Chapter 8: A Pilot's Hellish Past
Disclaimer: I don't own Vandread or the Ace Combat series.
The Odyssey of Discover: Gryphus 1
Kyle tossed and turned in his sleep, sweating profusely as one certain nightmare plays through his head over and over. He shoots up breathing heavy and in a cold sweat. Parts of Kyle's hair was matted to his drenched face. Finding it impossible to go back to sleep, Kyle gets out of bed and hops into the shower. Quickly drying off and changing into fresh clothes, Kyle puts his shoes and leaves his room somehow aware of his surroundings. He eventually wanders into the cafeteria, grabs a cup of coffee and sits down at some table after grabbing whatever food was available.
A voice said, "It's not like you to sleep in this late, Kyle. You missed breakfast." Kyle looks up to see Meia staring at him with her own cup of coffee.
Kyle stated, "Had a nightmare."
Meia noticed Kyle's hand shaking, "That bad, huh?"
Kyle nodded, "Yeah. Thought I buried that memory but it refuses to stay away."
Meia offered, "Would you like to talk about it? It might make you feel better." Kyle contemplates on whether he should or not. His past was something Kyle kept pretty quiet about since it brought with it bad memories some that he regrets.
The Aurelian sighed, "You think you can handle what I'm about to tell you?"
Meia nodded, "Yes, I am."
Kyle asked, "No matter what?"
Meia nodded again, "Yes." Sighing Kyle gathered his thoughts, he never talked about his past for good reason. And yet Meia is offering him to tell her. Brave or foolish the young pilot begins the story.
(This flashback gets graphic towards the end. For those who don't like or underage, turn away now. You have been warned.)
Flashback
Kyle was born out of a family of three.
Jessica Masterson was born on December 5, 2000, Kyle was born one year later on February 19, 2001 and Sara was born on March 21, 2004.
They drove their parents crazy as kids do but they were behaved kids overall. Their hobbies and future dreams differed from one child to the next.
Jessica was social, friendly and loved music. She dreamed of becoming a lead singer of her own band and travel the world entertaining fans.
Kyle loved science fiction movies particularly Predator and the Star Wars saga, having all six films in his possession and would dress as either the Predator or Darth Vader on Halloween each year. If anyone asked anything related to science fiction Kyle would talk about it for hours. In addition to being bookworm smart of sci-fi stuff, he had a passion for airplanes. He had models of almost every military plane in existence ranging from the P-51 Mustang to the infamous SR-71 Blackbird. He dreamed of one day becoming a fighter pilot.
Sara had massive collections of anime, manga, DVDs and anime movies. There was no anime show she hadn't seen or heard about, she even did cosplay of her favorite anime characters. Her dream was becoming an anime movie director. Because of the way she dressed Sara got picked on at school, this caused the people who picked on her to get taught a lesson courtesy of Jessica. Ironic enough, Sara's older siblings attended the same school. After doing research, Michelle Masterson discovered that the school her kids were going to had bad testing scores and ethnics weren't meeting the standards. This made Michelle send her kids to one of the best schools in Griswall.
Things were great until tragedy struck on April 3, 2013 when their father Daniel Masterson, an oil worker died of an accident on one of the many oil platforms at the Antarctic circle. He was 40 years old when it happened. The family was devastated. They eventually came to terms with his death and moved forward.
Two years later, on August 30, 2015 war broke out between the Republic of Emmeria and Federal Republic of Estovakia on the Anean Continent, north of Yuktobania. It began with the invasion of Gracemeria, the capital of Emmeria. The invasion took the country by surprise and its pilots scrambled to intercept them.
Seeing his dream coming true, Kyle, who was 15 back then volunteered to help Emmeria and joined the Aurelian Air Force. This led to a serious of events that would forever shape his life. After doing everything he could to help the Garuda Team of the Emmerian Air Force's 28th Tactical Fighter Squadron repel the first attack, he ended having to retreat after the arrival of ace pilots from the Estovakian Air Force's "Strigon Team" led by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Voycheck. While his allies were thinking of what they can do to defeat the invaders, whether by fate or chance, Kyle came face to face with the greatest fighter pilot in history: Ken Kitsuragi also known as Mobius 1 and The Grim Reaper.
