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Here's the first part of my story Balto: The Race. It's been so long since i posted anything, I thought I would go ahead and post the first part, and then the conclusion. (when I finish it)
So here's the first part of Balto: The Race. ENJOY!
Balto: The Race
Note: This story was inspired by Balto, (copyright 1995), Balto II: Wolf Quest (copyright 2000) and Balto III: Wings of Change(2005) by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. The character’s Shadow, Dash, Melody, Max, Flash, Timbre, Sheik, Lima, Thunder, Shade, Blaize, Lightning, June, Talkeet, Rayne, Gareth, Drake, Ben, Tyrel, James and the events of this story are copyright 2005 by Anthony Rotramel. The other characters are copyright by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Chapter 1
The plane made a gentle purring sound as it slipped through the cool Alaskan air.
"What do you think boy?" Luke said, turning to his dog, who sat in the back seat. "I still say there's nothing like it."
Balto barked in response.
"I know how you feel on the subject boy." Luke said, laughing.
He angled the nose of the plane upward and soared towards the distant clouds, out of the canyon he'd been tracking down.
"Isn't it beautiful boy?"
Balto barked again.
"You know boy, I'm going to have to have a co-pilot on this race coming up..."
He smiled.
"You up to the job?"
Balto barked again, and the young man laughed.
"I swear, sometimes I think you can actually understand what I'm saying."
Luke turned the plane into thirty degrees of bank to the left, headed back toward Nome.
"I tell you Balto, there's nothing like it, nothing at all...."
"THERE'S ONE ON YOUR SIX!" A voice screamed in the young man's head, emanating from the small radio he had on his head.
"LOOK OUT RED FOUR!"
The young man threw his plane into a crazy eight type of pattern, trying to ditch the bogey on his tail.
"I CAN'T SHAKE 'IM!" The young man yelled into his mike, as attempt after attempt failed.
"I'M ON IT RED FOUR, HOLD STEADY AND WAIT FOR MY MARK, THEN ROLL TO THE RIGHT!"
"Hold steady?" The young man thought, "yeah right, with this guy right behind me?"
The young man threw his plane into a series of extremely tight corkscrews, testing both the plane's speed and stress limits as he hurtled toward the ground at more than twice the safety speed.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOUR!" The man's voice screamed in his head again. "ABORT, I SAY AGAIN, ABORT, I'VE GOT 'IM IF YOU PULL UP AND GIVE ME A SHOT!"
"If I pull up I'm dead." The young man thought.
"I SAY AGAIN ABORT! FOUR, THAT'S AN ORDER *****!"
"An order that would get me killed." The man thought, continuing his dive towards the ground. The Piper Cub he was flying could pull out of a dive like the one he was attempting at about one hundred feet off the ground, but any lower and it was real easy to end up smeared on the ground.
The man watched his altimeter tick down slowly, steadily approaching the hundred feet mark.
"RED FOUR WHAT ARE YOU DOING! ABORT!" The radio screamed in his ear again.
The young man looked up to see Red one closing on the bodey on his tail.
"Go for it!" He thought.
"OH NO, THEY'RE HERE! BOGEY, ADDITIONAL BOGEY'S AT 12 O' CLOCK!"
The trio of planes flew by the fighting diving planes and the young man's radio crackled to life.
"Congratualtions Lieutenant, you're dead, and in violation of orders that could have saved your life. You'll be lucky if the Major keeps you this time, set your plane down and reporrt to him, ASAP!"
"Yes Captain.." Luke said, as he keyed his mike and set the landing transponder.
"How am I going to get out of this one?" Luke thought....
"... Yes sir, nothing like it." Luke said as he finished the turn, evened the wings, and gunned the engine, heading for home.
Young Lieutenant Luke Tyie walked into the Major's office with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What if they do kick me out?" He thought.
He'd been through so much to get into flight school in the first place, he couldn't quit, not now.
Luke walked into the Major's office.
The Major was probably in his thirty's, though no one at the school knew, as he never was very friendly, and didn't associate with the junior officers much. The major was currently watching another group of students flying in tight formation by the window.
