I Hate the Way...

Part 23: "That's a Hit"

"Two of you will fly, while the rest of you remain on standby."

Hope and the other fighter pilots sit in the hangar, a Captain explaining the parameters of the mission.

It's Hope, Raf, Maya, Jed, Kaleb, and only a few others. That's how they know this mission is risky. Dangerous. Most of the aviators here are supernatural, faster reflexes, more durable.

"Phase one of the mission: low level entry attacking in a two-plane team."

He shows an image on the screen, a map of the route.

"Radar-guided surface-to-air missiles guard the area. They're lethal. But, they're designed to protect the area above surface level, not below. So, you'll fly along this narrow canyon to your target."

And the canyon is narrow. Below the legal fly zone. You'd have to be crazy to take on a mission like this.

"Your altitude will be 100 feet, maximum. If you exceed this altitude, radar will spot you, and you're dead. Your airspeed: 660 knots, minimum. Time to target: two and a half minutes. Fifth generation fighters wait at an enemy airbase nearby. If you take too long, you give these pilots a chance to catch up to you, and a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18s...let's say the odds would not be in your favor. You need to get in, get your target, and get out before these planes even have a chance of catching up to you."

A few of them exchange looks, silently agreeing with each other: this is madness. It's simply not possible.

"Then there's phase two, the most difficult part of the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a deep dive. Two things have to happen for this to be successful. Two F-18s will fly. Teamwork and precise coordination of the aircrafts is essential to the mission's success and your survival. Your target is a weapons plant in an underground bunker. The plant is between two mountains. On final approach, you'll invert your aircraft directly into a steep dive down the mountainside. This will allow you to maintain your low altitude before you evert and form the only possible attack angle. The target is less than four meters wide. The first aircraft will breach the target by dropping a laser-guided bomb on an exposed hatch for the bunker ventilation. This will create the needed opening for the second pilot, who will deliver the kill shot and destroy the target. If either misses, the mission will fail. After deploying your bomb, you will egress. It's a steep, high-G climb out of the valley to avoid hitting the mountain. You'll be pulling at least 9 G's—"

It's an impossible acceleration, "The accepted stress limit for F-18s is 7.5, sir," Maya poses, her tone presenting the statement as more of a question.

"Yes, but to survive this mission, you'll pull beyond that...You'll be pulling so hard, your weight will be close to 2,000 pounds. Your skull will be crushing your spine. Your lungs will feel like there's an elephant sitting on your chest. You'll have to fight with everything in you to stay conscious. If you make it out of the valley without crashing into the mountain, you'll have no choice but to climb above enemy radar. Within seconds, missiles will fire at you. You'll be forced to use your flares to fend them off before you're able to return to base."

Raf voices everyone's concern, "Is this humanly possible, sir?"

"No. That's why you're here." He glances toward Hope.

Her track record is well known to even the highest officials. She has a tendency to approach the most impossible missions, and she completes them and makes it back home safely. They believe if anyone can pull this off, it'll be her.

"Today you'll fly a route in your navigation system that simulates the canyon. The faster you navigate the canyon, the harder it will be to stay below radar. The tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity on your body multiplies, compressing your lungs, forcing the blood from your brain, impairing your judgement and reaction time. For today's practice flights, we'll ease the parameters a bit. Max ceiling, 300 feet. Time to target, 3 minutes..."