Tracer had just crash landed in the snow, her head was against the dashboard on the Slipstream, her sunglasses were broken and her head hurt like hell. She straightened out and opened her eyes, she tried to recollect what had just happened before crashing, the memories came flooding back. She was testing Overwatch's experimental jet the Slipstream, something in the system had failed and she crashed in heavy snow.
Tracer: "Bloody Hell, that was one heck of a landing, wasn't it." But something wasn't right, she felt, different, she looked at her arm and saw it was transparent, like a ghost. But how was that possible, then she remembered what Winston had told her about the Slipstream was made to blink through space and time. She then darted her eyes over to her legs and saw they were also transparent. "Oh dear, what's happening!?" She started to panic, she looked at the radio, but saw that it was busted, she looked at her torso and saw it was becoming transparent as well, she closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.
But there was nothing, she then heard the sound of birds chirping, she opened her eyes, the snow was gone and she saw green grass, she looked up and saw trees. She saw a birds nest in one of them and smiled. Then she heard something, she looked at the sky and saw at least a dozen planes leaving contrails behind them in the perfect formation.
Tracer: "Wow, I've never seen anything like that before, unless it was in books about the Second World Wa..." She stopped, she started to think, when she was a teenager she was fascinated with the idea of becoming a jet pilot in the RAF. She read books and saw movies about it, she remembered one picture of several American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses leaving contrails behind them. She didn't want to believe it but she started to think, could the Slipstream's energy source gave her the power to go through time? It was a possibility, but she didn't know for sure, she started to walk deeper into the forest hoping to find something to tell her where, or possibly when, she was.
Meanwhile
High in the sky was a bomber squadron from the 918th Bomb Group, part of the US 8th Air Force in the Army Air Corps, flying the lead B-17 Blue Raven, was Captain Edward Ross, after he had heard of the Germans Blitzkrieging into Poland, he joined up with the Army Air Corps to do his share. This mission was his 20th, an important milestone for Air Corps Bomber Pilots, he was only five missions away from being able to go back home and see his fiance who had been waiting for him for four long years before he shipped out to England. His first mission was over Schweinfurt, in the first american daylight raid, he and his crew were happy because there was a USO Dance waiting for them back at their air base near london and they were singing the Air Corps Song.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder
Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At'em boys, giv'er the gun!
Down we dive spouting our flames from under,
Off with one hell-uv-a roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame,
Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corps!
Minds of men fashioned a crate of thunder
Sent it high into the blue
Hands of men blasted the world asunder,
How they live God only knew!
Souls of men dreaming of skies to conquer
Gave us wings ever to soar,
With scouts before and bombers galore,
Nothing can stop the Army Air Corps!
Here's a toast to the host of those
Who love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send the message
Of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old,
Then down we roar
to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast the Army Air Corps.
Off we go into the wild sky yonder,
Keep the wings level and true!
If you'd live to be a gray haired wonder,
Keep your nose out of the blue!
Flying men guarding our nation's borders,
We'll be there followed by more,
In echelon we carry on!
Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corps!
The men in the Flying Fortress laughed when they finished singing, Capt Ross than checked to see his his crew was alright and healthy.
Capt Ross: "Pilot to Crew, Alright fellas, Sound Off. Co-Pilot."
Lt Evans: "I'm here next to you Ed."
Capt Ross: "Bombardier."
1st Sgt Taylor: "Here."
Capt Ross: "Engineer."
Tech Sgt Robinson: "Ready and Able."
Capt Ross: "Radio Operator."
Tech Cpl Hale: "Standing by Captain."
Capt Ross: "Navigator."
Sgt Ramsey: "Check."
Capt Ross: "Tail Gunner."
Sgt Fletcher: "Here sir."
Capt Ross: "Left and Right waist."
Cpl Jones and Cpl Thompson (In Unison): "Check that off Cap."
Capt Ross: "Ball Turret Gunner."
Sgt Bayfourth: "Here, and Damn Uncomfortable." The men laughed, but in the back of their minds they were scared, they were in the lead plane since their Squadron commander Major Hall got shot down during their last mission, since Capt Ross was the Executive Officer he took over command of the Squadron.
He blamed the death of the fighter pilots, they left the Bombers vulnerable to the Luftwaffe to go become aces and win medals, he never like fighter pilots.
Capt Ross: "Navigator, how far are we from the target?"
Sgt Ramsey: "About another 73 miles sir."
Capt Ross: "Pilot to crew, you guys know the target from the briefing Col Gallagher gave but I'll remind you. We're going to bomb the Oil Plant in Stuttgart, so remember we'll be facing heavy flak and fighters." He turned to Lt Evans, his Co-Pilot. "Evan's check if those fighters are still there." The Lieutenant looked out the window and saw the P-51 Mustangs alongside the bombers.
Lt Evans: "Still there, maybe they won't..."
Capt Ross: "They will, they always do." *Sigh* "Look Tod, I've been in the Mighty 8th long enough to know the fighters never stay with the bombers, even when under orders to do so. Gen Doolittle cares, but Gen Eaker doesn't, heck, he never cares about us guys, he just wants the job done, that's the problem with the big brass up in their clean desks in London and Washington." He put his focus back on the sky in front of him, he always loved flying, when he was a child, his father was part of the Army Air Service during the First War, and he wanted to carry on that tradition. Just then, he saw a P-51 drop the formation, followed by others, then he saw why. Ten Messerschmidt's were at their One O'Clock, and the fighters were going to engage.
Capt Ross: "Son of a Bitch! The fighters are going to become aces and all that Shit, DAMMIT!" He then spoke to his crew. "Pilot to Crew, the fighters are dropping out like always, gunners take your position and watch for Jerry fighters."
