"Terrorism and deception are weapons not of the strong, but of the weak."
~Mahatma Ghandi
____________________________________________ 

 Grimm

The coin landed on the tail's side. The commander grunted and announced, "All right, your mission is to neutralize the gas that has been deployed in Bana City by what is believed to be Yuktobanian terrorists. I don't like it, but we're short-handed in Oured right now, and you're the best we have. Don't fuck this up!"

He dismissed us with a wave of his hand, and we scurried to the SUV, desperate to get out of the stuffy courthouse. once again driven by Nelson, and to Ellington Field, where we would be assigned aircraft and instructed on our mission.

The car ride to the base was surprisingly short, not that I minded.  Nelson had a way of making all situations unnaturally and unnecessarily awkward.  Even Chopper was silent and that's unheard of (literally).

When we pulled up to the base, we were escorted by a man named Ivan Tronsicslav.  He was tall, about six feet, and he appeared to be on the younger side with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a peach-colored fuzzy thing as his mustache, which made me wonder if he was a true brunette.  I wondered what part of Osea he was from because he had a slight accent that I couldn't quite place.  Maybe he was from the east coast.  I also noticed a scar on his right arm but, I had been taught that you don't ask scar stories until you're considered friends with the person, and we were definitely not with Ivan. In fact, I doubted anyone in Oured was our friend right now, except maybe for Genette's boss, but he had no idea any of us were here in the first place.

"Hello," Ivan said. "How are you today?"

"We've had better days," Blaze replied, giving him a small smile. "How has your day been?"

"Rough."

"Oh? How Come?"

"I'm a defector from the Yuktobanian Air Force.  I didn't approve of my country starting a war with yours, so I defected and came to fight for Osea," Ivan explained.  I felt my mouth drop slightly open at the bombshell he'd just dropped on us. No wonder I heard an accent!

"I see. Well, I'm sorry you had to leave your country, but we're grateful you're helping us," Blaze told him sincerely. "You wouldn't happen to have any insider info about why they started the war, would you?"

Ivan shook his head. "No. We were kept in the dark as much as you."

"Didn't think so, but it was worth a shot."

Ivan opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but he was interrupted by the Base Commander instructing us to our planes in a tone that clearly said he wished he could be dealing with anyone but us. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to choose our planes. We were given MIR-2000s, which looked like they hadn't been flown in years. They were equipped with neutralizers instead of missiles, although we still had our guns working in case any enemies came after us.  As we pulled onto the runway, the briefer came on. Unlike ours on Sand Island, this one didn't clear his throat before he began, so I would've paid no attention had he not had such an obnoxiously loud voice. "A group believed to be a Yuktobanian commando force has carried out a terrorist attack with chemical weapons.  The site of the attack is the college town of Bana, located to the south of Oured.  Plumes of nerve gas are currently billowing out from several locations around the city.  We must neutralize the gas from the air as quickly as possible.  Capital District Air Command will provide specialized aircraft equipped to deploy canisters containing a neutralizing agent.  Drop the neutralizing agent from the air over the smoke from the gas plumes.  Keep the gas from spreading further around the city." 

Operation: Wisdom

Location: Bana City

Date: 2010/11/04

Time: 1124 Hours

We got in the planes and took off towards Bana City.  It wasn't long before we arrived. I looked out over the city, reminiscing childhood memories. I had been there a few times when I was younger because I'd lived nearby.  The buildings were all old, and as a kid, I always imagined them being haunted.  However, that was probably because of my overactive imagination.  

"I can't believe we flipped a coin for this damn mission.  This isn't funny, man," Chopper grumbled in annoyance.

"Are the top brass making all decisions by flipping a coin?" Nagase asked, her tone equally annoyed.

Blaze harrumphed. "That'd explain a lot."

Tall, yellow plumes of gas started rising up from various locations in Bana City.  They were taller than most of the buildings, in fact, meaning this gas, whatever it was, reached over twenty stories.  The knowledge made me sick to my stomach. I felt horrible for the people down below.  With the risk of making an ill-timed pun, it must've been nerve-wracking to be down there for the civilians. We needed to take care of this situation and fast!

"Okay.  Once you've reached the airspace over the city, drop the neutralizer bombs," A Central Air Command man informed. "Make good use of them." 

