Samantha Carter went through the front door, slamming it with all the force her fourteen-year old body could muster, and ran into the darkness, heedless of the yelling behind her. Like all kids who grow up on Air Force Bases, she knew several "unofficial" ways to leave the Base without using one of the four gates, which were guarded 24 hours a day.
She used one of these, and shortly afterward she approached an abandoned Slate quarry. About a mile north of the Base, it was a popular place for target shooters and hunters, who had built shooting stands, and a shack of sorts to ride out the area's frequently rainy weather.
Walking carefully down a narrow path to the bottom of the quarry, Samantha reached the shack, and quickly built a small fire in the stove. Dropping her knapsack, she slid down the wall and started to cry.
She had had all she could take of her Father- she would spend the night here, and tomorrow she would take the early bus somewhere else, anywhere else.
In the weeks since her Mother's death, Samantha had desperately tried to hold her family together, even though she still blamed her Father for what had happened.
But her Father and her brother Mark were openly at war, and they were more than happy to savage her if she got between them, or just happened to be handy. Tonight was the last straw - what her Father had said to her was unforgivable.
Samantha was sobbing so miserably she didn't hear the old Jeep pull up quietly outside, or the footsteps coming towards the door. It opened, and a tall man with red hair stepped inside. She looked up at him briefly, then lowered her head back onto her arms and continued to cry.
Captain Harry Jaeger looked at her for a minute, then went and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders, saying nothing, just hugging her lightly with his arm occasionally until she had cried herself out. Samantha rubbed her eyes with her fists, like a little girl, and he gave her his handkerchief, which was gratefully received and used.
When she spoke, her voice was still choked with emotion, "How did you find me, Uncle Harry?"
"I taught you to shoot here, remember? Jake's tearing the Base apart, but I had a feeling you'd be here." He smiled at her. "What happened, Samantha?"
She choked back another sob. "I got my report card today. You know I've been doing almost all the cooking and cleaning since Mom was k- killed, and I...I haven't been sleeping very well...."
"Go on." Jaeger encouraged, hugging her lightly again. He knew this was an understatement, that Samantha had had nightmares almost every night since her Mother's funeral- he had "Baby-Sat" his friend's children several times when Jacob Carter had been away on military business.
"I got a D," Samantha choked out. "The first D I've ever had in my life, and Dad said he was g-glad Mom wasn't here to see how I'd disgraced the family! That was the l-last straw! I'm never going back!" she exclaimed, looking at him defiantly.
Jaeger sighed. Jake Carter's command style was to run roughshod over subordinates and then embrace the ones that looked him in the eye and stood up to him. Whatever merit it may have had in military relationships, it was no way to handle a traumatized fourteen-year- old girl. Jaeger knew Jacob loved his daughter deeply, but didn't know how to show it. He had somehow gotten the idea that he could "jolt" Samantha out of her grief and could not be dissuaded, though Jaeger repeatedly told him otherwise, in words of one syllable.
With another sigh, Jaeger looked down at her tear-stained face. "OK, you're never going back. Where are you going to go, Samantha?"
"On the Bus tomorrow."
"Not how are you getting there, where are you going to go, Sam?" The nickname he rarely used made her look up at him, and he pressed on- "Look, we're agreed on one thing, you can't go anywhere tonight, right?" looking at him suspiciously, Samantha gave him a bare nod. "And can we also agree that this is a really crappy place to spend the night?"
She let out a nervous giggle at the word, then frowned again. "I won't go home." She insisted.
"OK." Jaeger soothed. "Is there a friend you could spend the night with? Somebody who won't fink you out?"
Sam giggled again, and said, "My friend Kylie, her parents are away, and her 'Sitter doesn't know what year it is."
" Right." Jaeger said. "Would your Dad think to look for you there?"
"He hasn't got a clue who my friends are. " Samantha said flatly, her eyes sad.
"All right. I'll drive you to within walking distance of this Kylie's and drop you off. Do I have your word of honor that you'll go straight there, and stay there until I tell you otherwise?"
"Yes."
"Word of Honor?" Jaeger pressed, looking Samantha hard in the eye.
She gulped. "Word of Honor, Uncle Harry", she promised, looking him in the eye.
"OK."
"But why don't you just take me to Kylie's?" Sam asked.
