by Chucho Jones
“Kid, I need you snap out of it. How are we doing on the air?” Banks shouted.
There was no time to think for Leon. His next decision had to be made.
“Ok, General. Next coordinates—oh crap, General. Come check this out. I think there’s something big outside!” Leon yelled.
The general stepped in to look at the screen, then ran back at the main console. The monitor in the room displayed an image of a giant pink cocoon blocking the broken cannon. Leon grabbed the back of his neck. “We’re gonna need a better plan,” he said in disappointment.
17
Chapter 17
There were less silver wings on screen than saucers, but the fight looked fair.
“General, these guys are giving a good fight, but we need new orders. What do we do about the giant ball on the screen,” he asked the general.
Oliver and Doctor Dickens ran in to the control room. Leon saw the look of confidence in his nephew.
“How are we doing?” Oliver asked.
He seemed eager to share information.
“We’re hanging fine, kid. How’d you do in there?” Leon replied.
Doctor. Dickens stepped into the conversation with more important matters.
“General Banks, do you have your crew ready? We’re ready for launch,” he said to Banks.
The general looked around.
“I’m short one man, but you’re looking at my crew,” he said, looking at Leon and Oliver.
Leon stared at the general with his eyes wide open. “Wait, I’m going to space? I can’t even take off the ground, let alone leave the planet,” Leon rambled.
“There’s no time for this nonsense,” the general said.
He grabbed a mic headset and called in the Silver Wing academy cadets. The general limped over to Leon, doing his best to ignore his old injury.
“Listen up kid, we’re gonna need all the help we can get. Now, I can’t escort the kid up there alone with my bad knee like this. I was counting on McCoy. Now I’m a man short, and I need you to step up. So what’s it gonna be? You a man yet?” the general taunted the rebel.
Dave McCoy and the rest of the Silver Wing academy kids walked into what almost became a standoff and started manning the ground control station. They all seemed unexperienced and afraid.
Leon looked Dave straight in the eye. A feeling of guilt overcame him. He cleared the sweat from his forehead, and responded while making fists with his hands.
“Where do we get ready?” he asked Doctor Dickens.
Over the radio, Commander McCoy’s voice echoed. “Mayday, mayday. I’ve hit the ground, and there’s no sign of a dog fight any more, but something’s happening out here.”
Leon felt a jolt of joy when he heard McCoy alive and well. Leon jumped back into his station and got the head set on.
“Alpha Wolf, do you copy? What’s your status?” Leon responded.
Oliver looked at him as if he were a complete stranger.
“I managed to make it to lake shore. The ground is hostile with greens over here by the fridge factory. I saw that hillbilly janitor running around, too. I’m keeping an eye out for more civilians. Over,” Commander McCoy said over the radio.
Leon shook his head and recalled what Trevor said. He picked up the mic once more.
“Alpha Wolf, this is ground control. Can you take care of the hostiles?” he asked annoyed.
“There’s a few, but I can handle myself,” the commander responded.
“Listen, you have to make sure you stop them from getting into the factory. And follow that dumb hillbilly. We don’t want him to do something stupid. He said something about overriding the factories core from a set of videos. He’s looking for Doctor Dickens, but he’s here with us,” Leon said as he paused for breath.
Doctor Dickens’ eyes widened, and Leon noticed the worry in his face.
“Doctor, what could happen?” Leon asked.
“If that dumb boy disrupts the geothermal flow of the factory’s Teslatron core, it could create a nuclear detonation. It will stop the invasion, but it will destroy everything in a forty-mile radius,” the doctor replied.
Leon’s guts became heavy as lead, a sour taste in his mouth turned his sarcastic natural grin into a distasteful frown. He certainly didn’t want to end up being nuked, especially by the hand of that hillbilly janitor. The radio static barged in one more time.
“Alpha Wolf here. This is turning out to be impossible. I finished them off, but more of the green bastards are coming. Wait, something’s happening on the other side of the shore,” the man said as static interrupted his feed.
