As the Iron Eagle sped through the sky, it banked towards a mountain range. Its jet engines flared and roared, pushing the ship to top speed. The ship aimed itself directly at tight passages that demanded maneuverability.
From the bridge of the Iron Eagle, Ironmind contacted the others. “Goldarms, Coppershot. Status report.”
“Almost done,” said Goldarms. “Just a few more tweaks.”
“Well, hurry up. Enemy fighters are almost here.”
“Just a minute.”
“He’s got this, captain,” said Silverwing reassuringly. “Don’t worry.”
Ironmind took a deep breath. “Silverwing, go ahead and activate advanced pilot mode.”
“Roger,” she replied.
Silverwing grabbed the controls and pressed a button on the side. A moment later, several mechanical parts started moving. The controls split apart into two joysticks, one in either hand. Panels slid up from the floor to reveal two slots for Silverwing’s boots. The joysticks raised up, bringing Silverwing to a stand, while her feet clanged as they were magnetically slotted into place.
By using two joysticks in either hand and pushing against the panels she stood on, Silverwing had much greater control of the Iron Eagle than she would over an ordinary craft. She could slide the panels beneath her back and forward, as well as tilt them left or right. So was now ready for battle, and her eyes looked forward at the mountains with fierce determination.
“Ready to go, captain,” said Silverwing.
“Goldarms,” said Ironmind into his communicator, his tone stern.
“Just one more thing,” said Goldarms. “Coppershot’s already heading to her gun.”
“Fair enough,” said Ironmind. “Goldshift, you ready?”
“Yes, Captain,” said Goldshift, looking over a radar in front of him.
Ironmind stood and left the bridge, making his way to a ladder that led up. He climbed the ladder, the metal clanking against his hands and feet as he reached a seat with controls and a screen. Sitting down, the seat magnetized him in place as he activated the console. Above the ship, a gun extended from a sliding trap door, a giant rotary gun that Ironmind controlled via the interface before him. Gripping the controls, Ironmind watched for enemy ships, his eyes stoic and alert.
At the same time, Coppershot reached another ladder going down. Placing herself into a similar interface, she activated a gun underneath the ship. Scowling, Coppershot gripped the control handles tightly, scanning the horizon for enemy ships.
Last, but not least, Goldarms tightened one more bolt with his wrench as he grimaced from the effort. Now fished, he closed the machine he was working on, put the wrench down, and then ran to the rear of the engine room. He climbed a third ladder, reaching an interface that controlled the final gun. This gun extended from the rear of the roof, giving the user a view behind the ship, the rear jets in full view. Also in view were several objects flying towards them.
“This is Goldarms,” he said. “I’m in place, and I have visual contact with the enemy. I see five vehicles, but they’re too far off to make out.”
As Goldarms watched the ships approach, he could just barely see the flashes of something being fired.
“Weapons fire incoming,” he added.
On the bridge, Goldshift looked over the radar and relayed, “Twelve projectiles total. Scanner says they’re heat seekers,” said Goldshift.
“Can we get to the mountains before they reach us?” asked Ironmind.
“Negative.”
“Then take us up,” said Coppershot. “I got this.”
Ironmind agreed instantly. “Do it.”
“Ascending,” said Silverwing, tilting her controls to angle the ship upward. “Show em what you’re made of, Coppershot.”
From her position, Coppershot, grinning, aimed the gun under the ship and pressed a switch. The display on her console changed from automatic fire to single shot mode. Soon she had twelve missiles in her vision, approaching rapidly. Aiming carefully, Coppershot took a deep breath, preparing herself. Once the console announced that the missiles were in range, she unleashed the first shot.
The first missile exploded, blasting into pieces. Coppershot then methodically shot each missile, one after the other. As she shot them down, the remaining missiles came closer and closer, nearly reaching the ship.
“Coppershot!” cried Goldshift, alarmed.
Coppershot destroyed the final missile right before it struck the Iron Eagle’s hull, her gun nearly parallel with the steel surface. Inside her gun chamber, Coppershot grinned.
Goldarms took a deep breath and rubbed some sweat from his forehead. “That was a close one.”
“I wouldn’t let you down,” said Coppershot, exhaling.
“You did great,” said Silverwing.
“Alright Silverwing,” said Ironmind. “Get us into those mountains.”
