Chapter Quote:

"Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden."

~Phaedrus
________________________________________

Chapter 17: The Final Overture

Jason

I woke up at the crack of dawn despite having gone to bed at two in the morning. I'd be taking a nap later; that was for sure. I rolled out of bed and padded into the kitchen, planning on making a pot of coffee but found my nephew had already beaten me to it. He sat at the bar, staring mindlessly at his computer. All I could see on the screen was a blank word document.

"What are you up to?" I asked, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I took a sip, then realized Genette had found my secret stash of chicory coffee, only used for situations where I desperately needed energy. How he discovered it, I had no idea. But I guess I wasn't the only one in need of a pick-me-up.

"Finally decided to start working on my summer assignment. The problem is I have no idea what the hell I'm going to write. If I want to go into journalism and have my articles focus on the military and war, then I need to write something that will blow their minds. I need to stand out. Originally, I was going to write about the Demon Lord, but now, knowing it's you, I'd feel weird writing about it. Not to mention, I know the full story, and I'm afraid I'd slip up and say something I shouldn't," Genette vented, taking a deep breath when he finished. He banged his head on his laptop. "I need this coffee to work, and I need it to work now. I don't have time for this lethargy."

"What if you write about the Demon Lord, I read it over, and if I see anything that seems like it's too close to sounding like you talked to the Demon Lord himself, I'll point it out to you?" I suggested.

My nephew lifted his head. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. I want to help you ace this paper and get the journalism position you want. What do you say?"

"You don't even need to ask that!" he exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"Any time, Genette."

A revelation suddenly seemed to dawn on him as he narrowed his eyes at me and said, "You don't have any summer assignment deadlines waking you up in the god awful hours of the morning. Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep. Maybe my spidey-senses were telling me my nephew needed help," I replied with a shrug. Genette started to respond, but Elizabeth shuffled into the room, appearing like she wanted to murder someone or something. Probably us since we, more likely than not, woke her up.

"I'll get your coffee," I offered, pushing myself away from the counter and grabbing the pot. Elizabeth just nodded. It surprised me that she hadn't declared her murderous tendencies, but, then again, she would rather do something than say it in the morning. If Elizabeth genuinely did want to kill us, she would've done it already. However, I figured I should still move this conversation away from the kitchen and, more importantly, the knives, just in case she changed her mind.

"What do you say we go to the living room and continue with the missions since it's clear none of us are going to sleep after this coffee?"

"What is it with the three of us not being able to sleep?" My niece mumbled, dragging her feet to the living room. Genette and I shared an amused look, more so at the expression on her face and her hair sticking out every which way rather than the actual question. I had an answer to her inquiry about my insomnia, but I didn't want to tell her. I could see how thrilled she and Genette were listening to my stories, and if I let them know that dredging all this up from my past was giving me nightmares and flashbacks, they'd feel bad even though they shouldn't. None of what I was currently experiencing was their fault. Besides, I needed to face all this one day. Better with my family than with a stranger.

"You better tell us this story before Genette drinks so much coffee that he starts seeing sounds and hearing colors," Elizabeth mused, glancing over at her brother who had already started shaking his leg up and down. Whether that was from the anticipation for the story, the caffeine jitters, or both, I wasn't quite sure.

"And you say your brain doesn't function in the morning," Genette quipped.

"You can say I'm blonde, but you can't say I'm dumb."

"Most of the time."

"Shut up."

I grinned, interrupting them and saying, "Let's begin.
________________________________________

June 20, 1995...

I paced in my room, waiting anxiously for the next mission to begin. Janie still wasn't back, and my anxiety started to get the better of me. She should've been back hours ago. What was taking so long? Had she run into trouble on her way back up here? If so, what was the problem? Where was it?

"Told you he'd be pacing," PJ's voice piped up from my doorway. I whirled around to find him and Hammerhead standing there smirking. They'd both been keeping close tabs on me ever since the debacle with Pixy, but it'd escalated even more so since Janie had left on her mission. The boys were great, and I appreciated them checking up on me, but there were times I wanted to be left alone to my thoughts.