He was 31 years old, stood at 6'4 inches tall, medium-length brown hair, amber eyes, tanned skin and toned build.
Ken said, "You must be Kyle Masterson I have heard about. Nice to meet you, name's Ken Kitsuragi or more commonly known as Mobius 1."
Kyle gasped, "Oh, my god the greatest fighter pilot ever to soar through the skies is standing in front of me!"
Seeing the immense potential emitting within the teenager, Ken offered with a smile, "How would you like to become my student, Kyle? I see a lot of me inside you: You're driven, strong-willed and calculating." After thinking about it Kyle agrees.
Over the following weeks, Ken taught Kyle everything he knew including how to stay calm under pressure, watching your back and your wingmen, how to pilot his fighter jet better and both armed and unarmed combat. This made Kyle arrogant thinking he was better than the other pilots but after being defeated by Ken during a close-quarters combat training session, the Grim Reaper made Kyle realize arrogance can get you killed. Taking this to heart, Kyle changed his way of thinking and became more self-controlled and ultimately conquered his arrogance. Ken told Kyle he was his finest student, saying that he was a natural talent with flying military aircraft. Kyle accepted the praise with great sense of pride. Although he eventually stood on even ground he could never defeat Ken in combat, armed or unarmed. They got to know what each other's hobbies were, what they disliked, what their future goals were, etc. They soon forged a strong friendship and respect to each other. The next day Ken introduced Kyle to some of his earlier students.
He said they were called Tianlong Squadron and a Foreign Covert Allied squadron helping Emmeria in the war.
The squadron leader was a Chinese man named Chang Shengli. He was the oldest of the group at 23 years old, stood at 6'1, dark brown eyes, black hair, tanned skin and toned figure. He was wearing the desert yellow g-suit of Foreign Covert Allied squadrons.
His wingman was a beautiful Japanese woman named Mori Akaboshi. She recently turned 21 years old, 5'7 in height, dark brown, red hair that was bob-cut in style, high B cup breasts, fair skin and slender body that made men drool. She donned the same desert yellow g-suit her flight lead wore.
The last member of the squad was the youngest at 19 years of age, 5'6 inches tall, blue eyes, short brown hair, 42D cup breasts, mild skin tone and an alluring figure. Her name was Catherine Morgan and obviously British in appearance. She also wore the desert yellow g-suit her squad mates had on.
They all flew the J-10 multi-role fighter.
Chang said, "Who's this, Ken? Your new student?"
Ken nodded, "Yep. This is Kyle Masterson, quite talented for someone of his age."
The Chinese man extended his hand, "Hi, I'm Chang Shengli. Nice to meet you, Kyle."
Kyle shook it, "Chang Shengli. That means 'Always Victorious' in literary." Kyle frees the man's hand.
Chang smiled, "You're pretty smart." Mori introduces herself in her native language but Kyle didn't understand.
Ken translated, "She said, 'Hello, I'm Mori Akaboshi. Nice to meet you.' Akaboshi means Red Star in Japanese."
Kyle looked at his mentor in surprise, "You know Japanese?"
Ken grinned, "Rosetta Stone. It's a neat software program, you should try it sometime. It's the fastest way to learn a new language without needing to listen to long, boring lectures. The one I have offers multiple languages. I'm fluent in Russian, Spanish, Belgium and French. I'm learning Arabic though I must admit it's a challenge. I like challenges, however. It makes it more worthwhile in the end." Kyle quickly got along with Tianlong Squadron over the span of a few days.
Mori challenged Kyle to a sparring match and Kyle initially declined. He was taught to respect women but after remembering it's just a spar he agreed.
He gets into his fighting stance. The dominant arm was held behind the head while the left arm extended forward, the feet were shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and the dominant foot was held back in preparation for forward movement.
Mori's fighting stance had her arms stay close to her sides, the feet were evenly spaced and knees bent halfway down.
They wait for the other to make a move. Soon it was Mori who made the first move.
