Jeremy watched Aelita's face contort into one of the largest and brightest smiles he had ever seen on the girl's face. The stress of school and the lingering sadness of her missing past and dead father all forgotten as she ran across the almost deserted tarmac towards the shiny, single engine plane that Jeremy's parents had pointed to. The sound of her footsteps faded fast, absorbed by the wide open spaces of the small airport they were at. With a quick look and a nod from his parents and grandparents Jeremy took off after her. His nervousness and what was left of his once strong fear pushed back and held at bay by Aelita's enthusiasm and his own force of will.
In part, he owed Odd for helping him get over the fear of flying and planes that he once had. The ill fated ride in a combat jet that Odd had accidently won for him and that XANA had forced on him helped him get over his fear of flying. So too did the talk he had had with Aelita that night. He told her all about the accident that had nearly claimed his grandparents lives before his young eyes. Her support and understanding had proven invaluable to him and her reasoned arguments did more to combat his irrational fright than his parents assurances ever could have. Still, it wasn't until he'd begun doing real research on the physics of flight and aircraft with Aelita that he'd ever considered the possibility of going up himself. But she had recently become enamored with flying and he found himself more willing to take to the skies with her than he'd ever thought possible.
He suspected that his pink haired girlfriend had developed an appreciation for flight after getting the wings he programmed for her as a gift. But she hadn't been really interested in airplanes until she learned that Jeremy's grandfather had been a fighter pilot in world war two and had really looked into the subject to help him with a surprise. Now the girl was really hooked so when her birthday (or rather the anniversary of her materialization) came up this year, he'd known exactly what to do for it. It took a week and more secret phone calls than he'd wanted but the scene he was rushing towards and thoughts of what would be next had made the whole thing worthwhile.
Aelita reached the tail section of the small, single engine plane and instinctively reached out to touch it. To anyone watching it looked like the petite fifteen year old female was actually afraid. In a way she was, after all most things that seemed too good to be true were. But the airplane didn't just fade away when she touched it. The bright sunny day with the occasional cloud overhead didn't turn into her darkened room. The shout of 'clear!' and the sound of an aircraft engine starting in the distance didn't suddenly turn into the sound of her alarm. No, as she looked around airport she accepted that this wasn't a dream that was soon to end. Instead, as she turned towards the sound of footsteps and saw Jeremy running towards her, she realized that this was another dream that he was about to make come true.
Beaming a smile at Jeremy as he approached she grabbed him and hugged him tightly the moment he was close enough the began peppering him with questions about the aircraft they were standing next to. It reminded him of when they'd first met and he would spend hours at a time just answering her questions about earth. He laughed then urged her to slow down so that he could answer. She obliged, though there was no way she could keep the bubbly, giddy tone out of her voice. Jeremy loved that tone as well as her curiosity and answered every question her could. It was a good thing that he had thought to get his own copy of the planes owner's manual because without it he would have been at a loss for answers. As it was, some of her questions would still need to be deferred to their flight instructor.
Jeremy's parents grandparents and the flight instructor, who was a long time family friend, watched then listened to the young couple as they calmly walked towards the plane. "She's certainly excited about this, she always this way?" Mac Taylor asked. The fifty year old instructor had seen his fair share of student pilots but few matched Aelita's enthusiasm.
"Not always, but she's been looking forward to this for a while so it's not surprising." Rachel, Jeremy's mother, replied.
"Amazing that she's convinced him to get into an airplane after..." Mac turned and offered an apologetic look to the elder Belpois. Jeremy's grandfather had been injured and nearly killed in an accident at a different airport. Jeremy had seen the whole thing and basically avoided airplanes and flying ever since. No amount of arguing or explaining or even bribery had managed to change the stubborn boy's mind. Yet now he was here, bound and determined to go up.
"That girl has been the best thing to ever happen to our son," Michael replied. "She found a way through the shell that he built up to protect himself and neither have looked back since, they've been enjoying life in a way I was afraid Jeremy would never experience."
Mac turned back towards the airplane and his two charges, "I'm glad to hear that. Now let's get this flight started, I'm sure they'll both have fun." With that he resumed walking towards the plane and introduced himself to Aelita once he got there. After the introduction Jeremy's parents and grandparents left, headed for the lounge area in the airport's main building.
