Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
This is the only time I'm going to describe a bombing raid, it took me a couple of weeks to write and then rewrite when I was not happy with it, so don't expect another in such detail. Port is left and starboard is right just in case you don't know.
If you find anything I've got wrong please let me know, I do appreciate your feedback.
Without further ado I give you chapter five enjoy!
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Chapter Five
When Arthur came out of the medical flight he found the rest of the crew waiting for him. Leon asked "How did it go?"
"Fine thanks Leon, and the Doc is very impressed with your diagnosis and treatment, said if you're as good a navigator as you are a doctor you'll always bring us home." Arthur said with a grin.
The rest of the conversation was drowned out as the tannoy came to life ordering all 691 Sqn crews to the Operations room.
"Well boys looks like we are going to start earning our keep." Said Arthur as they all started to walk towards the Administration building, like all the other crews around them.
They found themselves a table towards the back of the room and looked around, but the one item that kept their attention was the blackboard on the wall behind the dais which was covered up with a sheet so no-one had any idea before the briefing started of where they were going.
Wing Commander Tristan and some other officers started walking towards the dais, all talking ceased and everyone stood to attention.
"At ease and sit down." The Wing Commander told them. "We are off to Germany tonight boys." With that he pulled the sheet off the blackboard to show the target. "Hamburg." He said "Should be easier to find for our newer crews." Tristan looked around and found Arthur's crew and nodded, then he did the same with three other crews there.
"We will be going over at a height of 18 000 FT, so we won't be the poor sods flying below everyone else's bombs, but now I'll hand over to the squadron navigation officer so he go into detail, Nav."
The Sqn Ldr navigator stood up "Thankyou sir." and for the next forty five minutes outlined the attack, after he was finished the meteorology officer told them what the weather conditions would be like over the target and on the way over and back.
After everyone had finished their respective briefings Wing Commander Tristan stood up again. "If you see any twin engine aircraft up there shot them down, all our aircraft will be four engine heavies. Also when you get to Hamburg watch out for the guns around the harbour. That is all good luck!" with that he and the rest of the officers on the dais stood and walked off the stage and out of the room. The briefing lasted close to two hours.
As the crew stood and started to collect themselves and everything they had with them they headed towards to door.
After they filed outside Arthur gathered them around. "Ok chaps as take- off is 2200hrs I suggest we go back to our messes and have supper then get ourselves ready and meet up at 2000hrs near the crew room." He looked around at each of them "What do you think?" he asked.
There was a chorus of "Ok" from the rest of them. They then went separate ways
After Arthur. Leon and Gwaine had had their bacon and eggs – a treat before every operation Arthur headed back up to his room. He got changed into his thermal underwear, woollen socks, battle dress and sheepskin flying boots. He then went over to his desk and got the letter addressed to his father out of the draw and put it in his tunic pocket, he also made sure he was not carrying anything that would help the Germans if he was shot down- not that he had any intention of doing that –he had a date with Guinevere to look forward too!
As Arthur left his room he looked around it and wondered if it might look different when he got back in a few hours.
He just got down the stairs when he met up with Leon and Gwaine, they walked over to the crew room together where Merlin, Percy, Lance and Elyan were already.
They went inside and got all the things they needed, sheepskin jackets, parachutes, oxygen masks, maps and a heap of other things. They also found time to find the adjutant and give him their letters, a task that was handled solemnly.
They then went outside and watched the sun slowly set on the scene of the dormant Lancaster's, the ground crews getting everything ready for them and the bus waiting to take them out to Excalibur.
Merlin walked over to the WAAF driver of their bus and smiled "Hello."
"Hello." Came a shy answer.
"I'm Merlin, you are our driver aren't you?" he enquired.
"Yes I am, I'm Freya." She replied.
"What a lovely name." Merlin said.
"It's unusual." Freya said.
"And Merlin isn't?" Merlin laughed.
"Ok you got me there." Freya said laughing as well.
"I was wondering would you like to go out with me sometime, maybe tonight." Merlin felt his face heating up knowing he was blushing.
"That would be nice." Freya said.
"Okay," Merlin said with a huge smile on his face. "I'd better get back see you later."
"Yes you will when I drive you out to Excalibur."
"How do you know we call it that?" a puzzled Merlin asked.
"Because the ground crew have painted a sword held upright with Excalibur under it on the nose." Freya informed him.
"Oh I'll have to have a look that." Merlin said curiously.
"See you Freya." Merlin said.
"Bye Merlin." Freya said.
Merlin returned to the rest of the crew, Gwaine came up to him and put his arm around his shoulders. "Has our little Merlin found himself a friend?" he said smiling around at the rest of the crew.
"I might have," Merlin said, "If you don't wreak it on me."
"Okay, but if you need advice you can always ask me." Gwaine said patting him on the shoulder.
"That's enough Gwaine." Arthur said. "Don't want to wreak Merlin's chances do you." he enquired.
Soon after it was time to go, the crew got up looking a little paler than normal from the nerves they all had. They walked over to the bus they were sharing with crew of the next Lancaster to Excalibur.
As they climbed on Merlin sat up the front near Freya to a chorus of cat calls from the rest of the boys.