Luke came to the position of attention and saluted.
"Second Lieutenant Luke Tyie reporting as ordered sir."
The Major continued to watch the planes fly past, hands clasped behind his back.
After a few moments he spoke.
"You been watching them Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir." Luke replied.
"You see that, that kind of flying requires not only skill in an airplane, which you do have, but also strict adherence to orders and the ability to rely on your fellow pilot's with your life, which you seem to be sorely lacking."
"Sir if I could explain..." Luke started.
The Major whirled around.
"NO LIEUTENANT, NO! I 'M TIRED OF YOUR EXPLANATIONS, WHAT YOU DID WAS RECKLESS, IT COULD... IT WILL GET MY MEN KILLED!"
The Major straightened out his shirt as he sat down behind his desk.
"Take a seat Lieutenant."
"Yes sir." Luke said, stepping back and sitting in the chair that was all to familiar to him.
"Leiutenant, what am I supposed to do with you." The Major said, running his fingers through his brown hair. "I wouldn't even dream of sending you into combat, you'd get yourself, or more importently someone else killed. You're a show off, a selfish show off who thinks that he can take care of himself out there, and that's not possible, not even conceivable, without your men there with you, you're dead. Hell, even I can't take on the Axis by myself, so you sure can't."
The Major paused.
"So you see I'm at a loss here. I hate to lose you, you have a good set of instincts, all of those that keep pilots alive, but you can't control yourself, and that's dangerous, especially with the war going on now, we need every pilot we can get, and we can't have a bunch of lone wolves out there, we need packs. You've got to learn to work with your team, and I don't think you will. It's my intention right now to transfer you to the ground forces."
The Major sighed, but his next statement was required by law.
"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Luke stood up.
"Yes sir."
"How did I know?" The Major said. "What is it?"
"Major Thomas sir," Luke started. "I'd like another chance."
"Why would I do that?" The Major asked, "This is the fifteenth time this month you've been in my office."
"Well sir, I come from a small farm in Arkansas sir, and all the folks back home say that I won't make it, that a country boy like myself wouldn't be able to understand how to fly one of them planes, and... and I had to go through so much to get here sir, well... I can't just quit sir, I can't go home without my wings."
The Major sighed.
"You're from Arkansas?"
Luke nodded.
"Born and raised sir, and flying is the best thing that ever happened to me, please sir, don't take it from me."
"Tell you what Luke." The Major said, "I'm going to give you one more chance, you read me, ONE more chance, you screw up again and you're out of this program, do you understand Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir!" Luke said.
"I know a little about Arkansas myself," the major said, "I was a farm boy no one believed in too."
"Really sir, what part?"
"Up around Jonesbourogh." The Major said. "You know where that is?"
Luke smiled.
"Yes sir, why we used to go up there all the time to hunt and fish."
"Well just you remember what I said." The Major said, standing. "You foul up one more time, and I mean the smallest thing, you're out of here, understand."
"Yes sir!" Luke said.
"You're dismissed Lieutenant." The major said, clasping his hands behind his back and turning to the window once more....
Luke landed the plane on snow beside his cabin.
"Seems like so long ago..." He thought.
Luke killed the engine and hopped out of the plane.
"Come on boy, we've got a race to win tomorrow, and that means an early morning, at least for me anyway, unless you can turn a socket or fuel the plane."
Luke laughed.
"Okay boy, well I'm going to bed, I'll see you tomorrow."
Luke grabbed his flight bag and walked to the cabin.
Balto watched him for a moment, and then took off down the street.
Balto padded up to the door of Jenna's home not ten minutes later.
He stopped on the porch and scratched on the door.
Presently Jenna's head poked out of the doggy door.
"Oh hey Balto!" She said. "Come inside."
Balto smiled, and as her head dissapeared back inside the door, stepped through it.
"Hey dad!"Sheae yelled as she bounded over a chair and ran to her father's side.
"Whoa there." Balto said, laughing, "Don't hurt yourself."
