First Tests

Julian Cross stood inside the reinforced testing chamber, arms crossed, eyes locked onto the massive steel structure housing the wind tunnel. The aircraft—his aircraft—was strapped into place, its sleek, dark form exuding a presence unlike any fighter he had ever seen.

The Project Revenant stealth interceptor was officially entering its next phase: extreme condition testing.

The engineering team was gathered, analysing the early test data as they prepared for the next round of hypersonic simulations. Julian had seen high-speed aircraft before, but this was different.

Mach 10. Maybe even more.

For the first time in his career, the real challenge wasn't the plane. It was the pilot inside it.

The Wind Tunnel Test – Unveiling the Impossible

"Engaging test sequence," one of the engineers called out. The sound of reinforced locks clamping into place echoed through the room as the high-speed turbines spun up, ready to simulate atmospheric conditions at hypersonic velocity.

Julian stood with Elias behind the observation glass, watching as the frictionless alloy plating, Dr. Chen's masterpiece, was put to the ultimate test.

"Beginning velocity ramp," an engineer announced.

The numbers climbed.

Mach 1. Standard supersonic speeds. The jet barely registered resistance.

Mach 3. The point where even cutting-edge military aircraft began to show thermal strain. Mach 7. The theoretical limit of next-generation stealth aircraft. Yet, the Revenant remained stable.

Mach 10.

The alloy held.

The room was silent as they watched the data streams flood in. No thermal degradation. No material stress fractures. The frictionless plating was working far better than expected.

Julian let out a low whistle. "Damn."

Elias smirked. "Indeed."

An engineer looked up, clearly stunned. "With this reduction in air resistance… the projected max velocity is..." He hesitated, almost afraid to say it.

"Beyond Mach 10," Elias finished for him. "The limitations are no longer structural. They're biological."

That was the real issue. No matter how well they built the aircraft, a human body wasn't designed for these speeds.

At Mach 10+, even the best pilots would struggle to remain conscious under the sheer force of acceleration and manoeuvring. G-LOC (G-force induced Loss of Consciousness) was an unavoidable reality.

Julian exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "So what's the plan here? Train pilots to be superhumans?"

Elias didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked to a nearby workstation and picked up a small, reinforced case. When he returned, he placed it in front of Julian.

"Open it."

Julian raised an eyebrow but complied. The case unlocked with a pressurized hiss, revealing a set of medical injectors and vials, each labelled with chemical compositions he only half-recognized.

"G-force countermeasures, short GFCs" Elias explained. "A full biochemical cocktail designed to keep pilots alive at extreme accelerations."

Julian picked up one of the vial, reading the label.

Blood-pressure stabilisation- Prevents blood pressure from dropping or spiking due to high G-forces.

Adrenaline and Stimulants – Keeps the pilot alert and prevents G-LOC.

Neuroprotective Compounds – Shields the brain from pressure-induced damage.

Muscle Relaxants – Reduces risk of strain injuries and cramps from extreme acceleration.

Collagen Enhancers & Tissue Protectors – Reinforce internal organs and blood vessels to prevent rupturing under rapid acceleration.

Julian let out a low chuckle. "So what, we're turning pilots into chemically enhanced superhumans?"

Elias smirked. "Would you rather we remove the cockpit altogether and let AI fly it?"

Julian frowned at that. "Wait… you're actually considering a hybrid piloted/unmanned system?"

"I'm considering every possibility," Elias said simply. "At these speeds, reaction time becomes a problem. Even the best pilots need assistance."

Julian set the vial down, his expression serious now. "I'm not against AI helping out, but I don't like the idea of a machine having the final say in my survival."

Elias nodded. "Then let's make sure the AI knows its place."

The Revenant wasn't just pushing the limits of speed. It was redefining how fighter jets would operate.

The AI-assisted flight system was designed to handle micro-adjustments at speeds beyond human reaction time. Instead of replacing the pilot, it would act as a guiding hand, correcting errors before they became lethal.

Julian watched as the simulation displayed a combat scenario at Mach 10.

Pilot-only control: 13% survival rate due to manoeuvre miscalculations. AI-assisted control: 94% survival rate, with precision adjustments reducing G-force strain by 60%.

Julian exhaled. "Alright. I'll admit it. That's impressive."

"But," Elias interrupted, "it's still not enough if we want to become untouchable in the sky."

