Chapter One: Sky Survival

Afghanistan

Helmand Province

Somewhere near Afghan - Pakistani Border

Camp Bravo, Private Echelon Corporation Operation Base

Questioning Room

August 12, 2011

08:35 AM

An Iranian man in thirties in orange suit with his both hands plastic cuffed is dragged by an unmasked ninja inside a questioning room to a chair. Inside the room, another ninja in formal black suit and white shirt with its collar is arranged on the top of his black suit is waiting by sitting on a chair on its front a table is set.

" Sit down!" Yells the sentry ninja to the man.

The waiting ninja smiles and begins to speak in friendly tone to the man, " Hello again, Mr. Saif. My name is Gregory Satoh. I hope you enjoy your stay at our base. Now I give you another chance to tell us your stories."

The man named Saif keeps silent staring at his questioner. " Why are you here?"...  " What are you doing here..?, " Who ordered you to go here?" Asks Mr. Satoh.

His questions go unanswered. The man is still in his silence. The room becomes quiet until another ninja yells at him, " Answer him!!!" His sudden yelling frightens the questioned a bit.

" Well, do you understand your situation? You are in disadvantaged position now. First, you were captured in civilian clothing. Second, the worst, nobody knows you're here." Says Mr. Satoh in reserved tone.

Mr. Satoh look at the man. His expression becomes blank. He continues, " Let me explain the ends for you."

" If you do not pour out what we want to hear..." The ninja named Satoh takes his black sheathed ninja sword and bashes it hard over the table. " This place will be the last thing you see.."

Hearing Mr. Satoh's friendly but sinister words, the man finally surrenders, " Your boss.. Al - Tous.." 

Mr. Satoh quickly addresses the another ninja, " Call Kato Jonin. Now! Quick!"

Afghan Airspace

Helmand Province

Blue Eagle Six

Private Echelon Corporation Private Air Transport 

August 12, 2011

08:42 AM

A gulfstream jet is flying south from Bagram Airbase. In the inside, Nate, Shiori and Valkyrie Unit are on the way to meet Nate's employees working on Helmand province, especially on the border area. At the hour, they are having their breakfast. 

" This nachos cheese sauce is saltier than usual. I don't think I can add mayonaise." Comments Nate over his breakfast. They are having Mexican dishes for breakfast.

" What about this mixed chilly sauce?" Suggests Shiori pointing an unmarked small plastic sauce bottle with reddish sauce inside.

" Is that home made? Thanks." Replies Nate while looking at the bottle at his hand.

" Oh, yeah, it's better now. It diminishes the cheese's saltiness." Says Nate again after taking a piece of nachos poured with the latter sauce.

" I wonder what kids are doing at this hour. I feel safe they're in good hands. I should thank for your sister. Let's buy some valuable souvenirs for her when we are back at Kabul."

" Oh, she is very glad to take care of them too. We'll contact them through web as soon as when we arrive at the post." 

" Sure, I'll make sure they're good."

Suddenly, Nate's chief bodyguard, surges forward carrying a black portable phone and addreses Nate in thick Polish accent, " Sir, I'm sorry for interrupting. We have two urgent calls queueing."

The man replaces Samuel Nakajima, who died in Bahrain a year ago. His name is Matthias Kowalczyk, a former GROM personnel, one of Nate's surviving Valkyrie Unit.

Nate stops and replies, " That's alright, Kowalczyk. From who?"

" They are Mr. Jonathan Cole from Ocean Enterprise Corp, a shipment company offering a contract, Mr. Satoh from Garmser border outpost and an unidentified man who didn't want to mention his name but insisted to speak to you. He said that he had an urgent thing to say to you."

" What? Alright, link me to Mr. Cole. I'll speak to the third man after him. You speak to Satoh and pass his words to me."

" Just a second, Shiori." Requests Nate to Shiori. He starts to talk on the phone, " Good morning, Mr. Cole. I'm Nathaniel Kato. Can I help you?.. Yes.. Yes.. Okay.. We'll send our electric application soon through email, sir. Can we have your contract addresses? Yes.. See you again, sir. Thank you."

As soon as Nate closes the phone, he calls Matthias, " Matthias, send Mr. Cole's request to Los Angeles. Now link me to the second man. And tell the attendant to take all of these plates. What was it that Satoh wanted to say?"

" Sir, according to our recent information update. You are being targeted here." Says Matthias respectfully.

" Matthias, increase the unit's alertness." Orders Nate.

