Ace Combat: Shadow War

Chapter 3: Fresh New Start

My recovery was short and easy, learning to walk again was easy as it felt like I still had my other foot but had to remember that I didn't. Before I knew it, I was out of the hospital and back on base. I was helping Star with checking his F-15C and I was bored as hell, everyone else was checking on their planes and me, I didn't have one because mine is somewhere in the mountains destroyed. "Can you pass the wrench, I was just using" Star asked snapping me out of my thoughts and handed him the wrench, "Bored?" Star seemed to have noticed my state, I groaned "How can I not be bored? I don't have a plane and I have nothing else to do" Star couldn't help but smirk "You'll get a plane... eventually" I really wanted a plane but would have to wait then from the hangar entrance, I noticed someone walking towards us holding a briefcase. I walked away from Star and approached the person.

"Hello, can I help you with anything" I asked politely, "Uh yes are you the Outcast squadron" The man asked, "Yes we are, who wants to know?" I asked then the man, he was a Caucasian with brown hair, blue eyes, and glasses, he looks familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it, "I'm Dr. Schroeder" he reached a hand for me to shake "And you are?" I shook his hand and responded "Warfare, we like to keep our real names secret" he nodded in understanding "I came here to check up on you gentlemen and see how you're doing on your training" that was unexpected, I didn't know how to respond "Uh, what about I go get the guys and we can speak in our barracks" I offered to him and accepted walking towards our barracks and when he was out of site, I ran towards my friends who were still working while whisper yelling "guys" Zilla noticed and said "What's going on with you" I cleared my throat "Dr. Schroeder THE Dr. Schroeder just came in and asked about our progress on becoming an elite squadron" Zilla blinked several times in surprise "I'm sorry Dr. Schroeder was here" I nodded "Where is he then?" looking at the hangar entrance "He's in our barracks, that's where we'll discuss the progression" Zilla didn't hesitate to clean his hands and gather everyone else to follow me to the barracks.

Opening the barrack door with the squad behind me, Dr. Schroeder was looking at the many picture frames on our wall and when we entered, he turned and went to greet everyone else and after that we sat down in a circle, he then opened his briefcase and pulled out papers and began to examine them "So before we start, I know what happened to you Warfare and with D00M and Krigs, so I'm just here to ask whether you guys still want to become elites" of course we... wait how did he know this stuff "How do you these things about what happened" I asked, and Schroeder mentally slapped himself "Oh right I forgot, I sent a worker here to watch you guys work and then after the incident he came back and gave me this report" he raised the paper in his hand "But you guys have had combat experience" of course we all nodded "Alright well let's get down to discussion about your progression becoming elites" Schroeder said and just like that we were discussing our progression, what we've learned, etc. and we talked for a long time and then at the end we agreed that we will continue practicing becoming the next elite squadron of Erusea just like Yellow squadron was.

"Alright men it's been a pleasure talking with you all and starting tomorrow you will get your new aircraft" Dr. Schroeder then left our barracks and that's right 'new aircraft' while discussing we talked about how we truthfully didn't like our F-15Cs except for Peralta and would rather have our own planes and since this was a government matter, we had the option of getting our very own planes. Remo requested a Mig-29, Peralta wanted to keep his F-15C, Star requested a Su-57, Somewhat requested a F-15E, Digital and Wolf requested F-14 together, Zilla requested a X-02 Strike-Wyvern which may be hard to get, and myself I requested a F-22 Raptor. We were all excited for our new planes and since it was late at night, we went to sleep.

I opened my eyes to the blinding sunlight and sighed, I removed the covers and sat up. I put on my uniform and stepped outside and the early sun warmed my skin, I looked around the base and went on my way to the cafeteria.

At the cafeteria, I got my food and looked for my friends, I spotted them and sat down with them "Good morning boys" I said with joy, "Good morning, squad lead" Digital said.