"Roger.  Gee, thanks for the step-by-step instruction, there," Chopper replied sarcastically.

"First Lieutenant Davenport?  We've heard from the front lines that you like to shoot your mouth off on the radio." I shook my head. Chopper sure knew how to piss everyone off. How did he do it? It was a miracle he was still in the Air Force, let alone flying.

"Uhh, Davenport is too busy carrying out his mission to answer you at this time, Sir."

"That was an answer."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was!"

"No, it wasn't.  I never gave you a reason why I shoot my mouth off on the radio, which I actually don't do that often. I just speak quickly and make jokes, and people misinterpret things. Some don't get my sense of humor, and some have no sense of humor, so then they get all uppity and offended, and then they tell bad things about me to other people, and then those people go off yakking about what those people told them, and those people think they know me by what other people tell them, and that's just biased just like many of the people in politics, and those guys get me all riled up. Ask any of my friends but, then again, most of my friends are all spread out over Osea, and you'd have a hell of a time finding them."

There was silence on the radio for a few seconds before "... What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Trust me, the harder you try to wrap your head around what he just said, the worse of a migraine you'll give yourself," Blaze said.

"Did you get any of that?" he queried.

"We all did, but that's because we're with him all the time and-" Nagase began.

"He can go on and on and on and on without taking a breath," I finished.

"I really hope y'all are defending me," Chopper said warily.

"We wouldn't do anything else," Blaze answered with a laugh.

"Hey, if you can't dazzle them with your intelligence, baffle them with your bullshit."

"You certainly have the bullshit part down," I remarked.

"I can't tell if you're complimenting me, insulting me, or both," Chopper replied.

"I think you know."

My wingman started to respond, but Blaze interrupted us with instructions to split up. She and Chopper were taking the west bank; Nagase and I were taking the east bank.

"Our radar won't help us to target the gas.  We'll have to rely on our eyes," Nagase remarked. The epiphany from her words quickly dawned on me. Despite the simplicity of the mission's briefing and its goal, this would be no walk in the park. I realized then how much we relied on our radar in our other missions.  Thank God it was at least a bright color, so we could see where it was.

"Charlie 11, isn't today your daughter's birthday?" Patrol Car Seven queried.

"Well, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing!" Charlie snapped airily. "Let's take care of this so I can go home, okay?"

I flew down low and fired a neutralizer.  It hit the intended area dead-on and neutralized the gas.  I looked around and caught glimpses of Blaze and Chopper weaving between the buildings on the other side.  Nagase shot by under me, and I went back to neutralizing the gas.

I flew over a building I recognized as a university building.  My cousin Hannah Yates went to college here!  I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. "Oh no..."

"Grimm, you okay?" Blaze inquired worriedly. "Is something wrong with your plane?"

"My cousin, she goes to the University of Bana.  I think she's down there," I explained, my stomach turning queasy and not from the sharp turns I was taking to avoid buildings.

"What's your cousin's name?"

"Hannah Yates."

"What's her number?" Although confused by the order, I answered it. Blaze thanked me and proceeded to order, "Central Air Command, I need you to find out if a Hannah Yates is in Bana City right now. Call the number Archer has just provided."

"Blaze, we cannot do that unless it has something to do with the mission," CAC replied shortly.

"You can, and you will. How fucking hard is it for you to dial a number and check? Y'all owe us this after falsely accusing us of attacking a civilian complex. Call her, and call her now," Blaze snarled. 

Disbelief ran through me, but it was quickly replaced by pride and appreciation. I couldn't believe Blaze was essentially telling off Central Air Command after everything that happened today. The only other captain I knew of who would have the gall to do such a thing would be Bartlett. She was becoming more and more like him by the day. Apparently, though, she still had some influence, even with our situation, because CAC said okay, albeit sounding more than a little pissed off.

A few moments of silence passed before CAC informed huffily, "There is no Hannah Yates in Bana City at the current time.  She got a flight out yesterday to go to Miramar."

"Thank you.  Are you okay now Grimm?" She queried kindly.

"Yes, thank you Blaze.  I really appreciate it."

Chopper whistled. "And here I thought Bartlett was the only one who would bark orders at people with higher ranks than him."

