Penultimate chapterrrrr!

'Mumbo?'

'Grian? What's going on? Are you ok?'

'Yeah, I've just been asked to stay behind. I'll be back soon. Love you.'

'Did Scar go in?'

'Yeah. Yeah he did. He seemed to be alright after he got here... anyway, Elex will be waiting for me. See you later, Mumbo.'

'Bye, Grian.'

I hang up, but stay on my holoscreen contacts for a moment longer. I've been told to meet Elex at Runway 3 in full flight gear. For a secret mission. And I don't know why, or what it is, or if I'll ever see my roommate and best friend again. But I can't refuse a mission. It doesn't take long to get into gear, helmet under my arm as I head towards Hangar 3. Outside, the sun's slowly setting.

The place is eerily quiet without the other Hawks, but I expected as much. The way over to Runway 3 is shorter than I'd like. Elex is pacing next to the signal plane there, pausing as he spots me.

'Fighter Grian, good evening.'

'Good evening, Captain Elex.'

'I need you to fly a secret mission. Alone.'

'Who's copiloting?'

'I trust you're a good enough flyer not to need one. I'll explain more in the air.'

My confusion only grows. I've never flown a full mission without a copilot. And why hasn't one of the Officers been chosen?'

'What about the checks, sir? That I'm strapped in safely? And the flight signal?'

'Well... I trust you to know what you're doing.'

I shake off my worry, as much as I can, as I enter my HC_6. I try my best to strap in, but I know there's stuff I can't reach.'

'Elex, I need someone to check. I don't feel safe flying like this.'

'Ok. Safety people? Grian needs help with the plane-seat.' Iskall, the plane guy, approaches, tightening some straps and getting the one I can never reach. I don my helmet.

'Can you hear me?' Elex's voice crackles through the headset. I nod. 'Now, close the roof, and fly.'

'Is the airspace clear?'

'The what space?'

'Elex?' Another question comes into my head. 'Have you ever flown a plane before?'

'Of course not.'

What.

'I thought you got in through... being the best Hawk when Xisuma retired.'

'Well, that's how he did it, because he had to be the best at everything.'

'All good,' Iskall decides. 'You're clear for take-off.'

'Elex, what's going on? What mission is this?'

'You're going to fly your plane into Fighter Scar's home and kill him.'

'What the fuck.'

'Scar's been messaging Hawk secrets to someone this entire time.'

'Xisuma?'

'It's not Xisuma.'

'How do you know?'

Elex walks over to the plane, and just as he pulls down the bonnet, replies.

'Because I killed him to become Hawk Captain.'

Too short a time after that, I'm in the air. Every part of me screams to eject, to get out, to do anything except this. But there's a tracker on the plane. Elex is still calling what he thinks are legitimate plane instructions. I can't do anything.

The GPS is locked on Scar's home, at the top of his tower. People are going to see. But the one thing Elex is good at is hiding when stuff happens. Southern Tower, the crash that almost killed Officer Cub, the Blindfold, the parade attack... No one will know when another incident happens.

No one will know that I caused another incident.

'You are flying right on target, Grian. Keep going just how you already are,' Elex says. I'm not even talking to ground control. He doesn't know how to get me out of trouble. If anything happens. That isn't me crashing into my friend's house.

The plane flashes, and another plane appears on the radar. My blood goes cold. I check I'm on a clear path with no risk of crashing, and glance in each mirror until I locate the plane.

It's a VX_5.

'This is Officer Cub in the VX_5 plane CF_135.' A voice I haven't heard in years comes through the headset. 'Fighter Grian, please turn your plane around. There is a place to land by Southern Tower. If anyone questions, give the code Earendel and they'll let you in.'

'O- Officer Cub...' How is he here? How is he here? How is he here?

'Fighter Grian, please turn your plane around instead of crashing into Scar's house.'

'How the fuck do you know about that?'

'I pretended to be Xisuma and messaged Scar so we could get a Hawk spying for us. And he told me enough to know.'

'You lied to Scar.'

'Yes. Close one, 45 degrees.'

On instinct, I obey the command, turning my plane on its side to avoid a skyscraper ahead. Cub follows suit.

'So you're telling me the Hawks never accepted Scar?'

'They never did.'

'You got his hopes up and then, when he was no longer useful, dropped them.'

'I'm saving his life. From you.'

We're nearly there. I see Scar's tower ahead.

'You're better than this, Grian. I always admired your flying. I thought you were Scar's friend.'

'Elex told me to do it.'

'Fighter Grian, do you remember a pilot called Joey Graceffa?'

'No?'

'He crashed into Southern Tower on command from Elex.'

My heart stops.

'It was intentional?'

'7 dead, 48 injured and 18 missing to kill 2 people. Your old friends Jimmy Solidarity and Martyn Littlewood.'

'What.'

'Now, turn this plane around and the Listeners will protect you.'

'Elex will kill me.'

'He already will.'

'He'll torture me and make me one of those servants.'

'And the Listeners will rescue you like they rescued me and you'll be seen as a hero for doing the right thing.'

'You don't understand, Cub! You don't get it!'

'Then I'll stop you with force.'

The radio cuts out. And the next moment, Cub's plane is right beside mine, forcing me off course. I duck beneath, but he's back again. Of course Cub's in one of the smallest and most manoeuvrable planes ever made. Of course he's still one of the greatest flyers I know. He continues forcing me off course. I duck under again. Cub blocks again. I dive. Cub doesn't follow. I level out, pushing the engines further to regain the lost height. I reach Cub's level. He blocks again. I try to shove his plane with mine. Cub dives. I'm sent off course the other way. Cub blocks that way. I try to find another solution. I don't have one. Cub's better than me. In every way. 

Cub's plane veers away. Scar's flat is right ahead. I can't turn fast enough.

The world goes black.

:)

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