Aelita watched and occasionally asked questions as Mac did a preflight check, making sure all the required documents were present and that the plane was in proper mechanical shape. Once finished with the preflight he directed Aelita to get in on the other side so that she could sit in the co-pilot's seat. A product of her excitement, she scrambled into the cockpit and was seated and strapped in before either Jeremy or Mac had done the same.
She turned her head to watch Jeremy finish with his seatbelt then offered a grateful smile and gave him one last opportunity to back out. She could see a little nervousness hidden in his eyes and behind the smile he flashed back but it was nothing she hadn't seen him deal with before. She could also see the determination in the young man's face and understood that he needed to do this as much for himself as for her. With a loving nod she handed him a headset so that he could be on the intercom link with her and turned her attention back to the cockpit. In the quiet moment that existed before Mac started the engine she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to hold the controls and fly for possibly the last time. When they came back down she would know.
While the engine warmed up Mac gave his two very interested passengers a quick primer on the instruments and avionics suite. Aelita was captivated. While she knew about the concept of a glass cockpit she had been expecting a more old fashioned set of gauges and knobs and levers. Instead she discovered that the two LCD panels that took up the majority of the instrument panel could be used to handle the entire flight. All performance data needed could he displayed on the main screen directly in front of the pilot and all navigation data and even the current weather were on the secondary display to the pilot's right. In a way it reminded her of the Skid she'd once piloted and as she found the memories bittersweet she pushed them away. Instead she chose to concentrate on the here and now, watching outside as they passed an open hanger on the way to one of the two runways.
Having completed yet another ritual, which Aelita knew was an unfair characterization born of her desire to get up in the air, called the run-up check Mac positioned the airplane at the hold short line and waited. Over the radio everyone could hear another pilot, a middle aged male by the sound of his voice, call "Piper three three five six bravo is clear of runway three five."
Mac smiled as he turned his head towards Aelita and looked past her and up into the sky, "want to let everyone know we're off?" Nodding her head vigorously but uncertain as to exactly what she was supposed to say she turned a questioning look at him. "Normally we start with the type of aircraft and tail number, then what we plan on doing."
"Ok so something like 'This is Cessna four eight nine six one taking off of runway... three-five'?"
"Yeah, only pilots usually pronounce nine as niner to avoid possible confusion with the German word for no and we'd say departing in place of taking off." The correction was offered in a patient voice that suggested this man had years of experience with students.
Aelita thanked Mac for his correction then cleared her throat and suddenly found herself quite shy. Her voice would carry on radio waves for many miles and this wasn't anything at all like mixing on stage. She didn't want to embarrass herself by saying something wrong but didn't want to miss out on taking full advantage of the opportunity provided to her. After a few seconds hesitation she cautiously depressed the transmit button strapped to her yoke. "This is Cessna four eight niner six one departing runway three five." She briefly wondered if that sounded too timid.
But Mac gave Aelita an approving look before taking one last, good look to make sure there that no one was on final approach then taxied unto the runway. "Ok, then here we go." With a quick push to the throttle the engine revved up to full power and the C-182 Skylane accelerated down the runway. Aelita, though she wasn't in control, could still feel the plane get lighter as the wings began to generate appreciable amounts of lift. Mac held the plane on the ground even as it felt like it wanted to fly for what seemed like an eternity then pulled back on the yoke. The beautiful, clear blue sky filled the windshield as the climb gently pressed all three persons into their seats. Aelita felt giddy all over again, for the very first time she outside of Lyoko she was free of the ground. Spread out all around her was a beautiful view of everything for miles around receding and shrinking as she was lifted into the sky.
As the exhilaration of her first flight finally began to fade a little Aelita suddenly turned her head to look over Jeremy. She felt a little bad as for the past fifteen minutes she had been focusing on the simple joy of flying and had, in truth, forgotten all about his previous fear of flying. He looked a little flushed to her and she could see what might have been beads of sweat on his forehead and she wondered if he was uncomfortable or feeling sick. The excitement in her voice was tempered with concern and regret over having ignored him up to now as she asked "how are you feeling?"
"Just fine, don't worry about me," was Jeremy's reply. His voice was strong and even though it sounded a little forced to Aelita's ears.
