Head in the clouds

Posted on Thu Jan 30th, 2020 @ 1:03am by Lieutenant Samantha Leyton

Mission: Mission 2 - Fallout
Location: Sickbay; USS Atlantis
Timeline: Day 3, Month 1, Year 0 06:30
Tags: Monthly Challenge
614 words - 1.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The ancient shaped aircraft sliced through the clouds as the pilot pushed the throttle forward in the cockpit of the Supermarine Spitfire as it gained altitude--it's modified rolls Royce V-12 engine purring smoothly as it climbed. "We got you at ten thousand," came a man's voice over the radio, "and climbing. How is she doing, Sam?"

The young Samantha Leyton smiled behind the oxygen mask, also donning a red/silver helmet and darkened slide-down visor. "Smooth sailing, Pops," she called back over the radio to her grandfather on the ground, monitoring her flight. Surrounding him were just over a thousand people, all there to witness flight being pushed to it's limits and to see newly commissioned spacecraft. Up here, flying for her grandfather, she was happiest. She had recently submitted her application to Starfleet Academy and was now just waiting to hear back from them which should be any day now. "Alright, let's wow these people then."

"On my way, Pops," she called back as she flicked her wrist to the right and pulled back on the flight stick--a feature she loved on the Spitfire was it's responsiveness compared to other aircraft of it's age. The spitfire rolled over and dived as the on coming G-forces pushed Samantha into the cockpit's seat. The ground closed fast as the old fighter gained speed in it's dive as the plane passed 540 mph as she engaged the air brakes and throttled back. Instead of watching the ground, she kept her eyes on her air speed and altimeter. "3...2...1..." she counted down to herself and pulled back on the stick hard, grunting as she did so, as the plane pulled out of it's dive and climbed back skyward and disengaged the brake. She continued to pull back harder, taking the fighter into a loop, as her speed bled off. She still fought against the G-forces assaulting her body with proper breathing and the aid of her flight suit as she finally pulled out of the loop, exiting 200 feet off the ground.

"Beautiful loop, Sam! Couldn't have done it better myself!" her grandfather congratulated her--the happiness evident in his voice as he watched her pull into a hard turn and make another low altitude pass, finishing it off with an aileron roll.

Samantha opened her eyes, to find herself in a much different setting. After a moment, she realized she was staring at a ceiling and by the spartan look and design of it, it belonged to Starfleet. She tired to push herself up but plopped back down onto the bed as her head pounded and her vision became dizzy. "What..."

"Just be still," a female human nurse with blonde hair said as she rushed over to Samantha. "Take it easy. You've been out for awhile--took a nasty bump on the head."

"My head is killing me and I'm a bit dizzy," Samantha stated, her eyes blinking in an attempt the make the room stop spinning.

"Let me just give you something to help with that," the nurse said as she loaded some medication into a hypospray and injected it into Samantha's neck. After a moment, Samantha began to feel better, sitting up slowly with the aid of the nurse. "It's good to have you back with us, lieutenant."

"Thank you," Samantha replied, swinging her feet off of the bed and for the first time, realized she was dressed in a medical gown. "Could I have my uniform?"

"The doctor will have to clear you first, lieutenant. Until then, is there anything I can get you? You must be hungry," the nurse offered.

"Some water, please," Samantha sighed, hating to be confined to sickbay until the doctor could release her.