Where Darkness and Light Collide

[The Heartless Army]

There is always a moment of calm before a storm. Winds cease, and the world is silenced only seconds before erupting into mayhem and violence. How one makes use of this time is up to them. Some weep for they know they will not survive. Others make plans to stem the tide of madness. Still others look into the heart of the oncoming tempest with steadfast determination and a will to live.

Then... the world gives way to insanity. All signs of stability are stripped away until only pure, unreasoning, unmerciful chaos takes hold and the storm is upon them. All the force, all the power, and all the rage unleashed like the three-headed hound of hell onto a once-peaceful playing field. All we hold dear, all we hold close to our hearts is ravaged, mangled, and thrown aside and we are given but two choices.

Fight. Or die.

Such is the way of war. In these few, fleeting moments between peace and disaster, the calm becomes like a dirge. It sings to us, seeps into our very hearts and takes hold of something primal. A horrifying, terrible sensation builds up and the sudden and all-too-real realization comes with it. You can die here. In all the craziness and mayhem, very bad things are coming with no greater intent than to kill you. There is no mercy, no quarter given or asked. You have a choice to make, and you had better make it now.

And it will come. That time when all semblance of serenity is stripped away like a curtain ripped from the rings, and every evil you ever feared comes rushing like a bad sideshow. For the crew of the Red Rose, and the small gathering of ships about it... this curtain had just been cast aside.

All around them, on every side in a perfect sphere of death and malice, they would appear. Hundreds, thousands of ships which only seconds ago did not appear on the radars, were now flooding them, overwhelming the sensors and driving many systems to the point of near-shutdown... some all the way there. Too much information all at once. Computers react the same way humans do. They shut down.

The Harbinger loomed like a great beast in the sky, the heart of a battle fleet which would be their executioner. And make no mistake, hearts of light, this was an execution. The time of thought and deliberation was over...

The dogs of war have been released.

No hesitation. No question of orders or of logic or planning. These were monsters, pure and simple, and monsters strike fast, hard, and where it hurts most. Strikers would be the first wave, the fastest and most agile of ships among the fleet. They would begin to pepper the Rose and its fledgling entourage with blasts of plasma and antimatter, intending to damage them terribly while the slower, but better armed Destroyers moved in.

Destroyers would take aim, some from below, and more from above. Theirs were weapons intended to completely cripple a ship, leave it useless while their smaller, swifter brethren picked them off. Think of it like a spider paralyzing a mouse, so that the ants might eat at it slowly and painfully.

Beyond them, the Monoliths would lazily drift toward the action. They were slow, bulky, but theirs were the most powerful of weapons. One hit from them could critically, even lethally injure even the best-fortified Gummi in Hyperspace, save only for the Harbinger. There was time to avoid them, but having to get through both an onslaught of Stingers and a battery of Destroyers, it was unlikely that any ship would be agile enough to avoid the hammer.

This would comprise the first head of this three-pronged beast of war. And for every head that bites, there must be one that thinks. This would be represented by the Carriers and the Tactics Stations resting comfortably behind the Harbinger, out of the way of the battle proper. Tactics Stations would relay orders, adjust battle plans on the fly, communicate with every ship in every way to ensure a speedy, effective slaughter. They are the brain, and in numbers to ensure if one should arbitrarily go down, there were many more for backup.

And they were not alone. The Carriers that surrounded the Tactics Stations were the defensive line, and primary source of replenishment. They were quite capable of defending themselves and the Stations beyond, each with a long line of cannons primed and ready for a silly ship to try blundering toward them. They would also keep the battlefield plenty full of "teeth" for the first, hungry beast they must face. Slice down as many as you wish, they would keep the numbers steady...

Two ravenous monsters for the kill, but there yet remained another. The Alpha. The head ship. The Harbinger. It stayed in place at the command of Orestes, with Acteur providing a brilliant and theatrical mind to keep everyone on their toes. It was the center of this battle, providing the fleet with everything it needed in terms of strategy and of backup fire. The ship was the final word in warfare, armed like no other ship before it, and nearly 300 times the size of even the Rose. The canon it wielded made the Sister Ray Rose Edition look like a pea shooter, capable of destroying an entire world if it pleased.

It would begin to charge as the battle began, gathering energy even as the Stingers sprayed their assault over the hulls of the enemy ships with machine-gun like rapid succession, zipping, zooming, and cascading like a hive of wasps on the ships of the heroes of light. From every angle they came, targeting weak points wherever the opportunity arose.

