Part 2
The B-17 rocked in the turbulence as it flew over the Baltic Sea. The planes destination was a small island just off the coast of Sweden. Its cargo was a lone man sitting bundled in a blanket near the front of the aircraft.
Lieutenant Lyell White sat and starred out the window of the B-17 into the infinite darkness beyond. Below was the Baltic Sea, nothing but cold water and aquatic animals. Lyell had been sent on a black ops mission to capture scientists that were key to the invention of the ultimate weapon. A weapon so powerful it could destroy an entire army in the blink of an eye. No second chances.
The mission, codenamed Clown Face, had been going well but it never had a chance. The Germans had somehow known that the same ops team would be there. As the team was leaving the secret underground compound that housed the scientist, fire broke from all sides. Half of the team had taken cover behind what had appeared to be food crates, but a single round fired by a German soldier uncovered its true identity. In a brief explosion of gunpowder, the men behind the crates vanished. The numerous captured scientists had already been rounded up when Lyell and his commanding officer, Captain Jim Hark, started to run for the Allied territory. Captain Hark had been 10 yards ahead of Lyell. They ran for there lives. For one brief instant Lyell thought them home free, but he was mistaken. As Hark ran he didn't see the threat in front of him. The mine catapulted him 50 yards right into a tree. He died on impact. That was when Lyell realized he was the only survivor. He had to get back to his own forces and tell them. That was when he met Pvt. Shercom and Major Estmen. That's what landed him on this flight.
"Lieutenant! We land in 5 minutes. Be ready!" yelled the navigator over the whine of the engines.
Lyell unwrapped himself from his blanket and went up to the cockpit. Before he reached the cockpit, Lyell heard the pilot exclaim in disbelief, "Sweet Jesus."
Lyell came up behind the pilot's chair and looked out. It couldn't be. The island was in flames. The whole island, the small village, the airfield, everything. At that moment a voice came over the comm, it was German. The Navigator said that the person on the other end was telling them to prepare for their deaths. The co-pilot told the Lyell that a German aircraft was firing on them. He advised that he should strap on a parachute. Lyell just laughed.
"They don't want me to live. Someone in our organization has leaked information to the enemy." The co-pilot looked at him puzzled then relived what he was saying.
"Oh shit"
A machine gun sounded and rounds flew toward the plane and hit the fuel tanks. The B-17 Flying Fortress exploded in a gigantic fireball of flames and molten metal.