"Respectfully, sir, don't say a goddamn word," Riley snapped before Clarkson could even open his mouth. "I'm sure you're eager to inspire us with some touching speech about not giving up, but quite frankly, I don't think any of us are in the mood to hear it."

The four remaining UPEO pilots dropped into their seats in the briefing room without another word. Clarkson stood at the front of the room, almost exactly where he was when they left not long ago. The only difference was that he now stood there alone because Colonel Fauzer- their best hope of making it through this disaster alive- was gone. What chance did any of them stand now? The only course of action left was to sit down and wait for these bastards to roll right through them.

"Look, I understand-" Clarkson tried to say before he got cut off.

"That's the problem, here: you don't understand shit," Violet cut in. "You weren't up there. You didn't have to watch everyone you called a friend get knocked out of the sky right in front of you." As Clarkson tried speaking again, she rolled her eyes and stood up. "Save your inspirational bullshit for someone who actually gives a damn," she growled before storming off.

Griffin and Maya followed behind, leaving Clarkson there with nobody else but Riley. The young pilot wanted to follow the others, but he didn't have the energy to be mad. Come to think of it, he didn't have the energy for anything. All he felt was… exhaustion- physically, mentally, and emotionally. His face fell into his hands and he took a deep breath in and out. It didn't help.

"They need you, Riley," Clarkson said, finally breaking the silence between them. "Not just them- I need you. Believe it or not, I'm just as scared as you are- maybe even more. I'm no military man. I'm just a politician trying to fight for a decent world, but the truth of the matter is that I can't do that if there's no world to fight for."

Riley exhaled sharply. "Look, I hate to break it to you, but whatever you're seeing in me just isn't there- you and Fauzer. I'm not some ace pilot. I'm not a natural leader. The only thing I am is a failure!" he shouted, getting to his feet as he closed the distance between himself and Clarkson. "Those pilots put their trust- their lives- in my hands, and now they're dead. Is that the kind of person you want leading your last stand for UPEO? Huh? But sure, they need me," he mocked the delegate. "Tell me then, what do they need me for?"

Clarkson didn't reply at first. Instead, he turned to the computer at the front of the room and logged in. "You want to know what I see in you?" he asked, not looking up from the screen. A few keystrokes later, he projected the computer onto the big screen on the wall. "This is what I see in you."

Riley looked up at the screen as a video began playing. It looked like some kind of guncam footage- positively ancient judging by the quality of the video. The plane capturing the video was making all sorts of intense maneuvers as it weaved through what looked to be a huge dogfight. Riley could hear voices as well. All of them were disciplined and concise, but the voice that came through loudest of all, commanding yet levelheaded, was the voice from the plane recording the footage, and the more Riley listened to it, the more he realized why that voice seemed familiar.

"Is that-"

"It is," Clarkson preemptively answered his question. "I see in you exactly what I saw in her: a leader, a warrior… a hero. If you give up now, what message does that send to all of the innocent people looking up to us to save them?"

"It tells them that some fights just aren't winnable. We're four rookie pilots going up against every COFFIN aircraft on the Usean continent. How are we supposed to win against that?"

"So what do you think the people that are counting on us should do? I'll patch through a broadcast to the entire continent right now. You want them to lay down and die? Then tell them that. Or you can lead this fight like I know that you can."

Riley let out a defeated sigh. "I guess you're right. Someone's gotta step up."

"That's the spirit," Clarkson said, smiling through his mustache upon seeing the young man find his confidence. "Now go; be the leader you're meant to be."

Riley nodded, and without a word, he turned around and left the briefing room. If they were going to keep fighting, they needed to be a team, and right now, they weren't much of anything. He needed to give his squadmates the same confidence that Clarkson gave him, so with a newfound sense of determination, he set off into the winding halls of the base to find them.

Considering the chaos that had engulfed the Usean continent just a few hours ago, everything seemed unnaturally still now that the sun had set. When the fighting first started, it felt as if the world would never again be as quiet as it had once been. Now, everyone was taking the opportunity to anything they could to prepare, or in most cases, just survive. For most, that meant hiding. Bustling cities became ghost towns in a span of hours, and the only signs of life around the city of Los Canas came from a plume of smoke breaking through the treeline of a nearby forest.

At the base of the smoke, there was a small, flickering fire, alternating between glowing and fading almost rhythmically. Sitting a few feet away, with his arms outstretched in the hopes of absorbing any warmth he could get from the flames, was a man who looked to be a pilot. Bandages wrapped around his head and covered up his right eye, but by now, he had grown used to them. Nearby, a backpack sat empty, with its contents strewn across the clearing he now resided in. Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the leaves. Out of instinct, he reached for the combat knife sitting next to him and readied himself. The rustling got louder and louder until finally, another pilot emerged, carrying several logs. Only this pilot had a far different flight suit than the first.

