Tomorrow's Fighter

He looked in the rear view mirror. He smiled at the image of 'tomorrow's fighter' looking back at him. Each wrinkle earned it's place on his face. He welcomed the lines as dignified proof of the hours given over to work.

His watch alarm was set in 15 minute increments. Alarms keeping his pace and schedule. He double tapped the screen for good luck and out of habbit. His lucky watch that was relatively low tech, but he had kept it from his childhood. He replaced the battery regularly to keep it ticking with time. He had kept it along with his love for Ironman. A grey watch, he considered his lucky charm. An alarm function was the only function it had outside of telling time.

He adjusted his freshly pressed uniform as he sat in his seat. Not letting on to anything out of the ordinary, for he was still being watched. This day would be anything but ordinary.
It had taken him 12 months to get to this point. A hefty 5 part syllabus course completed. However, before the 12 months, it was a five year rigorous planning ordeal with a college mate. Any NGAD Flyer pilot would be anxious and excited, but they weren't pulling off the greatest heist ever attempted.

He saw beads of sweat along his hair line. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the sweat. He had purchased the handkerchief last minute. Now he laughed at how useful it was even though it felt outdated. The calm sereneness of the smooth flight through the air was misleading. His flight was a stress anxiety flight stealthily flying towards a hidden mission. One of a laborious love of tinkering and engineering. He knows he has one chance. One take to get it correct. One chance to not end up dead or in jail. He would be pushing the limits.

NGAD'S flew as teams with designated tasks, similar to choreographed dances. This routine was no different. It was their first time out on a mission. The machinery was beautifully sleek. A 'tailess blended-wing body aircraft' equiped  with the highest end technology and lasers able to lock in on incoming missiles. He knew the formations, he learned the stealth crafts manual inside and out, he knew the secondary plan just as well. He and his friend had engineered a software that could be uploaded to the individual flyer, cutting off any traceability or communication tracking to it. The software would look like an error or malfunction. This would allow him the time to enter the new coordinates. As they flew in formation, and he moved to the outer post, and curved around in 3rd location position he knew if he flew slightly wide there was a blind spot for the flyer behind him. This was about half way to their destination. It is while he is in this blind spot he needs to upload the software and make his move. Communications will think his navigation equipment is having issues. Then he'll drop down in a freefall, a crash resembling freefall. Before crashing, he'll fly it horizontally as close to the water as possible until he reaches the land mass. Then, under the shelter of obscured vission, he'll pitch it up, fly it straight up and out. Next, he must travel undetected in air space to his landing sight. His friend will be waiting. There, at the work site, the work and plane stealth flyer will be camouflaged and hidden away.  It is there the real work would begin.

He and his friend would study the materials, design, and technology. Disassemble the craft piece by piece and then put it back together. Redesign the craft and improve it. Reuse materials or replace materials. He and his friend would design the next greatest flyer. With no extradition laws they could attempt to make a deal with the US without fear of being identified. The USA would be the first one offered the new improved flyer. The USA would be offered a private contract. It was a long shot, but the plan. He knew with the plane in his possession he could draw up plans to engineer the greast flyer ever produced. He could produce the highest grade stealth flyer ever seen.

His watch alarm buzzed. He pressed the side button to silence it and reset. He looked out his little bubble at the clouds. He looked at the turbulent water below and the white caps caused by wind effecting the current. He looked at the land masses breaking up the blue below him. The relative silence can't disguise the feel of the thrust propelling him forward. He follows protocol in flight and communication taking sincere efforts, for these were his comrades. He would miss them, his teachers and all his superiors. He remembered the talks of goals and of greater higher purpose. He told himself this was his intent. The intent made it okay. They would eventually understand. He also knew there was no room for guilt or regret. He, like his flyer, would continuously move forward.

The next alarm buzzed. He double tapped his watch face. Took the small device he had sewed into the his uniform. He acted as if he was itching himself pulling a thread he left to easily release the compartment with the device. He palmed the device after releasing it. He had to hook it on to specific wires in his dash. He had trained to do it one handed so he could use the other arm to obstruct the view. He had to keeping talking to hide any noise the procedure may cause. Once attatched he had fifteen minutes until his next major move. Then he had to hope the software worked as expected. The only indicator on his end it worked, was a communication error when he attempted to communicate out.

The familiar buzz of the alarm sounded. He double tapped the face of his watch. Time converged; stopping and starting all at once. As his adrenaline ignited, he knew it was go time. With talent providing and luck filling in the gaps, he'd be safely in a hideout later that day.

"F*#! It, Some times you have to make your own luck. Will it even!"

References

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aerotime.aero/articles/31756-what-do-we-know-about-ngad-heres-every-concept-so-far/amp

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/here-are-the-12-new-stealth-aircraft-currently-heading-toward-service/


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