Leon held the microphone tight. “What is it, Commander?” he yelled.
He looked at the radar screen and realized the big blip in the center was gone. The static interrupted once more. “It’s a freakin’ mechanical octopus. It must be about a hundred feet tall,” the commander said, obviously surprised.
Leon muted the transmission as genius struck his mind.
“What if the dumb kid managed to reverse polarize the geothermal batteries? Could it act as a giant magnet?” he asked the doctor.
Doctor Dickens scoffed at the question. “Of course, it would!” he responded.
There was no time to think, only time to act. Those were the moments where Leon shone the best. He knew there was no other way out. He couldn’t trust anyone else with what he knew had to be done. Certainly not those Silver Wing kids.
“You, hot shot. Come here and man this station. You should know what to do,” Leon pointed at Dave McCoy.
The adolescent boy took the role with an aloof expression on his face just before Leon got up and ran toward the doors.
He stopped at the exit and called back, “Get ready to launch! I’m bringing the commander home!”
The last thing he saw was everyone’s face, ignorant to his thought process.
Oliver seemed to understand his actions, or at least approved of them. Leon hasted to the main hangar, jumped into a flight suit, and without a second thought ran to an S-Wing. He made sure everything was in check and jumped into the cockpit. At a short distance, he saw McCoy and the rest of the Silver Wing academy crew behind him. “What the heck do you think you’re doing, hot rod?” yelled McCoy.
“I’m going to help the dumb janitor with his plan, and then I’m bringing your father back so he can go to space with Oliver,” Leon replied with determination.
“And you’re gonna fly?” McCoy said in a mocking tone.
Leon ignored the reaction. He wasn’t spending another ounce of thought on the conversation. Only his plan.
“I don’t need your clearance, air-brat. I’m taking off,” Leon replied.
“Not without a wingman you’re not, dirt face. You can help the janitor. I will bring my father home. The rest will distract the giant squid,” McCoy replied with a cackle. McCoy swiveled to the young squad.
“Come on, everybody. Prepare the S-Wing to your left. Last man takes care of his own S-Wing. Go, go, go!”
Leon saw the determination in the kids, and for a second, knew he could trust them. He finally became a team player, and it was time to put his training to the test. Leon saw Delores at a distance, sending them off, and he winked at her and blew a kiss.
It suddenly felt like their younger days, when they would share secret moments. He jetted out of the facility, followed by the Silver Wings jocks. He looked over at the beautiful dawn. The surge of adrenaline detonated an exhilarating sensation in Leon. It wasn’t until he gained some altitude that he realized he’d finally made it.
He took off in flight, as was always expected of him. He used the rush to his advantage and tried to remain focused. He looked over at the craft’s console as much as possible while remembering his training. He turned a knob on for the radio.
“Ground control, do you copy?” he said over the radio.
He looked around and saw more S-Wings taking flight. He looked ahead and saw a massive alien robot with eight tentacles stand
ing by the fridge factory as it ripped the structure that held the giant EMP apart. The static of the radio rubbed in his ears.
“Ground control here. What’s your status? Over,” said a voice over the radio.
Leon recognized the young voice. It was Oliver. He stabilized his flight promptly and headed towards the giant robot. He saw there where S-Wing escorts on each side.
“Ready and in formation, ground control. I think I’ve got a plan. Can you patch me through to Commander McCoy? Over,” he replied.
“Roger, the patch is through. Over,” said ground control.
Leon very carefully thought about what he was going to say while staying focused on his flight pattern as he headed for the factory.
“Commander, this is S-Wing leader. What’s your status? Over,” he said first without thinking.
“S-Wing leader, who is this?” Commander McCoy’s voice scratched the words through the radio.
It made Leon feel like a rookie, but he was determined. At the gargantuan sight of the alien octopus, Leon had to think quick and change his plan. He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. Why the heck can’t anything work the way I want it to? he thought.
