Chapter 1: Dreams

June 8, 2011
Somewhere in Northeastern Osea

A storm raged outside with all that came with it. There was no wind, just the constant pinging of the rain. It had been a miserable few days. Most would dare not venture outside. But for Charlie, it was really his only other entertainment. He wondered if people would still be jogging out there. Of course, one had to pick one's poison; there was no power. It was just another day trying to adjust to regular life, yet it seemed more difficult with everyday. Just a few months ago, he'd been on of the air force's finest pilots. But an unpopular war, political machinations, world destruction weapons ruined all that. He was glad it was all over, but a part of him missed it all. But at least one thing stayed constant.

Charlie suddenly felt a brush of heat and the shining glow. It didn't bother him. He knew what it was, who it was, and what it represented. It was like being back at Sand Island, with a person who still remained by his side, and what he used to be called...Blaze. But he hadn't been called this nickname in months. Even Charlie wasn't his real name, but David. Charlie was the name of a dog he had as a child. It seemed the perfect name for an alias. Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"So, how do you like it?" the voice said.

David turned, and saw the bright glow. His eyes bulged in surprise; his expression saying, Who are you and what have done with my Kei? But, he knew it was her.

"Wow. That does look nice. But maybe you should wait until we get some actual light before you dye your hair." he said.

Kei laughed. It was just another level of disguise.

"I miss those red tipped highlights though." David said.

David had the fresh memory of the first days they'd spent as a married couple. The most vivid one being the fiery red color she put in her hair, which David considered to be the most important aesthetic quality of a woman. It was paired with the same inner passion as he had, and thus created a perfect couple, in his view.

"I told you, those are for special occasions. Besides, I'm beginning to like this...casual look."

"You've always had a casual look. But, anyway...What is this, monsoon season?"

"Yeah, it's been nasty out there. It just rains too much here." said David.

There was a slight pause between the two.
"So...you really want to do this? Move out with me to some island out in the middle of nowhere?" he asked.

"It looked like a nice place really...for a volcanic island." Kei said.

"So we tell the guys up in Oured, 'Hey, we're moving here.' and they make it happen. What more you could ask for? It's the least they could do for crazies like us." said David, "Of course, I wish I still had my grandpa's plane. Then we could fly there ourselves." he said.

"If only."

"You know...I wonder who owns that place now, if anyone does. It looked deserted. I wonder if any of those planes can still fly. That would be something, wouldn't it?"

"Wait a minute...are you suggesting what I think-"

"Yes. I'm saying it. I say we find one of those old planes, fix it up and fly it!" he said.

There was a slight pause from Kei.

"What? You don't to do that?"

"No...it's not that. I want to do that too."

"Really? Well, I'll go ahead and go. What are we waiting for? The weather there's nice all year around. Let's get the hell out of Dodge." said David.

"You want to try to fly in this weather?" said Kei.

"I've done it before but...I see your point. So we'll wait."

David had found adjusting to married life easier than adjusting to a normal civilian life in general. He wanted to fly again. He was hellbent on it; he dreamed about it every night. Every day was a more anxious one. He was determined to keep that part of his life, even if it meant living a regular life.

"Wait a minute. What if we can get the others in on this?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, let's call Grimm, Snow, everybody. We all 'disappear' to this place. Think about it. We'd get to sit there and do all the things we love to do, fly and be around planes. My parents would love it...I might give them a call too."

Kei laughed again. "You were always a bigger dreamer than even me."
"Dreamer? Nah. I'm just a guy with too much time on his hands in the worst weather possible." he said.

June 11, 2011

Mallora Island

There was a black surf along the beach that was touched by gentle bubbling water. Near it was a small plane, a Cessna pontoon plane. David and Kei stepped out of the plane on a dock they'd tied the plane to. Although his grandfather had left the old Messerschmitt on the island, he let him have his old, but maintained Cessna. He was getting too old to fly in his mind. The air was a sticky, sweet smell of untouched nature.

"We really need to build a house here." said Kei.

"Build a house? I can't build a spice rack, much less a house! I can fix stuff, but I'm not a carpenter."said David in surprise.

"You're right, I can't build anything either. But this view...our kids will be talking about it for years. They'll say, I used to live on this island with a beautiful beach we'd see every day.. And so on and so on."said Kei.

Kids. Most guys would be thinking-Kids? Are you crazy!

David wasn't afraid of this talk. It was something they had agreed on months ago. It wasn't even an issue. What was an issue was something else...and it had almost nothing to do with Kei.

Later...

They were lucky. Everything just fell into place. They had found a house near the beach, but it was in a clearing. A very familiar clearing; it was one they had passed over on the way to their...deaths. It was dusty, but salvageable.

"These cobwebs have got to go." said David.

"Look at you, Blaze. You're a fighter ace turned interior decorator." said Kei while laughing.

David did not respond until he began another, more serious dialogue, "When I was a kid, I looked at a spider spin its web for like 3 hours. It slowly took shape. I used to hate them. But...he was just trying to stay alive. I found that out when it just attacked this fly and just spun it up in its web. I was like, 'Yes! Kill it!' I was rooting for the spider. Then...the night before the wedding. I had that same dream again..." said David.

"St. Hewlett...again? I had no idea it was still..." said Kei worriedly.