Like now.

I sighed and asked, "What's going on?"

"There's a briefing happening in five minutes. Thought you'd like to know," Hammerhead said. "You know, if you pace any more, you're going to fall through the floor. That'd be painful. If you want a place to get your frustration out, go to the gym and hit something."

"Unless it's Pixy I get to hit, I'm not interested." I paused, then added, "Or Wizard One."

"Sorry, but they're not there. You'll get your chance with at least one of them, I'm sure."

"I'm counting on it," I growled. PJ and Hammerhead smiled sympathetically at me.

I followed them to the briefing room, where I took a seat in the front. I wanted it known amongst the crew that just because I'd lost my buddy didn't mean I was down for the count. It sure as hell had taken its toll on me, but I wasn't letting it stop me. I was going to see this war through, and I was going to make sure our side won.

The lights dimmer, and Hammerhead began the briefing. "We've received a report that remaining Belkan troops are converging on Belka's northeast coast of Anfang. The enemy is deploying land, sea, and air strike teams. These troops refuse to accept the Belkan interim government's official capitulation and are adamantly resisting. In light of the current political situation, this mission will be a top-secret operation carried out entirely by mercenaries. The mission will be called Operation Broom and will be divided into three separate areas. The Mars strike team will attack enemy naval vessels and surface troops along the coast. The Mercury strike team will engage land units and enemy fighters that are using the tunnel as a makeshift airbase. The Jupiter strike team will be responsible for maintaining air superiority after the Mars and Mercury teams have completed their missions. This operation will begin at sixteen-hundred when the capitulation ceremony takes place in Lumen. Mars team will strike first, followed by Mercury and then Jupiter. Choose carefully which team you wish to join. That is all."

Operation: Broom

Location: Anfang

Date: 20 June 1995

Time: 1600 hours

PJ and I stood up to go to the hangar, the only two mercenaries on base now that Pixy had decided to turn tail and join the bad guys. The other mercenaries joining the mission would be coming from different bases, but we got first pick because of our track record. I wanted this mission to start off on the right foot, and if anything went wrong after we finished our part, we could swoop in and help if need be. With that line of thought, I chose the Mars team.

It still hurt to know Pixy was gone, to know we'd no longer fly the same skies together. But this job had kept my thoughts over the situation from getting too deep, too dark. I had dealt with the denial and the anger, but I was still dealing with the depression. In a world where I felt all alone, Pixy had changed that, even before Janie. He'd been my first friend on base, and he'd turned into my brother. We may have known each other for less than a year, but fighting alongside each other in battle, putting your life in the other's hands, it makes you develop trust and faith in them much quicker. You didn't get over a bond like that in just a few weeks. I knew my feelings over the entire situation wouldn't change until I met him again, whether it be face-to-face or on the battlefield.

"Earth to Cipher," PJ said, waving his hand in front of my face. "You with me?"

"I'm here," I responded, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. "Just thinking about the mission."

"I've got your back, brother." He clapped me on the back with a lot more strength than I thought he possessed. He had a smaller frame and build, and he was shorter than me, but I'd be damned if I didn't say the guy had the strength of Superman.

"I've got yours too, brother. Now, what do you say we go kick some rebellious asses?" I grimaced. "You know, that sentence sounded better in my head."

He grinned. "I have a feeling I'm going to hear that a lot from you."

"I'd like to deny that, but I know I'd be lying. Come on, let's go!" We entered the hangar where our planes waited for us, gleaming in the sunlight streaming in. When I saw the red wing on it, dread filled my stomach. I needed to get rid of the reminder of having Pixy as a wingman, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it entirely either. I needed to figure something out when I got back.

I had the planes armed with UGBLs before getting in and taxiing down the runway. It took no time for us to take off and start flying towards the designated air space. Radio chatter was limited, but more because we had nothing to say rather than being forced. Hammerhead probably appreciated the silence.

"Galm Team," AWACS piped up. Well, speak of the devil... "Take out Belka's remnant forces assembled at the coastline."