"This is what they get for choosing our mission with a damn coin," Blaze replied.

With the relief of knowing my cousin was safe, I got my head back in the game and started shooting the neutralizers again.  I was trying really hard to get more than Blaze, Chopper, and Nagase because I felt I owed it to them for being such a worrywart about my cousin and to Blaze for sticking up for me.

"I don't know our release point.  Where is it?" Chopper inquired.

"But... but you've been neutralizing the gas," Blaze said, sounding more than a little perplexed.

"They were lucky shots. I've been guessing on where I need to shoot."

"Well, then just keep doing what you're doing because it's working."

I went high up and did a loop in the air and then went back down and shot a neutralizer at a plume of gas.  I hadn't been able to get it from when I was lower because it was trapped between four buildings so I had one option there, and that was shoot the neutralizer and crash into one of the buildings.  That was an option I wasn't going to do because I really wanted to Cassie to see me again, and not have that next time be at my funeral, you know?

"An unidentified gas has just been detected in districts near the west and east banks of Bana City," A reporter announced.

"They already have news helicopters?  That's crazy, man," Chopper said.

"They better not get too close," Blaze remarked warily. "If that nerve gas affects them, they're going to be in trouble."

"As you can see, the gas is drifting up from various locations all over the city!" The reporter added.  "This is shocking footage being broadcast exclusively here on this news station..."

I could see the news helicopter high up in the sky, flying dangerously close to some of the plumes. If the nerve gas reached them... I shuddered at the potential consequences. 

"Even from here we can clearly see the stream of people evacuating the area!" The reporter said. "The bustling energy that used to fill these city streets has been replaced by confusion and fear!" 

I'll admit, it was a good line, but the way the guy delivered it made it sound corny, like a bad punch line in a joke.

We were halfway through with extinguishing the gas.  I was kind of worried about the nerve gas seeping into my plane because I hadn't checked the chemical-weapon test results.  That was kind of worrisome.

"I hope the seal on my canopy's all right.  Did anyone see the chemical-weapon test results on this thing?" Chopper asked no one in particular, eerily echoing my own thoughts.  I swear Blaze, Nagase, Chopper and I shared some kind of telepathy. It was the only explanation for some of the weird occurrences that happened between us, like one of them voicing my exact thoughts despite me not having said a word. Maybe it's one of the reasons we worked so well together.

"I was seriously just thinking about that!" I told him with mock awe.

"There's only one explanation for that... We're telepathic!" Chopper claimed, once more speaking my belief, and further confirming for me that my squadron and I shared a bizarre connection. Or maybe we just shared one brain cell. Either was possible, to be honest.

"The planes passed with flying colors!" Blaze said before bursting into a giggling fit.

Nagase snorted. "Seriously Blaze? Flying colors?" 

"I saw the opportunity for a pun, and I took it," Blaze responded sheepishly. "On a different note, I have a question?"

"Yes," Chopper responded.

"I didn't even ask the question."

"I know.  I've just always wanted to say that."

"My question is: how did these terrorists get a hold of chemical weapons?"

"Good question. I don't have an answer for you, but it's a good question.

"Only a great hatred could drive them to do something like this," Nagase said.

"But why civilians? Why be hypocrites and condemn whoever on our side attacked the civilian complex, but then do the exact same to us? Why not take the high road and at least try and attack the military since we're apparently the ones who authorized the attack?"

"Don't try to get inside the mind of a terrorist," Chopper warned, surprisingly gentle. "They don't rationalize things the same way we do."

"Blaze, what lies at the root of this attack is hatred itself," Nagase added. 

"I know, but hate shouldn't breed more hate," Blaze said pensively. "I can't imagine hating someone so much that I would bring innocents in the crossfire of taking them down."

"Thankfully, I think most people believe the same as you do, but we do have terrorists like the ones below who think otherwise."

"Then let's take care of them."

The gas was rapidly decreasing, and I counted around two or three more plumes we had to neutralize. Thank god.  Flying this close to tall buildings was giving me a panic attack and a headache.  I couldn't wait to get back to base and go to bed. Even better, we all got to take a few days off and go back home soon!  Man, I couldn't wait to see my family!  And better yet, my brother was coming home at the same time so I could see him as well.  I hardly ever saw him since he joined the Army.  I could see all my old friends and eat my mom's meals, which are out of this world. My stomach grumbled at the thought.

