In a not too distant future, the island of Manhattan has been commandeered by rebels aided by terrorists who have set themselves against the U.S. government. The Brooklyn Bridge, now fallen into disuse, stands as a sort of "no-man's land" between the island and the military that patrol the Hudson River. When the rebels bomb the Bridge, the nation is plunged into what might become a second Civil War.<br><br>Captain Jace Rickert is a grounded pilot whose Army lover, Second Lieutenant Tomas Tait, is sent on a routine reconnaissance mission. When Tait disappears and the military can’t stop the impending war to find one missing soldier, Rickert takes matters into his own hands.

War Torn

own country, the fighting along the edges of the U.S. like flames


crumpling the edges of paper before burning farther inland. I was


flying then, the 123rd’s crack-shot pilot who could hit a target in


a dead spin before pulling up and away—I made the hardest stunts


look easy, and I prided myself in my accuracy. No one shot like me.


No one had the aim, the grace, the sheer luck that seemed to follow


me, clinging to everything I did. In the cockpit of a plane no one


could touch me. My squadron called me “Ace” but I hated that, it


sounded so pretentious. I was just a boy with iron wings who knew


some downtime away from the barracks and headed on over to the


Bulldog with Alden, one of the worst bars off post and the


only place to be on warm spring nights. This night was no


different, and by the time we sidled up to the bar, the place was


Chapter 15