The Speed of Sound Issue No.1

INSPIRED BY THE INTERACTIVE INFINITY CHAMBER
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
2010


Los Alamitos AFB, CA


"You ready?"


"As I'll ever be."


"Alright. C'mon, follow me."


The low hum of the diesel truck became a distant memory. Men in gray jumpsuits; saluting, yelling, preparing.


Now my heart was beating faster than ever. Captain Mosely and I walked up the staircase.
I stumbled into the cockpit.


"Rotors up to speed?"


"Check!"


 "I'll get us up to 75,000, then hand over the stick."


Just then, I felt like the whole world was watching us; watching me. Slowly, I advanced the throttle, feeling the speed clenching me to my seat. After a couple minutes, the altimeter read 50,000 ft., which was my cue. The cO2 ignited the engines, creating G-effects. Black and red were all I could see. Blood, stress, gravity; all rushing through my body faster than the SR-71. Through the white wall of clouds, came a black and blue world, not known to the naked eye. By now, I had handed the stick over to Mosely, closely watching my monitor for movement.



Condron AFB & White Sands Missile Range, NM


"Sir! Message from Los Alamitos! T.A.C. is on their way."


"It's up to Mosely and Waters now. No matter what happens, they have to drop that bomb."


SOMEWHERE OVER NIGERIA, SR-71 BLACKBIRD, 102,000 FT.

"Hey! How's our fuel?" I ask.

No reply.

"Mosely? Mosely, are you there?"

Still no reply. I sit there; waiting. I look to my left out the window. As I gaze out, I notice a majestic sight. Thousands of millions lights, weightless feelings. All those stars, running on thousands of tons of gases. Gases. Fuel. 

"Mosely!"

"What? What?"

"What happened?"

"I fell asleep."


Just then the flickering lights of hazard flash continuously, creating a long, repeating, high-pitched noise.


 "Fuel level! Fuel Level! How much time?"

"Oh my God."

"Well?"

"We have about 20 minutes left."

"What? We're still two hours from our destination!"

"Looks like we're not going home."

Tears blur my vision. Anger and fury overwhelm my body, causing violent and rapid twitches. How is this happening I thought. 

SOMEWHERE IN BEALE, CALIFORNIA

"Dylan! Come get ready for school!"

"Okay, Mom!"

"Honestly, Dylan, sometimes I don't know why you take forty minutes to get ready for pre-school."

"Mom! Phone! They say it's about Dad!"

"What? Hello?"

"Hi, Jane, it's Don."

"What's wrong?"

"We've just been contacted; Alan isn't coming home. His plane is on the verge of fuel."

"That's impossible! There must be some other way-"

"I wish there were, Jane. But Alan was ready to die for his country. You of all people should know that. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Goodbye."

"Hey Mom, I'm ready to go."

"You're staying home today."

"Sweet! Hey, when is Dad coming home?"

"I don't know, but maybe soon."

SR-71 ISSUE NO.1572, CHINESE AIRSPACE

"Mosely. Mosely! Wake up!"


"What's the point; I'm already a dead man; doomed to die a slow and crucial death!"


"That's not true! We can still make it out of here if we just try!"


"Where are we gonna' go, huh? Float on down to Earth? How 'bout we fly this bird up to kingdom come? There's no point, Alan! No point!"


Just then, I heard the sound of fists, smashing precious intel. Smoke filled my side of the cockpit...



AUTHOR'S NOTE: THE SR-71 BLACKBIRD IS CURRENTLY THE FASTEST AIRCRAFT KNOWN TO MAN. MANUFACTURED IN AMERICA, THE BLACKBIRD CAN TRAVEL AT SPEEDS OF UP TO THREE TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND. WHILE IT IS ISSUED TO THE U.S. MILITARY FOR RECONNAISSANCE OPERATIONS, IT HAS BEEN GIVEN A FICTIONAL PERSONALITY IN THIS PIECE AS LETHAL AIRCRAFT.