Post #3759430

"November Victor Victor Victor, this is Victor Hotel Charlie Seven Bravo, We are seeing some heavy weather ahead. Over." Annika waited for a reply, glancing across at Chika her co-pilot. "Seven Bravo" started the reply, followed by a burst of static and silence. "November Victor Victor Victor say again" Annika sent back. Nothing. "Annika? BOM has a cat four three hundred to our south" Chika's broad Alice Springs accent stronger than usual. "How old is the report?" "Two hours. No way this could be it." "No reply. Change us to Kiribati." "Changing to three seven. Done." She tried Kiribati airport. Nothing The two pilots watched the storm as it closed in on them, almost looking like it was reaching around to trap them. Chika made a face "Call in a Pan. Changing to emergency." Annika made the call. A sudden air pocket dropped the little twin engine Baron a thousand feet. Both pilots jolted in their seats, and Chika's head struck her headrest violently. "Chika?" Annika asked, and then repeated it louder. There was no reply. She glanced over, and saw her partner slumped in her seat, unconcious - or worse. Then there was a bright flash, and the engines cut out. Annika went through the restart procedure - nothing. Somewhere the lightning had shorted something. The static in her ear told her that the radio was still working. Then they were below the clouds. Heavy rain made it hard to make anything out, but she thought she could see a small atoll ahead. Gliding the Baron through the turbulence of the storm was tricky, especially without second pair of eyes. Then Chika sat up "Don't try to ditch, the reef will mess you up good" she said in a Midwestern accent. Annika glanced over and stared. Chika was looking over the instruments and the flight plan, and then looked back. "There's an airport at Kiribati?" She asked in the same strange voice. "Chika?" Annika asked uncertainly. "Just call me Millie for now" the American voice replied, "I'll raise a mayday. Line up on the long Southwest strip. Mayday Mayday Mayday, this is November Romeo One Six Zero Two Zero. Engines out, attempting landing on Gardner Island." Then she repeated the message twice more. Annika fought the winds, and got the little plane lined up. One chance. As she struggled with the controls she asked "Who are you?" "Just don't make the same mistake me and Fred made, OK?" Then there was no time. The plane crashed through the low scrub, and ploughed into a dune. She looked across again, but Chika was slumped again. But breathing. She shut everything down. No smoke. Chika groaned. "What happened?" No American voice. "We crashed. Lightning. You remember anything?" "No, why?" "Never mind. I'm going to deploy the EPIRB." They were sheltering under a wing two days later when they saw a launch approaching. Annika saw another woman smiling next to Chika, then she blinked, and Chika was alone, waving to the boat. #SF #SFF #SciFi #microfiction #microfic #tootfic #IAmWriting