"Falcon 2, this is lead." "Unidentified aircraft approaching from the northwest." "Keep in formation." "Stick in tight until I find out what they're up to." "Got 'em spotted, colonel." "Bandits, 10:00 high." "Looks like MIG-23s they're coming hard." "Climb to 23,000 feet." "I wanna keep an angle on them." "Attention, American invaders, you are violating our territorial airspace." "What the hell are they talking about?" "This is colonel Ted masters of the U.S. air force." "We're on routine exercises pitch out, lieutenant!" "They're firing on us!" "This is no drill!" "Fire when you get a lock on 'em!" "Roger, colonel." "Two mugs - 4:00." "Watch your tail, lieutenant!" "I'm coming around." "I'll pick up the leader." "Got you covered, colonel." "Angle's looking good." "Watch that bandit at 2:00, lieutenant." "OK, palsy." "Bandit turning in tight." "Closing in on bandit, 10:00." "On your tail, lieutenant." "Pull it up." "Lieutenant, pull it up!" "I've been hit." "I'm dropping fuel fast!" "Get the hell out of here now, lieutenant!" "But colonel... move it, lieutenant!" "Affirmative." "Heading back to base." "Good luck, colonel." "Check in behind you, sucker." "That's it." "Come on." "Come on." "There you go." "Okay, thank you." "Four to one." "These guys aren't taking any chances." "Matt?" "Come on, let's go." "Matt?" "Come on, let's go." "Hey, will you get off that phone?" "We were supposed to meet Tony and Reggie 20 minutes ago." "Quit bugging me, all right?" "I'm talking to Sheila Teluchi." "She's a junior." "What do you think you're doing messing with her?" "Hold on." "She thinks I am, too!" "Now get out of here, will you?" "You're blowing it for me." "I'll take the Honda and meet you guys down there later." "I thought dad told you not to ride that Honda off base." "How's he going to know if he's not around?" "Now disappear before I have to pound you." "Yeah, it's my little brother." "You know how kids are." "I'm leaving, mom." "You're picking my tux up, aren't you?" "Uh-huh, at 12:00." "Oh, Doug, could you tell your sister how nice she looks?" "Yeah, she does look nice." "I look gross." "Amy, you don't have to wear this after tomorrow." "Now, come on." "Your brother only graduates once." "Yeah, it's a miracle he's graduating at all." "Thanks a lot, runt." "I'll see you later, ma." "Oh, be home by 6:00, okay?" "Your dad's gonna call in." "He wants to say hi to you and Katie before you go to the prom." "All right." "Bye." "Aren't you going to wait for the mail?" "Today could be the day." "Can't." "I'm late." "Are you out of your mind, masters?" "10 Miles an hour!" "How many times have I... hey, Doug, how you doing?" "How do you like the moves?" "I'm practicing for the prom tonight." "You guys look great." "I'm sorry I'm late... enjoy it, fool!" "Pretty soon, if you don't show up on time, they're going to shoot your behind." "At the academy, the word tardy is not in the vocabulary." "What were they doing to you?" "I was just coming up over the bridge, and they all came up behind me." "You bastards!" "What is it with you, knotcher?" "Can't you get through one day without proving what an asshole you are?" "Hey, I was just having a little fun with your girlfriend, fly baby." "I figured maybe she might realize she deserves more from life than some pussy air force man." "Chill, D. D, D." "Forget about this big, nasty, moose-lipped grease ball." "He's just trying to get you in trouble." "Now if sheriff Pingell finds out you've been fighting again, you're going to be put in jail till your dad comes back." "D., just chill." "I'm losing my patience with you, knotcher." "I'm losing my patience with you, masters." "You know, like I always tell you, it would be easy to settle this thing if you had any balls." "Just run the snake with me." "You know, you sound like a broken record." "You got snake on the brain." "Didn't you learn nothin' from the last time with Branson?" "Really love your jackets, boys." "Have a nice day." "He's the biggest creep!" "No kidding." "That guy's bullshit hasn't changed in four years." "Neither has his breath." "He'd kill you with it." "Doug!" "It came right after you left!" "What is it?" "Does the return address us air force academy in Colorado Springs give you a clue?" "T., drum roll!" "The best new applicant for the pilot training program is..." "Not Doug masters." "What did it say?" "It said all that "we regret to inform you" crap." "It said I didn't qualify." "Wow." "Guess you had to kind of expect it." "Maybe I didn't." "Oh, let's face it, Doug." "The grade point average?" "I mean, we're talking subterranean range here." "Just because of one lousy "I."" "I never would've gotten it if I didn't have to cut" "Frawley's class all the time to sneak in the simulator." "Good morning, boys and girls." "I have an announcement, one of special interest to all you military personnel out there." "Little Dougie masters has regretfully been denied admission to the air force academy." "Too bad." "He'd look so cute in his little uniform and haircut, marching around with all the other fairies." "Hee hee hee." "What's the matter, fly baby?" "You're dead, knotcher." "I'll wait till you come out, and then you're mine." "Hey." "If you fight me, you'll have to deal with the sheriff." "If you race me, all you've got to do is deal with the mountains and me." "You got it." "Be at Mclntyre's in an hour." "OK, hee hee." "Call Raymond." "Tell him to gas up my plane." "I'm flying the snake." "Doug, you'll get killed, just like Jimmy Branson did!" "Excuse me." "Excuse me!" "Can you hand me that Phillips head?" "What are you doing, working on my plane?" "The Phillips head, boy." "The Phillips head." "What are you doing, working on my plane?" "Raymond was supposed to gas it... you're flying the snake, ain't you?" "How'd you know?" "What are you doing, making my mixture so rich?" "How low do you have to keep to the ground?" "50 feet, why?" "As lean as you were running, if it went into a stall, you'd have lost your engine and never would've been able to pull it out." "That must've been what happened to Jimmy." "That happened to the Branson kid, all right." "He didn't know that either." "Sure couldn't tell him after they peeled him off that cliff." "What do I owe you?" "We can talk about that later, if you come back." "Now according to the rules of the snake," "Doug can take any route to the mountains he wants to, as long as he sticks under the 50-foot height limit you guys agreed to." "Knotcher, you've got to stick to the main road." "You guys are going to do a loop through dragon canyon and end up back here at the air field." "You got that?" "Who's going to make sure masters doesn't pull up if it gets a little too scary for him?" "If he pulls up, he's disqualified." "Packer and Brillo can ride monitor with me and Reggie." "Let's do it." "Good luck, buddy." "I'm climbing." "Oh, man, that music is jamming, D.!" "Head for those rocks!" "How's he doing, reg?" "Just put it this way:" "My stomach hurts from watching this guy fly." "What's on with knotchhead?" "Well, he almost started a new career as a hood ornament." "Haaa!" "Why don't you just land on the fool and get it over with?" "What's the matter, reg?" "Don't you like flying today?" "Oh, flying, yes, dying, no!" "Hey, hey!" "That's not the main road." "A road's a road, man." "Oh, that'll take 10 minutes off his time." "Knotcher's cut through on the fire road." "There's no way you can't beat him now." "It ain't over yet." "Doug, he's coming up on devil's face!" "That's where Jimmy Branson bought it." "You did it, buddy." "Oh, come on." "Reg, will you give me a break?" "Ha ha!" "Pull up, D.!" "Man, you're toying with death." "You know that, right?" "Keep jamming to the tunes 'cause you're zooming!" "Doug, smoke's pouring out of your manifold!" "Losing oil pressure." "Set her down, man!" "You'll seize your engine!" "Wonder what a Cessna looks like splattered all over those rocks." "What did you do to his engine, you freak?" "Knotcher made