Star Trek: Frank Grayson

Give them the Bird!

Featuring
Drake Morton
Nancy Morton
Leonard Jackson
Ryana Jackson

Maj. Jerup Henson
Captain Taggert

Andrew Morris

with
Frank Grayson
and Austin Grayson

They Skys above Colorado...

The small squad of F6F Hellcats zeroed in on the pair of much more modern and far more powerful F35s. And although the new jets were as powerful as could be, and even had stealth technology, they could still be seen by the naked eye. And there were six pairs of eyes manning the F6s, and they were readying for battle on this day.

Captain Taggert's thumb pressed the button on his throttle, and immediately two AIM-120D AMRAAMs spewed out their internal platforms and headed for the six targets that were closing in on his and Capt Danis's position.

F6F
ID number F1152DG
Pilot; Andrew Moore

Andrew Morris was only twenty-seven years old. It was his grandfather, Newt Morris, who had flown the most missions while with the Black-Falcons, before being shot down by Japanese flack in late 1944. Andrew had never joined the Air Force, or Army, having chosen the career of being a dentist. In fact, he never even knew his grandfather. It was only through the great stories his own father, Barton Morris, told him did Andrew know anything about his grandfather and all the great things he did.

Andrew Morris also loved Drake Morton. Drake was always like a father to him. Drake and Andrew's father, Barton, were friends for many years in the service. And when Andrew's father passed way many years ago, Drake Morton gladly paid for the rest of Andrew's college degree. But, sadly, two years ago, Andrew was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctors gave him three years, tops, to live.

When Drake approached Andrew a month ago, and asked him for his help, Andrew, who had flown with Drake many times at many air shows in his own restored F6, understood what Drake was really asking of him. Andrew gladly accepted his mentor's request.

Instantly an AIM-120D missile struck the plane to left of Andrew's plane. That plane was being flown by Lewis Opperhimer, a 73 year old man who had actually been a member of the Black-Falcons, and had seen limited duty in the latter parts of the Korean War. Opperhimer's plane exploded instantly as the missile struck it. Five of the team of six now remained. Andrew Morris fixed his vision on the two fast approaching jets. Andrew knew he only had once chance at this, so it had to work. The other AMI-120D struck the plane to the right of Andrew's. It had been flown by George Lowes, whom Andrew knew little of. Only that George's grandfather served time in the Korean War as well. There was now only four of the Black-Falcon team left, not counting Drake Morton, whom all the bravery was being put on display for. The entire crew was now willing to lay their lives down for the retired General; he was that great of a man.

The moment that Oppenhimer's and Lowe's planes were destroyed it was no longer a game. It was now a matter of life or death. And as the F35's approached, Andrew new the two Air Force pilots prepared for evasive moves, and would no doubt take out the remaining F6Fs. But as the F35s approached the team, Andrew Morris approached the F35s as well, but unlike his Air Force foes, he did not prepare for evasive moves. That was not what he was here to do. And as the F35's split, one left and to the right, Young's F6F pivoted up and plowed straight into the trailing F35, instantly causing both two explode in a fiery death.

CLAYTON AFB

Taggert's worried voice came over the radio.

"Sir, Danis has been taken out! I repeat, Tobin-Beta-niner has been taken out, kill shot by F6F Hellcat!" Taggert's words were broken up with deep breaths!

Henson could not believe it. One of the F6F's rammed the F35, destroying it completely, killing Captain Danis. Whoever the pilot was of the F6F purposely threw his life away for Drake Morton. Apparently Drake Morton commanded more respect than Henson had given him credit for.

Miles below the dog-fight, a stunned crowd of observers at a nearby mall had been watching the air battle, far above, believing it to be an air show stunt of some kind. But the massive explosion caused by colliding planes proved it was more than a game, or an air show. It was only the hand of fate that seemed to interfere, as the wreckage of two planes crashed in a nearby field. One of the observers, a vacationer from Miami Florida, was video-taping the entire ordeal. And, as the man looked up into the sky with his high-end video camera, it was clear the battle was not over; yet.

Morton aimed his plane straight up into the sky, as though he were planning on flying straight into space. He knew the Hellcat he flew, and the one Jackson flew as well, would stall out, and would spin out of control. The F6F did not have the ability to tumble back into control, which was one of its shortcomings. But what it lacked in safety measures, it more than made up with better than average speed for a WW2 era plane.

With his plane aimed straight up, and Jackson right behind him, they had to wait long enough and hope that who was ever up on the Enterprise was ready to do their part. Why not just beam up from the ground? Drake knew they had to also fake their deaths, therefore giving the government a chance to cover up the fact of where they were really going; he owed Intel that much. The world was not ready for the USS ENTERPRISE.

