UCAC Ch. 02

"...No."

"So why is this so hard for you to believe?" I asked, truly growing frustrated.

"I don't know, maybe because you're a slut. All you do is sleep around with any and everything... It's easy to see you saying things to get your way." He said. His words bludgeoned me.

"You know damn well I'd never lie..." I said through the grit of my teeth.

"I wouldn't put it past you at this point...six months? Six months you've been gone and you expect me to believe you haven't slept with anyone?" Raul asked, truly struggling to believe me. I hadn't been this frustrated since I couldn't wrap my head around the death of my parents. The same feeling of helplessness returned. I couldn't help it. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stood here, pleading with someone so exhausted over me.

"If I can bring you the live feeds we had from the six months we stayed there and show you proof that I didn't do anything..."

"Six months worth of footage? I'm supposed to watch six months worth of footage? Are you out your damn mind?" Raul asked.

"Raul..." I begged.

"No, I told you. I've moved past you..." He said, walking back to the row of lockers. I was left pursuing him.

"Past me? As in you've found someone else?" I asked, hoping this wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry it happened, Denver. I didn't intend on falling for someone else but...you can't help who you fall in love with..." He said, not even bothering to look at me.

"Who!" I demanded.

He reached his lockers, where his tiny team of three were getting ready for the tournament. They all seemed very, very, very unhappy with my presence.

"Just tell me..." I demanded, growing beyond anxious. Ghost, I still didn't know his name, turned to me. He was a gigantic wall of a muscle, one that loomed over me like an impenetrable structure for war.

"Get...lost..." He demanded. It was then it hit me, he and Raul were a thing. I could say nothing more, only losing all hope of ever getting him back. This Ghost fellow was tall, dense and very well muscled. He had thick blonde hair, chiseled features and the most alarming grey eyes you could ever bear witness too. They could look through you, it seemed and that is what he did to me. He was just a gorgeous, tower of strength and impenetrability and truthfully... I knew I lost.

There was nothing left to do but dry my pitiful tears and leave. It definitely hurt, but most things in this world did. I was down, but not defeated and things certainly would change. I had nothing to do but spectate the tournament, it being a raw blast of fun. It pretty much was a big ariel brawl: Long Wingers versus the Broad Wingers. The Long Winger's just dominated this match, despite there being twelve against five. I blamed it on the Broad Winger's lazy training.

Then came the Long Wingers versus the Roc Class and it was an out of this world match. Speed unlike anything I've ever seen versus unparalleled agility. It was a close match but the Roc Class was defeated as well, just not able to keep a bead on the much smaller and more nimble Long Wingers. Even Gyr had an agility boost over the Roc Class. The thing with the Roc Class was that they were designed for land targets. Their massive bulk and ability to carry extreme loads made sure of this. It just didn't serve them well in a spiraling match.

Then came the thirty minute break. The teams deserved it, having exhausted themselves on the wing. I ran down to the field to greet them.

"Man ya'll did great!" I smiled.

"I'm sticking out like a sore thumb out there. Everyone keeps trying to pick me off because I have no one to cover me..." Subbu said. I looked at Lanner who simply recalibrated his head's up display.

"Cover him!" I said. He gave no reply, only a smug grin from under his helmet.

"We are spread a little thin out here..." Tinnu said.

"And I'm not at all fast. Those Roc wingers easily caught up to me..." Subbu sighed.

"Me too..." Tinnu sighed.

"Yeah, the difference is that you have Saker covering you. I don't have shit!" Subbu sighed, "I got grazed..."

"Really?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeah my back is about to have it..." Subbu said.

"I'll be back." I said. Tinnu knew precisely what was about to happen. I ran all the way to the hangar, quick to suit-up.

"OPEN THE GATE!" I demanded. The main hangar gate opened and I was off. I flew over to the field, landing with the Long Wingers.

"Looks like they have a last minute edition to the team. Now it's six against three. The odds look slim for the Forest Wingers..." The radioman said. I then realized how bad this was going to make me look. I suddenly join in the fray to play against the opposing team that happens to have the person who just rejected me playing for it. Yeah, it made look like a fool but Subbu was injured and he needed some support.

"This should be a breeze...three Forest Wingers?" Saker said.

"Aye man, they got some crazy as tricks up their sleeves. What ever you do, don't count them out..." I advised.

