Chapter 11 – Powder Keg
November 4, 2010 2347hrs Oured Osea, Blaze's hotel room
"You're Mobius 1, aren't you?" asked Kei
I leaned forward against the wall and rested my forehead against it. She had finally figured out who I was and I knew she'd find my story hard to believe. I nodded and I could sense Kei's shocked astonishment.
"How could you be Mobius 1 when you were seventeen?" she asked.
"It's a long and complicated story Kei. I'm under orders not to tell anyone, not even my own family," I said softly while I lightly banged my forehead against the wall.
"What can you tell me then? Talk to me Antonio, please."
I looked over at her and I could see the tears building up in Kei's eyes as she looked at me. I couldn't bear to see her cry and I wanted her to stop. She looked away from me and I watched as she got up to leave the room. Go after her! Kei opened the door to my room and I quickly walked over to her and grabbed her shoulder. She looked at my hand and I turned her towards me.
"It all started when I was eight years old, the day my dad died," I said. I have to come clean.
Kei wiped the tears from her eyes as I tried to gather my thoughts on how I should tell her everything. I let go of her shoulder and walked over to the bed. I sat down leaning forward and I ran my fingers through my hair.
"How exactly did your father die?" asked Kei.
"There was an attack on Curtis Air Force Base on June 24th, 1996 and my dad, brother, and older sister were victims," I told her.
Kei's eyes widened when she realized I was talking about the same attack that killed her father. I wanted to ask her if she knew about the green eyed pilot, but I didn't want her to go looking for him like I already was. She walked over towards me and asked me to go on.
"When the pilot dropped his last bomb on the spectator stands, I got hit in the back by a piece of debris when I tried running away. That's why I got that scar on the left side of my back. I was fading in and out when someone had finally found me and they took me to what I thought was a hospital, but it turned out to be a place where they were researching and experimenting on kids. They assumed both of my parents were dead and they drafted me into their experiment called Project Pit bull where they basically molded me and a bunch of other kids into younger versions of Jason Bourne against our will. We were stripped of our names and assigned numbers. I was 0118," I said and I felt myself becoming angry. "Two years after I became part of Pit bull, one of my mom's closest friends found out what they were doing to us and managed to stop the project. I found out my mom was alive and that she believed I was dead. It was a bittersweet reunion and I tried readjusting to normal life, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't just forget everything that Pit bull did to me and it started affecting my mentality. Things got so bad that my only options were to either spend the rest of my life in a mental institution or go back to a more closely monitored version of Pit bull that would only be active during the summer. I chose the latter and my mother asked her friend, who found me, to keep a close eye on me. Every fall, I would attend regular school as part of a type of therapy I was going through and so I could acquire the feeling of a normal life, and every summer I would go back to Pit bull where I would continue the training. All of the other kids returned as well, but we never came in contact with each other. I was eighteen when I was finally 'released' from Pit bull and by that time, I pretty much had the knowledge of a college graduate and the physic and skills of a veteran soldier."
I was still full of anger and I wanted to kill the people who forced me to live a double life that I never wanted, but it was my fault as well because I chose to go back. I didn't want any of this, but I try to make the best of it. Kei sat down next to me and she grabbed my hand again. I felt myself calm down a little, but I was still angry.
"How did you become Mobius 1?" she asked. She seems awfully relaxed at what I just told her.
"You know how the Independent States don't really have a military or defense force right?" I asked and Kei nodded. "They only have ISAF which is basically any military asset given to them by various countries to help them whenever they need to build a military. Anyways, as I was still going through Pit bull, I still had my interest in flying and ISAF needed pilots. I volunteered to join them but the brass took it as a joke. One of the guys who trained me was able to convince them otherwise. I started out with the basic knowledge of flying and navigation and the more sorties I went on, the more I was able to improve my flying. I also felt like I was becoming what my mom feared I would become."
Kei looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. "What I mean by that is that I wasn't me anymore, I lost my morality. I shot down planes, bombed tanks, and sank ships without mercy," I said and my voice trailed off.
I could remember every target I destroyed and every missile I evaded. I could remember every detail of my encounter with Yellow squadron and how I had to fight five aces alone. I even remember when I had to save the plane Kei and her family was flying in. Wow, that ISAF pilot is flying solo!
Flight 701 can you raise altitude; this will assist the ISAF escort.
This is flight 702; the ISAF plane has the Erusians tied up. We just may make it.
Oh no, it's the Grim Reaper!
I'm hit, Mobius 1, you take the lead!
We need heroes after the war.
"Antonio, are you okay?" asked Kei.
"They called me a hero, but I shouldn't be alive. I should've died at the airshow along with the other half of my family. I don't know if God has a plan for me and after everything I've done, I'd never forgive me. Now you know why I'm so angry at myself," I said softly.
I sank my head lower as I kept beating myself up over my past. I can't help what happened in the past, I have to keep going forward. I felt tears building up in my eyes and I fought to keep them from showing, but Kei saw them. She put her hand on my cheek, turned my head towards her, and kissed me.
"None of us would be a live if it weren't for you. I got to actually fly with the one and only Mobius 1, and I wanted to thank you," said Kei as she moved in closer and continued to kiss me tenderly.
"I love you Kei."
"I love you too."