The dogs are hungry. Today, they will dine on the flesh of heroes.

Today, the light will die.

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix turned away from Sarah and motioned the girl with her as she began pacing back on the bridge. She listened intently from all sides as they spoke, coming up with new ideas, crushing them, and then making up some more.

"A tactician was I once," she remarked quietly before turning back to the helm where Ellis stood in command. "Executive Officer Ellis, I want you to keep the Red Rose within the sight of the duke's Gummi Galleon. He seems to be our command center for scouting, as they are closest to the Harbinger and--!!!"

The battle had begun, and the radar sensors, as well as the master control panel started going hay-wire, alarms sounded and systems began to crash. Sylvia's assistants cried out as their terminals went fuzzy, and the duke on the other end of microphones was heard cussing out.

"Great Alexander!" cried the general, leaping over to the balcony overlooking the head of the bridge. "It's an entire armada!!!"

"Alright," began Brass, after several moments of panic and being slapped back to reality by Cobalt and shaken by Bartholomew.

"Beatrix, I will send a team of golems out to serve as our strike force against the flagship's guns, as well as taking out those Stingers and, if we're able, a Monolith or two. Barium! Cerium! Set up Squadron Eleven in the Disposal Bay, and bring an entourage of Moogles. If we can send them out with the golems, then by the time they manage to reach the larger ship's interior, we'll have a significantly doubled attack force barreling their way to the enemy bridge."

Both Cerium and Barium ran off as fast as they could to assemble Brass' automaton army while the duke slammed his fingers into several controls on the rest of his chair.

"Cobalt, send their main ship seeker missiles, and Krypton, I'm gonna need you to turn the Gatling lasers onto the fleet. Um...blondie, what do you suppose we do next?"

This last question he barked into the speaker, apparently seeking out Agrias' advice.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur watched as the symphony of battle unfolded outside the main viewport—a chorus of shrieking Strikers whose high-velocity engines provided a shrill counterpoint to the deep, throaty rumble of their larger brethren; stanzas of weapons fire that scythed across the ether of Hyperspace in vibrant webs of lethal energy; the staccato medley of plasma reactions where Striker fire peppered the shielded hull of the Red Rose and its ragtag fleet; and a chaotic percussion of explosions as their return fire found its mark, blasting groups of Strikers into spheres of glowing vapor and destroyed Gummi matter. All of it unfolded to the consistent thunder of capital ships firing their heavy weaponry, sending vast particle beams stabbing across the void in destructive salvos.

It was, in short, the classic orchestra of naval combat—the timeless exchange of projectiles between the champion craft of two fundamentally-opposed realms, with dominion of the endless oceans in the balance—altered to fit the theater of Hyperspace. And it was here that Acteur de la Noir worked his masterstroke—weaving his gloved hands in the slashing gestures of a conductor, the Heartless performer directed the course of the battle, sending the power of his will through the glittering shadowy threads of his Phantom Puppetry. The eldritch influence spread across the Heartless crews, coordinating their attack strategies and filling them with a vigor that they would never have been able to summon on their own. They were driven by dark inspiration, influenced by subtle whispering, and bolstered by the infusion of their natural element. Even now, the Heartless craft were starting to show signs of Acteur’s distinctive flair—the artful maneuvers performed by the Strikers; the rhythmic tempo to which the Monoliths’ cannons fired; and the way the Harbinger sat there in the center of it all, as the primary conductor of this grand performance.

But Acteur knew that the veneer of symphony was vanity. For in truth, the whole of the Heartless Armada had but a sole intent—to destroy. To ravage without mercy, or hesitation. To crush the final lingering defenses of the Light, and devour the remains until not even a scrap was left. No matter how elegant and graceful the Strikers flew, or whatever formations the capital ships assumed, that seething ferocity remained. Nothing could change that.

And it mattered not. This was how Atticus the Fallen wished it. Thus, this is how it would come to pass. Acteur was a humble servant, given life by the graces of the Master. He would serve. And as it so happened, the Heartless puppet had one last duty to perform, before the final curtain fell…

As he continued to direct the battle via his Phantom Puppetry, Acteur closed his eyes, the eerie yellow behind those slits in the cracked porcelain fading into darkness. Focusing willpower what he could spare, the Darkness-infused puppet-master reached out into the aether, casting his astral senses for a very distinctive signature amid the myriad resonances of dueling fighter craft. It would be a fools’ endeavor, akin to finding a needle buried deep in several bales of hay…except that Acteur knew what he was looking for. It was someone he had known very well before his “rebirth,” and she carried with her a relic that he himself had forged…

There. He’d found her. The relic felt different, somehow, but…no matter.

