Chapter 1

Michael Sorgevi is given a unique opportunity

INTRO

 

It was a gorgeous day, bright blue sky, and fluffy white clouds; the whole nine yards. Eleven-year-old Michael Sorgevi was quite enjoying playing in the park, running circles around the younger kids.  At least he was until the ship came crashing down out of the sky. Michael watched uncomprehendingly as the ship appeared out of thin air about a hundred meters above his head, only to immediately burst in to flames. As it fell it began turning as if to avoid the park, but it was too little too late. Moments before it hit the ground Michael saw a man fling himself from the cockpit and open a parachute. But it barely had time to open before both he and the ship slammed into the ground. Michael lost sight of him in the ensuing fireball as he was blown backwards off his feet. By some miracle the explosion did not kill him, many people nearby, including his mother, as he found out later, were not so lucky. He almost wished he had been because of the wave of pain the washed over him as his skin was burnt black and several of his bones were shattered. Just before he blacked out he saw the pilot, limping heavily and bleeding from a gash on his forehead, as he ran from the park and the horror he had created.

 

CHAPTER 1 �" 12 years later

 

Michael sat awkwardly in the office chair, awaiting judgment. Just four hours ago he had completed his final pilots exam. Five years of military and pilot training. All leading up to one exam, and he was pretty sure he had just blown it. Technically, he thought to himself, he had passed. The exam involved engaging enemy pilots in an air combat simulation; two on two. During the final stages of the exam, sure he was going to lose; he made one last desperate effort. He threw his plane into a dangerous spiral downward, twisting and turning over and over and firing off flares in random directions. The display distracted the enemy just long enough for his partner to take them out. The unfortunate side effect was that it had sent his plane crashing into the side of a mountain before he was able to recover.

His partner had received the notice that she had passed the exam almost immediately afterward. But Michael hadn’t received anything, he hadn’t passed nor had he failed. Instead he had received orders to report immediately to Commander R. Daniels’ office. Commander R. Daniels was the head of the entire academy. The academy was a top tier military training academy. It had several separate divisions including army, navy, air force and personal bodyguard training, of which Michael had air force. Students were taken from all over the country, and graduates almost always went on to have successful careers in the military. Those who failed to graduate almost always found work outside the law as guns for hire. Commander Daniels was the head of the entire school. Michael had rarely ever seen him let alone ever talked to him one-on-one. So now he sat in the Commanders office, unsure of what the future had in store for him. The Commander entered the office. Immediately he stood to attention and saluted.

“At ease soldier”

Michael relaxed and clasped his hands behind his back, but he remained standing.

“Take a seat,” instructed the Commander, pulling his own chair back from the desk and easing into it. He was not what Michael would describe as an old man, but over three decades of military service had taken their toll. “Do you know why you are here Michael?”

“No sir. I don’t know.”

Instead of responding the Commander typed something into his desk and flicked his wrist. The computerized glove on his hand registered the movement and displayed a video in a separate screen. It took Michael a moment to recognize it. The video showed a top down view of the exam he had just taken, including his suicidal plunge and subsequent crash.

“Care to explain?” asked the Commander, raising an eyebrow.

Michael froze, not knowing what to say. He was fairly certain that the Commander knew he didn’t intend to crash his plane into a mountain, and seeing as the Commander had more battle experience than he ever wanted, Michael had assumed that he had already guessed the reason behind his tactic. Not knowing what to say, he answered truthfully.

“I’m sorry sir. I don’t know”

“Are you telling me that you, a top marks student, managed to accidentally send your plane into a hopeless spiral during your final exam?” he asked skeptically.

“No sir.”

“Then why did it happen?”

Michael paused, knowing that any potential career in the military rested on his answer. “I knew that the enemy had both superior fire power and more combat experience. I believed that it was unlikely we would succeed by pursuing normal tactics and so I chose more unconventional means. My intention was to provide a distraction so that PARTNER NAME would be able to take them both out. I was unable to retake control of my plane in time.”

“Did you know before hand that you were almost certainly guaranteeing your own death by performing that maneuver?” asked the Commander sternly.

“Yes sir.”

“And yet you did it anyway”

“Yes sir. I believed it was our best chance at the time.”

“Believed?” asked the Commander. “You don’t believe so any more?”