She charges at him with blinding speed and throws a kick that would have taken Kyle's head off had he not caught it, the momentum of the strike caused a powerful gust of wind to blow in all directions like a shockwave from a massive explosion. Kyle counterattacks throwing punches and kicks that Mori sidesteps or blocks. Unknown to her that's exactly what Kyle wants. His fighting motto was to hold back, settle in for the long haul and wait for the opponent to either become exhausted or makes a mistake then seize the opportunity to strike before the opponent could defend themselves. However, Mori's stamina was impressive meaning she can do an entire marathon before tiring.
She stated, "If you think you're gonna tire me out then you underestimate me, Kyle." They continue their little spar hoping for the other to present an opening to exploit. To each other's surprise, they kept those openings tightly guarded.
Chang and Ken watch from the sidelines.
Chang commented, "Your student's fighting style is...unique, Ken."
Ken smiled, "Kyle fights cautiously when dealing with an opponent of superior skill. However, even veteran fighters can make mistakes that newcomers can exploit. That's what Kyle's plan is. He wants Mori to make a mistake that he can take advantage of. He knows when to play it smart and hold back and when to cut loose and overpower his opponent. Compared to you. Your mentality is go and try dominate the enemy with overwhelming power blows."
Chang huffed, "So what? It's not like you were any different at that age."
Ken looked at his first student, "Hm? Did you say something?"
'Damn you, Ken! You know that pisses me off to no end!' Chang mentally cursed at the jab Ken does to him occasionally.
A gasp brings their attention back to the spar.
Kyle spots an opening in Mori's defense and goes on the offense. Mori tries to counter but Kyle's attacks were coming so fast that it overwhelmed her and Kyle trips her and locks in an arm bar submission hold, applying pressure until Mori had no choice but to tap out.
Over the next 3 months Emmerian forces on the mainland were continually forced to retreat to the West as constant Estovakian attacks overrun military bases and airfields. Ken, Kyle and Tianlong Squadron helped Garuda Team repel a bombing raid on the Emmerian base they were stationed at. A series of intense missions followed this and Kyle had suspicions that there was a spy among them. He was soon proven right during a joint land, naval and air mission, the fighter squadrons under Mobius 1's command turned on him, Kyle and Tianlong Squadron. Most members of the allied squadrons survived but Catherine's plane suffered heavy damage and had to retreat for repairs. The traitors were destroyed. Eventually the tide of war began to turn in Emmeria's favor, able to push Estovakia back and Kyle and Mobius 1 fought with Strigon Team and Mobius showed why he was called The Grim Reaper. Tianlong Squadron had to cover a ground team during the joint assault.
Eventually the war came to an end and peace talks were held between the two countries. Voycheck and "The Generals" were rounded up and detained at prison camps. The whole reason behind the war is that a meteor shower from the Ulysses 1994X04 Asteroid (From Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies) devastated Estovakia while Emmeria was left unscathed. The Generals took control of Estovakia and united the country, building up their military strength then invaded Emmeria.
Standing outside the flight gate of Emmerian Airlines Flight 134 that will take Kyle home, the pilots say their good-byes.
Chang said, "It was nice flying with you, Kyle. Good luck in your future endeavors."
Kyle nodded, "Thank you, I will."
Mori hugged the teenager next, "May God watch over you, Kyle-kun."
Kyle chuckled, "Same to you, Mori. Hope we see each other again someday."
Catherine gave him a thumbs-up and winked, "Don't be a stranger. Good luck finding that perfect someone, kid! I want details when it happens!" Kyle blushes at that.
Ken approached his student, "You are one hell of a pilot, Kyle. Your potential is unlimited, I can see it. There's a present for you back in Aurelia. Hope you like it."
Kyle saluted, "I will." He walks through the gate and the door closes.
The flight back home was peaceful for a change. Landing at Aurelia International Airport, Kyle steps out of the door to be greeted by his family. He kept in touch with them over Skype and told them about the war. After briefly returning to Cape Aubrey Airbase to give his report on the Anean Continental War, Kyle went to see what present Ken gave him. It was an F-22 Raptor!
'Thank you, Ken!' Kyle thought.
Over the next 5 years, things were peaceful for the Masterson family.
