OIC (7)
MegaZone23
"A fighting man needs all of his courage."
--Lt. Cmdr. Roy Fokker
When Gryphon arrived in the makeshift flight deck that
was hold six, locking down the last piece of his white and
black CVR-3, he found a fully fitted Shadow Legios, a small
group of suited people, and ReRob, also suited up in full
armor, waiting for him.
"ReRob! What're you doing suited up?" Gryphon asked as
he ran to the boarding ladder.
"Figured you might need a Beta driver," ReRob replied.
"D'you mind?"
"No, by all means," Gryphon replied. "Aren't you going,
Matt?"
"Nah...I'm staying with Jen. She won't leave until
Zoner recovers. Besides, I don't want to leave before I find
out what's going to happen to Zoner either, you know?"
"Yeah, I understand. I should be back in a few hours...
watch the shop for us, 'Droid." Gryphon closed the Alpha's
cockpit and signaled everyone clear. They cleared the bay,
getting back behind doors; the launch officer opened the
doors, and, lacking catapult or even any real launch
equipment at all, Gryphon simply punched the Beta's boosters
wide open and blew out through the hatch.
His radar immediately showed a half-dozen targets, all
of them moving barely subsonically and in a patrol pattern
around the SDF-17's position--the Air Force blockade, no
doubt. Off to the north was a large aircraft emitting a
large amount of radar waves, undoubtedly a Sentry. No big
deal; in the night, they would never be able to see the
black, grey, and dark blue Shadow Fighter, and they couldn't
pick it up on any radar thanks to its cloaking device, and
since only the Navy's Tomcats had an IR sensor he was safe.
Hopefully he wouldn't have to fight--he wasn't too keen on
fighting his own homeland's air force--but if he had to, in
order to get his friends back home, then he would.
Back on board the SDF-17 Jenna, Kei, and Yuri watched
over Zoner as he lay listlessly in sickbay. His vital signs
were still dropping, not as quickly as they had, but still
dropping.
In his mind Zoner was tiring, part of him wanted to keep
up the fight, to return to the land of the living, but more
and more of his mind just wanted to rest, to enter the lands
of Morpheus to stay. What was worth returning for? Yuri,
Yuri was there, but she was so far away, such a distant goal.
And there were his friends, Jenna, Gryph, Matt, Daver,
Helene, et al, but they were further away than Yuri. Tired,
so damn weary, he'd been journeying through the labyrinths of
his mind for so long. Rest, I want to rest, just for a
while, forever. To enter the comforting arms of Death, to
hear the flapping of her mighty wings, that would be so easy.
No! No, I must try to make it back, I owe it to the others.
I'll keep trying, for now.
On the monitors Zoner's vitals jumped momentarily, then
returned to their decline.
Jenna noticed it first, "He's fighting, but he's losing
the battle. I don't think he'll be able to do it alone. If
we're going to help we'd better do it now."
"Honestly, what do you think his chances are?" Yuri
asked, choking back tears as she gazed at Zoner's comatose
form.
"He's a fighter, but even all of this hi-tech gadgetry
doesn't seem to make a difference. This sick bay is better
equipped than the best hospitals on Earth, and we can't help
him. Maybe, just maybe, with our help he'll be able to win
the fight, but if not we'd better hope that Wolfgang has
something else to try," Jenna answered quietly.
"Tell me what to do," Yuri said calmly.
"Well, I think I'd better be going now," Kei said as she
turned to leave.
"Please stay, Kei," Yuri asked her. "Together we're
more powerful, maybe it will make the difference."
"I don't really believe in this stuff...but I won't stop
you from doing it if you think it will help."
"Please, Kei. Please," Yuri pleaded with her partner.
"If it means that much to you I'll stay. I won't take
an active role in this, but I'll stay out of the way."
"Thank you, Kei, thank you. Please, just hold my hand."
"Ok."
"Alright, Yuri, remember what I showed you. Just follow
your feelings," Jenna counseled.
"I'll try," Yuri said, sounding unsure.
"Just relax, let it flow, let your feelings guide you.
Don't try to force it," Jenna said in a soothing voice.
"Ok, I'll do my best."
"That's all anyone can ask."
