Flight

 The pilot wearily climbed into the cockpit of his Mark-II Hurricane and started it down the runway of the makeshift RAF airbase. It was the third time he was going up, and death appeared to be an uncomfortably concrete prospect.

He longed to go home, longed to be with his family, longed to be with his friends - but war had so cruelly snatched him away from his loved ones. He had joined the RAF to serve his nation and protect the people he now missed so sorely, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be in so absurdly hopeless a situation. After completing his flight training, he had been posted to Greece with his squadron to aid the British troops in their fight against Mussolini's men and the Vichy French. They quickly discovered that they were in serious trouble - the Krauts had both strength in superior technology and strength in numbers. After numerous battles, after the loss of numerous comrades, the cocky young man the pilot had been was gone and in his place, a grim and weary veteran.

The pilot circled around the Grecian desert, keeping an eye out for any suspicious movement. A grey dot caught his eye. There, as he approached cautiously, it came into sight - a Junkers Ju-88 bomber, respected by those who piloted it and feared by its foes. With its superior weapons payload and armor, the bomber far outgunned the puny Mark-II. The pilot would have to take it by surprise. The Hurricane ascended into a climb, slowly and stealthily creeping into position. Eyes bright with concentration, the pilot took aim, and prepared to attack. He never saw the reflective glint of silvery metal in his peripheral scope of vision.

The Messerschmidt 101 escort's shells ripped through the Hurricane, turning its canvas fuselage into a burning wreck. As the Hurricane plummeted to the desert floor, memories of his family and friends flashed through the pilot's mind. And by then, he was no more.

Miles away, the flight commander did not hear the explosion. He continued poring over his battle plans, grimly waiting to send another young man to his doom.