She laughed.
"It's good to see you dad."
"You too." He responded.
He looked around for a minute, then turned to his daughter.
"Hey Sheae um... can I talk to your mother alone?"
She nodded.
"Yeah dad."
She walked into the living room, leaving Balto and Jenna alone in the kitchen.
"What is it Balto?" Jenna asked.
"I was just thinking, maybe you'd want to go with me tomorrow?"
Jenna sighed.
"Balto, you know how I feel about that. Please?"
"Alright." Balto said, "but you really should go, it's the most amazing thing..."
"I know Balto, you tell me this everytime you go up, I just don't want to."
Balto nodded.
"Okay..."
"Balto please don't look so down, you really shoudn't be surprised."
"I know..." Balto replied.
"Can I go?"
Balto turned to see Sheae standing in the doorway.
"Sheae, I thought your father asked to speak to me alone." Jenna said. "What are you doing in here?"
"I overheard you talking, and I want to go dad, I think it looks..."
Jenna cut her off.
"Absolutely not." She said, "I don't want your father going up there, but I sure won't let my kids endanger themselves."
Sheae looked angry, then turned to her father.
"Dad?"
Balto looked at Jenna.
The look on her face sent Balto this message: "Say yes.... and I'll kill you."
"You heard your mother..." Balto said.
"But I'm old enough to take care of my..."
Jenna cut her off again.
"Sheae, be quiet about it, your arguing is going to get you nowhere."
Sheae sighed and turned towards the stairs.
"You never let me do anything like an adult you always treat me like a pup, well I'm not anymore!"
She ran upstairs.
Jenna sighed.
"See what you caused?"
"She going to be alright?" Balto asked.
Jenna smiled and shook her head.
"She'll be fine."
"So I was thinking that I'd stay here tonight." Balto said.
"Well," Jenna said, "I'm afraid on such short notice I can't guarantee you a bed..."
Balto smiled and walked into the living room.
"I'll just sleep right here." He said.
"Jenna walked in and smiled.
"So you're taking my bed huh?"
Balto smiled.
"I didn't say anything about kicking you out of it."
Jenna laughed.
"Let's go get something to eat Balto."
Balto nodded.
'Yeah I'm actually kind of hungry myself."
The two dogs walked side by side into the kitchen.
Chapter 2
Balto walked home pretty slowly the next morning, Jena at his side.
The two of them had stayed up late last night talking, and Balto was tired, but with all the things that had happened to them it was a huge miracle that he was able to talk to her at all, so he didn't mind being tired.
The two of them stopped alongside the cabin.
Balto could see the plane in the back yard, and Luke running around it, getting everything set for the race.
"I better get over there." Balto said.
Jenna nodded and sighed.
"I suppose you have to go, just... just be careful Balto."
He smiled.
"I will Jen, don't worry."
She sighed.
"You know I will."
Balto nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
"I love you Balto."
He smiled and nuzzled her.
"I love you too Jen."
He stepped back from her.
"Wish us luck."
She smiled faintly.
"Good-luck," she said, "I'll be watching for you."
Balto nodded.
An awkward moment of silence passed between the two, before Balto stepped back again.
"Well... bye."
He turned and ran toward the plane.
"Bye Balto..." Jenna said. Then she turned and ran back to the house.
"There you are boy." Luke said as the gray dog padded through the snow toward him. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to do this thing solo."
Balto barked.
"Late night last night?" Luke asked smiling.
Balto yawned and Luke laughed.
"I guess so." He said, putting his bag into the plane. "Well, let's go boy, don't want to be late for the start."
Balto hopped up on the wing and sat in the passenger's seat.
Luke walked around and cranked the prop.
The plane's engine roared to life and Luke hopped over the side and into the pilot's seat, pulling the goggles down over his face.
"Here we go." He said, taxing the plane forward until he reached takeoff speed. Then pulled the plane's nose slightly upward until they were airborne. He continued to climb until the altimeter read 500 feet MSL, and then turned the plane west, headed towards town.
