Fallen Angels

Chapter Two

"Devils, disengage afterburners and follow me." I disengage the afterburners and turn my FA-18 upside down, then push my throttle forward so I start moving downwards. You didn't want to go straight down or you would have all the blood rush to your head and possibly red out, which could cause a crash or hemerage. So we were all moving down through the clouds, not being able to see a thing. Then we break from the clouds, anti-aircraft guns flaring upwards and shooting down everything else in the air. Fires raged throughout the land, and everything looked like a strategy board game from my perspective. But in reality, this was a board game to the high ranking officers. We were all pawns to them. "Devil Two and Four, break off and find air targets." Baker and McKenzie shake their wings, a sign of saluting, and turn away from our decent. 

"Devil Three, stay with me. We will engage ground targets." I lift the nose again, evetually getting level with the horizon. I turn a hard left and turn around back into the fight. Francis stayed with me the whole way. "May I ask what our armament is again?" Francis asks. "Six Maverick Air-to-surface missiles and two Sidewinders, which are air-to-air." Francis sighed. "Dammit, I was looking for some dogfighting." I laughed. "You'll get your chance, Francis." I bend my nose down a little and look for tanks. The Chinese made a new tank, the type 101, which was capable of firing mortar rounds and multiple machine guns. Those things are monsters. I notice a small building, and two type-101 tanks near it. "Devil One Three, two tanks at about eleven o'clock. Switch to Mavericks and prepare to engage." I turn a little, arming a maverick. I begin to get a lock on, then fire. "Maverick away." I say. Moments later, Francis speaks, saying "Maverick away." I watch as the two tanks explode, one of their turrets flying clear of the tank itself. 

"Targets destroyed, continue searching for targets." Then I hear Baker talking over the radio. He was speaking franticly. "Two MiGs, three o'clock! Open fire open fire!" I heard and explosion over the radio. "Shit!" McKenzie yelled. Jet engines streak through the radio. "Devil Two One is down! I see a chute, fuck he's going to land in enemy territory." She yelled. "The MiGs took him out! Fuck you russia! " A missile lock blared through the radio. "Burn motherfuckers!" McKenzie yelled. Another explosion. "One down! Locking on to the second." Another lock and another explosion. "Those bastards are down. I see a chute from one of them, permission to engage?" I sighed. "Negative. Baker is alive and that's all that matters. Continue fighting the other air units." McKenzie cursed. "They are going to take him prisoner, Porter!" I grit my teeth. "I know, but he will survive. I know him, trust me." She cursed again and didn't say anything else.

"Devil One One! Incoming, six o'clock high!" Francis yelled as he breaks off from the formation. I lift the nose of the hornet up as gunfire streaks below me. A missile lock on blares. "Francis! Take him the fuck out!" Francis acknowledged this and I start evasive maneuvers. Regardless, the missile fires. "Flares!" Francis yells. I release the flares and continue lifting the nose. I look in my rear view mirror and notice a MiG-70. A new modeled, maneuverable and speedy craft meant to attack, destroy, and leave. He must be trying to destroy all the aircraft here, probably trying to destroy the paratroop droppers. When he saw us, though, he must've been enjoyed for a better kill, especially since we have a bombing armament. "Francis, kill him!" Francis started cursing over the radio. "ARGH!" He yelled. An explosion. "Francis? Francis!" I yelled. Another missile lock. "Fuck! All avalible air units, this is Devil One One..." Cannon rounds burts through my cockpit, almost throwing me out of the plane. "I have a MiG on my tail and I can't shake him!" More cannon shells fly by, and I hear that I'm losing engine power and altitude. "Losing altitude! I need support!" 

