flickrolled off the top and came out with the Russian centred in his
gunsight.
He fired a one-second burst and saw the incendiary shells lace in and
burst in quick little stabbing stars in the silver fuselage of the MIG.
The Russian came out of his turn, in a gentle dive, flying straight, no
longer taking evasive action, probably dead at his controls, and David
sat on his tail, and settled the pipper of his gunsight.
He fired another one-second burst and the MIG began to break up. Small
unidentifiable pieces of wreckage flew back at David, but the Russian
stayed with his machine.
Again David hit him with a two-second burst, and now the MIG's nose sank
until she was in a vertical dive still under full power and she went
down like a silver javelin. David could not follow her without tearing
off his own wings. He pulled out and watched the Russian fly into the
earth at a speed that must have exceeded mach 2_ He burst like a bomb in
a tall tower of dust and smoke that stood for long seconds on the brown
plains of Syria.
David shut down his afterburners and looked to his fuel gauges. They
were all showing only a narrow strip above the empty notch, and David
realized that the last screaming dive after the MIG had taken him
down'to an altitude of five thousand, he was over enemy territory and
too low, much too low.
Expending precious fuel he came around on a westerly heading and went to
interception speed, climbing swiftly out of range of flak and searching
the heavens about him for sign of either Joe or the other MIGs, although
he guessed that the Syrians were either with Allah in the garden of the
Houris, or back home with mother by this time. Bright Lance Two, this
is leader. Do you read me? 'Leader, this is Two, Joe's voice answered
him immediately. have you visual. In the name of God, get out of
there! What is my position? We are fifty miles within Syrian
territory, our course for base is 2 5 O How did you go? I took out one
of mine. The other one ran for it, after that I was too busy keeping an
eye on you David blinked his eyes and was surprised to find that sweat
was pouring down his forehead from under his helmet and his mask was
stick and sticky with blood from his nose-bleed. His arms and shoulders
still ached, and he felt drLmken and light-headed from the effects of
gravity and combat and his hands on the control column were shaky and
weak.
I got two he said, two of the swines, one for Debra, and one for Hannah.
Shut up, Davey, Joe's voice was stiff with tension. Concentrate on
getting out of here. You are within range of both flak and ground
missiles. Light your tail - and let's go.
Negative, David answered him. I'm low on fuel.
Where are you?
Six o'clock high at 25, 000. 'As he answered, Joe sat up in his seat,
leaning forward against his shoulder straps to watch the tiny wedge
shape of David's machine far below. it was climbing slowly up to meet
him, slowly too slowly, and low, too low. David was vulnerable and Joe
was afraid for him, frowning heavily into his face mask and searching