Cherie, a ghostly voice spoke into the aether, a sinister reflection of its former self as it crossed distance and time in an effort to reach the mind of his intended victim. The final nightfall is nigh. All paths now lead down a single road. No more Light, or Twilight…only Darkness. Now and forever.

Come to me, Cherie…give yourself to the endless night…

[Twilight Path]

Sarah heard a voice trying to entice her. It was not the Acteur she knew. The message she had received earlier had been the last bit that was truly him. She looked at Beatrix and the others, not sure if she should say anything. 'This... This is between Acteur and myself. Their battle must be done with concentration and if I say anything there will be protests. However, I'm the only one that can save Acteur.' She moved to exit the bridge, seeing what looked to be a string leading to another part of the ship.

It was the string that she had used earlier to contact him. She followed the string, making sure she wasn't followed. She knew that something was leading her to a way that would get her to Acteur without causing too much of a commotion. At least that is what she hoped it would do.

When she came to a side of the ship with what looked like to be strange wooden doors with the alexandrian emblem, she stopped. A thread was leading to one of them. She opened it up, sliding down what seemed to be an endless tunnel.

"Coordinates?" Sarah thought, wondering what was going on. How did she know something as complicated as coordinates to the Harbringer? Something lit up, as if guiding her as she pushed the various numbers. She didn't know when it happened, but somehow she lost track of where her body was as it made its way towards the Harbringer.

[Sai]

When the dark ships dropped into view, Sai knew he had only one option open to him where it came to his ship's immediate survival. Without consulting anyone, he pushed forward on the controls and shot the ship into forward motion combined with a slight down-and-to-the-left curve. He had to break off from the main conflict, or their ship would not only take heavy damage from Stinger fire, but also from flaming chunks of whatever gets shot off the other ships.

"I would suggest beginning an offensive attack..." the silver Nobody muttered idlely as though this were as casual as walking down the street. His attention moved from Oeilvert to Kim before he continued.

"Also, please be certain that the upper and forward shields are most fortified. The stern and underbelly might be more exposed, but we are more likely to be in a charging position as of now..." he said smoothly, then punched on the controls, maneuvering so that there were fewer (still a lot, but fewer) ships behind than there were before.

As he made sure they had a clear shot at their targets, Sai also kept open communication with their lead ship. "Where will we be most effective, Commander Agrias?" he'd ask, referring to her as such as she was their cheif tactician. "And your orders, General?" he'd ask Beatrix, so they had some information to go on besides just what they saw from their limited amount of visual space.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

It was a long process. Gathering the energy needed for a big spell like this always took time, but in the current conditions, it was twice as hard. Under normal circumstances, the World was filled with light to draw upon, to meld and form. On a regular day, Abby could knock out Holy II like it was no big thing. However, this was not what one might call a regular day, now was it?

She was in the hold, struggling to maintain her balance as the ship tilted and rocked on its ascension, and trying to make sure her summoning circle didn't get too messed up as well. Add to that the fact that the crew had just been ordered to let the cargo shift freely and you had extra worries on hand. Also, there was the matter of poor Boco trying to find space for himself and Airnose not far off apparently now engaged in conversations Abigail couldn't hear with Nexus.

It was a very distracting environment to say the least. However, the white mage concentrated on her prayers to Cosmos, and drew from what little light was left among the universe. It took a minute or two longer than predicted, but Abigail now held in her hand a glowing, pulsing energy which radiated holy power. She breathed hard, struggling to hold onto the wild tempest of power as she slowly stood up.

"Ellin! Contact the bridge!" she called over, and once a line was open, she spoke again. "Agrias, Bea! I have Holy II prepped! I don't know how long I can keep it tethered! Tell me when!" she yelled, the power causing waves of air to rush around the hold, threatening to drown out her voice.

[Secondary Characters]

When Sai made the sudden movement with the Ship, poor Kim Possible was very nearly thrown out of her seat! She gripped the console where she was seated tightly and held on for dear life. Amazing how much momentum she conserved even in the deepest portions of Space! Mental note to herself: diet when she gets home.

