Lucifers I

by BobTam

  ‘Send fighters of the Central air force brigade 1 immediately,’ Panzhi, who has arrived at the airport, says urgently. ‘The brigade 1 currently has 10 single seat fighters and 7 double seats attacker available,’ an air force personnel reports.

  ‘Sortie 9 fighters and 6 attackers. We can never underestimate the enemy. I will personally lead the campaign by flying one of the fighters,’ Panzhi says promptly.

  The pilots of air force brigade 1 assembly efficiently and the technicians are preparing the aircrafts at the same time. Within five minutes, the fighters start to take off one by one. The fighters and attackers fly in a neat formation.

  ‘The radar has sensed an aircraft flying westward at a high speed of 450 km/h. It may be the target,’ one of the pilots reports 15 minutes after the take-off. ‘Yes, it is. All fighters and attackers, full speed towards 276 degree,’ Panzhi says.

  ‘They’re chasing us,’ Catala, who has just checked the advanced radar screen, says. ‘They have sent…more than ten planes,’ Leon grasps, after checking the screen. ‘They are so fast. They will catch us in ten minutes,’ he adds nervously. Catala jeers arrogantly, ‘I’m looking forward to this. It will be fun. The quicker they come, the quicker they die.’

  Leon continues to fly the plane nervously. He just hopes that the fighters are unable to reach him but he knows that it is impossible.

  ‘Target confirmed visually!’ the pilot who flies the fighter at the front of the team reports. ‘Left team fighters, approach the target from the left. Right team fighters, approach it from the right,’ Panzhi orders. Three fighters charge the transporter from the left and three others attack from the right. ‘Front team fighters, follow me. Attackers, stay in your position,’ Panzhi says. He ascends his fighter in a steep gradient. The two other fighters follow him closely.

  ‘Beep beep beep…’ The advanced radar system alerts Leon and Catala that there are planes flying close to them. ‘Here they come,’ Catala says. Leon immediately ascends the plane in a steepest gradient. Unlike flying a single seat fighter, Leon cannot have a comprehensive visual view towards all directions. He cannot observe the enemies from the back. Nevertheless, he tries to use his experience to predict the enemies’ tactic and prevent an attack from the top.

  Leon can see flashes of red laser bolts dart from the top to the front of the plane. He knows that the enemies have already climbed to the top of his plane and start attacking from a favourable location. He pulls the hand bar strongly and the plane climbs almost vertically. ‘This will be rough,’ Leon says.

  All the nine fighters also climb at a steep gradient in attempt to maintain their favourable location. ‘Left team, attack,’ Panzhi orders. This time, the laser bolts are much closer to the target and much more menacing. One of them hit the left wing of the transporter and cause of a shake. Leon turns his head to see whether Nakashi is fine. She still sits there at the corner of the room.

  Leon continues to pull the hand bar until the plane has already climbed up into those thick and dense clouds. He releases his breath. The unstable current among the clouds shakes the plane repeatedly; but at least, they can hide from the enemies attack temporarily.

  ‘Target has escaped into the clouds,’ one of the pilots reports. ‘It is meaningless to try to catch them there. Stay at your position. But be alert, the target may ambush us from the clouds at any time,’ Panzhi says.

  ‘Don’t rest too long. I want to give a counter strike and show them what is mean by an ace shooter,’ Catala says impatiently. ‘Shouldn’t we just fly away and simply avoid meeting them again?’ Leon asks.

  ‘No! That’s what a coward will do. Besides, they will continue to track us if we don’t defeat all of them,’ Catala says angrily. Leon dares not to offend the aggressive girl that sits next to her and prepares for a counter attack. ‘Do it any time, I’m always ready,’ Catala urges.

  The transporter dives out from the dense clouds suddenly. Catala shoots the two laser guns immediately. One of the fighters has already caught fire before the pilots notice the target is attacking from the top. That unfortunate pilot loses his control and the fighter is descending from the sky.

