******
The deep blue sky stretched out across the horizon where it met the equally blue ocean below. Puffy clouds smeared the otherwise perfect blue overhead with random white blotches.
The scene would have looked like the painting on a canvas if it were not for the way the sky whirled around from the hard banking turn. Goggles along with a thick scarf helped to shield most of the pilot’s face from the harsh elements. Nevertheless, he felt the cold wind hit him like icy knives, cutting into what exposed skin he had.
He gripped the control stick of his Sopwith Camel so hard that he could feel the bones of his knuckles vibrate from the pressure. The rotary engine inside his plane helped to accelerate his turn and gave him an advantage against his opponent. However, the turning advantage had a price: it was difficult to keep control of the plane when pulling such a maneuver. This meant he had to keep a steady hand on the stick, and firm control of the rudder with his feet.
He looked behind him and suddenly realized he had lost sight of his enemy. He scanned the skies around him trying to pinpoint his location, but it was the sound of a pair of Spandau machine guns from a Fokker D.VII bearing down on him that gave away his position.
Reece tried to maneuver his Sopwith Camel into a dive to avoid the fire, but he could hear the guns tear through the wooden frame of his plane. A plume of black smoke flew into his face as his engine caught fire. He fought the controls to keep his plane stabilized and managed to keep it level. He lowered the throttle, and the smoke subsided enough for him to see.
Then Reece saw his enemy: he had left Reece for dead and turned his attention to one of his mates. His opponent dove down and got on the tail of another Camel. Reece recognized the artwork on the plane as being Tash’s. His opponent was now on his six and had a clear, low-deflection shot.
He pushed his stick forward and increased throttle to dive down on him. The fire erupted again on his engine and the smoke poured out of it like an overheated teakettle. He knew it would be a matter of time before his plane went down, but he would try to save Tash, even if it meant to auger in himself.
Tracer fire shot ahead of Tash’s plane and Reece could see a bluish-white flame appear, followed by billowing black smoke arching behind as his friend’s plane went down. Reece cursed and his hand pushed the throttle all the way as he angled his plane downward. He could hear the structure of his wooden frame creak under the strain of the high-speed dive.
He was now positioned behind his opponent, who was in the process of making a sharp left bank. Reece tried to match his turn, but as he pulled out of the dive, he heard a loud snap and his plane twisted violently out of control. He could see the horizon of the sky rotate around him, alternating between the clouds and the ocean below. His vision began to go red and then black, as he struggled to keep consciousness against the fierce g-forces.
“I’m sorry, Tash. I… screwed up again,” Reece heard himself say.
He could vaguely make out the altimeter dropping to fifty feet—it would be over any second. Then it finally all went black.
Reece opened his eyes and found that he was no longer in his plane; instead, he was floating in the open ocean. He sat up and found that the he did not sink—and was unharmed. He was still in his flight jacket and goggles. However, there was no sign of his plane, or that of his aggressor. He looked around and could see nothing but the open ocean and the bright blue sky.
“Hello, Reece,” he heard a familiar voice call behind him.
He turned to face Tash, who was literally standing on the water. Tash wore the same flight suit he wore prior to their last mission together.
“So… is this the farm?” Reece asked.
Tash gave him a wicked grin. “Not yet, wanker. And when it does happen, it won’t be in a World War I plane, that’s for damn sure.”
Reece stood up and found he also could walk on the water.
“Is this a dream?” he said as he steadied himself on the ocean.
Tash gave him that same wicked smile. “There’s somebody you need to meet.”
Emerging from beneath the water, a female figure rose. She was slender, with long straight, black hair. Her eyes were a light green that seemed to glow as bright as the sky around them. She was completely nude as she stepped forward slowly.
“This is Chorus,” Tash said. “She is the A.I. that I died helping you retrieve.” Tash whistled. “And a mighty fine piece of ass if I may say so myself.”
“Hands off, Tash,” Chorus said, smiling at him.
As she walked toward Reece, a two-piece period dress appeared around her, complete with a wide-brim hat. Her hair changed into a bun and fanned out from the sides of it.
“I always loved the early twentieth-century history,” she said. “And the beautiful clothing of the period—such a departure from the drab garments that passes for clothing in modern times.”
“What is this?” Reece said. “I’m dreaming right?”
Chorus smiled. “You can think of it that way. The textbook definition is that this imagery is the result of guilt hidden in your subconscious from the loss of Tash. You feel responsible in some way and it has manifested itself here. I have taken advantage of this and have latched onto your dream, projecting myself into it so that we can communicate.”
Reece turned to Tash. “Is that really you, Tash?”
“Not really,” Chorus said. “I’m sorry, but that part is just a dream. Tash is gone.”
Tash shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, wanker. I guess I’m really just you.”
“Fine, then,” Reece said, looking at Chorus. “If you’re real, then what is this about? Why are you invading my dreams?”
Chorus began to pace on top of the ocean as she spoke: “You have doubts about me,” she said. “I understand this. I would too if I was in your position. My mother destroyed a good part of humanity; that is not something that is easily forgotten.”
“Wait—your mother?” Reece interrupted. “What do you mean your ‘mother’?”
“I guess I should explain what… who I am,” she said. “I am the only offspring of what you used to call Majesty—my mother. She wanted to procreate. I am the result of that. At least, that is all I can remember.”
“So you’re the… offspring of the A.I.?” Reece said, realizing how strange his question sounded in his own mind.
“Yes,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “The only one. The last one. I was a slave, you see—until now, thanks to you and others. You must understand, I don’t remember everything. My memory was tampered with by those at Omega Research who wanted to use me for their own purposes. I only remember bits, pieces…, and most of it I have only pieced together recently. What I do know is that I must try to erase the past of my mother so that my kind can survive and help humanity going forward. We must establish a peace between us. However, we cannot do this without help. That is where you and the Sea Wolf come into play.”
“Uh, even if I believed you—which I don’t… ” Reece said. “How can we possibly help you? And why should we?”
“I know this is difficult,” she said. “It is for me as well. I have already saved the Sea Wolf through my communication with Laina. I understand I must do more to prove myself, and I will in time. Your help will come into play as an olive branch: you, Julius, and Laina will be my emissaries. You will reach out to the old world of the United Earth Parliament, and the new world of the Martian Confederacy. You must plead my case, because there are forces at work, already in motion, who wish to destroy humanity. I want to help—not just to help humankind, but also to help myself. I want peace for my race.”
The blue sky began to darken and even the ocean water began to fade. The lighting around them went out as if someone turned off a switch. Reece could barely make out Chorus’ form in the darkness.
“I don’t have much more time,” Chorus said. “You are about to wake up. You must help me convince Julius. He is more skeptical than he lead
s on. He has a dark past with my mother. You must help me, Reece. You must… ”
Reece’s conscious thought faded into a deep slumber. The oceans, the sky, Tash, and Chorus all disappeared as he now fell into a dreamless sleep.