HADES: Air Combat
I remember the day the skies shattered, and the world was scarred forever. And I remember how we were warned, only to ignore those warnings. At the time, I was only a child, but on that day, my life changed forever. Large balls of fire made their way to land on Earth, bringing with them countless deaths and destruction, to scar Earth forever. In the years that followed, measures were built to stop them. Measures that were never used… This sudden loss of life brought with it almost unending war, fought in the skies… The shattered skies. These wars gave rise to new countries and new leaders. Before that, I remember very little, as though it were all a blur or bad dream. The war broke out just after my birthday, and I would spend hours every day watching the fighter planes draw their crazy circles with sharp contrails. I had become fixated, almost obsessed, with one fighter in particular, one with three blue arrowheads on its nose. I called him Mobius.
And then… Silence. After I had turned twelve, myself, my brother and sister were evacuated from our London home at the behest of our mother and father, whom we would never see again. Our story began not long after the war started. One day, as I watched Mobius and his comrades fight in the beautiful sky far above me, air raid sirens began blaring as enemy bombers filled the skies. We ran for our lives, praying we wouldn't become more casualties. Even as we watched our childhood home become engulfed by fire and shrapnel, we held on to the vain hope that we would be able to stay a family. At a military checkpoint on the other side of town, I asked where our parents were. "Excuse me, mister." I said, watching as the soldier bent down to make eye contact with me. I gulped, and asked the important question. "Have you seen our mum and dad? They're a doctor and soldier." His response shattered my hopes. As he told us that they had been shot by enemy soldiers, I broke down, tears streaming down my cheeks.
In my rage, I screamed that it wasn't true, that it was impossible. Balling my hands into fists, I started punching at the soldier's shins, well aware that he could have shot me for striking him, yet he didn't. He got down on one knee and tried his best to comfort me. "It's going to be alright." I remember him saying, which at the time did little to comfort me. Once the tears stopped flowing, I looked up to see the sympathetic look in his eyes, as though he had gone through the same. "Get on one of those trucks over there. You'll be taken to the airport and airlifted to safety." At the time, I hated this. We would have to leave the place where we had grown up, our friends, everything. "Where are we going?" I asked the soldier, who didn't respond. His comrade, who was helping us with what little belongings we had, looked to us. "You're going somewhere far from here, somewhere safe." While his words comforted me briefly, I couldn't help but feel hopelessness. That night, I wondered... Would I see Mobius again?
One year prior...
"Gentlemen, it's good to have you with us. A formation of ten RAF Vulcan bombers is en-route for Hawaii Atoll, no doubt with the intention of leveling the Kilauea Rocket Base and Regis Airfield. The Atoll represents our last line of defense in the Pacific, and if we lose it now, we could lose this war. Despite the high-valued nature of the base, it seems odd that the Royals are only sending a light bomber formation and a handful of escorts. Regardless, stay vigilant while in the air. On that subject, due to the combat loss of AWACS Globetrotter, a new officer has been put in charge of Advanced Weather and Control Systems, under the callsign 'Warhammer'. Now, gear up and take to the skies, to keep Hawaii in our hands. Good luck, pilots."
It was warm... Too warm for my taste, anyway. It seemed, because I was the rookie, that I had drawn the short straw and had to go this mission alone. Just a few bombers, it'll be simple, right? Anyway, after gearing up, I made my way to the hangars to find my plane, an F-4L Phantom III. I never did like the Phantom, it was bulky, slow and not pleasing to look at, but it got the job done. After going through the pre-flight checklist