Only For You

V) Marion: Mayday

My plane taxied very slowly out to the runway so effortlessly. I controlled the rudders with my feet and the throttle with my hand. Since I don't have 20/20 vision I can't fly the big jets, but here I am still fighting combat.That only occurred because they are hurting for young pilots, no one can fly, at least no one has the brains to fly. I can fly smaller, yet still agile fighter planes. I think part of the fact was because the general was being stingy. I followed those pilots in front of me. My plane lifted off the ground and I could feel the four forces of flight all in action: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. My favorite was and always is drag. Since it was a little windy my feet were doing some heavy rudder work fighting the western breeze.

My eyes began to check all of the instruments and flight data up on the flight deck dashboard. I went over my paperwork once at cruising altitude and prepared to meet my demise. I could hear all of the other pilots over the frequency. I switched over to a different one as commanded by the captain of my FA-135 squadron. The saying always is embedded in my mind, 'you better listen, and you better listen fast.' This frequency was different. I could hear pilots screaming and calling mayday. Would I be one of them? Maybe just so...

I could have swore that I was airborne for about three hours before a necessary refueling needed to take place. We all hunkered down and got some fuel. Needless to say, before I knew it I was airborne again, kissing the sky with my small jet plane. I love flying, but in this instance it was against my own will. It pained me badly. Just where were we going? Death.

I checked the flight time and that didn't exist. They were not going to tell us where we were headed. Everything is purely 'top secret' these days and word gets out about nothing. If word does get out, the individual will expect the death punishment. It appeared that they just didn't want to admit to something -that something has to be something scary. Men continued to scream over frequency. "Lieutenant Wright, are you there?" A voice asked while screaming over frequency.

"Affirmative, this is Lieutenant Wright." I responded. My heart sank when I realized just who that was. It was the poor officer that gave me the necklace. That officer who cared very deeply for me. He has to die too? Why must all people close to me have to die?

His voice shook over the frequency. It was hard to understand what he was trying to convey. "I got shot down. Everything in my plane is failing!" He screamed. "I'm so sorry. I-I like you Marion!" After those words that was the end of him. I cried to myself a little, but I couldn't let this guy get into my head. This was time to focus on the weightier matters -the war. Outside of my cockpit window was a horrific battle. I showed up right in the middle of a battle scene in the air. I cried for help, but no one came for me. Did they just abandon me? The thing that baffles me the most is the fact that those planes were not on the radar system. They just showed up. My plane didn't give me a warning. They were just there and I happened to fly into their air raid. No one from my specific squadron contacted me. I just assumed they were all dead and I was the only one -flying solo. I wiped the remaining tears from my face, took a breath, and pushed the plane to its limits. I could feel the plane resisting my efforts to do so. It did not like me pushing it the furthest it could go.

There was just too much going on for me to keep a solid track on everything. My eyes were darting all over trying to dodge aircraft and bullets. Planes were shooting and planes were crashing. I saw pilots fall out of planes and get torn apart like ravenous wolves tearing apart a Lynx. It just broke my heart. What was I fighting for? This?

I took a breath...

... a deep one...

Fighting back the tears...

I turned the plane a little to what was presumed the east.

Suddenly I heard an explosion and felt something hit my side.

Free falling...

Lights out.