Chapter Three - Vietnam
Danny Jr. sat nervously in his plane. He gripped the joystick hard, trying to ignore his sweaty palms. Henry, next to him, was saying a prayer with eyes squeezed shut.
"Nervous, Danny?"
Danny Jr. turned to his window and saw Rafe smiling confidently at him from his plane. "No, Uncle Rafe...well, actually, yeah," he said.
"Don't worry, Danny, you'll be fine. You're a good pilot. Just take care, okay?" He paused. "Besides, I hear that all the other bombing operations have been successful so far."
Rafe didn't know it, but these words made Danny Jr. even more frightened. What if I'm the first one to mess up? he thought suddenly. What if I crash and ruin everything? What if...
He was jolted out of his thoughts by a shout from below. "Get ready, number one!"
Number one was Rafe's plane. Danny Jr. watched as Rafe gave him a thumbs up and revved up the engine of his plane. He zoomed down the runway and before long, he had become a mere speck in the distance. Danny Jr. swallowed. He and Henry had drawn number two.
Henry stared straight ahead, for once having difficulty speaking. "This is it, Danny," he said softly. "This could make or break us as pilots."
Danny Jr. tried to ignore Henry's last comment, and started up his plane. A peculiar sensation came over him. It's like deja vu, he realised. Almost automatically, his mind clicked and his reflexes kicked in. He carefully steered the plane down the runway just as Rafe had done. Don't panic, Walker, don't panic.
Henry was taking deep breaths. "Okay, Danny, max power now!" he yelled over the roar of the engine.
Danny Jr. didn't need Henry to tell him that. They'd practised this so many times before, it was almost like being on autopilot. Breathing a little easier now that he was actually on his way, he powered up the engine.
The next few seconds passed in a dazed blur of noise and smoke. Danny Jr. kept his hand glued to the joystick and his eyes to the runway. "We're almost there, Henry!"
Henry screamed back. "Quit talking and get MOVIN', Danny!"
Danny Jr. almost smiled, but he was too keyed up for that. Just a bit more...we're almost at the line...And with that thought running through his head, their plane rose off the ground. He let out a breath. He'd taken off in planes any number of times before, but that was without all this pressure and the knowledge of what lay before him.
Beside him, Henry let out a whoop. "We did it, Danny!"
Danny Jr. allowed himself a small smile. "That was the easy part, Henry."
***
They were over North Vietnam.
Rafe's voice crackled through Danny Jr.'s headphones. "Ready, men?"
"Ready!" they chorused.
"Bombs away!" came Rafe's reply.
"One away!"
Danny Jr. took a deep breath. He hit the button. "Here goes nothing," he said to Henry.
"Two away!" he shouted. Henry was looking out the window.
"YES!" he screamed. He turned back and clapped Danny Jr. hard on the back. "We did it! We bombed 'em!"
"We?" said Danny Jr., looking at Henry with a mock-irritated smile. But Henry's wide grin was contagious, and Danny Jr. couldn't help grinning back as well. I did it! I really did it! "Well, Henry, it actually worked," he said.
"It worked damn well, Danny!" cried Henry.
Danny Jr. was so overwhelmed with joy he was practically oblivious to the voices that came in through his headphones, until he heard Rafe's slightly annoyed, but laughing voice. "Men, are you there? Answer me, please, before I have to repeat this for the fifth time!"
"Number two here, sir," Danny Jr. replied. Gradually, the other planes trickled in with their responses.
"Good job, men," said Rafe, switching to his crisp businesslike tone. "Head immediately for South Vietnam. We might get shot at, so watch your back. Over and out."
Danny Jr. started to sweat again. "They say this is the hardest part, Henry," he said. "The getaway."
Henry kept his gaze ahead of him, looking at Rafe's plane, which was leading the pack. "We'll be fine, Danny, we just have to..."
His words were cut off by a sudden noise from behind. It sounded suspiciously like...
"Dammit, they're shooting at us!" Henry screamed. "Tony's been hit!"
Danny Jr. felt himself getting paralyzed in fear. "Calm down, Walker," he murmured. "Get your tail outta here before you panic." He kept his hand on the joystick, and tried to concentrate on moving faster.
