Chapter 1
Rossignol, mon mignon, qui dons cette saulaya Toutesfois, Rossignol, nous differons d'un point C'est que tu es aime, et je ne le suis paus... Vas seul de branche en brabche a ton gre voletant, Degoisant a l'envy de moi, que vois chantant Celle, que faut tousjours due dans la bouche j'aie.
Nightingale, my little one, in this willow tree Always nightingale, we differ from a point It is that you are loved, and I am not at all... Soar solitary from branch to branch, at your pleasure, fluttering, Trumpeting to my envy, watching you sing What must always be in my mouth.
~Paul Verlaine~
He was in a free fall, totally helpless. William tried turning his head to see around him, but he was paralyzed. "Help me. Oh, G-d, help me please."
Using all his strength, he turned his head to the side, only to see sightless eyes staring back. He tried to scream but his throat was too dry to make a sound. The only noise it let out was a dry croak. His hand, searching for something to grasp, ran over the sharp edge, causing the blood to start to pool out in droplets on his lap. The pain stung, sending ripples through his already screaming body. His vision started to blur, and then went blood red.
He tried to call out again, but his mind wouldn't or couldn't understand what he wanted. He could only sit there and watch in horror as the events unfolded around him. Just as it was about to come to a sickening close, images around him began to twist, almost causing his stomach to lurch.
He looked up into a blinding light shining above him, beyond, only an ever-increasing blackness. The fear and nervousness he felt was making his skin crawl. The only noise he could hear was the sound of heavy footsteps circling him. His voice quivered, "Who are you? What am I doing here?" He couldn't discern any images, like someone put up a screen to distort his vision.
"Why do you resist us? You'll never win. You'll break down eventually, they all do." Hours seemed to pass by when a door at the side of the room flung open, causing some light to shine into the darkness. He could finally make out the outline of a man directly in front of him, smug in his stance. William struggled to pounce at him, now that he could finally see where he was. A commotion at the entrance way caught his attention, and two men entered, dragging a man between them. He was covered in blood, but still making a good struggle. He raised his head and his eyes met William's just before the darkness enveloped his form. "Will. No. Please, help me. NO!!!" His moaning turned to screaming.
"Stop this! End it now!" William's mind screamed, but he couldn't form the words.
The voice seemed closer now as it said, "This is your doing, and only you can stop this. Are you willing to kill another person? Cause his death?" William remained silent. "I guess so."
A shot rang out, and William could see in the flash of light, his friend fall to the ground.
William woke up gasping for breath. His mind was in a fog, and he couldn't remember his dream; again. He rolled over and glanced at the clock. 03:54. He sighed. "Oh well," he mused to himself. "Might as well get up now. At least I got more sleep tonight then I did last week." He got up and walked into the connecting bathroom. Slouching over the sink, he looked at his image in the mirror. His face was pale and drawn. He had dark circles under his usually vibrant blue eyes, which made him look even sicklier. He reached up with a shaking hand, and ran it through his tousled brown hair. "God, I look terrible," he spoke to no one in particular. He regarded the mirror with a disgusted look, as if it some how did something offensive to him, then turned and walked to the shower.
Stripping off his boxers and the light cotton t-shirt, he stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. He gasped slightly as the scalding water cascaded down his trim, yet muscular frame. Biting his bottom lip, he swore softly under his breath. He started to bite down harder, as he tried to get adjusted to the water temperature. After a few more seconds, he conceded and turned down the temperature, only after he tasted the blood in his mouth, and his vision started to blur from the heat.
William just stood there under the stream of water, pondering; musing. "Why am I so screwed up? What's wrong with me!" he demanded to himself. No answers came. He shook his head, trying to clear the different thoughts and images that had come up. Giving up, he turned off the shower and stepped out. He reached over and grabbed a towel from the rack, and wrapped it around his waist.