"Well, we've just received some new information..." A new reporter started. "The Air Force has begun spreading a neutralizing agent to counter the poisonous gas."

"Have they seriously just noticed we're here?" Chopper demanded in an annoyed shock.

"News stations have always either been late to tell us something, or they're wrong in their answer.  The weather for instance: they tell us it's sunny and it's an all-day thunderstorm," Blaze replied.

"I wonder if they purposely do that considering how wrong they always are," Nagase said.

I chuckled. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me if you were right."

"Unfortunately, we can't get any closer to the ground, due to the danger posed by the gas..." the reporter continued, their voice edged with grief. "We can see people on rooftops calling for help, but there's nothing we can do from up here!"

I was flying near the top of a building when I saw them. About twenty people waving at me.  I couldn't do anything to help them, at least with me being in a plane. The only way I could was to neutralize the gas as quickly as possible.

"Incredible... this is almost like watching a movie!" The reporter said in awe.

I saw Chopper shoot a neutralizer at a gas plume; it evaporated in the blink of an eye. Surely that was the last one? Or close to last? I scanned the surrounding area and didn't see any more.  Thank God.

"There it goes... Alright, lemme see how it looks down there," Chopper decided.

"Evacuating is going fine as well.  Everyone's beginning to calm down," a patrol car told us.

"All gas neutralized," Blaze confirmed.

"This is Charlie 11.  The east bank's free of gas along with the west bank.  Way to go, pilots."

"You're very welcome, sir. Now maybe you can get to your daughter's birthday party sooner rather than later!"

"That would be her favorite gift of all!" Charlie 11 exclaimed happily. Clearing his throat and replacing his joviality with practiced professionalism, he said, "City Police HQ, 10-4.  All other districts clear.  City is completely free of gas.  We really appreciate the Air Force for doing this."

Maybe this entire situation would make High Command realize we would never attack a civilian complex, and that they would clear us of all charges. Then again, they're all stuck up and hate to be proven wrong, so I wasn't going to get my hopes up. Still, they need to get whatever stick was up their butt out.

"Mission failed!  The gas has been completely neutralized," A terrorist hissed. The voice sent a shiver down my spine. Why were we receiving their transmissions?!

"Kedar team to Sudayev team.  We're sending in a helicopter for support," A Yuke responded.

"Sorry you have to do this," the terrorist said, sounding genuinely upset. Fury ripped through me. How could this person show more emotion over making their comrades come bail them out than hurting innocent civilians? Bastards, all of them...

"Ah, hold it, stand by... The terrorists are escaping with the chemical weapons in a truck," City Police HQ announced. "All units, close on that area."

So now it was up to the police to capture them.  Hopefully the enemy didn't send fighters or anything like that because we wouldn't be able to defend the city if that happened, not when we only had our guns to rely on. That'd be like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

"Suspect proceeding south on Route 22," City Police HQ informed.

"Hey, let's go watch," Chopper urged.

"You can.  I've about had enough of weaving in between these buildings," Blaze mumbled.

"I'm with you on that one," I said.

"I want to see," Nagase joined in.  She and Chopper flew down low while Blaze and I flew higher up.  However, I still looked for the terrorist's truck. I found the police first, their flashing blue and red lights garnering my attention. Not far ahead of them was the terrorist truck."

"This Baker 7.  Now on Route 22."

"10-4. Uh, listen, pilots.  Uh, sorry to trouble you, but out patrolmen aren't exactly trained to fight in wars.  Do you think you could help them out from the air?" City Police HQ requested, sounding rather sheepish.

"Yes, sir.  And it's no trouble at all; it's our job," Blaze replied kindly.

"This is Capital Air Command. Is that really necessary?"

"Well, if you could dispatch some MPs to the scene, that'd be fine, too," the City Police HQ told them.  I bit back a laugh because that hadn't answered the question at all. I had a feeling that was the entire point.

"This is Baker 7. We've spotted the truck."

"Didn't they spot it a long time ago?" Chopper queried suspiciously.