Julian turned to him. "What do you mean?"

Elias tapped a control panel, pulling up a secondary display. An advanced neural interface.

"The next theoretical step," Elias explained, "is integration."

Julian frowned. "You mean"

"Yes," Elias confirmed. "Direct pilot-to-AI neural synchronization."

Julian stared at the interface, feeling a familiar rush of adrenaline. This wasn't just about flying fast any more. This was about becoming something beyond human limitations.

He let out a slow breath and smirked. "Alright. Let's push the limits."

Elias nodded. "Good. Because we're just getting started."

Dr. Conrad Voss had never been a fan of bureaucracy, but even he had to admit that working for Elias Varis came with certain benefits, namely, unlimited funding and the freedom to push technological boundaries without interference. He had been working for weeks, refining something that, if successful, would make traditional missile defence systems obsolete.

Elias had already done the impossible. The AI was built, and not just any AI, it was predictive, able to analyse threats before they even occurred. Voss' job wasn't to create the intelligence behind the system. It was to make sure it functioned in combat at speeds beyond Mach 10.

And that… was proving to be a nightmare.

At Mach 10, missiles didn't travel toward a target, they appeared out of nowhere. By the time a pilot could register an incoming projectile, it would already be too late. Even automated defence systems had trouble intercepting threats at that speed. The issue wasn't detection; it was reaction time.

That's where the laser came in.

The AI-controlled UV laser defence system was supposed to preemptively strike, detonating missiles before they got too close. The concept wasn't new, laser-based missile defence had been theorized for decades. The problem was execution.

Traditional systems relied on human input or delayed calculations. At Mach 10, even a 0.1-second delay meant a missile would be kilometres closer. That kind of lag was unacceptable.

Voss leaned back in his chair, staring at the live test feed.

"This has to work instantly," he muttered to himself. "Not when the missile is incoming, but before the damn thing even knows it's going to miss."

The AI needed to predict the exact moment a missile would enter its kill zone and fire before it even got there.

Voss adjusted the simulation parameters and reran the test.

The AI monitored the launch of an incoming hypersonic missile from 350 kilometres away.

T+0.000s: The missile is launched.

T+0.015s: The AI recognizes the launch pattern and calculates its most likely trajectory. T+0.050s: It predicts the missile's intended strike point.

T+0.080s: The AI fires the laser at a point in empty air.

T+0.100s: The missile enters that space.

T+0.102s: Instant detonation.

Voss sat back, stunned. The laser didn't just react, it preemptively eliminated the missile before it even became a threat.

Elias, who had been silently watching, smirked. "That's more like it."

Voss exhaled. "That's… terrifyingly fast."

Elias tapped the screen. "This AI isn't just following instructions, Conrad. It's thinking ahead, like a chess computer."

A week later, the first real combat test was set up.

Instead of a simulation, an unmanned drone was used as a stand-in for the Revenant interceptor. The AI-controlled laser was fully integrated, looking like a ball with lenses all over the place, in the middle of the drone, with a fleet of automated missile launchers acting as adversaries.

The test began.

First missile launch: AI fires 0.08 seconds after ignition. Missile neutralized instantly.

Second missile launch: AI fires before the missile even leaves the launcher. Missile is destroyed on the rail.

Third missile: AI delays for a fraction of a second, adjusting for mid-course correction. Missile obliterated before entering striking range.

100% elimination rate.

No errors. No misses.

The drone never even had to engage in evasive manoeuvres.

Voss stared at the screen, rubbing his temples. "You realize what this means, right?"

Elias gave him a knowing look. "Go on."

"This system doesn't just intercept threats… It eliminates them before a pilot even notices they exist."

Elias nodded. "And?"

Voss exhaled. "That means we've made pilots… irrelevant."

He expected Elias to argue, but instead, the scientist smirked. "Not irrelevant. Just… less necessary, we still need them to attack targets, that power we can't give AIs jet, but Defence is totally manageable."

Voss narrowed his eyes. "You're building something beyond a fighter jet, aren't you? This isn't just about protecting pilots. You're going to make the first combat aircraft that doesn't need one at all."

Elias simply smiled. "One step at a time, Dr. Voss."

Voss crossed his arms. He had been recruited to make a laser defence system, but now he was part of something much bigger. And for the first time, he wasn't sure if he was ready to see where this road led.

But it was too late to turn back now.

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