He walked back out to his living quarters, and opened his closet, retrieving his army issue clothes. After stuffing himself into a fresh uniform, he went back into the bathroom. As he stepped through the door, the intense heat that still lingered there from his shower washed over him. He breathed in the humid air and continued to the sink. He picked up the hairbrush that sat on the edge of the sink and ran it through his still wet hair.
He then picked up his electric shaver and ran it over the stubble on his face. When done, he wiped off the condensation from the mirror and gave himself a once over. He still looked tired, but the shower had apparently brought back some of his colouring. The light material of his t-shirt showed off the shape of his finely toned body, without revealing too much. He was just about to leave when he noticed he forgot to put on his dog tags. He reached over and picked up the silver chain that had the tags dangling on it and put them around his neck. Nodding at the image of himself as the perfect little soldier again, he walked out. He stopped briefly at the doors to his quarters, and slipped on his boots. He walked out and looked down the long corridor. Seeing no one else in sight, he quietly walked towards the other end, keeping his gaze fixed directly in front of him.
When he got to the outside door of the barracks, he paused and looked around outside for anybody. Seeing no one, he continued on his way. He glanced down at his watch, and sighed. "04:40. Nobody up except gamma shift," he thought to himself. William was desperate for something to do. He finished all his reports yesterday morning, and he was getting tired of staring at the same four walls in his quarters. He didn't really have anyone he could call a friend on base, and he'd been placed on restricted duty. He shuddered slightly as he thought of why he was placed on restricted duty. "Bloody Iraqi bastards," he thought to himself. He looked down at the scar on his arm; he received while on his short "leave".
After a few seconds, he decided to head over to the air complex. He walked over to his in base jeep, parked just to the left of him, and started it up. The hanger wasn't far, but he enjoyed driving. It reminded him of flying. Having control of your own life, the vehicle an extension of your body. He smiled slightly at the sound of the finely tuned engine. Putting it into gear, he quickly took off.
Minutes later he arrived at the large hanger and parked. When he stepped inside, he noted the young officer, half-asleep at his post. He smiled slightly with an evil grin. He quietly moved right beside the young man and leaned over to be closer to his ear. Taking a breath, he said loudly, "Private, what are you doing?"
The young man flew out of his chair and looked around in shock. When he looked over at William, his eyes grew wide. He snapped to attention, and quickly saluted with his right hand. He just stood there with his back as strait as he could get it, and had a fearful look in his eyes.
William looked him over quickly. He looked about 22 or 23, blond curly hair, and an expression like a puppy dog. "Private, I asked you a question."
"I-I'm s-sorry, sir. I w-wasn't doing anything, sir," he stammered. He looked like he was going to jump right out of his skin, but at the same time, he seemed to be trying to size William up.
William smiled a little at the officer. "At ease, before you sprang something."
He looked confused for a moment and then slowly a smile appeared on his face as he began to relax. "Thank you, sir."
William glanced around and spotted a nearby chair. He pulled it over and sat down backwards in it, so that he could rest his arms on the back. The officer was still standing over him, so he gestured to him to sit again. "So, tell me your name."
"Private Bingley, sir."
William shook his head. "No, I mean your first name."
"Oh, it's Charles, sir."
William smiled, "Well, Charles, I'm William. I haven't seen you around here before, and I've been stuck on this base for a while now."
"Yes, sir. I just transferred here two days ago, sir."
"Just William, will do."
"Yes, sir, I mean William." Bingley started bushing a bit, so William just waved it off. "If I may, can I ask why you're here?"
William just shrugged. "I just came to see my old bird."
"Bird? I haven't seen any birds in here." Bingley looked confused.
"Boy, you are green. I mean my plane."
Realization dawned on Bingley's face, and he began to blush again. "Of course." He glanced around at him, then back at William. "But... this is the Squadron leaders hanger."
"Yes it is."
He looked at William again, and his eyes grew wide. "Your Captain William Darcy." He grabbed William's hand and started to shake it vigorously. "It's an honour to meet you, sir. I've heard so many stories about the missions you flew. They say that you're the best pilot to come out of the air force." He continued in a rush. "Sorry it took me so long to recognize you. I thought that you'd be older, no offence, sir."
