in a strong stance.
Sky laughed. "Thanks, El Chu. But it's okay."
"It is not okay if you are not loved by your own parents." El Chu noted.
Sky sighed softly. "I guess. I'm not exactly happy about what they did, but I can't change it. And look on the bright side: I suppose I wouldn't be where I am now if they kept me. I wouldn't have met Skipper and Sparky and I wouldn't be living in Propwash, and Dusty and I wouldn't have come to the Wings Around the Globe Rally or met you."
El Chu nodded. "I am thankful to have met you as well, amiga. Rest assured, I will never abandon you."
Sky smiled warmly, patting the Mexican racer's nose. "Thanks, El Chu. You're a true friend."
El Chu smiled warmly. He and Sky paused at the sound of music, and they turned to see a group of humans and vehicles dancing to Bollywood music playing from a stereo. El Chu smirked and gave a bow to Sky. "Mi amiga, may I have this dance?"
Sky giggled, bowing back to the Mexican racer. "It would be an honor. I did promise you a dance." The two moved out to the dance floor, dancing as best they could given their great difference in size. But they ended up laughing and enjoying themselves along with the other dancers. The pair ended up chatting and laughing for the rest of the day, Ishani and Dusty not returning until late that night.
El Chu graciously escorted Sky back to her and Dusty's hanger, giving a final bow before bidding her goodnight. Sky smiled warmly. "El Chu, I'm so glad we met and we're friends."
"I am happy as well, Señorita Sky." El Chu said, accepting the hug from the girl. "Best of luck tomorrow!"
"You too!" Sky waved as El Chu taxied off to his hanger.