"Because when your Dad, my friend, asks me if I know where you are, I don't want to have to lie to him."
She looked at him, confused. "But you know I'm at Kylie's."
"Yes, but I don't know where that is. It's a fine line, but I don't want to cross it." Samantha nodded, thinking (not for the first time), how strange grownups could be.
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As they drove back to the base, Jaeger tried to think of a way he could give her strength and convince her that better days were ahead. He knew words would be meaningless- he would have to show her somehow.
An idea suddenly came to him, and he pulled the Jeep over and stopped. Sam looked at him in surprise. "How would you like to do something really special tomorrow, Samantha?"
"What?"
"Never mind. Here's the deal- tomorrow morning, early, you and I are going to do something extra special, magical even. Then I'm going to talk to your Dad- Loudly- and then you're going to give it another try at home." He held up a finger to stop her outburst. "Wait. There's a catch, and here it is: if you don't agree that what we did was really something special, I'll do everything I can to get you out of that house- which may be nothing at all. He's your Dad, and I'm just some guy you were nice enough to make your honorary Uncle. But I will do anything that's legal to get you out of there, no matter what it does to my career or my bank account." He paused, and looked her in the eye. "Word of Honor, Samantha." he promised.
Sam looked back at him and thought. She knew he meant it, and she knew how much he loved the service. He was a third-generation Air Force pilot, and the fact that both his Grandfather and his Father had been killed in action (leaving him an orphan), didn't diminish his enthusiasm for the life in the slightest. For him to promise to commit career suicide for her was the gravest oath he could swear. And (being a fourteen-year old girl), she really, Really wanted to know what the "something special" was. She could always say it wasn't that special.
She looked up. "All right, Uncle Harry. It's a deal."
Jaeger didn't ask her to swear- it was a miracle she had said yes at all. "OK, Sweetheart, when I drop you off, I want you to go to Kylie's, eat something, drink a big glass of milk, and go right to bed. Set your watch alarm so you can meet me where I drop you off at 0200 sharp."
Sam was stunned- that wasn't much over seven hours from now-why did she have to get up so early? She didn't stop to think that her Uncle Harry would get much less sleep that she would. "Why a big glass of milk, Uncle Harry?" Sam asked.
"It keeps the nightmares away." He replied, hoping she would believe it as he steered the Jeep back on the road, towards the base, and the Morrow.
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Samantha sat on the lawn in front of one of the Capehart fourplex units that made up most of the Base's family housing, waiting for Jaeger to pick her up. She thought back over the four years she had known him. It had started when her Father had been sent to Germany suddenly, no explanation. A week later, two senior officers had visited her Mother, and made her cry. Afterward, she had tried to explain to Sam and Mark what "Missing in Action" meant. Then, a few days later, Dad had come home, refusing to say anything except, "I was lucky."
A year passed .Her father had been promoted, and they had been transferred here. One evening, he had brought a young red-haired Captain home for Dinner. Samantha had liked him immediately. He had got down on one knee when they were introduced (She was much shorter then), and had shook her hand like a grownup. He had actually listened to her, and had not laughed or teased her when she had solemnly told him she was going to be an Astronaut when she grew up.
After dinner, Samantha had been put to bed, and Mark exiled to his room, so that the adults could talk. Sam snuck out of her room to listen, but she could only hear bits of conversation, mostly in her Daddy's deep voice: "New kind of SAM";
"Bastards had me cold";
"Ready to kiss my ass goodbye";
"Harry volunteered to try a rescue";
"Helo shot to pieces, but he got me out";
"Got him transferred here."
As she listened, Samantha realized that her new friend was the reason her Daddy had gotten "lucky".
Captain Harry Jaeger took over as CO of the Base's four-helicopter Rescue detatchment, and gradually became almost a member of the Carter family. He didn't get along with Mark much better than Jacob did, but since Jaeger's willingness to watch Sam when their parents went out meant he didn't have to do it, Mark was usually civil to Jaeger, and sometimes (when he had a date), even cordial. And Jacob and his wife were able to spend more time out together than they had in years.
In the meantime, Samantha and Jaeger grew closer. He had no living relatives of his own, and he liked having a "little sister" that he could take to see old movies in the little town's single theatre, teach how to shoot, and cheer for at her softball games. Sam loved her parents, but her Dad was always busy, and not very supportive of her when he wasn't. Conversely, her Mom was always loving and supportive, but often didn't understand what Sam was talking about.