me do it." "He had me adjust his oil cap." "Doug, knotcher had packer loosen your pressure cap." "Land the plane, man!" "Land the plane!" "Doug, stop acting crazy!" "You could get killed!" "Easy." "I'm coming up on knotcher." "I can beat him." "Don't be a fool, Doug." "Just land!" "Land the plane, man." "Don't stall on me now." "Go, go, go!" "You got it." "Now, take it home now, Doug." "Shit." "Rough landing, fly baby?" "It was just a joke, man." "It's pretty funny." "You could have killed me." "What?" "I said you could have killed me." "Couldn't hear you." "Can you hear me now?" "Shit." "Doug, you've got to come with me now." "It's your dad." "You got to get back to the base." "He's been shot down." "Jesus." "Is he..." "I don't know." "They just found out about it." "Come on." "But we've got to..." "I'll get Matt." "You just go." "Did they tell you when they're going to release him?" "They don't know." "Didn't they even tell you what they were doing, flying so near to the coastline?" "The general said that he couldn't go into it with me." "I'll be back in a minute." "Is colonel Blackburn in there?" "You can't go in there!" "Out!" "Look, you can't go through here!" "Hey, buddy!" "Who the hell do you think you are?" "Lighten up, man." "I just want to talk to colonel Blackburn." "Davis, hey!" "It's okay." "I suppose you want some answers." "Nobody's telling us what's going on." "I figured since you and dad have been friends for so long, you'd tell me the truth." "What did they tell you so far?" "Just that dad and another plane were flying over the med when they got jumped." "And then something crazy about a trial." "Well, it's kind of a complicated situation." "Hell, it's a bunch of nonsense, really!" "Some countries play the ball game a little different than we do." "Come on, stick on my heels for a minute." "Now I'm going to get my tit in the wringer if the general catches me showing you this stuff, so keep your mouth shut." "See, we fly what's known as freedom of navigation exercises to establish... international airspace." "I know." "My dad's told me about it, but he wasn't even in their territory, so why'd they fire on him?" "'Cause they claim a 200-mile limit, right about up to here." "We only recognize 12." "They usually don't mess with us, but this time they caught us with our pants down." "Your dad didn't have much of a chance." "At least he waxed three of the bastards before he bailed." "So, what's all this about a trial?" "Sir?" "Excuse me a second, Doug." "They're full of shit!" "We asked for a carrier." "They said they couldn't cooperate with us at this time, colonel." "It's nonsense." "You get old admiral what's-his-nuts on the horn right now!" "You tell him the general wants to talk to him, pronto!" "I'm sorry, Doug." "I tell you one thing..." "I don't like the way the state department's playing this." "Christ, we're holding all the aces, and they act like all we got's a pair of twos, waiting on a face card." "The general felt putting a carrier off their coast might put a fire up their butt, but they denied our request." "They tell us the name of the game's negotiation." "Colonel, will you please just tell me what's going on?" "All right." "He's being put on trial for violating their territorial sovereignty." "Now, we know it's bullshit," "Washington knows it's bullshit, state department thinks it's a bluff." "They think they're using him as a bargaining chip." "For what?" "They're what's called a prime nation in that part of the world." "We've been embargoing trade to them for years." "They're probably using this to get us to lift it." "What's going to happen, colonel?" "I don't know yet, Doug." "We're hoping to hear what they really want from us in the morning." "Till then, there's not much any of us can do, especially since the suits up at the white house got our hands tied like this." "You're going to have to be patient." "We don't even have diplomatic relations with the bastards, so it takes a whole heap of time just to make a phone call." "Colonel, I got the admiral on the horn." "Hang in there, son." "Yes, sir." "Yeah, it came." "Something I'd like to talk to you about on that." "I think the general wants to pursue this a little further." "I don't know how you can stay so calm." "That's because I've been through it before." "You don't remember." "You were only 4 years old at the time your dad had to bail out over the pacific." "The whole time he was missing," "I didn't even know if he was alive." "I gotta call Katie and tell her I'm not going tonight." "You'd better call the winslows and tell them not to drive all the way down for graduation." "Doug, that is not going to help him." "He's stuck over there, but all he's thinking about is us." "He's thinking about you and Katie getting all dressed up tonight." "He's thinking about you getting your diploma tomorrow." "That's all he's got right now, and somehow, if you don't go, it takes it all away from him." "Look, I'm very scared." "I'll admit that to you." "But if you start thinking the worst is going to happen, somehow it always does." "What did you find out?" "I'll tell you about it in the car." "I want you to go with him to pick up Amy, okay?" "Dad's going to be all right, isn't he?" "Yeah, dad's going to be fine." "Go with mom." "I'll be home in a little while." "What did Blackburn tell you?" "He said they think they're holding him for ransom, or something like that." "Think you can you nose around your dad's office and see what they're asking to trade for him?" "I just came from there." "Everybody in intelligence is scrambling." "My dad ordered everyone to keep a lid on this thing." "Nobody's talking." "Oh, Milo..." "All right." "I'll hang around and see what else I can find out." "Thanks a lot." "Uh, is there anything that we can do?" "No, nothing, man." "Guess you won't feel like going tonight, huh?" "I didn't at first, but I guess it's better than sitting home, going crazy all over this." "Now, you listen, Doug, everything is going to work out." "Now those dudes won't mess with us." "The air force will kick ass if they do." "Yeah, like in Iran, right?" "Oh, no, that was different!" "Mr. peanut was in charge back then." "Now we got this guy in the oval office who don't take shit from no gimpy little countries." "Why do you think they call him Ronnie ray-gun?" "I almost forgot, I got some boutonnieres for us." "Oh, man." "These smell so good." "Take a whiff." "Go ahead." "You are allowed a statement on your behalf." "This court is a fraud." "At no time did I violate your territorial airspace." "At no time did we engage in any type of intelligence gathering operation." "This trial is a blatant violation of international law." "Colonel, the American naivete never ceases to amaze me." "We make the laws in this country." "We are not subject to your ridiculous Western alliances." "I am a pilot myself, and when in flight," "I am always aware of my exact position." "I have no doubt you were quite clear about yours." "Your country has been warned time and time again!" "Yet your leaders choose to make light of our demands." "Reparation is our due, and we shall have our due." "What do you mean they didn't ask for anything?" "They just didn't." "I was sitting right outside my dad's office when they had the briefing." "None of them could believe it." "But I don't understand." "Doug, they've already held the trial, and they found your dad guilty." "What does that mean?" "Well, nobody knows for sure." "They haven't sentenced him yet." "It could mean prison or... why are those bastards playing so tough?" "Well, the state department think they're making a big issue of it because they don't want other nations thinking they're chicken of the us." "They're trying to set an example." "So, when are they going in?" "The marines, fool!" "They ain't going to sit down and take this crap, are they?" "Nothing's being planned, as far as I know, but my dad thinks they can work something out 'cause they might... and what