"Oh, it's you," the first pilot said in a tone that contained an odd mix of relief and annoyance. "I see you found more firewood."

The second pilot shrugged as he set it down in a small pile next to him. "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it," he pointed out, taking a seat next to the first pilot in front of the fire. "You see anything while I was gone?"

The first pilot shook his head. "Just a couple squirrels in the trees. Couldn't reach the pistol in time to take a shot at 'em, though."

"Might be for the best," the second pilot said, grabbing a stick and shifting the logs that made up the fire. "Last thing we want is for everyone and everything for miles around to know where we are."

"Still, these MREs in the ejection kits are only gonna last us so long. Sooner or later, we're gonna have to think about hunting or foraging."

"As much as I hate to say it, once we cross that bridge, we'd probably be better off scavenging abandoned towns." The second pilot let out a heavy sigh and silence followed. "How's the eye?"

The first pilot shook his head. "Still swollen- doubt I'd be able to see anything out of it if I took the bandages off. I guess at this rate I can kiss any chances of ever flying again goodbye."

"Maybe not. I'm sure the medics at Tyler Island will be able to fix you up."

The first pilot paused, looking down at the fire as it flickered and crackled. "Why are you doing this- helping me, I mean?" he decided to ask point-blank. "I mean, I'm a General Resource pilot. We've been trying to phase out you UPEO types for years now. And now all of a sudden you're just droppin' it? Why?"

The UPEO pilot looked over at him. "I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but I don't think any of that really matters anymore," he said, looking up at the sky. "Besides, even if all this stuff wasn't going on, this is what UPEO stands for."

The General Resource pilot scoffed. "And that's why you guys are the paper tigers. You're too soft to do what it takes to keep the peace."

"Hey, last I checked, you're right down here with me," the UPEO pilot pointed out with a shrug.

The General Resource pilot was about to respond, but stopped himself when he heard a faint sound, growing ever louder. "You hear that?" he asked, looking up through the trees above them. "Sounds like fighter jets."

The UPEO pilot kept his eyes to the sky. However, he also moved his foot closer to the fire, ready to snuff it out if necessary. "There!" he finally said, pointing through a patch of leaves at a distant shape in the pink-orange sky. "Looks like… Rafales, I think, so if I'm remembering right those are… Neucom."

"Looks like helicopters are following not far behind."

The UPEO pilot reached for his compass, flicking his gaze between it and the passing aircraft. "At that heading, it looks like they're headed for… Expo City? That can't be right. Why the hell would they be going there?"

The General Resource pilot shrugged. "Who knows? But if they wanna keep these bastards busy by throwing themselves at the lion's den, then who am I to complain?"

"You've got a point there, I guess," the UPEO pilot admitted. "One thing's for sure, though. We've got a long day head of us, so we'd better start getting some shut-eye."

The General Resource pilot muttered some barely audible reply before setting his head down on a pile of leaves he'd scrounged up. Meanwhile, the UPEO pilot kept his gaze fixated on the fire as the last embers began to fade away. There were so many thoughts swirling around in his mind that he could hardly focus on a single one. Before long, he stopped trying. A single flick of his ankle kicked up enough dirt to snuff the fire, allowing him to drift off into as peaceful a slumber as he could manage.

"Hey… you mind if I sit?" Riley asked as he stood next to Griffin.

Griffin sighed. "I guess."

Riley paused for a moment, trying to gauge the expression on his wingman's face before setting down next to him. It was only as he was about to open his mouth that he realized that he didn't have the first clue what he was doing. Fauzer always seemed to know exactly what to say- Clarkson too. Riley, on the other hand, was just as much in the dark as they were, perhaps even more. He took a deep breath and decided to see if the words would just come naturally. "Look, I know-"

"It's my fault," Griffin cut him off, not breaking the gaze he held to the floor. "He's gone because of me."

Riley looked up at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Luke. He was down there, covering for Maya. He needed me in the moment and I… I froze up." The more he spoke, the more his expression turned to one of sadness, of grief, to one of anger. I should've been there to help him, and now he's dead. Better yet, he should be the one that's still here, not me." He kicked the floor with this heel out of frustration, but it didn't help.

"Hey now, that kind of thinking won't get you anywhere," Riley told him, pausing as he thought about what to say next. "The past is past. All we can do now is focus on the present- on the here and now- and right now, you're alive."

"Except now there's barely anyone left to die for me when I screw up," Griffin pointed out bitterly. "Only a matter of time before I freeze up again, but I just… can't help it. I- I never expected something like this to happen when I joined."

"How could you have?" Riley asked. "How could any of us have seen something like this coming? All of us are scare shitless. You, me, Violet, Maya, and even Clarkson. We've just got different ways of showing it. Besides…" he took more air in through his lungs and pushed it back out. "I know what you're dealing with. I froze up too back there, and now Fauzer and Finn are dead."