The young Lieutenant walked into the spacious hanger with not a little unease.
This was his first combat duty station, after three years of bouncing him back and forth through the various training schools, he'd finally been assigned to Europe, where he'd get the chance to test his honed combat skills against the Axis Powers.
He was supposed to report in to the CO in half an hour, and had just dropped off his gear in the barracks.
He walked toward the office at the end of the hangar and received more than a few strange looks from the grease stained men that wandered around the hangar.
When he reached the CO's hatch he knocked twice and waited for a response.
"Come in." A deep voice said from within.
He opened the door and stepped inside, coming to attention and saluted.
"First Lieutenant Luke Tyie reporting for duty sir."
"At ease Lieutenant," the man behind the desk said. "Have a seat."
"Yes sir." Luke said, sitting in the chair in front of the desk.
"First of all," the Colonel said. "You don't have to worry about saluting anymore. You're in a combat zone now, and that identifies us as superiors of the unit, which makes us targets for snipers."
"Sorry sir." Luke said.
"That said, I'm glad to have you aboard." The Colonel said. "I've heard a lot of good things about you, I hope you're the pilot they say you are."
"I'll do my best sir."
The Colonel laughed.
"I guess that's all we can ask of you, isn't it?"
Luke laughed.
"Anyway, I trust you've already gotten squared away at the barracks."
"Actually no sir, I dropped off my things and came straight here."
"Well, why don't you take care of that first, and then come back here, and I'll give you your combat briefing."
"Yes sir." Luke said.
Silence.
"Well go on son." The Colonel said.
"Oh... yes sir." Luke said.
He stood up and walked out the door.
Luke was headed for the barracks, when a voice stopped him.
"Lieutenant Tyie?"
He turned.
"Major!"
"How ya doin' son?" The Major said as he slapped a hand on Luke's back hard enough to make the young man stumble.
"Pretty good sir."
"I heard they were sending you over here, you want to see your plane?"
"Yes sir." Luke said.
"You can drop the sir out here." The Major said, "just call me Tom."
"Okay... Tom."
Tom walked him over to a plane that was being cleaned out.
"That's it." He said.
Luke gulped.
The men were cleaning blood out of the interior.
"What happened to it?" Luke asked.
"Well, it's former owner Pappy met his end last run, and managed to ditch it in the ocean. It's a fine plane though, carried him for a long time.
A look came over the Major's face then, a look that Luke would learn all too soon. The ground pounders called it the thousand yard stare. It’s the look of a man who's seen combat.
"Well, I heard you did a fine job out there."
"Yes si... Tom." He said.
The Major laughed.
"Gonna take some getting used to, huh?"
Luke laughed.
"Yeah." He said. "What brought you over here?"
"Son, I was meant to do one thing, and that is lead men, and if I can do it in combat, save some lives, so much the better."
Luke nodded.
"Well, I'm your squad leader, Red One, and you're Red Three, so go get your things marked, get squared away in the barracks, and I'll see you later to take this baby up and see what you can do with her."
Luke smiled.
"I'll be looking forward to it sir."
"What?" The Major said, turning to him.
"Oh.... sorry... Tom.
` Tom laughed.
"Just get out of here."
"Alright." Luke said, turning and hurrying off towards the barracks.
"... and for the sake of the Gods, change out of that dress uniform!" The major yelled after him.
Luke sat in his plane on Main Street, waiting for the signal. There were four other planes behind him, they'd all run a qualifying run, and Luke had won, earning him the first spot. Behind him was a female named Leslie, a rarity among pilots, who had gotten second, and behind her, two more guys Luke knew from the war.
"I tell you boy this is the greatest feeling in the world, the time right before a race."
Balto knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd felt the same way right before a dog sled race.
He barked.
"There you go again boy." Luke said. "I swear people must think I'm crazy talking to a dog."
Balto leaned over the front seat and licked Luke's cheek.
The young man laughed.
"Alright boy, you're worth it."
He patted Balto on the head.
"As soon as they get ready back there we'll be off." He said. "Gosh I wish they'd hurry up."