On October 5, 2020, everything changes forever.
While he was out doing errands for his mother, some dangerous looking guys follow Kyle and once within range the leading one knocks the 19-year old out and drags him somewhere.
Kyle comes to and takes in his surroundings, soon discovering he was in some sort of building and tied to a wall.
One man said, "Boss, he's awake." Footsteps alert Kyle to the person who arranged this.
The figure walks out of the shadows to unveil itself as a woman about Kyle's age, green hair that went past her shoulders, gray eyes, tanned skin and stood at 5'6" tall. But the smile this person had on spoke of an agenda. An evil agenda.
The woman said, "Ah, this is Kyle Masterson I have heard about. I must say you're really attractive for nineteen years old. I'm Francesca if you're wondering."
Kyle asked, "What do you want?"
Francesca's smiled turned sinister, "I offer you a chance to become my wingman. You see, I have flown alone for some time and need someone to watch my back. I've read about your role in the Anean Continental War and I have chosen you to be my wingman."
Kyle answered, "No way. I was taught to stay away from creeps like you!"
Francesca advised, "Reconsider, boy."
The Aurelian replied, "Screw you!"
Francesca sighed, "You leave me no choice, then. I didn't want to do this. On second thought, I do. Bring them here." Kyle hears struggling and the men bring in his two sisters!"
Jessica said, "Let us go, prick!"
Kyle warned, "You lay one finger on them I will rip your chest open and tear your vital organs out!"
Sara pleaded, "Help us, brother!" Francesca takes in their suffering with sick pleasure.
It showed on her face, "Oh really? You're all tied up in the moment. You should have accepted my offer." She turned to her lackeys, "Do whatever you please with them." The men look at Jessica and Sara with lustful faces.
Kyle watches in horror as her sisters' clothes were ripped off and the men inserted themselves inside them, screams of pain and disgust escape the sisters' mouths as they are raped. They scream as their rapists empty their seed inside them. Seething with rage, Kyle struggles against his bindings wanting nothing more than tear those sick fiends apart for defiling his sisters. However, a hard punch to the stomach stops him in his tracks. Looking up he glares at Francesca who laughs at the torment the Masterson siblings are experiencing. He notices Francesca raising her arm for something and realization forms on the Aurelian's face.
He spewed with venom, "DON'T YOU DARE DO IT, YOU DEMON BITCH!"
Francesca laughed, "Too late for that! Finish it, boys!" The thugs do rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first. The bald one wins and he drags Jessica by the hair up to Kyle's face, sweat and bodily fluids on her skin and the scent it had made Kyle gag.
Jessica said, "Kyle, this isn't your fault." Pulling out a pistol, the thug cocks it and points the gun at Jessica's temple, grinning at Kyle. Time slows down when he pulls the trigger and Jessica's brains blow out then her lifeless body falls to the ground. A pool of blood slowly forms.
Kyle shouted, "Jessica!" A cocking noise directs Kyle's attention to the second thug who points his shotgun at Sara then fires. At point-blank range the girl's skull was almost blown off. Kyle's rage turns white-hot and he resumes trying to free himself. The thugs' laughter fuels the fire inside him.
Francesca said, "Not done yet." She brings his attention to the TV where another one of her lackeys held a camera and records an entire squadron of B-52 bombers filling the sky over downtown Aurelia.
On the streets, people are going about their business when the air raid sirens go off and they look up to see bombers flying overhead. The distinct sound of bombs falling echo through the sky and moments later clouds of smoke fill the sky as the bombers unleash their payload on the unprepared town. For 15 minutes a vision of hell loomed over the town until the last of the bombers left. What's left is a scene of utter devastation.
Buildings were leveled, fires raged from ruptured gas lines, people stood shell-shocked at what just happened. Firetrucks and other emergency services flood the street in hoping to find survivors underneath piles of rubble.
Kyle lowered his head and was completely silent. What he just saw left him speechless.
Francesca left the room they were in and orders her men to watch him.
Minutes tick by until the men got bored and left, when they were gone Kyle breaks free of his restraints and lands on his knees.