Jenna and Yuri closed their eyes in concentration and
began trying to help Zoner win his private war. Meanwhile,
Kei looked on in a rather bemused fashion. She thought it was
all a bunch of rubbish, but if it helped Yuri deal with the
situation she wasn't going to start a fight over in now.
Besides, she'd have plenty of time later to straighten Yuri
out. For now, she could just sit and stew over how amazingly
helpless she felt. For someone like Kei, that was a fate
worse than death itself.
Oh, Yuri, she thought. You used to be my best friend...
what's happened?
Ben raced towards Boston, the eight passengers in the
Beta's bombbay clinging to the handholds as the Legios flew
NOE to avoid detection. As he approached the outskirts of
the city his sensors picked up something odd. His radiation
indicators picked up a hot spot just to the left of his
flight path. Ben shifted to VTOL mode and hovered while his
sensors zoomed in on it. The image came in clearly, but been
couldn't believe his eyes. It was an '84 Colt Turbo,
plastered against the wall of an abandoned warehouse.
Gryphon hovered closer to check it out. On closer
examination Ben noticed a white Festiva crushed into the wall
by the Colt. A Colt and a Festiva? No, it couldn't be. But
they were slightly radioactive, maybe they could be.
Ben zoomed in on the Colt's windows. Judging by the
kipple factor, it quite possibly was. It appeared to be
Tess, Daver's Colt. How'd she get all the way out here?
Nah, it couldn't be. Was she blown all the way here by the
blast from the reactor? He'd have to come back and check it
closer later. For now he had to drop off his passengers.
Gryphon decided to put it down in a parking lot next to
Northeastern University. What better a place to let a bunch
of college students loose than right across the street from
Taco Bell and a campus? ReRob popped the bombbay door and
the eight passengers deplaned.
"See you later guys, best of luck!" ReRob called out
over the external speakers.
"Yeah, take it easy...have fun," Gryphon added. The
assorted deplanees waved and scattered to avoid being
quick fried as Gryphon boosted the Legios into the sky,
tucked the legs back in, and shot away.
"Well, one more run and we should have all of them off,"
said ReRob from the back."
"Yeah, not too many people wanted off. Just a few who
really needed to get back to their lives. I guess flying
around in space with a good possibility of dying horribly
appeals to the Wedge mentality. What a surprise."
"Everyone else is going to need to tell their families
what's going on, though."
"I guess so...we'll figure that one out later."
Ben raced across the barren terrain, hugging the earth
in an attempt to use the hills as a shield from visual
detection. He couldn't have known about the observation post
the Army had established on one of the ridges. And if he
had, would he have much cared, really?
"God's-eye, this is Recon-one."
"God's-eye here, go ahead Recon-one."
"We just had a fast-mover blow by in the valley just
south of our position. Travelling west sub-mach. Never seen
anything quite like it. It must be from that ship."
"Recon-one, we have nothing on radar. Confirm you're
reporting one fast-mover west bound."
"God's-eye, we know what we saw. One fucking large
fixed-wing jet. Black and blue coloration."
"Roger Recon-one, we'll send a couple of fifteens your
way to check it out."
"Thanks, Recon-one out."
"Viper flight, this is God's eye. New course bearing 193
degrees."
"Viper flight, roger."
The two F-15C Eagles of Viper flight left the racetrack
orbit they had been flying and headed for Recon-one's
position.
Gryphon flared the Legios and did a perfect VTOL
landing; he might be a Valkyrie pilot by choice, but he had
passed all the VT training courses quite handily. Call it a
natural aptitude. Handling crews ran up to ready the Legios
for a quick turn-around. While they were working Gryphon and
ReRob deplaned. Gryphon walked to the nearest comm screen.
"Eve, can you get Daver to come down here ASAP?"
"Of course Ben, right away." Eve's image answered from
the screen.
Ben and ReRob watched the crews work as they waited for
them to finish. Just as the crews finished their checks
Daver jogged into the hanger bay.
"What's up?"
"I wanted you to ride along in the Beta's cockpit with
ReRob. There's something I want you to see."
"Such as?"
"It's a surprise."
The next eight passengers boarded the Beta while ReRob,
Daver, and Gryphon strapped into the cockpits. Once they
were all aboard Gryphon lifted off and blasted clear of the
bay.
