Chapter 1: Going Down In Flames

In a bitter battle waged in the skies, two heroes fight, outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched...

Chapter 1: Going Down In Flames

The world blurred by at breakneck speed.

The two F-22 Raptors flew in attack formation. As they blasted forward, one of the pilots adjusted his intercept vector. As several lights flashed on his HUD and radar, he hit his radio.

“Nighthawk here. Bogies in missile range in five minutes. Over,” Scott Newman, call-sign Nighthawk, muttered. Tall and lean, he had brilliant sky-blue eyes and close-cropped brown hair. Skilled, good-natured and drop-dead handsome, he was the dream of many girls back at base.

The other pilot smiled. She settled back fingered her weapons console. “Sky Angel here. Let’s rock and roll!” She jammed her joystick forward and was rewarded as her F-22 accelerated with a  resounding whoosh. Anastasia Evanson, call-sign Sky Angel, was a beautiful girl in her twenties, with rippling black hair and mesmerizing sea-green eyes. Behind her attractive looks and sweet personality, however, was a deadly and skilled pilot.

The F-22s screamed in on perfectly synchronized intercept vectors, when the bogies were sighted. The three midnight-black V-9 Phoenix planes roared as they banked towards the F-22s. Modelled after the Lockheed-Martin SR-71 Blackbird, the V-9s were sleek and angular. They weren’t as fast as the Blackbird, but made up for speed in manoeuvrability and weaponry. With Soulless pilots in control of the monstrous planes, fearsome aerial stunts were often executed, with deadly results.

Anastasia guided her plane up as the two groups of planes closed in on each other. As a V-9 swung in, its Vulcan cannon blazing, she rolled and Scott destroyed it with a missile. He grinned as he guided his plane around the explosion. 

The other V-9s swooped in, menacingly flanking the F-22s, trying to sandwich the human planes in between them. Anastasia pulled up and banked left, while simultaneously arming two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. As she levelled out, both V-9s swung towards her. Two sleek missiles arced out from them, arcing towards her. 

She smiled. The SHARK-12 missiles that the V-9s were armed with carried a lot of explosive, but could not respond quickly to sudden velocity changes, being heavy. She barrel-rolled and the missiles slammed into each other, their vectors intersecting as both of them tried to lock on her simultaneously. As she pulled up, she swung around, firing, and one of the V-9s blew apart in a blazing fireball.  She fired again and reduced the other to scrap metal. 

Scott weaved through tracers, as other V-9s appeared, Vulcan cannons blazing away. As he flipped, two missiles slid out from his F-22, taking out two V-9s. He chuckled as he watched the V-9s break formation and spread out.

“That’s right, you flying pieces of crap. Run for your lives!” Scott snarled and hit the afterburners, streaking after them.

“Nighthawk! No...!” He heard Sky Angel scream in horror suddenly. 

He spun around, confused...

...as the SHARK-12 missiles slammed into him.

Anastasia felt sick to her stomach at what she had just seen happen. Scott Newman, someone she had always liked...A few tears began to fall. She gritted her teeth, forcing her anger and grief down. She swung around, shooting another V-9 down before hitting the afterburners and blasting away.

The V-9s pursued her relentlessly, doggedly, and she swerved left and right, trying to shake them off. She saw tracers cut through the air, getting closer and closer, and as she swerved...

...she saw the missile coming straight at her.

A second before impact, she ejected, and as she flew up, her F-22, her beloved F-22 Raptor, lit up the sky in a  massive and morbidly spectacular fireball. 

Reviews

[A.Lee]

Wow! Excellent job. This is definitely not my usual type of story, but something about your writing style drew me right in. I loved it! Which is really saying something! You have a very strong and engaging writing style which is good. I really liked how well you described the characters in the beginning. It was direct and very descriptive. I could picture both Sky Angel and Nighthawk easily which made it easier to imagine the story unfolding in my head.

[Hailey]

I agree, its very strong and does a good job grabbing your attention and holding it there, makes me want to know what happens next. It did a good job keeping the reader on edge, cant wait for the next chapter. good job ^^

[Coyote Poetry]

A strong first chapter. The description and event in the poem were very good. I like the feel of the battle. Ending was outstanding. The story had potential. Where are you going with?
Coyote