Obligatory Disclaimer - I own nothing and all characters mentioned are fictitious and not meant to represent any one person in the modern world, nor their viewpoints. This story does not reflect the morals and opinions of the Department of Defense, and all branches therein.

Chapter 4 – Certainly Isn't Kansas

September 13th, 2004 – 1530 hrs. – Allenfort Detention Center, Newfield Island, Usea.

The trio walked into the detention center, which, after some assurances, Reale was allowed to keep his service weapon so long as he kept his hands above or on the interrogation table at all times. "We have to interview you now sir, an intelligence officer will be along shortly. If you need anything, holler for us we are right outside." The Sergeant and Corporal then left the small, barred window room, with nothing but a steel table, two chairs, and a mirror on one side. He sat down and began to wait, trying to understand his current situation, yet an explanation eluded him, how could he have ended up in another world? At that moment a man entered the room.

He looked to be about 40, fat, with short black hair and an immaculate uniform, he had a notebook with him. Corporal Getty followed the man in, standing off to the side. Johann immediately disliked him, 'I bet, whatever this war is, he has managed to avoid it in its entirety.' The man sat down opposite of Reale, the mirror behind him. When he spoke, he almost surprised Johann with how deep his voice was. "Greetings Captain, I'm Major Rand, ISAF Intelligence. For the record, this conversation is being recorded but will remain classified to the general public. Before we get started would you like any refreshments or food? I'm told," he added with humor, "it has been some years since you've had a proper meal."

Johann offered a short bark of laughter, he was starting to like this guy 'Don't judge a book by its cover' "Some food would be nice, I haven't had anything since dinner last night, and something to drink as well." After waiting a few minutes, during which the Major simply watched the pilot in front of him, a plate of what Johann would describe as 'The best-worst food I ever had' was brought in with a tall glass of water. The Major spoke up after waiting a few minutes more for the food to be partially consumed, "You may continue eating, but we should start this now. Ok, first question: please state your name and rank, as well as your occupation."

Johann set down his silverware and adjusted himself, knowing that whoever was going to see this must see a proud American Airman, not someone who looks starved. "My name is Johann Reale, I am a Captain in the United States Air Force, I patrol the skies of my homeland, defend the nation's borders, and destroy the Republic's enemies."

The Major wrote down something in his notebook, before asking the next question. "Please state the date as well as what you were doing prior to your detainment." Reale answered after a moment of thought, "It is the 14th of February 2023, I was on a single ship patrol of the North Atlantic Ocean after being charged with this duty by my immediate CO. At around 0830 this morning my F-16 was...engaged by some strange electrical disturbance that sucked my plane into it. After going through it I found my plane inoperable at a steady descent back into the ocean, I was forced to bail out a few hours later and was rescued sometime after that. On the way back the rescue helicopter and our fighter escort of an American F-14 Tomcat and a Russian Mig-29 Fulcrum came under attack by several Russian planes, of which I was unable to determine the platform."

After a minute where the only sound was the Major's pen scribbling down some notes, the next question was asked. "Do you know where you are, what the date actually is, and the current state of the war?" Johann took a moment to scrape some more food in him, finishing the plate before returning his attention to the man in front of him. "As far as I am aware, I am inside a detention center on Allenfort Air Base, which was told to me by the good Sergeant standing outside. If you are suggesting that I am getting the date wrong, then please just say so." He stopped for a minute before continuing, "In terms of this war you speak of, I will assume by the vast range of ages in your military, the fact you are using American and Russian equipment, and the fact that this base looks like it is barely running at half capacity, you are losing this war. Furthermore, the skill of your pilots is the only thing keeping you from capitulating."

The Major smiled then, "Well, the date is in fact the 13th of September 2004, and you are pretty much right on the state of the war, Erusea has overrun the continent and we are held up at St. Ark. A few days ago, we evacuated our GHQ to North Point after the disastrous attempt at knocking out Stonehenge, the Erusean superweapon."

Reale was stunned at the Major's words 'Could it really be 2004? I'm not even three years old then. This Stonehenge thing sounds like one dangerous machine. I wonder how these guys are going to get out of this mess.' His thoughts were interrupted by the Major asking his next question, "Ok, since it looks like you're telling me the truth, and based on the additional evidence we have, that being your obvious confusion about everything, the advanced technology that Sergeant Ramirez observed, and your references of Osean and Yuke technology as something totally different, tell me about your version of the world."

Reale breathed a sigh of relief, he was thankful he wasn't going to be sent to the crazy house, he spent a few minutes collecting his thoughts, what would he tell him? He supposed he should just stick to the facts, at the same time, he wanted to show his nation's power. His thoughts collected, Johann began his tale, "I suppose the basics will suffice for now, America, or its formal name, the United States of America, is the world's Superpower. The world just went through a pandemic, currently, there is a war going on in Eastern Europe that has drawn everyone's attention. Our rival, the People's Republic of China, is engaged in saber-rattling with us over the island of Taiwan, or the Republic of China." Reale continued about the world he knew, speaking of various nations' recent history. He spoke about American allies, the wars it was engaged in, and finishing with the recent Afghanistan disaster, he then asked the Major a question after finishing. "Now, can you tell me more about this world?"