June 24, 1996 Curtis AFB Osea
"You ready for your first flight kid?" said the pilot of the P-51D Mustang.
"Yeah," I said trembling with excitement.
The pilot pushed the throttle forward and the Mustang took off down the runway. I was gripping the edge of my seat tightly as I felt the plane lift off from the ground. The pilot pulled back on the stick and made a climbing right turn. I looked out the side of the canopy and I could see my dad standing on the side of the runway and shrink as we climbed into the sky. We were going higher and higher until I couldn't see the ground anymore and the pilot leveled off at fifteen thousand feet. We were above the cloud deck and I could hear the engine humming through my helmet and headset. It was around noon and the sun was shining brightly through the scattered clouds.
"Hold on Kid, get ready for some fancy flying," I heard my pilot say and he started performing various maneuvers. He pulled into a hard right turn and I felt my body shift as he kept switching direction and pulled various high G maneuvers. I came close to blacking out and my stomach was swirling around in my chest. I was close to vomiting but I fought to keep that from happening. I could see the flight controls moving in front of me and I was able to understand how the pilot was able to control the plane. The pilot put the Mustang into a dive and headed back towards the base where we took off from and flew up next to an F-16 that was doing its flight demonstration. I could hear ground control yelling at my pilot, telling him to clear the airspace so he doesn't crash into any of the other planes. He banked right away from the F-16 and climbed above the cloud deck again.
"Alright Kid, let see what you can make this bird do," said the pilot.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I hesitated when I grabbed the stick and put my feet on the rudder pedals. I lightly pushed the stick over to the left and I felt the Mustang roll over to the left very quickly. I pushed the stick over to the right to correct it but it just made me lose control even more. My pilot in the front quickly regained controlled of the plane and gave me back control of the Mustang.
"Kid, here's a little tip; when you fly the plane, you have to move with it. Think of this bird as a part of you," said the pilot.
Might as well give it a shot and see what I can make it do. I took his advice and I quickly got a feel for the plane. I was so giggly when I finally figured it out. I pushed the stick forward and dove for speed. I quickly pulled back on the stick and the Mustang climbed higher and higher. As I came out of the climb, I barrel rolled into a cloud and banked to the left. I wonder if I replicate what Donald Bryan did in his dogfight against that one German ace he fought in WWII. I leveled the Mustang and flew straight for a little bit.
"You had enough Kid?" the pilot asked as he chuckled.
"No, not yet," I replied.
I snapped the sick back and put the Mustang into stall. I hit full bottom rudder, which dropped the nose and the torque of the propeller twisted the plane counter clockwise. I pushed the stick forward, neutralizing the effect, and waited for the plane to regain speed as it fell out of the sky, so I could pull out of the stall I had entered. My pilot in the front seat was freaking out as we fell two thousand feet before the Mustang was finally able to pick up flying speed again. I was smiling at the way the pilot had reacted and I could see him looking back at me in his mirror, wondering how I just did that maneuver.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, but before I could answer him, I felt the plane tip over to the left. I tried reversing direction but the plane wasn't responding. The Mustang was still intact, but I didn't know what was going on. I suddenly felt the Mustang spin right and my head impacted the canopy hard enough to knock me out.
November 5, 2010 0730hrs Oured Osea
I woke up when I was knocked out in my dream. I looked around the room and it took me a second to remember where I was. Kei and I were under the covers in my bed, holding each other wearing only our underwear. I gently removed my arm from underneath her as I got up and walked over to where my gym shorts were and put them on. I walked over to the window and saw the sun peaking over the horizon through some of the surrounding buildings. Everything was calm but I knew that somewhere on the other side of the Strangereal, people were dying because of the war. I continued to look out the window and I felt Kei wrap her arms around me and rest her head on my back.
"I wish we could stay here longer," I said as I held Kei's arms.
"You and me both," she replied and she kissed my back.
She better get back to her room before someone catches us together. The phone on my bed side table started to ring. I turned and kissed Kei and walked over to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Antonio, it's me," said Harkin. "Listen, your copilot is alright and the doctors are telling her she can't take part in any combat sorties for the next week. I'll have someone drive you and your team to the airport and she'll be waiting. I don't know what you did to her, but she was out for the whole night."
"Thank you sir, may I ask you something before I go?" I asked.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"How many enemy pilots were captured after the attack on the airport last night?"
"None of them turned up alive, they all took cyanide pills before we could get to them. However, we have all the pilots bodies accounted for, except one. He won't be out there for long," said Harkin.
"Thank you sir," I said and I hung up. I turned towards Kei and I saw her getting dressed. "Did you hear me say anything in my sleep last night?"
She stopped in the middle of putting on her robe and looked at me with worry in her eyes.
"You said something about 'those eyes'. Why?"
"Nothing, you'd better get back to your room before the others catch us," I said.
Kei nodded and left my room. I better get ready to head back to Sand Island. I gathered my uniform and took my morning shower. After I was done I packed all of my things and walked out of the room. As I closed the door behind me I noticed Chopper was leaning against the wall next to my door. He looked at me like he knew one of my secrets and I could tell he was going to ask me about something.
"Did you have a good night last night?" asked Chopper.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh nothing, I was just wondering why I saw Nagase enter your room last night. Is there something you want to share with us Kid?" asked Chopper.