"Really?"

"Really," Riley answered. "I hate myself for it, but it's like I said: the past is past. We gotta keep going, for their sake. And if something goes wrong, then that's why we have each other."

Finally, Griffin averted his gaze from the floor, and his eyes met Riley's. "Maybe, but it just… I- I dunno. This is all too much."

"And that's fine. Why don't you start getting some sleep?" Riley suggested. "We can think on how to go about all of this tomorrow when we're rested up."

Griffin paused before finally nodding. "Yeah. Thanks, Riley."

Riley shrugged as he stood up. "Just doin' my job, I guess," he replied before stepping out into the room and leaning his head against the wall. "Well, that wasn't too hard," he murmured to himself. "That's one down, and two more to go."

Once more, he set off through the halls of the base. There weren't very many people that were still up, but he knew that the others would still be wide awake. If they were feeling at all like he was, they probably wouldn't be sleeping at all, despite his suggestion that they should. Every time Riley shut his eyes, he just saw Fauzer's Typhoon explode over and over again. It was his own personal hell that he had no choice but to endure. He couldn't let the other's know how much it got to him, though. After all, he had to be the one to set an example now that Fauzer was gone. It also meant he needed to keep them in this fight. Fortunately, Maya wasn't very hard to find. The rec room that had been mostly full when they left was no devoid of all life except for her. She sat at the table where their poker game remained unfinished, head buried deep into her arms.

Riley took soft, measured steps as he approached, taking care as to not startle her. "You okay?" he finally asked in a gentle voice.

"Do I look okay?" Maya asked as she raised her head up.

Riley facepalmed mentally. "Right, sorry. Guess it was a pretty stupid question. In my defense, though, I am still new at this- then again, I suppose we're all new at this." He paused as his mind blanked and he searched desperately for the right words. "That must've been… scary- taking a hit like that, I mean."

Maya nodded silently before resting her head back on her arms. "It took me a few seconds to realize I wasn't dead. And once I did… part of me kinda wishes I was. It's just…" her voice trailed off and she looked at the cards and poker chips scattered around the table. "I should've been better. I could've done so much more up there, but I just wasn't good enough."

"We're not even finished with our flight training. It's only natural that we're gonna make mistakes," Riley pointed.

"But these mistakes are costing people their lives! Our wingmen- our friends- would probably be alive if I weren't such a screw-up," Maya said bitterly, picking up a poker chip and holding it between her thumb and forefinger.

"You're not a screw-up. But we… you're." Riley fumbled over his words. Everything he thought about saying just felt stupid and cliché the moment he was about to say it. Finally, he stopped himself before clearing his mind. "I need you," he finally said. "I can't win this fight on my own, but together, we've got a chance, a real chance."

"It's not that I don't want to fight. I already know we've gotta do it, but it's just… I'm scared to," Maya admitted, looking up and making eye contact with Riley.

Finally, Riley felt the words come easy to him. "You've got nothing to be afraid of. The four of us are gonna be looking out for each other, and from here on out, nobody else is dying on my watch," he promised.

Riley waited for some kind of response from Maya, but all he got was silence as she stared off at the wall behind him. He was about to ask if she was alright when she finally spoke up. "Can you, er, give me some time alone? I- I just need to be with my thoughts for a bit."

"Of course, yeah. Just let me know if you need me," Riley replied, standing up. As he walked away, he felt a small measure of pride in himself. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd be thinking that I'm starting to get good at all of this,' he thought to himself. 'Then again, the hard part is only just beginning.'

"And we return once more to the ongoing crisis that has plunged all of Usea into chaos," the newscaster continued. "For those that are just tuning in, I'll recap. At 12PM, UPEO's COFFIN aircraft at Expo City activated on their own and took to the skies. They began opening fire on the city, killing thousands of civilians. UPEO forces tried defending the city with older, conventional aircraft, but were unsuccessful and forced to retreat."

Simon sipped his tea as the deaths of thousands were relayed to him. "My, my, in all my years fine-tuning you, I never could've imagined that you'd harbor such demons, Nemo," he said, despite the fact that the AI had no way of hearing him. "To think that you'd be so capable of causing widespread destruction like this. You're more complicated than I gave you credit for." He took another sip and set down his cup. "What I don't understand is… what's your endgame? What does all this death and destruction get you?"

"UPEO forces from all over the continent began withdrawing to Tyler Island, but as more COFFIN aircraft fell under the control of the rogue planes, they were all shot down. We've even confirmed the death of UPEO's Commander Gilbert Park," the newscaster reported. "General Resource Limited and Neucom have also been suffering from this threat, and much like UPEO, they have been suffering countless losses. General Resource CEO Aldair Nascimento had this to say during an emergency press conference held just a few hours ago."