"That's about it Leslie!" The man below said.
"Go ahead and start it up!" She yelled at him.
Her brother walked to the front of the plane and spun the prop.
The small plane roared to life.
"On the sidelines Jenna sat with her family, well, all but her father, the plane's engines hurt his ears, he was back a little further.
"Flash is right, they sure are loud." Max said.
Jenna nodded.
"Well hun, I'm going to go sit with your father, don't want him to be all alone."
Jenna nodded.
"I'll be over there as soon as they take off."
Max smiled and walked through the forest of legs to the back where Flash sat in the window of the general store with Gemeni and Duke.
"I'm going to go with her Mom." Likea said.
"Alright, just wach out," Jenna said. "I don't need you getting stepped on."
Likea rolled his eyes.
"I'll be fine Mom."
Then he smiled.
"Hey grandma wait up!"
He took off running toward Max.
"It's not fair." Sheae said.
Jenna sighed.
"I don't want to hear it Sheae, you know what the answer is already, let's just watch the show."
Sheae sighed.
"Oh hi Jenna."
Jenna turned to see Dixie and Sylvie standing behind her.
"Hi guys." She said.
"Balto with Luke?" Dixie asked.
Jenna smiled.
"Of course."
Slyvie shivered.
"He's braver than I am,"
Jenna laughed.
"Yeah, me too."
"I could do it." Sheae thought as she watched the humans crank up their planes. "Mom's such an idiot sometimes."
She saw the man start Leslie's plane, and noticed something...
The cargo hatch was open.
She looked over and saw her mother was still talking to Dixie and Sylvie.
"I'll show you." She thought. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions."
She ran out onto the street and jumped into the open compartment.
Jenna laughed to herself as she watched Dixie and Sylvie disapear into the crowd.
"It's been a while since I talked to them." Jenna thought.
"Those two are nuttty as ever huh Sheae.
She waited for a response.
Nothing.
She turned.
"Sheae?"
Her daughter was nowhere to be seen.
"Sheae where are you?!" Jenna said, turning circles trying to find her daughter.
"When I find her I'm gonna kill her." Jenna thought.
It was then that she stopped spinning and saw something that made her blood run cold.
It was a gray tail, sticking out of an open cargo compartment in the plane behind Luke's.
"Sheae!" She yelled.
She started to run out into the street, but Roger stopped her.
"No Jenna, you don't need to be out there, you might get hurt."
Jenna sat down and sighed.
A man ran out to the plane.
"Maybe he saw her." Jenna thought.
He ran up and shut the compartment, just as the tail pulled itself inside to avoid getting smashed.
"Be careful sis!"
"OH NO!" Jenna thought.
The signal was given, and Luke's plane taxied down the street, followed by the other three.
Jenna watched as they soared up into the air.
"When she gets back... she's dead." Jenna thought.
She turned and walked back to the general store.
Chapter 3
Balto was flying!
He loved flying.
Currently they were in second, Leslie had pulled ahead of them about three miles out of town, and now they were speeding toward the plane. He could see it now.
Balto looked out the side of the plane and saw the clouds far below.
Then he picked up motion off to thier right.
"What is that?" Balto thought.
It looked like a pack of planes, about fifty of them, or more."
"What are they doing out here?" Balto thought.
"Racer two, this is racer one," Luke said into his radio. "Be advised that there are several unknown aircraft to our right."
"I see them, so what?" Came racer two's reply. "You want me to set down so you can pass me?"
Luke became more serious that Balto had ever seen.
"No, I say again they of unknown type and origin, it might be a good idea for all of us to set down and wait for them to pass."
"... and give you a chance to get another start?" She said. "Not a chance."
Balto watched as the planes banked off course and headed at them.
"I'm serious." Luke said. "I'm going to advise the otehr racers of the situation and then contact the army/air corps in White mountain, I say again you should set down. There's not supposed to be any patrols or anything in this area, and that looks like a fighting formation."
"What?" The female said. "This is racer two, don't tell me this is one of your war stories racer one."
