"Papa Surf, the clock's ticking! Have you found him already?", Elson checked with James while flying pretty close to the water's surface, no signs of Juan or his aircraft's debris yet.
"Negative Grasshopper, still no sign of Stutz!", James replied.
"Aragord, I'm ready to go in...", Marie added.
James turned around to look at Marie dressed in a rather form fitting athletic swimsuit.
"You're going into the water like that, with no proper wet suit?"
Marie looked at James with a serious expression and replied:
"Yep...since we're KBD and not official military, this will have to do!"
"Well damn...this should be fun.", James said with a chuckle.
But before the banter could go on, James' co-pilot interrupted him:
"Aragord! Port side on the nose! It looks like a piece of debris down there..."
"Papa Surf, Grasshopper here, there are a couple of water bogeys closing in, be careful!", Elson warned them.
"Roger that, Grasshopper.", James replied as he dropped his altitude even lower.
Marie returned to the port side of the Catalina to get back into her gunners position.
"Marie here...this looks like it's gonna get dicey, we gotta find this flyboy ASAP!"
"I'll try to get their attention!", Elson told them before going toward the incoming ships, two Ruvanian Neustrashimyy-class frigates. "Come on, I'm here!! You won't find a better target than an old rusty Apache with desert camo in the middle of the frikkin' sea!", he yelled at the comm, flying from one side to the other.
The captain of the Ruvanian vessel happily obliged Elson's offer.
"Crew you are cleared to engage the lone Apache. Open fire!"
Both ships unleashed hell upon Elson, but...
"I'm glad I have your attention, but you're gonna have to do better than that!", he quickly moved, dodging the enemy fire, but not without some bullets hitting the frame and cabin; fortunately, the Apache is well-protected with thick armor around the cockpit and vital mechanical parts, so no serious problem...for now.
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1445 hours [2:45 PM]
As James continued the search, he soon received a signal from a nearby source:
"What's this? Err, Nosey...I'm getting an unknown signal in the area...can you try and decipher its origin?"
"Nosey here. Understood.", Nathan replied. "Activate the Multi-Frequency Spectrum Finder!", he ordered his crew.
"Yessir!"
Upon doing so, they picked a very weak signal coming from a few of miles Southwest from where James' location. It was in a frequency not used by the military; possibly a civilian transmitter.
"Hmm...run the signal scanner."
"Yessir!"
Again, right after turning the device [ON], it identified the source as a special watch, equipped with a button for SOS...the same kind Juan wears.
"That's gotta be him! Alright!!! Papa Surf, target possibly located. Heading 273, 3 miles Southwest. Get to there ASAP!"
"Roger that, Nosey! Hang in there a bit longer, buddy...we'll get you home!", James replied as he threw the Catalina's engines into max power and headed to the location, flying at less than 30 ft from the water's surface. He soon got a visual of what seemed to be a man in the water, wearing a bright orange life preserver.
"THAT'S OUR BOY! Set her down, Papa Surf!", Marie said.
James flew by Juan and turned around, then lowered the wingtip floats and prepared for a water landing. Touching down on the water, he set the engines to idle.
"Marie, get in there!" James shouted.
"Roger that, Papa Surf!", Marie removed her combat boots and leggings and prepared to jump into the ocean.
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1452 hours [2:52 PM]
"Grasshopper here, I guess I really pissed these guys off! Requesting immediate assistance!! Or else you'll have to look out for another downed pilot in these waters...", he shouted to his friends while almost being hit by an enemy missile. "This old bug can't take much more abuse, it's too tired!", he said, referring to his Apache, now smoking more than ever. The engines weren't prepared to work in that environment, so the corrosive sea air was doing more harm than expected.
"Roger that, Grasshopper, Reaper is inbound!", Ricardo replied.
Soon the Ruvanian ships were shaken by the force of two anti-ship missiles. Ricardo recovered with only 100 feet left to spare and flew by at speeds exceeding mach 1! The old Phantom still had it in her...
"Blessed be the Grim Reaper, sir! I owe you one, big time!", Elson saluted his savior before getting the hell outta there and heading back to the carrier. "It's gonna be a rough landing, but the old pal won't let me down now!"
"I'll buy you a cold one, kid...just get you and your Apache back in one piece.", he replied. "Papa Surf...you're all clear! Get Stutz outta the drink and let's get him back!"
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1454 hours [2:54 PM]
Back in the water, Juan was floating there, just waiting.
"What took you so long?", he inquired an approaching Marie while laughing.
"Considering there's a massive war going on, we're lucky that we found you before the Rufies did.", Marie replied as she grabbed Juan and brought him back to the Catalina; they weren't out of the woods yet.
"I know how lucky I am, no worries about it. A big thanks to everyone involved...all of you. I was starting to freeze out there. And Aragord, good to see you again, buddy!", he greeted his friend before rubbing his own hands to warm himself a bit. "You guys have something to dry myself?"
