Chapter 9

While I was at the pump refueling Dusty came up to the pump next to me.
"hey Jet. You got here fast."
"oh hey Dusty. The reason I got here so fast was because I raced someone else here."
"oh really? Who?"
"Natalie Dust."
"that must have been fun. So who won?"
"I did but I was going so fast that I overshot the marker big time."
"where you really going that fast?"
"I was fast enough to break the sound barrier and for the tower to warn me to slow down."
Dusty just sat there with his mouth open in shock and disbelief.
"don't get me wrong I like going fast but when I broke the sound barrier it hurt my ears to the point that they were ringing after the explosion of sound."
"So that means your going to slow down to avoid doing that?"
"yeah. Especially when we get near the Himalayas."
We both shivered at the thought of getting buried in snow.
"well I gotta go finish setting up my half of the hanger."
"what do you mean you have to set up your half of the hanger? Are you and your mechanic not on equal terms?"
"no I was just placed in a metal hanger with Natalie Dust on the account that we are both jets and the fact that we could burn down the tents with our engines."
"how did Natalie take the fact that she had to share the hanger with a guy."
"I don't really know because I booked it before she could snap out of her shock."
"well good luck for when you get back to the hanger and at the race next week."
"thanks and good luck to you two."
I finished refueling then I took the long route back to the hanger. When I approached the hanger I could see that the lights were on inside. I slowly came up to the hanger door and knocked on it. I waited for a few minutes until I heard her say come in. When I opened the door I saw that Natalie was on the left side of the hanger in the back while her mechanic was next to the door and my mechanic was on the right side of the door. I rolled over to my sleeping mat and started to power down but when I saw the anxious look on Natalie's face I raised a questioning windshield wiper.
"alright whats wrong?"
Natalie reacted like she was bit by a wheel rattler and exclaimed, "What makes you think that something is wrong! I can't sit here and go through my thoughts about the most terrifying night of my life!"
"alright alright I won't ask but just answer me this. Does it have to do with a burning village and your squad getting shot down and you almost crashing mid-air with another plane?"
The silence that followed was unbearable and both mechanics had worried looks on their faces as they waited to see the outcome of this. After a tense five minutes Natalie sighed loudly and asked, "you were that plane that almost collided with me over the village weren't you?"
"and if my guess is correct then that scar on your right side was caused by my right wing as we narrowly avoided each other."
"correct."
"here is another question I have to ask you Natalie. Why did you destroy the village and all of those fighter jets?"
"to tell you the truth I was against the entire operation and even during the operation I never fired a bullet or bomb directly at anyone. I purposefully missed my targets and I only bombed structures that showed no signs of life."
"and when you went against my squad you emptied the rest of your mag into open air and when you needed it most you ran out. Am I correct?"
"Yes. That is what happened and since the squad I was with was destroyed I took that opportunity to go M.I.A and leave that group. They're nothing but a bunch of jerks and bullies anyway."
"but isn't the group you were with not allow anyone to leave their group in fears of that person handing over all of their hidden bases."
"that is true but there have been exceptions."
"like you not wanting to have anything to do with the military and the fact that you just want to race."
"exactly. Now that were on this subject, why aren't you still in the military after that?"
"their reasoning was that they were afraid I could be a mole inside the base but in reality it was the commanders way of giving me a reason to leave the base and fly in the wings around the globe rally."
"you must have been close friends with your commander."
"we were. We grew up together and were best friends. He knew I loved to race mostly because when there was nothing to do at the base I would try to get the other jets to race me."
"oh really? Then you must of had a lot of practice."
"actually I only was able to race each jet once because once flight formation rules are taken off I can zoom through the sky at unimaginable speeds."
"that would make sense since you did that in our race. How fast can you go?"
"I don't really know because as soon as I break the sound barrier there is either the base boundary line or I am told by nearby towers to slow down."
"that's impressive and what do you plan on doing once the rally is over with?"
"to tell you the truth. I'm not one hundred percent sure. I do know that I'm not going back to the military and I also plan to settle down and live life without the danger of being sent out on a mission that could be my last."
The hanger was quiet as Natalie processed what I said. While I was waiting for Natalie to process her thoughts I noticed that the two mechanics had slipped out. I was wondering why the two mechanics left when Natalie let out a huge sigh and sunk down on her wheels so that she had her belly on the ground.
I was about to ask her what was wrong when she beat me to it by answering, "it feels nice being able to relax and not have to worry about the guys thinking that a girl could never do what the guys do. You are the first jet I've met that isn't uptight and focused on combat; Instead, you are kind, caring, and understanding."
I just sat there with my mouth open in shock as she laid there sleepily. It wasn't long before I heard steady breathing signaling that she was asleep. I just smirked and said, "Goodnight Natalie." then I followed suit and fell asleep.