Harry Jaeger filled the gap, being able to understand her ambitions and giving her support without derision or ridicule. After they had finished a shooting lesson a year or so later, while they were riding back to the base in his old WWII Jeep, Samantha had shyly asked him if she might refer to him as "Uncle" Harry.
Recognizing the honor she was bestowing on him, he had said that yes, she might. From the beginning, he had worked to improve Samantha's relationship with her Dad, succeeding to the point that Jacob would occasionally accompany them to a movie or a ball game, and actually started truly listening to his daughter without automatic dismissal.
But all that ended when Samantha's Mother was killed.
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The Jeep rolled up, and she shook herself out of her reverie and climbed in. There was a large parachute bag behind the seats. Harry Jaeger had a red, swollen bruise on his right cheekbone. Samantha asked, "What happened, Uncle Harry? Who hit you?"
"I ended up talking with your Dad sooner than I expected. Don't worry- everything's fine, the three of us will have a talk when you and I get back. Are you ready for our adventure? "
Samantha looked at him with wide eyes, but she nodded.
They drove down to the flight line, where Jaeger showed his ID card to a young Airman with a blue beret, a rifle, and two stripes on his sleeve. After he signed Sam in, they went to the flight line cafeteria and had breakfast. Samantha was so excited she could hardly eat, but Jaeger made sure she did, and made her drink a glass of orange juice and two cups of coffee as well. It was all Sam could do to get the coffee down- "How can anybody drink that stuff?" she thought to herself as they left the cafeteria and drove over to Base Ops.
Jaeger spent several minutes talking to one of the Base meteorologists, and filling out some papers while she looked at a large Plexiglas case in the lobby filled with models of airplanes.
His paperwork done, Jaeger drove Sam across the field, where a large hangar held the four HH-3E helicopters of the Rescue detachment, offices, and workshops. The hangar doors were open, and Jaeger drove right in, coming to a stop about a foot from the refueling boom of one of the choppers.
Jaeger rummaged around in the parachute bag, and pulled out three items of clothing: a flight suit, a pair of long johns, and a pair of flight boots with socks stuffed inside. "Take this stuff and go put it on in my office, Samantha." Jaeger said. "Yell if you need help with anything."
Samantha accepted the bundle and looked at her friend with wide blue eyes. "U-Uncle Harry, are w-we...am I..."
He smiled at her. "Yeah, sweetheart, we're going flying, and not in an eggbeater, either. Now hurry up and change."
An excited giggle escaping her lips, Samantha charged toward the door leading to the offices, only to collide with a man coming out. Samantha ran into him so hard, she almost fell, but he grabbed her quickly and steadied her.
He lifted her up, and suddenly she was looking into a pair of warm brown eyes and the nicest smile she had ever seen.
The stranger before her was wearing a regulation pair of green fatigues with the sleeves rolled up. There were silver First Lieutenant's bars pinned to his collar points, and embroidered jump wings sewn above the white-on-blue "U.S.AIR FORCE" tape above his left shirt pocket flap. The matching nametape above his right pocket flap read, "O'NEILL".
Samantha stared at him, mesmerized, as he spoke to her: "Are you okay, Miss?"
"Miss?"
He addressed himself to Jaeger: "Sorry, Harry, I was just using the latrine in your office."
"Don't sweat it, Jack, I think she's just overcome by your charm." Jaeger said, which made both Sam and Jack redden a little. Jaeger gently pulled them apart. "Lieutenant Jack O'Neill, allow me the honor of presenting Miss Samantha Carter."
O'Neill promptly took her hand, bent over it, and kissed it. "Honored, Miss Carter" he said, eliciting a giggle from Samantha and an amused snort from Jaeger.
"Jack and his team are here to train for a few days, Samantha. It's nice and quiet here. The last place they were at was a little noisy." This went right over Sam's head, but Jack cleared his throat and looked meaningfully at Jaeger, who shrugged. "Anyway, they're sleeping here in my hangar. Don't mention to anyone that you've seen or talked to them, okay?"
Samantha nodded, not taking her eyes from O'Neill who was still holding her hand.
"Hey Jack, would you mind doing me a little favor?" Jaeger asked.
"No sweat." O'Neill replied.