When they had dropped the other crew off and Freya turned the bus towards Excalibur the butterflies in the boy's stomachs got that much larger. When Freya stopped to let them off Merlin was the last one to get up. Freya turned around to him and said "Good luck Merlin, I'll be here when you come back."
"Thankyou Freya." Merlin said and leant down and kissed her cheek. "Sorry but I had to do that." He said looking coy.
"Don't be sorry, I liked it!" It was Freya's turn to blush. "You better go they are all watching and waiting for you." She told him.
"Right see you when we get back,"
"You can count on it." She reassured him as he got off.
"Thankyou for joining us," Arthur said to Merlin, "I thought you might have forgotten about us." He smiled and grabbed him around the shoulders, "Come on boys let's get ready."
They all climbed in Elyan turned left to the rear guns, everyone else turned right, climbed over the main spar- what held the wings in place. A couple of them bumped their knees on it. Then they arranged themselves in their positions for the next few hours.
They went through the start- up procedure and when everything and everyone were ready they slowly trundled forward and joined the queue to take off.
When it was their turn Arthur pushed the throttles forward with Merlin's hand ghosting behind, then as Excalibur picked up speed and started to leave the ground Arthur put both of his hands on the yoke and started to pull back Merlin took over controlling the throttles. He thought with a grin, "The engines and I are both Merlins we will be magic together."
As they climbed into the night and started to turn towards Hamburg everyone on board began to settle into their jobs just as were trained to do.
The flight out was uneventful.
When they arrived over Hamburg harbour the sight was unreal, flames below and tracers shooting up, down and across the sky.
During the minutes of the bombing run (it seemed like hours to some) everyone heard Lance giving directions to Arthur, "Left, left, steady…" then as they felt Excalibur lift up a bit they heard Lance say, "Bombs gone."
Just as the realisation that they had just dropped their first load of bombs in anger started to take hold they all felt the shudder and heard Merlin say "Port outer has been hit Skipper."
Arthur could feel it in the controls, "Feather port outer Merlin," he said as if it was a practice drill.
"Corkscrew starboard Skipper!" Elyan's terse warning came from the tail.
Arthur pushed the controls down to the right and then pulled them up to the left.
"Ok Skip lost them." Came the word from Eylan. Arthur eased Excalibur back to level flight. "Nice one Skip." Merlin said and the rest of the boys agreed. Arthur turned them around and they got away from Hamburg and started to head for home. Merlin keeping a watchful eye on the remaining three engines and also their fuel consumption.
"Lucky they got the engine and not the fuel tank, we would have gone up like a roman candle." Arthur said to Merlin when they were half way home.
The trip home was uneventful apart from Merlin doing fuel calculations- they were ok. Soon it was their turn to swing into the queue to landing and then they were landing at RAF Hawksridge. When they finally came to a halt at their hardstanding they got out and went and checked on the damage half the port outer was blown away.
"Wing Commander Tristan told us to take care of our aircraft, I don't think this is what he meant." Arthur said gazing up at the remains of the engine.
Merlin turned around at the sound of the crew bus arriving and saw Freya, a grin appeared and he said "Do we want to hang around here and walk back later or do we take a ride with the lady who has so kindly appeared to take us back?"
"Yeah Merlin's right." Said Gwaine. "We'll be able to see the damage better in the daylight."
They all agreed and piled aboard the bus, Merlin took the seat behind Freya, and this was the seat he always took from then on.
When they got off the bus after thanking Freya they headed back to the crew room, to give back all the things that had been issued to them earlier. From there they went and were debriefed in the operations room where they all sucked on mugs of tea.
When they left Arthur noticed it was about the right time for Guinevere's shift to start at the medical flight, saying to the rest of them, "I'll catch you up," he headed over towards the medical flight followed by Elyan's voice. "Watch out sir, she is my sister!" Arthur laughed and waved his hand at him to acknowledge he had heard him.
Arthur was lucky he got there just before Guinevere and Morgana. When they saw him they saluted, he returned it.
Gwen turned to Morgana and said, "I'll catch you up ok?"
"Alright, nice to see you sir." Morgana said and started to walk away.
"Nice to see you too." Arthur replied then turned to Gwen.
"Hello, we made it home ok or though poor Excalibur will be out of action for a couple of days- had port outer half shot away, so that means we won't be flying Ops tonight and I was wondering would you like to come out with me ?" he looked hopefully at her.
"I would love to sir." Gwen said.
"When are you going to stop with the 'sir' thing?" asked Arthur.
"As I told you when we go out." Gwen said smiling up at him.
"So you will stop it tonight?" Arthur said gazing into her lovely brown eyes.
"Yes I will." Gwen said.
"Right I'll pick you up at 1900hrs at the main gate ok? Arthur asked.
"Sounds lovely." Gwen said.
"I can't wait Guinevere." Arthur's voice sounded deeper than normal.
"I'd better go." Gwen said.
"Yes ok but I really can't wait until tonight." Arthur told her.
"Neither can I, see you Arthur." Gwen smiled and went into the medical flight.
Arthur could not wipe the grin off his face as he walked away.