Page 110 of Aviatrix

“There,” Gary calls. “I think I see landing gear. Just beyond that ridge.”

I scan the site. Twisted metal, broken branches, and a scorch mark spreading through the pine like spilled ink.

“VAL, find a safe landing zone.”

“Negative, Captain.”

“Try again. I need to survey the site.”

“Negative. Terrain instability exceeds safety threshold.”

I bite back a curse as we make another slow pass. Nausea fills my stomach at the shape half-buried in snow. Something that looks too much like the nose of a jet.

“We’re not leaving,” I grit out. “VAL, locate any possible landing clearance. Margin for risk acceptable.”

Silence.

Finally, she states plainly, “Returning to Camp Obsidian.”

The HUD glitches—once, twice—and my flight path starts to shift.

“No,” I say, heart lurching. “Manual override. I need to take control.”

I reach for the flight stick, but it resists, frozen. Locked.

“VAL,” I snap, “override command.”

“Returning to base.”

The stick won’t budge. The ship banks left, slow and deliberate.

“VAL, abort return. Switch to manual.”

No answer.

Panic climbs up my spine like ice.

She’s never done this before. I’m locked out of my own damn aircraft.

“Atlas,” I radio to Gary.

He pulls up beside me and shakes his head. “There was no safe place to land, Nova.”

I was so close. My throat stings as I hug my arms across my chest, blinking back the burn in my eyes.

VAL breaks the silence, softer than before. “My mission is to keep you safe.”

“I needed to be on that ridge, VAL.” My voice cracks with frustration. “That wreckage could’ve been Eli’s.”

“Your team needs you alive,” she responds. “Up here. Where it’s safe.”

I slam my palm against the console. “Damn it!”

I trusted her. And now she’s making choices for me.

“Nova,” Gary’s call comes through the headset, calm but heavy. “They’ll send a team once it’s stable. We’ll find out if it was him.”

I don’t respond. I don’t want to hear it. I keep my eyes on the horizon. Blue skies, no clouds. Peaceful. Deceptively so.