Spoiler Alert! If you haven't seen the movie Planes yet, this story is not for you. You have been warned. Also excessive use of OCs.

Strika had always strived to be the best. She realized she couldn't be the best at everything, especially since she was so new to the Navy.

Strika was an F-18 Super Hornet and glad to be in the Navy. She'd had little trouble with training and she put her all into it to make sure she got where she'd wanted to go since she decided to go Navy.

The Jollywrenchers were one of the more famous, and oh how Strika had wanted to go there. She'd been as captivated by Dusty while he raced around the world. She'd even seen him once, after he'd won, with his honorary Jollywrenchers paint job. She'd heard of all the brave fighters who served during World War II and Strika just had to try to get there.

When it came time, she was assigned to the Jollywrenchers, much to her delight. It would be her first deployment.

"Hey Strika!"

Strika looked over to her left to see a Hornet with a Blue and gold paint job.

She smiled. Tango was a Blue Angel, even though he was older and much more experienced than she was, he'd taken a liking to her at an air show she'd attended while still in training.

He saw her abilities and even taught her a few airshow tricks in her limited free time.

"Hello Tango." Strika replied.

"So what are you doing here?" Tango asked as he pulled up beside her.

"I'm going on my first deployment out at sea." Strika smiled. "On the USS Dwight D. Flysenhower."

"Congratulations!" Tango said, giving her a pat on the wing. "Can you spare some time for a drink? I'll buy."

Strika was about to reply when a forklift motioned that they were ready to start transferring all the planes aboard and Strika sighed.

"Not now, we're ready to start loading up." She shook herself out and started to taxi away. "You owe me one when I get back!"

Strika taxied onto the runway and did her check list, making sure everything was working, beside her was her classmate, FoxTrot. He looked nervous and she knew why. Being the newest assigned fighters, they had to land last, in other worlds in front of everyone above deck. This barely bothered Strika as she she opened up the throttle and shot down the runway with FoxTrot right behind.

She was in the air and climbing, quick too as not to disturb the ships currently sleeping or being refitted at Norfolk. She felt at home in the air.

"Strika, are you nervous?" FoxTrot asked and Strika chuckled.

"Of course, I just hide it better." She replied suddenly spotting the Flysenhower and grinning. "Be prepared to land. I'll go in first, you can come in second."

FoxTrot nodded in acceptance and came onto the approach for the runway. She dropped her tailhook and landed, feeling all the power just flow out of her as she slowed to a stop. She got an approving look from Flysenhower and she tried to keep herself from feeling a bit bashful. A lot of new planes often mess up and have to go around, even though they all practiced before. She nailed it on her first try and getting an approving look from the ship was a massive compliment in itself. She made sure to remind herself not to let it go to her head.

FoxTrot's landing was a bit sloppy, but he was aboard and she looked around.

"Strika, FoxTrot." The forklift which was a younger officer caught her attention and she looked down at him. "You are report to the captain and XO near the island, then you'll be allowed to go under after that."

"Yes Sir!"

"Alright, you two are new to the Jollywrenchers, so we'll make this simple." the other hornet, named Slash rolled out in front of them where they currently hooked up to the catapults. "We're going to test your skills with a training exercise. Before this two other Hornets took off and are now somewhere in the sky. They are the enemy. You are equiped with training 'guns' and air-to-air 'missiles' with which to shoot them down. Any damage to yourself or to the ship will be counted against you. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir!" Both Strika and FoxTrot replied.

"You know the drill for launching. Good luck and show us you've earned those Jollywrencher insignias we've painted on you." Slash said backing off as the deck behind the two jets was raised to prevent damage.

Strika took a breath and nodded to the launch officer and suddenly she was airborne. She twisted around and waited for FoxTrot and the two shot off into the clouds.

They'd been up for about 5 minutes when they got their first glimpse.

"Wait Strika! There they are!" FoxTrot said, motioning up slightly and sure enough there they were, patrolling around looking for something to 'fight'.

"Lets wait." Strika waited and FoxTrot whispered, despite the fact that the other two Hornets shouldn't be able to hear them.

"Why?"

"They're going to dive for the ship soon. You watch."

Strika watched as the two did as she said and began to dive towards the ship as though they were older planes in needing to do such firing runs. Strika called the one with the red helmet, while FoxTrot called the silver helmet.

She dove after him and fired her guns at her target and locked on with her air-to air missiles. The 'enemy' took notice and both broke off their run to go in different directions. She saw FoxTrot peel off to chase after his target and she wondered if they were making a mistake. Stay with your wingman, it could save your life.

She shook off the thought and continued to doggedly case her fleeing target. She lost sight of him as he entered a cloud and she dove in after him, keeping track with her sensors only.

That's when everything went wrong.

She saw her 'enemy' disappear and suddenly the clouds around her began to grow dark. Lightning crackled across her wings and she began to feel a bit of panic rise up, something which she ruthlessly pushed away and called.

"Flysenhower, this is Strika, encountering an unknown weather anomaly, do you have it on your radar?"

No reply, just static and Stika climbed to see if she could get above it, she couldn't. She suddenly cried out in pain as a strong strike of lightning struck her. She pulled through it, only a few of her circuits fried and dove towards the water.

This time she broke free of the clouds and sighed in relief, then sucked in a breath.

The Flysenhower was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't hear anyone calling her, and she didn't see wing nor tail of her 'target' or FoxTrot. She looked around desperately as that weird storm cleared up, leaving sunny skies above her. She couldn't see anything and she felt despair.

Where in the name of of the sky was she?