Episode 27 : Steel

Zawaq sprinted towards a plane that had crashed onto the ground. Swiftly, he tore open the cockpit as easily as ripping paper. He pulled out a pilot and laid him down on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Zawaq asked the pilot.

"What about my other comrades? How are they?" the pilot asked, groaning in pain.

"Many have perished. You rest. I'll be back," Zawaq replied to the pilot.

Several Arab soldiers arrived at the scene. They immediately treated the pilot and performed a health check.

Zawaq inspected three more planes. All three were destroyed, and the pilots inside them were dead. He then reached the last plane, which was a bit farther away from the others. A pilot was crawling away from the wreckage.

"Hey! You're safe! Stay calm!" Zawaq ran towards the pilot and knelt down, laying him on the ground.

"Who are you?" the pilot asked Zawaq.

"I'm Zawaq. I'm a doctor and a scientist," Zawaq said, then removed the pilot's helmet.

"Zawaq? You? Don't kill me," the pilot pleaded.

"Hey, I'm on your side. Are you hurt anywhere?" Zawaq asked him.

"No," the pilot replied.

"Alright. Hang in there. I'll take you to the base for treatment," Zawaq said, then lifted the pilot and carried him to the base.

Zawaq and the other soldiers arrived at the base. The medics immediately provided follow-up treatment to the two injured pilots.

"How are we supposed to win against an enemy that can fly in the air?" Qusay asked, shaking his head.

"You're completely useless," Qusay insulted Zawaq.

"Should we request more air support this time? With more experienced and specialized support?" Zaqwan suggested as he organized medical supplies on a wooden table near two beds made from tree branches and leaves, used by the two injured pilots.

"Headquarters won't be happy with that suggestion," Afiq said, shaking his head.

"We should repair the planes, and I'll pilot one of them," Zawaq proposed.

"Great idea, but do you even know how to fly a plane?" Afiq asked.

"No," Zawaq answered.

"Idiot," Qusay snapped.

"We can repair them, but we lack the tools. We can only fix trucks, at best," Afiq said.

"No problem. I'll help. I'm a scientist. Although fixing machines is outside my field of biology, I can learn and help with the repairs," Zawaq said confidently.

"So confident. Even if you fix the plane, as if it could take down an airborne enemy," Qusay mocked.

"We have no other choice. We can't waste resources by constantly requesting more air support," Afiq stated.

"When can we start fixing the planes?" Zawaq asked.

"Now. I suggest we gather all the planes, but we don't have the machinery to lift and transport them," Zaqwan said.

"That's okay. I have the strength to drag and lift the planes. I'll do my best," Zawaq responded.

"Your face is glowing. Where did you get this enthusiasm? Alright, we'll fix the planes in a hidden location," Zaqwan said to Zawaq.

Two days later, the enemy was back, flying freely in the sky, heading towards the Arab military base. The enemy looked around.

"Where are they? The base is empty. The five planes I destroyed yesterday are also gone. What happened?" the enemy wondered aloud, puzzled.

The enemy flew away from the area. A week later, ten invincible Israhell soldiers were at the Arab military base. They searched the base, rummaging through various items, but found nothing. It was as if the Arab soldiers had vanished or fled.

"What's the story?" the enemy, who had just landed, asked.

"Nothing. No trace. They've disappeared," one of the Israhell soldiers replied.

"Impossible!!! Their five planes are also gone?! In just two days?!" the eagle-headed enemy fumed.

"This is your mission. We were just assisting. You keep monitoring this place," the Israhell soldier replied, then left with the others.

"Damn," the eagle-headed enemy muttered before taking off into the sky again.

Two weeks passed, and the eagle-headed enemy was still tirelessly flying through the skies, searching for any sign of the Arab soldiers.

"Impossible. I've been searching for them for two weeks. How could they disappear without a trace? I don't believe it! I'm not backing down from this mission. I still want to play with them until they die," the eagle-headed enemy said to himself.

"What's that?" The enemy heard something.

The sound of propellers.The enemy changed direction and flew towards the source of the sound.

"You!!! Cursed Arab soldiers!!! Where are you hiding?!" the enemy raged upon seeing a plane ascending into the sky.

"Useless!!! The enemy is coming here!!! Our location is compromised!!!" the pilot shouted into the microphone attached to the side of his helmet from inside the cockpit.