"Really like what?" Gyr asked, obviously prodding at how I acquired this information.

"Cloaking fields..." I said.

"Bullshit..." Gyr refuted. Subbu looked at me, knowing I was telling the absolute truth. He too saw Levant disappear from sight that evening and was just as amazed as I was.

"You sure?" Tinnu asked.

"I'm most certainly sure but I understand why you all are being skeptical. Just stay on your toes..." I warned.

"How'd you even come across top secret information such as this?" Gyr asked. I didn't bother to respond. This was his attempt to villainize me.

"You know what I'm lying... They will be easy to pick off. Don't mind a word I'm saying. I'm fucking insane!" I sighed, truly not wanting to engage with Gyr. Gyr said nothing, only sitting on the bench. Lanner stared at me for a long while, before his depth of field wondered off. Subbu eyed him with so much want and desire, I felt sorry for the boy.

"Subbu, this is the plan of action," I said going over to him, "Forest wingers have the most explosive flight performance of us all. They are not faster than us but they are quicker than us and just as agile! They have great burst performance but lack power. The...

"Can you speak up!" Tinnu interrupted walking over to me, "Why are you talking so soft? You scared we're gonna get mopped?"

"Man..." I laughed.

"Oh shit, you seriously think we're gonna get mopped!" Tinnu said, full of worry.

"We've been winning this whole time. If we lose, it'll be his fault..." Gyr said.

"Wow man..." I sighed, not wanting to address him more.

"They can't be that tough..." Lanner said, walking his way over to us.

"You see that big one right there?" I asked, pointing to him.

"Damn he's massive..." Lanner said, biting his tongue.

"I um..." I began, "He's completely crash proof... He can take a beating and probably give one too..."

"He's slow..." Tinnu inferred.

"Not at all, two hundred fifty mile an hour top speed and can get to it in a single burst." I responded.

"Well can he turn?" Lanner asked.

"Yeah, he's agile...more agile than his size leads on but I'm not quite sure how agile. I also don't know his vertical but Sparrow and Levant both have mediocre verticals but considering his size... I mean his stamina is top notch too! He flew a forty second burst at top speed." I added.

"What?" Lanner asked, not being able to believe me.

"He did..." Subbu added.

"What about Levant and Sparrow?" Tinnu asked.

"Their flight performance is in between that of a Long Winger and a Broad Winger: great agility at top speed and very low stall speed. What they lack though is a good climb rate due to how high a wing loading they have. But Ghost, the big one...I have my concerns. He's a fucking one man army." I responded.

"Then I'll be sure to take him out first." Gyr said, so sure of himself. I looked at him, hoping he knew what he'd be getting himself into.

"Tinnu, don't waste no time in getting scans. First thing you do when the match starts is go to a high altitude and scan. If not, we won't have a leg up on them." I advised.

"Wait... they can cloak can they?" Tinnu asked. He knew I wouldn't be this concerned if they couldn't. All I could do was nod.

"All I got to say is that this will be...fun." Lanner said.

The Fog horn blew. It was time for the match to start. I was beyond terrified but I knew very well, if we followed through with the plan, this would work. We walked out to the center of the field where the official stood. I could tell even through Levant's mask, he eyed me with nothing but rage. We got into starting positions.

"Hey big guy," Gyr said, "You and me will dance..."

"I'm sorry I don't dance...just crush toes." Ghost responded.

"You just couldn't simply let it die peacefully could you?" Levant asked me. It was quite clear he figured I entered this match simply because he did. I gave no response, only waiting for the match to start.

The Fog horn blew for a second time. Now the match was on. Immediately Levant came for me, his short broad wings allowing him to get into the air much quicker than I could. I ducked down as he came forward with those heavy duty talons. He overshot but came back for another pass. I wasted no time in getting into the air, Levant already gaining on me. His current speed allowed him to nearly catch me but somehow I managed to roll out the way.

My flight wasn't quite as stable as it usually was and I was nearly sent to the ground. Still, Levant close on my tail. Tinnu powered up vertically, Sparrow on his tail.

"Someone get this thing off my ass!" Tinnu screamed.

"I got em..." Saker said, swooping in to his brother's rescue. Now he and Sparrow entered a spiraling match, surprised by the little winger's ability to navigate these tight turns.