He walks over to Jessica and falls to his knees as tears land on the concrete floor, shaky hands reach out to pull the young woman's lifeless body to him. Kyle wished it was one bad dream and he'd wake up in his home with his family there. Such wishful thinking was pushed away by the pain he felt. Looking at the guns their executioners carelessly left Kyle grabs them and makes sure the guns still had ammo then sets off. Footsteps alert Kyle that someone's coming and presses himself against the wall to let the footsteps walk past him. Confirming the identities as Francesca's henchmen, Kyle quietly walks up behind them and fires the pistol killing both men instantly. He then searches for his real target.
Arriving in a hanger Kyle looks in all directions for Francesca but it's quiet, too quiet.
A whooshing sound fills Kyle's ears and points his left arm forward only to have it get cut off by a machete and bullet in his right shoulder. Kyle falls on his back, daggers of pain shoot through his body like dozens of angry hornets. Francesca steps out of the shadows wearing an amused look on her face.
Francesca said, "Did you really think I wouldn't know? I let you kill those two because they outlived their usefulness. You would have been a far greater ally to me than the others. The world we could've created. Your sentimentality held you back, however."
Kyle fired back, "It's called value of life, bitch! I don't see others as pawns like you do!"
Francesca laughed, "Value of life? My god, what have they been filling your head with these days? Life isn't about sunshine and butterflies, boy it's about survival of the fittest. You either adapt or perish."
Kyle growled, "You're pure evil, plain and simple!"
The green-haired woman said, "Look around you, Kyle. See those yellow devices on the support columns? They're the C4 plastic explosive. Since I have the feeling you will become a thorn in my side if you stay alive, I felt it would be nice to have you die with your sisters. Good-bye." Walking out of the door and into the smoky hazed daylight, Francesca pushes the button. The explosives detonate blowing the building sky high, pieces of burning debris rain down.
Eventually firefighters reach the area hoping to find survivors. The Battalion Chief leads the operation.
He suddenly ordered, "Quiet!" He heard faint calls of help beneath the rubble and barked, "We got a survivor! Let's get him out of there!" With the help of heavy-duty equipment, the firefighters are able to pull Kyle out of the wreckage and paramedics load him onto a stretcher.
Kyle gazes at the smoke pouring into the sky with lifeless eyes, faintly hearing one of the firemen say to the Battalion Chief they found two bodies.
The Aurelian's rushed to the hospital and to the ER.
The surgeons look over the X-rays of Kyle's injuries, weighing on how to go ahead with the surgery.
One of them asked, "So what do we got?"
The lead surgeon looked over the report, "Kyle Masterson. Male. 5'10" tall. I'd say 165, maybe 170 pounds. In his late teens. His injuries include third-degree burns over 40% of his body, excessive blood loss due to severing of the left arm two-thirds below the elbow and possible lung damage. I say we go ahead and do the new surgery the Aurelian military developed."
His partner asked, "Are you sure? You do know what the side effects can be if it goes wrong, right?"
The lead surgeon looked at his friend, "I have saved lives for 12 years. I accept the risks during each operation." For the next 15 minutes, the surgeons work on repairing the damage on Kyle's body and once the surgery was done they put his hands in metal straps on the operation table. They removed all the surgery tools after the operation was complete and sanitized the area.
Kyle's breathing let the surgeons know he was regaining consciousness so another man pulls the lever to raise the operation table until it was upright. Kyle slowly opened his eyes.
A voice said, "Kyle, can you hear me?" The 19-year old turns his head at the direction the voice was coming from and soon discovers the user's identity.
He was 21 years old, stood at 6'4, fair skin tone, short auburn hair, blue eyes and impressive build. He wore a blue T-shirt, black jeans, socks and black shoes with white trimming. His name was Kane Masterson also known as Cipher, the hero of Belkan War in 1995. Under normal circumstances, he'd be in his 60s or 70s but recent discovery in age reversal serums allowed Kane to re-enter his early 20s. He was told it was permanent meaning he would never age but he was still vulnerable to death.
Kyle replied, "Yes, cousin. Where am I?"
