Amelia - A new Wayfarer E-Book

Nick Misa

• Herausgeber: Youcanprint
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026

Beschreibung

Amelia's life has always been steeped in adventure and discovery. Flying runs in her family's blood—it's in their DNA. But when strange and mysterious events unfold during a classified mission over the Mediterranean, she finds herself facing an impossible choice: hold onto everything she's ever known, or surrender to the deepest, most visceral calling of her soul. Will she have the courage to leave her world behind and embrace a destiny beyond imagination?The "Keepers and Wayfarers" series follows those chosen to step outside of time, guardians of secrets that could change the world—if they fall into the wrong hands.

Leseprobe

Contents

Dedication

Copyright

Amelia

Friends

The meeting

Turn off secondary radio. Stop

Floating Among the Clouds

Landing at Sea

A New Mission

The Nautilus

On a Journey

The Cabin

The 4 Forces

Argo

Venice

The Last Flight

The Monastery

Acquaviva and the Tavern

The Dream World

Goodbye Amelia

A New Meeting

Continue…

Landmarks

Contents

Start of Content

Cover

To my wife

Always patient

Always inspiring

Amelia

A new Wayfarer

Nick Misa

Copyright © 2025 - Nick Misa

First digital edition 2025

All rights reserved

Printed by Youcanprint

Cover: AI generated image made by Nick Lisa

© 2025 – All rights reserved by the author.

This work has been published directly by the author through the Youcanprint self-publishing platform, and the author holds exclusive rights to it.

No part of this book may therefore be reproduced without the author's prior consent.

This book must not be used or reproduced in any way for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Amelia

Mediterranean Sea, July 3rd, 1970, 8.30 AM

The fresh morning breeze caresses Amelia's face. Flight operations haven't begun yet on the deck, and she can peacefully enjoy the sound of ocean waves lapping against the ship and the salty scent reaching her nostrils. When the wind shifts slightly, she thinks she can smell the characteristic aromas of Mediterranean islands. She tries to imagine what the explorers who discovered America must have felt when, after days of sailing on the open sea, they began to see the first signs of land and smell the scents of plants and animals. The flight suit she wears with pride, checked in every minute detail, makes her feel proud of herself, and her determination shows in every movement. She's certain her mother would be proud of her and the milestones she's reached. She still remembers the first time she experienced the thrill of boarding a plane thanks to her. It was a small tourist plane, the kind used to transport tourists or food supplies, but for her it had been the most beautiful experience ever.

Her mind analyzes the extraordinary events of these past months that have brought her to where she is now, on the flight deck of the USS Independence.

Just two months ago she was on a mission in the skies over California. There had been massive wildfires, and many areas had been cut off. She, Arnold, and Steven had the task of reestablishing communications in the affected areas by acting as a radio bridge between the base and emergency stations deployed in the field.

Then came the call from Colonel Sanders, unexpected and exciting. He told her that she and her crew had been chosen for a top-secret mission in the Mediterranean Sea and would have to leave in a few days.

She remembered applying months earlier to take part in reconnaissance missions, but she wouldn't have expected such a quick response.

And yet here she is, in the Mediterranean, with her colleagues, her friends and her brothers on an important mission.

As her mind lingers on these memories, she touches with emotion and respect the pin she wears on her chest. A gift from her mother and the distinctive badge of the W.A.S.P. that she proudly represents.

"Amelia! What are you doing here? Steven's hoarse, deep voice nearly startles her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped.

"Hi Steven, I was savoring the fresh morning air." She replies, as he walks toward her with quick steps. His physique is imposing and always puts her on the defensive. Sure, his Navajo origins have often gotten him into trouble, but he's always managed to get out of it in the best way possible thanks to his intelligence.

"They're waiting for you at the briefing. It's almost 9, let's go!"

"Right, the briefing." Amelia thinks.

She follows Steven at a brisk pace to the room where all the pilots have already arrived and are sitting waiting for her. Colonel Sanders is also waiting for her. Amelia can't help but notice an expression of disapproval on his face. Besides the six F4 pilots, she notices two others dressed differently—perhaps they're the ones assigned to fly off the new aircraft.

She sits down next to Steven and Arnold, who exchange greetings with her. The three of them are the crew of the E-2C Mark II that will have the task of testing new communication technologies. For this mission the crew is reduced and Amelia has decided to have with her the most capable people. The ones she trusts the most.

"Well, now that we're all here," Colonel Sanders begins, "we can start. At 10:00 Zulu, mission 'Deaf Ears' will commence. The purpose of the mission is to verify the functioning of the new avionics mounted on the E-2C Mark II aircraft piloted by Lieutenant Smith. The F4 fighters will fly in pairs at distances of 20, 40, and 80 miles while the F14s will fly on a transverse route that will take them to a maximum distance of 150 miles from the E-2C. At 14:00 Zulu, once you've completed the tasks assigned in the first part of the mission, you'll proceed with the second part where experimental frequencies will be tested. After this second part is completed, you'll return to the ship. I expect you here at 18:00 Zulu for the debriefing. That's all. You may go."

With a quick salute, the colonel takes his leave and exits the room.

Amelia, Steven, and Arnold get up last, and as they leave the room, Amelia asks Arnold: "Did you do it?"

Known for being a man of few words, he responds with a nod and a terse "Of course!"

At 9:45, Amelia, Steven, and Arnold are waiting for their plane to be brought to the flight deck. The F4s and the two F14s have already been prepared and parked. Most people's attention is drawn to the latter, with their variable-sweep wings capable of incredible maneuvers. Almost no one notices when the E-2C arrives on deck and the fact that it has a tarp covering the radar. Quickly, the wings are locked into flight position, and the plane is ready for departure.