"I'm serious!" Luke yelled. "Abort your position and descend, at least fall into that canyon below us, that'll put you below them,"
"It'll slow me down too." The female said.
"I'm going to do the same." Luke said. "Please racer two, set down."
"Not a chance."
Luke hit the console.
The planes were nearing them now.
"Those aren't..."
Luke stopped speaking as orange flames spouted from the lead plane's nose.
"They're... they're shooting at me!" Racver two called back.
"I told you!" Luke yelled back.
"I'm advising the air corps of the situation, drop into that canyon and you may be able to out maneuver them."
"Will do."
Luke switched the frequency on the radio.
"This is Luke, John you on?"
A moment of static ensued as Luke waited for a response.
"This is John come back, I say again..."
Luke cut him off.
"John!"
"Is that you Luke?" The voice said.
"Yes, I have bogeys!"
"What?" John asked.
"We're being fired on!"
"By who?" John said.
Luke sighed and swore.
"I don't know!"
"Okay, Okay, take it easy." John replied.
Just then the second plane turned on it's right wing and dove at them.
Balto heard a rapid series of pops, and five holes appeared
in the side of the plane.
"For the love of..."
Luke fliped his plane into a downward corkscrew. diving at the ground.
"Are you sure it's not kids with firecrackers or something?" John said.
"Would there be holes in my plane if they were firecrackers!" Luke shouted back. "For god's sake I think I know the difference!"
"Well... Okay," John said. "I'm routing the message up to my commander, stick tight until I can get through, I'll send you a call back."
"Alright," Luke yelled, "but hurry!"
Balto's heart was racing, and he ducked into the plane as the plane peeled off from the others, following them.
Luke pulled the plane up sharply and their pursuer shot past them.
"A red circle..." Luke said.
The radio crackled to life.
"I'm scrambling the fighters Luke, just hold on red three."
"Red three?" Balto thought.
"Good to go eagles nest." Luke said. "But you better tell them to hurry!"
"They are Luke they are, four planes already in the air, ETA five minutes.
"Red Three out."
Luke flipped off the radio and dove toward the ground again.
Balto heard another series of pops, and heard a snap.
He realized as Luke threw the plane into another corkscrew that light was filtering through seven holes in the fueslage right above his head.
The snap had been one of the bullets passing right by his head.
Balto curled up in the bottom of the plane.
"I'm glad Jenna didn't come now." he said to himself, "or Sheae for that matter. At least they're home safe."
Sheae was used to the gentle purring of the plane's engine, and it was lulling her to sleep.
"This isn't so bad." She said. "Mom was all worried for nothing."
She was about to fall asleep when the plane rurned abruptly to the right, slamming her hard against the wall of the fuselage.
A series of holes stitched their way across the all in front of her.
Now she was scared.
"What the heck was that!" She screamed.
The plane turned on it's side again, and she slid into the other wall.
"Why'd I do this?" She said."Why didn't I listen to Mom?!"
Another series of pops sounded, and she felt the plane shudder, and turn downward.
The cargo compartment soon filled with smoke, and it was hard for her to breathe.
She heard another ten or so pops, and more holes appeared in the plane above her head.
She was vaugly aware of a burning in her shoulder.
Then the plane jolted, slid, and slammed to a stop, throwing Shea into the wall again.
This time the impact brought no pain, only comforting blackness.
Balto watched, as the plane that was following them continued to shoot at them.
Several holes appeared in the tail.
Luke threw the plane into a flip that turned them upside down, and if it hadn't been for the restraints that Luke always tied to him when they flew, Balto wouldn've fallen to his death.
As he gazed at the gruond far below, he came to the conclusion that maybe Jenna was right, maybe it wasn't a good idea to be this far off the ground.
He saw Fire erupt from the front of the females plane as the engine was shredded by teh fire from the plane that was dogging it.
Smoke poured from the destroyed engine, and the plane nosed down into the forest, where it disapeared into the trees.
The plane that had shot at it pulled out of his dive and headed back to the formation that had proceeded past them.