Sitting upright as they righted themselves, Kim began to focus on the task at hand. Sai told her to be mindful of the shields, so she started fiddling with the knobs and buttons as swiftly as she could. "This looks right..." she muttered, not 100% on the workings of the ship's defenses, but hey her Mom's a brain surgeon and her Dad a rocket scientist! This shouldn't be too hard!

"Got it!" she called out when the shields powered up at her command, feeling quite motivated now! "Let's kick some spacey butt!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Wall-E had been taking matters into his own hands as well. While things went south on the Bridge of Sai's ship, Wall-E was making his way to the cargo area.

He knew Mashek would probably not like what he was about to do, but at the same time he felt that he could be more useful this way. He found his way there, righting himself whenever a stray shot from outside knocked him sideways. He was just about to the doors when a sudden accelleration threw him into them. "Wha-oh!" he called out before reaching over to hit the button to let him into the holding bay.

He tumbled in, then got up and pressed the button to seal the entire area. It was empty, having never been used by Sai or anyone else. With a tilt of his head, Wall-E looked for another release button, this time belonging to the large doors at the end.

He was going to jettison himself.

With little effort, he found the button and prepared himself, allowing little thrusters to fold out and new enhanced weaponry to come into view, all courtesy of the Brass Duke. With a push, the doors opened and the air pressure shot the little Robot out like a bullet.

"WHHHAAAA-OOOOOHHHHH!!!" He called out before beginning to float freely in Hyperspace. The bay doors closed, but that was fine. He didn't need to go back there for now. Right now, though, he had to focus on not getting zapped! The laser fire zipped by him and he used his thrusters to dodge expertly.

Wall-E returned fire with smaller concussion bombs from his square compartment and laser fire from the emitter between his eyes. He was able to hold his own against Stingers quite well!

Wall-E has entered the fray! He zipped around like a miniature warship, happy to be helping his friends!

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias stood tall upon the bridge, examining the small models of the ships, the gradients and tactical boards. Her mind was in twenty places at once, ranging from low casualties, to high results. She would think of the ships to her disposal, along with the helpful crew and what they were best at, then nodded when questions came to her...

"Um...blondie, what do you suppose we do next?" would call the one named Brass, and to this she would reply, "Ser Brass, you shall be the Thorn Shield of this battalion-- Take care of those small ships, work on the defense and offense with your Golems, and strike HARD whenever an opportune moment arises against this cloud of creatures!"

"Where will we be most effective, Commander Agrias?" asked the silver wizard Sai, and she would face The Harbringer status board before answering, "The most effective locations for a strike would be the bridge, and engines. No power will render that ship useless, no matter the size!"

"Agrias, Bea! I have Holy II prepped! I don't know how long I can keep it tethered! Tell me when!" suddenly sounded Abigail's voice, all of the ship's communication status already opened. She turned to Sylvia, and pointed to her, "Status on the Sister Ray!"

"It is at 95% efficiency, give it 2 minutes and it should be ready to fire, Lady Agrias!" The systems would go loud and obnoxious, a sign that the arsenal was ready to burst out concentrated power.

"Lady Abigail, thou may take the first blow! ELLIN, assist her in landing that first critical strike and come back! You have one minute!" her eyes narrowed, and she grew serious when she saw the smaller ships grow closer, "EVERYONE, GET READY! STAY SAFE! GENERAL, YOUR CALL!"

"99% power efficiency! One minute and thirty seconds until fully charged!" called out Sylvia.

[General Beatrix]

"99% power efficiency! One minute and thirty seconds until fully charged!"

"EVERYONE, GET READY! STAY SAFE! GENERAL, YOUR CALL!"

She drummed her fingers on the rests of her command post and felt the rocking of the ship, the weight of the energy field's pressure as Sister Ray charged, cringed at the overpowering white noise it emitted and thought quietly to herself as she patiently waited for Ellin and Abigail to safely return.

"Sylvia, as soon as our Away Team arrives back I want you to discharge a powerful blast straight into the starboard end of the Harbinger's hull; perhaps the ship's front underbelly will be weak enough to do so; are the HeartSteele fragments all loaded in, as well?"

She turned her attention next to Sai and his team. "When you attack the bridge, Sai, I would like for you to make sure to stay out of range of their heat-seekers; I'm rather sure they'll have a Monolith or two standing guard by that location, as well, so please, be careful."