"We're running a little late, and Samantha still needs to have her helmet and oxygen mask fitted and tested. Would you take her over to the Equipment Shop and make sure they do it right?"
"You want me to drive a pretty girl around? Oh ...gee...I don't know...OK." O'Neill assented, eliciting another giggle from Samantha. "Zis is Der U.S. Air Force" O'Neill barked, doing a terrible imitatation of Siegfried, the villain from the TV series GET SMART, and mock scowling at Samantha. "Vee- don't- giggle- here!!" Samantha looked at him for a moment, as if assessing his sanity, then giggled again and dashed into Jaeger's office to change.
"What a Cutie." O'Neill chuckled.
Jaeger grinned at him. "If Voodoo Jake Carter finds out you think his fourteen-year-old daughter's a "Cutie" Jack, your head'll be on a stake in front of his Quarters before Sunup."
"Christ!" O'Neill swore. "She's his kid?" The nickname had come from Carter's habit of staring at his subordinates nose -to-nose for prolonged periods without saying anything. One Second Lieutenant had actually peed himself, and gone AWOL the same day.
"Don't sweat it, Jack," Jaeger soothed. "Nobody's gonna tell him, least of all Samantha. A drunk driver killed her Mother, and he's been treating her like dirt ever since."
"Why, for God's sake?"
"Guilt, partially. He was supposed to pick her up and he was late, so she took a cab. He's also got this theory that he can "jolt" Samantha out of her grief. He damn near "jolted" her out of his life - for good. She was set to run last night, and I only just talked her into coming back with me." Jaeger related. "When I wouldn't tell him where she was, he slugged me. That gave me some leverage. I told him he had to lay off, and how she was ready to run away last night. That made him a believer. If he doesn't start treating her right, I'll file public charges."
"What are you going to do?" O'Neill asked. "I'm taking her up for a ride in the Hack. She's so depressed, she thinks she's got no shot at becoming a pilot and astronaut like she wants. If I can get her up there for a little while," Jaeger said, pointing to the darkly overcast sky, "maybe I can make her see what she'll have to look forward to if she doesn't give up. I don't know what else to do."
"I'll do anything I can to help" O'Neill promised.
They were interrupted by Samantha, who erupted from Jaeger's office and ran over to them. "What do you think, Uncle Harry, Lt.O'Neill? Do I look like a pilot?" Sam demanded.
"Exactly." Said Jaeger, smiling at her. "Except for one little thing- "
O'Neill added, gesturing toward her boots, which she had tied in big bows. "Paratroopers- and pilots- don't tie their boots like that- the loops could snag on something. Allow me-" O'Neill said, as he boosted her up on the jeep's hood with his hands under her armpits.
He and Jaeger each took a boot, untying the bows and unlacing the top eyelet. They then tied a half-granny, wrapped the laces around the top of the boot, and tied a square knot. O'Neill cut away the excess bootlace with a small, sharp knife he produced from somewhere, and Jaeger melted the ends of the nylon with his lighter. When they had cooled, the ends were tucked in under the lip of the boot top.
They lifted her down, made her stand at attention, and examined her minutely while she giggled. "She'll do." Jaeger said, tossing O'Neill his keys and lifting Samantha into the Jeep.
As he straightened up, she curled an arm around his neck, holding him for a moment while she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank You, Uncle Harry," she whispered. Jaeger stood there for a moment, smiling, as the Jeep roared off. Then he went into his office and changed into his own flight gear. He picked up the phone and dialed a four- digit number: "Ed? Harry. She ready? OK, bring her on over." Hanging up, he went back out into the hangar to wait, watching the sky.
Samantha looked covertly at O'Neill as he drove her back to the Rescue hangar. He had personally fitted her helmet and oxygen mask, making sure they were comfortable. Then he had hooked her up to a test stand, insuring that the radio gear in the helmet and mask worked perfectly, and that the mask itself held pressure, and would keep her alive at high altitude.
Lastly, he had put a survival vest and Mae West on her. Then, putting the helmet in a padded bag and giving it to her to hold, they had got back in the Jeep and driven off. O'Neill caught Sam looking at him and smiled at her. "I'm sorry about your Mother," he told her.
"Thank You." She replied, smiling wanly back.