I didn't know what to say and I couldn't think of any excuses as to what it looked like. I also knew it was a matter of time before the others found out. It's not that I didn't trust anyone in Wardog if I told them about me and Kei; it was because if they found out, the others could start to think I was playing favorites when it came to protecting my wingmen. I leaned against the wall and looked at Chopper.
"What do you think she came to my room last night?" I asked.
"I don't know, did you two seal the deal or was it just so she could cry on your shoulder again?"
"That's a little cold when you put it like that dude," I said.
"Sorry let me rephrase it, did you finally start dating or did you console her?" asked Chopper.
I looked at him even more annoyed than usual. I didn't know if he was trying to piss me off for his own amusement or if he was seriously asking me these questions. Either way I didn't like it.
"Are you trying to get a rise out of me? Because I'm this close to kicking your ass," I said.
"Alright, fine," said Chopper holding up his hands in defense. "How long have you and Nagase been having this kind of relationship?"
"What do you mean 'this kind of relationship?" I asked.
"Jesus Christ Kid, how long have you and Nagase been dating?" said Chopper.
"Thank you for being clear about your question. Now if you must know, we've been dating since the SSTO launch. Is there a reason you're asking?" I asked suspiciously.
"Because you know in our line of work, anything could happen. With Nagase's seemingly fragile state of mind and your anger issues, one of you getting killed is going to spell certain doom for the rest of us. You know that right?" said Chopper.
"I'm aware of that," I said quietly. I could tell Chopper wanted to talk about the subject more in depth but I guess my attitude is what stopped him.
"Listen Kid, I'm happy for the both of you, but don't let your feelings for each other jeopardize the rest of us," said Chopper and he walked towards the elevators with his bag in hand.
I saw Kei and Erica walk out of their rooms, carrying their duffel bags. I was still leaning against the wall thinking about what Chopper said. Kei and I both knew the consequences of our relationship, and we still went along with it. I'd do just about anything for her.
"You alright, Sir?" asked Erica.
"Yeah, just a long night last night," I said and I could see Kei trying to fight a smile. "Anyways, let's go get some chow before we have to take off."
The three of us headed downstairs and headed for the hotel cafeteria where everyone else was waiting for us. I wasn't really that hungry so I only grabbed a small bowl of cereal and an apple. Everyone else was piling on the food on their trays. Damn, I wish I could've gotten some of that bacon. I listened as they talked about some of our earlier sorties. Erica, Kyle, and Justin were all listening as Chopper told them about our SSTO mission.
"By the time the thing launched, Kid's plane was shot to shit by some guy who launched the last cruise missile at the SSTO craft. I don't know what kind of plane that pilot was flying but it didn't have any markings on it and it was black. I would've loved to see Kid fight that guy last night," said Chopper.
"Captain, your flying was amazing against that enemy pilot you fought last night," said Erica.
"Yeah, I want to see what you can do in an F-22," said Grimm.
I was in the middle of chewing my apple when Grimm said that. I wish I still had my other plane before the Eruseans got a hold of it. I looked at Grimm and smiled.
"I'd like to see what I can do with it too, but I can't trust that plane with my life," I said.
"Why not?" asked Justin.
"You ever hear about 'Raptor Cough'?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's hypoxia or something like that."
"Exactly, that's the only reason why I won't fly it," I said.
"Have you flow the Raptor before?" asked Erica.
Yes I have and I almost didn't make it back to base. "Nah, my mom's friend, Lieutenant Colonel Harkin, flew it before and he almost crashed trying to land it," I said. I put him in that position too.
"Wow, does anyone know what causes the hypoxia?" asked Grimm
"I think it had something to do with the plane's oxygen system. Even after the entire system was replaced, the pilots were still experiencing the symptoms," said Chopper. "I wonder why those pilots who escorted us here flew them."
"Probably because they needed every advantage if they needed to shoot us down if we ran," said Erica.
"I'm just glad we don't need escort back to Sand Island," I said looking at the clock. "Speaking of which, we'd better get going."
We cleaned up our mess, picked up our bags, and headed to the front of the hotel. We waited for less than a minute before Harkin pulled up in his car along with two other SUVs. I didn't think he'd be here, but it must be important. Maybe he's going to give me my watch back. Harkin got out of his car and looked at me.
"Castillo, you're riding with me," he said.
I looked back at the others and they looked at me. They still thought Harkin was my attorney and they could only wonder what he wanted to talk to me about. I put my bag in the back seat of Harkin's car, got in the passenger's seat, and Harkin started driving to the airport.
"Kid, you know damn well you weren't supposed to tell anyone about Pit Bull," said Harkin angrily.
He knew I told Kei about it last night and he wasn't too happy about it either. I knew this was coming because he and the others he worked with kept a constant eye on me. I couldn't even use the bathroom without them taking interest. There was a price put on my head after I completed operation Katina and Harkin was just trying to keep me safe.
"I know sir," I replied.
"Then why did you tell your wingman?" he asked looking at me.
"Because she found out I saved her and her family six years ago, and her dad was another victim at the Curtis attack," I said softly.