His cousin explained, "You are fortunate. Engine 34 of the Aurelian Fire Department was scouring the area when they heard you. They were able to pry you out of the rubble and the ambulance drove you here where the surgeons operated on you to fix the injuries you sustained in the explosion. The bodies of your sisters were recovered seconds after you were."
Kyle asked, "Where is mom and Bianca? Are they safe? Are they alright?"
Kane hesitated before answering, "They were caught in the bombing raid. They didn't make it, Kyle. I'm sorry."
Kyle said, "You're...you're lying. They were alive, I felt it!" He began pulling against his bindings until they broke and Kyle stepped off the table and reared back, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Later that day, the news confirmed it.
The anchor woman said, "At 12:30pm, a Leasath bomber squadron appeared over downtown Aurelia and proceeded to bomb the town nearly off the map. Casualties are feared in the tens of thousands with another 2,000 missing or injured and still growing. Tim Brooks is live at the scene. Tim, you there?" A separate screen displays the man standing in the one of the many destroyed districts.
The cameraman does the countdown with his fingers and then gives the go ahead.
Tim said, "Yeah, I'm here Brittany. As you can see behind me it's utter devastation. No building was left standing due to the bombing raid and rescue workers are looking for survivors but fires are making it difficult. I received an update moments ago that Leasath has begun invading Aurelia by blitzkrieg tactics. I don't know the exact meaning behind this invasion but my gut's telling me that more bad things are on the horizon." Kyle ignores the rest of the report as he thought back on what the surgeons did on him.
They replaced his severed left arm with a prosthetic one that was 30 years ahead of the competition, used serums to regenerate any tissue and hair lost to the extreme heat of the explosion and boosted his strength, stamina and endurance to superhuman levels. When put to use, his legs allowed Kyle to leap considerable distances and run up to 60 miles per hour. His augmented strength allowed him to lift a full-grown human off the ground with an outstretched arm, his stamina allowed Kyle to push himself harder and longer and his increased endurance made him highly resistant to pain.
'I'm gonna go to my family's funeral then I'm going to kill a lot of people!' Kyle thought with murderous intent.
He attended his family's funeral the next day and sat on a hill alone pain of loss gripping him like some hard vice. Kyle hugs his knees and gritted his teeth as tears run down his cheeks.
He said, "Mother, sisters. Why? Why you?" Kyle holds his head, screaming in sadness as the tears increased. He lost everything in the span of one day: His home, his family, his way of life. All of that snuffed out within half a second!
Later that day he ordered for an armored g-suit be created, the suit didn't take long to make and the helmet was bit more difficult because of the vision modes and file system he asked be installed but it was still made. The weapons he asked for took an hour each to make. The blacksmith checked for any impurities in the metal and once satisfied that he found none, he installed the wrist blades into the left gauntlet and the mini-computer on the right one.
Kyle steps into the g-suit and zips it up, he tested the wrist blade to make sure it worked right, put the M9A1 Barreta pistol in its holster, the katana in its sheath strapped to his left hip and finally puts the demonic helmet on. His eyes turn glowing red and his pupils became slits underneath the visor, rage flowing through his veins.
Arriving at the nearby military base occupied by Leasath soldiers, Kyle activates the cloaking device rendering him invisible to normal means of detection.
He sneaks in through an open window and quietly enters the base, landing on a skywalk. Using his thermal vision he spots two guards below him and he jumps down landing on the ground with a thud.
One guard asked, "What was that?"
His friend replied, "Better check it out." Kyle waits for them to walk past him and then impales one of them with his wrist blade and shoots the other in the head. Letting the first guard slide off his weapon Kyle moves further into the base. He comes across what appears to be the cafeteria. Throughout the evening and into the night, all that's heard within the base are screams of horror, gunfire and steel cutting flesh apart. Kyle left no one alive! A fire soon breaks out and the vengeful teen corners his last bunch of victims in the giant hallway leading to the exit.
One soldier pleaded, "Please, have mercy!"
Kyle answered, "What about my family or all those innocent who perished in the bombing raid? Did you show them mercy? Did you?!"
The soldier said, "We were following orders!"
Their invisible assailant growled, "Wrong answer!" He cuts the man's head off and the headless body slumps to the ground. Kyle deactivates the cloaking device to show himself.