are they going to work out?" "How many years is he going to stay in that shithole?" "What are they doing about it?" "Dad says they're still negotiating." "That won't do shit, and you know it." "Doug's here." "Doug, I'm sorry about not being able to return your calls last night, but since things heated up, the general's kind of kept me hopping." "Colonel, don't lie to me." "Are you guys planning something or not?" "We're doing all we can." "Which is nothing, isn't it?" "They're trying to talk to them, Doug, trying to make them listen to reason." "Other than that, we got nothing the boards." "I'm sorry." "Yeah, so am I." "Doug?" "Hi, buddy." "Listen, I heard what happened to your dad, and I..." "Yeah." "Marty, I was wondering if you could slip me in?" "Tell you what." "There's someone due in here in now, but he's running late." "So, why don't I load her up for you, and you can take it till he gets here." "Thanks a lot." "Doug, just keep cool about this." "It isn't the same as sneaking you in at night, okay?" "Okay, buddy." "I'm going to set you up with some mugs." "Great." "Enemy squadrons sighted." "Roger." "All right, you bastards." "Climbing to flight level 270." "I have radar." "Locking down to engage." "What else you got, Marty?" "This is flight leader." "Do you read?" "This is bluebird." "Over." "Enemy approaching at flight level 220." "Confirm." "Roger." "Shit." "Excellent move, bluebird." "That's four." "I don't believe it." "That's too extreme." "Pull it up!" "Pull it up!" "Check your radar!" "Hold on." "Oh, man." "Marty, I don't believe those guys could've... all that fancy maneuvering won't do you no good if you don't watch what those two guys flying up your behind are going to do to you." "I didn't see them." "I couldn't." "You just watch the HUD." "That's what it's there for." "And start cutting out that music." "Sorry, colonel." "Afraid we used up all your time." "OK." "We'll catch you next week." "You got it." "You keep your chin up, buddy." "Thanks a lot." "Something you want to ask me?" "I just didn't know you were still in the air force." "I'm not." "So what are you, in the reserves now?" "That's right." "How come you're working as a mechanic?" "'Cause fixing airplanes is something I like to do." "Anything else you want to ask me?" "Look, I wasn't trying to write a book." "I was just curious, that's all." "Your dad's a strong man." "He'll be okay." "You know him?" "No, but let's say I know the type." "That's the most important thing to know." "Yeah?" "Well, if more people were like him, he wouldn't be stuck over there." "What do you mean by that?" "Nobody's doing anything, is what I mean." "I mean, they don't have the balls to stand up to those bastards and force them to release him." "Oh, I see." "Well, what do you think we ought to do about it, launch some missiles, go to war over him?" "No, of course not." "But how tough could it be?" "They're a shitty little country." "It's not a matter of being tough." "It's the way they do things." "Too many people get to make the decisions." "I've seen them operate." "They just take too long." "You've seen them plan one of these things?" "A bunch of times, but they usually lose more lives than they save." "Your dad is a whole lot better off probably if they just negotiate." "Well, you think with the right plan, it would be simple to go in and get him?" "It's not that simple, but it's possible." "Could you plan it?" "Why?" "'Cause I want to know." "Probably." "What would it take?" "It'll take a hell of a whole lot more than you got, kid." "But wait a minute." "Dad's got a lot of people on the base that love him." "Being friends with someone is a lot different than risking your life for him." "All right." "Let me ask you this." "Do you think an f-16, fully armed, with all the firepower it can carry, can fly in there and pull it off?" "Look, will you stop wasting your time thinking about this?" "The air force is not going to do anything." "They'll do a hell of a lot more than you think." "They just won't know they're doing it." "What?" "Look, I'm telling you right now," "I'll bet you can get a plane, all the firepower it can carry, aerial recon, intelligence." "I got the whole goddamn base wired." "Anything you need, I can get you." "Are you wired enough to get me a couple of pilots, too?" "I can get you one." "Look, I know this is probably the toughest thing you've ever had to go through in your life, but hanging on to these crazy ideas is not going to make it any easier on you." "Take it easy, huh?" "You don't think I can fly, do you?" "Aw, come on." "Don't talk stupid." "You think flying in an f16 in aerial combat is the same as that snake you flew yesterday?" "Would you listen to me for one minute?" "I'm listening!" "I've got 3 times as many hours in that simulator as most pilots flying falcons on the base right now." "As for combat, you know that's a bunch of bullshit." "I mean, how many guys around here have been in dogfights?" "Four, five tops?" "The simulator's good enough to train them, and they're out there defending the whole goddamn country." "What, you think because they're 3 or 4 years older than me, it makes any difference?" "Look, look, look." "I've already missed my simulator time." "I'm not going to miss my flight time." "I gotta go." "Well, let me go with you." "I've been up a bunch of times with dad." "Come on, at least let me show you what I can do." "I'm tired of talking about it." "I'm going." "You know he ain't got a chance, but you don't give a shit enough to help him!" "You're no different than anyone else." "You really believe that nonsense you're saying?" "Look at me when I talk to you!" "Look, let me clue you into something right now." "I've given this country 22 damn fucking years of my life, 22 years." "I've seen young boys blown out of the air over the pacific." "I've seen their guts sprawled all over the rice paddies of Vietnam." "So, every time somebody dies for this country, believe me, boy, I give a shit." "Goddammit, nobody talks to me like this." "I'm not going to start now." "You want to help your father, hmm?" "You be strong for your family." "You stay right here." "I'm pleased to present this year's valedictorian, Edward Thatcher." "Students, faculty, and parents." "Each year, we as students have the luxury of our dreams without the responsibilities of our sustenance." "Therefore, our gratitude must be with those who give us that freedom, without which we could not grow." "To our parents, then, I dedicate this... what were all those loops and rolls, colonel?" "I thought we were supposed to keep strict formation during training." "I got a malfunction in my throttle sensor, major." "I was trying to sort out the problem." "For a moment there, I thought you were going to do a little skywriting." "Oh, colonel, I have a problem with my receiver." "I heard some music up there." "Guess I must have picked up a radio station or something." "I'll have it checked out, major." "Yes, sir." "These are training maneuvers, Doug, not auditions for the thunder-birds." "It's not a rock concert." "Get over there." "I don't know what the hell you were thinking out there." "Do you realize what could happen to me if you got caught in that plane, huh?" "Do you?" "Okay, I'm sorry." "It won't happen again." "You bet your ass it won't happen again." "That's the last time you go up with me." "I've had it!" "Come on, dad." "Don't come on me." "I don't want to hear it." "Look..." "Doug, you're graduating next month." "When are you going to show me some responsibility?" "You know, when I'm gone, just once in a while" "I'd like to have a little confidence that I know you can handle things." "At some point, you got to grow up, son." "Is that an order, sir?" "Yeah, that's an order." "Understood, sir." "May I ask the colonel a question, sir?" "Go ahead." "Did he like the reverse spirals" "I executed at 22,000 feet?" "They've been rehearsed all week long in the simulator, sir." "Yeah, I did." "Get out of here, will