Gyr went after Ghost, chasing the giant down with relentless aggression. He may have had a speed advantage over Ghost but Ghost could out turn him so easily. The two looked superficially similar as they banked and weaved at two hundred plus miles an hour over the field.

"Subbu, get that Forest winger off of Merlin's tail. Lanner you'll stand a better chance at staying in those turns compared to Gyr. Go after the big one!" Tinnu said.

"Alright," The two boys said, swooping down to join the fray.

It was what Tinnu needed, as he kited above the ground. He began the long grueling process of scanning the broad spectrum array. He locked onto two of the targets, detecting a strange light bending particle.

"I locked onto the two targets...sending data now!" Tinnu said.

"There were three!" I said.

"What?" Tinnu said, reviewing his scans.

Suddenly an impact warning blared in his head's up display. Before Tinnu could react, Ghost appeared from a shallow angle dive, feet outstretched. He careened into fragile little Tinnu sending the boy in a spiral towards the ground.

"NO!!" Lanner screamed, rushing over to his fallen brother. Before Tinnu could hit the ground, Saker caught him in his talons, both skidding to a halt on the ground. Tinnu was unconscious.

"Forest wingers one, long wingers zero!" The official shouted.

Saker got back on the wing, scanning the sky for the winger that took down his brother. The boy was angry. Suddenly, Ghost appeared again, grabbing Saker in his talons and hurling him like a ragdoll. Saker tumbled across the sodd, coming to a halt lying on his back. He had no idea what had hit him.

Ghost disappeared again. I didn't know who he was going to target next, but I had to make sure I wasn't it. So I began ascending in loose circuits, making sure I reached my three hundred mile an hour top speed. I looked around, seeing the other two Forest Wingers had vanished too. Gyr, Lanner and Subbu hovered trying to figure out how on earth the forest team could have disappeared.

"NO!" I shouted, "Don't stand still!! They'll pick you off!"

It was too late, Ghost appeared out of nowhere, grappling with Gyr. The two were almost of equal size but Ghost overpowered him, sending him skidding across the ground.

"Told you, I step on toes..." Ghost said before vanishing again. This time I saw him. He wasn't totally invisible, only bending the light around him. As long as I stayed above him, I could see him clearly as well as a faint shadow of his, passing along on the ground.

Still though, within that same time frame, Sparrow grabbed Lanner by his mask and chest plate sending him in a dive towards the ground. I quickly flew over to him as he fell.

"SUBBU, KEEP UP YOUR PACE AND LOOK FOR SHADOWS ON THE GROUND!" I shouted, grabbing Lanner in my talons before he hit the ground, releasing him in a gentle tumble across the sod.

Then, my sensors warned me of a collision, blaring to my left. I was really low to the ground, but still inverted to evade the oncoming attack. Suddenly, Sparrow appeared over my head, shocked he missed me. I reached out, locking talons with him and inverting again. I slammed him into the sod, having only two attackers to worry about now.

"Forest Wingers four, long wingers one." The official shouted.

"Computer, scan for optical distortions and bring stereoscopic radar to my optics." I said. The head's up display began to change my surroundings until my optics began to display Ghost and Levant, both still cloaked.

"Ok, update Subbu's!" I commanded.

"Hey my computer's fritzing up!" Subbu said, breaking pace as a result.

"Keep on speeding! It'll clear up!" I said, but it was too late. Ghost slammed into the frail boy, sending him in a spiral towards the ground. It truly pissed me off.

Fortunately, Saker was unscathed from his crash and was well enough to catch Subbu before he hit the ground. Subbu was rendered unconscious from such a debilitating blow. He landed on the ground with Subbu, careful not to injure the boy any further. A field aid came with a gurney, picking the boy up and wheeling him to the infirmary.

It was now Ghost and I. He surely was keen on using excessive force and I would be too in this instance. He knocked two of my friends unconscious and stole my man! I had a bone to pick with him even if that meant I had to break all of his! This meant it was time to do what I do best...stoop.

Ghost had no idea I could see him. He struggled to keep pace with me as I flew up and up and up as fast as my wings could carry. I eventually placed a considerable amount of distance between us. When he was far enough away, I quickly rolled into a stoop, my three hundred mile an hour speed going to four hundred, four fifty, five hundred, five fifty!

Ghost then realized something wasn't right. He reversed and began to flee in the other direction. His dive was fast too but I started mine sooner, thus having the advantage. I gained on him easily. The nimble winger turned sharply, hoping to out flank me, but I kept my wings close to my body and held them in an anhedral. It gave me the leverage to barely stay in the turn.