Capt Taggert, during his evasive actions, found himself facing two F6s ahead of him, and two more behind him. Those four planes were doing exactly what they wanted to do, which was to delay Taggert so that Morton and Jackson could make their escape. But it was time to end the farce. Taggert launched four more AIM-12s. Moments later the remaining F6Fs were instantly blown out of the sky. Taggert changed his heading, and chased after the two remaining Hellcats, Morton and Jackson, as they climbed straight up in the sky.

"What the fuck are they doing?" Taggert asked himself

All though the battling airplanes were just mere dots in the sky, the crowd below could still see the action. It was truly an amazing sight to see!

The lone F35 zoomed up after the fleeing pair of historic planes. Taggert's jet could climb much faster. Plus, with Danis dead, Taggert felt no remorse as he carried out his mission. He waited as the targeting computer came back with a lock; and it did. He had two AIM-12s left, and he prepped them for the firing control.

Nancy Morton could feel the dizziness taking control of her actions. She didn't have long to live.

"Drake?" She asked into her helmet microphone.

"Yeah honey?" Drake replied.

Her mouth felt dry as she spoke. "What do you think Kurt and Emily would have named their baby?"

Kurt Morton was their deceased son. He and his wife Emily were both in the army and had lost their lives when an Afghan soldier, a so called friendly combatant, fired on their troop, killing Kurt and Emily; as well as their unborn child.

Drake thought for a moment. "Oh hell, honey, I don't know." Drake said as the pushed the plane harder.

Nancy coughed, and some blood sprayed on her hand. "I think if it had been a boy they would have named him after you; the greatest man I ever knew!" She said as tears came from her eyes.

Drake shook his head. "Honey; why in the hell are you talking about this now!?" Drake asked, raising his voice over the sound of the engines.

Nancy reached down into the duffle-bag that was near her shoes. Inside of it she found what she was looking for; a hand grenade.

"So long my husband!" She yelled as she popped her stand-alone canopy and ejected out of the plane.

"What the fuck?" Drake yelled as he looked back and saw her fly down and past Jackson's plane, just barely missing Jackson's propellers as she fell towards Earth. Then Drake saw why she had done the unexpected act; a slight hole in the plane next to her seat, and a puddle of dark blood where she had been sitting. Instantly he knew that she had sacrificed her life to save him, as well as Leonard and Ryana. But Drake wondered what she had intended to do?

Taggert's targeting computer locked on to the two older planes. It was now time to end this game. He was about to squeeze the trigger when, as he pressed his jet straight up, he saw what looked like a body falling fast, down toward his jet.

Nancy's last act was to flip off the passenger in the approaching jet (Taggert), and to press the button that exploded the grenade. The blast was not massive, but it shook the F35 enough and threw the modern jet into a tail spin, tumbling over and over as it did. Nancy Morton died instantly, but she died a hero. Drake would always love her for that.

But, just when all seemed lost, Taggert regained control of his jet and set it back on course to destroy the two jets.

Suddenly Drake knew they were out of time. His plane began to stall, and he could tell that Jackson's did as well. The planes had come to the end of the line. All that was left to do was to wait for the other F35 to blow them out of the sky.

At that instant Taggert prepared to launch the last two AIM-12s.

High in Earth orbit, the USS Enterprise de-cloaked and shimmered into view. Austin Grayson sat at Sulu's station and pressed the red button. Instantly a Photon-Torpedo streaked out of the Enterprise's forward turret. At that instant Taggert launched the AIM-12s, but the Photon Torpedo was too quick. It zipped passed the F6Fs as they began to fall backward, and struck the F35, exploding it instantly. The resulting blast also caused the two last F6F's to explode as well….

Frank Grayson, who manned the Transporter machine, watched as the three transport signals solidified into three people he had never met before. The two men had, in fact, tried to destroy the Enterprise two months earlier, and now here they were, on Frank Grayson's Enterprise. He watched as the older man was hugged by the two younger African-Americans, one a male one a female.

"She died a hero, sir." Leonard said to his former CO. "We all owe her our lives." Leonard concluded.

Tears fell from Ryana's face. Even though her short relationship with Nancy Morgan was at the other end of curse words, Ryana knew that the woman had given her life to save theirs.

The hug ended and Drake Morton, Leonard Jackson, and Ryana Jackson, turned to face their host.

"Hello," Frank said with a smile, "and welcome aboard the USS ENTERPRISE"

CONTINUED