  ‘Stay calm! Keep the formation to protect each other!’ Panzhi says immediately. But it is already too late; the transporter climbs up and plunges towards another fighter in just a few seconds; laser bolts hit the second victim accurately. All the other pilots start to panic. They escape to different directions in order to prevent himself being the next victim and the formation breaches immediately.

  ‘Ha, this would be even easier,’ Catala jeers. She directs Leon to dive towards another target. Their transporter is just like a hungry hawk, chasing towards its prey mercilessly, while the fighters have now become small little young birds, escaping desperately from the predator. ‘Three down, six to go,’ Catala says aggressively after shooting down the third victim.

  ‘Damn it! We outnumber the enemy, why should we escape? Engage!’ one of the pilots says angrily. ‘F-18-L-22, I’m also ready to engage!’ another pilot responds. The two fighters fly together and prepare to engage the transporter face-to-face.

  ‘Two fighters are flying towards us!’ Leon says urgently. Just after he has finished this sentence, dozens of laser bolts dash towards their transporter. Luckily, Leon has already foreseen this and has shifted the plane to the left agilely. ‘Brilliant! Time for us to attack now!’ Catala says.

  Leon increases the speed of the plane to the maximum and tries to catch the tail of the two fighters. The two pilots attempt to shake off the enemy’s chasing by ascending their fighters. Yet, the speed of the transporter is dazzling and Leon is able to follow the two of them closely.

  ‘Argh! Die!’ Catala fires once again. The tail of one of the fighters detaches; the pilot of that fighter has completely lost the control. Tragically, the damaged fighter collides with the other one which flies closely with it. Both of them catch in flame and descend rapidly. ‘Cheers,’ Catala says excitedly.

  ‘Don’t engage with the target face-to-face!’ Panzhi warns his teammate. ‘Attack it from the back. They just have a frontal view; they can’t see us if we attack them from the back. Follow me!’ he says confidently. Panzhi ascends his plane just below the cloud cover; the three other survived fighters follow him. ‘Increase the speed to 500 to prepare attacking,’ Panzhi orders.

  ‘Four left! Where are they?’ Catala asks. Suddenly, their plane shudders violently. ‘Beep beep beep…’ The warning siren has been activated. ‘We are hit!’ Leon says nervously. ‘Damn it! Ascend now!’ Catala says angrily. Then, there is a much more violent shudder. The light on the ceiling of the cockpit went off.

  Catala turns to the right; she notices that the right wing has been heavily damaged. ‘Quick!’ she shouts, but there is no respond from Leon.

  She turns towards Leon and finds out that he has fainted and is lying towards the front. The fierce shake has made him knock towards the front violently. Catala feels anxious but she quickly calms herself. The plane is becoming more and more unstable. She must have to control the plane first. She immediately unfasten Leon’s seat belt.

  ‘Nakashi! Help me to take care of him first!’ Catala says. Catala puts Leon on the ground; Nakashi pulls him away gently. Catala sits at Leon seat and concentrates on the flying. She pulls the hand bar to try to ascend the plane. Fortunately, the engine and the wings can still function to a certain extent.

  She then turns the plane into 180 degree so as to engage the enemies face to face. She copies the skill of Leon by ascending rapidly and preparing to dive towards the enemies.

  ‘Nakashi, help me to shoot!’ she shouts.

  Nakashi does not move; she just looks at Catala.

  ‘What are you waiting for? Shoot! We’ll all die!’ Catala shouts.

  Nakashi is still standing there without a single movement. ‘Useless coward! You don’t even have the guts to kill! Stupid pacifist!’ Catala shouts angrily. She then tries her best to use
her right hand to grab the trigger of the laser guns while her left hand is still controlling the hand bar.

  Just at the very moment that she pulls the trigger to fire, she cannot breathe, two cold hands are strangling her from the back.

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  Chapter 13

  Nakashi squeeze the neck as hard as she could. Her mind has never been so disturbed and agitated. ‘You’re the coward! You live by killing others! Everyone can kill! What are you so proud of? I can kill too!’ Nakashi shouts. She then squeezes the neck even harder.