William put on a small, fake, smile. "None taken." He stood up, and started to head towards the door. He looked back at Bingley, and now saw a look of awe on his face. "Well, I should be going. Nice meeting you, Charles."
"Like wise, sir. I'm honoured that you stopped in here."
"Yes, well..." With that he turned and left. When outside again, he sighed. "Well, it was nice to be treated like one of the guys, if only for a few seconds," he mused.
Chapter 2
We sigh together, your sweet path tries To sway, that which is depressing you And me, I am regretting that as well Which makes in my heart a bitter pain.
~Paul Verlaine~
William stood in a meadow, the one near his house where he grew up. Smiling in satisfaction, he began to run through the long grass, laughing. He felt like he hadn't laughed in a long time, and the release felt good. It made him feel alive. He saw something in the distance that made him stop in his tracks. "What do you want?! Why are you doing this?!" he demanded. The meadow began to twist around him, making the image looked violated, like someone invaded his private space, and wrecked it. Took away everything he held dear. Two lone figures approached him. Their skin was chard and blistered. He started to back away from them. "No! Go away! Please, leave me alone," he pleaded. They continued toward him. When they got close enough that William could smell the burnt flesh, one of them spoke.
"Why?" it demanded. "Why did you get away? Why did you get to live and we have to die?"
William felt the tears falling down his face. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my choice! It wasn't my fault!"
"It was." That answer whispered inside his head and ripped through his body. It made him feel physically sick.
William tore his eyes open. He sat up quickly, and started to throw up on the ground beside him. He was having convulsions, and it felt like his body was trying to force his stomach up through his throat.
A few minutes later, when his stomach finally calmed and he got control of his breathing he looked around in confusion. He was sitting under a tree at the edge of base. He remembered that he came out here to think, and to be alone for a while. He must have dozed off. He stood up, shakily, and began to walk back to his jeep. He tried to remember his dream, what made him force up everything that he had ever eaten, but his mind was a blank. He couldn't remember what he saw; only what it made him feel. "Just as well," he thought to himself. "I doubt I really want to know what haunts me, anyway."
William walked down the corridor in his barracks. He was heading back to his quarters, when a movement caught his eye. He stepped into the men's bathroom, and looked around. "I must be losing my mind," he thought to himself. He was just about to leave when he saw her.
She was leaning over the counter, checking her image in the mirror. All William could do was stare. She had shoulder length brown hair, which she was pulling up into a bun, and warm chocolate brown eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She reached up and started to unbutton her shirt to change, so William quickly looked away and cleared his throat loudly, to let his presence be known.
She looked up quickly and saw a man by the door, looking the other direction. She smiled slightly. "Hello." He slowly turned to look at her. He was about twenty-seven, or twenty-eight, with dark brown hair, and striking blue eyes. She noticed he had a blush creeping up his neck.
"I'm sorry. I thought I saw something, and I just wanted to see what it was."
She smiled. "Well, at least you had the decency to look away. Most guys I know would have just stood and stared." She extended her hand. "I'm Elizabeth."
"William," he replied. He reached over and shook her hand. He glanced at the door, then back at her with a questioning look. "This is the men's bathroom."
Elizabeth shrugged. "It's closer to my quarters then the woman's bathroom. Besides, I'll only be a few more minutes."
"You really shouldn't be in here."
Elizabeth just raised a brow. "It's not like there's something I haven't seen before in here." William opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off before he could say anything. "Alright. You'll never catch me in here again, okay. Now, can I quickly finish getting ready?"
He sighed. "Fine. Just be quick about it."
"Thanks." She flashed him a grin and turned and walked back to the counter to finish getting ready. She glanced at her watch. "Oh great, ten minutes until this bathroom fills up with guys." Elizabeth quickly finished getting dressed and putting her make-up on. She was just packing her stuff back into her bag when she heard someone whistle behind her.