"Some of them did," Blaze said.

I saw the truck crash into one of the smaller buildings, but it kept on going.  I wondered if the building was okay.  I didn't care about the terrorists.  They deserved to be injured. 

"The airport is under attack from enemy commandos," CAC proclaimed.

"You're kidding!" City Police HQ exclaimed.

"Yeah, we've got our hands full here, too.  Wardog Squadron, you are ordered to assist the local authorities," CAC commanded.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied.

"We appreciate your help," the City Police HQ expressed sincerely.

"Did you hear that?!  They said the airport was attacked at the same time!" I observed in amazement.

"I knew they had attacked the airport but I didn't know it was the same time they released the gas," Blaze said thoughtfully.

I had a couple of a questions. First and foremost: how the hell did the enemy get into the airport without us knowing? With all the security we have at Osean airports right now, even I had to admit it was an amazing feat. The Yukes were smarter and more cunning than I gave them credit for. As for my second question, I wasn't sure how to bring it up. All I could think about with the question was the Yukes running around naked.

"Doesn't commando mean to go...?" I left the question hanging.

"Yes and no. The first one is a military unit that participates in dangerous raids. The one you're thinking of is running around naked. The latter of the two paints a more colorful and humorous image," Chopper said with a hint of hilarity in his tone, so I knew he had been thinking the same thing as me.

"But the latter one isn't the one that the CAC is talking about," Blaze said.

"I like to think it's the latter one I said. It keeps life interesting."

"I'll admit I was imagining them running naked too even though I knew that's not what was happening."

Nagase sighed, but I heard her amusement. "You guys have warped minds."

"Don't tell me you weren't thinking what we were thinking when they said commandos," Chopper protested.

"No, I wasn't, but it did come to mind later."

"You have a warped mind too because you still thought of it."

"Chopper has a point on this one, Nagase," I said. My wingman flew alongside me. I glanced over at her, and she flipped me off. I laughed good-naturedly.

"Charlie 11 here.  We found the truck but they launched a grenade at us.  No injuries... just hit a mailbox on the curb.  They got away in the confusion."

"Roger.  Pilots, see if you can find the terrorist's truck from up there.  Don't let them escape," City Police HQ ordered.

"Roger that.  We'll take care of it," Chopper casually responded, maneuvering his plane so that he was heading straight for the terrorist truck.

"Hold on.  I don't need you fighters to fire on them or anything."

"Not even just a little?" he wrangled.

"No!" The CAC barked furiously.

"C'mon guys, really..." City Police HQ  said nonchalantly.

"Did you hear that, Captain?  They say we can't shoot 'em!" Chopper said.

"Yes, I did," Blaze answered.  She sounded exhausted, and I think the CAC guys were wearing her out.  Who knows, maybe that was their goal, to wear her out so much that she'd just admit to attacking the city even though we didn't do it just to get them to shut up about it. "As much as I'd like to get those guys, they're worth more to us alive than dead."

"I know.  I was just kidding," Chopper obviously lied.

"We've gotta lighten the load!" The terrorists suddenly shouted.

"Charlie 11, I don't see your car on the navigator display.  What's going on?" Baker 7 demanded.

"I'm in the parking garage under Dalem Street.  I think I can cut them off!"

"Geez man, calm down.  Do you realize where you're driving?!"Baker shouted.

"This just in!  At the Apito International Airport, an armed group, believed to be Yuktobanians, began..." a reporter began, this time it was a woman; she sounded relatively young.  I really wished that the radio would stop getting cut off because I wanted to know what was happening at the airport!

"Charlie 11, you're off the main road!  Where are you going?" Baker 7 questioned fretfully.

"This is Charlie 11.  I'm taking a shortcut through Hastarl Park."

"What?!  Hey, isn't that against the law?"

Great, so now the local authorities are breaking the law. Hopefully we wouldn't be accused of any wrongdoing in the process because High Command seemed to enjoy making us their scapegoats.

"We are hearing large explosions and gunfire from Apito International Airport at this very moment!" The woman reporter exclaimed. "According to military sources, this attack is very likely the work of Yuktobanian terrorists..."

