And now, for part 2 ...
Our hero has blacked-out. His P-51 Mustang is in a death dive with a bandit on his tail ...
This is where we pick up the story.
How long have I been in a black out? How near is the ground?
Cloud yanked the stick into his gut. The Mustang nosed up as if nudged by an unseen hand. Now vertical, the bandit once again latched onto his tail. Lead zipped through the cockpit. BWEE! VIP! BEEOW!
Cloud screamed. I’m a blind eagle being torn apart by a hungry hawk! The Smoke-maker had predicted as much when he was a young brave on the Navajo reservation. And now, the words echoed in his head: Beware of the hungry hawk who will strike at you with claws of death!
Cloud pulled back harder, inverting just enough to allow his body to drop from the cockpit. Now he was caught in a swirling wind. Free-falling. Blind. Helpless.
I could be falling right into my burning ship – or into the blades of the enemy’s propeller!
He fell as long as he dared. Two hundred feet per second. Finally, Cloud pulled the ripcord. The chute popped with a loud CRAAACK! He stopped mid-air as if dangling from a hangman’s noose.
The bandit circled back and opened fire. Cloud swung to and fro, violently twisting to avoid the bullet streams. The propeller got louder – nearer, nearer, nearer! Cloud drew his Colt.
In desperation – I emptied all the slugs … straight into the heart of the raging fury in front of me!
A lucky shot hit a fuel line! The Fw-190 exploded. WHROOOM!
Cloud was kicked away from the inferno. He came down hard, crashing through tree limbs, his head hitting a stone outcrop. His vision flickered. Cloud rubbed his eyes, and slowly, he could see … as if I were awakening from a nightmare.
The French Resistance gathered around him. Then he saw her.
Looks like I landed right in your lap!
Mademoiselle Marie held his head and smiled. Now you have given me the chance to repay you for saving my life!
The secret terror weapon was destroyed. Debts for lives saved were paid up. And, Captain Johnny Cloud survived the claws of death to fight again.
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