" Yes, sir." Answers Matthias.

Nate starts to talk with the second man, " Good morning, This is Nathaniel Kato. Can I help you, sir?"

" Good morning, Mr. Kato or shall I call Al-Tous? I am an old acquantaince. We'll meet.. down here." Says the unknown man in thick Persian accent.

" What!? Who are you?" Asks Nate.

His surprise surprises Shiori, the attendant and alert all of his Valkyrie personnel who are seated on all cabin seats. 

" I ask you again, who are you? And what did you mean?" Emphasizes Kato.

" Sir, sorry for interrupting. Co-pilot has a report." Reports another Valkyrie ninja offering another black wireless phone.

Nate answers the phone, " Yes, this is Nathaniel. Captain, what do you have?"

" Sir, someone requests to transmit a broadcast for you. He also requests to broadcast it publicly inside the jet. Shall we proceed?" Replies the Co-Pilot.

" Proceed, Captain."

Soon, the Pilot's voice airs inside the jet, " Good morning, passengers. This is your Captain Cunningham speaking. I am about to broadcast an announcement. Thank you for your attention."

Sound of a tuned radio is heard. Then the previous mysterious man who talked with Nate's on the phone is heard, " Al - Tous, your deeds in the past will not go unpunished. It is the time for payback. The eagles will bring you to the ground."

The broadcast prompts Nate's Valkyrie personnel to encircle him with weapons drawn both firearms and edged ones. Captain Cunningham's voice is heard again, " This is Captain speaking. We have two unidentified aircrafts behind us coming in fast. Raising to DEFPLAN (Defense Plan) 2. All hands, brace yourself for evasion." Two unmarked desert camouflaged Su-35 fighter planes are speeding toward the jet.

 " Sir, mam, keep yourselves away from windows. We'll move to the first cabin." Pleads Matthias.

The Captain and Co-Pilot are attempting to contact the two unknown planes but their callings go unanswered. As they are reporting their situation to the headquarter on Kabul, the most unwanted event arrives. The jet's radar blinks and beeps with red Missile Alert icons and background color blinks. The Captain decides to raise their laert into DEFPLAN 1 which means hostile situation. He announces, " All hands, brace for turbulence. We have hostile situation. I repeat, we have hostile situation." 

The jet omits countermeasure flares to decoy the two incoming missiles which works then strafes sharp to the right which inflicts the cabins' position and throws objects. Though the situation is serious, no one is panicked. All of Private Echelon Personnel have been trained before to face such situation on the air, land and sea including inside a submarine. The planes strafes to the right and left to lose its pursuers while generously omit its decoy flares. The acts frustate their pursuers and they decide to bring down the jet in old way, machine guns. The pursuers push more accelerate and get closer with the jet. The jet passengers begin to hear a familiar wheezing sound with sounds of small things collide the jet's frame on the roof. " They are shooting us with machine guns!" Yells Nate. The jet pilot, knowing this, decides to perform his desperate manouver. First, he turns left sharply and try to face the sun which render his pursuers to turn away their sight then stall down to far lower attitude followed by the dazed pursuers. The Su-35's flies straight down toward the jet from the right and the left peperring it with machine gun fires combined with missiles which would miss and causing in line explosions on ground. Several bullets manage to break the windows at the abandoned cabin where Nate was. One of the fighter, when it reaches near the ground, loses control and crashes a small hill. Nothing is left from it except engulfing flame ball. It angered the another fighter pilot and he deploys his desperate manouver. He maximizes his speed to approach the fleeing jet closer and shoots at its double afterburners that severes its vertical wing.

The plane loses its balance and glides down less controlably. Captain Jason Cunningham and his Co-Pilot, Captain Caiden Behari, tries very hard to control its gliding speed while finding a good site to land. Coincidentally, he sees a long flat brown high ground and aims the jet to the site. He speaks through his communication device, " All hands, brace for emergency landing!" The cabins' situation become eerie. " Twenty second for impact!"... " Fifteen!"... " Ten!".. " Five!".. " Ready for impact!" The Jet slams the ground and dragged by its power, sliding. The initial impact and sliding, shakes the cockpit and all cabins. Inside Nate's shelter cabin, everything's in chaos. Suddenly, the plane crashes large rock and make a sharp turn that break it apart. On the last impact, Nate's sight becomes dark.

License: Personal use and read only. Further usage requiring permission from author.

Disclaimer: All contents are fiction.

To be continued