Harkin looked at me surprised and I saw his expression out of the corner of my eye. He only let me in on certain details of the attack but he didn't tell me everything. The only things Harkin told me was that the guy who killed half of my family was a Belkan pilot who disappeared after the attack and that he was a member of a coup d'état force that was likely to be active to this day.
"Sir, you've kept the details of that attack from me long enough, I want to know why that pilot murdered half of my family that day," I said glaring at Harkin.
"I can't do that Kid," he replied.
"Why not, I want some closure if that bastard and I dogfight again," I said. Wait for him to take the bait.
"What do you mean again?" asked Harkin.
"I fought with him last month over the Basset space center," I said.
"How do you even know it was him?"
"I'll never forget that fucker's eyes," I said. Harkin probably would dismiss my evidence but it was the only thing I could remember from him when I saw him.
"What color were they?" asked Harkin.
"Green…. They were green and I could tell he was smiling when I saw him both times," I said.
It was part of Harkin's job to take note of every detail and analyze the crap out of it. I knew Harkin would then have to dig even deeper to try and find out what else I might know. I was expecting this, but I wasn't going to make it easy for him.
"What else can you tell me Kid?" asked Harkin.
"Depends on what you can tell me. Can you tell me why he attacked Curtis and do you have any clue as to who he might be?"
"I can't do that Captain," said Harkin. When he called me by my rank, I knew I was pissing him off and I knew not to push my luck.
"Then I don't know anything else, Sir," I said and remained quiet for the rest of the ride to the airport.
When we got to the airport, we all got out of the vehicles and headed to the locker rooms. We got in our flight gear and I waited for Michelle to arrive before we took off. Everyone was sitting on the flight line in a circle talking, while I was leaning against the front of the hanger our planes were stored in. They could tell I was in a bad mood so they didn't bother me. Every now and then I would see Kei glance over at me, wondering if I was okay.
"Her and your fathers were one of the main reasons for the attack."
I looked to my left and I saw Harkin leaning against the hanger next to me. Oh, so now he wants to play ball.
"Who else and why were they targeted?" I asked.
"During the final days of the Belkan War, you dad led a team of men to secure the crash site of a renegade group's flying command center. Your father's team secured the site and came across numerous plans for super weapons that could guarantee a country's dominance over the rest of Strangereal. Your father reported the matter and a number of people were called in to research the data and develop it for use by the allies. Hideo Nagase, Kei's father, was one of the top researchers who had the idea of combining some of the ideas to make even more powerful weapons of mass destruction," said Harkin.
I was finally getting what I wanted and I knew about some of the things he was talking about like Megalith and Stonehenge. What scared me was that I didn't know how many more of these weapons were still out there.
"There's something you should know about Kei's dad, after the war ended, he made copies of the plans and hid them away somewhere so no one could find them. As you and I both know, no secret stays hidden forever. Eventually, someone found a copy of two of the plans and they were sold to Erusea. That's how Stonehenge and Megalith came to be and Kei's family was being targeted to cover up any loose ends," said Harkin.
Something then occurred to me that I hadn't realized before. I was nervous about asking it because I though Kei might have been lying to me the whole time, but I had to know.
"Sir, what was her family doing in Usea during that war? I thought she was a citizen of Osea," I said.
"I am," said Kei and I turned to see her standing behind me.
"Then what was your family doing on the Usean continent," I asked.
She looked at ground and sighed. I had a bad feeling about what she was about to say and I felt like it was enough to give me a reason to break up with her. I hope to God that I don't lose her because of this secret.
"After the Curtis attack, she emigrated to Erusea with my sister because my mother thought the attack on Curtis was only the beginning of something bigger. She gave the Erusean government the plans for Stonehenge and Megalith in exchange for citizenship," said Kei.
"Didn't you go with her?" I asked.
Kei leaned against the hanger wall and looked away from me. I was about to ask her again but Harkin placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and he took a deep breath.
"This is something you two are going to have to talk about on your own time, but right now you and I are running out of time," Harkin said to me. "During the Curtis attack, your fathers were targeted along with other key people who were all somehow linked to one the weapons your father discovered."
"Do you know who attacked Curtis?" I asked.
"We narrowed it down to one of two people, but we believe it was a man named Wolfgang Buchner," said Harkin.
"What about the other guy?"
"We don't know who he is but we found traces of him and they lead us to believe that he's dead. Buchner went AWOL during the Belkan war and no trace of him has been found since, so we assume he was part of the 'World with no Boundaries' group," said Harkin. "Now you're going to tell me everything you know about this pilot you mentioned."
I could feel Kei's eyes staring at me, wondering what Harkin was talking about. She deserves to know, I can't keep him to myself if we run into him again.
"We first encountered him over the Basset space center when the SSTO delivered the laser to the Arkbird and I believe I encountered him last night over Apito international. I couldn't see his face, but the way he flew made me suspect that it was him," I said.
"Why do you think it was him if you couldn't see him," asked Harkin.
"His flying style made it so that he wasted no time trying to attack his next target. When he attacked Curtis, he went straight for another target after we was done with his first one. He followed the same principles when we were dogfighting," I said.
"I can vouch for the Captain, Sir," said Kei. "He didn't waste any time trying to gain the advantage when the Captain and that enemy pilot fought last night. If no one caught him after he bailed out last night, then he's somewhere in Osea still."
