Lost Encounters

"MAYDAY!! MAYDAY!!"

"HR-31C to command HQ, asking permission for take off," Capt. Gomez radioed as he gazed at the various controls in front of him. It was a beautiful day, with the sea around the giant aircraft carrier peacefully splashing against the smooth steel hull of the ship. "A perfect day for flying, right Walker?" Capt. Gomez asked Lieutenant Walker, who sat next to him in the co-pilot's seat. Walker muttered an agreement and Gomez smiled as he clutched the flight controls of the small gunship, the HR-31C.

Capt. Gomez was the commander of Squadron 5, which was composed of 6 others beside himself. Squadron 5's mission was simple... In fact, it wasn't even a mission, but a practice drill. They were going to fly several miles away from the aircraft carrier to some empty target ships and blow those targets to pieces. Then, back to the aircraft carrier. But the hardest part of this mission is that they were to use new high-tech and untested equipment.

This "New Technology" used enhanced satellite and radar equipment that allowed the HR-31C to locate and and track a target hundreds of miles away. Even though it was untested, to a highly experienced leader such as Capt. Gomez, this task was exceptionally simple.

"HQ to HR-31C," the helicopter's radio crackled on.

"HR-31C to HQ, go ahead," Gomez replied.

"We're going to start with the routine check," HQ's  radio operator continued. "Rotors?"

"Check," Gomez answered, pulling a lever and flipping some switches. The helicopter roared to life and the rotors began to spin.

"Propellers?"

"Check."

"Guns?"

"Check."

"Instruments?"

"Check." Finally, the favorite order crackled on the radio...

"HQ to HR-31C, you're clear to proceed. Permission to lift off granted."
  
The Captain and Lieutenant pressed several buttons and flipped a few more switches. The rotors spun faster and faster into a blur of motion. The gunship rose from the carrier's deck to began her journey.

  20 year old Pvt. Kate Anderson scanned the vast blue waters of the calm Pacific from her perch at the rear sliding door of the helicopter. She held the large machine gun at ready, constantly scanning for the targets. She was the only girl in her unit. She joined the U.S. Airforce as soon as she turned 18. She loved her unit, and the men she had trained beside treated her like their sister. The 7 of them formed a close family bond. They looked out for each other.

Besides Capt. Gomez and Lt. Walker, there was Sgt. Banks, Cpl. Ryan, Pvt. Cooper, and Pvt. Sheller. Sgt. Banks controlled the radar, Cpl. Ryan was the squad's medic, Pvt. Cooper controlled the helicopter's torpedoes, and Pvt. Sheller manned the large machine gun in the rear of the HR-31C.

"You know, you don't have to be so edgy," Ryan said, making Kate jump a little. "You Asians need to learn to relax."

"I don't think me being Asian has anything to do with relaxing," Kate shot back, letting go of the gun and leaning back against her chair. Everyone always seemed to enjoy teasing her about her Asian features.

"Well, it does have to do with why you can beat the crap out of someone," Sheller butted in, balling up his fist and punching the air. Kate rolled her eyes.

"What's up with Americans thinking that all Asians know kung-fu?"

"Maybe it's because you're Asian and you know how to fight pretty good," Sgt. Banks suggested.

"And if you don't watch it, that someone I beat down might just turn out to be you," Kate threatened.

"Alright guys, that's enough," Capt. Gomez ordered. "I want everyone back to their stations."

A few minutes passed by in silence, making Kate wonder if this silence was going to last, or if someone was going to make another sarcastic quip, in turn interrupting one of the rare quiet moments on any of these missions.

  "Target positions 3 miles NE or our location," Sgt. Banks announced, breaking the silence, causing Kate to straighten up.

"What is that?" Capt. Gomez exclaimed as he steered the gunship in the desired direction. The sky was cloudless, the sun shone brightly on the blue waters, but less than a mile away, the sky was blackened by something that looked like black, ash-like particles. It was so thick that it blocked out the sunlight. The helicopter was soon engulfed in darkness. The Captain and Lt. Walker couldn't see in at all, and the same went for anyone who tried to see through the blackness.

"HR-31C to HQ, please respond immediately," Gomez radioed.

"HR-31C, go ahead," the radio crackled on with a lot of static.

"We seem to be...uh...surrounded by blackness. I can't see anywhere or anything."

"HQ to HR-31C, you're cutting off. We can't understand you."

Suddenly, the helicopter's needles and gauges started spinning slowly at first, but then faster and faster. The compass and the special dials spun around aimlessly, and the radar and the other equipment started shutting on and off by themselves. The helicopter started shaking violently, as if it would fall apart. Alarms screaming out with warnings and flashing lights added to the chaos.

"HR-31C to HQ, help! Help!" Capt. Gomez screamed on the radio. But no one answered. Instead, a weird gurgling sound came from the radio. Terrifyingly, the gunship jolted violently to the left and began spinning out of control. A loud peal of thunder shook the sky, quickly followed by lightning. The bolt tore through the sky and struck the rear propeller, setting the end of the gunship ablaze.

"MAYDAY!!! MAYDAY!!!" Gomez screamed again on the radio as he fought to regain control of his gunship. But the only reply that came from the radio was an ear-piercing scream as if from the depths of Hell itself.

The helicopter shook violently, spinning uncontrollably. With a glass shattering crash, the bird collided into something solid, the ground maybe. It was hard for Kate to tell. Nothing made sense at the moment. Fire burned all around, followed by screams and cries of pain and confusion.

Then the blackness came...

So cold...

So hopeless...