…Zero…
When in the world would one expect that war could engulf so many lives through violent conflict? Men are never born to become warriors, society makes it that way. What happens, however, when you are ‘built’ to become a war machine? An answer that the engineers gave by simply saying “To not be conquered.”
Living Machines in this world have been around, they were created through knowledge of what some would call voodoo. Whatever happened, people are mixed about it as the machines live, eat, sleep among their human ‘masters’.
Of course, not every machine can be living, only large machines with certain qualities. This mainly goes towards any vehicular machine, cars or planes are the most common to see. In particular Military Machines are always welcome to be alive since if the operator is knocked out, the machine can get him out to safety or continue the fight.
One such machine was a Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Rei-Sen named simply, ‘Z’ by her pilot. Machines never have a name unless given by their operators, otherwise they are called by their factory numbers. Z was lucky to have a Pilot that cared for her as much as she did, even if they rarely saw combat like the planes she was surrounded by on the Aircraft Carrier.
“Hey, Z” Walked over an average build and height Japanese male. He had a well built face, even if it was like most flat faced Japanese, although his eyes were wider resembling more like a European’s eyes. He was clad in a leather jacket and combat pants. Thick boots that were held on by tight ties and very thick gloves to keep himself warm on the deck of a rather chilling day.
Z felt herself getting excited to see her Operator, even if she was able to fly without him, it was euphoria to have someone control her. The way he touched her controls, how gentle he was even in the most intense of situations made her eyes simply flutter as she remembered it all. Her engine slightly sputtered, the excitement almost turning her engine on. The hydraulics that her landing gears had allowed her to tilt left, right, and elevate up and down.
“Oh! Hello Eiji!” It was ironic that her operator’s name stood for peace, and he was in a violent and deadly conflict. She would tilt herself down a bit towards the right since that was where he was coming from. Her beautiful sky blue eyes gleaming from the high sun, almost like a gem in their own right. Her mouth located below the base of the engine. She had a huge smile, and one could see those razor sharp teeth that most aircraft seemed to posses.
“I see someone is excited for their mission?” Today was a special mission, a few weeks ago Z was modified for such a mission, yet she was not told what she was modified with or what her mission was. Eiji however, was, but was also told not to tell her for fear of Z’s reaction. The Aircraft Carrier coasted in the water of Leyte Gulf, and today they had to push back the American Fleet at Leyte Island.
“Very excited, even if I don’t know what it is.” You could just about hear a hint of frustration in that sentence, not knowing what your doing is quite a difficult thing to understand in a Wartime situation, but she probably wasn’t told in case she was captured. She always feared what would happen if those American’s captured her, all the experiments, torture, or worse…target practice. She shuddered at the thought, until she felt something warm hit her cold Fuselage.
“Hey, don’t worry, we will make sure those American’s wont be winning this war!” He said with a large smile, those hazel eyes of his meeting her own in a friendly, almost loving gaze. She would relax, almost pushing herself against his palm. He would regularly take off his glove to feel her cold metal against his warm flesh. It was oddly soothing, how smooth her own metallic skin felt. He could also feel a soft throbbing, almost like a heart beat as that radial engine was slowly turning.
Hearing the confident voice of her operator was soothing, dashing any thoughts of negativity, easily stirring her up to take on whatever the Americans had in store. “Yea! Let us take our divine wind towards the Americans and blow them away from our homeland!” She would cheer one, her fuselage raised high in pride. Eiji laughed softly, a sinking feeling suddenly hitting him, realizing the mission and what it would bring upon him and his long time companion.
Eiji and Z had been very close friends since the beginning, he chose her because she was very difficult to fly. This was due to how she would react to all the Pilots handling her controls, and it made her very uncomfortable. She would constantly rattle them about and do things that would knock them unconscious. Eiji, however, had the right touch and was gentle, even in the most intense of trials. Ever since then, through thick and thin, scouting missions, training, and close calls with the Americans, they always made it out alright.
There was a call over the intercom, the mission was about to begin and the Pilots were told to ready up. Eiji would hop into the awaiting Z, eagerly sitting there. As Eiji grasped upon the control stick and started everything up, she would murr deeply within her ‘throat’ as the gentle hand of her operator began their routine. Her Nakajima Sakae 21, a 14-cylinder air cooled radial engine started up with it’s proud roar, and the propellers spun making a blur of colors as she started to move forward. The launching area was open, and off she went with little difficulty as she was one of many flying up into the sky.
“Z…”
“Yes Eiji?”
“Do you remember what we are fighting for?”
“Of course! For Japan!”
“Thats right.”
There was a hint of sadness coming from Eiji’s tone, but Z thought of it as homesickness.
“Don’t worry Eiji! We will make it out of this like we do every time! After we win this war, we can retire to one of those mountain houses you talk about living in so much!” She giggled, their height reaching peak as they flew high above the water.
Hearing his partner talk all about this, it made his gut tighten, his throat would almost choke him as he tightened his grip against her stick for a moment, but then relaxed, knowing that his partner did not like that.
This time Z was worried, Eiji was never this tense, he was never nervous about anything before. She was about to ask, but suddenly spotted the American Fleet below them. “Below us! Eiji!” She would shout, gathering his attention. He noticed, and then it was to begin. Worries, fear, doubt, it all faded as he would throttle his plane to dive. Z rolled half way, then began to dive downward and slightly towards the left, this way her engine didn’t stall as she began her decent.
It was to begin, their glorious battle, the smell of heated metal escaping those twin 20mm and 7.7mm guns firing directly at the enemy. Swooping in, viewing herself over the rippling waters as they dodged return fire. She went after an enemy Aircraft, a Hellcat that she managed to get behind. Her cannons and machine guns rang out, lead spewing out and hitting the enemy Hellcat, causing it to spiral out of control. She swore she heard the aircraft scream in pain.
A few minutes in, she was beginning to climb again, but when she turned to dive, it was directly at one of the American Ships. “Eiji! I don’t have any ammo left, I have to go back!” She would tell him, but he wasn’t stopping. “Im sorry…I am so sorry…I am so sorry.” He kept repeating and repeating. She was scared, for the first time…she was scared. The Ship grew closer and closer, she swore she could see every detail of those sailors faces as she continued to dive directly towards the ship’s hull.
“EIJI!” She screamed out in panic, attempting to gain her controls back. When she finally did, there was a loud explosion, then everything went silent. It was dark, wet, cold, yet oddly calm. “Eiji?” Was all that came out before everything went dark, then nothing…oblivion, it was all gone.
Years later, Eiji would be remembered for his heroic deeds…Z’s scraps remain under the ocean.