  Catala struggles desperately. She tries to use her hands to pull away Nakashi’s. But Catala lacks the energy, her hands are weak as she cannot breathe. ‘No, I don’t want to die! I want to live!’ a strong voice cries inside Catala’s mind. She uses all her remaining strength to struggle. There is another huge shudder; the plane is now moving uncontrollably; it inclines to the left suddenly. Catala, Nakashi and Leon immediately fall towards the left.

  Catala successfully breaks out from Nakashi’s strangling during that fall. She grasps heavily; she has almost died. She looks towards Nakashi, who is looking at her fearfully. Nakashi is not fearing Catala’s possible revenge, but is fearing herself. She is shocked by her own killing desire. She cannot accept it; she cannot forgive herself.

  ‘The target has already lost its control,’ one of the pilots report. ‘Seize fire,’ Panzhi orders. ‘We’re not going to kill them. We just have to stop them from escaping,’ he adds. ‘All planes prepare to land to search for survived pilots. I will go to follow the target,’ Panzhi instructs.

  Leon awakens from his blackout after the dynamic fall. The plane has already lost its control and is going to crash towards the ground soon. He turns towards the two girls, who are staring towards each other fearfully. He does not have time to ask what have happened now. He presses the emergency evacuation button; a few parachutes immediately drop on the ground. ‘Quick! Put them on.’ He hands one to Nakashi and one to Catala.

  Catala and Leon put on the parachutes but Nakashi does not move. Leon kicks open the narrow emergency exit at the side of the cockpit. ‘Let’s go,’ he shouts. Catala walks towards the exit but Nakashi still remains unmoved. ‘Nakashi! We’re in danger! Quick!’ Leon cries. Nakashi says slowly, ‘Leon, don’t wait for me. Just go.’

  ‘No! Come!’ Leon cries. ‘Don’t be silly! You will die!’ even Catala speaks anxiously. ‘I don’t want to live anymore. Just leave me here,’ Nakashi replies softly.

  ‘Catala, you go first. I will deal with her,’ Leon says. ‘Make sure Nakashi comes,’ Catala says urgently and jumps off from the plane.

  Leon walks towards Nakashi and pulls her towards the exit. He helps her to put on the parachute. ‘Leon, thanks, but it has no use. I just don’t want to live anymore,’ Nakashi says softly.

  Leon does not give up. ‘Don’t say that! Nakashi, we all need you!’ he cries desperately. ‘No, you will be fine without me. Good luck, Leon, wish you all the best,’ Nakashi says. Then, she pushes Leon out of the exit promptly and unexpectedly.

  ‘No! Nakashi!’ Leon shouts. But it is too late; Leon is already falling rapidly away from the plane. The figure of Nakashi is getting further and further away and she soon disappears from his sight.

  Leon activates the parachute. He can see that the plane is now sliding downward unsteadily. Fire is spreading to both wings and the body of the plane. Leon’s heart sinks; tears are rushing from his eyes.

  Leon lands safely. Just a few minutes later, Catala runs towards her. ‘Are you all right?’ she asks. Leon remains silent. ‘Where is Nakashi?’ she asks anxiously. ‘I’ve failed. I did not save her,’ Leon says softly with guilt.

  ‘Don’t blame yourself. You’ve already tried your best. Besides, she may be still alive. I have seen the plane falling towards that way. It did not fall rapidly. It was somehow sliding downwards. If it gets into water, she may still have a chance,’ Catala says encouragingly. She has not said this kind of words for a long time or she has actually never said this kind of words before. But now, she realizes that she cares about the boy who stands in front of him.

  Catala starts sprinting despite the fact that her legs and arms are hurt. ‘Come on! Slowcoach!’ Catala shouts. Leon follows her. ‘There are many lakes and rivers in this region, most of them are unfrosted. Let’s hope that the plane has fallen in those lakes,’ Catala says.