"God's-eye, this is Viper flight. We're in position.
Any contacts?"
"Negative, Viper-flight. God's-eye shows zero
contacts."
"Roger tha--holy shit! Viper-two, did you see that?"
"Roger, Viper-lead."
"What was that? All I saw was a blur and three blue
glowing dots. God's-eye do you show any contacts bearing 093
degrees from our present position?"
"Negative, Viper-lead. We show no contacts other than
yourselves."
"Well we just saw something race by about ten miles
south, flying low and heading east."
"God's-eye still shows nothing, Viper-lead."
"God's-eye, this is Recon-one. That fast-mover just
blew by again, heading east this time."
"Recon-one, are you sure? We don't have anything!"
"Yes, we're fucking sure!"
"Ok! Ok! Viper-flight, did you copy that?"
"Roger."
"Recon-one, keep an eye open. Report in the instant
that aircraft appears again."
"Roger."
"Viper-flight, fly an oval along the craft's last known
flight path."
"Roger."
The mission controller onboard the Sentry looked up from
his screen. "We'll get that bastard next time!"
Ben flew directly to the parking lot at Northeastern and
ReRob let out their passengers.
"Well Ben, that's all of 'em."
"Ok, let's get back to the ship."
"Where's this thing you wanted me to see?" Daver asked.
"I'll show you on the way back."
Ben lifted off and sped back in the direction they had
come. As he approached the warehouse he flared and spun the
Legios around to face the west facing wall. Gryph zoomed the
optical sensors in on the Colt.
"ReRob, slave the Beta's monitor to my sensors and
switch it on."
"Will do."
The main monitor of the Beta came to life and displayed
a close zoom of the Colt stuck in the wall. Tess was missing
her paint, license plate, and the plastic bits on the ends of
her bumpers, but otherwise apparently undamaged.
"Oh why look, it's Tess," Daver quipped.
"Apparently so. I spotted her on the way in the first
time. Thought you might be interested," Gryphon answered.
"Shit yeah! Can we get her out of there? It's rather
undignified."
"Sure. ReRob, prepare to disengage."
"I'm ready when you are."
Gryphon disengaged his Alpha from the Beta and
transformed to battroid mode. He gently pried Tess from the
crater she'd created when she impacted and put her down in a
parking space nearby, pausing briefly to wipe off bits of
Festiva.
"Mr. Ritchie, your car," Gryphon said in his best valet
voice while gesturing with the Alpha. "Now...what to do with
her? Shall we stuff her into the bomb bay? Shall we lug her
back to the ship in hand? Shall we buy a new guitar? Shall
we drive a more powerful car?"
"Tess with fusion power! I like this plan," Dave began.
"I'm excited to be a part of it," Gryphon echoed.
"Let's do it," they stereoed.
"You guys have spent far too much time watching that
movie," said ReRob.
"But for now...what do we do with her?"
"Well...ReRob, let me out, I'll drive her back."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Rob asked.
"Of course not. It's a terrible idea! But Tess looks
restless."
"Oh, I see."
Dave climbed down from the cockpit of the Beta, climbed
into Tess, inserted the key, and turned. The faithful little
car started right up. Daver grinned and zoomed off down the
street.
"He's nuts," said ReRob as Gryphon reattached the Alpha.
"So?"
"..."
"Let's book," Gryphon said, converting back to fighter
mode and lifting the Legios off the ground. Again tucking
the legs back under, they streaked back for the SDF-17.
"There it is again," PFC Gen Ericson muttered.
"God's-eye, this is recon-one. Guess whaaaaaat?"
"It's back?"
"Roger, heading west again, going like a bat out of
hell."
"Viper-lead, did you copy that?"
"Roger...I don't see anything--wait! There he is.
Bastard's almost invisible. Pursuing."
"Hey, Gryph?"
"Yeah?"
"I hate to break this to you, but we've got company."
"Huh?" Gryphon looked back, out over the rear deck and
the Beta's tail. "Oh, jet fighters. How quaint."
"What're we gonna do?"
"Ignore them, maybe they'll go away."
"I've got something weird here, God's-eye."
"Go ahead, Viper-lead."
"Hostile is invisible to radar."
"As in stealth, Viper-lead?"
"No, as in my acquisition radar doesn't paint him. At
all."