"My pleasure. I'm itching to take the bastards out," I said. "I'll take them all down."

"Leave some for PJ."

"And leave innocents alone," Janie chimed in.

"I don't plan on hurting innocents. I might be a mercenary, but I have morals," I replied.

"I sure wish I could take out all the enemies like Cipher. I'll give it a shot," PJ declared.

"If you keep flying like that, brother, you just might," I said.

"And if Cipher keeps flying the way he is, you'll definitely be taking them all out because he'll be one with the ground," Hammerhead.

"Hey!" I protested. "What's wrong with my flying?"

"I'm with Cipher on this," Janie remarked. "His flying style might be unorthodox, but it's effective."

"He takes too many risks," Hammerhead pointed out.

"I'm in a high risk, high reward job. If I don't take risks, I'm dead."

"You'll be dead one day with some of the risks you've taken."

"If I keep pulling the same risks though, then they fail to be risks anymore because I know what I'm doing when I do them; and isn't a risk a chance of losing something because you're unsure of how it's going to turn out?"

"Just shut up and start the battle," Hammerhead griped. I grinned, pleased I'd won the battle. The only time he ever said 'shut up' to me was when I won our arguments.

"Targets acquired," I announced, zeroing in on the numerous marks in front of me. They ranged from tanks to houses to SAMs and more. The homes were listed as neutral targets. While part of me wanted to believe the houses were just that- houses- another part of me, a nagging, loud part of me, felt the enemy was using them as hideouts. But since I couldn't see any sign that my suspicion was correct, I held off on attacking them, focusing on the primary targets for now.

"We're broadcasting live from the signing ceremony in Lumen," a broadcaster reported. I raised my eyebrows, surprised to be receiving the radio transmission from up here. I guess Hammerhead was transmitting it for us so we could listen. However, just because I was listening to the broadcast didn't mean I could lose focus on the mission at hand. When two tanks lined up in front of me, I aimed and fired a missile at each, then used gunfire to ensure the job was finished. Meanwhile, the broadcaster continued, "Senior officials from each nation have come here in hopes of a peaceful solution."

I turned my attention to the ships on the water. Some of these were neutral targets as well, but our former enemies owned these. I knew there were still some on those ships who believed my comrades and I deserved to die. Maybe we did, but I wouldn't die today. I had some unfinished business with Pixy that I intended to complete before I let death take me. Besides, while the houses might be used by enemies as well, they were stationary, and we could corner them in there. The houses really had no defenses. The ships, on the other hand, were armed and dangerous. I needed to take care of them.

And that's exactly what I did.

I flew dangerously close to the explosion, but my plane outpaced the fireball. I jerked my plane around and fired on another ship right next to the one I'd just attacked. Unfortunately, I'd misjudged how much damage I could do in the little distance between me and the ship, so it was left only partially destroyed. But PJ had been flying right behind me and finished it off.

"I'm going to put an end to this war," my wingman declared. I'd never seen him so serious before. He'd become more mature over the past few weeks. Ever since Pixy had left. I wondered why since those two never seemed to get along in the first place. But, then again, PJ had voiced to me a while ago that he'd always knew of Solo Wing Pixy, and how weird it was to meet his idol. What was that quote? Never meet your hero? Maybe PJ's change in demeanor stemmed from him doing just that...

"Get that transport trailer out of here! It's in the way," a Belkan barked. I narrowed my eyes at the landscape before me. These Belkans refused to give up the fight. I was about to give them a fight they would regret starting.

With a renewed vigor, I tackled the ships again, taking out another control ship as I flew out over the open ocean. I circled back to the inland when I head a Belkan order, "Pick a target once they pass overhead."

I locked onto an APC traversing the terrain high-speeds towards some houses which showed as neutral targets on my radar. I told myself that unless I saw those tanks and armored vehicles physically go to one of those houses, I wouldn't take out the houses. I would've told PJ the same thing, but I knew him. Still early in his flight career, he would only take out the targets he absolutely needed to. I remembered being like him not too long ago.

