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D. Robert Pease
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Dogfight
California sped by in a blur below. I hugged the terrain as closely as I dared. A line of mountains in front of us made me smile. “Computer, keep track of Haon’s location.” I slowed the ship slightly. “We want to make sure he keeps following.” “XB Class is two-point-seven kilometers behind and closing,” the computer said. “Altitude five hundred meters.” “Perfect,” I said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Mom looked a little pale. Adina on the other hand seemed to be enjoying the excitement. The mountain range soared in front of us. I pulled back and skimmed along the peaks. “Missile lock confirmed.” I accelerated over a ridge of granite. “Two Mark 7 missiles fired.” After we crested the ridge I plunged back down. The DUV III streaked toward a green valley below. I heard an explosion as one of the rockets clipped a peak behind us. I banked left and climbed up over another ridge. The second rocket didn’t make the turn and smashed into a granite wall. “That was close!” Adina yelled. Once more I hugged the terrain. The ground below was broken up by never-ending rows of sharp granite peaks. “XB Class is still within missile range.” “Good.” Finally the terrain below smoothed out. We sped over brown desert. I pushed the DUV III faster and pulled away from Haon. “Just a little further.” Finally I saw what I was looking for. The desert gave way to rocky terrain again and a huge chasm came into view. “The Grand Canyon?” Mom said. I grinned. “I always wanted to try this.” I banked right and dropped into the canyon. Even after I lowered our speed, the canyon walls still sped by in a blur. “XB Class closing. One kilometer.” “Seven hundred fifty meters.” “Missile lock confirmed.” The DUV III screamed around a column of red rock. “Four Mark 7 missiles fired.” “He can’t have too many missiles left.” I skimmed over a flat butte, then dropped down toward the green Colorado River. Rockets exploded around us, smashing into ancient stone. “One Mark 7 missile remains. Impact in five-seconds.” I spotted the perfect outcropping of stone. I skimmed the surface of the river, mashed the yoke left, and whizzed behind it. The rocket blew a hole through the shale. Fragments of stone pinged all over the DUV III. “Those are getting too close for comfort.” Mom dug her fingernails into her armrests. “I need the right spot.” I banked, turned, rose, and fell while we rocketed through the canyon. Just ahead, the canyon walls came together. “That should do.” I slowed and let Haon close in. I dropped toward the river. He followed. “XB Class is two hundred meters back. Missile lock confirmed.” A few more heartbeats, then I yanked back on the yoke. The DUV III groaned, but her wings caught the air and lifted her up. I kept pulling back as the ship strained toward the blue sky above, then curved back around to the canyon floor. I’d done a complete loop. Haon’s ship was now in front of us. I dove forward. He couldn’t turn—he was surrounded by stone walls left and right. He couldn’t climb out of the canyon—I moved in to block his ship. Just ahead, the canyon took a sharp turn left. The DUV III skimmed above the XB Class, Haon hurtling toward the rock. We were maybe ten meters away from the canyon wall when he managed to pull up high enough to scrape over the cliff’s edge. He smashed against our underside—and flew out from beneath us with a wrenching tear. The vertical stabilizers on his ship dangled. I clipped an outcropping of stone and the DUV III spun left. I used up every trick I knew to straighten her out, but the ship continued to spin. We dropped toward a plateau of rock below. “Landing thrusters!” I yelled. The DUV III continued to twirl like a top. A loud grinding noise rent the cabin. We hit the ground. Dust and debris filled the air while I fought with the controls. For several long heartbeats, the ship rumbled and shook. Finally everything went quiet. We’d crashed. And Haon’s ship was gone. |