Moments later, the radio sparks to life. "Devil One One, this is Stalker One One. Coming to assist!" A missile lock on blares through my headset again. "Fuck!" I yell. The MiG had me, and would fire at any moment. Suddenly, a large fireball flares in my rear view mirror. An F-35 flies side by side with me a moment later. "Devil One One, your leaking fuel. I recommend you land your craft in safe territory. I will cover your retreat, along with the rest of my squadron." "Copy that, Stalker One One." I said. "We have lost two craft, see any chutes?" A pause, then a response. "Negative, Devil One One. I'm sorry. Now get back to the..." He fires his flares and turns away. I turn a hard right. "I found who got your friend." Stalker says. A MiG flies by, cannon shells jettisoning from its 20mm. I turn back around. "Devil Four, your the last one. I'm losing fuel and Devil One Three is confirmed dead." McKenzie curses again. "Kill that bastard." I lock on and fire a sidewinder at the MiG. The MiG fires flares, knocking the missile aside.

I change out my sidewinder for cannon fire and open up on the MiG. The MiG dives towards the ground, and I pursue. "Stalker One One, I've got this one." I say. "Copy that, Devil One One." The MiG continues diving until about five hundred feet, then it lifts its nose before crashing. I continue pursuit, firing my cannons. I gain a couple of hits as we skim the ground.

I was able to see tiny tanks and infantry running about while I fired my cannons. We dodge trees and tall buildings, cycling in some sort of dance. In the meantime, I get a signal from an infantry platoon, asking for help. Finally, the MiG pulls up and heads to the sky at full speed. We were moving towards the sky, and I fire more cannon shots. The MiG gets hit a couple of times, pieces flying off the tail.

"Just die!" I yell. The MiG gets hit several more times, but refuses to catch fire. Then the MiG begins to slow down. I refuse throttle and move slower as well. Suddenly, my aircraft turns around uncontrollably into a stall. Shit, why didn't I think of this? The MiG had me in a trap. The MiG will shoot me down in seconds. "Stalker One One, I'm in a stall and the MiG is on my ass! Requesting assistance, copy?" A pause, then a response. "Copy that, Devil One One, assistance granted." 

Seconds later a missile lock on, and I press flares. Nothing. I grab my chute and my canopy flies off. No other choice then to bail. "Stalker, I have a lock, bailing!" I press the chute and my chair flies up into the sky, taking me with it. I watch as a missile streaks by and hits the hornet. "There went my beauty." I told myself. Stalker turns around and cannons fire. I look around and watch as he shoots down another fighter. I bet he may have been the best dog fighter in the goddamn military. He turns around towards me, slowed down and saluted with his wings, then turned around and rotated around me. 

Stalker One One would aid me all the way down to the ground. I snagged a couple of trees, forcing me to cut them with my combat knife. I fell to the ground and feel my leg almost break under the pressure. I put my knife away and grab my holstered 9mm. I raise it, looking around. I was in a small forested area, and from here you couldn't even tell a fight was going on besides the distant gunfire and explosions. Suddenyl, I hear voices. Mandarin. Fucking Chinese.

There were two soldiers. One was carrying a light machine gun and the other was holding an ammunition belt with bandoleer. I aim and approach them. I was convinced they could hear my breathing. I quickly put my gun against one of their heads and took the holstered gun of the other. I aimed it as him as well. One started talking in mandarin and the other looked at him, a worried expression on his face. I haven't done any foot combat, but then again this was my first combat at all. Who knew those damn first person games were so unrealistic. The one holding the machine gun stood still, the other looked at the gun, then at me. I had no idea what to do.

I whacked the one with the machine gun across the head. He fell to the ground unconscious. The other man's eyes went wide. I set one gun aside, the other trained on him. I grabbed the machine gun signaling for him to give me the belt. He did as I asked. I started walking away when I heard a gunshot. It flew through the air and into my shoulder. I fell backwards, dropping everything. The man I had at gunpoint ran over to me and removed my air mask. He grabbed my guns and started walking backwards. Then another man came walking over carrying a sniper rifle. The two of them watched me for a second as I gripped my shoulder. He raised the rifle and whacked me as hard as he could in my head and I went unconscious.