THIRD PERSON

Halos manlamig na ang mga kamay ni Greece habang pinapanood si Sachal na pumasok sa pinakamalapit na capsulated cabin ng isang pasahero. The passenger inside was shocked to see her enter the door. Nanlaki ang mata ng matandang babae sa loob ng cabin nang makitang may hawak ding baril ang babaeng pumasok. Sachal pressed her index finger on her lips, signaling her to stay silent. 

She assured the old lady to stay calm and trust her before pressing the earpiece on her left ear to give instructions to Greece. "Lock the door from the first class cabin." As she commanded, he pushed the button to close the automated cabin doors. Pagsara ng pinto ay kaagad namang naalerto ang limang armadong lalaki na nagkalat sa loob first class division. 

"Chi ha chiuso quella cazzo di porta?" Singhal ng isa sa mga lalaki bago tutukan ng baril ang limang flight attendant na nakaupo sa sahig. Bakas ang takot sa mga mukha ng mga ito habang nakataas ang dalawang kamay.

[Translation: Who closed the fucking door?]

"O-only the captain c-can close the doors aside from us. . ." Sagot ng isang flight attendant. The bearded man grimaced and turned his head to the cockpit doors. 

"Arthur, quel bastardo! Pensavo che potesse gestire quei tre piloti!" He hissed.

[Translation: Arthur, that bastard! I thought he could handle those three pilots!]

Tinapik naman siya ng kasamahan niya. "Non si preoccupi di questo. Cosa possono fare? Ci sono più persone su questo volo." He assured. 

[Translation: Don't bother yourself with it. What can they do? We have more people on this flight.]

"Sì! Inoltre, i rinforzi stanno arrivando! Non dobbiamo preoccuparci di quegli idioti!" Kumunot ang noo ni Sachal sa narinig. 

[Translation: Yeah! Besides, backup is coming! We don't need to worry about those idiots!]

Backup is coming? What is that supposed to mean? Aerial backup? 

"Nat, keep your eyes on the radar if an unknown aircraft is near ours." Paalala niya bago ikasa ang AKM na hawak niya. 

"Greece, give me their position in the cabins." Utos niya rito. Greece squinted his eyes to observe them. 

For the cabin configuration of this airline, they have sixteen class cabins designed like capsules with doors where they lay down and dine, occupying two windows on the plane. 

"You're in cabin 1B. The other five are positioned 2A, 2D, 3B, and 4D. The last one was near the lavatory guarding the flight attendants." Greece kept it short. Tumango-tango ang dalaga. 

She memorized it. In the division of first-class cabins, there are only sixteen seats with four rows and four columns. The numbers represent the rows and the letters for the columns. 

"Alright, now I want you to turn off the lights every five seconds. Got it? On count of five." Sachal counted on her head. Pagtapos ng  limang segundo ay lumabas itong cabin 1B. The lights were off, mabilis niyang tinutok ang baril sa gawi ng cabin 2A kung saan may nakita siyang anino bago tuluyang mawalan ng ilaw. 

A loud bang of the gun was heard. Nagsigawan ang mga flight attendant while the armed men  was alerted. Kinasa ng mga ito ang hawak na baril habang nagmamatyag sa paligid. Before the lights turned on again, she quickly rolled to the left and positioned her gun on cabin 2D's position. The lights went dim, a sign that the lights were about to turn on again. Nagtama ang tingin nila ng lalaking nakatayo sa cabin 2D, pero bago pa man siya nito tutukan at paputukan ng baril ay naunahan na niya ito. 

Hingal itong sumandal sa labas ng pinto ng cabin 2C. Sa muling pagbukas ng ilaw ay napakagat na lang ng labi si Greece nang makitang nakabulagta na ang dalawang lalaki malapit sa cabin 2A at 2D. "Their position, Greece?" Mabilis na ginagap ng binata ang pwesto ng tatlo pang natitira. 

