can a good girl be a hero

war planes

We climbed the steps and entered the plane. The door was shut and the steps were moved. A solider approached us with something thrown over their arm. Two black jump suits. He handed them to Red and she then handed one to me. She began to pull it on over her own clothes so I copied what she did.  

Red indicated for me to sit down in a small seat behind the pilot and she sat next to me. I never had a fear of flying, but the thoughts of flying into battle, did unsettle me. The other few people on the plane, seemed completely relaxed, given they could be flying off and never returning. One soldier sat down at the back of the plane with several screen in front of them. They had a small panel before them with different switches and buttons.

Turning to Red I asked.

"Red what are the cylinders underneath the plane for?"

"Shooting missiles," She said causally.

"And their job?" I asked looking back over my shoulder to the person in front of the screens.

"For firing missiles. Humans have the Pilots do that too, but our studies have found that having one person in charge of flying and an other in charge of missiles, is more productive. If you have someone is can do a bit of everything, your not going to get the best results. If you have someone who specialises in flying and an other in firing, you have a team that isn't a force to be reckoned," She explained.

Taking a look around, I noticed how there were several other soldiers sitting in seats behind us.

"Why are there so many soldiers on the plane if you only need two?"

"In case something happens to the pilot of missile operator, there are three other people who could take their place. So in all there are at least 8 people on each plane.  

The plane stood still for a moment and suddenly one soldier began to count down from 60.

"One last thing. Our jets are also much faster than human jets, like our cars. It'll be a shock to the system, but you're in good hands," She told me.

That did not make me feel better, but it was better to brace myself. I held on firmly to the arm rest as the counting got closer to 1. I could hear the engine start up. It was more violet than anything I had ever heard from a machine before. On 20, the pilot began to slowly drive forward. Through the window screen, I could see people out on the runway with light sticks, waving in a odd pattern at the pilot. On 13 Red reached across and held my hand.

"Get ready," She whispered.

When they called out ten, the pilot took off at a speed I had never experienced before in my life. I was pushed back as far as I could go in my chair. The soldier continued to count down like normal. I looked at Red, who was completely at ease. I was glad I was doing this with her.

" 3 2 1" They shouted and grabbed for a handle on the wall, to steady themselves.

They plane lifted off the ground, faster then any roller coaster I had ever been on. I felt my heart stop from fright. After a few moments of being completely vertical, the plane began to flatten down. We were in the air about 30 at this break neck speed, when Red turned to me.

"We're flying over the Atlantic now, so it won't be long before the other plane collects us,"

I had completely forgotten that we were being picked up by a different plane and that we were flying into battle. Suddenly, there was a small alarm above our heads.

"Don't panic," Said a steady Red, unstirred by the siren.

She stood from her seat and moved to the back of the plane. I looked around for an explanation. A soldier, who seemed undaunted too, leaned over to me.

"We keep track of all our enemies plane, but sometimes one slips past the radar. That's what's happening now. But don't worry, I've seen her highness handle this before," He told me.

Looking back, Red was leaning over the young girl at the screen. I could see the plane approaching. Turning back I looked out the front window, to see it flying right at us. I unintentionally gasped, but the pilot kept his cool. Looking back at Red, the young girl had started to panic.

"I'm sorry your highness, but I've never had this before," She said.

"Don't worry. You've been trained with how to do this. Wait a few seconds," She encouraged.

The girl went to stand from the seat, but Red, put her hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit down. She took the girls hand and placed it on a button, with her own hand sitting on hers. There were different green lines running across the screen, dividing it into little boxes.

"Wait until it's in that box," Red told her, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"And....now," Red ordered, as she pushed down on the girls hand and pressed the button.

The plane gave a little jolt and there was a loud whistle sound. Everyone looked back out the front window, to see the missile head for the other plane, but they had also shot a missile at us. With no warning, the pilot, flew directly upwards and avoided the bomb, but from the violent explosion from below, the other plane had not been as lucky.

The pilot cleared his troth, to catch our attention. He slowly began to level the plane once again.

"Your highness, we will be flying into battle in about five minutes," He told us.

"Thank you private. Alright Elli, time to go," She told me.