Dozens of bullets flew towards the enemy as it approached the plane. Most of the bullets bounced off the enemy's iron feathers, but some hit its abdomen.

"Damn it!" the enemy cursed, changing its flight direction to avoid the gunfire from another Arab fighter jet.

"Two of your planes have been repaired? Impressive. In just two weeks. A futile effort!!!" the enemy shouted before retaliating by hurling dozens of sharp iron feathers towards the two planes.

One of the planes' wings was hit by a small part of the enemy's iron feathers. The plane flew away from the battlefield, though it was struggling to stay stable.

The propeller on its right wing broke after being cut by the enemy's iron feathers.

"Where do you think you're going?!?!" the enemy yelled before speeding towards the unstable fighter jet.

"Don't chase after him!!! You'll die!!!" one of the other pilots shouted as the enemy left him behind.

The pilot fired repeatedly at the enemy from behind. None of the shots hit their mark. The enemy accelerated and rammed into the left wing of the fleeing Arab fighter jet, cutting it off.

"I have no choice!!!" the pilot said, pulling the eject lever on the side of his seat.

The cockpit canopy opened, and the seat launched out with the pilot. The parachute automatically deployed, billowing open to slow the pilot's descent.

The enemy tore through the pilot's parachute. The pilot panicked as he saw his parachute shredded by the enemy, who dove and rammed into it from below with its body covered in iron feathers, destroying the parachute into tattered pieces.

The pilot plummeted towards the ground at full speed, screaming in fear. The enemy soared back into the air, laughing.

"Damn you!!! Cursed Israhell scum!!!" the remaining pilot shouted as he maneuvered his plane and fired at the enemy.

"Your turn!!!" the enemy yelled, flying towards the still-airborne Arab fighter jet.

The enemy flew at high speed towards the plane. The Arab pilot did the same, pushing the control stick forward to increase speed while continuously pressing the firing button.

The pilot tilted his plane. The enemy's left wing cut through the cockpit window with its right wing. Suddenly, the cockpit window shattered. The enemy's left wing was cut off. Zawaq then stabbed the enemy's shoulder with a sharp sword after leaping out and smashing through the back window of the cockpit.

"Impossible!!! Argh!" the enemy screamed in pain.

"Nothing is impossible!!!" Zawaq retorted.

The enemy stabbed Zawaq's abdomen with its iron right wing.

"If you want me to die, we'll both die together, crashing to the ground!!!" the enemy shouted at Zawaq.

Zawaq, standing on top of the enemy's body as they plummeted from the sky, held on to the sharp sword with both hands.

"You'll die alone. Join your comrades in hell!" Zawaq retorted before pulling out a Browning Hi-Power pistol and shooting the enemy's face until the bullets ran out.

The enemy's face shattered as it took the bullets from Zawaq's pistol. Its beak was blown to pieces in mid-air.

"Impossible!!! A sword can penetrate my body, and now this pistol too!!! Damn traitor!!!" the enemy raged.

"The weapons effective against you aren't due to my betrayal, but because I defeated every one of your comrades!!!" Zawaq shouted in anger.

The enemy pulled back its right wing and stabbed Zawaq multiple times. Zawaq pulled the sword from the enemy's chest and stabbed its wing. He yanked it out, nearly severing the wing entirely.

"Damn you!!!" the enemy howled in pain.The enemy's right wing could no longer stab Zawaq.

"Argh!!" Zawaq screamed in agony as he was deeply wounded by the enemy's many stabs.

Zawaq separated from the enemy in mid-air. He spun around, fully severing the enemy's wing from its body.The enemy tried to flap its wing but failed. The enemy approached Zawaq.

"Useless!!! Die!!!" the enemy fired dozens of sharp iron feathers at Zawaq. Zawaq was struck by the iron feathers.

The enemy's wing detached entirely after the last piece of flesh connecting it to its body tore away due to the strong wind. The enemy screamed in pain.

"This is the end of your story!!!" Zawaq shouted at the enemy before kicking it downward with his right foot.

Now the enemy was below Zawaq's right foot, appearing as if Zawaq was standing on the enemy's body in mid-air.

"Send my regards to your comrades in hell!!!" Zawaq yelled, and they both hit the ground.

An explosion sent sand flying around them as they landed.The ground cracked and formed a large, deep crater. Dust rose into the air as fast as the wind, obscuring the surroundings.

An Arab fighter jet began to fly low, blowing dust over the area where Zawaq and the enemy had landed.