"Well, well. What do we have here." She turned and saw a bulky guy that just walked in. "I didn't know it was my birthday all ready."
She forced a smile. "In your dreams." She mentally prepared her self in case he tried anything. She walked for the door, when the man put his arm out.
"Where are you going doll? Don't you want to help me have a shower?"
"When hell freezes over."
He looked around to see if anyone was coming. "Looks like I have a feisty one here." He reached over and grabbed her arm.
"Let go of me," she said through clenched teeth.
"What will you do if I don't?" His tone was challenging. She tried to swing at him with her free arm, but he easily caught it, and pushed her against the wall. "You know, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It might make me mad."
"Let me go!" she spat out at him.
He sneered at her. "Why should I?"
A voice came from behind him. "Because if you don't, Airman, you may not like my reaction, then you'll be put you on report for trying to attack a fellow officer." Elizabeth looked over, and saw William standing in the doorway.
The man who was holding her spun around to face the person who dared to challenge him, and froze when he saw William. "Captain Darcy!" he said in shock.
William stepped forward, and grabbed the Officers shoulder. "Mr. Wickham, kindly accompany me to the main complex." He started to lead him out of the bathroom, when he turned and looked at Elizabeth. "I'm sorry about this, Miss." He paused then added, "You really should use the woman's washroom." Elizabeth just nodded mutely.
Elizabeth stepped into the mess hall and walked over to the food counter to collect today's delights. She looked down glumly at her tray of food, or what the Air Force tried to pass off as food. She scanned the room for someone to eat with, and caught sight of two ladies sitting at a table in the far corner. She walked up behind them, "Excuse me? Is this seat taken?" she gestured at the vacant seat at their table.
The older one of the two looked up and smiled. She was plump and had slightly graying hair, but she still had a certain beauty about her. "Lt. Bennet, it's good to see you again. Please, sit. I was just telling Jane here, how I was sure that my husband was a complete jerk yesterday, and probably gave you a bad impression about this posting."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not at all, Mrs. Keely. In fact, he was more civilized then my last Commanding Officer was."
"Please, dear, call me Peggy. Everybody does." She clasped her hands together and laughed in delight. "This is just so exciting. For so long it has only been Jane and I here." She looked pointedly at the other woman. "Isn't that right Jane?"
The other woman nodded slightly. "Yes..."
"Now we have another person around to chat with," Peggy cut in. "Not that I expect you to chat a lot. My husband has already warned me that you are an officer and all," she continued. "So tell me, dear, what do you think of the base. I know it can be a bit cumbersome, you being one of the very few woman on base and all."
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment. "It's okay, I guess. The only thing was in the bathroom this morning there was an," she paused for a moment, "incident."
"Oh dear, what happened?" Peggy asked concerned.
"It was nothing, really. It's just that an officer was making some... unwanted advances."
"I hope you reported it. My husband doesn't stand for that on the base."
"I didn't need to. Captain Darcy came in and put a stop to it."
Peggy smiled, "Well, it's a good thing he did. He is such a nice young man. It's a shame what happened to him." Elizabeth looked confused, so Peggy went on. "About six months ago, he was flying a cargo plain over Iraqi air space, and he was shot down. The two other officers and the plain were killed, and Captain Darcy was kept in a P.O.W. camp for a month. Such a shame. I don't know what they did to him, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant." She looked down silently for a moment, before smiling again. "Well, enough of that. I best be off." Peggy stood and picked up her tray. "Good-bye dear."
Chapter 3
William gritted his teeth as he stood perfectly still in the Generals office. "With all do respect, sir. I don't see the need to keep me grounded anymore. I've been back for four months now, and frankly I don't see how down time "can help me", as you say."
General Keely looked hard into his eyes for a moment, then down at the manila file folder in his hands. "The doctor says that you haven't been cooperating in the counseling sessions, and feels that you haven't dealt with what happened to you."
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"
He regarded him for a moment. "This should be interesting," he thought. "Granted."
