(Hi, so here's another part of my story. Thanks to the people who reviewed the last
chapter. I really hope that I'll get more reviews soon, though.)
"C'mon, get you a@@ into gear. I want to see you move. Move it, move it, move it!!!"
yelled the man, who 'greeted' them at the train station. He was wearing BDUs and
standing close to another soldier, who was there to drive the bus.
Rafe gave Danny and Anthony a questioning look meaning as if to ask 'what the…???'.
Before he swung his duffel bag over the shoulder and jogged towards the bus, Danny
mumbled: "I guess it's back to boot camp."
Rafe frowned: "Did we take the right train? I'm here for flying super-planes!"
Then he followed Red, who wasn't even able to answer him before the soldier started
another yelling attack.
Soon all of them found themselves on the bus driving them out to the country.
The base was located approximately 10 miles away from a small town called Huntsville.
On the contrary to what they had expected, they weren't showed their quarters and then
given a lecture on how to operate these new planes before taking a test flight.
When the bus came to a halt on base, the major, as they could tell by his insignia, started
shouting again. He practically yelled them off the bus and made them drop their luggage
right where they were standing before having them line up.
Then he positioned himself in front of the group, who was now standing straight and at
attention carefully listening to what he had to say.
He looked at them one by one, apparently disgusted by their appearance.
Their uniforms were creased from the long train ride and most of them were tired.
After taking a while to look everybody up and down, he said in a low but dangerous
sounding voice:
"I was told, I would get the best young pilots of our nation."
He paused and started walking up and down in front of them.
His voice slightly louder he continued: "But instead I get a bunch of lazy cowboys!"
Rafe mumbled to himself: "Wait until you see us fly."
"What did you just say, soldier?"
The Major stepped right in front of him.
Rafe blinked: "Nothing, sir."
"Oh yes, I think you did, Lieutenant." He read the name tag "McCawley."
Danny rolled his eyes. They had only been there for 2 minutes and Rafe was already in
trouble.
His friend swallowed considering whether it was a clever thing to answer.
He did it anyway:" I just said, wait until you see us fly,…sir!"
He caused a smile to appear on most of his comrade's lips but not on the Major's, who
looked him straight in the eye.
Danny was wondering if he would make Rafe do 100 push ups or clean the latrines.
To his surprise the Major turned around and said: "I can only hope so."
When he turned back towards them, he raised his voice again:
"I am Major Russell. I will be your commanding officer as long as you are here. I expect
you to be exactly what I was promised you were. I expect you to do your very best to
proof yourselves. I expect a hundred percent attention, a hundred percent energy, a
hundred percent devotion! I don't expect any kind of rivalry, unsupportive action or
unruly behavior. You are here as a team."
He paused again, before he continued with what appeared to be his sense of humor:"
Nevertheless we only have 6 of these new planes, which you will be introduced to.
6, yes. I guess all of you can count and come to the conclusion that you are more than 6.
Only the very best of you will get to fly these planes. We want the best, the fittest and the
smartest. As you all know this means we have to find them. We have put together a
program which will allow us to do so."
He grinned slightly with a side glance at Rafe.
"First thing is: you will go for a little 8 mile run. Change into your PT clothes."
A stern look told them he was serious.
All of them waited for him to add something.
"I said change! Don't make me repeat myself."
"Sir, here, sir?" a guy called McNamara dared to ask.
"Yes, here!" the superior officer glared at him.
The pilots exchanged a few uncertain glances and decided that it was better not to ask
another question.
Danny started roaming around his bag to find his shirt and pants not daring to talk or
even hesitate.
Rafe nevertheless hissed: "Man, this sucks!"
His best friend shot a glance over the shoulder towards the major, while he unbuttoned
his uniform.
All of them quickly dropped their clothes and got changed before lining up for the run.
Another soldier had joined them who showed a strong resemblance with one of their
former drill sergeants.
The major explained: "Your 'tour' will take you around the sights of this place: The air
field, mess hall and quarters as well as the parachute training area and our very own lake.