Marie tossed Juan a towel and handed him an emergency blanket.
"Brrrrr...thanksies.", he smiled at her while covering himself like a mummy.
"Not a problem, sir.", Marie added as she returned to her crew position.
"It's good to have you back bud...now let's get going!", James said as he prepared the Catalina for takeoff.
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1457 hours [2:57 PM]
"Papa Surf, Reaper, Nosey here. We have an incoming threat from the North, 200 miles: two squadrons of Esknarian Su-30MKE's, they'll be over you in just a few minutes! Take off and get outta there now!"
"Negative, Nosey! I'll hold those bastards off until James is in the air and outta trouble!", Ricardo intervened.
"Understood, Reaper. Just don't get yourself shot down. I'll try to regroup some F-35's nearby to help you guys.", Nathan finished his communication.
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1504 hours [3:04 PM]
Back at the Exxelsior, while Anthony and Kim's planes were being refueled and rearmed, Izumi's was being repaired; the drones managed to cause some damage to her engine, so she'd need to wait. But she was mentally broken, mourning her boyfriend's death.
"I can't believe he's gone...it should've been me!"
Anthony put on his flight helmet and looked Izumi in the eye.
"Izumi...I think you should stay behind for this, not just because your plane is damaged but because you're in a serious emotional state. James and Elson are out there with Nosey looking for Juan and me and Kim are headed back out there to help...have hope!, he replied.
Then, at the ship's comm, a transmission was heard.
"Exxelsior, this is Grasshopper. Requesting emergency landing! My engines are ruined, I'm losing power every second! Please clear the deck!"
The whole crew went like crazy, opening space for Elson's Apache to land safely when...
"Attention! This is Nosey. We have located Boomslang 3; he's alive and wel! I repeat, Razyr is fine!", Nathan shouted.
"YES!! See, Izumi? I know he'd still be tickin'!" Anthony said.
"Thank God you're alive, Stutz..." Kim added.
Izumi didn't say a word; she burst out in more tears, even falling on her knees...but it was a different kind of cry...no longer of suffering and pain, but joy and happiness. Still, there wasn't much time to celebrate: Elson was coming fast. Sadly, with his Apache's engines finally dying, he splashed at the water about 200 feet from the carrier. Anthony watched from the deck as Elson fell to the sea.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"SHIT!! We need SAR out there now, we got an airman down!"
The ship's alarm went off and a rescue team was quickly dispatched in an SH-60 Seahawk to recover Elson; thankfully, he managed to leave the cockpit of his now sunken Apache.
"Hang on, sir!", the diver said as the chopper began to lift both in the rescue basket.
"This is SeaHorse, we got the package! RTB.", the pilot said as they went back to the Exxelsior.
"Bloody hell...I'll miss you, old bastard...thank you for everything.", Elson saluted to the sea, in respect of his old mechanical partner.
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1512 hours [3:12 PM]
James took off right just before the first SU-30MKE's arrived, flying low and fast. Ricardo proceeded to battle. He pulled the stick to his gut and entered a 9G pull. The Phantom strained to keep up with the Flankers, but with skill and luck he had a lock and fired a Sidewinder.
"Reaper Fox 2! YES, splash one Flanker!!"
"Reaper, this is Warhammer 1....about 15 miles out, we'll be at your position in a few seconds. Hang tight.", the F-35 squadron leader said.
"Reaper copies, Warhammer 1! I'm engaging the Flankers, but Papa Surf needs a window to escape!"
"Roger that, Reaper.", the F-35 leader then instructed his squadron: "Warhammer 6 to 10 will provide cover for Papa Surf; 1 to 5, we'll assist the old man! Let's take the bastards down!"
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1513 hours [3:13 PM]
Back at James' Catalina, tension was rising as his plane wasn't fast, so there were about 2 or 3 Flankers coming in. He began to pop flares which was his only mean of defense until Marie and Locke did the unthinkable and manned the waist turrets.
"Firing the M134!", Marie shouted as her and Locke opened fire on the Flankers, which quickly moved away to avoid the fire.
"Shit!", Juan shouted. "We gotta keep these SOB's away from us all the time!", he quickly grabbed an M16 and tried to fire at the bogeys too.
"And 'boom' goes the Flanker!", Ricardo said as he fired at a Flanker that was going vertical.
"Shit, man...that double ugly has got some capability on her." said one of the F-35 pilots.
"Skill and tactics win wars, kid; not just tech...", Ricardo added before performing a loop.
"This is Papa Surf. Thanks to my crew and your help, it looks like we scared off the remaining Flanker's. Heading back to the Exxelsior...", James told Ricardo, who was too busy working with the F-35's at dealing with the rest of SU-30's and didn't reply.
