Top Control

by Brindled

*Editor's note: please load the video and listen to the song while reading the following preview, for maximum effect



"FanTaSy, we got a problem here!" said the co-pilot. "Picking up two on the sensor tower! Two zergs, not one!"
"Two?!" said FanTaSy.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Shit, he's got a Scourge lock on us!" FanTaSy bellowed.
In the opposing fighter, ByuL flipped open the red thumbstick enabling him to fire.



Back in GSL Command Center, Petty Officer Artosis was listening over the radio. "There's two, Commander Tasteless."
"There's two!?" replied Tasteless.
"Yes, sir!"
Commander Tasteless yanked the red phone up to his ear. "Launch Dear on alert 5!"

---

On the carrier launch pad inside his fighter, Dear gripped the pair of dogtags in his hand tightly. It hadn't been very long that Pigbaby, his fellow protoss and co-pilot, had been taken out. With regret filling his veins, he gripped the dogtags even tighter as he heard the alert call to launch. Flipping on the afterburners, he turned toward the Aircraft Director on the launch pad and flashed the thumbs up sign and a salute through the canopy, indicating he was ready to go and launching.

The fighter surged forward, off the carrier and into the sky. "Dear is airborne," he reported.



"They're both on our tail!" sounded FanTaSy.
"FanTaSy, they're closing into glaive wurm range!" exclaimed his co-pilot.
ByuL pulled the trigger on his main guns, launching glaive wurms at the terran pilot.
"He's firing! Break right!" yelled the co-pilot.
FanTaSy banked his jet as hard as he could to the right, narrowly avoiding the bouncing, parasitic ammunition.

---

FanTaSy radioed into the GSL CC, "Tasteless, this is Terran One, we are completely on the defensive, launch the alert fighters!"
"Where are they?" demanded Tasteless, referring to FanTaSy's jet.
"Sector F and closing fast, sir." replied Artosis.
"Ready PartinG and MMA from Group G." Tasteless commanded to Lieutenant GyuRi.
Dear piped up on the comm chatter. "Dear is supersonic. I'll be there in 30 seconds, FanTaSy."
"Get your ass up here, I'm engaged with two zergs! TWO!" responded FanTaSy.
"Where are PartinG and MMA?" demanded Tasteless to GyuRi.
GyuRi responded, "They're playing in Group G! We can't launch them just yet."
"How long until we can!?"
"Two days."
"Bullshit, two days! This'll be over in less than an hour, even with FanTaSy GG timing!"

---

"We could use some help out here, Dear! Where the hell are you, god damnit?!" exclaimed FanTaSy
Dear arrived on the scene, but not too quickly before Sleep got on his tail.
"Watch out!" said Dear's co-pilot. Dear maneuvered away, narrowly missing collision with ByuL, still hot on the tail of FanTaSy.
"Dear, get in the game! Engage!" encouraged FanTaSy.
"No. It's no....it's no good." replied Dear.
"Dear's disengaging!" said FanTaSy's co-pilot.
"God damnit! I knew it!" shouted FanTaSy.
"God damnit, Dear!" exclaimed Tasteless from the CC.
Dear's co-pilot exasperatedly began yelling and screaming at Dear to get back into the fight.

Dear tuned him out. He knew his comrade's life was on the line, but he just couldn't do it. He was afraid.

But then he looked at Pigbaby's dogtags and remembered. If he shirked now and took the easy way out, FanTaSy could end up like Pigbaby. He had to do this. He gripped the dogtags in his hand tightly once more before he returned to engage the two Zerg fighters.

"Dear's re-engaging sir!" happily exclaimed Artosis, from the CC.

---

"I can't shake him off my tail!" said FanTaSy.
"I got him in my sights, FanTaSy! Dead ahead!" replied Dear.
Dear began radar locking his photon cannons onto ByuL's fighter.
The beeping began steadily and got quicker and quicker until it blared a single, continuous, shrill tone.
"I got pylons in his base, I got pylons in his base! Warping in!" exclaimed Dear.

Dear pulled the trigger and a lethal ball of photon energy launched forth from Dear's fighter, crashing itself into ByuL's jet. In an explosive, fiery ball, ByuL's plane spiraled downward into the sea.

"GG number 1..." stated Dear.
Dear's co-pilot piped up, not letting their short victory distract him, "FanTaSy's below us, he's got another zerg on his tail!"
Sleep pulled the trigger on his guns, sending a spray of glaive wurms at FanTaSy's jet.
FanTaSy's co-pilot hurriedly yelled, "Break left, break left!"
FanTaSy banked left, again barely missing parasitic doom.
The chase continued, but it looked like FanTaSy was slowing down.
"Why are we slowing down?" asked FanTaSy's co-pilot.
"I'm trying to bring him in closer." FanTaSy responded.
"You're what!? Shit he's gonna get a lock on us!"

Sleep was already putting a scourge missile radar lock on FanTaSy's fighter. He flipped the red thumbstick upwards, arming the scourge, awaiting tone to fire.
The tone beeped slowly, then got quicker and quicker again until the continuous tone sounded. Sleep's finger moved to the trigger and—



"NOW!" yelled FanTaSy. FanTaSy and co-pilot hit the airbrakes as quickly as they could, sending the jet in a stalled jerk, rising above and behind their adversary.
All Sleep saw was that his target disappeared right as he was about to pull the trigger. He turned his head upwards toward his six and saw FanTaSy. But it was too late.

"NEVER," exclaimed FanTaSy.
A continuous tone was already emanating from his radar lock.
"SAY"
FanTaSy flipped up the red thumbstick arming his missile.
"GG!"
He pulled the trigger.



A Gemini missile shot out from FanTaSy's jet and smashed dead center into Sleep's spire. Sleep's fighter exploded into multiple pieces, pilot and aircraft no more.



"GG number 2!" exclaimed Dear.

---

FanTaSy's crackled over the radio at GSL CC. "Tasteless, this is Terran One and Protoss One. Both zergs have been destroyed and we're coming home!"

Tasteless and the onboard carrier crew erupted into cheers.
The euphoria followed even after both Dear and FanTaSy landed. Groups of fangirls came out screaming, jumping, and cheering. Dear and FanTaSy enjoyed the moment, until they locked eyes.



"You!" said FanTaSy, pointing his finger at Dear. "You're still dangerous." FanTaSy smiled. "But you can be my fanboy, any time."



Dear smiled back. "Bullshit. You can be mine!"

Both men hugged tightly, amid cheers and celebration.

As both were carried away by groups of rabid fangirls, the sun set sweetly on another day on the high seas, at the GSL CC carrier.

Predictions:
FanTaSy and Dear zoom straight and clear through a highway to the danger zone, all the way to the Round of 16.

ByuL > Sleep
Dear <FanTaSy
FanTaSy > ByuL
Dear > Sleep
Dear > ByuL

FanTaSy and Dear to advance to the Ro16.