"But she'd want you to stick with it, and not give up until you make your dreams come true. Captain Jaeger told me your Dad's being mean to you. That's not right, but you need to remember that he's grieving, too, and sometimes it comes out that way. Harry says that your Dad loves you, and I'd trust Harry with my life-in fact, I have." Sensing that any questions she had about that statement would remain unanswered, Samantha agreed with O'Neill, and they drove on in companionable silence.
The Rescue hangar came into view, and Samantha could see several men in green fatigues standing outside it, talking quietly. They were watching one of the small, yellow "Mules" (used to tow aircraft around the field) drive off, leaving an airplane Samantha had never seen before.
It sat on its tricycle landing gear like a pretty little bird; much more appealing to Sam than the giant, booming jets her father's Wing flew. It had a propeller up front (her Dad would have called it a "prop job"), and two cockpits, one behind the other, under Plexiglas canopies.
She was a T-28D. The type had originally been designed as a Trainer for Air Force and Navy pilots (thirty years previously). This particular one, 51-2970 (or just 'Nine-seven- zero'), had been a trainer, and had then been rebuilt as an Attack aircraft for deployment to Vietnam. Then (after extensive and valorous service "In Country"), Nine-seven- zero had been brought home, stripped of her guns, and was ending her career as a "Hack"-each Base had several Hacks, of varying types, for utility use, and to make sure that Staff officers got their Flight Pay every month.
Being a Hack was about as low on the totem pole as an aircraft could go, but to Sam's eyes, nothing could have been more beautiful than the little Gray bird with Air Force Blue trim. She shivered with excitement as the Jeep pulled up.
Jaeger was just finishing his "walk around" when they arrived. Having checked the aircraft minutely for any problems, he walked around the wing to greet Jack and Sam, who was looking somewhat apprehensively at the tough-looking men standing arounda Second Lieutenant, a Chief Warrant Officer, and four Sergeants of various grades.
"Your timing's perfect, Jack, we're all ready to go. Samantha, honey, don't let these apes scare you, this is Jack's Team." Jaeger smiled. "Samantha, these are the guys. Guys, this is my Best Friend, Samantha. If she ever needs help and I'm not around, I'll appreciate it if you do what you can." There were smiles and nods of assent all around, and Sam found herself smiling back at them.
"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Jaeger said.
"Charley"- he addressed the Second Lieutenant, a dark man with a good- humored face, whose nametape read "KAWALSKY"- "there's a fire extinguisher just inside the door to the right. You stand by when we start the engine. Louie"-this one's nametape said "FERRETTI", a stocky, balding man who smiled at Sam again- "you get ready to guide us out to the taxiway. Jack -help Samantha throw the switches when we run the checklist." Jaeger took one of the two parachutes off the wing and helped her don it. She winced as he pulled the leg straps tight, but he told her, "You won't have to use this, but if you do, I don't want you falling out of the harness when the canopy opens."
Jaeger gave her a quick tutorial on bailout procedures, assuring her she wouldn't have to use it, and was about to help her up on the wing when O'Neill reappeared, with a camera. He said "Harry, put your 'chute on, then you and Sam stand in front of the bird."
Jaeger complied, then showed Sam how to curl her oxygen mask in the helmet and cradle it in her right arm. He did the same, whispering to Samantha "This is a swell idea, I wish I'd thought of it." O'Neill took several snaps of them standing together, smiling in front of Nine- seven- zero.
"It's still so dark, will they come out?" Sam asked Jaeger. "Don't worry, Jack's an Ace shutterbug." Jaeger reassured her.
"In fact, the Air Force sends him all over the world just to take pictures of things." Several of the guys started to laugh, and O'Neill glared at Jaeger. He looked innocent, but said to a mystified Sam, "You'd better not tell anybody about that, either, Samantha - it's kind of a secret."
She shrugged, smiling, "OK, Uncle Harry."
Jaeger took his 'chute off and hopped up on the wing. He held out his hands and helped Samantha up, then into the front cockpit. He fastened her lap belt and harness, then pushed her long blonde hair back behind her ears, and helped her put on the helmet, connecting the oxygen mask's hose to the plane's but leaving the mask itself swinging to one side for the moment. "Jack showed you how to put this on? And how to lower the helmet visors?" She nodded, too excited to speak. "Don't forget to do both before we take off." She nodded again. "One more thing"- Jaeger said, taking a small bag out of a pocket and tucking it under her harness strap- "Use this if you need to. And don't feel bad if you do need to-anybody that tells you he doesn't get airsick either doesn't have enough flying hours, or he's a liar." He took her hand and squeezed it gently through the Nomex glove. "Happy Landings, Samantha."