"3B, 4D, 4C." Matapos niya iyong sabihin ay muli niyang pinatay ang ilaw. Sachal look at her left. Just a few steps away is the cabin 3B. She can roll and kill him pero malapit lang ang cabin 3B sa 4D at 4C. There's a big possibility she will be cornered by those two after she killed the man in 3B. Kaya naman mas minabuti niyang manatili sa kinaroroonan niya. 

She waited for the man in 3B to go in her direction. As soon as she felt he was only two steps away from her hiding place, she raised her hand and pulled the trigger, earning another loud sound from the gun. Naramdaman niya ang pagbagsak ng katawan sa harapan niya kaya mabilis siyang tumakbo papuntang cabin 3A. 

When the lights turned on again, Greece couldn't help but feel an adrenaline rush as he watched his captain catch her breath as she leaned on the cabin door. Tatlo sa limang armadong lalaki ay nakahandusay na sa sahig. A headshot. Walang mintis. 

"Cazzo!" One of them cursed, seeing his comrade unalive on the floor. 

"Position?" 

"2C and 3C." Sachal bit her bottom lip. They're too close. She needs them away from each other so she can take them down. 

"You think you can turn on the lights every three seconds?" She whispered. Kaagad na umiling si Greece. "There will be delays." Then, she'll take that chance. 

"Do it." Kabado man ay walang nagawa ang binata kun'di sundin ang utos nito. On count of three, he turned off the lights. 

Sachal crawled on the floor and began shooting in different directions to confuse them. She made sure not to hit vital parts of the plane that could lead to a disaster. Sa pagbukas ng ilaw ay nakitita niyang wala na sa orihinal na posisyon ang dalawang armadong lalaki. She bend down and kept her footsteps light as she moved near them. Parang nakikipagpatintero lang siya sa mga ito. 

While Greece and Sachal was busy distracting the people from the first-class cabins, Natlan bit his bottom lip when he began calculating the fuel left. Kahit ano ang isipin niya hindi sapat ang natitirang fuel para makabalik ng Italy. He contacted the Olgii Tower for an immediate aerial refueling, but they seemed too occupied in the hijacking. So he quickly decided to turn back the plane to its original route. 

As he was about to bank the plane's angle, he was alerted when the radar caught three unknown aircraft approaching the plane. Two were on the other side of the wings while the other was tailing them. Bahagyang napakunot ang noo ni Natlan. 

I thought the Mongolian Air Force will take time before back-up? Bulong ng binata sa isipan niya. 

The radio created a static sound due to the attempt of the unknown aircraft to contact him via air-to-air chatter communication. "This is a warning," Napalinga ang binata sa cockpit windshield, at mula sa kaliwa ay nakita niyang may lumitaw na fighter jet sa makapal na ulap. 

He saw the pilot waving at him as it began rocking its wings, flashing irregular lights to warn him. "Your further attempt to go back to the Philippines will force me to launch a missile in your aircraft. Capito?" Natlan cursed in his mind and canceled his attempt to head back to the Philippines.

[Translation: Got it?]

These three fighter jets were not Mongolian Air Force sent to help them but were the hijacker's backup. They are doing everything to make sure they go back to Italy! 

"Sasha, three fighter jets are intercepting us. They are enemies." Madiin na wika nito sa earpiece na suot niya. 

Sachal kicked the man in front of her and shot him on his nape. Sa muling pagbukas ng ilaw ay nakita niya ang pagtutok ng baril sa gawi niya, she swiftly moved her legs to split—dodging the bullet. 

"Can you determine what type of fighter jet it is?" Hingal niyang tanong bago magtago sa likod ng cabin door. Umiling si Natlan. 

"I can't, but they are modernized fighter jets." Sagot nito sa kanya. Saglit na napasulyap si Greece sa windshield kung saan natatanaw niya ang fighter jet na tinutukoy ni Natlan. He turned off the lights, and Sachal accordingly moved to attack the last man standing. 

