Jenny in the Sky

When They Don't Come Back

Bring bring.

Nemo reacted so fast, Jenny could've sworn he'd been attacked. He grabbed the phone and shoved it to his mouth, stretching the wire dangerously taunt. Every man in the room held their breath.

"Yes," he said " Yes, yes. Right away." The phone clicked back into place.

"Another raid?" she asked. Nemo nodded. The surrounding men jumped to their feet, hastily pulling on jackets.

"Good luck!" Jenny called as they fled the room, boots pounding the waxed floor. They had all been called for action from the control room. Whenever men were needed to fight, a message was sent across the phone to alert the pilots. Living out daily life, waiting to be called up at any moment, shredded the nerves of the men far more than the average dogfight would.

Jenny picked up a book from the table, scanning the blurred letters, her mind far from rest. It was painful, whenever her friends left, to just sit and wait.

The grandfather clock ticked slowly, as if it enjoyed slowing time down, just to see her agitated reaction. Jenny's fingers itched. She needed to do something. Anything that didn't involve sitting and trying to read.

Phyllis found her two hours later cycling up and down the same road.

"Jenny!" she cried, swinging a wicker basket "I've brought food!"

Jenny slowed the bike down, and hopped off. She flung the lid off the basket and pulled out a packet of biscuits.

"How on earth did you get the rations for these?" she asked, mouth full of crumbs.

Phyllis lifted herself onto the wall, and sat there, swinging her legs. "I've been saving up for an emergency."

The girls sat side by side, coats unbuttoned to the wind and crunching through biscuits. The nearby trees discarded blossom, allowing it to sweep across the dirt tracked streets, catching on pebbles and bushes. A petal skirted over the biscuit packet, laying to rest under Jenny's thumb.

"They'll be alright, you know," said Phyllis "even if something happens, they'll still be with us. They know the risks, and that makes it all the more noble."

Jenny fiddled with the petal, caressing it's silky surface. She scowled angrily.

"What is nobility, Phyllis? No, I mean it, tell me. What is nobility?" she snapped, leaping to her feet. "People keep saying 'Oh how noble our soldiers are. See how they fight for their country. See how they protect us.' But what do they mean by noble?"

Phyllis shrank back.

"I- I think," she paused, thinking slowly "I think nobility is risking yourself for those you care about."

Jenny slumped back on the wall. She grabbed another biscuit and stared at it dismally.

The slow drone of aircraft buzzed into hearing.

"They're here!" cried Phyllis in relief. The girls wheeled Jenny's bike back, and rushed to the meeting room. Jenny swept her eyes over the assembled pilots, and her grin faded.

"Nemo," she whispered. The men glanced at each other.

"Nemo," she asked "Where's Nemo?"

The silence told it all.

She slumped into a chair and burst into tears. Hot balls of salt trickled down her face, pressured into her face with angry palms. A burst of static was flung from the radio, mocking her distress.

"He was shot down over a German airfield," one of the men explained "We saw the plane fall."

The radio sparked again. Phyllis grabbed Jenny round the shoulders, and lent her head on her friends shoulder.

"He was a great friend to us all," she said, simply, tears welling up in her own hazel eyes. Jenny nodded quietly. The radio gave another burst of static, and lay silent.

A voice spoke from the wireless.

"He-lo? Can you here me? Is this ground control?"

Every single head in that room jerked up in sync.

"Nemo!" Phyllis cried "That's Nemo's voice!"

"Phyllis?" the radio crackled "Can you hear me? My plane was shot down, and I've only just gathered consciousness, but the radio's just about working."

"Are you alright?" Are you hurt?" Wilson asked, striding to the little box.

"I'm alright. A few burns on my arms and legs, but nothing too serious."

Jenny raised her eyebrows. The liar, she thought.

"Give us your coordinates. I'm sending out someone to get you." said Wilson. He scribbled down what Nemo told him with definite grimness.

"Hold tight Nemo," Jenny said "Don't you worry."

The radio stopped with a hum.

Everyone looked at Wilson.

"So who's going to rescue him?" Jenny asked, with a slip of hope.

"No one." Wilson muttered, grimly.

"Wait-"

"It's too close to the German airfield. Any rescue attempt would ultimately cause even more casualties, and the risk is too high."

Jenny slapped him.

"You liar!" she shrieked "You horrible, stinking liar! How dare you give him false hope, and stand there like nothing happened! How dare you!" she rained her fists down on him, not caring that her feeble blows did nothing what so ever. A few men grabbed her from behind, pulling her away from the stunned Group Captain.

"No! Let go of me, you brutes. Let go!"

The door slammed in her face.

Jenny slid to the ground and wept, tears splashing on the waxed wood.

All of a sudden, she knew what to do.

Her head jerked up. Two grey eyes stared out determinedly. 

She was going to save him herself.