Don't look for the new planes. Their inside the hangar."
A sign showed them to start running.
Soon they found themselves running like they were running for their lives.
There wasn't a single one, who didn't sweat, breath like a horse or turn red in the face.
They ran past all the 'sights' but, of course didn't stop at a single one.
Danny soon could feel his ankle hurt and a few of the others, who had been slacking of
lately, more or less stumbled their way towards the lake, where they didn't come to a halt
but instead got the command: "In there! Swim through it."
Irritated glances were exchanged but nobody dared to ask something along the lines:
"Are you serious?"
"I presume you all can swim, so better jump in fast!"
Nobody dared to contradict and soon Red and Anthony, who were the first ones in the
row, jumped into the lake in clothes and shoes.
Some of the soldiers weren't that much of a swimmer but didn't want to loose out on
flying these super planes, they hadn't even gotten a glimps of yet.
When it was Danny's and Rafe's turn to jump in, they shuddered. The water was freezing
cold and they found it hard to swim in clothes.
The worst thing was to crawl out on the other side and keep running in wet clothes, that
clung to their bodies like a flabbing, second skin.
It didn't take long and the first ones started cursing.
Their drill sergeant wasn't impressed with them and pushed them even more.
So when they finally, after what seemed half an eternity, arrived back where they had
started from, they couldn't help but let themselves fall to the floor, breathing like old tank
engines.
Danny lay on his back with his chest rising and falling rapidly. He stared at the clouded
sky above them.
Rafe still stood but had to bend down and put his hands on his knees for support.
Danny threw a glance at Rafe's exhausted expression. Then he smiled slightly: "Hey
Rafe."
His friend looked at him: "Hm."
"When you were dreaming about flying the fastest planes, did you have this in mind?"
Despite all exhaustion, Rafe grinned: "Naw. But whatever it takes, right?"
Danny squinted his eyes because a drop of water from his hair had run into them.
He considered what Rafe had just said. Then he looked up at him again and saw the
devotion in his eyes. So he nodded: "Yeah. Whatever it takes."
chapter. I really hope that I'll get more reviews soon, though.)
"C'mon, get you a@@ into gear. I want to see you move. Move it, move it, move it!!!"
yelled the man, who 'greeted' them at the train station. He was wearing BDUs and
standing close to another soldier, who was there to drive the bus.
Rafe gave Danny and Anthony a questioning look meaning as if to ask 'what the…???'.
Before he swung his duffel bag over the shoulder and jogged towards the bus, Danny
mumbled: "I guess it's back to boot camp."
Rafe frowned: "Did we take the right train? I'm here for flying super-planes!"
Then he followed Red, who wasn't even able to answer him before the soldier started
another yelling attack.
Soon all of them found themselves on the bus driving them out to the country.
The base was located approximately 10 miles away from a small town called Huntsville.
On the contrary to what they had expected, they weren't showed their quarters and then
given a lecture on how to operate these new planes before taking a test flight.
When the bus came to a halt on base, the major, as they could tell by his insignia, started
shouting again. He practically yelled them off the bus and made them drop their luggage
right where they were standing before having them line up.
Then he positioned himself in front of the group, who was now standing straight and at
attention carefully listening to what he had to say.
He looked at them one by one, apparently disgusted by their appearance.
Their uniforms were creased from the long train ride and most of them were tired.
After taking a while to look everybody up and down, he said in a low but dangerous
sounding voice:
"I was told, I would get the best young pilots of our nation."
He paused and started walking up and down in front of them.
His voice slightly louder he continued: "But instead I get a bunch of lazy cowboys!"
Rafe mumbled to himself: "Wait until you see us fly."
"What did you just say, soldier?"
The Major stepped right in front of him.
Rafe blinked: "Nothing, sir."
"Oh yes, I think you did, Lieutenant." He read the name tag "McCawley."
Danny rolled his eyes. They had only been there for 2 minutes and Rafe was already in
trouble.
His friend swallowed considering whether it was a clever thing to answer.