  Panzhi has landed his fighter skillfully in a small lake. His feeling is complicated. He fears Leon, Nakashi and Catala, but at the same time, he still cares about them, he is praying that they are still alive. He decides to find them alone because he wants to show that he is not going to fight, but to persuade them.

  Leon and Catala have been sprinting for nearly an hour. Leon is totally exhausted, but Catala urges him to continue. Finally, Catala stops after they have climbed up the top of a hill where they can observe the surrounding area clearly without any obstruction.

  ‘Here it is!’ Catala says. Her sharp eyes can always detect things easily. She points towards a small lake which is about ten kilometers away. ‘It really falls into water; she may still be alive,’ she says gladly. A glimpse of hope flashes into Leon’s mind.

  Catala does not rest for a second and starts sprinting once again. Her legs are really hurt. She tells herself that she is responsible for Nakashi’s live and she must try her very best. Therefore, she avoids showing her pain to Leon and keeps running.

  After another hour of sprinting, they have finally reached the lake. Catala’s legs are so painful that she must stop for a moment. The plane is floating at the middle of the lake. The damage of the plane is not very serious; the lake water had immediately put off the fire as soon as it fell into the lake. Leon dives into the lake and swims towards the cockpit of the plane without any hesitations.

  The water is icy cold but this cannot stop Leon’s determination. He enters the cockpit. His body is shivering violently. Nakashi is lying on the floor and she has lost her consciousness. Her body is as cold as Leon’s but there is still warmth from her forehead. Leon can also feel her pulse, extremely weak, but is still working. ‘She is alive, she is still alive,’ Leon whispers with gratitude.

  He moves her body carefully. He transports her body across the lake with great care. Catala is still sitting at the lakeside. ‘How is she?’ she asks anxiously. ‘Still alive,’ Leon says with a smile.

  Leon puts her on the ground slowly and sits down. He turns towards Catala and notices her painful expression. ‘Are you okay? Your legs are hurt,’ Leon says. He just notices that there are bruises along her legs. He uses his sword to cut off some cloth from his blue coat and wraps the wounds up.

  ‘Hey, that’s wet, idiot,’ Catala says. Though she has just scolded Leon, she is actually having gratitude to Leon deep inside her heart. She has got hurt so many times throughout the years but it is the first time somebody helps her.

  The snowstorm has become less serious but the weather is still extremely cold and windy. Leon, whose clothes are wet, is trembling rapidly. Catala, who just wears a vest and nothing more, is crouching inward. Nakashi, who is still suffering from her coma, is struggling between life and death. Leon has finally lit up a fire with matches after many attempts.

  ‘I have humiliated her and turned her into madness,’ Catala suddenly says during the silence.

  ‘No, Nakashi does not hate you. She does not hate anyone. It is just that she cannot accept our cruelty and this cruel world,’ Leon says.

  ‘I’m cruel. But this is me, you can’t change me!’ Catala says agitatedly. ‘The world is cruel, if you want to live, you have to be cruel.’

  Leon does not know how to respond and decides to remain quiet.

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  Chapter 14

  Nakashi is walking alone in this dark place. It is so dark that she cannot see herself, even her fin
gers. She has forgotten how long she has been walking and where did she start.

  ‘NowI remember that I have chosen death,’ she reminds herself. ‘So this is what happens after death? Loneliness and darkness. But at least it is better than the brutal world full of hatred and killing,’ she thinks to herself.

  ‘Even I myself have become a monster that harms and tries to kill others. Nothing can change that. Nobody, including myself, can forgive me,’ she thinks hopelessly. ‘It is better for me to stay here, alone, and I will never harm others.’

  She walks and walks. There is no destination. There is no meaning. ‘Isn’t everything the same?’ Nakashi thinks. ‘We come to this world, live and die. Birth, life and death are all meaningless. There isn’t any purpose. All our lives are just like walking in this place meaninglessly.’

  ‘There are so many things; they are so complicated. But in the end, they are all meaningless,’ she thinks. ‘Is it the reason why people believe in the Sou? They want to create a meaning to life and a meaning to death even there isn’t any?’