He heard Rafe say something again. "Men, hold out, don't panic, go FASTER! We're almost there!"
Danny Jr. could tell that Rafe was trying to stay collected, but he could detect the hysteria in his voice.
Henry suddenly gripped his arm. Danny Jr. was pulled out of position, and the plane swerved wildly. "Oh God, Danny, one's on our tail!"
"Let go of me, Henry!" Danny Jr. screamed. "I can't fly with your nails in my flesh!"
Henry let go immediately. Danny Jr. tried to regain control. The plane was hanging sideways. Instinctively, he pulled sharply at the joystick.
The plane did a barrel roll and righted itself. Danny Jr. relaxed. Next to him, he felt Henry do the same. Thank God I sneaked out the other night to practise this, he thought.
"That was close, Danny," said Henry.
"We'll be okay, I think I see the air base...but it's so dark..."
Danny Jr. was about to squint for a closer look when suddenly the plane gave a tremendous rumble. Henry glanced out of the window. "We've been hit! We've been hit!"
"You don't have to tell me that, Henry, I can feel it for myself!" Danny Jr. shouted back. "How badly?"
"I don't know..." Henry angled himself for a better look. Just then, there came a new barrage of bullets. The plane jerked a few times, and started plunging madly downwards.
Henry abandoned all pretense of calm. He gripped Danny Jr. twice as hard. "Danny, we're gonna die!"
Danny Jr. was frozen in shock. No, he thought wildly. No, this can't be it. I'm too young to die...
His plane crashed.
***
Danny had been milling about anxiously at the South Vietnam air base, waiting for Danny Jr. and Rafe to land safely. This had better turn out well, he thought, crossing his fingers. They've got so much ahead of them. Especially Danny.
Just then, there came a loud crashing sound from somewhere in the distance. Danny looked up. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was a blazing fire where the noise had come from, and he could see parts of a wrecked plane sticking out from the flames.
He also felt the unmistakeable presence of Danny Jr. pulling him towards the crash site. Before he could freeze in shock, he phased out and reappeared immediately next to the burning plane. His eyes widened, and he could feel panic overtaking him. "Danny!" he shouted, as loudly as he dared. He was, after all, a ghost.
Danny could see Henry lying unconscious on the grass. He went over to him and looked him over. He was bruised, burned and bleeding slightly, but Danny could see he'd be alright. Not giving him a second thought, he looked around for Danny Jr.
He was lying next to the cockpit of the plane, not moving, and there was shrapnel embedded in his neck and chest. Danny suddenly suffered a flashback of his death, but he forcibly banished the memories from his mind. This is not the time for recalling things, he thought fiercely. He leaned over and eased all the shrapnel out quickly. "There," he said. "You'll be okay now."
Danny Jr.'s eyelids fluttered open. "Daddy?" he asked weakly.
Danny nodded. "Shhh," he whispered. He picked Danny Jr. up and carried him away from the flames, then did the same for Henry. Danny Jr. looked at him with gratitude in his eyes. "You saved us," he murmured. "Thanks, Daddy. I love you."
Danny was checking Danny Jr. for other injuries. Apart from burns and more cuts, there was nothing more. He heaved a relieved sigh. If this was the reason for my death, he realised suddenly, it was worth it. Certainly Danny Jr. would have been in mortal danger had he not been there. "I love you too, Danny," he said, then quickly hugged him. "Take care."
He was about to phase out when he heard a gasp from behind him. He spun around.
Standing there, with a look of disbelief and shock on his face, was Rafe. He stretched out a hand. "Danny?" he said finally.
Danny smiled. "He's fine, Rafe. You take care too. I gotta go."
Then he left, leaving Rafe looking sadly at the spot where his best friend's ghost had stood.
***
Author's Note:
I know I promised to write about Danny Jr. post-Vietnam in this chapter, and I didn't, and I'm really sorry about it. Danny Jr.'s Vietnam experience turned out to be lengthier than I imagined. I promise I will make up for lost content in the next chapter (or two). Once again, heartfelt thanks to Bobby Laurent for the idea. Meanwhile, please forgive any airplane and historical inaccuracies. Thank you for reading, and remember to review! ~HuntressMinerva