“Affirmative,” said Silverwing, diving the ship down.
The Iron Eagle dived, slipping into a valley, rocky slopes on either side of it. The five enemy ships rapidly closed the distance, soaring over the mountaintops in pursuit. From the rear of the Iron Eagle, Goldarms finally got a look at the crafts pursuing them.
Four looked like standard earth fighters, F-15’s with modified weaponry. The fourth, however, was clearly an alien craft. The metallic, cobalt blue ship was shaped like a teardrop from above, the point at the front and wings extending from the side. This craft gleamed in the light, giving an unearthly hum as it flew.
“We got four modified F-15’s and a Thraxian striker,” said Goldarms.
“Seriously?” asked Coppershot.
“The Sons of Purity are getting bolder, if they’ve stolen one of those,” said Ironmind. “Silverwing, better watch that one.”
“Roger that,” she said confidently. “I’ll watch it alright.”
As the enemy ships approached, Silverwing banked the Iron Eagle to the right, narrowly dodging as the ships unleashed gunfire. The bullets tore up the mountainside as the Valtarian ship banked and weaved through narrow passages. The Iron Eagle could tilt horizontal, then flip to the other side near instantly to navigate the passage, Silverwing’s sheer skill and precision on display.
At the rear of the ship, Carl grimaced and fired his gun. The other ships scattered to avoid his fire, all but the Thraxian Striker. That one glowed briefly before zipping forward suddenly. It returned to its normal speed once it was in front of the Iron Eagle, making Silverwing flinch, just a little. It then instantly turned around, its momentum pulling it backwards temporarily before heading straight at them, blue lasers firing.
Silverwing dodged left, heading down another passage. For the briefest moment, the ship was in Coppershot’s view, and she unleashed some fire. The striker just zipped left and right in short bursts as it flew, and while Coppershot saw sparks from bullets hitting, the damage appeared minimal.
“Jeez, that thing’s hard to hit,” said Coppershot.
“Yeah,” said Silverwing. “He’s got some moves.”
“Can you evade it?” asked Ironmind.
“Have I ever let you down, captain?” she said, though with less confidence than before.
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The other enemy fighters flew up, over the mountain range, getting into position to fire from above. As they unleashed more missiles, Ironmind unleashed a torrent of bullets, destroying a few of the missiles in fiery explosions as the ships dodged. Silverwing was forced to evade the others, slipping away from the projectiles as they detonated against the canyon, shaking the mountain.
The striker was on their tail in a moment, and as Goldarms fired the rear gun, it dodged easily. Even when he thought he had a shot, it glowed blue for a moment and zipped in a single direction, getting out of his line of sight. A moment later, it pulled that same maneuver to zip forward and turn around, forcing Silverwing to bank the ship to the right, narrowly dodging laser fire.
“We’re not going to last long with that striker on our tail,” said Coppershot.
“Agreed,” said Ironmind. “But we’ll have to give it our full attention to take it down. Let’s focus on the four above us and then deal with the striker. Goldshift, do you see any passages that would hide us from the ships above?”
“Checking,” said Goldshift. “I see one, but it’s a tight fit. Sending it to Silverwing now.”
Silverwing saw a holographic display out of the corner of her eye as she dodged some more blaster fire and missiles.
“You call that narrow?” she said confidently. “I could fly that in my sleep.”
“Alright, do it,” said Ironmind. “And on my signal, bank upwards.”
“Roger.”
The Iron Eagle dived as Silverwing skillfully slotted the ship into a tight passage. The passage was narrow enough that only a sliver of light showed up above, hiding them from the ships in the sky. Even their radars had trouble tracking them in that passage, the dot disappearing from their view. The alien striker followed, but the quick bursts of speed it normally used weren’t as useful in such tight passages. It kept its distance as Goldarms lay down suppressing fire, the bullets tearing up the rocks around it.
Ironmind, with a view upwards, said, “Goldshift, send me the layout of this passage.”
Goldshift tapped a few controls, and Ironmind was provided with a small map. The passage would open soon, but the striker was still on their tail. While it kept its distance as Goldarms fired upon it, a couple of laser bolts struck the Iron Eagle, shaking the ship and destroying the rear gun. Goldarms sat there for a moment, grimacing as his screen went blank.
“Goldarms!” said Ironmind. “Status report!”