The other Leasath soldiers look at the monster standing before them. The blood dripping from his bladed weapons combined with the fire reflecting off the dark visor of his helmet made Kyle a frightening sight.
The third soldier asked in horror, "Jesus Christ, what the hell are you?"
Kyle said, "I am your nightmare come to life! I am Death incarnate! You deserve no mercy for you have shown us none!" He pulled out two fragment grenades, "For your crimes you are condemned to eternal damnation. May hell welcome you with open arms!" He pulls the pin and throws the grenade near a generator that was dangerously close to exploding due to intense heat from the fire. Kyle walks out of the base and moments later the roof is blown sky-high from the force of the explosion.
Fresh oxygen's sucked into the flames intensifying them.
Kyle screams into the heavens letting out all his rage, sadness, anger, regret, every kind of emotion until he couldn't scream anymore.
Next on his quest for vengeance was finding two targets. The first was finding Diego Navarro and make him pay for orchestrating the bombing of his town. The second person on his hit list was Francesca, the evil woman who destroyed his life. No she wasn't a human being, she was a demon wearing human clothes!
However, he first needed to drive Leasath out of his country. And that's what he did, he led Gryphus Squadron to victory after victory reaching a turning point when he shot down the Gleipnir the weapon not only responsible for the squadron's near destruction over Cape Aubrey but for allowing Leasath to claim 95% of Aurelian territory over the span of 10 days, earning him the nickname "Nemesis". Griswall was liberated days later and shortly after that Archelon Fortress and Fenrir, he shot down every Leasath plane that got in his way. When the reason for the war became known to the public, Diego Navarro fled and his whereabouts were unknown.
End of flashback
Meia was calm on the outside but she was seething on the inside at Kyle's tale of his tormented past. To have someone of his age go through so much pain and see his sisters being raped and murdered in front of him then lose the rest of his family to a bombing raid. She now understands the reason Kyle became like her: Very skilled pilot, capable squadron leader, calculating and closed his heart to the outside world.
When she regained her ability to speak, Meia said, "I'm sorry you had to experience that, Kyle." She gasps when she noticed tears falling, Kyle wasn't crying but he didn't bother to stop the tears either.
Kyle said, "I wasn't always like this, you know. In some ways I was like Dita: Cheerful, always looking on the bright side, naïve to the rest of the world. The Emmeria-Estokavia War and Aurelian War made me grow up. It made me realize the dark side of humanity and how we can be our own demise. You remind me of my second sister, Sara. She was brave, strong-willed but minus the arrogance. That's why I can only find closure when Diego Navarro and Francesca die at my hands. It's too late for me to find redemption or forgiveness, Meia. No matter what you say. And no, I don't want your pity either." He feels a hand on top of his and Kyle lifts his head to see Meia sitting next to him. When did she move to the seat next to his?
Meia hugged him to her chest, "You're not alone anymore, Kyle. This crew is like family. We watch out for each other and look for support when we feel sad." She discovered he was silent and said, "How long has it been since you had a good cry? You should let it out. You'll feel better once you do. It's not good keeping it locked inside." Those last words crumbled the defenses Kyle built around his heart and he lets out the pain and sadness he kept locked away for weeks.
Meia gently rubs his back and whispers soothing words in his ear.
Unknown to them, the crew watched the entire thing and they all had different reactions. Some were shocked beyond comprehension, some were enraged at the slaying of his family.
Belvedere had her hands over her mouth while tears ran down her face, "How could anyone do that to another person?"
Magno answered, "Someone who has no heart." Dita clings to Hibiki and he subconsciously holds her.
Alex and Eugene were silent, they knew Kyle was quiet about his past based on his behavior when someone brought it up.
They both prayed God would have mercy on the two people who ruined their flight lead's life because Kyle sure won't.
A/N: Chapter 8 done.
Here we get to know about Kyle's past, his involvement to the Emmeria-Estovakia War (Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation), his connection to Mobius 1 and Cipher, the death of his family and the impact it had on him. Lastly, the violent rampage he went on.
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Stay tuned for chapter 9.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Vader 23A