"It's a Sukhoi-57. An SU-57." Aniya ni Greece matapos niya itong makita. Aside from being a pilot, he was also an aircraft mechanic, and it was his hobby to examine not just commercial planes but also military jets. And he was sure that the aircraft intercepting them was a Sukhoi-57, a fighter jet exclusive to Russia. 

"A Sukhoi-57?! Three of them?!" Impit na sigaw ng dalaga bago makipagpalitan ng putok ng baril. She took another magazine in her vest when she ran out of bullets. 

"Yes, they threatened me to they'd launch a missile if I tried to route back to the Philippines." Napahilamos na lang si Natlan dahil hindi niya alam na mapupunta siya sa sitwasyong ito kung saan nasa iilang porsyento lang ang posibilidad na makalapag sila ng buhay. He never experienced this life threatening situation before. 

"Puttana! Ti ucciderò!" Sigaw ng lalaki matapos ito tamaan ng bala sa balikat. 

[Translation: You bitch! I will kill you!]

"Just keep in touch with the Olgii Tower, keep calm." Paala ng dalaga bago muling lumabas sa tinataguan pagpatay ng ilaw. 

Who can keep calm in this situation? They were short of fuel. There were hijackers on the plane. There were fighter jets around them. This is like an impossible mission where they will have no option but to die. 

"Heck, another aircraft is approaching! Three is more than enough! This will give me a heart attack!" Bulyaw ni Natlan sa kawalan matapos makitang may isa pang aircraft na paparating sa gawi nila. 

"SA 909, what's your situation?" Napabalikwas si Natlan ng upo nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses sa radio. 

"I repeat, SA 909, what's your situation?" Nang marinig din ni Greece at Sachal ang boses ng binata mula sa earpiece ay kapwa nanlalaki ang mata ng mga ito. 

"Distaunce?!" 

Gumulong pakaliwa si Sachal at akmang babarilin na ang lalaking nasa harapan niya nang sipain nito palayo ang baril na hawak niya. She kicked him back in the face and snatched his pistol from his hands before shooting him in his neck. When the lights turned on, all of them were lying dead on the ground, leaving her standing as she gasped for air. 

Napasuntok sa ere si Greece samantalang ang mga flight attendant naman ay kaagad na lumapit sa kanilang kapitan upang kamustahin at magpasalamat dito. 

"Hey! Are you all safe?! Damn it!" Nabalik sa wisyo si Natlan nang marinig ang boses ni Distaunce. He sounded so distressed. 

"I don't understand why the ATC of Fiumicino Tower is out flying a fighter jet, but I hope you don't get fired." Sagot ni Natlan. Kapwa natawa ang mga ito. 

"This is an F-35, do you think I will have a chance if I challenge these SU-57 into a dogfight?" Tanong pa nito. Greece opened the cockpit door and Sachal entered. Mabilis nitong inagaw ang radio upang sigawan ang kambal niya. 

"Baliw ka ba?! An F-35 sure is something to be afraid of! But against three SU-57s? Are you seeking death?!" Hearing his twin sister still shout at him this loud and clear means she was okay. He snickered. 

"Have you forgotten how Maverick destroyed three MiG-28s using an F-14 Tomcat? It's not the plane, it's the pilot!" He proudly said. Sachal rolled her eyes when he mentioned a scene from their favorite movie. 

"This is not a movie! And you are not Maverick!" She retorted. Sa pagkakataong ito ay gusto niya na lang ito balagbagin dahil sa inis. 

"Isa pa, where the hell did you even steal an F-35?!" Bumunghalit ng tawa ang kambal nito dahil sa inis na boses ng dalaga. Sa isip niya ay para itong takure na umuusok dahil sa gigil ng bawat salitang binibitawan nito.

"From the airport." Napahilot na lang ng sentido si Sachal. Hindi niya alam kung matutuwa ba siya o maiinis sa biglaan niyang pagsulpot. He won't just end up being fired, he will be jailed! 