The Major acquiesced, he spoke at length about the recent past, from the horrors of the Belkan War and the nuclear detonations, to the rivalry, and then alliance between the two superpowers of Osea and Yuktobania. He finished with the current war, how the Ulysses event formed the catalyst for the creation of Stonehenge, which Reale learned was a ring of railgun turrets that destroys any aircraft flying higher than 2000 feet. Major Rand ended with a synopsis of ISAF's condition, noting that Johann was correct in that the skill of the few pilots ISAF still had kept them from capitulation. When Rand finished, he wrote more notes down before stepping outside for a few minutes. Johann was able to hear small snippets of conversation, though he was not able to tell what it was about, but he could almost see the tension in the Major's face when he returned. 'Uh oh, something is going on here. The Major looks about ready to just order my death, and with Getty moving to avoid crossfire...' Before he could finish his thought, the Major cleared his throat and began to speak, or rather, drone out what Johann thought was a prepared statement.

"Due to the necessity to maintain security, it is with sadness that I hereby inform you that from this point forward, you are now a prisoner of war. As you are not an enemy agent, you have several privileges, you may continue to keep your service weapon on your person, and you may stay in an apartment provided by the state in the city here on Newfield Island. You must at all times wear an ankle bracelet and check in regularly with an appropriate security officer. Additionally, you may write letters to whomever you wish, but they will be inspected to ensure no classified intelligence is leaked. Should you fail to comply you will immediately be placed inside a POW camp and be under solitary confinement for the duration of the war. Do you understand all that I have stated?" Rand looked up from the ground, he could see the man in front of him was struggling to hold his tongue and keep his hands from reaching for his sidearm.

Johann could see red, he was about ready to kill something, his conscience kept him sane, he knew Getty wouldn't hesitate to take him down if he did something stupid. He began to grind out his words, "So...let me get this straight, I show up in a strange, foreign land, on a world not my own, 20 years in the past, without any chance of returning, and you decide to just imprison me?"

Rand knew it was going to take a while for the pilot to accept it, he agreed with him in fact, but standards must be kept. The only good thing about this situation was that Reale would not be a prisoner forever, Rand knew that unless something changed, North Point would fall before the end of the year, and the war would be over. As for Corporal Getty, he knew better than to question his orders. Despite the...tense introduction, he did like the pilot, he wanted to get to know him before the end, maybe he should request to be his liaison. Johann had calmed down somewhat, he was close to acceptance, at just that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered.

Corporal Getty immediately stood to attention, his rifle switched to his left shoulder, his arm holding the butt of it, the other straight along his right side, his head slightly raised above normal, and his body straight. Johann and Major Rand, upon seeing the man, did the same, the Major spoke for them all, "General Howell sir!" The three saluted the man, who returned it. General Howell looked to be about 60, with a salt and pepper beard kept to regulation, and silver hair that still had strength to it, his eyes had a slightly red tint to them. His uniform was immaculate, with what Johann thought to be a silver star beneath his checkerboard, two stars upon his shoulders, denoting him as a Major General. His voice was deep, almost fatherly in a way, and though his eyes looked evil, the rest of his face showed an expression of kindness.

"Please, at ease" he started, "As you just heard I am General Howell, the joint chiefs of ISAF were here planning some strategies involving the evacuation of St. Ark when we heard about your detainment. We've been watching this interview and though the Major was following protocol we have decided to intervene. The truth is that we need all the men we can get, even if they claim to be from another world." Johann breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing the implications of what was just said, he asked the General, "Are you saying, sir, that you're going to conscript me to fight in this war? Well, I suppose since I have no way of getting back home, it would be better than being imprisoned." He finished with humor.

Howell laughed then, "No, no, we are not going to conscript you, actually, I am here to ask you to join us voluntarily, should you refuse, we will send you on your merry way, though we will have to brief you on what you can and cannot say. You should know that your professionalism is what led us to this decision, plus, already being a pilot factored in." Johann began to lose himself in thought about the prospect of joining. The problem he was having at the moment was his current obligations, he was a part of the USAF, though, if what everyone was saying was true, he was unable to perform his duties for his nation. He thought about the prospect of fighting in a war, he was a young man, and like all young, unbloodied men, he yearned for war, or a challenge to prove himself. He asked the General a question then, "So, how would this work, am I going to get citizenship or something?" The General smiled, "Perhaps, first, we want to have you under a probationary period, in case this doesn't work out. If you prove yourself, you can petition for citizenship, additionally, if the probationary period goes well, you may receive full pay and rank within ISAF. Look, we need your experience, if ISAF has any chance of survival, we need skilled pilots able to complete complex and dangerous missions, so, will you join us in fighting those Fascist Eruseans?"