Then he was gone.
After a minute, O'Neill joined her, squatting on the wing and half- leaning into the cockpit, holding a checklist in his hand. He smiled at her. "Not long now, Miss Carter" he said.
"Please call me Sam." she replied, returning the smile. "Thanks, Sam- please call me Jack."
Samantha heard Jaeger's voice from behind her: "Ready Jack?" "All set".
They went through the checklist, flipping switches and setting dials. After a while, O'Neill stopped flipping the switches himself, merely pointing to them so Sam could flip them, and feel like part of the process. Finally she heard, "Checklist complete. Ready to start engine," from the rear cockpit.
O'Neill smiled at Sam again, and said, "Well, this is where I get off. We'll be waiting for you both when you get back." He patted her shoulder gently, which made her head reel for a moment. "Happy Landings, Sam" he said, echoing Jaeger, then he slid her canopy shut and locked it, and was gone.
Sam heard Jaeger faintly through the helmet's soundproofing as he yelled, "Charley! Ready?" She could see Kawalsky holding the fire extinguisher, just in front of the wing, as he replied,
"Ready!" Samantha noticed everyone outside was wearing ear defenders now, and wondered briefly where they had come from. O'Neill joined Kawalsky, smiling at Sam and giving her a thumbs-up.
Jaeger yelled "Clear!"- after a minute an answering shout of "Clear!" came back. "That's just to make sure nobody's near the prop", he said to Sam. "Contact!" Jaeger shouted, pressing the switches.
Samantha heard the generator whine for a moment, then saw the prop a few feet in front of her start to turn. There was a cough, then the propeller spun up rapidly, sending vibrations throughout the plane.
Behind her, Sam faintly heard the rear canopy slam shut over the roar of the engine, muting it somewhat. She heard Jaeger's voice in her earphones: You OK up there, Samantha?"
"Yes, Uncle Harry, I'm fine"
"That's good, Sweetheart, 'cause we're off!"
A blue Jeep with a "FOLLOW ME" sign on the back pulled in front of them, leading the way as they started to roll.
Jack O'Neill was driving, and every member of his team had somehow crammed themselves into it. Feretti was sitting in the back, waving a checkered flag. They all waved at Sam, and she giggled excitedly as she waved back.
They reached the taxiway and the Jeep veered off to the right, all of them waving goodbye as they disappeared into the mist. Samantha could hear Jaeger in her headphones, talking to the Tower as he negotiated the Taxiway, and turned onto the Runway.
"OK, Samantha, put your mask on and your clear visor down" Jaeger said.
There was a brief pause, then- "All set, Uncle Harry"
"Good, now I want you to put your hand loosely around the stick, and rest your feet lightly on the pedals, so you can feel what I'm doing during takeoff. Don't touch anything else, and if I tell you, 'I've got it.' let go right away, OK?" Jaeger felt her get on the controls, then heard her voice, tinged with excitement (and a little fear)- "I'm ready"
"Roger that." He pressed a button: "Tower, Air Force nine-seven-zero, ready for Takeoff, over"
"Roger, Air Force nine- seven-zero cleared for takeoff, Climb to 15,000 feet and turn right to zero- six- five. Altimeter setting-"
Sam tried to follow the flow of information, but it was coming too fast for her. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw Jaeger leisurely writing on a clipboard strapped to his left thigh. Finally, she saw him slip the pen into a slot on the clipboard. She took a shaky breath. Jaeger's voice came: "Ready?"
"Roger that." Samantha replied. Jaeger pushed the throttle forward, and the engine snarled.
"Air Force nine-seven-zero, rolling" he said calmly as the plane shot forward and vanished into the dark.
Samantha's senses reeled as 9-7-0 roared down the runway. Just seconds later she felt the ground fall away beneath her, and started as she felt and heard three thumps under and to either side of her.
Jaeger saw her and said "Don't worry, Sweetheart, that's just the gear coming up. See the green lights on your panel?"