"Retreat! Retreat! We'll get caught up in the smoke!" A Belkan shouted. Knowing the reaction hadn't been my doing from taking out the APC, I could only assume it was PJ taking out some more ships. I praised him for it, which he thanked me for, but in an unnaturally subdued manner. At least for him, it was.

I turned back around to do another run towards the ocean, taking out an APC along the way before reaching a third control ship. With a couple of missiles and some gunfire put into the mix, the ship exploded, but I wasn't there to see it, already moving on to my next target. I had no idea how long this mission was supposed to last. For all I knew, it could be hours. I hoped not, but I had to prepare for it.

"Anti-aircraft artillery is in position and ready to fire," an enemy announced.

"Can these guys just stop already?" I grumbled as I looped back around to go after some SAMs. "If I fly in any more circles, I'm gonna get dizzy."

"Today's signatures will ratify an agreement which calls for the disarmament of Belka," the broadcaster came on, almost mocking the irony of the situation. Here we were, battling against very well-armed Belkans while an agreement was being signed for their disarmament. While I knew the disarmament really only meant abolishing their nuclear weapons and a reducing and imposing a limitation on their military weapon's holdings, I still felt it should include no fighting on the day the agreement was being signed. But that was too much to ask. These people couldn't accept they'd lost.

As if hearing my rambling thoughts, the broadcaster said, "Belka's military forces will be reduced, and tension with neighboring countries will soon come to an end. The agreement will be covered in detail at a later broadcast."

"I have a feeling these tensions are just starting," I remarked as I looped upwards to get some altitude before plummeting back down to the ground and take out two SAMs and an AA gun.

"I seriously hate thinking you're right this time," PJ muttered. He zipped overhead of me, targeting two ships that were making their way towards the mainland. In one swift swoop, he dealt devastating hits to the enemies, effectively taking them off our radar. I commended him for it.

"Make them cancel the cease-fire radio announcement!" A Belkan growled. I expected one of the guy's comrades to respond, but no one did. Either they didn't hear him, they didn't agree with him, or there was no one to answer.

"According to our sources," The broadcaster began, "the agreement also touches on the possession of nuclear armament."

Did this reporter have telepathic abilities or something and listened to my internal monologue earlier? Because I swear everything out of his mouth after it pertained to what I'd been thinking. Either he was telepathic, or I was psychic. There was the slim, slim chance it was just a coincidence...

"Nevertheless, the great war that enveloped the eastern countries and cost the lives of so many has finally come to an end," the broadcaster finished, sounding hopeful. Facing what I was now, I knew, without a doubt, this war was far from over.

I flew low to the ground, aligning myself, so the ground targets were in a line, easy for me to fly and shoot. I took out a SAM first without any issues. The second SAM in the lineup fired a missile at me but some slight evasive maneuvering, I dodged it and took out that SAM as well. I saw another one head into a house, and despite the house being considered a neutral target, I took it out. It was too much of a risk, and it was a risk I wasn't willing to take. I destroyed any houses along the way, deciding those in the center of this area were most likely housing the enemy if they'd been deemed as a neutral target. Those on the outskirts of town had less of a chance of it since they were farther from the action. Unless I saw an enemy come out of one of them, the outskirt houses were safe.

For now.

"This battle should put an end to the war," PJ said. I glanced on my radar to see him flying behind me, taking care of any enemies I'd missed on my path. He then swerved to the left, going after more ships.

"It should, but it won't. They're still putting up one hell of a fight," I remarked, pulling up high into the sky to avoid being hit by a missile. I leveled out, scoping the landscape before me and choosing my next target.

"They still have a lot of firepower left," PJ noted.

I agreed. "Let's hope they don't have any more nukes."

"Using nukes didn't solve anything."

"If they did do anything, they just gave the allies an even bigger reason to fight. I don't think that was their main intention, but I certainly believe it was meant to act as a deterrent. They've upset a lot of people with what they did. Hell, even Pixy seemed in shock about it, and he was involved with the whole damn thing!"