The damn radio went out again, causing me to mumble angrily about it to myself. This gave Chopper the opportunity to make a smartass comment about me needing to go see a psychiatrist about my imaginary friend. I told him to fuck off.

The four of us flew in formation above the city, keeping our eyes on the truck, and waiting for our next orders.

"I found the truck!... Dammit, they're shooting at us!" Charlie 11 grunted.

"Charlie 11, fall back!  Wait for backup!" Baker 7 commanded.

"Don't worry Baker 7, I'll pump enough lead into the truck to stop 'em!"

"Kedar team, can we rendezvous at Apito International Airport?" the terrorist truck queried.

"That'll be tough.  The airport's surrounded by the enemy," Kedar replied. "Hold on.  We're coming for you."

"Sudayev team to helicopter.  The enemy planes are fighters.  Be careful," the terrorist said.  So their name was Sudayev.  That made it easier for me to understand who was talking.  At least the enemy was warning them about us because that meant that we had a shot at beating the assholes.

"Roger, Sudayev team.  We'll approach from low altitude."

"The helicopter's going to cross over us near Marvin Bridge," Sudayev said.

"Dammit, I can't get near the truck!  I'm at Marvin Bridge!" another patrol car, one I hadn't heard until this moment, said. "All units in pursuit, proceed at once to Marvin Bridge.  Seal off all surrounding areas.  Hurry!"

Suddenly, I got a hit on my radar and realized it was an enemy helicopter, probably here to pick up the terrorists.

"This is Capital District Air Command.  The enemy forces at the airport have sent a helicopter in you direction.  Be careful."

"We've got a visual on the helicopter already," Chopper retorted, veering his plane alongside Blaze's and heading towards the enemy. "Next time, tell us sooner."

"I feel like Scar in the Lion King when he said he was surrounded by idiots," Blaze said.

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong as long as you're referring to High Command."

"Who else?"

"This Baker 7.  We're surrounding the area but that's a military helicopter."

Blaze and Chopper reached the enemy helicopter and and simultaneously fired their guns.  Within seconds, it exploded.

"We don't have anything that can go up against it," Baker 7 noted, sounding irritated.

"Fighters, shoot down the helicopter for us," City Police HQ ordered.

"That's what I've been waiting for.  Let's go!" Chopper urged happily.

"He must mean 'helicopters' and not 'helicopter' seeing as how there is more than one helicopter," Blaze pointed out.

"Target acquired... hey, isn't that a Yuktobanian attack helicopter?!" I observed.

"That means they'll be armed," Nagase warned. "They're prepared to fight to the bitter end. How the hell did terrorists get their hands on this kind of military weaponry?"

"Report to Command!  Yuktobanian helicopters have entered our airspace!  Repeat, Yuke copters have breached our airspace!" Chopper informed angrily.  I think he was angry that Command hadn't told us sooner.  Surely they could've spotted all of the helicopters rather than just the one sooner than this?  Blaze was right.  We were surrounded by idiots.  

I got behind an enemy aircraft and tried to fire, but I had come in too close too fast, almost getting rid of it in an alternative way. It would've worked, but I would've perished, and that was not on my list of things to-do today. Besides, last thing I wanted was to give High Command what they wanted: me out of the way. They were making my life difficult, so I'd make theirs difficult simply by continuing to exist.

I looped back around, learning from my mistake from last time. This time got behind it far enough so that I wouldn't crash into it, and close enough so I could use my guns.  I destroyed the helicopter easily and went to find the next one.

Nagase was tailing a chopper that was weaving in between the buildings.  Chopper and Blaze were heading off in another direction to engage more incoming ones.

"Be careful.  They're fully loaded with missiles," Chopper warned.

"Six helicopters left," I told them.

"Man, fighter jets are really cool... You think that'd make a good present?" Charlie 11 mused.  I couldn't tell if the guy was being serious or not.

"Uh, Charlie 11, I don't think your daughter would appreciate it too much," Baker 7 advised. "She's still into Barbies and Disney."

"I mean, if she likes fighter jets, I don't see the problem in getting her one other than the cost," I said.

"And, depending on how old she is and her interests, she might also be more interested in the guy flying the jet rather than the jet itself," Blaze added.

"Why do you say that?" Chopper asked.