My speed was so great I couldn't help but maintain instability. He turned again this time entering a hammerhead turn. He expected me to be on his back side, so when he turned around, I'd have a face full of talons. It was evident by his constant looking over his shoulder prior to entering the turn. But no, I shot right beneath his underside, inverting and powering down right onto the unsuspecting winger.

I plowed into him as hard as I could, sending him into freefall. He was unconscious. I circled back again, plowing into the giant one hit after the other. I wanted to make sure he was down and out for the count. It was so invigorating watching him tumble through the sky. But still, I couldn't just let him crash into the ground. It would mean certain injury, possibly death for him. I swooped down, grabbing him in my talons and spreading my wings. I slowed down his descent to a hand full of miles an hour before releasing him to the ground.

Suddenly, I was hit from the side. I crashed into the ground, something locking talons with me. When we stopped rolling across the sod, I was the one standing. Underneath the grasp of my talons was Levant, pinned.

"Forest wingers five, long wingers three..." The official said, unsure who to label the winner. I was the last man standing on my team and managed to have downed the entire forest winger team but the forest wingers got the most points. I got off of Levant, disconnecting my wing and extending out my hand to help him up.

"Congrats on winning." I said. He simply looked up at me, not bothering to take my hand. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. He walked away, leaving me with one of the most hollow feelings I ever felt.

"We declare the winning team," The Official began, "The Long Wingers for having a man still standing at the end of the match!"

The concessions roared out, adding to this very hollow victory. I walked back over to my team's side of the field. Everyone was there, treating their wounds.

"You all ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, we'll be alright. That Ghost fellow hits hard. He showed no restraint..." Saker said.

"Yeah he does... But I hit him harder!" I smiled.

"Are you alright?" Saker asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine." I said, looking over to Gyr. His pride was definitely wounded from his defeat. However, he sat there as though nothing had happened. I wasn't one to prod or ridicule when it wasn't called for and this situation was no exception.

"You were right! Them some tough sonsabitches!" Saker said, thinking back on it.

"You know, I'm gonna go check on Tibbu and Subbu. They got hit the hardest..." I said. I walked off, the hollow feeling in my chest really being too much to bear. Where was my completion? It certainly was not here.

"Hey!" I heard someone say. I turned, seeing it was Lanner running after me.

"You kept me from crashing back there..." He said, sounding surprised. Truthfully, it sickened me to my stomach. He had this preconceived notion that I was some terrible person and quite frankly, I felt he was an idiot. If he wanted to be under Gyr's wing, so be it. I just refused to bail him out when Gyr's treachery decides to bare its head. All I could do was walk away, not bothering to acknowledge him.

I took wing, heading back to the hangar. I hung up my suit and walked to the infirmary. There, Tibbu and Subbu lay in hospital beds, finally coming to their senses after being clocked from the sky.

"What happened?" Subbu asked.

"You got knocked out the sky." I laughed.

"Shit, did we lose?" Tibbu asked.

"No..." I smiled.

"Oh my God, Denver what kind of miracle did you pull out your ass!" Tibbu said, shocked.

"I crossed my suits passive radar scans with optical aliasing scans and pinpointed the Forest Wingers while they were cloaked. I tried to update Subbu's systems to it but I should have told you ahead of time. You getting hit was my fault." I sighed.

"Whoa dude...I was trying to do the same thing but then I got hit." Tibbu laughed.

"But you're both ok though?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Subbu said.

"Yeah! Let's get back out there!" Tibbu said, leaning up.

"No, no!" A practitioner said, "You have injuries! Both of you have mild concussions! No more flying for the day..."

"Shit..." Tibbu sighed.

"Don't be so down...you won three matches out of the entire tournament." I smiled.

"Yeah, but I really wanted to participate in the race... Eh, I guess there's always next quarter. And by then we'll have new wingers coming in." Tibbu sighed.

"I wish you could have saw Gyr go down. It was so damn funny. And his flunky was hit too..." I laughed.

"Damn, all that bragging and he didn't do shit..." Tibbu laughed.

"What about Lanner?" Subbu asked.

"Man fuck that little dumbass! I say we let Gyr brainwash him... I don't have time for anyone who doesn't think for themselves..." I sighed.