The men assigned gun positions did what they were told, they got on their guns and watched for German fighters, and soon enough they did, the usual Messerschmidt's and Fokerwolf's came, but then something caught Capt Ross' eyes, the new ME 262, or more commonly known, as the German Jet Fighter.
Capt Ross (To Himself): "Dear lord help us all."
Meanwhile
Tracer was walking through the woods, ducking behind a tree or bush when she thought she heard something, she looked up at the sky again to look at the planes leaving contrails behind them, then she saw another set of contrails, she saw planes heading towards the others.
Tracer: "Wonder what all the fuss is about up there, wish I knew." She looked at her left hand and saw that it was fading in and out, she tucked it into her pocket and continued on.
Up in the Sky
Capt Ross could only watch as planes whizzed around his, and his fellow Pilots get shot down from the German fighters, he had already counted three. The turrets buzzed trying to get a hit on the German planes, but they were too fast for the gunners to react, especially the ME 262s.
Cpl Jones: "Those Kraut Bastards are two fast!"
Cpl Thompson: "I know, I think I only put ONE bullet hone is a Messerschmidt, ONE!"
Capt Ross: "Pilot to Tail Gunner, how are things looking over there Jack?"
Sgt Fletcher: "Shit Skipper, Complete and utter Shit, I haven't been able to get anything, and you know I'm a good shot sir."
Capt Ross: "I know, just hold tigh..." He was cut off by an explosion to his left, the number one engine was on fire. "Jesus Mary and Joseph, EVANS!"
Lt Evan: "Yeah?"
Capt Ross: "Feather our number one and use the fire extinguisher." Then another explosion came from the right wing on the Bomber, the number three engine was on fire.
Lt Evans: "Holy Shit, we've lost two engines." The Lieutenant immediately extinguished the fires in both engines and shut them down, Capt Ross got in touch wit hthe entire Squadron.
Capt Ross: "Squadron leader to Squadron, We're gonna fall behind, we're dropping out, Thunderbird is now lead, I repeat, Thunderbird is now lead." Now a third explosion on the right again, the number four engine was out of commission. Capt Ross then looked at the altitude dial, it started to drop and fast. "Evans, sound the alarm, and get ready to bail."
Lt Evans: "Over Germany?!"
Capt Ross: "Over Germany." He then went to talk to the crew. "Pilot to crew, okay boys the gal's had it, she had a good run but we'll have to bail out. Bombardier, destroy the bomb sight." He turned to Evans again. "Evans, you bail out with the others, I'll hold her as long as I can."
Lt Evans: "Are you CRAZY!"
Capt Ross: "I'm the pilot of this Bomber and I'll be damned if anyone dies here because I decided to bail out before everyone else, now get your parachute on and bail, MOVE!"
Lt Evans: "Alright, see you in England Ed."
Capt Ross: "You too Charlie." Capt Ross held the plane in the air until the rest of his crew bailed out, when he was sure the last man bailed, he got out of his seat, put on a parachute and jumped out into Germany. He watched as his plane went down into a forest in Germany. "So long Blue Raven, you've always been a great bomber."
Meanwhile
Tracer picked up and rock and threw it at a tree, she was sitting on a log taking a break from all the walking, then she heard something, it was a whizzing as if a plane was diving, then there was an explosion. She immediately got up and looked over to a fire not that far from where she was, she ran over there to see what it was, and low and behold it was a American B-17 Bomber.
Tracer: "Well I'll be." She looked at the plane and saw it was a ll shot up and burning, no one could have survived a crash like that. "Whoever was in this sure left in a hurry." She looked around the bomber, the fire was going out and she entered it, it was a risk, but she was the adventurous type.
She looked in the cockpit and saw neither pilot or co-pilot, she then looked down under the cockpit and found the bombardier's station, she saw a manually broken bomb sight and ruffled her spiky hair. She looked back and saw the gun positions and the small corner for the radio operator, she was about to touch the radio when sparks flew from it.
Tracer: "Well there's no way in heck I'll be talking to anyone from that." She then got out of the bomber and saw someone in a parachute land in the woods about half a mile away land in the woods. She took a chance and rushed over to where it appeared the figure had landed, she saw that he hand was transparent, so she stuck it back in her pocket. She then looked at the union jack she had on her shoulder of her leather jacket, than at the RAF emblem, she could probably convince whoever landed she was in the RAF, hopefully they weren't German.
Meanwhile
Capt Ross was now stuck in a tree, his chute landed over it and now he was using his pocket knife to cut himself down. He fell to the ground hard, he quickly got up and dusted himself off and raised the visor on his officers cap and took off his leather flight jacket with a american flag on the left sleeve, and the emblem of the 8th Air Force on the right. He knew he had to bury his parachute, but first he had to get it down. He grabbed it and started to pull it down, after at least 50 tugs before he got it down. He dug a small hole in the ground behind a bush and buried his parachute. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed, he pulled out a carton of cigarettes, took out one and lit it with his lighter. He then put on his leather jacket and pulled out one of his two pairs of sunglasses, he bought two in case one broke, and he got them out of respect of General MacArthur fighting in Pacific after he heard of the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines.
Capt Ross: "Well, there's two things I've got to do in no particular order, I've got to find my crew, and I've got to get to Switzerland. All in the process of evading the enemy." He then heard rustling, he pulled out his Colt 1911 and ran over to a ditch and waited for what he thought to be a German, civilian or military. He pointed his Colt 45 over to where he heard the noise, and what came out was a woman with spiky hair, freckles, a leather jacket with the RAF emblem and a Union Jack, and a blue and yellow uniform that Capt Ross had seen in superman comics when superman was in space.
Capt Ross: "HANDS UP!"