The desert of Iraq can get up to 110 degrees on occasion and is filled with Muslim extremists, thirsty for the blood of Americans and Christians. It is a place no man wants to go. Rather, it is a place where some people feel they must go to protect innocent civilians and fight their country's war. One of those people was Dan.

Flying through the air at hundreds of knots per hour, the A-10 spotted its kill. Narrowing in on the target, Dan locked on and pulled the trigger. The Iraqi desert lit up with the explosion of an excellently aimed air-to-ground missile. All that was left was scrap metal. The intense heat of the sun beat down on the scene below. Thankfully, Dan was in an air conditioned cockpit. "Redlight, seven bogeys southbound, coordinates 237 684, E.T.A. at downed AH-64 six minutes. Take them out, the choppers' crew's lives depend on it," the radar officer commanded in a matter-of-factly tone.

Further ahead, five lone tanks steered across the wasteland. Their steel exoskeletons glistened in the daylight. Two anti-aircraft followed them close behind. They never had a chance. The A-10 came screaming over the horizon, its deafening jet turbines on full speed. From half a mile away the plane started firing its gau vulcan cannon, sending deadly chunks of lead the size of your forearm at the first tank, leaving it devastated. Upon espying the A-10 nearing, the anti-air-vehicles started firing back with their AIM-9 sidewinder missiles. The plane barely dodged the missiles dashing past it and exploding in the distance behind. Hephaestus' power fell upon the fleeing enemy like cinders of an exploding volcano. The sky darkened, yet the flames continued while the A-10 circled the scene. He was waiting there in case a foreboding enemy arrived.

Dan was a vivacious, stalwart man of noble character. His great combat skills impressed many in his squadron. He was dubbed "Redlight" because his "need for speed" in both aircraft and automobile inevitably led to his record of running three red lights in his first two months of owning a driver's license. Just three weeks ago, for the umpteenth time, he was forced to spend his Saturday at a drivers' safety course.

Back at the air force base, Dan was watching a T.V., showing the rescue teams picking up the crews of the AH-64s which had crashed in the desert. The interviewers would be there not too long from now, asking him how he destroyed all of those terrorists. As he watched the rescue, he noticed that behind the plane in the distance was an enemy tank closing in on them. They needed immediate support, or all would be lost. He had to have clearance to take off, but no one would give it to him. He knew he had to go now. He hopped into the A-10 and flew off the runway.

To be continued...

--Art'n'Alec