"Yes. It came back, then a saw a spider web and I just started crying. I was so happy when that guy went down...then sick when it hit those guys in the water. It was like back with spider when I was a kid. What was that fly going through? I know it sounds silly and trivial but...It made me think of back then. How cruel, I could be sometimes. Maybe it's my punishment. Punishment for those few times I wish ill on others."

"Like who?"

"There was an old girlfriend I had when I was 18. Six months before I enrolled in the academy, I was going to go to same college as her. I'm serious, she was the first girl I ever loved. That is until two days after I realized that...well, let's just say she stabbed me in the back...with two knives."

"What do you mean by...Oh, I get it." said Kei holding back a twisted facial expression.

"Yeah. I was so angry at her. It's like...I did everything right, I didn't even so much as look in the eyes of another woman for a year. But she was caught up in her own independence and didn't want to be tied down a high school sweetheart. I just wanted some supernatural power to strike her dead. And sure enough, two weeks later...Bam! She's gone. Well, that's a bad example. She was drunk and going 100 mph but...I was sad. I felt responsible, it was just I've been having this same dream over and over. And it...won't...go...away. I could go an apologize to every family, but it won't do a thing. It was...it was the fact there was no ambiguity with it. I did it. That was me, I should have been more careful. I was reckless." said David sadly.

"Maybe you just need to let go. Those people. They don't hate you. What about their families? How many did you save because of everything else you did. How many more people don't have to deal with all the schemes of madmen because of you? It's a semi-pragmatic way of looking at it. I guess there's no way around it." said Kei in her usual serious, compassionate tone.

There was a long pause. Finally, David spoke up. "You're right. You never were more right. Why am I...I've spent too much time on a guilt trip. I've tried to hard to put it away. I have to deal with it..." he said.

David shook his head. "I want to...I want to fly again. That's what I want. All that...it was getting in the way. I mean, we flew here...but I want to do it again...and again...and again. I want...to teach my kids how to fly. I want them to know what the difference between a Cobra and an Immelmann turn. I want, what all those guys wanted...just to be. Just to be right here, right now and not have to worry about getting shot at. I want...you." he said while pulling Kei close to him.

Kei gasped in surprise as she soon began to laugh. She then moved her head even closer to his, her nose touching his and her lips brushing his as well. All the bad memories passed away; in his mind, the reason was simple...he was trying too hard. He could not forget what had happened as a result of doing what he loved, but the person who he loved made him see the truth. Their lips locked quietly, no sudden moves were made. David could feel her heart rate increase dramatically. Then they broke after half a minute.

"This isn't the best place for this..." said David looking around.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers." said Kei.

"Really? Well, most women would be repulsed by the background but...you're not 'most women'...thankfully. "

"Okay, enough about the background. Let's start all over here and now. We've got this whole place to ourselves...I say we take advantage of it." said Kei.

Kei then did something David did not expect. Behind them was a table, a long dinner table that was somewhat smooth, albeit dusty. She cleared the dust off. There were no words from David as we watched her sit on the table. She smiled with one foot crossed behind the other and her hands holding the edge of the table tightly. There was no explanation needed...

Meanwhile, somewhere on Mallora Island...

A little boy stood near a red plane. It was an old P-39 Air Cobra. Next him was a man in his early to middle thirties and a woman with a two girls that were about 6 and 3 respectively

"So what does that do, dad?" the young boy asked.

"Oh that, that's the ignition switch. That's how you..turn the plane on. Like you turn on the TV."

"Oh, give a rest, Van. He doesn't know about that stuff. Just let him be a kid." the woman said.

"Hey my father did this with me and look at me. Look what I did."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, it's a long story..."

"Oh dear."

He was Van Orel. Another Belkan War veteran that lived on the island. He had once lived in Erusea, then moved to Osea before the fascist rule took hold. He lived in large ethnic community in November City. As a child, he was obsessed with flying as he lived near an airport and would often watch the planes take off and land. As a young man, he met a woman named Justine, and both got married when they were 19 and 18 respectively. It was somewhat deviant to get married at 18 in Osea, but it's not quite uncommon in some countries.

He was a hearty guy, about 6'0 with black hair, blue eyes, and a distinct look to him that made him look older than he actually was. He attended college and majored in aeronautics. He graduated and entered Air Force OCS and pilot training. He missed the Belkan war, but was trained to fly an F-15. He fought in the Versuan Wars of 1999 and 2005. He scored 15 air to air victories before being shot down by SAM in late 2005. He was captured in a failed rescue attempt. He was beaten, tortured, and interrogated constantly for 5 weeks. During his captivity, Justine had given birth to Silla, their middle child. He was released on December 24, 2005. He constantly suffered from PTSM(post traumatic stress disorder); it was well known that capture by the Versuans meant the worst POW treatment in the world. He moved to this island to escape the pressures of society. He never was a fan of big cities. The air was clean, there was peace; it calmed his shattered nerves. He worked with another war veteran and friend named Claude Picarro. They both flew supplies to and from the mainland for nearby town. Then suddenly, a familiar sound could be heard. His friend was passing overhead...

"I knew he'd be up in the air...even on a day off. We'll better give him some company." said Van. Soon he kissed his wife and his kids as he always did whenever they saw him get into a plane, and it was up, up and away...