"Confirm this is not a technical problem, Viper-lead."
"It's not a technical problem, God's-eye; Viper-two
shows up just fine. This thing is invisible, whatever it
is."
"It is behaving in a hostile manner?"
"Negative...it seems to be...well...ignoring us."
"Hmm...Rob, the F-15 is the fastest fighter the Air
Force has, right?"
"Ahh...I believe so...why?"
"Just wondering." Gryphon grinned evilly, shut off the
shadow cloak, and began opening his throttles.
"Shit!" Viper-lead shouted as the target suddenly surged
forward. "God's-eye, the target is visible to radar--and
accelerating."
"We noticed, Viper-lead. Pursue him."
"Hey look, they're following us," said Gryphon. "Heh."
"Gryph? Are you feeling okay?"
"Juuust fine, Rob, don't worry about me." Gryphon
smiled an evil and not altogether sane smile and pulled back
on the joystick. The Legios' nose came up and he began to
climb.
"God's-eye, bandit is climbing, do you read?"
"Roger, Viper-lead. From his course, it looks like he's
heading back toward the hot zone--probably to rendezvous with
his ship. Watch yourselves--I'd bet that monster has some
serious AA."
"Roger, God's-eye."
"Hey, cool, they're still following us," Gryphon
said. He started pushing the throttles open a bit more. He
and his pursuers were both approaching Mach 2 in a rather
steep climb.
"God's-eye, do we have permission to fire, over?"
"Negative, Viper-flight. Permission to fire is denied."
"Roger, permission to fire denied--what the fuck?!
Viper-two, stand down! Permission to fire is denied!"
"Hey! They _shot_ at us!" ReRob announced as an
incoming-fire warning wailed. On his rear-view scope,
Gryphon saw the second F-15 launch a missile.
"Hmm, how 'bout that," Gryphon replied.
The AIM-9L Sidewinder missile homed on the heat of the
Legios' huge thrusters, diving for the engine cores.
Gryphon gritted his teeth angrily and slammed the
throttles open, pulling back on the stick. The Legios stood
on its tail and clawed for the stars. Even directly
vertical, it only took the Beta's mighty engines a few
seconds to push the whole craft to Mach 8.
"FUCK! God's-eye--"
"We see it, we see it."
"God's-eye, this is insane! Estimate bandit's speed to
be at least Mach 6 and still accelerating. Straight up!"
Gryphon tabbed the control that turned the shadow cloak
back on.
"God's-eye, target is gone. Last estimate puts him at
Mach 8 and straight up. Could be transatmospheric."
"Yeah, we saw it. Return to base, Viper flight...
there's nothing you can do."
"Shit," Viper-lead muttered, and ordered his flight to
peel off. "Viper-two, when we get back, your ass is mine."
Gryphon climbed down from the Alpha's cockpit, shook
ReRob's hand, and said with a grin, "Well, there's another
triumph for clean hands, a pure heart, a good soul...and
vastly superior technology."
"I wish I could've seen those guys' faces," Rob replied.
"You guys, that was priceless!" Daver shouted from
across the hold as he climbed out of Tess.
"Daver?! How the hell did you beat us back?"
"It's a secret," Daver replied with a cryptic grin.
Gryphon shrugged and went to the nearest phone. "Eve,
anything new on Zoner's condition?"
"No," Eve replied. "Everything's still dropping. I
fear he hasn't got much time left."
"What? Well, what in hell is our medical staff doing
about it?"
"Um..." Eve hesitated. "I don't know a lot about
medical procedures, but...it doesn't appear to me that she's
doing much of anything." The screen switched from a view of
Eve to a securicam perspective of sick bay, showing Zoner
comatose, Yuri and Jenna appearing decidedly inactive, and
Kei looking very uneasy.
"What the fuck...?" Gryphon muttered.
"Gryph, good news!" ReRob called from his consultation
with Android across the bay. "Truss got the engines
working--we can get outta here!"
"I'll deal with this later," Gryphon told Eve as she
took the screen back. "Right now, try and get everything
you can locked down for an emergency fold."
"I will," Eve replied. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's
a point to whatever they're doing."
"Oh yeah," Gryphon muttered to himself as he ran toward
the bridge. "Yeah, there's a point all right."