'Should I do this? Would it break my oath to defend the Republic? No, I don't think so, and, a chance to prove myself in combat. Money doesn't matter to me, what am I going to buy? Yes, yes, I'll do this.' Johann looked up, he put his hand out to shake the General's, "I'll do it, so what plane will I be flying?" The General shook the hand and spoke up, "Well, as you were made aware, we aren't exactly winning, and our stockpiles on everything but food are pretty low. That said, we do have reserves of weapons, and we have a few Phantoms in reserve, you ever fly one before?" Johann's expression dropped at the mention of the Phantom, but quickly fixed himself, "That will suffice for now, I have flown them before, though it was at an airshow and not in any fixed combat. So, what happens now?" The Major spoke up then, "Now, I've got to get you through some light paperwork, followed by more paperwork, and then a side of paperwork on a bed of paperwork, luckily for you, you only have to sign."

What followed then would haunt Reale forever, the sheer amount of paperwork he had to sign almost seemed comical. 'Who thought this was a good idea?' It seemed to him that half the time the different things he was signing said the same thing but in different terms. Eventually, he finished signing everything he needed, that, or the printer ran out of ink, and he was released and allowed to head to the mess hall. As per the stimulations of his probation, he had to be escorted by at least one marine while on base. In this case, Sergeant Ramirez followed Johann. Now that the craziness had calmed down, Johann was able to strike up a conversation with the Sergeant and get a good look at him. He was about 35, with a scruffy beard and an angled face, his eyes were almost Turquoise, and was bald beneath his cap. The pair walked into the mess hall and grabbed some food, evidently, scuttlebutt was still a thing in this world, and it seemed that everyone in the mess hall was trying to steal glances at Johann. 'It's probably best to just get it over with and try to answer the bombardment of questions I know is coming.' Before he left the Major, he was told he was allowed to share his story with his fellow pilots, as they had to trust him in the air, but to avoid anything sensitive, and both Getty and Ramirez were told to help him get up to speed with their version of history, as well as whatever else Johann was unsure about.

Johann and Ramirez sat down at an empty, long table, plates of pasta in front of them, Ramirez sitting across from Johann. They had just started to eat when two more plates sat down on either side of Reale, and with them Kai and Toaster. Johann breathed a sigh of relief, it was better to get a conversation going with someone you somewhat knew, rather than someone completely unfamiliar, "Well, howdy you two, how'd the debriefing go?" Kai laughed, "Probably better than your detainment, so, rumor has it you're going to be flying with us in the future, any truth to that?"

Toaster interjected then, "Don't be an idiot Marker, he's obviously not going to fly with us, our squadrons are full. So, Johann, was it? What squadron are you joining?" Ramirez responded for Reale, "He's not been assigned to a squadron yet, we've only just got the paperwork done, and we need to get his plane ready anyways, however, you are correct Toaster, he won't be joining either of your squadrons, rather a squadron of his own most likely." Reale asked a few questions then, "So, your TAC name is Marker eh? You'll have to tell me the story one of these days. Yes," he turned to Toaster, "I won't be flying as a part of your squadrons, but rather my own in an old Phantom. Speaking of squadrons, what are yours? Also, I still have yet to meet that AWACS, and maybe we ought to move over to where everyone else is?"

Kai chuckled, "Sure, and maybe I'll tell you the story behind my name later. Anyway, I'm a part of Viper Attack Squadron, Viper 9 to be exact, and Toaster is Halo 2, of the Halo tactical superiority squadron." The four men moved over to where everyone else was sitting and as he predicted, Reale was bombarded by questions, though he in turn fired back just as many. After hearing the tale of how he got here, one of the pilots spoke up, "So, first we got our nuggets here getting a combined ace of kills, and now we've got an extra-dimensional? Joining us in our fight? Man, aren't Mondays supposed to be easy?" Johann laughed, "I'm not sure what I am, I certainly don't think I'm an extra-dimensional figure, Joshua, at any rate, I'm happy to be flying alongside y'all, well, at least once I get my plane."

Joshua responded, "Just Omega 11 is fine, no one calls me by name anymore, oh there he is!" Omega 11 waved the man over, "Hey Sky Eye, meet the newest member of ISAF, Johann, this is AWACS Sky Eye, Sky Eye, this is Johann Reale, our newest fighter pilot." The two shook hands and Reale got a good look at his new boss, at least in the sky. He looked rather pensive, with a thin face and cleft chin, his eyes were the only thing about him that Johann considered to be lively, a fierce dark green. Wrinkles were starting to form around his face and his dark brown hair looked disheveled. His uniform was clean, and he himself was clean-shaven. His voice was of a mild baritone and was rather quick in his speech.

"So," Sky Eye started, "You are that downed captain we rescued eh? Nice to meet you, I'm Thomas Salvatore, though Sky Eye is just fine." The two men began chatting for a while, Thomas was a bit blown away at the young pilots' story, but, after hearing the doctors' report on the helicopter, he was of the mood to believe it. Pretty soon 20:00 hours was sounded out, and the pilots made ready to hit the hay. Johann was assigned to a Lt's room, with its own shower and single bed, it was cramped, but more cozy than cramped. As he laid his head down on the pillow, he began to dream of his new role in life, and wondered then, if he would survive this war to return to a world he knew.