Kei's words carried a lot of weight because she also saw how intense that dogfight was. Harkin looked at her for a second before he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. The investigation officially ended a while ago, but unofficially, Harkin was still looking into it.
"Alright, I'll look into this more when I get back. In the mean time you might want to get your team airborne so you can head back to Sand Island, and another thing; try not to make your RIO piss herself again," said Harkin and he left.
Kei looked at me befuddled as to what he was talking about and I think it was better that she didn't know. Michelle had just gotten out of the vehicle that brought her here and she was making her way towards the hanger.
"What's he talking about?" asked Kei.
"Take a whiff of the back seat of my plane and you'll find out," I said and I started walking into the hanger.
Kei followed me and climbed up to the cockpit of my plane. She practically gagged at the smell and jumped down. I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction as she started digging through her bag and pulled out a bottle of her body spray. She climbed back up and started spraying Michelle's seat while she was holding her nose. Michelle had just walked in on Kei as she started spraying down the seat and Michelle's face turned beat red with embarrassment. Kei saw her and jumped down to talk to her.
"I don't think he told anyone else," said Kei trying not to laugh and she walked towards her plane.
Michelle glared at me and I could tell I pissed her off pretty good. She wouldn't talk to me and I honestly didn't care. I did what I had to keep the both of us alive and if she wanted to give me the silent treatment, then so be it.
After we put our bags in the storage pods under our planes, we strapped in, started up our engines, taxied onto the runway, and took off for Sand Island. We didn't have fighter escort and our planes were stripped of all weapons except for the gun. Chopper started complaining about how we would be shot down in a matter of minutes if we were jumped since we didn't have any weapons other than our guns. I can't believe I missed this guy.
"So Lieutenant Rockford, what happened when the Captain was dog fighting that enemy plane last night?" asked Grimm.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before they asked her about it. I was just as curious as to when she threw up and passed out. She didn't say anything right away but she told them everything, except the part about her wetting herself.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to flying with the Captain," said Michelle.
"If you don't like it, trade places with one of the other three," I suggested.
"I just might do that," she replied. "Anyone want to switch places with me?"
No one said anything and I could feel the tension among them. It seemed like Michelle was desperate to try and fly with someone else. I honestly thought that Kyle, Justin, and Erica would've jumped at the opportunity to fly with me, but I guess I was wrong.
"Come on you guys, at least flying with the Captain once," begged Michelle. "Nelms, please switch places with me on the next mission."
"Yeah, please switch with her. I can't go another mission listening to her scream at me for trying to keep her sorry ass alive," I said.
"Yeah Smokey, it'll give her and I a chance to have some girl time," joked Kei.
"Alright fine, I'll do it next mission," said Kyle and ended the conversation.
November 6, 2010 1823hrs Sand Island
When we arrived back at Sand Island, I went straight to my bunk and passed out until around 0940hrs this morning. My internal clock was all messed up from the jet lag and I when I did wake up and get on deck, it was already too late for me to do my morning routine. We didn't get a welcome like we did last time, but we still had to deal with the unfriendly base personnel like the kitchen staff and some of base security. What really surprised me was that Colonel Perrault hadn't called me into his office so he could sneer at me for being put on active duty again. He must've been pissed off beyond all reason if he didn't want to try and insult me.
I spent most of the day in the hangers, talking with some of the people who believed Wardog was innocent. They were a good bunch of people and they liked us, which was good enough for me. I hadn't seen Pops since we got back and I asked the people I was mingling with, where he was.
"He said that he had to get a couple things from the mainland and that he should be back here sometime early tomorrow," said Senior Master Sergeant Rachel Speer. She was a light skinned, black woman who had been in the OADF for almost eighteen years and her husband died in the Belkan war. She also told me that she had a crush on Pops, but she was never able to ever figure him out.
"Missing your crush already ma'am?" I joked.
"Yeah, ever since I first laid eyes on him I knew I would like him. No one really knows much about him, but he's always smiling and that always brightens up my day," she said. "Speaking of crushes, I hear you got a thing going on with Miss Nagase."
I looked at her in shock when she said that. Who else knows about Kei and me? I was about start denying everything and she told me to relax.
"Don't worry about it Captain, only we know about it and nobody else," said Rachel as she looked at the three other people in our group.
Corporal DaVaughn Washington was in the Osean Marines and was stationed here as part of base security. He was also black and called Rachel 'mom'. Technical Sergeant Adam Dugal and Airman Mariah Oro were members of Pops' ground crew. Adam was from Elizabeth City and he had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Mariah was a very cute Filipino girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. They all said they'd keep quiet about it, but what worried me was how they found out.
"Who told you about us?" I asked.
"Bruh, you two do everything together. It's kinda hard for someone to ignore the fact that you two might have something going on. The only reason we don't say nothing is because mom said she'd kick our asses if we told anyone," said DaVaughn.
"Shut up, Pops accidentally mentioned it when we were repairing the base after the Yuke invasion failed," said Rachel.
"We haven't told anyone else about it Captain. If we wanted to get you in trouble, we would've already said something to Perrault," said Mariah.
