fought to rein in the violently shaking fighter. He keyed the radio transmit button again. "The stick is … beating up … the inside of my thighs."
Through the building roar of turbulence buffeting the airframe, he heard Jake over the radio. "Get away from the ship."
"I don't know … if I can hold on," Victor said, his voice straining as he was thrown against the harness.
Multiple caution and warning lights illuminated, filling the cockpit with their red and amber brilliance. Blaring from his helmet speakers, squealing horns and mounting static drilled into his head. In a cascading collapse, system after system crashed. Still struggling to control his bucking fighter, Vic looked from the flashing warning-lights to the strange ship. "Get the fuck away from me!"
Panic's icy fingers gripped his heart. He squeezed the radio transmit trigger. "My systems are going down. Every damn warning light is flashing!" he shouted into the building static. He couldn't tell if the radio transmitted.
"Mayday, mayday, may—" he screamed. His helmet audio cutoff mid-word as all electrical systems crashed. The cockpit lights faded to black, and the screaming static evaporated.
The fighter's electrically actuated flight controls locked up. Victor struggled with the stick, but his aircraft remained unresponsive. He looked across to the strange ship. "Move!"
A shadow crossed his cockpit. Looking up, he froze. Upside down and on a collision course, Captain Giard's fighter loomed overhead, blocking out the moon.
"Come on!" Victor screamed. Looking across the narrowing gulf, yanking futilely against the flight controls. He tried to slide lower in the fighter's ejection seat.
Light flooded his cockpit, banishing the fighter's shadow. Dragging his eyes from the impending doom and surreal image of Jake looking down on him, he watched the strange ship's ethereal ring of lights grow blindingly bright, then it flashed away from his jet.
A tremendous shockwave threw Victor against his restraints. "Shit!" Somehow the ship's departure knocked his fighter into a flat spin. Knowing Jake was only a few feet away, he cringed.
Alternating waves of light swept through the cockpit as his spinning fighter emerged from under the shadow of Jake's airplane. Looking up, he saw Captain Giard's F-22 rolling away. Victor's momentary elation quashed as his fighter tumbled inverted.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!" his quivering voice squeaked into the dead radio. "Damn it!" he screamed, pounding the lifeless instrument panel.
Following his emergency restart procedures, he flipped switch after switch to no avail.
Knowing he was running out of options and time, he looked up from his upside-down fighter to see the Nevada desert floor way too close. In panic's icy grip, he frantically clawed at the ejection handles. An eternal second later, his fingers wrapped around them. He yanked with all his might.
Nothing! They didn't budge.
"Fuck!" He tugged and yanked several more times
Still nothing!
Inverted, knowing death was imminent, Victor tilted his head back to watch the desert race up and devour him. He blinked, not believing his eyes. The strange ship had returned. It was outside, falling in formation with his fighter. "What the hell?"
Looking past the ship, he realized they weren't falling. They were still descending but at a much slower rate. "Shit," he whispered.
Vic's heart skipped a beat as a loud explosion ripped him from his awed trance. As if belatedly reacting to his ejection handle pulls, the canopy's jettison bolts exploded. Victor squeezed his eyes shut and ducked his head, bracing for the anticipated rush of wind, but it never came. Opening his eyes, he watched the separated canopy float away as if it were in the zero gravity of space.
In spite of the slow-motion fall, Victor could feel the desert growing closer. "Time to get the hell out!" He actuated the seat-belt release, intent on a manual bailout. As soon as the harness unlatched, he felt an odd
Through the building roar of turbulence buffeting the airframe, he heard Jake over the radio. "Get away from the ship."
"I don't know … if I can hold on," Victor said, his voice straining as he was thrown against the harness.
Multiple caution and warning lights illuminated, filling the cockpit with their red and amber brilliance. Blaring from his helmet speakers, squealing horns and mounting static drilled into his head. In a cascading collapse, system after system crashed. Still struggling to control his bucking fighter, Vic looked from the flashing warning-lights to the strange ship. "Get the fuck away from me!"
Panic's icy fingers gripped his heart. He squeezed the radio transmit trigger. "My systems are going down. Every damn warning light is flashing!" he shouted into the building static. He couldn't tell if the radio transmitted.
"Mayday, mayday, may—" he screamed. His helmet audio cutoff mid-word as all electrical systems crashed. The cockpit lights faded to black, and the screaming static evaporated.
The fighter's electrically actuated flight controls locked up. Victor struggled with the stick, but his aircraft remained unresponsive. He looked across to the strange ship. "Move!"
A shadow crossed his cockpit. Looking up, he froze. Upside down and on a collision course, Captain Giard's fighter loomed overhead, blocking out the moon.
"Come on!" Victor screamed. Looking across the narrowing gulf, yanking futilely against the flight controls. He tried to slide lower in the fighter's ejection seat.
Light flooded his cockpit, banishing the fighter's shadow. Dragging his eyes from the impending doom and surreal image of Jake looking down on him, he watched the strange ship's ethereal ring of lights grow blindingly bright, then it flashed away from his jet.
A tremendous shockwave threw Victor against his restraints. "Shit!" Somehow the ship's departure knocked his fighter into a flat spin. Knowing Jake was only a few feet away, he cringed.
Alternating waves of light swept through the cockpit as his spinning fighter emerged from under the shadow of Jake's airplane. Looking up, he saw Captain Giard's F-22 rolling away. Victor's momentary elation quashed as his fighter tumbled inverted.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!" his quivering voice squeaked into the dead radio. "Damn it!" he screamed, pounding the lifeless instrument panel.
Following his emergency restart procedures, he flipped switch after switch to no avail.
Knowing he was running out of options and time, he looked up from his upside-down fighter to see the Nevada desert floor way too close. In panic's icy grip, he frantically clawed at the ejection handles. An eternal second later, his fingers wrapped around them. He yanked with all his might.
Nothing! They didn't budge.
"Fuck!" He tugged and yanked several more times
Still nothing!
Inverted, knowing death was imminent, Victor tilted his head back to watch the desert race up and devour him. He blinked, not believing his eyes. The strange ship had returned. It was outside, falling in formation with his fighter. "What the hell?"
Looking past the ship, he realized they weren't falling. They were still descending but at a much slower rate. "Shit," he whispered.
Vic's heart skipped a beat as a loud explosion ripped him from his awed trance. As if belatedly reacting to his ejection handle pulls, the canopy's jettison bolts exploded. Victor squeezed his eyes shut and ducked his head, bracing for the anticipated rush of wind, but it never came. Opening his eyes, he watched the separated canopy float away as if it were in the zero gravity of space.
In spite of the slow-motion fall, Victor could feel the desert growing closer. "Time to get the hell out!" He actuated the seat-belt release, intent on a manual bailout. As soon as the harness unlatched, he felt an odd
Similar Books