"Girls like guy's in uniform," Nagase explained. "Probably one of the reasons why your girlfriend is dating you."

"I'm sure it's not the only reason," Blaze said.

"I noticed that you said it's not a reason, though."

"Chopper does look sharp in his flight suit. Any suit, really."

"Even his birthday suit?"

"Kei Akira Nagase!" Blaze chastised, absolutely mortified. 

Chopper howled. "How would she know that? It's not like Blaze is my girlfriend."

"I know. I just wanted to get her riled up."

"You know what? I take back what I said last night," Blaze declared. I don't approve of you dating that specific person anymore."

"Not like it'd happen anyways."

"Uh, if I can end up with who I have, you can end up with them."

"What are we talking about?" Choper asked, sounding as baffled as I felt.

"Nothing," the girls replied at the same time. 

After that, the conversation came to a halt, and we continued on. Nagase and I ganged up on a helicopter and shot it down.  Blaze and Chopper had, by now, reached the ones they'd been going towards earlier. While Blaze distracted them, Chopper fired at them. I watched one of the helicopters go down in flames.

"Four helicopters left," Charlie 11 noted.

"It's really ticking me off just sitting here doing nothing..." Baker 7 admitted, irked.

"The Sudayev team is completely surrounded!" the Kedar team announced. "The enemy planes have spotted us!  Fly lower!"

Shit!  Why did they have to fly lower?  I was sick of having to weave in between buildings and all that.  I liked flying in the open sky without any obstacles in my way.

"Kedar to Sudayev.  We're changing the planned retrieval time."

Another helicopter disappeared off my radar, shot down by Blaze.  I think there were three more choppers left.  The guys on the ground would probably let us know. I'll admit, it was nice having people down below. The police were a lot nicer than half the people we dealt with in our own military. 

"Three more helicopters," Charlie 11 said. I bit back a laugh, proud of myself for calling exactly what they'd do. He waited a few seconds before adding, "Baker 7, I'm going to attack them myself!"

"Hey, Charlie 11!  What's that thing you got in the back seat?" Baker 7 inquired.

Nagase shot past me and fired her guns at a helicopter.  It exploded in a great ball of fire.  You would think these helicopters would be hard to destroy because they were better able to fly through the buildings than we were, but no. They didn't even have backup.  The Yukes are smart enough the use jamming aircraft but not smart enough to reinforce their helicopters?  Maybe they're not so bright after all.  Not that I'm complaining.  They were making my job a hell of a lot easier.

"That's my anti-tank rifle!  I brought it with me from home!" Charlie 11 informed.  What was a policeman doing with an anti-tank rifle?  That was my question. "Oh, and two more helicopters."

"Look!  It's a military helicopter!  That's not an Osean aircraft," a different patrol car shouted.

"I know I've said this a lot this mission, but did he seriously just notice that?" Chopper said in an exasperated shock.

"... An explosion!  We just saw a flash of light, what appears to be an explosion, to the east!" A reporter said.

"These news people aren't much better," Blaze pointed out.

"They're just now seeing the explosions after we shot down, what?  Six helicopters?" Chopper observed.

"... Fighter jets.  The engine noise is deafening!" the reporter exclaimed.

"Probably means you're too close, lady. Maybe you should evacuate like all the other people."

"No, that'd be too logical for them," Blaze said, leveling out between the last two aircraft. We let her have them. They definitely wouldn't last.  She shot down one of the helicopters and got behind the last one.

"... The city has turned into a real battlefield," A reporter proclaimed.

"No it hasn't," I said. "They haven't seen a real battlefield."

"Yeah, they should've seen Operation Footprint.  Now that was a battlefield!" Chopper stated as Blaze shot the last helicopter down.

Mission Accomplished

"This is Edge.  All targets confirmed destroyed."

"Roger that.  Wardog, get back in formation," Blaze ordered.  I turned my plane until I found my captain.  She was cruising just high enough where no buildings would get in her way.  Chopper and Nagase were already there so I high-tailed it to my position.

"This is Baker 7.  The enemy truck has surrendered."

"Hah, serves you right.  How's it feel now, huh?" Charlie 11 rambled.

"Does he know that the terrorist probably can't hear him?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I think it makes people feel better when you can lecture someone or say 'I told you so' even when they can't hear you," Nagase observed.