We ate and spoke when threw the many windows that surround the cafeteria, I spotted 6 aircraft coming in for landing, wouldn't you know it, a Mig-29, Su-57, F-15E, F-14, F-22 Raptor, and a goddamn X-02 Strike Wyvern were landing. I dropped my sandwich and my jaw dropped, everyone at the table noticed and looked at the direction I was looking in and their jaws dropped, all the other people in that cafeteria were so confused but we were excited. We all faced each other and laughed, "Come on, let's go" I said, and we all jumped out of our chairs and ran outside leaving everyone else confused. At the landing strip, we watched as the planes taxied to our hangar, when the planes finally pulled in, we watched as they parked the planes in a line in front of our hangar, we shook their hands and watched as they took our F-15Cs but Peralta's and fly off. We walked up to our news planes and examined them and me I looked my F-22 and admired her beauty; I placed a hand over the sleek metal body. "Alright boys, who wants some upgrades" Star asked, and I knew his engineer skills would not disappoint.

(Song: Alright by Supergrass)

This was the most fun Ive ever had. We brought our planes inside the hangar and Star began to work on them, we didn't must ask for parts or supplies as our hangar had just about everything, we needed but weapons, we needed to ask for those, but they didn't decline they brought the armaments we needed even an old railgun that Zilla immediately laid his eyes on. When we had everything, we needed we got to work.

Somewhat had the idea to play some music and the first song idea was Alright by Supergrass and that really got us in the work and fun mode. The planes got a nice black paintjob, and our emblem was placed on the tail, we were having the time of our lives. Star and us, got to work on putting our weapons and parts on, Star put his 'golden touch' on our planes and what he put on it, is his secret. The music was really pumping us up and some of us started to playfully dance around, Zilla got so pumped up, he climbed on top of his plane and danced on it, which made us laugh our asses off. In the end our planes were finished, and we took a group selfie that looked very funny as we had to fit 8 people in one frame.

I looked at the frame and smiled at our newest photo together, I raised it up to the wall and hanged it up, I looked at all the photos on the wall and examined the very first one, it was everyone even D00M and Krigs standing together in a line with our flight helmets under our arms, my smiled faded and I took the frame and took the picture out and cut out D00M and Krigs with a pair of scissors and hung it back up. I walked to the newest one and looked at it and smiled and grabbed a sharpie and wrote on the glass, "A new beginning".

3rd Person POV

At Megalith, D00M sat at his desk in his chambers, hands crossed. A knock on the door interrupted his thinking "Enter" D00M said in a dark tone, in came Krigs with a file in hand "Ah Krigs my good friend, what can I help you with" D00M asked, Krigs walked forward and handed D00M the file, "Very good news, our forces have reported that, they have successfully raided Osean, Belkan, Yuktobanian, and Leasath military facilities and shipping ports and together they stole, a few million tons of supplies by hijacking container ships and military blueprints and even a few aircraft" D00M was done examining the file and set it aside, "And I assume they did it all with stealth, yes?" D00M asked in a serious tone "They did do it all with stealth, just like you taught them" D00M sighed and looked at file again, there was a moment of silence when Krigs had a burning question to ask "D00M?" his eyes moved to look at Krigs "Why do you hate Warfare so much; I never got a straight answer"

D00M inhaled sharply and stood up "Let me tell you. Warfare is not fit for the job, he's weak and do you know what happens to weak people in this world?" Krigs shook his head "They die and those who are strong, will live. Warfare's weak and everyone else in that squadron, Remo, Somewhat, Zilla, Digital, Wolf, and even Peralta are all strong and Warfare's just going to drag them down and get them killed, also I won't lie when I say I was jealous when I tried to hold a voting poll on who should be the squadron and of course those fools voted him and not me... and whenever I had the chance, I would be beat the shit out of him until he was a bleeding pulp and I broke him down so much that if I even looked at him, he flinched" D00M chuckled a bit and so did Krigs "Weak loser" Krigs added D00M then continued "Ah I did it so often that he wanted to die, he wanted to kill himself but on that night, he didn't that just shows that he can't do shit right and that's why I hate him" D00M finished and then yawned, "I'm going to hit the hay, you go to bed too" Krigs saluted and left and D00M went to sleep for the night.