“Another successful day at the office” Thought Hazel as she watched the rest of Gold section – her section, form up in loose formation on her plane as they headed for home. All six planes were there, although Tyco was leaving a faint smoke trail from somewhere.

“Tyco, are you cooking something? Check your engines please.”

“Just got a little hole somewhere Hazel, bit down on power but no problems for getting home”

“OK, just watch it and let me know if anything changes”

The SU37’s had now almost all been stripped of missile systems and unnecessary radar equipment, due to the success of the jamming fields being used by the monkeys. They now all carried four 50mm cannon in the nose and extra ammo. They were guided in by the control centre back at base and fought “old style” as boss called it – in close and guns only. The only good thing is the monkies had to do the same. But they were now on an even footing now the missile technology was removed. Made it hard work, physical work, throwing a plane round the sky after another one for minutes that seemed like hours.

She shifted in her seat to try to ease the weight on her left buttock. She could feel the bruise where Doc had injected her with his “special homemade remedy”. It did the trick and seemed to clear the fuzz in her brain that the bottle of Rabbit Punch had left from the night before. Doc had promised not to tell Boss, she would have to trust him on that one. She was drinking a bit much. Why? All that stuff with Boss and his sister. And other stuff about….stop. Stop being a silly stupid girly rabbit. You have a job to do.

She looked left and right at the rest of Gold section, at the gold bands on the wing tips, the gold tail plains of the other aircraft around her, at the black rabbit head on each tail. She felt good about that – that she was good enough to lead her own section. Or rather that Boss thought she was good enough. Skit was now Red leader and Boss, well trust him “Mr bloody Dramatic” was Black leader. And he had a female wingman. Stop it. “Boss likes a girlie on his tail” Skit had said with an arched eyebrow. Wind up bastard that he was. Ruby, good pilot. But did she have to have that voice? The one that made all the other male rabbits go funny? Don’t seem to work on boss though. Stop it.

She shook her head, the “remedy” may be wearing off, not long till home and a nice hot bath and then a

“Gold leader! Gold leader! Control here, two Enemy fighters coming up on your groups six, fully loaded and getting a lock. Hazel! They have full missile systems! Break and run for home”

Bunt, her wingman cut in

“Two against six is not a good..”

“Bunt shut it! Full missiles systems mean they can kill us before we even see them! Everyone Break now! Full throttle and go for home!”

She threw her plane hard starboard and down, spiralling madly but heading for the base. The missile lock alarm started to beep in her ear – she hadn’t heard that for a while.

Tyco was on air panicking. She could hear him grunting as he fought the high G in a turn.

“Hazel I got a missile, where are the bastards! I cant even see the planes, they must be miles out, shit! Loosing power! Fuck…Oh sh..”

A pop in her headphones, static, high above her an orange ball of flame and parts, spinning slowly out from the centre and starting a long drop down.

“And then there were five” she thought. Stop it – work – fly like Boss taught you. What a time to be without long-range missiles and radar.

“Control to Gold leader, Angel one launched, He’s coming, hang on.”

“Hurry Boss, please God - hurry” She thought as she saw another orange flame ball blossoming way off to port.