William clenched his fists and Keely could almost see him counting. "Sir, Dr. Ronsly has no idea what he's doing. I know we don't have a lot of personnel on this base at the moment, but I'd be better off talking to a wall. What would help me, sir, is getting back to work. Flying is more therapeutic to me then anything else."
He nodded thoughtfully, liking what he was hearing. "Captain-- William. I know you want to go back, and frankly I'd love to let you, but it's just not that easy. Over the past four months I've seen a vast improvement, but you must know that I'm being pressured from above to keep you grounded."
"Awe, for crying out loud. He just can't stay out of my life. Just because he hates me, he'll do anything to make my life hell."
"Will, you're father's just worried about you. You were over there for two months, they just want to make sure you've recovered."
"That's bull and you know it. He's been butting into my life--" William cut off abruptly and brought a hand up to head as he winced in pain. "G-ds, that hurts."
The General stood up and strode over to him. "Will? Will, are you okay?"
William looked back at him. "I'm fine. I just got a headache, that's all."
"Do you want me to call the doc?"
He got a hard look in his eyes. "No. If I see him again, I'll probably pun-- well I'll probably do something not fitting for an officer."
General Keely raised a brow. "I hadn't realized it was that bad between the two of you."
William laughed a little at that. "Yea, well, you don't have to spend day after day, hour after hour, with the guy. Please, I beg of you as one of your officers, friends, and best damned pilot you've got, let me fly. Plea-ease?" He whimpered slightly to get his point across.
Keely sighed and tried to keep down a smile, but was unsuccessful. "Oh, all right. But you do realize that if I catch hell from this from above, I'm going to say that you threatened me with my life," he said with a weary smile.
William chuckled slightly. "Don't worry. I have the communications officer under my command. I'll just tell him not to transfer their calls to you." They both started laughing. "And if that doesn't work, I can always add him to my pay roll, compliments of General Keely of course." That just set them off again. This was an ongoing joke between them, and it never seemed to get tiresome.
"You do that, and I'm sure to get the boot. Don't worry. If I go, you go. I mean who else would you going to bribe if I'm not here."
He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I can pretty much get anything if I flash my fathers name around."
Keely rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Enough, enough. Just get out of my office before I promote you. Or demote you. I still haven't figured out what's worse. Having to deal with over demanding superiors, or block head officers like you."
William gave Keely an evil grin. "I don't know. Why don't you promote and I'll tell you."
"Just get out." William shrugged and turned to leave. "Wait, don't you want to know your new command?" he asked tauntingly.
He turned and flashed a grin. "I knew we were forgetting something important."
"Okay, down to business. You are going to command Alpha Two. It's made up of some off the best pilots the air force has to offer. The officers are transferring down here in the next two weeks, some of the ground crew, and the odd pilot is already here. They'll be under your command. Alpha's made up of the new stealth's, so use this time to familiarize your self with the workings of the planes. They've been completely redesigned, so we got an engineer in to help you out in that area. You're going to be working closely with Lieutenant Bennet on this." He paused for a moment. "Is there any questions?
"Just one, sir. The name, Alpha two, well, I don't really like it much, so can I rename it?"
"I don't see why not. Do you have a name in mind?"
He smiled. "Yes, sir. Nightingale, sir."
The General smiled a bit when he said this. It had a nice ring to it. "Nightingale it is then. Dismissed." As he watched William leave, he thought to himself, "Look's like he's going to be just fine." **********
Elizabeth sat on the couch right outside the Generals office and waited nervously to be called in. She kept opening up her folder and glancing down at the notes and blue prints it contained. She glanced up at the officer behind the desk in front of her. "I don't know why I'm so nervous. I mean, I already met the General and he seemed nice enough." The officer just continued his work, not sparing her a glance.
She began bobbing her knee up and down, then drumming her fingers over the folder. This time he did look up. "If you don't mind, Miss, I'm trying to get some work done."
"Oh. Sorry."
He just turned back to his computer screen and continued typing.