you?" "The colonel's wife thinks you're at school." "Yes, sir." "Today is an important day for all of us." "It's a turning point, a time to realize that it's time to stop being children, a time to take charge of our lives and our destinies." "This is the time to believe in ourselves or leave our dreams behind." "Thank you." "Mom?" "Mom, what's the matter?" "I didn't want to tell you before." "They heard from Washington today." "Your dad's been sentenced." "Three days." "Three days?" "What do you mean, three days?" "They're going to hang him." "In three days, they're going to hang him." "Hey, I need to talk to you." "About what?" "About dad." "I think we can help him." "How?" "I think I know a way to go go in and get him out." "God." "When are we going?" "Come on." "I need you to do something for me." "What do you want me to do?" "Start calling all the eagles." "Tell them to meet me at the clubhouse tomorrow at 7:00 in the morning." "I've got a bunch of things to work out." "Come on, go on." "You gonna call?" "They're not really going to kill him, are they?" "I'm not waiting around to find out." "Now go on." "Welcome, minister." "We will take you to the prison at once." "I have been informed you will not sign the confession we require." "I came to ask you to reconsider." "You see, I am a compassionate man." "I understand your courage and your sense of duty, but there are those in power above me who do not share my sentiment." "If you're referring to your beloved leader, why don't you have him come down and see me personally?" "I'll give him the confession." "I'll shove it up his ass!" "Okay." "First, I want to thank you all for coming over so early." "I know you're all aware of what's happened to my father." "I know you'd do anything for him." "Most of us have been together for a long time, and together we've gotten everything we've needed for our classes and for our air shows." "Now I need you to come up with some stuff that will help my dad." "If we don't come up with it," "I don't think he's got much of a chance." "I got a list here of everything we need to get, starting off with..." "Dad, I'll take these to hazel myself." "I wanted to say hi anyway." "Okay, thanks." "Entrez." "Hey, haze." "I've got some more updates from my dad for you." "Oh, thanks, Milo." "Great." "Oh, my God." "Look how many of them there are." "So, it's getting pretty heavy duty around here, huh?" "Oh, I know." "Um, stop!" "Hazel, I thought you said last week you had this thing fixed." "I did!" "Why don't you go input on the mainframe, and I'll call a guy to get down here." "Yeah, then we won't get behind." "It is urgent that we get this out and not lose time." "It's wonderful." "You'll go get him then?" "Oh, sure." "I promise." "Great." "Now, I'll work on these." "Oh, you are an angel, Milo." "This is wonderful." "I'll be at the mainframe." "I should be back in an hour." "What are you guys doing down here?" "Sweeney, I just brought my friend down to see those new packer 32s that they got in." "You know I can't sneak you guys in here during the daytime." "Oh now, come on, Sweeney." "My sister said to ask you to do it for her." "Was she really talking about me?" "You know, I heard her tell mom that she's pretty upset that you don't call her more often." "All right, all right." "Look, I can sneak you in here for five minutes, until Dover gets back, but only one of you." "Go ahead." "I've seen them." "Hi, dad." "Hi." "What are you guys up to?" "Oh, nothing." "We just came down here to get that picture you promised us for our room." "Remember the big satellite photo of the earth with all the weather on it and stuff?" "The color one." "That was months ago." "What made you come for that now?" "'Cause you forgot to bring it home the last four times we asked you." "I guess you're right." "Okay, I'll go get it." "Oh, no, we can get it." "Oh, don't be silly." "I got time." "Joanie!" "I didn't mean to." "I got to go to the latrine and wash this out." "Go in the back and get the picture." "Put it in one of these sleeves." "I'll leave you a clearance with Connie to get it out." "I'm glad you brought these down." "Your mom's trying to starve me to death on this new diet." "Shit!" "What do we got?" "Delta 662." "OK, get the falcon maintenance file." "F-16 is br4." "Bingo." "We're in!" "Who is it?" "It's Doug masters." "I know what you said before, and I'm sorry about what I said, but I came to ask you one last time if you'd help me." "I got the aerial recon of everything those bastards got over there:" "Coastal defenses, surface to air missile emplacements, and troop locations." "I know their fighter base is and their fighter capacity, and I know where they're holding my dad." "I've got a picture of the building and everything around it." "I've got intelligence, tons of it right here." "I know every move they make and when they make it, when they fly their maneuvers, every move they make in and out of their airports, and if you need to know," "I can tell you what time somebody goes to the can." "I can get you an I-16 with anything you want on it." "Sidewinders, mark 82 snake eyes, cluster bombs, durandals, paveway smart bombs, and all the 30-mm rounds the g-pod can carry." "Jesus, chappy, he's only got... three days." "Three days." "If you keep on talking, you're going to waste one of them." "Bring that stuff to me, will you?" "When did you work this up?" "Last night, when I heard about that "trial."" "You think you can figure something out?" "Come up with a plan?" "I'm a long way from answering that question, son, but I sure would like to try." "Something about maniacs messing with good men that always pisses me off." "I'm going to need to find a place for aerial recon, fighter bases, places where they're keeping him, scheduling info, and you read me the intelligence when I ask you, okay?" "How can you think with that music on?" "Come on." "Let's see what you got." "Let's see what you got." "We don't have much time." "What's wrong?" "You got your tennis shoes on?" "Yeah, why?" "Bring all the intelligence read-outs and follow me." "Get me that coastal defense info yet?" "Uh, two trawlers... 50-millimeter guns..." "But they're currently in the Gulf." "This would be a lot easier if I had my shorts on." "How many times do I have to tell you to stop interrupting me when I'm thinking?" "Will you read me that fighter status again." "Find it?" "Yeah." "There's only five choppers stationed there." "Give me the antiaircraft locations." "Which ones?" "All of them." "That's going to take some time." "They're listed all over the place." "Like Italian?" "Italian?" "Uh-huh." "You can eat while you read." "Hey, slappy, I'd like you to meet Doug here." "Doug, this is slappy, the owner of the place." "He's the one you got to sue for the food poisoning." "Good to meet you, sir." "Good to see you come around, brother, and contribute to my retirement." "He brings the white folks here, too." "I like that." "You'd better leave me alone." "Hey, look, look." "We've got some high-level conference talk to do here." "Will you excuse us, please?" "Excuse me!" "Excuse you." "Okay, did you find it?" "Yup, right here." "All right." "Let's see." "You hold it like this." "Hmm?" "Now, see, the plane will come through here, knocks out this pepperoni here." "You have to be careful of this olive, or the cheese here is going to nail your butt." "Now, now..." "This lettuce here tight around this carrot is the second plane that's going to sneak in." "Second plane?" "What do you mean?" "Who's flying the second plane?" "Who do you think?" "I'm going to take out these pepperonis here." "I don't believe it." "What's the matter, you prejudiced or something?" "Come on, chappy." "Don't play with me." "Why are you flying?" "Well, let's just say that when I met your dad, he earned my respect, and I do a lot for people I respect." "When did you first meet him?" "About two years ago." "I had booked some simulator module time, and I was really late." "I still