"Let's reschedule our bickering. I want to know your situation." Napabuga na lang ito nang malalim na hininga. He was right. They should not be bickering in this dangerous situation. 

"These people belong to a certain Sicilian Mafia, and their goal is to get their hands on a consigliere who was said to be in this flight. I managed to make a clean sweep of the first-class cabin. Three more in the Business Class, two in premium economy, and one with a bomb in the economy class." Tumango-tango si Distaunce. The last thing he could do was to distract these fighter jets away from them while waiting for their backup. 

"Can you handle them?" Seryosong tanong ng kambal niya. She nod her head. 

"I'll manage." Saglit na natahimik ang mga ito. It will do them a favor if he distracts the fighter jets. However, whether she admits it or not, she's worried about her twin. 

He's not just an ATC; he was part of the Italian Naval Aviation and one of the top pilots. He had the skills and experience to engage, but he will fight against three SU-57s, the deadliest fighter jet in this generation. 

"How about you? Can you handle them?" Pagbabalik niya ng tanong. Ngumisi si Distaunce. "I'll manage." He replied.

Nagkatinginan si Natlan at Greece. They witnessed what their captain was capable of, and now they are about to spectate a show from her twin. Is this what they say? Is it that being reckless runs in their blood?

On the other side, the hijacking news was redirected from one tower to another. Thousands of aviators were listening on LiveATC.net to hear the conversations between the pilot and the air traffic controller. It was all over the flash news and reports. 

Meanwhile, the Mongolian Air Force deployed one of their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), an advanced aircraft controlled remotely carrying sensors and hyperspectral cameras to monitor specific events at high altitudes. 

"This is. . . " Walang maapuhap na salita ang isa sa mga admiral ng Mongolian Air Force na kasalukuyang nanonood ng naghahabulang fighter jets sa ere. Napakalayo na ng mga ito sa kinaroroonan ng commercial airline. They were throwing missiles and flares all over the space. It was a sight to see. 

"I thought I'll only see this in movies." Komento naman ng isang ATC sa Olgii Tower habang pinapanood sa malaking screen ang kaganapang nangyayari sa himpapawid gamit ang UAV na niri-direct ng Mongolian Air Force. 

The F-35 is to be reckoned with. The fighter jet's pilot seems strategic and agile, emerging and disappearing from the thick clouds, deceiving the SU-57 pilots of its angle and position. It could do complex fighter maneuvers to dodge the guns and missiles of an SU-57. It's unbelievable that he could withstand them when he's outnumbered.

They could only pray that the F-35 would not run out of cannons and flares before the backup arrived and that commercial airline pilots would not encounter any problems prioritizing the passenger's safety. 

Distaunce smirked when his targeting system perfectly locked one of the fighter jets in the air. He pushed the button and fired a missile that was impossible to dodge. He watched the SU-57 explode in the air. 

"One down, two to go." 

At the same time, Sachal was able to bring down three men in the Business Class. Nadaplisan lang ito nang konti sa braso pero naagapan niya naman ito kaagad. Pinulot niya ang isa pang silencer sa lapag bago ngumisi. 

Nobody would even dare to smirk in this situation, but she was born to defy all odds because she was a Coronia, a daredevil. 

𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄
ᴮʸ ᴳᵒˡᵘᶜᵏʸᶜʰᵃʳᵐ

CHAPTER SHELF

Air-to-Air Communication- a VHF communications channel at 123.45 MHz set to allow aircraft flying over isolated and oceanic regions beyond VHF ground stations' reach to communicate vital operational data and help solve operational issues.

Dogfight- combat between swiftly moving, highly maneuverable aircraft.

LiveATC.net- site where you can listen to live ATC commands by coding specific frequencies and airport codes. 

SU-57-  a fifth-generation multirole fighter with integrated avionics, a sizeable internal payload capacity, stealth, super maneuverability, and supercruise capabilities. It can conduct aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strikes.