Her focus stayed on the mass before them, and her gaze was mildly distracted by the looming Gummi Galleon.

"Ah, yes, and as for you, Your Grace," she told the duke, "maintain your obedience to Lady Agrias' orders, and I think we shall yet succeed!"

"Very well," said the Brass Duke, who was busy assisting Cobalt with tinkering one final time with the horde of golems they were to make space-worthy. Adjustments to cooler systems here and there would give the automatons extra boost while attacking Stingers, while adding extra firepower to golem titans would make for an even match against Monoliths.

"Moogles are prepared, each piloting their very own golem; I daresay this unit will be better served infiltrating the Harbinger once we take out the small-fry of the fleet."

And just as soon as they had finished preparations, another team of moogle-piloted golems were jutted from the ship and jettisoned through Hyperspace towards the Heartless forces.

"Wall-E, get back here!" cried Oeilvert as his attention was broken from firing at the enemy; however, by the time he was able to face the direction the tiny bot had gone, it was too late. Wall-E had taken initiative and removed himself from a stationary position, instead turning into a miniature battleship.

"Blast his impulsiveness!" he whispered, and turned back to the controls, keeping his focus once more on the fleet while maintaining a watchful, protective eye on his good friend.

"Laser cannons need time to recharge; I will begin with gatling rays once more, unless you have any other suggestions, Captain."

[Secondary Characters]

Space...the Final Frontier...long ago, Leon would have thought this entire voyage impossible, if it hadn't been for the concurrent technology and know-how he'd been raised upon. He'd been digitized inside of a world, battled a deadly virus, nearly been sucked into inexistence in the World Wide Web, destroyed countless Heartless, and for what?

For yourself, Leon... A voice echoed in his mind. His own conscience, telling him what he must do. His fists tightened over the controls, and he motioned in back to Zola and the Alexandrian Soldier that were accompanying him.

"Hold on, we're about to hit the middle of the fray!"

He dipped the controls low and to the right, sending his Gummi into a rapid tailspin that flew through arches, charred and molten remains of stingers, and laser beams, blasting bright colors against the windows of the cockpit. His adrenaline coursed through his veins, and Leon gave a loud whoop, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah! This is what I'm talkin' about!" Leon pressed the dual red buttons on the front of the controls, firing from the dual Lightning Cannons on the front of his Gummi. Bright, intense bursts of light exploded from the guns, eviscerating an enemy stinger that came too close. As they flew through the exploding cloud, the grin on his face became wider, and he reached for the small radio near the "dashboard" interface.

"Hey, Sai!" He buzzed in on the Nobody's communication line, dodging left, rolling right, and weaving in and out of laser bursts and concussive blasts.

"Where do you want us? Just zappin' these flies, or are we doin' something big? I got my eye on the big main ship up there! I think we should try and take out the engines from the inside or something! A couple of us tiny fighters could squeeze in there without being noticed, whaddaya think?"

He momentarily trailed off as he flew past a battling Wall-E, blasting Stingers to and fro with his eye beams and advanced weaponry. As they passed him, the small box-bot gave a squeal of excitement, and Leon laughed along with him. This battle fever was contagious! He simply continued fighting while he waited for a response from Sai.

[Orestes]

Orestes gazed out at the Harbinger's main window, watching the fight begin. His Heartless Army had greatly pleased him so far, and he would be content to simply sit by and wait for the conflict to be over, but he had bigger fish to fry...

He abruptly opened his eyes as his connection with the Nobody was severed. He didn't have to probe again to predict where he was, but there was time for that later. He walked over to where Acteur was, weaving a spectacular defense and lending his immense power to the struggle, and clapped his hands slowly.

"Well done, mon ami!" He exclaimed, resting a hand upon his shoulder.

"You have fought long and hard, and your efforts will be rewarded. Let me lend you some of my power, so that we might crush them once and for all..."

Orestes' body began to glow faintly, a light blue heat wave shimmering off of his form as he let a small fraction of his power be known. A stream of pure Darkness began to gather, swirling around his hand chaotically. He rested it on Acteur's body, letting the power course into his partner in action.

He breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction as he felt the power resonate within the new body. Turning to a passing Soldier, he gave a few simple commands.

"Find out the status of the cannons, could you? Once the Harbinger's main weapons are charged, we will end that pathetic Rose and all of its inhabitants...thank you."