“It’s me, Leon, sir. There’s a second brigade of S-Wings under my command in the air right now. We will create a diversion for the giant. Your mission update is to get into the factory and stop Trevor, that’s the hill—the kid’s name. Listen to what I’m about to say very carefully. Instead of overriding the core, polarize it. This will create a massive EMP that will render the giant still. We will distract the metal bastard for you until further notice. Be quick. I don’t think we’ll be able to handle it for very long. Over.”
“Is my son flying with you?” the commander asked over the radio.
“Roger, sir,” Leon answered.
“Then I’ll have more than enough time to handle this. Watch your six Captain Thunderbolt,” said McCoy.
Leon felt a rush of confidence as he heard the catchy nickname through the radio’s static. He must have gotten it because of how fast he’d been learning things. A skill he always took for granted in his previous rebellious years.
He flew right under the metal giant’s tentacle and looked around the cockpit to better understand what arsenal he could count on. He then flew over the metal beast. He pulled the triggers on his side sticks, a flurry of bullets scrapped the gigantic round surface of the robot’s body. He looked over to see a couple of tentacles lifting through the air. He saw Dave McCoy’s S-Wing flying through a moving tentacle’s attack.
“Stick to the perimeter and avoid those tentacles,” the kid’s voice resounded over all radios.
Leon spotted another side stick, this one was attached to a gauge that read, “TESLA CANNONS”. Leon smiled, looked at his target, and pulled the trigger. From below his cock pit, blue lighting shot straight at one of the tentacles. The metallic structure coiled, and Leon flew a perimeter around the giant. He took another shot and did a half roll away from the robot.
“Wow, great flying, Ace. Especially for your first time. You’re starting to draw the robot away,” Oliver said over the radio static.
Leon looked around and saw the S-Wings whinning up as they followed his lead. He jetted over the lake and then over the scrapyard grounds. He wanted to attempt to trip this robot like the one before, if only to win some time.
“All right, Silver Wings. Follow my lead. We’ll fly through the scrapyard. Over,” he said.
He looked down towards the factory and took off his head mask for a more natural vision so he could fly low. The giant metal beast was displacing its tentacles with difficulty through the water as it chased behind Leon and his escorts.
A few S-Wings flew around and taunted the metal creature by shooting it with more Tesla rays. The chase continued as Leon tried to pay attention to the radio.
“Heads up, everyone, and bring down the trash,” he commanded.
He shot at the scrap piles and created an avalanche. He watched the rest of the Silver Wings repeat his maneauver. The robot swiftly climbed up the scrapyard’s valley through the falling scrap.
Leon turned around to fly low. He was going for the lower tentacles to make the robot lose balance. The metal giant raised two tentacles and shot rays out of its prongs. A couple of S-Wings were wiped from the attack.
Leon’s blood rushed to his feet. Fortunately, the giant had been distracted. He shot his Tesla cannon at one of the lower tentacles, and the robot lost its good balance.
“Let’s focus on the tentacles, everyone. Use your Tesla canons,” he yelled through the radio.
He looked over and saw two S-Wings engaging a tentacle furiously. The ionized mercuranium on the tentacle began to melt until it detached from the body. Through the radio young McCoy’s voice cheered, “Wahoo! We got one.”
Leon felt relieved to hear the young bullies voice, although he was now determined to fight for his fallen comrades. Everyone circled around the robot again to flank an attack. From the depths of the junk, another tentacle lifted to the skies, taking another S-Wing down. Leon realized the metal giant had too much power for the unexperienced crew.
“Oliver, can you give me an update on the commander? We can’t hold this thing much longer. We’re losing people, specs!” Leon said.
He circled around once more. Another tentacle raised in the air, and a fourth craft fell to the ground.
“Ok, we’re patched through, so we’re all on the frequency. Over,” Oliver said through the radio.
“Roger that. Over,” replied McCoy.
Leon took a deep breath as he evaded a tentacle’s attack.
“Commander, how much longer until reverse polarity?” Leon hastily asked.