had my coveralls on, my hands all covered with grease." "I'd even forgotten my I.D. Card, and wouldn't you know it, the guy on the module was new." "He looked at me and said, "you'd better get your black butt out of here before I call base security."" "A couple of hotshot pilots thought it was real funny." "Well, didn't you want to kick their ass?" "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did." "But at that time your daddy walks out of the simulator module." "I had never seen him before." "He asked what was happening." "When they told him the story, he walks over to me." "He looks at me for about a fast second." "He steps back and snaps me a salute." "He says, "sorry about this, sir." "We'll get things set up for you right away, colonel."" "Now, your dad understands a lot about people's dignity." "That's the last kind of person in the world" "I want to see locked up in some stinking cage somewhere." "He won't have to be anymore." "We're going to bust him out out of there like a bat out of hell." "Hey, hey." "All we have got so far is a plan." "The only thing you've proven to me is that you can steal some computer printouts and some pictures." "Chappy, after tomorrow he's only got one day left, now are we going for it or not?" "We are going when I say we are going." "You've still got a lot left to prove to me." "Now you keep your mouth shut, and you listen to what I have to ask you." "I still want to test you on some things." "I want to make sure that you can deliver what you say you can deliver." "Name it." "All right." "I want a couple of I-16s with full, approved flight plans armed with the stuff that I'm going to give you, under two phony names that I'll let you have." "And I want a trainer at the same time on the tarmac tomorrow." "I want you to put your money where your mouth is." "You still don't believe I can fly, do you?" "Maybe, and maybe not." "I'm going to test you out on some live targets." "Great." "You won't be disappointed." "I hope not, or else we ain't going nowhere, boy." "Know what I'm saying?" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Enough!" "You are a very stubborn man, colonel." "It would be easier on you if you would accommodate us with a signed admission of your guilt, but no matter." "We can proceed without it." "I must say, I admire the way you can handle pain." "I'm looking forward to seeing you handle death." "Good thing Milo's on our side." "Good morning." "Good morning." "My name's colonel Sinclair." "I believe you have me down for that trainer over there." "Your name's not on the list." "Let me check this with flight control." "Oh, that's not necessary." "Just got orders to take these two in." "Sorry about the screw-up, sir." "Yours came in on a special last night." "She's all ready to go." "What's this about taking us in?" "Oh, not you, sir." "I mean these two falcons." "See, these are all set up to go to Spain." "The crews worked all night to load them up." "The computer just canceled it out." "It's a pain in the ass." "She's all ready to go." "Thank you." "Better get off the ground quick, colonel, before this one gets canceled." "Computer's been acting kind of strange today." "Falcon 6, you're clear for takeoff." "Runway 3-0." "Over." "Think you can get us over the runway in 3-0?" "Yeah, if you come up here and show me where the throttle is in these things." "I'm starting not to like you." "Tower, this is falcon 6 ready for takeoff." "OK for takeoff." "Okay, where do you want to go?" "You're driving." "Let's see what you got." "You're sure you're up to it?" "You're not one of those hot dogs, are you?" "How's that?" "I thought you were a pilot, not an astronaut!" "I guess you're right." "By the way, I forgot to ask when you ate last." "You'd know it if I had a big breakfast." "Wanna see me turn?" "You know, now I'm really starting not to like you." "Head over to the range." "Yes, sir, colonel, sir." "Coming up to it." "All right, now I want you to circle around low." "Go north, take out those two vertical pockets up ahead." "Remember what I told you." "The simulator's a little different." "You just gotta feel your way." "I want you to concentrate." "And cut that off that stuff!" "It'll screw up my rhythm." "If you don't cut it off, I'll screw up something else!" "Okay." "Shit!" "I told you it was different." "Next time, I want you to drop one of those mark 82s to that horizontal up ahead." "Shit!" "This ain't gonna cut it." "We can't go in there with you shooting like this!" "All right, turn this thing around." "Let's head back to base." "Dammit, chappy." "I'm doing it my way!" "Yeah!" "Ha ha ha!" "Nice piece of work!" "So, are we going for it, chappy?" "Oh, there are still some things we... all right!" "All right!" "We're going!" "Yahoo!" "Get those eagles of your together." "There's still some details we gotta work out." "Yes, sir, colonel, sir." "The way I figure it, you can do your first 500 Miles at mach .6 and your last 180 at mach .9." "Did you account for the wind current?" "Yeah." "I got the crosswinds." "Well, when we get back, you and I are going to have to go into business together." "In a dogfight, you must always remember to keep the angle on them." "Attack them from the side, the top or the back." "If they come at you straight like this, you better eject and start doing some backstroke." "Ha ha ha!" "And the most important thing is to watch your airspeed as they talk you in." "Now, be careful to use a deep voice." "Otherwise, they're gonna get wise that you're a kid." "Now let me hear you talk." "This is bluebird." "No, no, no." "It's got to be deeper." "Bass, put some bass in your voice, kinda like slappy." "Do it again." "Come on." "Dis is DA bluebird." "I be ready to refuel." "Okay now, Doug, you can move that control tower about 10 degrees to the north." "This one?" "No, that's the oil refinery." "This one?" "No, that's the detention center where they're holding him." "This one?" "That's what's left of my lunch." "Get that out of here." "You must be a lug." "The control tower is over here." "Move it 10 degrees to the north." "Ha ha ha!" "Stop laughing." "Say cheese!" "Cheese!" "All right, gentlemen and ladies." "Time for the final check-out for tomorrow's operation." "I hope everybody is ready." "Latimer?" "Yes, sir." "Give me the status on the falcons." "Two f-16 B is standing by on the northern runway as requested, sir." "Fuel?" "Fully fueled, sir." "Interior tanks and two exterior drop tanks." "Armament?" "As requested and visually verified, sir." "Thank you." "Mr. basin." "Yes, sir." "Flight plans cleared?" "Yes, sir." "Both fully authorized." "Refuel?" "As requested, I have a list here of times and coordinates, all verified." "Uh-huh." "Place of detention?" "As of 1500 hours today, colonel masters is still being held at Bilyad at the same location." "No change in the enemy plans reported, sir." "Thank you." "I would like to congratulate you all on some very fine work." "You have come a long way in a short while." "I always said that a person should not be judged by their experience but by their performance, and yours has been exemplary." "I would like to shake everybody's hand." "I've never had a finer planning staff, ever." "Ever!" "You go home to mom." "Just tell her I'm out with Reggie and Tony." "Now, after tomorrow, you're in charge." "Okay..." "But only for a couple of days." "It's a promise." "Go on." "Get lost." "Look, uh..." "Without you guys, there's no way..." "We know that." "Eagles!" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Show me the armorers availability list." "I think I've come up with an idea that's going to give us some added insurance." "I think I'm too loaded down, so you are going to have to carry it." "Carry what?" "The Hades bomb." "Hmm?" "How fast can Milo work?" "He can rearm in three hours." "What do you want me to do with the Hades?" "Okay, before you land," "I want you to lay one in right here." "See that?" "Now, it's got its good points and its bad points." "Tell me." "The good point is that they won't be able to see you or touch you for five minutes." "But the bad point is that you won't be able to see them either." "Now, listen to me." "Look." "Once this fire goes out, if you're not in the air, you are a dead man." "Okay?" "Yeah." "Okay." "Now, I want you to get your butt in my trailer." "Get some sleep." "I've got some work to do here." "I need my privacy." "Uh, chappy, I've got to see my mom, and I have to call Katie." "What are you going to tell them?" "I don't know." "I don't know either." "You sure can't tell them the truth." "Look, I tell you what." "I'll have slappy talk to the both of them, after we have gone." "Okay?" "Now you get in my trailer." "Now." "I said get your butt in my trailer now!" "Yes, sir." "Yes, minister." "We are standing by." "Give the American his final meal." "After tomorrow, he will not have much of an appetite." "I thought I told you to get some sleep." "I'm just relaxing a bit, watching a little TV." "I don't need much sleep for this anyway." "Now, how the hell do you know what you need for this?" "I just meant I'm ready." "You're ready for this, aren't you, chap?" "You think it's going to be so easy, don't you?" "No, I don't think it's going to be all easy." "I'm just ready for it, that's all." "You ain't ready for shit, boy!" "Here." "Open it." "Go ahead." "Open it!" "Who are these guys?" "A bunch of kids who felt that they were ready, too." "Pilots?" "All of them." "They all look about 22 or 23." "That's right." "All of them." "So I don't see what you're getting so worried about, chap." "What makes them any different than me?" "Because they're dead!" "All of them!" "I lay awake at night thinking about how fast and how brutal they died, parts of them falling on the land, parts of them falling in the sea, some parts of them burning just into nothing in the middle of the air." "And all of them thought that they were ready for it." "When it was all over, I promised myself that I'd never be a part of killing kids again." "That's why I took so long to come around to helping you." "Now, looks like I've got us both trapped into something... that could kill us?" "I know that, chappy." "And those kids..." "I don't know what you think anymore, but they knew it, too." "Maybe they weren't ready for it, but who in the hell is ever ready for it?" "You didn't get me into this." "I went to you, remember?" "I know what we're risking, and I'm proud to be able to fly with you." "Maybe I'm not all that ready, but I'm damn proud." "Enough of this nonsense." "I've got some work to do." "Where'd you put that tape recorder?" "It's in my bag, next to the sink." "Hey, wait a minute." "Just where do you think you're going?" "I just wanted to see what you were doing." "Why don't you see what my pillow and bed is doing?" "I want you asleep in five minutes, okay?" "Oh, wait a minute." "I almost forgot." "That's my first pair." "I want to loan them to you." "I'll bring them back." "You'd better." "Now you get to bed." "Yes, sir, colonel, sir." "It sure is strange making you this tape." "I just got finished talking to you." "You had that look on your face, the look you had the first time you asked me to help you get your father." "I never told you how I felt about you." "I always had a problem talking about my feelings." "But I want to tell you now that you've got more courage than anybody I ever met, and you're going to have to use every bit of it to get through this thing." "Now I want you to know" "I'm proud to have been by your side, and whatever happens, just remember we tried, and no one can take that away from us." "OK for takeoff." "OK for takeoff." "Switch over to frequency 8." "Over." "I switched frequencies." "Over." "No fancy flying." "It will eat up your fuel." "Sorry, sir." "I was just getting used to the throttle." "It's a little touchy." "Yeah, well, you're lucky I'm not in that cockpit with you." "I'd show you touchy!" "And keep off the other channels that you're communicating with the checkpoints." "They can monitor everything we say, unless we use this frequency." "Roger, colonel, sir." "Climb up to 35,000 feet and relax till the first refuel." "Make sure you get your air speed perfect." "Come in real steady." "Congratulations!" "Couldn't have done better myself." "Do they pump this for you, or is this self-service?" "Smart-ass kids." "Chappy, you sleeping?" "Everything OK?" "Yeah, everything's fine." "I just felt all alone all of a sudden." "Well, try not to think about it." "Just think about your dad and how alone he must feel, sitting over there." "Does you think he knows how much I really love him?" "I mean, sometimes he can be really tough with me, like you are." "I know it's only for my own good, but I never really told him I understood all that." "He knows." "Believe me, he's trying to make a man out of you." "Is that why you're treating me the same way?" "You're trying to make a man out of me, too?" "No, your dad already took care of that." "I'm just trying to get us out of this alive." "Chap, what if I screw up?" "What if everything goes wrong?" "I'm going to get real mad!" "You've never seen me really mad, have you?" "No." "I wouldn't want to, either." "Well, you'd better not screw up!" "Just keep thinking about the plan." "Go over it in your head, every step of it in your head, until you have got it automatic." "Yes, sir." "I'm still showing a 7-minute delay from our first refuel." "We've got to make up some time." "We'll be breaking our flight plans in about five minutes, so do your last-minute verification." "You're going to heat up from here on out." "How do you feel?" "My stomach's a little tight." "Must be that cereal I ate this morning." "That's funny." "It tastes good going down." "About 13 hours later, it makes you feel scared shitless." "It will pass." "Do a checkout list like I told you." "They're gonna know something's up any time now." "If checkpoint contacts us, just ignore it." "By the time they figure out what's going on, we'll be over the coast." "Now bring up the stores list." "I want you to watch that carefully." "Always keep it in your head." "It's all you got." "Look at your fuel gauge." "That's all you got, too." "Run out of either one of them, you are dead meat." "I got that, chappy." "We're running at about mach .6 drop down to 3,000 feet, and hold your airspeed." "Watch out for naval vessels." "Falcon 1, this is intercom center." "You have deviated from your flight plan." "Please advise." "Okay." "It's just you and me, kid." "Drop down to 3,000 feet, like I told you." "You got it." "When we're 100 Miles off the coast, drop down to 400 feet." "Keep under that, or they'll pick you up on the radar." "I know that, chappy." "I'll bet you thought you knew that, didn't you?" "Did you know that their surface to air missiles got French radar?" "That means you can fool them with foil packs." "I didn't know that." "Bet you didn't know that, did you?" "No." "Didn't think so." "When we hit the coast, punch it up to mach .9, but don't go supersonic." "It would be too easy to know we're coming." "When we reach them mountains, stay real low and come in tight." "If we snake 'em right, fighter base will never know what hit 'em." "You go right for the runway, and I'll take out the tower and knock out communications, then I'll give you cover." "Now, don't miss." "Remember, you only got four clusters." "Make each one of them count." "Make sure you line them up right in the spotter this time, and play the right music!" "These guys ain't no rookies." "They're the ones that shot down your dad." "Now you ain't going to freeze up on me, are you?" "Anybody ever tell you, you talk too much?" "Yeah, my ex-wife." "Okay, there's the enemy coast." "Set up your jam, and get down to business!" "You're coming to the Kadar mountains." "Radar hasn't caught us so far." "We're still 7 minutes behind schedule from refuel delay." "Remember now, they run their morning maneuvers at 0730." "We've