As the lesser Heartless scurried off to carry out his bidding, Orestes resumed his position on the ship, allowing the Heartless to carry out his bidding. This ship was untouchable, he knew that. And when the time came, he would show those pathetic Light-Wielders who held the cards in their hand...

[Cloud]

Cloud didn't tend to wait for orders. When he saw what he had to do, he was already barrelling headlong toward it. Don't expect it to be much different in space. As the others chit-chatted this way and that over how, when, where, and why they were attacking, the blond man had already sliced down a few Stingers with expert swings of his sword as he zipped by them.

Speed was Cloud's role in this battle. Fenrir wasn't much in terms of armor or offense, but it could get in and get out faster than most Stingers could fly and that gave him the edge. He swooped in at high speeds, raked the Buster Sword over ships, and powered out of there in the span of a heartbeat.

So, about the time Leon was asking Sai what to do, Cloud was about done with the first wave. "What... you're fighting too?" he called to Leon, having been listening in via his helmet. He rocketed past the man's main view, in hot persuit of the Monoliths. One hit from them might end his participation, but he felt his speed could probably trump their much MUCH slower rate of fire.

"Hurry it up, or there won't be any left."

[nexus]

Nexus slashed through one heartless ship, splitting it in two , as he used one of the halves to leap to the next ship doing the same. When the second ship split into pieces he launched his keyblade sending it spinning into a third ship as he landed onto Airinose's back. "Airinose in front of us" he yelled out as the dragon let out a burst of flame breath burning up another ship. They did a barrel roll out of the way of on-coming fire to end up near Sai's ship. Nexus whipped his hand out to the side causing his keyblade to appear "Sai, whats the plan then?" he asked through his headset as he slashed away a blast from a nearby heartless ship.


*At another place on the battlefield*

Luna walked out onto the front deck of the Rose and casually looked over the battlefield in front of her. "Honestly" she said as he three tails twitched, "this is no way to treat a lady" she added with a smirk.
Luna outstretched her arm making her bow appear "Allow me to punish those with no manners" she said as she started sending her arrows filled with her darkness out, with great precision tearing any of the smaller heartless ships asunder with one hit.

[Sai]

Sai really had no idea how he'd gotten the reputation as a leader. Nearly everyone who had taken direction from him had met with nasty ends... Lexia, Ximar... He wasn't even entirely sure that Lilith was alright (as the attack on her was conducted just prior to their liftoff). Yet, despite this, two were calling for his judgement over the intercom.

Sai received word from Agrias and knew what his course of action had to be. As for the others...

"Leon. Follow me, I need cover fire. Nexus, you and Airinose stay behind and listen to Agrias' direction..." he said calmly, then swerved to the side to break away from the main cluster of ships, attempting to penetrate the membrane of Stingers that had the bulk of their forces pinned down. There was an opening between the Monoliths, thanks to Cloud, and Sai was going for it.

Looking up, he noticed one of the slow ships taking aim and opening fire on Leon's ship. "Leon! Do a barrel roll!" Sai called over the intercom, powering forward through the small opening. "We'll be each other's eyes, but I need a clear path to the Harbinger."

[Secondary Characters]

"Leon. Follow me. I need cover fire."

Leon grinned, nodding as he reached for the intercom another time.

"You got it, Sai!" He watched as the Nobody's ship aimed for the small hole that Fenrir had made. Leon chuckled in surprise as he watched Cloud deftly slice through enemies' defenses, all the while emerging unscathed. It wasn't his fight, but he seemed to think that he could tackle every challenge on his own. Leon sighed. Cloud was...Cloud.

"Leon! Do a barrel roll!"

"Huh?" Leon called out, curious as to the suddenly odd and unexpected command. Then, from the corner of his peripherals, he saw a fleeting shadow. His soldiers' sense began buzzing at the back of his skull, and he instinctively sent the ship into an extreme roll to the right, the wings of the Gummi nearly forming a perfect circle as their revolutions became faster and faster.

Safely out of the way of the gunfire, Leon expertly pulled up, sending the ship in a somersault over the enemy Stinger. Landing behind it, he discharged a blast of Lightning, blowing the ship to smithereens. Whooping loudly as he flew through the flaming debris, he laughed as he moved into covering formation behind Sai.

"Thanks for the heads up, boss. You take it from here, I'll watch your six."