"Wardog, mission complete.  Return to base immediately," CAC commanded. Someone groaned, and I'm pretty sure it was Chopper.

"Charlie 11, we need a Code 3 response to find a dad missing from his daughter's birthday party..." Baker 7 said.

"10-4!  Proceeding to the scene immediately!"

The four of us headed back to Oured, praying we'd be able to keep our wings and return to Sand Island.

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When we got back to base, Ivan was there to greet us. He eyed Blaze and Nagase curiously. "Welcome back."  

"Thanks, Ivan," Blaze said.

"Pardon my asking, but which one of you is the captain?"

"I am." 

Ivan looked utterly shocked. "Wow, you're... Sorry, it's just in Yuktobania, it's almost impossible for a female to become a captain, especially so young."

"Blaze really didn't get a choice about being captain," Chopper said.

"Really?" If possible, Ivan became even more confused, and Nagase explained how Blaze fell into the position. Ivan looked at my captain with newfound respect. "I see.  That's really impressive."

"Thanks," Blaze replied, blushing.  

Meanwhile, my gaze had returned to his scar. Ivan must've seen my gaze because he said, "I was attacked by a shark when I was fifteen."

"You're kidding?!" Nagase exclaimed.  Ivan shook his head and went on to explain how he had been swimming with his friends when a Great White attacked him. At the end of his story, he added, "Before I forget, I was told to tell you to go pack your bags because you're leaving back to Sand Island in an hour."

"What?!" We all exclaimed.

"Fuck. We'll only have like... fifteen minutes to pack," Chopper griped.

"This day just gets better and better," Blaze said. "At least we know we still have our jobs."

After that wonderful announcement and wishing Ivan good luck, we literally ran to the car waiting for us.  The driver, which happened to be Nelson, drove so slowly it had to be on purpose.  By the time we got to the hotel, we had only ten minutes to pack. Blaze and Nagase were all flustered because those two loved things like suitcases to be organized and with only ten minutes to organize their belongings, they weren't fun to be around.

We somehow finished packing (if you call throwing all of our stuff in a suitcase packing) in those ten minutes.  Even the girls had finished packing, although they were still fuming about the situation.  Nagase looked doggone tired, and her head all but fell onto Genette's shoulder when we got into the car.

The trip, thankfully, was uneventful. We didn't complain. We'd had enough excitement the last couple of days. When we got off the plane, Cassie was waiting for us along with Pops.  I pulled Cassie into a giant bear hug which she returned enthusiastically!  I kissed her smack dab on the lips in front of everybody.  I didn't care who knew about us, and by the feel of things, neither did Cassie.

The next couple of days were weird.  No one would talk to me, Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, Cassie, or even Genette.  We were pariahs. It didn't really bug us though.  We had our own little gang and didn't care whether people talked to us or not.  Besides, we knew our innocence. It'd be proven one day. I had to believe in that. My question was why did they bring us back to Sand Island if they didn't trust us?  Obviously, we were doing something right or else we wouldn't be here.  Then again, that didn't mean they'd send us on more missions. It'd be in their best interests to send us since we were one of their best squadrons, but they weren't making the best decisions. After all, they were using a coin to help them!

The six of us kept to ourselves, only hanging out with each other.  We tried to avoid everyone else.  Bailey Cohen looked like she wanted to murder us, particularly Blaze.  That girl had a serious grudge against my captain, but I knew if those two got in a fight, my bets would be on Blaze.

It was weird not being spoken to, but in a way, I almost enjoyed it.  I didn't like half the people on base.  The replacement-pilot trainees despised the fact that I was where I am now.  They all wished it was them. The other pilots believed we'd actually committed the offense against the Yuktobanian civilians. Needless to say, I was offended by that, and it only drove my determination to prove them wrong. We weren't the bad guys. We never had been. If only the Air Force loved us as much as the Marines, Army, and Navy did.

An epiphany struck me at that moment. All the branches of our military loved us... except our own. That needed to change.

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Okay, the new and improved, revised chapter of Reprisal.  It took me forever to get this story updated and I'm sorry but there's this thing called 'time' that is not in my dictionary.  Hope you enjoyed!