She tried to concentrate on something else, when she heard a voice rise in the office beside her. She glanced at the man behind the desk, but he gave no indication of hearing anything, or if he did, he was ignoring it. She began to lean closer to the door to hear what was being said. It went quiet for a moment, then she heard laughing. "I wonder what's going on in there?" she mused out loud. The man just kept on ignoring her. She began to lean closer to the door, and consequently, further off her seat.
It was getting quieter, so she leaned in closer. Just then the door opened, startling her and she slipped right off of the leather couch. This time the man did look up and gave her a disapproving look. She just sighed and began to pick up her scattered papers off of the floor.
"Here, let me help you with that," an amused, male voiced said.
She shook her head, not bothering to look up. "No, no. It's okay." She began to put everything back into her folder, when she noticed her sheet with all her jot notes was missing. "Great." She began to look around herself.
"Is this what you're looking for?" She finally looked up at the man standing above her.
"William!"
He smiled down. "Nice to see you again. Is this what you're looking for?" He indicated the paper in his hand.
She looked at it for a moment. "Yes, thanks." She grabbed it and stuffed it back into her file.
"Here, allow me." He extended his hand, and she took it hesitantly.
"Boy, you seem to be coming to my rescue a lot lately." She stood there for a moment, looking into his eyes. They were like magnets. The man at the desk cleared his throat.
"Lieutenant, the General will see you now."
She pulled her gaze away with a conscious effort. "Thank you. Good bye, William. See you around."
He nodded. "Lieutenant."
She walked into the office, cursing herself. "You idiot," she mused. "He's a Captain. You should have been addressing him by his rank."
She walked right up to the General and shook his hand. "General."
"Lieutenant Bennet, it's good to see you again. I trust that you remembered your information this time."
She cringed slightly. Last time she came in here, she forgot most of the schematics on her bed. "Yes sir."
"Good, let's get started then. I hear that you're the engineer that designed her. Let's see what you've done."
She nodded. Pulling out the blue prints, she began going through them step by step. "This is the series five stealth jet..."
William walked across the hanger. He passed the older planes that were being repaired and turned around the bend to the slightly secluded area of the hanger. When he turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. There she was. His baby. Right where the officers said it would be. He approached it with a hushed reverence about himself. It gleamed as the sun's rays hit it from the small windows above. It looked so perfect, so smooth, so unrealistic. He walked right up to it and placed his hand against the cool steel and caressed it slowly. This was actually his.
"Well, seeing that you and I will be spending so much time together now, lets get to know each other." He snorted at himself, talking to a machine as if it were a person.
He walked around the plane, then crawled under the under belly of it and popped the "hatch" open to get a look at it's guts. He looked inside, and immediately had a growing respect for the craftsmanship. "Who ever designed this baby sure did a hell of a job."
"Thank you. Now what the hell are you doing to my plane?"
William sat up quickly, startled, and cracked his head on the underbelly. "Awe, sh**. What the...?" He pulled himself out from under the plane, and looked right up into Elizabeth's face.
She raised a brow at him, then stepped back a few steps so that he could get up from under the plain. He stood up and began to brush some on the dirt off his pants. "Now, what were you doing under my plane?"
He stopped and looked at her. "What do you mean?
"This," she indicated to the plane, "is my plane."
"You--you designed this. Wow. It's really good. So, you're Lieutenant Bennet."
"Yes. Why, who were you expecting?"
He shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I don't know. Some old stuffy guy that's been stuck behind a desk to long."
"Really." She looked him up and down, as if appraising him. "Well, obviously I'm not." She paused for a moment and then added, "From now on, if you're going to do anything other then fly this thing, clear it with me. I don't need people screwing around with the circuitry."
William just stood there in a stunned silence as she walked away from him. After a minute, a small smile broke out onto his face. It was nice to be treated like an ordinary person, no one watching what they said around him for one reason or another.
Elizabeth walked away and felt like kicking herself. "I probably really botched it up this time. G-ds Elizabeth, there is a thing called protocol. Learn it."