She did, and felt a little silly. Jaeger reached forward and patted her on the shoulder." It takes time", he said. He talked to the Tower again, and soon they had arrived at their destination, a large piece of sky that had no air traffic anywhere near it at this early hour, where they could do pretty much what they wanted- the Tower would warn them if there was any problem.
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The next two hours were a dream come true for Sam. Jaeger showed her how the controls worked, and they climbed, dove, banked, and even did some simple aerobatics, like Loops and Aileron Rolls.
First Jaeger did it, having her "follow through" on the stick and pedals, then he had her do it herself, talking her through it. It rarely took her more than one or two tries to master a maneuver, but Jaeger thought, "Why not? Her father's one of the best stick-and- rudder men in the Air Force."
Samantha felt comfortable handling 9-7-0 now, and she thought of a line from a poem Jaeger had taught her, written by an RCAF pilot killed during WWII: "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings. Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun split clouds-and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of...." Jaeger had said every pilot should learn the poem, now she knew what he meant.
His voice came through her earphones: "You're doing great, Samantha! How d'you like it?"
"It's wonderful, Uncle Harry! ThankYou so much!"
"You're welcome, Sweetheart. Want to go up and see if we can see the Sun?"
Samantha looked at the dark clouds above them, some of her fear coming back. "If you think so," she said doubtfully.
"Sure, no problem."
Jaeger called the Tower and got clearance to go higher, then he pulled the stick back, and 9-7-0 climbed into the darkness. Almost at once things began to ping off the wings and the little plane rocked violently as air currents hit it from several directions at once. Then another blast of wind hit, making the wings creak loudly. Samantha cried out in fear, and Jaeger immediately pushed the stick forward, taking 9-7-0 back down into the open air.
"You OK?" he asked.
"Y-Yes, I guess so," she replied, regaining her composure.
"9-7-0's been around a long time, Sam," Jaeger said quietly. "She won't let us down. But there are no guarantees. There never are.You have to take risks, and sometimes hard knocks, to get where you want to go. And there are never any guarantees."
"We can stay down here. It's OK. You've done great, and there will be other times." There was a brief silence, then Jaeger heard Sam say softly, as if to herself, "But there are no guarantees" then, in a stronger voice, "I've got it." Jaeger felt her take the stick and let her have the controls, and they headed up again.
This time it was even worse, if that was possible, but Sam kept the little plane pointed upward, holding it as steady as she could. It seemed to take forever, but suddenly, they burst through, into a beautiful dark-blue sky, glittering with stars, and tinged with pink and yellow towards the East. Samantha looked at the altimeter -34,020 feet.
She smiled with satisfaction, as she heard Jaeger's voice in her earphones: "Well done, Sam. What's our course?" She smiled again, and made a smooth right bank, towards the brightening light of her future.
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the end
Story Notes: Spoilers: none
Season/sequel: N/A
Author's notes: My first fic ever- take that into consideration.
Feedback: Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will draw Counter-Battery fire. Dedication: For my Dad, Lt.. Col. CJG, USAF (Ret.), for Kate, and most of all for Venom, who made this possible.
Date: September, 2003
Copyright (c) to BLUESUITER 05, 2003
Season/sequel: N/A
Author's notes: My first fic ever- take that into consideration.
Feedback: Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will draw Counter-Battery fire. Dedication: For my Dad, Lt.. Col. CJG, USAF (Ret.), for Kate, and most of all for Venom, who made this possible.
Date: September, 2003
Copyright (c) to BLUESUITER 05, 2003
End Notes: HIGH FLIGHT
BY
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth-
And danced the skies on laughter- silvered wings
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun split clouds- and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of.
Wheeled, and soared, and swung, high in the sunlit silence
Hovering there, I've chased the shouting wind along
And flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up, the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace-
Where never Lark, or even Eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind,
I've trod the high, untresspassed sanctity of Space,
Put out my hand- and touched the face of God.
Copyright unknown. The Author was an RCAF fighter pilot who was killed during World War Two.
BY
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth-
And danced the skies on laughter- silvered wings
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun split clouds- and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of.
Wheeled, and soared, and swung, high in the sunlit silence
Hovering there, I've chased the shouting wind along
And flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up, the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace-
Where never Lark, or even Eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind,
I've trod the high, untresspassed sanctity of Space,
Put out my hand- and touched the face of God.
Copyright unknown. The Author was an RCAF fighter pilot who was killed during World War Two.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]