“I’m with the kid. We’re heading to the factory’s machine room,” Commander McCoy’s voice sounded out over the radio.
Leon’s heart was pounding fast. The pressure became too much for him to absorb. He took all his frustration and shot a Tesla ray at one of the giant’s tentacles with success. He felt a little better, but it went by fast when he saw the robot chasing after.
“We need to get out of here fast, Oliver. Instruct the commander on how to reverse polarize the factory. Over.” Leon and the other S-Wings flew back towards the lake.
“I don’t know how to polarize the factory’s core, over,” Oliver responded.
“Can you repeat that? Over,” McCoy said through the radio.
Leon could not believe what was happening. He felt his blood boiling at that moment.
“What do you mean you don’t know how? where’s the doctor? Over,” he barked.
“I repeat, I don’t know how to polarize the factory’s core. Doctor Dickens and the general are preparing for the launch as you planned. It’s just us kids down here, and I don’t know how the factory’s core works. I’ve never been there,” Oliver answered.
It was at that moment that Leon realized he had come up with a terrible plan. He assumed Oliver would know the required science to do such a task. He’d been so accustomed to Oliver having scientific breakthroughs that he never thought this could be a possibility.
His hands started shaking, and cold sweats began. He could barely stand the racing of his heart. He held the controls tight and began to fly upward in no particular direction. He began to breathe heavily and felt light headed.
Quickly, he regained his senses and placed his mask back on. He frowned in determination and flew back down. He gave it all he got and shot rays and bullets all the same. He couldn’t back down now.
“Alright, Silver Wwings, let’s give it all we’ve got,” he encouraged his flight team.
The static interrupted his call to arms, and McCoy’s raspy voice took over. “The kid here is asking if you mean polarizing by switching the batteries power from negative to positive?” the commander asked.
Leon was prompt to answer as he heard Oliver’s interference.
“Yes!” they both answered.
Leon came around the lake, along with t
he rest of the S-Wings. The robot chased behind them as they all drew back from the attack. The metal beast shot a vibrant green energy ray at the S-Wings. The tentacle’s blinding glare of the green rays in contrast to the muted light of dawn made for a difficult flight pattern for the S-Wings.
Leon lost sight of the giant robot. It showed itself on higher grounds, now on the factory’s roof. Its attacks became more aggressive than before. Leon realized they were running out of time. The radio interrupted his focus once more as a tentacle managed to graze Leon’s S-Wing, making it difficult for him to maneuver.
“The kid says we’re ready to punch it on your mark,” McCoy said in his usual raspy tone.
Leon had no other option but to barrel roll away, delivering shot’s and attacks for the rest of his mission. He countered by doing a half a barrel and firing furiously everything he had at the giant robot and commanded his teammates to do the same.
“Now, Commander! Punch it now!” Leon yelled through the speakers.
A giant sonic boom spread through the horizon. Leon heard a loud ring in his ears and nothing more. He pulled his controls to steer as clear from the factory as possible.
“Everybody eject your vehicles on my mark, ” he commanded.
The factory’s structure started to implode as all the metal in the building was drawn to the middle. The mechanical beast struggled to maintain its high ground. Its tentacles flailed in one last, desperate attempt at keeping balance. Leon kept his course, fighting the magnetic current that was pulling his S-Wing into the building’s core. The radio alarmed him.
“Watch out, S-Wing leader. On your six!” the young tone of Dave McCoy’s cocky voice sounded through the hiss.
Leon shifted back and saw McCoy’s S-Wing going off course as it pushed a tentacle away from knocking down his leader. Leon saw the spherical cockpit detach before it hit the ground hard. The rest of the vessel crashed into the robot beast.
“NO! McCoy, Commander, your kid is grounded around the building premises. I repeat, your kid landed… everyone eject now. Now!” Leon tapped the eject button, and the cockpit was suspended in the air. He looked down briefly and saw his futuristic craft falling slowly, as every metallic structure around was being speared into the building’s core.