He did it anyway:" I just said, wait until you see us fly,…sir!"
He caused a smile to appear on most of his comrade's lips but not on the Major's, who
looked him straight in the eye.
Danny was wondering if he would make Rafe do 100 push ups or clean the latrines.
To his surprise the Major turned around and said: "I can only hope so."
When he turned back towards them, he raised his voice again:
"I am Major Russell. I will be your commanding officer as long as you are here. I expect
you to be exactly what I was promised you were. I expect you to do your very best to
proof yourselves. I expect a hundred percent attention, a hundred percent energy, a
hundred percent devotion! I don't expect any kind of rivalry, unsupportive action or
unruly behavior. You are here as a team."
He paused again, before he continued with what appeared to be his sense of humor:"
Nevertheless we only have 6 of these new planes, which you will be introduced to.
6, yes. I guess all of you can count and come to the conclusion that you are more than 6.
Only the very best of you will get to fly these planes. We want the best, the fittest and the
smartest. As you all know this means we have to find them. We have put together a
program which will allow us to do so."
He grinned slightly with a side glance at Rafe.
"First thing is: you will go for a little 8 mile run. Change into your PT clothes."
A stern look told them he was serious.
All of them waited for him to add something.
"I said change! Don't make me repeat myself."
"Sir, here, sir?" a guy called McNamara dared to ask.
"Yes, here!" the superior officer glared at him.
The pilots exchanged a few uncertain glances and decided that it was better not to ask
another question.
Danny started roaming around his bag to find his shirt and pants not daring to talk or
even hesitate.
Rafe nevertheless hissed: "Man, this sucks!"
His best friend shot a glance over the shoulder towards the major, while he unbuttoned
his uniform.
All of them quickly dropped their clothes and got changed before lining up for the run.
Another soldier had joined them who showed a strong resemblance with one of their
former drill sergeants.
The major explained: "Your 'tour' will take you around the sights of this place: The air
field, mess hall and quarters as well as the parachute training area and our very own lake.
Don't look for the new planes. Their inside the hangar."
A sign showed them to start running.
Soon they found themselves running like they were running for their lives.
There wasn't a single one, who didn't sweat, breath like a horse or turn red in the face.
They ran past all the 'sights' but, of course didn't stop at a single one.
Danny soon could feel his ankle hurt and a few of the others, who had been slacking of
lately, more or less stumbled their way towards the lake, where they didn't come to a halt
but instead got the command: "In there! Swim through it."
Irritated glances were exchanged but nobody dared to ask something along the lines:
"Are you serious?"
"I presume you all can swim, so better jump in fast!"
Nobody dared to contradict and soon Red and Anthony, who were the first ones in the
row, jumped into the lake in clothes and shoes.
Some of the soldiers weren't that much of a swimmer but didn't want to loose out on
flying these super planes, they hadn't even gotten a glimps of yet.
When it was Danny's and Rafe's turn to jump in, they shuddered. The water was freezing
cold and they found it hard to swim in clothes.
The worst thing was to crawl out on the other side and keep running in wet clothes, that
clung to their bodies like a flabbing, second skin.
It didn't take long and the first ones started cursing.
Their drill sergeant wasn't impressed with them and pushed them even more.
So when they finally, after what seemed half an eternity, arrived back where they had
started from, they couldn't help but let themselves fall to the floor, breathing like old tank
engines.
Danny lay on his back with his chest rising and falling rapidly. He stared at the clouded
sky above them.
Rafe still stood but had to bend down and put his hands on his knees for support.
Danny threw a glance at Rafe's exhausted expression. Then he smiled slightly: "Hey
Rafe."
His friend looked at him: "Hm."
"When you were dreaming about flying the fastest planes, did you have this in mind?"
Despite all exhaustion, Rafe grinned: "Naw. But whatever it takes, right?"
Danny squinted his eyes because a drop of water from his hair had run into them.
He considered what Rafe had just said. Then he looked up at him again and saw the
devotion in his eyes. So he nodded: "Yeah. Whatever it takes."