got to pick up some time, or it'll be like flying into MIG soup." "Stay below 300 feet to beat the radar." "Hey, chap, I got something that will help us make up some time, so keep the channel clear, all right?" "This ain't no game, I'm telling you!" "I can get used to that." "All right." "We made up 3 minutes." "Their radar hasn't picked us up yet." "It's 7:30." "I hope they're running late." "I don't even want to think about it." "Just get ready." "If Kharem is coming up." "Chappy, they picked us up on radar!" "Too late for them now." "Just cluster that runway." "I'll do the rest." "Chap, three mugs have taken off." "We'll handle them in the air." "Just take out that runway." "Chappy, I hit it!" "I got the runway and the plane!" "Pat yourself on the back later." "Now just worry about those three mugs that got up." "Climb!" "Climb!" "They're running away, chap!" "They weren't running." "They're just getting out of the way." "Now move your butt!" "Get out of the range of those guns!" "Damn!" "Chappy, I got them!" "I got all three of the guns!" "Yeah, well, one of them got me." "How bad?" "Didn't get me head on, but it got me close enough." "What kind of damage?" "All kinds of electrical problems." "Two mugs, chappy, coming up fast." "All right." "Follow me." "Listen carefully." "I want you to grab that tape I made you this morning and load it in." "What?" "What's on it?" "Don't argue with me!" "Is it loaded yet?" "It's loaded." "Now, don't interrupt me." "I'm only going to say this once." "Anything happens to me, you climb as high as you can out of the range of those weapons, and you play that tape." "It may be the only thing that's going to save your ass." "Chappy, nothing's going to happen to you." "Listen to me." "When the mugs get in range," "I want you to split off from me and proceed to the next target." "One will follow you, and one will follow me." "I'm gonna head back toward the Mediterranean." "Now don't let them get the drop on you." "Chappy, I want to stay with you." "How can you handle them the way you are?" "Don't you worry about me." "Just do what I told you, and concentrate!" "Your dad is depending on you." "Split off from me now!" "All right, you bastard." "Yeah!" "Chappy, give me your position." "I just waxed the bandit, and I'm coming to you." "Do what I told you, damn it." "Put in that tape, and don't worry about me." "Damn it." "Just hold together for two more seconds." "Mayday." "Mayday." "Chappy!" "Chappy, where are you?" "Just put in that tape." "That's an order!" "Nothing you can do about me." "Chappy, I want to help you!" "Where are you?" "Climb high like I told you!" "Doug, I ain't gonna make it." "Chappy!" "A bunch of things must have gone wrong if you're listening to this." "Whatever happened, I know you must be real scared." "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to head for home." "Maybe if I was you, I'd want to make a flat-out run for Helicon air force base in Greece." "Right now, you're probably filled with all the doubts in the world, but I'm going to tell you something, Doug, baby." "God doesn't give people things he doesn't want them to use, and he gave you the touch." "It's a power you have inside of you, down there where you keep your guts, boy." "It's all you need to blast your way in and get back what they took from you." "Your dad's just sitting there, waiting for a miracle, and if you fly your heart out, you can give him one." "It's up to you." "Don't bother putting on this tape if you're turning back." "Good." "You decided, didn't you?" "All right!" "First thing you got to do is convince yourself that nothing can stop you." "You gotta believe that plane you're in is like a suit of armor, like an iron eagle that nothing can penetrate." "Now listen close, kid." "I recorded some stuff to help you through each part of the mission." "Remember to talk into your flight recorder, so there's a record of everything." "Don't waste your time worrying about me." "You start thinking that way, and you'll mess up." "Just pretend I'm in that cockpit with you, and we're still going in to knock the shit out of them together." "How long to repair your runways?" "It could be repaired in less than an hour." "Put every man you have on it." "I want these pigs blown out of the sky." "Yes, sir." "They're coming for the American." "Inform the prison to be prepared to move him." "We may need him as a decoy." "I want all antiaircraft mobilized, and I want defense command to find their planes." "Now!" "All right, chap." "80 Miles to Bilyad." "Remember to keep a close eye on that stores list." "By the way, I thought of something." "If they didn't pick us up on radar from the mountains, then there's something they may not know." "How many planes." "They won't know how many fighters there are." "They're never going to think it's just you." "So when you contact them at the tower, tell them there's more of you." "Now they ain't got no mugs there, but you'd better remember those choppers." "Any of their rockets hit you, you'll be living permanently in them clouds." "Recon showed a couple of surface-to-air units." "Watch out for them." "They'll probably expect you." "You know what to do from here on in." "Good luck, man!" "This one's for you, chappy." "This is iron eagle." "I am the flight leader of an American assault force, sent to recover colonel Ted masters, whom you are unlawfully holding prisoner." "I want colonel masters dressed in his flight suit and removed from his present location to the airport." "When he gets there, I want him put in a jeep by himself and sent to the end of the northernmost runway." "I want to see an escort leave the detention center in 2 minutes with colonel masters, or I'll have my squadron destroy the first of five strategic targets, beginning with your biggest oil refinery." "Do you understand?" "Pigs." "I want an armed escort at the detention center standing by for my orders." "And prepare my car." "I am going to the airport." "I want these people destroyed." "You were right, chap." "They're not moving him." "Looks like they're trying to stall." "Bilyad tower, this is iron eagle." "Yes, we hear you." "He's not being moved." "What's the problem?" "They are having trouble finding a jeep suitable for your purposes." "Bullshit!" "You got a whole town full of them." "You just lost a refinery." "All right, chappy." "Let's see how they feel about losing $100 million in oil." "I'm just about to the refinery." "I'm going for the tanks." "Chap, I wish you could see this." "Looks like they'll be importing oil this year." "That pilot is a dead man." "How long longer to repair the runway at this time?" "They say at least 10 minutes, sir." "Tell them to move faster, or they'll hang!" "And tell them to move the American now." "I want them to be together when they die." "Chappy, they're moving him!" "See you soon, dad." "How long now?" "Any minute, sir." "Get the mobile units into position, but keep them out of sight." "No one fires until I give permission." "I'm assuming they're moving him." "Now I can't tell you what to do anymore." "Just remember what I told you about the Hades bomb." "Land, pick up your dad, and get your butt out of there." "Keep track of your ammo." "I'm right there with you, don't forget that." "Get out." "Out, out, out, out!" "You, come here." "Drive to the runway!" "Drive to the runway!" "Move!" "Move!" "Can you confirm any other planes?" "Nothing, sir." "Let him land, then cut him to pieces." "Tell him to get ready on my command." "Hey!" "God damn it!" "I'm coming down, dad." "Here I come." "Kill him now!" "Dad!" "You son of a bitch!" "Move your troops down the runway immediately." "Finish off the American." "Holy shit!" "Attack them through the flames!" "The Americans must die, or none of you will live to regret your mistakes." "Dad!" "Dad!" "Doug?" "Doug, is that you?" "Dad!" "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm all right." "Can you walk?" "We haven't got much time." "Come on." "We'll