The feed filming the newscaster was replaced by a video of Nascimento standing behind a podium in front of a crowd full of people. "Everyone, I know we're all concerned by this crisis, and rightly so. However, I urge you all to remain calm and put your trust in us. I'm personally overseeing the company's military response and the investigation into the cause of this crisis. General's best men and women are on the case, and we will do everything we can to prevent the loss of life. That is all." The room erupted as reporters barraged him with questions while he walked off the stage, and the video ended, returning the screen the face of the newscaster.

"South Osean Aeronautics and Research has also made a statement, claiming that they're appalled by the loss of life, but cannot commit to sending aid due to the nature of the crisis. They send their thoughts and prayers and wish General, UPEO, and Neucom the best of luck," she continued.

Simon chuckled to himself. "So Usea stands alone as it faces extermination? This is proving to be most interesting indeed."

The newscaster paused as she reached up to her earpiece. "I've just received an update: General Resource has just confirmed that their star ace pilot, Abyssal Dision, has been shot down and killed over the city of Los Canas…"

The newscaster continued to drone on and on, but it was all just noise to Simon. Years of preparation and simulation- all his hard work- had finally paid off. Dision was dead, and Yoko had been avenged. He couldn't help but laugh. It started out as a small chuckle at first, but over time, it grew more and more. Before long, he was practically howling.

Suddenly, the door to his office burst open, and another employee approached Simon, who was now doubled over on the floor. "Dr. Cohen, are you alright, sir?"

"I finally did it," he barely managed to say between laughing fits. "It all paid off."

The employee's gaze shifted from Simon, to the screen playing the news, then back to Simon. Then, he began to put the pieces together, and looked at his coworker in horror. "S- sir, are you saying you are the one that's responsible for all this?"

"Of course, I am!" Simon said, still laughing. "I needed him gone, erased forever. I did whatever I had to."

The other employee ran out of the room, and a few minutes later, he returned with two armed guards. They stood Simon up and cuffed his wrists together, but he didn't care. He was too busy laughing. Even as they walked him to a cell and shut him in, he didn't even come close to giving a damn. Now that Yoko was avenged, he didn't care about anything. Usea could burn for all he cared.

After what felt like far too long searching, Riley finally found her. Violet sat under the wing of her beaten and bruised Typhoon, looking up at the stars as they appeared in the night sky. She remained utterly motionless and oblivious to Riley's approach, and for now, that's exactly how he wanted it.

Riley took a deep breath in through his nose, holding it tightly in his chest before breathing out. "Well, here goes nothing, I guess," he muttered.

Once he was close enough, he cleared his throat. Violet turned around toward the source of the noise. She took one look at him and scowled. "Oh, come on, Riley. Don't tell me you actually bought what that asshole told you."

Riley raised a brow at her. "How did you-"

"You've got that goddamn look in your eye," Violet cut him off. "That look of just wanting to be…" She huffed angrily, looking away from the other pilot.

"You mean that look of wanting to care for my wingmen?" Riley asked as he took another step forward.

"The hell does it matter? We're all screwed anyway!" Violet snapped. "UPEO's best and brightest got torn apart like wet paper, and we didn't fare any better. The only reason we're still here is- hell, I don't even know why we're still here; dumb luck, I guess." She leaned against the fuselage of the plane. "It doesn't matter what kind of can-do attitude Clarkson tells us we should have. None of it changes the fact that we're four rookies being told to fight every COFFIN aircraft on the continent! That's not a fight, Riley, it's a goddamn slaughter!"

Riley crawled underneath the plane and sat down next to her. "What would you have us do, then? Just lay down and wait for them to kill us?"

"Like I said, we're all going to die sooner or later, so why bother fighting?"

Riley smirked. "Violet Conway, is that nihilism I hear coming from you?" he teased her, hoping to lighten the mood.

"It's not that I don't… I just… there's too much…" Her face fell into her palms. "I don't know. I just don't see a way out."

Riley hesitated a bit before gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "I do: we fight together."

Violet looked up at him, finally letting out the slightest of smiles as she rolled her eyes. "Oh wow. And here I was thinking that you couldn't be getting any more cliché."

"Just think about it, Violet. We actually managed to get them to retreat. Not even the pilots at Expo City could do that," he pointed. "It's gotta be something about that blue flanker. I'm sure of it. If I can just chase that bastard down and end him, maybe I can end this." The more he talked about Fauzer's killer, the more he found himself growing angrier and angrier. It wasn't until he realized that he was squeezing Violet's shoulder that he let go. "I can't do it without you guys, though. All of you- especially you. Please, Violet," he insisted.

Violet looked back up at the canopy of stars above them, and sighed. "I can't believe this," she groaned, still looking up. "But I believe you- God knows why."

Riley's face lit up. "Good, that means when the time comes, we can do the only thing that's left for us to do: fight."