Michael didn’t know how to respond to that. Was the Commander actually agreeing with him that his maneuver was the proper course of action? He had been certain that the teachers would not have seen his point of view; that his actions, while they had killed him, had technically won the match.  Luckily for Michael the Commander saved him from having to come up with a response.

“The test you just took has been used as the final exam for the past eleven years. In that time do you know how many students have won?” The Commander continued before Michael could respond. “Three. Three students have passed that exam. Do you want to know how they did it?” again he continued without waiting for a response. “They cheated. No student has ever beaten that exam, at least up until now”.

“But sir, why would you use an exam that’s impossible to pass?” asked Michael

Instead of responding the Commander rose from his seat and walked to a filing cabinet behind his desk. He retrieved a key from his pocket and inserted into the lock. Without even acting as if he’d heard the question, he pulled a small manila folder out before shutting the drawer and placing the key back into his pocket.  

“I have a very special offer for you Michael,” began the Commander, as he sat back down.

“An offer sir?” asked Michael.

“Yes. There’s a new military intelligence division that is in need of pilots. This is all of coarse top secret, so know that if you plan on repeating any of this information you can expect an accidental car crash in your near future. Fatal of coarse.”

Michael had never heard the Commander speak like this before. Threatening to kill him? It was all he could do to nod for the Commander to continue.

“Even I am too low rank to ask what they are doing or what they are for. All I know is that I have been told to look for extraordinary pilots,” he paused briefly to clear his throat “and not just any high performance pilot. They are looking for pilots willing to risk everything in order to ensure the success of the mission. Your performance in your final exam, and your consistent excellence over the past few years, has demonstrated that you have the qualities they are looking for. Before you accept or decline you should know that this is extremely high risk. The chances of you being able to retire are quite frankly very low. That being said, this is an opportunity very few pilots are offered. You’d be a part of making history, even if most people didn’t know it. I don’t expect your answer right away. If you choose to accept, go to his address three days from now.” He opened the file and pulled out a small sheet of folded paper, handing it to Michael.  

Michael reached out and took the paper; unfolding it he saw just one line of text. It was an address and a time.

“Thank you sir,” he said, refolding the paper and placing in his pocket. “But I don’t need time to think about it. I accept”

“Are you sure?” asked the Commander, taken by surprise. “This is not a decision that should be taken lightly, or changed once made.”

“Thank you sir, but I am sure.”

The Commander stood, reaching out to shake his hand. “Excellent,” said the Commander. “Because this is a top secret you will be provided with a cover story. Officially you have failed the exam. When you found out you became quite agitated with your superior officers. Your insubordination was severely reprimanded and you were dismissed, not to return to training.”

“Thank you sir,” said Michael, grinning broadly. He had never expected to be expelled, and never ever thought he’d be glad about it.     

Author's Note

Chapter 1 of a story i'm trying to write. Please let me know what you think. If you liked it, hated it, or if you found any grammar mistakes. Thank you!

Reviews

[Sarah]

Based on the introduction, I can tell that this is your first time writing. But don't get discouraged! You have a good idea formulating, but it was obvious that this is new to you. The sentences just felt like fragments and put together to make a paragraph. In my opinion, it lacked any sense of flow. It was simply telling instead of feeling. When I write, I try to sit there and imagine myself in the situation. What am I seeing, feeling, smelling, hearing, tasting. Use the senses as guidelines to make the seen and the feelings of your characters come alive!

I think the actual chapter was very good. You managed to keep my focus throughout the entire thing which isn't easy to do. I usually struggle with reading chapters on this website, but yours came easy. There is quite a bit of exposition, but that is expected in an opening chapter. I'm curious as to why Michael took the job without even giving it a thought. He must be highly independent. Probably without a family or girlfriend, otherwise I'm sure he would've taken a second to consider. I'm also wondering about the "fatal car crash." There's no way that would be legal, and I'm curious how the Commander even knows about that since he isn't so far up in rank.

Overall, you left me with a lot of questions, which is a good thing, and I'm excited to read the next chapter soon!

[Jace]

Thank you! yes this is my first time writing anything apart from essays for school. Most of your questions I plan on answering in later chapters. There will be more background/explanation later. I'll do my best to rework the intro in the meantime.