talk later." "Come on." "Come on, dad." "You can make it." "Climb those steps to home, dad." "Send me two brave men, if there are any left among you." "Where's your air support?" "I only came in with chappy Sinclair, but they took him out at..." "Kharem." "Oh, Jesus." "Dad?" "Will the Maverick fire if we're still on the ground?" "I don't know." "I never tried it." "Why?" "'Cause something's about to have us for breakfast." "They got up some mugs." "Doug, just take off." "We'll fight in the air." "Flight commander, this is colonel Nakesh." "Respond immediately." "Yes, minister." "Which member of your squadron is the most heavily armed?" "Major Shirazi, sir." "Full loaded." "Have him land on this field at once." "How much fuel?" "2,100 pounds." "Okay." "You'd better get to the med quick." "Climb as high as you can." "Get down, and get out of your flight suit, now!" "Now call up your stores." "2 sidewinders and 244 rounds." "We'll never reach safety at this speed." "We're burning fuel too fast." "Guess we'll have to take 'em on." "I guess so." "Think you can handle a loop?" "Think you can handle the music?" "All right, dad." "One down, one to go." "Oh, yeah!" "All right." "You may deal directly with me now, colonel Akir Nakesh." "And you can deal with me, Doug masters." "Watch it, son!" "Hey, nice shot, colonel." "Anything else you want to send over?" "Way to fly, Doug." "You are a dead man, do you know that?" "Turn out, Doug." "Turn out!" "Steady up, Doug." "This guy's an ace." "He knows what he's doing." "Don't let him stay behind you." "Move it, Doug!" "Move it!" "Pitch out!" "Pitch away from him!" "Time to die, iron eagle." "Roll out!" "Roll out!" "Okay, dad." "I'm taking this guy out." "Stay with him." "Stay with him." "You own him." "You can take him, Doug." "You can do it." "That's it." "That's it." "Take a steady straight, Doug." "Shit!" "So long, asshole!" "Aah!" "Dad, more mugs!" "I don't think she can take much more of this." "What's our status, Doug?" "Only 30 rounds, 800 pounds of fuel." "You can't face him with 30 rounds." "Better try and outrun him, son." "I hope you're right." "I'm taking her to mach 1." "Dad, we can't keep up this speed much longer." "We'll have to slow down or dump it." "We'll have to face them." "Okay." "I'm ready." "Dad, four more mugs jumping us!" "Pull up hard!" "This is blue leader, do you read?" "They're ours, dad!" "They're Americans!" "Roger, blue leader." "I've got two bandits on my ass." "Can you assist?" "Roger." "We are about to contact the aggressor and verify his intentions." "Attention, unidentified aircraft." "This is major Dwight smiley of the U.S. air force." "You are following one of our I-16s in international airspace." "Do you wish to engage?" "I didn't think so." "Sir, the mugs do not wish to engage at this time." "Were you able to retrieve colonel masters?" "He's right here with me, major." "Congratulations." "Welcome home, colonel." "We were worried sick about you ever since we got the mayday from colonel Sinclair." "We thought you might have gone down with him." "Did you find the wreckage, major?" "Only parts of it, sir." "Scattered all over the med." "We have orders to escort you to ramstein air force base in west Germany." "We have a fuel problem, major." "Well, don't worry about that." "There's a fuel tanker standing by." "Major, would it be okay if we flew the missing man formation for colonel Sinclair?" "We're already in position, sir, and we'd be honored if you'd just ease up in front there and take the lead." "Chappy wanted me to play this for you, dad, as soon as we were safe." "Good morning, colonel masters." "This is colonel chappy Sinclair." "Guess by now you're over the Mediterranean." "Hope you feel good you'll be home soon." "Guess I don't have to tell you what kind of son you got 'cause I'm sure you already know, but I'm sure you'd like to know how he got over to you." "That's kind of complicated." "See, this kid comes up to me one day and tells me he's got a little problem, and could I help him." "He was a cocky little guy." "He kept telling me how good he could fly." "It was nice of you to join us for the occasion, Mr. iron eagle, sir." "Chappy?" "Hey!" "They told us you went down in the med." "I did." "I had to do a little dog paddling for a while, until I got picked up by this Egyptian trawler, but your dad said things didn't go easy for you either, huh?" "Is dad coming to this?" "No, no, no." "He's still in the debriefing." "It's just you and me, kid." "They're going to put us in jail." "You know that, don't you, chap?" "Well, whatever they do, just keep your head up and your shoulders back." "They kind of like it when you stand tall." "Okay, let's go." "Stand at ease." "I've read the statements of all the principals involved in this highly irregular operation." "Both stand accused of violating virtually every section of the national security act." "The penalty for such violations could incarcerate the two of you for the next 25 years." "Have you any idea of the consequences of your actions?" "If the details of this ever came to light, it would seriously undermine the public's confidence in this branch of military service." "What in the hell were we supposed to do, general?" "I mean, no one would lift a finger to help my dad." "Mr. masters, have you given any thought to the penalties that could be imposed on you?" "Yes, sir, I have." "And were those thoughts pleasant?" "No, sir." "I'm glad." "Just keep them in mind because if you talk about this operation to anyone," "I will guarantee you those penalties will be imposed immediately." "Does this mean you're letting us go, general?" "This means your release is conditional on your silence." "I'm begging the general's pardon." "I urge you to reevaluate that decision." "Letting this boy loose would be a big mistake." "He's already demonstrated his inability to keep his big mouth shut." "I would suggest sending him to an institution that can order him to keep that big mouth shut." "Are you saying we should confine the boy to some sort of penal facility?" "Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, sir." "You see, sir, Mr. masters has applied to the air force academy, an institution well-suited for this kind of treatment." "Unfortunately, his application has met with some resistance, and I was wondering if there's any way that you could..." "This aircraft, by special order of the president of the United States, has just arrived from ramstein air force base in west Germany, where colonel Ted masters has been recovering from the rescue operation which freed him from his captors just three days ago." "As we reported earlier, the air force sent a squadron of I-16s to mount a crippling attack on hostile forces." "The operation resulted in no American losses." "Enemy casualties were termed as minor." "In fact, the details of the entire mission have been strictly classified by the state department." "Colonel masters is followed here by air force reserve colonel Charles Sinclair." "Sources close to the air force have uncovered a rumor that colonel Sinclair aided in the planning of the rescue attempt, however we've done some investigating on our own locally and find this to be highly unlikely." "The young man who has just come out is colonel masters' son Doug, who flew over to accompany his father home, and as you can see, he seems to have quite a following here." "Incidentally, we've been told Doug has received an appointment to the U.S. air force academy in Colorado Springs this fall, where he'll be following in his father's footsteps and taking orders from the air force." "Apparently, he's quite a capable young Cessna pilot." "I'm sure he can't wait to experience the thrill of flying some of the more advanced air force jets." "Reporting live for channel 6, this is Jeff Tandwin." "Back to you in the studio." "You did it, man!" "Unbelievable!" "All right!" "I forgot to give these back to you." "Keep them." "You've earned them." "Oh, come on."