Luke keyed the radio.
"Racer three this is racer one you recievin' me?"
"Go ahead racer one." A voice said.
"We're under fire, set down and qait for further instructions, racer two is down, repeat, put down and wait for further instructions from the Army/Air Corps.
"Is this some kind of joke racer one?"
"If you consider racer two as probably dead funny, then yes, this is the biggest joke in the world... she just went down in flames."
The radio was silent.
The plane behind them fired again, and balto saw holes not two inches from Luke's head appear in the plane.
Luke swore and turned the plane on it's side again, diving into the canyon below.
The radio crackled to life again.
"I'm down racer one, racer four is advised and looking for a place to set down."
"Great!" Luke yelled back, as he righted the plane, which was now screaming down a very narrow canyon.
"Transmit your location to the following frequency: 120.34, I say again, 120.34!"
Luke tipped the plane on it's right wing and screamed around a bend in teh canyon, makign Balto's stomach jump into his throat.
The plane fired again, and Balto felt pieces of rock spray on his shoulder.
He ducked down into the plane again.
Luke turned to him.
"Stay down boy!"
He tipped the plane up straight once more to make yet another hairpin turn.
Luke patted the panel in front of him.
"Hold together baby, hold together."
He keyed the comm again.
"You got that racer three?"
"Got it." Racer three called back.
Luke saw a turn up ahead that he couldn't possibly make.
"To return to the sky is to die." Luke thought. "But to try that turn is certain death too."
He nosed the plane out of the canyon.
The plane behind him let loose another burst, and the altimeter in front of Luke shattered.
Luke swore again and jerked the yoke up, pointing the nose of the plane upward.
More holes appeared in the fueselage.
Luke swore again and threw the plane downward.
He keyed the comm.
"Racer two, com in, Racer two advise me of your position and situation."
Balto heard nothing but the hissing of the radio.
"Race two?"
Nothing.
After five minutes Luke slammed the switch on the radio.
"Come on John." He said.
Suddenly Balto heard a different popping and Luke cheered.
He stuck his head above the fuselage to see holes stitch their way down the plane behind them, through the pilot, and into the engine.
The plane exploded, and Luke pulled the plane out it's dive, leveling off.
The other planes were nowhere to be seen.
Luke keyed the comm.
"Thanks a million buddy."
"Luke is that you?"
"Yeah Birdy, it's me."
"What kind of plane is that to fly into combat?" The man said back.
Luke laughed.
"You have no idea."
It was about midnight when Lukie first heard the siren.
He swore and jumped up, throwing on his uniform and running out of the barracks, headed for the hangar.
He could see and hear enemy planes in the air.
"Here goes nothing..." He thought.
He jumped into his plane and saw Tom jump in his as well.
Luke started up the engine, running through the checklist at lightspeed.
His radio crackled to life.
"Red group check in." Tom said.
"Red Two here." Birdy said.
Luke keyed his comm.
"Red three Standing by."
"Red four ready to roll."
The tower came in then.
"Red group, cleared for takeoff, get into the air and...."
The transmission stopped and Luke looked back to see flames erupt from the top of the tower.
"All right men." Tom said. "That leaves us alone. Red group proceed to take off, blue group follow us, and green squadron after them, got it.
He recieved an affirmative reply from the three leaders.
"Red group let's roll!"
The four planes taxied out onto the field.
As they were taxiing Luke saw a puff of brown dust as bullets thudded into the ground around him, then he saw Red Four's plane tip over on one wing, spin in two circles, and then explode in a mssive fireball.
"Jesus..." Tom said. "Red group get airborne, NOW!"
Luke looked down and saw that he was nowhere near the minimum take off speed.
He kicked in full flaps and felt the plane lurch into the air.
"Red Three airborne!" he said.
"Good to hear it." Tom said. "Red Group, this is Red Leader, form up on me, three stack, then engage the enemy at will."
There was a long pause.
"Good luck men, and may god be with you."
Then the radio went silent, and all of a sudden there was abogey right in front of Luke.