“Rear gun destroyed,” said Goldarms. “But the engine’s fine.”
“We’re coming up on our mark,” said Goldshift.
“Hold on,” said Ironmind, watching the map.
A few more laser bolts struck the ship, the striker pursuing them relentlessly. Silverwing dodged as best she could, but it was difficult to both dodge the lasers and slip through the passage, even for Silverwing.
“Any time, captain,” Silverwing shouted.
“Almost there,” said Ironmind. “Silverwing, now!”
Silverwing banked the Iron Eagle up, narrowly evading more laser fire. The Valtarian ship then burst out of the mountain range. At that angle, Ironmind’s gun had the other four ships in view, and he opened fire, destroying one of the enemy fighters in a fiery blaze.
“That’s one,” said Ironmind, his tone stern and stoic.
The other three fighters scattered to avoid the gunfire. As the Iron Eagle leveled out and turned around, two of the ships dived low. Coppershot aimed for those ships and made a sweeping motion with automatic fire. Both ships were knocked out of the sky, one of them exploding wholesale, and one falling to crash into the mountainside.
“That’s three,” said Coppershot.
Silverwing, meanwhile, aimed the Iron Eagle at one of the fighters and unleashed the forward guns, blasting that ship out of the sky.
“That’s four,” said Silverwing. “Now to deal with that striker.
“Get us back under the mountains,” said Ironmind.
The Iron Eagle dived under the mountains as the Striker got on their tail again. Now that the rear gun was destroyed, the Thraxian vehicle remained behind them. Both Ironmind and Coppershot aimed their guns backward, but with much of the Iron Eagle in the way, neither had a good shot. Silverwing did her best to keep mountains between them and the enemy, letting the laser bolt tear up the rocks around them. It kept getting close, however. Dangerously close.
“I can’t shake it,” said Silverwing through gritted teeth.
“Keep trying,” said Ironmind.
Goldarms, his face set in determination, pressed a button to unmagnetized himself from the gun seat. He climbed down the ladder and ran to the ship’s armory, his footsteps clanking on the metal below him. Turning to his golden form, he entered a room filled with rows and rows of weapons. In the center of the armory, he found a special belt that he put on quickly before running to the back of the armory. There he found find a giant gatling gun and a backpack. He ran an ammo belt from the backpack to the gatling gun and then armed himself, keeping steady as the ship shook and rumbled from more laser fire.
“Keep it together, girl,” Goldarms said to the ship as he ran.
“Goldarms!” cried Ironmind. “You left the gun. Where are you?”
“I’m improvising!” Goldarms shouted.
Still manning the lower gun, Coppershot paled. “Wait, what are you doing? Are you…”
Goldarms reached the rear of the ship and pressed a button on his belt. The belt magnetized his body to the floor, keeping him in place but allowing him to walk slowly. He then opened an emergency door to the outside. The air hissed as it was suddenly sucked outside and then roared as the compartment depressurized. Slowly, hefting the gatling gun with a shoulder strap, Goldarms climbed outside of the ship, his body magnetized to the hull before he closed the door behind him. Once that was done, he slowly stood up, then took one magnetized step after the other, heading to the absolute back of the ship.
“You’re going outside?” Coppershot demanded. “Are you crazy? You’re a sitting duck out there!”
“Don’t worry,” said Goldarms, taking his position and aiming at the enemy ship. “I won’t be long.”
“Captain!” cried Coppershot. “He’s going to get himself killed!”
“Silverwing,” said Ironmind, the urgency in his voice unmistakable. “Can you shake the other fighter?”
“It’s not using that burst move,” she shouted, her entire body twisting as she maneuvered through the canyon. “But it’s still matching me move for move. What a cheat!”
Ironmind grimaced. “Goldarms, get it done quickly.”
“Roger,” said Goldarms.
Coppershot watched her console in horror.
Goldarms reached his position, the world going past him in a blur. The enemy striker kept firing lasers as the Iron Eagle pulled evasive maneuvers. The golden man then raised his gatling gun and aimed, a few gigantic laser bolts going over his head. Aiming a gatling gun while standing on a moving ship was far more difficult than aiming the ships gun, and Goldarms wasn’t the crew’s sharpshooter, so he took his time lining up the shot.
