Operation: Saber Strikes

The next step

(F/N) POV
     After I finished securing everything I was jogging to our chopper "Jimmy, how's she looking? Good to go?" He nodded "kinda sad I'll never see her again, I've grown attached to her." I sighed "Yeah, me too. Thanks for the years of taking care of her man, it means a lot." He smiled as we shook hands and I gave him money for a beer before I climbed into my seat, doing preflight checks and getting the engines running. "Check flaps left, good. Right flaps now, good. Test fire missiles, all set. Zach how's the cannon?" He did the test "Clear, working like a dream man." I chuckled "Good, countermeasures?" He did the test "Clear, everything's working great." I radioed Jäger "Hello my friend, we're good to lift off. Lead us out." He replied "Sounds good, command this is Rainbow 1-1 we'll be leaving now. Stay safe, take care." I heard Annie the radio operator "Rog' happy hunting. Valkyrie 1-1 stay safe ya hear? We'll all miss you boys here, you've always got a home with us." I heard Zach "Thank you Annie, we'll miss you too. If things don't go well with Rainbow we'll come home keep the food warm." She chuckled as Jäger climbed and I followed trying to stay in formation with him my viper trying to go faster than him "Jäger, guns are hot. Thought you'd like to know. Striker, hit the music." He chuckled "Select or shuffle?" I thought it over "Shuffle." He replied "Let'sa go" as I heard Hold Strong start blasting through the speakers.

I laughed "Striker, we're about to hear a lot of confused questions on the radio." I saw him nod "Good, good let the confusion run through you." We kept the formation as I heard Jordan on the radio "Guys? What are you doing?" Zach replied "Just playing some tunes, why?" Jordan was trying not to laugh "We can hear it over here, how loud are you playing it?" Zach looked at me "About half." Jordan laughed "Seriously? That's bullshit." I chuckled as Zach spoke "Thermite, we have speakers it's only half. Anyway do you like the song?" I heard Marius this time "Ja! It's perfect!" I laughed as I leaned forward and tapped Zach "Fortunate sun" he smiled "'Nam?" I leaned back "Nam" he laughed into the radio "Your request is coming up Saber." I heard Eliza this time "What? What did he request?" Zach replied "Ah ah ah, patience." As the song came to an end I heard the opening of Fortunate Sun I laughed as it started.

I heard Thermite, Ash and Jäger laughing as we joined them. Six asked "is this what we're doing now? Vietnam?" Zach replied "Harry, we play by request this is 92.3 Air Striker." He chuckled as we continued flying, after 15 minutes I spoke "Zach, head on the swivel. We're hitting the hot zone." He nodded as the music cut and I heard the gun spin "20mm clear. TV missile.... clear. I'm hot." I switched to my heatseekers "Heatseekers... clear." I said as I heard the low growling tone in my headset "Switching to Hydras, hydras are hot," as I heard the test click for a clean disconnect "Hellfires are hot... good tone." He nodded "All systems are good, Gunship is cleared A pristine mean machine, over" I heard Jäger "Rog' any reason for clearing hot?" Zach spoke "Saber has this area pegged for a hot zone. The marines lost a couple Hueys in the area and Saber isn't that comfortable here, I'm not either." He spoke "Rog' Countermeasures are good, Get those guns hot! I'm not liking this." Zach went to speak as I heard the beeping "Zach we've got a lock, switch to thermal and find them." He nodded "Jäger, we've got a lock on. We're trying to find the enemy over." He sounded worried "You're not taking evasive action?" I shrugged as Zach spoke "We've got flares, Saber I got him 2 o'clock 1 klick out I can hit him with the TV it'll be another 10 seconds before I can get guns." I thought it over "Gun him." As I pushed the throttle forward picking up speed before I heard the Cannon start spinning before the helicopter vibrated as the 20mm rounds ripped away from the Viper. "Damage report?" As I stirred to the right and popped a pair of flares