I relaxed a little and we continued talking about Rachel's crush on Pops until Kei came into the hanger looking for me. I remembered how Harkin told me how Kei and I had to talk about something on our own time and I think she was going to tell me right now. She motioned with her hand for me to follow her and I did. We walked out onto the flight line and she stopped when we were out of earshot of the others I was talking to. Kei cradled her arms and looked out towards the last bit of sun light peaking over the horizon.
"I need to tell you something," she said solemnly.
"I kinda suspected you did," I said. "What is it?"
Kei turned towards me but she didn't look at me. Her body language suggested that something was really bothering her. I didn't know if it was something I did or something I told her, but something was up.
"You asked what I was doing in Osea when my mom and my sister emigrated to Erusea," said Kei. "She thought I died during the attack and I was left alone."
I didn't how to react to when she told me this. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but she didn't seem to want sympathy. I wanted to comfort her, but she didn't seem to need it. For the first time that I could remember, I didn't know what to do.
"What happened to you?" I asked worried.
Kei looked up at me uneasily. She walk towards me, wrapped her arms around me, and rested her head on my chest. I could feel her breathing heavily like she was choking up.
"They drafted me into Pit bull too," she said.
I couldn't believe what she had just said and I didn't know what to say. She had gone through the same bullshit I went through and had all the same training I did, but I still didn't know everything about her involvement in Pit bull. I only knew that she must have suffered just as much as I did. I held Kei around the waist with one hand and gently held her head against my chest with the other as she wept quietly. I guess I know why she didn't over react when I told her I was part of Pit bull.
Kei found out her mother was alive around the same time I learned my mother was alive. When Pit bull was disbanded, she reunited with her mother in Erusea but she never became an Erusean citizen. Kei also returned to Pit bull with me and the other kids and every fall, she would return to Erusea to live with her mom. When Kei was seventeen, her mother tried defecting to the Independent States and Kei wanted to go with her and make sure she made it to the Independent States in one piece. Kei didn't expect to be attacked by Erusean fighters and I was sent in to provide cover while they flew towards friendly airspace. I couldn't think of anything to say or do as Kei told me everything, so I just continued to hold her. All the while, I could feel someone watching us as we held each other. I think Perrault knows now.
November 7, 2010 1306hrs Duga Yuktobania
We woke up early again to go on another mission that would take us deep into the jungles of Yuktobania. Our objective was to attack a huge ammo cache and disrupt the Yuktobanian Army's supply lines. It seemed simple enough, but that was until we arrived on station.
"Geez, now they got us turning right back into another battle, and this scenery defiantly clashes with my Rock 'n' Roll," said Chopper.
"I'm just glad they're not ordering us to attack a city in retaliation for their retaliation," said Grimm.
"You're a real optimist, you know that? Sheesh," said Chopper.
"This is Thunderhead, cut the chatter!"
"Oh, I just wish I could fly somewhere where I didn't have to hear that voice."
"You did 'til yesterday," said Grimm.
"Well I don't want to listen to that interrogation committee at capital, either," said Chopper.
"Alright people, focus. We're over the target area, weapons free!" I ordered and we all dispersed.
"Have fun Smokey," said Michelle as she watched me commence my attack on one of the tunnels.
Mine and Grimm's F-15s were equipped with twelve 500lb bombs and four sidewinders. Kei and Chopper were equipped with six maverick missiles, four sidewinders, and six 500lb bombs. Pops was even able to hook us up with M-56 explosive rounds for our guns.
As I was about to drop a bomb inside one of the tunnels, my missile warning went off. I broke off my attack and I frantically looked for the missile. I finally saw it streak up from the ground from my two o'clock. I barrel rolled over it just in time for it to pass above my canopy. Where the hell did that thing come from? I pushed the throttle forward and sped away from the area the missile came from. Suddenly, my missile warning went off again and I saw the missile being launched just off of my nose. Again, I barrel rolled away from it and climbed to gain altitude.
"Edge, break right, missile!" shouted Michelle.
"They're shoulder-launched SAMs. Enemy soldiers in the jungle," yelled Chopper
"They not showing up on radar," said Erica.
Of course they're not showing up! I turned back towards the tunnel I was going to attack. I put quite some distance between me and the tunnel. When I was far enough, I turned back, lined up in front of it, and applied full throttle to my plane. I sped towards the tunnel entrance at Mach 1 and released my bomb when my piper was on the tunnel. I tried speeding through my attack hoping the SAM soldiers couldn't get a lock on me fast enough, but I wasn't that lucky.
"Captain, break left!" shouted Kyle.
I evaded the missile but I was getting really getting pissed off at those soldiers. Launch another missile at me you little shits, I dare you! I saw a missile heading straight for me from my ten o' clock and I turned my F-15 towards the spot I saw the missile launch from. I juked out the missile and fired my gun at the soldiers' last position. I was close enough to the ground that I could see the Yuke soldiers collapse as my bullets impacted around them. I wish I didn't have to do that. As I pulled up to go after another armory tunnel, I had another missile lock onto me and I turned towards the position it was fired from. The soldiers must've been sitting on a small weapons cache because the position erupted into an explosion when I strafed it.
"My warning lights have been going crazy!" said Chopper.
There's got to be a better way for us to deal with these ammo caches. I climbed to higher altitude and spotted the rest of my team. They were spread out over a wide area trying to disrupt the enemy operations. The Yuke SAM soldiers are just as spread out as we are.