PJ was silent for a moment as he took out some more enemy naval vessels. I flipped my plane upside down, then righted it back up, heading out to help him. We were almost done by the looks of it. Then again, I'd thought that before and had ace Belkan squadrons show up out of nowhere. I prayed it didn't happen today.

Finally, PJ spoke, surprising me by wondering, "How would Pixy fly in this battle..."

I pondered it for a moment, watching as more enemy forces showed up. I then decided, "He'd bitch about all these enemies appearing out of seemingly nowhere."

"Something's wrong. There's too many to be remnant forces."

"I didn't want to say anything, but I've been thinking the same thing." I glanced at my radar, groaning at what I saw. "Ah, hell, we have enemy planes to deal with now. PJ, you finish up with the remaining ground forces. I'll take on the pilots," I ordered.

"On it, Captain!" With that said, we both went after our assigned targets. I high-tailed it towards a Gripen flying in PJ's direction. I'd already lost one wingman. I'd be damned if I let myself lose another. The enemy shot into the sky, and I followed, hot on his heels. My radar locked on, and despite it being a lousy shot, I still took it. My gut told me it'd make it, and it did. The enemy plane transformed into a fireball plummeting to the ground.

I nose-dived toward the water, taking out a ship before pulling up. I know what I'd told PJ, but I also wasn't going to miss an opportunity to take out an enemy.

"Fire all weapons! Don't hold anything back," A Belkan commanded sharply. I wondered what all those weapons were. I hoped they didn't mean any more nukes...

Glancing at my radar, I saw another enemy plane coming straight for me, another Gripen. I took them head-on, impatiently waiting to lock on. This was one deadly game of chicken, and it all depended on who had a quicker trigger finger and faster reflexes.

Finally, I got a lock. Almost simultaneously, I fired and pulled up. The enemy sent a missile my way as well, but it missed me by a long shot. My projectile, meanwhile, hit its target dead-on.

"That's some serious firepower," PJ said. "Where did it all come from? Why wasn't this in the briefing?"

"This firepower is coming from somewhere else. I'm getting this weird feeling that this may not be Belka."

"Who else could it be? It's Belkans on the radio." I didn't respond to my wingman because I didn't want to be right. Somehow, voicing my idea made it seem real, and I didn't want it to be. I didn't want to believe that A World With No Boundaries was behind this. They had members from all over the place: Osea, Sapin, Ustio, and Belka. Belka might not have much firepower after the nukes, but I'd bet my life A World With No Boundaries does.

"Cipher?" PJ prodded in answer to my silence.

"I'll tell you later. For now, let's focus on the mission."

"I've almost got all the ground forces taken care of."

"Good. I'm taking care of the air support, but it's like a hydra. Every time I shoot one down, it's like two more appear." As if to prove my point, I shot down another enemy plane, and almost immediately, two more showed up behind me with a vengeance. We danced in the sky with loops and twirls, dives and ascensions, but in the end, one of them made the mistake of getting in front of me. They didn't last long. Their partner chose to go after PJ, allowing me to get behind them. It took all but two seconds for me to catch up with them and shoot them down.

"Have you massed the ground forces?" A Belkan inquired.

"I don't like the sound of that. I really don't like the sound of that," I mused.

"We'll decide when this war ends... and now is the time," another Belkan added.

"The war is over! What are you doing?!" PJ demanded. His frustration and his anger fueled him, and he took out two ships in a matter of seconds, sending the enemy into a panic over the radio. I smiled, proud of my wingman.

"Enemy ground forces have been defeated. All ground threats are gone," Hammerhead announced, making music for my ears. Maybe it meant we could get back to base sooner rather than later. All that was left now were the remaining ships. I flew out towards them, watching as PJ swooped over the boats, dealing lethal damage to them each time.

I took out three missile boats on my way out to his side. I could see three vessels left on the radar. This would be easy, something I remarked to my wingman.

"I'm gonna bury the Demon Lord here," A Belkan snarled.

"Okay, maybe not as easy as I thought," I said.

"You had to open your mouth," PJ joked.

"I can't help it."

"Believe me, I've noticed."

"Shut up," I told him, but my laugh took the seriousness out of the statement.