Suddenly a couple of laser shots struck the hull next to him, shaking the ship with a deafening crash and leaving red hot marks in the hull. Goldarms gritted his metal teeth as he kept aiming, resisting the urge to check the hull for damage. His ship could keep it together for a few more minutes.
“Goldarms!” cried Coppershot.
Goldarms waited a moment longer, the two ships still weaving through the canyon. More laser bolts flashed past his head, and then, finally, he unleashed the gatling gun. A few bullets sparked off the enemy’s ship hull as it dodged erratically, surprised by an attack it didn’t expect.
Goldarms didn’t let up but adjusted his aim. The ship tried to dodge the incoming fire, but Goldarms kept up with its movements getting a few more hits and damaging one of the wings. The ship suddenly banked left, striking the mountainside and exploding, sending rocks tumbling down.
Inside the ship Ironmind, said, “Yes!”
Goldshift and Silverwing both took deep breaths, and Coppershot rubbed her forehead nervously. She really wished he wouldn’t do things like that.
“You did great, big guy,” said Silverwing, exhaling in relief.
###
Amelia Gatlin stood in the living room of her house surrounded by Other Valtarians. The young superhero, Celerity, was currently sleeping in a backroom being taken care of by Dr. Shelby. She wasn’t injured, just suffering the effects of severe exhaustion. She’d be fine with a little rest. Partition City’s other superhero was a more serious matter.
On one side of the room stood Tobor, his arms folded. On the other side of the room stood Halsai, hands on his hips. Every face in the room was tense, either from fear or from anger.
“My son and his friends are searching for young Andro as we speak,” said Tobor.
Someone in the crowd grunted. “It’s about time they looked out for their own kind…the rusted deserters.”
Amelia frowned. The large, yellow skinned Valtarian was Carl’s father, Liadran.
“I’d say they are looking after us,” said a grey skinned woman, Cathy’s mother Otharia. “Like it or not, Earth is our home now. We can’t expect the world to ignore us forever.”
“What?” asked Liadran. “Are we all supposed to don costumes and go vigilante?”
“No,” said Otharia. “All I’m saying is that we should probably stop encouraging our young people to ignore the problems of this world. The future of this world is their future and their children’s future. I miss Valtaria as much as anyone, but that’s in the past.”
“Our children will be in the past if they get killed!” said Liadran.
That sparked an argument, voices indiscernible as everyone talked over each other. Amelia stood to the back, sighing and rubbing her chin. The shouting when on for a few seconds, but then slowly started to die down. People looked towards the hallway in the back, going silent, and when Amelia looked over, her heart broke.
John Gatlin stood there, having finally come out of stupor. He looked weary, with bags under his eyes. Once everyone had finally stopped talking, John swallowed.
“Where’s Andy?” he asked.
Amelia’s lip quivered. “I’m sorry, John. He’s been kidnapped….by the Sons of Purity.”
John looked like he’d been punched in the gut. He quickly lowered his head and started sobbing. Amelia rushed over and embraced him. She had no words of comfort, but she held onto her husband as if for dear life. The Valtarians around them watched in silence, some bowing their heads sadly.
###
SteelStar, Blacksting, Beetle Brute, Nosfeline, Green Angel, and Inferno Man sat in their cages silently. They’d already gone over their powers and meant to contain them. At this point, one of them had to come up with an idea and then communicate it to the others without speaking. This was proving to be easier said than done. SteelStar, for his part, had no ideas. Green Angel was deliberately avoiding eye contact, and SteelStar suspected that she wasn’t going to be much help.
The only thing SteelStar could think of was some way to signal for help. With this many superheroes captured there was surely someone looking for them. How exactly he’d signal someone, however, he didn’t know.
“Well don’t everyone speak up as once,” said Inferno Man irritably.
“Unless you have a plan,” said Blacksting. “Keep it to yourself.”
“I’ll have to keep it to myself anyway, won’t I?” Inferno man snapped. “How on earth am I supposed to communicate a plan without talking?”
“It’s better than nothing,” said Nosfeline. “What? Worried you won’t get to hear the sound of your own voice?”
“Hey, shut up!” Inferno Man shouted. “You…”
The door to that room opened, and men in power suits entered.
“Heads up,” said Nosfeline. “Looks like the trial is about to begin.”
Great, though SteelStar sarcastically. Just great.