The N Days: Iron skies (On long hiatus)

N Day 1.2

N Day 1.2

Could clear my head up here and think clearly again. The cold northern air sweeping past the gleaming metal of the Spitfire, the wide expanse unfolding below me. Mile after mile of end forest, a carpet of infinite green stretching towards the horizon. Even though I felt peaceful inside, my eyes never strayed from the surroundings, a fatal mistake many rookies made. A Roc or any winged creature could hit you from anywhere and it paid to stay alert. Some days I missed having radar but with the communications grid being knocked out years ago, that wasn't an option anymore. Luckily, Jinx had set up a short wave CB radio between the planes. It wasn't much but it had to do.

"I said boss, you receiving me?" Bishop's voice crackled over the radio in his usual calm and melodious tone.

"I read you, just want to do a sweep over the coast before heading in." I replied, banking the Spitfire steeply. Even though it was damn difficult to see anything in the ruins of old Los Angeles, one would often spot Horde movement or refugees heading to the border. Siriese always said that Intel saves lives, though I would never admit that to her face.

"I don't want to be up here any longer than needs be." Smurf hit back from the white Tornado next to me.

"Just relax and keep your eyes open, we don't want you flying into a mountain like last time." We would often give the big lug uphill on the matter but it was a damn close call. He nearly punched his ticket that day. Going out in the mist with zero visibility and no radar was never a good idea.

"And I'm telling you, there was moth in my helmet!" The agitation clear in his voice as he threw me a well intentioned middle finger.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night. Okay gentlemen, do try to keep up." Throttling up, I felt the Spitfire kick under me, the modified Merlin engines roaring over the sacred silence of the forest. Even though the plane was an easy seventy years older than its modern counter parts, it easily kept pace with the jets. I don't know what Jinx did to it and maybe I don't want to know but the old girl was purring like a kitten and I was falling in love with her all over again. The forest falling away below us as I rose high into the sky, barrelling through the whisper thin grey clouds. I could hear Smurf whooping in delight as he screamed through the air on my wing. Bishop just chuckled to himself but as usual said very little. Even though we were in high spirits and joking around, we never let our guard down. It was unusual for the Horde to be this high up but with the monsters, anything was possible.

"Fuel status?" I asked, checking my gauges again.

"Three quarter tank left, more than enough to get home." Bishop replied stoically, levelling out.

"Same here." Smurf sounded out as we formed on formation.

"Roger that, heading to the hard deck. Eyes open gentlemen, stay frosty." Diving to five thousand meters above sea level, I punched through the veil of clouds and there I saw her. No matter how screwed up our world had become, the Atlantic was always there, calm and unperturbed. The water choppy on the grey morning as the waves broke on the deserted coast. I remember the family holidays on the sundrenched beaches of California and how we would go exploring, looking for hidden rock pools and hidden coastal inlets all the way down to Santa Monica.

"Dammit Ben, forget them now and focus on the mission." I admonished myself, flicking off the safety switch on my control stick. Had to get my mind clear, knowing the Horde would punish any lapses in concentration.

"What's the plan boss?" Bishop asked over the radio, wings shuddering in the sudden coastal mistral.

"Stick to the coast, no sense going into L.A. Then we'll sweep down and then head east over." Everybody knew better than going anywhere near Los Angeles, the place a death trap for any human being stupid enough to wander in there. If the airborne squads of the Horde don't get you, there is always the lunatics on the ground, survivors armed with whatever they could lay their hands on. An RPG could mess up your day in a heartbeat. No, we kept our distance.