Switching to special weapons, I lined up behind one of the cruisers, waited for the right moment, then dropped the UGBL on them, pulling away as fast as I could to avoid the AA guns and SAM they had aimed at me. I risked a glance behind me just in time to see the bomb deal its debilitating damage. The ship no longer appeared on radar.

"Why are they still fighting? Why don't they understand?" PJ asked.

"If it's truly the Belkans, I don't know."

"You never answered my question earlier. Who else would it be?"

I sighed. "I'm thinking A World With No Boundaries. They're the only reason I can think of why we're having this battle in the first place."

"Do... do you think Pixy is going to come here?"

"No, he's too valuable to them. They'll use him for only the most critical of missions. The ones they need to succeed. We'll see him again one day, but it's not today."

"I'm not sure if that's comforting or not to know we won't be seeing him today."

"Neither thought is comforting, to be honest. All right, you take the left, and I'll take the right?"

"You got it." PJ and I lined up side by side, aiming our UGBLs as best we could to hit the last two remaining ships.

"Shoot down those insolent little flies," a Belkan barked. "How are two damn planes taking our entire operation out?! It's not even the Demon Lord's regular wingman up there!"

"Don't be talking shit about my wingman!" I snapped, unsure if they could hear me or not. Regardless, it pissed me off, and I would show no mercy on anyone who went after PJ. I narrowed my eyes on the ships and counted down to firing. "Three... two... one... fire!"

We unleashed the UGBLs at the same time, flying towards the ships to make sure they hit their target, and they did.

Mission Accomplished

"We're sinking... Abandon ship! Youngest to oldest!" A Belkan ordered his comrades. He didn't seem as angry with the situation. In fact, he seemed more concerned with his crew than he did with us, making me wonder how much his heart had been in the battle in the first place.

"The Belkan remnant forces have been completely eliminated. Well done, Galm Team," Hammerhead congratulated. PJ and I turned our planes in the direction of the base, eager to get back on the ground. However, both of us were lost in our thoughts over this battle. Despite my attempts to ignore it, my gut told me the war wasn't over. Not yet.

The broadcaster from earlier suddenly came back on the radio, announcing, "Today is a day of hope. A day in which tension between different countries will be greatly reduced."

Silence ensued on the radio for a few moments before PJ eerily echoed my thoughts by saying, "This... this is no remnant resistance. This war's not over yet."

"My thoughts exactly," I said grimly.

Our morose thoughts were interrupted by Hammerhead and his debriefing. "Thanks to your help, the operation was a success. The ceremony was also conducted without any trouble. We're still investigating why so many enemy forces were converging together, but have succeeded in cutting off the remaining resistance forces from the rest of the Belkan army."

With that said and done, PJ and I made our way back to base in silence, deep in thought and wondering what we were going to face next, wondering when this war would actually be over.
________________________________________

Present day...

"Okay, I'm not going to lie, the battle itself wasn't as impressive as the others, but the deception of it all to make it look like was it was remnant forces of the Belkans instead of A World With No Boundaries is insane!" Genette declared.

"It was certainly an easier mission, but no less frustrating. Frankly, it was one of the more frustrating ones because the war should've ended, but we knew better, and no one listened to us until it was almost too late. Janie believed us, but her father wouldn't listen to anything any of us had to say."

"Shocking," Elizabeth muttered.

I looked at my watch, realizing it was only six-thirty in the morning. We'd all been up for about two hours. "We have some time to kill before the documentary continues. We can either watch something on TV or go back to sleep."

"What about another mission?" Elizabeth suggested, sounding hopeful.

"I'm staying with the pace of the documentary. You're going to have to wait," I told my niece with a grin. She pouted but didn't argue.

"Let's watch TV then. If we fall asleep, we fall asleep," Genette said. With all of us in agreement, I flipped to a new show called Supernatural that had just come out this year. Elizabeth was obsessed with it, particularly the one named Dean. Genette and I enjoyed it too, but even Supernatural had no power over our exhaustion, and one by one, we fell asleep.