Only Ensign Kennedy in the control tower, watching the departing aircraft, notices that there's something strange about the radar. He only has time to mumble "What the hell..." and the E-2C takes flight and leaves the Independence.

The first part of the mission calls for following a circular route at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a 100 km radius centered on the aircraft carrier. The F4 fighters must fly at defined distances from the E-2C while the two F14s, on different routes, cut across these circular trajectories. The task of Amelia's plane is to use the new avionics to experiment with different frequency combinations to establish the best compromise between power, distance, and signal quality. In particular, the F-14s are equipped with experimental equipment that should allow for much greater communication distances compared to the F4s.

The first part of the mission proceeds without any problems, and all activities are completed regularly.

At 14:00 Zulu, interference appears on the E-2C's radar caused by a strong storm approaching from the east.

"Steven, Arnold, we might be in for a rough ride. It looks like there's turbulence coming our way." Amelia says. "Independence, this is Lieutenant Smith. We're expecting turbulence and transmission interference. Requesting permission to continue with the mission."

"This is Independence, continue with the mission and follow instructions." They reply from the carrier.

"I kept breakfast light this morning, and it's a good thing I did." Steven responds with his usual Southern wit.

"Bloody hell!" Arnold echoes, expressing the maximum disapproval permitted by his English composure.

Shortly before 17:00, with the storm now reached by the aircraft, Arnold notices something strange on the main radar and communicates it to the crew.

"I'm receiving some strange signals that I'm having trouble interpreting. It looks like there's something at sea level responding to our frequencies, but we're transmitting at 1.6 GHz and nothing should be responding."

"Got it." Amelia responds. "Mark the coordinates, we'll bring it up in the debriefing. What do you say, Steven?"

"I'm checking the anomaly. But it doesn't seem to be at sea level, but below it. Anyway, I'm more worried about the storm. In the last few minutes it's grown in intensity. Let's try to get through it as quickly as possible." Steven's voice betrays a bit of apprehension.

"Don't worry Steven, we'll be out of it in no time." Amelia responds.

The storm doesn't seem worse than others encountered before, but the number of lightning strikes is impressive.

As Amelia predicted, inside the storm things get pretty rough and the light produced by the electrical discharges illuminates the sky and the interior of the plane almost like daylight.

"Let's proceed with the last part of the mission. Prepare for high-power scan. Confirm, Arnold?"

"Now proceeding with the last part of the mission. Increasing transmission power by 50% and setting primary frequency to 1.60 GHz and secondary to 1.80 GHz with 0.1 sweep. Can you confirm, Steven?"

"Confirmed. Primary 1.60 GHz and secondary 1.80 GHz. Sweep 0.1. Power +50%."

After a few seconds, something fascinating happened. Around the plane it seems like time stands still. No lightning, no sound. There's almost the sensation of being in a magical place. But suddenly, like a huge battery that has charged to an impossible level, the storm unleashes an exorbitant amount of lightning and energy on the E-2C.

A deafening roar and a flash of light left the crew blinded.

Suddenly the plane feels like a bucking bull trying to throw off the unfortunate cowboy riding it in the arena.

Amelia doesn't know how to stabilize the attitude, and only with all her strength and skill does she manage to fly that metal bird in a linear fashion. Every effort made to bring it into level flight is immediately overwhelmed by a new thrust, stronger and stronger. Amelia doesn't know how long the fuselage can hold up.

"Steven, Arnold, I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain altitude. Put on your parachutes, I hope we won't have to bail out"

Within ten minutes the plane is struck by a hundred lightning bolts. Some instruments have stopped working and there seem to be sparks coming out of the fuselage. The jolts caused by the wind are so strong that more than once the safety belt is on the verge of giving way. Amelia clearly hears the crates in the hold slamming against both the ceiling and the walls. Turning around, she sees Steven and Arnold have put on their parachutes but can barely stay on their feet. The plane is like a sheet hung out to dry being whipped by the wind.

"If the plane breaks apart, we're all done for. Get ready to jump, I'll try to keep it steady as much as possible!" Amelia says.

"I'm not going without you, Amelia!" Steven shouts.

"Me neither!" Arnold echoes.

"Don't be stupid and think of your families! I'll manage. This hunk of metal won't beat me. I'll bring it back to the ship! Go! We'll see each other at our meeting place!"

Amelia puts on the oxygen mask and closes the cockpit door, but not before saying goodbye to her friends with their secret gesture: closed fist, victory sign, and tap on the chest.

Reluctant but aware that jumping might be the only reasonable choice, Steven and Arnold return the salute, put on their oxygen masks and open the hatch. They cast one last look at Amelia, but the cockpit door was already closed. They grab the life raft, look into each other's tear-filled eyes, and jump.

Turning to look at the plane, they see it practically at the mercy of the winds and surrounded by a cloud of lightning. Perhaps for a moment they thought they saw the fuselage glowing with its own light. Within seconds the silhouette of the plane disappears into the clouds and they descend rapidly toward the sea.

The raft lands not far from them and deploys quickly. It's certainly not as comfortable as a hotel room, but at least it keeps them dry while they wait for rescue to come and pick them up.

"I hope Amelia makes it." Steven says, his voice choked with emotion. "She will be for sure. She'll definitely make it." Arnold responds, mustering as much confidence as possible. Then he hugs Steven and the two let themselves go in a liberating cry.