Aelita looked him over again and some of the worry in her expression dropped away. She had seen him in much worse shape and, despite looking a little sick there was happiness in his face. Still, she had to something to help him. She turned towards Mac and asked if there was anything to help make Jeremy more comfortable. He nodded and briefly turned his attention to the passenger behind him then opened a vent to allow some fresh, cool air to get to him.
"Jeremy, you should focus on something distant and outside of the plane, it'll help." Mac's voice came across as confident and reassuring.
Jeremy scowled slightly at the concern paid him and began to wish he hadn't come. This was for Aelita after all and she didn't need to worry over him right now. She was supposed to be enjoying herself and this experience. Any further thought was cut off by Aelita's voice, "go ahead and enjoy the view outside. There'll be plenty of time for you to look at me when we're back on the ground."
Jeremy, long past blushing and stammering at such comments, chuckled and did as he was told. And it did seem to help, especially since he focused on some sort of tower that was on Aelita's side and so could still see her in his peripheral vision. Had he been feeling better he would have come up with a more witty response but right now he settled for a simple thank you. The cool air combined with focusing on a distant object really did seem to help as Jeremy's stomach settled itself and he began to feel better. Ten minutes later he spoke into the intercom, "so when does Aelita get to fly?" He sounded just a touch nervous and hoped that Aelita either wouldn't notice or at least wouldn't let it affect her.
Mac chuckled and asked Aelita if she was ready, getting a vigorous set of nods in response. He laughed a little more and gave Aelita another quick explanation of the controls then told her the plane was all hers. Slowly and gingerly she put her hands on the yoke then put her feet on the pedals. Once she had her grip Mac let go and she became the pilot.
Her body flooded with a new set of energy and emotion and it was similar to when she was on stage opening for the Subdigitals. But it was different too, there was freedom up here among the clouds. And a great deal more fear as the realization of her responsibility hit her. The life of her lover and this relative stranger who sat beside her were now in her hands. For a moment she simply held onto the controls, unwilling to trust herself to do anything. But the feeling passed as logic told her that Mac was used to student pilots and wouldn't let her get them into trouble. She smiled to herself as she calmed down and slowly began to try some maneuvers.
It was different than piloting the Skid and yet so very similar as well. The Skid was, in a way, easier to control than the airplane. In the digital sea there had been currents that acted like wind but there had been no aerodynamic forces so turning in the skid was a simply matter of turning no corrections had been necessary. The digital sea was also a completely free environment that she was able to explore with only the physical constraints of the Skid to limit her. Here there was airspace to avoid and rules to follow in addition to the physical constraints of the plane. Of course the Skid had no real character to it. This Cessna had vibrations from the engine that she could feel. There was texture to every surface and resistance to all of her controls. Noise was created as the air rushed by the fuselage and compared to the eerie silence of the digital sea it was great. One thing that both the Skid and the Cessna had in common was the feeling of power and freedom that came with being the pilot.
Jeremy alternated his focus between Aelita and whatever he could find in the distance on her side of the craft. He didn't really want to as he would have preferred to keep his eyes focused on the very happy girl in the co-pilot's seat as she lazily maneuvered the plane around the sky. He was too grateful for words that she was keeping her maneuvers gentle and graceful and had briefly hoped that he wasn't ruining her experience be being present. But he had grown past most of his own self doubt and could see the pure joy in Aelita's movements and what he could see of her expression and so couldn't dwell on the thought. He flashed her a genuine smile as she glanced back to check on him then announced that she had found Kadic academy and that it was outside of controlled airspace. A quick word of permission from Mac and they were off, Aelita following the directions of the navigation system near perfectly.
Two and a half hours later: Mac took back control of the airplane while Aelita announced to anyone listening that they were turning unto base leg and, a few minutes later, making their final approach. She was beaming even though she was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be the one performing the landing. Mac guided the plane in expertly and let it float in ground effect for just a short time before pulling back on the yoke and executing the flare to, in effect, stall the plane and allow it to drop the few millimeters unto the wheels. Aelita announced that they were clear of the runway in a confident but bubbly manner, a complete turnaround from her very first radio call. She relaxed in her seat as they taxied back to the plane's hanger but as soon as she was out she let out an excited squeal and ran around behind the plane only catching herself at the last moment to avoid tackling Mac. She settled for giving him a hug and a tiptoed peck on the cheek before turning to Jeremy and pulling him into a bear hug.
Author's note: The idea for this story came from Command Wolf and her possible obsession with flying.