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1514 hours [3:14 PM]
"Exxelsior, this is Nosey. Are the Boomslangs ready yet? Reaper and the Warhammer squadron need all the help available! About 25 SU-30MKE's from Esknar are over our boys. They'll be outnumbered if you guys don't take off ASAP!"
"Captain Weaver to Nosey...Boomslangs are already on the catapults and ready to go!"
"Boomslang 1 here. Me and my wingman are supersonic and will be there in shortly.", Anthony said.
"Wait, Boomslang 1! I have an idea. Our birds can see out far and engage multiple targets. If we can work together we can defeat most of the bandits!", Kim replied.
"Good thinking, Kim...", Anthony turned on the Tomcat's big radar and the targets soon appeared on the screen. He tracked eight targets and sent them to Kim while he tracked eight for himself. When they were in range, they fired.
"Boomslang 1, Fox 3 medium!"
"Boomslang 2, Fox 3!", One by one the Stormbreakers flew off the rails and headed to their targets.
Several of the Flanker's exploded out of nowhere.
"holy shit!", Shouted one of the F-35 pilots.
"You think we'd leave you guys out to dry?", Anthony said with a chuckle as he and Kim made a Mach 2 flyby past his allies.
"Damn Tomcats, man. Those two are crazy for flying those old dinosaurs." Said the lead F-35 pilot.
"Dinosaurs? If I recall correctly, it took a long time to get these F-35's operational as they did receive operational capability only two years ago, while the F-14 has been flying and kicking ass for...oh I don't know, nearly forty years?" Anthony said with a smart tone.
"PLUS, If we're flying old decrepit dinosaurs, then why did you guys call on us for help in the first place, hmmm?" Kim added.
"W...well, we didn't mean it like that, ah forget it!" Said the F-35 pilot.
"Respect the Seniors, Junior, those two just splashed most of the Flankers that we were dealing with, thanks to their powerful radars and AIM-140 Stormbreaker's...plus in the real world a dogfight is anyone's game, stealth or not." Ricardo added.
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1525 hours [3:25 PM]
James finally arrived at the Exxelsior. He and his crew disembarked from the Catalina.
"Locke, Marie, Finn...you guys were outstanding, out-fucking-standing! We showed guts and dedication in saving a downed airman in the worst of times and that crazy bastard Elson has my utmost gratitude for keeping those damn ships distracted...that guy has some big cojones...and Juan...glad you're alive, buddy...take a load off, man. You deserve it.", he said while patting Juan's back.
"Thanks a lot, pal...for bringing me back to my girl...", he smiled at the sight of Izumi, coming towards them fast.
"Anytime, Stutz...anytime. No way we were going to leave you to die out there, in a time like that, that's where I give the finger to orders." James replied to him, chuckling.
"JUAN!", Izumi shouted while glomping Juan, followed by hugs and kisses. "I thought I'd never see you again! You dummy, why did you do that!", she was crying happy tears of joy.
"Hey, don't tell me not to do so. I'd have done it over and over!", he smirked while kissing her back. "It's what we do for the ones we love, after all...", he then kneeled before her...right in the middle of the flight deck...and got a small, now wet present from his pocket...he opened it: a wedding ring! "Izumi Kobayashi...will you be my bride?", he asked her in the most romantic tone ever.
Everyone in the deck was like: "Say it!", "C'mon!"..."Yes!", cheering the couple.
"Yes! Yes!", Izumi then hugged and kissed Juan more. "I love you!"
"I love you too, baby."
And then everyone was like: "AHOOOOOY, WOOT, HOORAY!", etc...
As everyone cheered on the deck, Anthony, Kim and Ricardo flew over the carrier, with the F-35's trailing behind.
"Glad to see you made it back, my brother!" Anthony said to himself.
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1528 hours [3:28 PM]
Inside the BO-733...
"Sir, we just received confirmation of Papa Surf's arrival at the Exxelsior. The Wyvernian pilot's fine, as well as Grasshopper, even after crashing in the ocean, he was quickly rescued."
Nathan let out a sigh of relief.
"Good...Elson did an incredible job keeping the enemy fleet away from them as well. I'll talk to him later..."
Suddenly, the radar detects a huge signal, coming toward them.
"SIR! Incoming object, heading 190, 35 miles! It's huge!! Definitely over 4 kilometers long!", the radar officer informed Nathan. "How didn't we see it before?!"
"The electromagnetic shield...probably capable of stealth capabilities too...everyone at battle stations! Contact the Exxelsior! Looks like the Ruvanians are finally using their trump card...", He then broke left to head back to the group.
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1529 hours [3:29 PM]
Back at the Exxelsior...
"Hey, what's that?", a maintenance member asked his friend, pointing to an immense thing at Northeast...floating above the sea. It didn't take long for everyone to stare at it...
"It's the...", Izumi began.
"...the Ruvanian Behemoth. So it begins...", Juan finished.