"Wardog, form up on me," I said.
"Blaze, the enemy is spread out over a wide area, this'll be a lot faster if we stay spread out to destroy the enemy armories," said Kei.
"I'm not going to risk any of you getting shot down individually. We're going to attack these targets together so that way one of us will have an opening to get a bomb inside the tunnels," I said.
I circled at seven thousand feet and waited for everyone to form up. Once we were in a four finger formation, we headed towards the nearest armory tunnel. My plan was that we all attack the same target at once with the hopes that the soldiers would become overwhelmed by us so they couldn't shoot us all down in one pass. If one of us was being locked onto, we would break off from the formation and draw attention off of whoever still had an opening to attack the target.
"Here we go people," I said as we flew in to attack a tunnel.
We were closing in and Grimm was the first to break off. Now it's up to one of the three of us. The tunnel we were targeting was coming up fast and Chopper was forced to break off and leave it up to me or Kei. My missile warning went off as well and I broke off my attack. Kei was the only one left and she made it to the tunnel without any trouble and released a bomb.
"Great job, we're going to keep this up as long as we can. Form up on Edge, she'll lead us to the next target," I said.
We formed up on Kei and headed for another armory tunnel. Again the soldiers tried to stave off our attack, but there weren't enough of them within range to protect the armory tunnel. I was the first one who had to break off followed by Kei. Grimm was able to get his bomb on target and he and Chopper pulled out of their attack. I was circling overhead with Kei when we saw the armory erupt into a huge explosion a few seconds later.
"I bet that left a crater as big as the ones on the moon," said Chopper
"The armories in this area have been shut down," said Thunderhead.
"Alright, let hit the next set of tunnels," I said as we formed up and headed to the next set of tunnels.
"Here they come again! Stubborn little bastards," said Chopper.
As we approached one of the other tunnels, all four of our planes had to break off our attack run. I guess these guys wised up. They regrouped into bigger squads and fortified the tunnels with more shoulder mounted SAMs.
"How the hell are we going to get through them now?" shouted Kyle.
"Like this," I said as I pressed on towards the tunnel entrance. "Wardog, follow me through one by one. Smokey, be ready to launch flares the second I tell you too."
I headed in first and saw two missiles come towards me from the right side of the tunnel and I called them out. Kyle started freaking out in the back seat and I told him to launch a set of flares. I saw the Sam soldiers scrambling to run away before I strafed them but they weren't fast enough and I saw their bodies launch forward from my explosive shells. As I pulled out of my strafing run, I looked back to see Grimm strafe another SAM position followed by Chopper releasing a bomb and Kei following up with another strafing run on some straggling soldiers. We did this strategy for the last two tunnels in the area before the Yukes adapted again. We had shut down the second armory and we were about to head for the next one when Erica called out a docked vessel that was being loaded, sitting in one of the rivers.
"Wardog, if you see an opportunity to disrupt the Yuke operations any further, go for it. All weapons are still free," I ordered.
Grimm and Kei commenced their attack on the docked vessel and surrounding facilities, while Chopper and I went after the third set of armory tunnels. The Yuke soldiers still had a fortified defense around the tunnels, but this time they were set up positions away from our line of fire. We broke off our attack and Chopper almost got nailed by one of the SAMs.
"You guys alright?" I asked.
"I just pictured myself walking home through the jungle," said Chopper. "Were still only half way there, but I'd like to start worrying about how we're gonna get back."
"Anxious to go home, are you?" I asked.
"I just want to get this harness off and jump into a hot tub. I'm tired of sitting on this ejection seat, I want to go home already, how about you?"
"I'll stay in the air as long as I need to," I replied.
"That's our Captain; you're built a lot tougher than I am," said Chopper.
I was trained to be tough. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Thunderhead called out enemy fighters headed our way. SAMs we couldn't see were already a pain in the ass, but having to deal with fighters was a sign that these guys wanted to push me over the edge. Chopper was already complaining about this mission and I was afraid of what he was going to bitch about next.
"Birdy, Valkyrie, holler if you need us. Chopper and I are going to provide top cover for you while you continue your attacks," I said.
Chopper and I climbed up to meet the enemy formation of MiG-29s. There were eight of them and I felt my veins become flooded with adrenaline, my mind filled with stress and rage, and my ears were ringing from the shouts coming from Justin and Kyle. We are probably going to die.
"Chopper, take the lead and I'll cover your tail," I said.
The MiGs split up into two groups and I followed Chopper into a dive for the deck. We were flying at full speed as we weaved in and out of the SAM covered valleys, dodging missiles from above and below. Missile warnings were going off like crazy inside my cockpit and I had to fight the urge to break off from Chopper and fend for myself. Stay with your wingman Castillo!
"Birdy, how you guys doing over there?" I asked as I continued to follow Chopper.
"Edge is about to send a bomb inside the last tunnel in this area," said Erica.
