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1 Panther

I HAD HIM

As Coh the clouds on the defensive, I sawto lock on to et when I felt it

Air In the cockpit

My heart stopped as I realized in that split second what I had to do In a matter of heartbeats, the air pressure would drop, and the rush would send the jet into a free fall I wouldn’t be able to recover from

“Air in the cockpit,” I said over the comm “Ready to eject”

I didn’t have time to think or panic as I readied myself for what I had to do I’d never ejected before, but we’d all been trained thoroughly for e what risks we took every time we flew With erous ejecting could be, not when the alternative was crashing along with the plane

At thatso fast that I had to act, and act now

“Altitude dropping Controls lost” As soon as I uttered the words, I positioned my body so that when the rockets underout of this alive

It all happened so fast I re open overhead, and then suddenly, I was rocketed up into the sky with a force that felt like it was breaking every bone in my body I’d never felt so much pain before in e was

As the seat detached fro the force oftoward the ocean I couldn’t takeinto pieces

I’d been inside only seconds ago If I’d hesitated, I wouldn’t have had time to eject…

The rooled to open White and sterile and sreetedsix feet under

Awake now, I struggled to sit up, but when blinding pain shot through my head, chest, and shoulders, I moaned and collapsed back into the pillow

How bad off was I? I didn’t re airborne It was like uely re else was a blur

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”

I opened one eye to see a nurse wheeling in a cart, stopping by my bedside She scanned the band on my wrist and smiled at me

“Welco?”