The Undaunted (Book 2 of The Undesirables)

Chapter 35: The Choir Boy

Bobby's flight was the last in his formation to land, largely because their planes were the least battle damaged. He buzzed the Srednaia Air Tower as he rocketed past the runway, and then banked into a wide turn, circling back around in order to give his squadron mates time to return to earth.

The first Yak, trailing smoke and lacking landing gear, belly-flopped onto the tarmac. The plane pivoted and slid off the runway into the snow and the emergency fire truck raced toward it. But before help arrived its pilot, Major Volkov slid back the canopy and safely leapt to the ground.

Twenty seconds later came Lenka, the fin of her tail sheered half off from machinegun fire. But somehow she retained control of the airframe and managed a perfect landing. Twenty seconds after her came Katya, fuel tanks punctured and her gauge, Bobby knew, almost on empty. Of the six Yaks in the squadron, those were the only three to make it back.

So next came the Airacobras. Not quite as light and agile as the Yaks, they showed more battle damage. Bullet holes riddled their sides and scorch marks stained their wings where cannon shells had hit and started brief fires. But they were also heavier and better armored than the Yaks, especially their cockpits, so despite the surface damage they actually remained more flightworthy.

Bobby waited his turn and then set his plane down with practiced precision. Its nose pointed up so he couldn't see the ground; he felt the wheels touch gently down. Then he lowered his flaps and gunned the engine to clear the runway. He'd done this so often that by now he felt like he could do it in his sleep.

Jack was last, least damaged of them all, and he came down twenty seconds behind Bobby. His emotions betrayed him and he came down fast and hard. The Airacobra bounced on the runway with a screech from its tires, but Jack quickly compensated and the next time the wheels touched asphalt the landing was gentle. On any other day the brother- and sister-hood of pilots would have jeered Jack good-naturedly for the hard landing, but not today. They all knew what had happened.

Bobby had his feet on the ground by the time Jack opened his cockpit door and slid out onto the wing. "Did you see a chute?" he asked, desperation in his voice, "I think I saw a chute!"

"Yes," Bobby assured him, "there was definitely a chute."

"Did anyone get the bastard who shot her down?" asked Lenka, jogging over to join them.

"Jack did, shot him right off her tail," Bobby said.

But Jack shook his head. "No, that's not true," he corrected. "I'm the bastard who shot her down."

Lenka grabbed his chin and turned it toward her. "Don't ever say that," she warned him.

"But it's true," Jack lamented, too lost in grief and guilt to think logically.

"Maybe it is," Lenka told him, not letting go of his chin, "and maybe we all know it's true. But we also know it was an accident, and it could happen to any of us. But the political officers don't know that. The political officers don't believe in accidents. Understand?"

Jack finally looked at her. He nodded.

Lenka let go of his chin. "Good. We will all cover for you. The whole squadron. You don't have to worry about us."

"I'm not," Jack replied. "I'm worried about her."

"Me, too," Lenka sighed. "But you getting arrested or shot won't help her."

* * *

Jack didn't join the other pilots for the morose victory celebration in the Officer's Club. The battle had been a success. They'd been outnumbered and had managed to fight the Germans to a draw, preventing them from strafing the Soviet tanks until Russian trucks, with anti-aircraft guns in their beds, had arrived to turn the tide and force the German warplanes to break off.