I followed Chopper as he quickly pulled out of the valley we were flying through and head towards the armory that was about to get destroyed. I saw Kei's F-15 at high altitude as she dropped her bomb. She was well out of range of the Yuke soldiers' missiles and her target was wide open. Why didn't I think of that? Chopper and I continued our evasive maneuvering until Kei confirmed that her bomb hit its mark. As soon as Chopper heard that, he applied full throttle and flew towards the top of the armory. I like his thinking. This is something I would've done. We flew past the armory dome and just a couple seconds later, the entire mountain erupted and few of the pursuing planes got caught in the explosion. The fire from the blast was big enough to engulf both of our planes of a brief second and I could hear my engines struggling to stay online. I couldn't see a thing and I could hear everyone screaming our names in terror.
I saw light through the smoke and broke through. My engines coughed back to life and I looked back at the mountain where the armory was. The mountain had pretty much collapsed on top of itself, entombing everyone who was still inside. There must've been a lot high explosives stored in there because that mountain wasn't there anymore.
"Wow, it's like a volcanic eruption!" said Grimm.
"Hey… I didn't think it would blow up like that. It must be pretty bad in there… You thinkin' the same thing?" asked Chopper.
No one said anything and we formed up to take out the remaining three MiG-29s. I stuck with Chopper as he latched onto one of them and gave chase. The MiG went into a vertical climb and quickly lost speed. I knew what he was going to do and I broke off from Chopper's tail and made a wide right turn. I watched as the MiG stalled at the peak of his climb and saw his plane fall to the ground, tail first. It flew backwards as the plane's nose dropped down and its flight path looked like the bottom curve of a bell. When the MiG's nose went down further, the plane started flying forward again and it finally went into a dive. The move shook Chopper off of his tail but the pilot didn't see me break off and get a firing angle on him.
I was I position for a missile shot when the MiG pulled into another climb and I fired. The MiG couldn't get out of the way and I saw the missile impact the middle of the fuselage and the plane broke apart as it fell out of the sky.
"Captain, we still have one more armory to go and a bunch of transport helicopters taking off with supplies. What are your orders?" asked Justin.
"Nothing's changed, keep disrupting the Yuke's operations anyway you can. Maybe we can draw off more of those Stinger missiles away from the next set of tunnels," I said.
We engaged enemy helicopters and VTOL aircraft that were prepping for takeoff, vehicles that were being mobilized to shoot us down, and some of the soldiers in the jungle. We left nothing but destruction in our wake. It's like we're the embodiment of Razgriz.
"You say something Kid?" asked Chopper.
"Huh?"
"I thought I heard you say something just now."
"It's nothing, never mind. Everyone, regroup on the last set of tunnel so we can finish this place off and go home," I said.
We regrouped and followed Kei's example by dropping bombs from high altitude on two of the tunnels. The remaining tunnel was located between the valleys and couldn't get a good angle on it with our bombs. To make matters worse, I was locked onto by twelve different missiles when I tried making a run for the tunnel. There's got to be something we can do.
"Weapons check, now!" I said.
"I only got three bombs and one maverick left," said Chopper.
"I got four bombs left and one sidewinder," said Kei.
"I have two bombs left, Captain," said Grimm.
"Alright listen up, Chopper, Edge, you're going to drop your remaining bombs along the bottom and sides of that valley to try and thin out any soldiers in the area. Grimm and I will follow your path and strafe the area with our guns. We all don't have many flares left so use them wisely," I said. "Chopper, Edge, attack when you're ready."
Chopper and Kei flew beside each other eight hundred meters apart and headed in to bomb the valley. I saw the contrails of a dozen missiles head towards them and they launched their flares while they bombed the valley. Grimm and I followed them in and we strafed the Yuke soldiers' positions that the bombs didn't hit. It seems clear enough.
"Good job. Grimm, cover me while I take out this tunnel," I said and I headed towards the last tunnel entrance.
Grimm strafed some more of the Yuke soldiers' positions as I dove into the valley and released my bomb on the tunnel. As soon as I dropped my bomb, I pulled up and performed an Immelmann turn to fly away from the imminent explosion from the armory. As soon as I came out of the turn, my missile warning went off again and I saw three missiles coming straight for me.
"Captain, we're out of flares!" yelled Kyle.
Shit! I could see that the missiles had me boxed in and I couldn't break in any direction without one of them hitting me and I wouldn't be able to get away fast enough either. I put my plane into a continuous roll, hoping that the missiles would lose track of me. I looked back and saw the missile contrails spiraling as they close in on me as I continued rolling. They're going to hit me! Kyle was yelling at me to do something, but all I could do was close my eyes and wait for the impact. I waited for a good ten seconds before I opened my eyes. Am I dead? I looked behind me and saw the trail of flares falling out of the sky.
"Jesus Kid, you're lucky Nagase was able to get to you in time," I heard Chopper say.
I looked towards my nine o' clock high and saw Kei's F-15 fly towards me and maneuver into position on my left wing. We looked at each other and she winked at me. I love you Kei. Chopper and Grimm fell into formation as well.
"Well, I guess it's over," said Chopper.
"Mission complete, let's go home," said Kei softly.
"Nagase, you gotta say that with a little more feeling. At least we get to go home again today, right?" said Chopper.
"Yeah," she replied.
"So cheer up a little, huh?"
"You too, Chopper."
"Yeah… I know."
I could tell why everyone was so glum. I didn't want to think about how many people were buried under those mountains, but I couldn't help it. But then I remembered something; I was supposed to go back to Oured tomorrow with Kei. I hope she remembers that she agreed to go with me.