He peeled off from the formation and fired.
The plane exploded in front of him.
"Always the show off eh Red Three."
Luke keyed his comm.
"Of course Red Leader."
"You remember what I said about staying together all those years ago?"
"Yes sir." Luke said.
"Form up on me, you're my wing," the Major said. "Keep good dispersion son... I hope you took that advice to heart..."
Luke heard a scream over the radio and saw Red Two's plane crash into the ground, covered in flames.
"...that's why."
Blue group got airborne then, and soon Green squandron followed.
The air was full of zipping, juking planes.
That night Luke earned his thousand yard stare.
After his fith bogey fell out of the sky, his radio crackled to life once more.
"Always the showoff, the Major said. "Congratulations Luke, you're an instant ace."
Luke felt his plane jerk, and saw a line of holes stitch their way down his fueslage.
He turned and saw th faint silouhette of a juking plane behind him.
"I got one on my six!" he yelled.
"I've got him, stay on your present fourse and give him a difficult target." Came the Major's reply.
"Just like in training..." Luke thought.
He juked the plane back and forth, as yellow tracer rounds cut through the night sky all around him.
"Hurry up!" Luke said.
"Almost there.... got him."
Luke saw a ball of flame erupt on his right, and an enemy plane crashed to the ground.
"Thanks Red Leader."
"I've picked one up." The Major said. "I can't shake him, you got him Red Two?
Luke scanned the night sky, but saw nothing.
"I don't see him Red Leader."
The blackness was suddenly pierced by yellow tracers once more.
Luke could see the silouhetee of an enemy plane right behind Red Leader, as it fired again about four hundred yards to the right.
"I see him and will intercept Red Leader." Luke called back. "Just hold on sir."
Luke saw a small flame start in the back end of Red Leader's plane as he turned his plane on it's right wing, in a nintey degree bank.
"You've got flames Red Leader."
"Really?"
Luke saw the plane in his sights, and pulled the trigger.
The tracers shot past the juking plane.
"I can't get a fix on him sir!" Luke said.
He fired again, with similar results.
Luke pulled in behind the bogey, and he turned his plane upside down, Luke's bullets thudding into the underside.
"I hit him sir but not good enough."
Luke pulled his plane in a similar turn, and started coming back up at the plane, firing as he went.
Several of the bullets stitched the wing, and the pilot lipped his plane again.
He fired.
The Major's tail disentegrated.
"Red Leader!" Luke yelled.
"I'm still here Red Three, but not for long, I'm gonna have to put her down, the elevator's shredded, and locked in a dive."
"Got it sir!" Luke said, following the two planes as they careened down into the clouds.
"Luke..."
"Go ahead Red Leader."
"If I... If I don't make it out of this, there's a letter, under my rack..."
"I'll see that it gets to your family." Luke said, "but we're not going to have to worry about that, you're going to be fine."
Luke centered the plane in his sights, and held the trigger.
The enemy's tail came apart, and the bullets continued to stitch down the side, until they must've hit the fuel tank, because the plane exploded.
"I got him sir!"
"No good."
"What?" Luek said.
"The plane's locked into a dive... can't pull out."
"Sir?"
"Look Luke... The letter is addressed to my wife, send it, and let her know what happened."
"Sir?"
Suddenly the ground was there!"
Luke pulled up, and watched, helplessly as, at over three hundred miles an hour, Red Leader's plane slammed into the ground.
"NOOO!" Screamed into his Comm.
"Luke, this is Blue Leader. You're Red Leader now, what do we do?"
Luke was at a loss, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Red Three?"
"I got it." Luke said.
"All of you form up on me, we're going to run these Krauts out of our sky."
Well, that's all I've got for now. I hope to have the conclusion done soon. We've got another four day weekend coming up, so I should *crosses fingers again* have it done on tuesday of next week, but we'll see. This one's been REALLY HARD to write! I don't know why...
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and as always, don't be afraid to tell me what you think!
- Rotramel the Writer (formerly Rotramel USMC)
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