Elias’ Vision
Elias sat alone in his private laboratory, a space that few in the facility had access to. The room was dimly lit except for the holographic projections floating in the air before him—neurological diagrams, biochemical simulations, and high-speed maneuvering data from the Revenant project.
On his desk, a series of vials glowed faintly under the sterile white lighting. The anti-G-force cocktail. A biochemical safeguard for pilots who would soon be pushing their bodies past anything nature had ever intended.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly. This was only the first step.
The problem had been obvious from the start: the human body simply wasn't made for the kind of forces the Revenant would impose on its pilot. At Mach 10, maneuvering would create G-forces that could crush even the most trained aviators, reducing their response time and cognitive function to dangerous levels.
For weeks, Elias had been refining a biochemical countermeasure. The final formula now lay before him in those glowing vials:
Blood Pressure Stabilizers – Preventing dangerous spikes or drops in blood circulation under extreme acceleration.
Adrenaline & Stimulants – Enhancing alertness, preventing G-LOC (G-force-induced Loss of Consciousness).
Neuroprotective Compounds – Shielding the brain from excessive pressure changes, reducing the risk of cognitive decline over time.
Muscle Relaxants – Preventing severe muscle contractions and strains under high acceleration.
Collagen Enhancers & Organ Protection Agents – Reinforcing blood vessels and internal organs against extreme stress, preventing microscopic tearing.
It was a comprehensive solution, but even as Elias examined the final formulation, he knew it wasn't enough.
A pilot might be able to stay awake, keep their body intact, and maintain function. But at these speeds, reaction time wasn't the only issue.
Thinking and executing fast enough was.
Elias tapped through the data on the projection screen, reviewing historical pilot reaction times.
Average human reaction time: 250 milliseconds. Elite fighter pilot reaction time: 150 milliseconds. Projected response time needed for combat at Mach 10+: Less than 30 milliseconds.
It was impossible. Even with the cocktail preventing blackouts, even with training, no human could ever react fast enough.
Drugs weren't the answer either. He had considered it, some form of neurological stimulant to push brain function into overdrive, but the science was clear.
The human brain didn't scale like that. The amount of enhancement needed would cause more damage than improvement. Hallucinations, paranoia, complete cognitive breakdown, if a pilot had to be chemically enhanced to react at Mach 10, they wouldn't last long.
No, the answer wasn't in making the pilot faster.
It was in making them irrelevant to the reaction process.
Elias stared at the empty cockpit prototype in the lab, his mind racing. Why was he still thinking in old terms?
Why should the pilot have to push buttons, pull levers, and rely on physical reactions at all?
The plane could react for them.
His fingers moved instinctively across the interface, pulling up his research on direct neural interfaces. The idea was simple...
The pilot thinks. The AI interprets the command. The aircraft executes the action instantly, faster than human nerves could even signal the body.
It wouldn't be a traditional cockpit anymore. No manual controls, no sticks, no buttons. All of that was wasted time and space.
Instead, the pilot would be encased in a streamlined flight pod, connected directly to the Revenant's AI system through a neural-link headset or implant which would take the pilot's orders while he sees everything they needed through a VR-monitor. 360-degree battlefield awareness, turning his vision through eye movement, telemetry, and tactical data, all projected directly into their vision, while the AI interprets his thoughts into reactions of the Jet.
There would be nearly no delay between thought and execution. No hesitation.
The pilot becomes the brain, and the AI becomes the body.
Elias leaned forward, excitement building. This wasn't just an evolution of piloting. It was a revolution.
A few key refinements still needed to be addressed:
AI Safeguards: The machine would always obey the human's intent. The pilot would make strategic, creative decisions, while the AI handled the execution.
Latency Optimization: Even neural signals had a transfer delay. Reducing this lag would be critical.
Training & Adaptation: Pilots would have to learn how to think in a new way, issuing combat commands with their thoughts instead of their hands.
But if it worked…
The fastest aircraft in the world would also be the most responsive. Pilots would no longer be limited by human biology. Combat would shift from reaction-based to purely tactical.
The enemy would never be able to match the speed of thought.
Elias sat back, exhaling slowly.
With this system, the Revenant wouldn't just be a jet.
It would be a sentient extension of its pilot.
And that?
That was the real future of all warfare, as he knew from his past.
Elias stood in the lab, next to Revenant's new cockpit prototype stripped naked of the rest of the jet, watching the engineers install the first iteration of the neural-link system.
Julian Cross, his lead test pilot, stood beside him, arms crossed.
"No buttons, no throttle, no stick," Julian muttered, shaking his head. "Feels wrong."
Elias smirked. "You'll get used to it."
Julian exhaled, looking at the sleek, empty interior where a cockpit used to be. "So I just… think, and it flies?"
Elias nodded. "That's the goal."
Julian let out a short laugh, stepping into the pod-like structure. "Alright then. Let's see if this damn thing listens to me."
Elias folded his arms. "Oh, it will."
As the cockpit hatch sealed around Julian, completely encasing him into a 3D-printed form of himself taking every form of movement away from the pilot, the first true human-AI combat interface was born.
And the world of aerial warfare would never be the same again.
Hi there, it's Sparky! 🌟
You can't wait and need more content?
Check out my Patreon!
1. Daily Bonus Chapters (Currently 18)
2. Exclusive NSFW Illustrations of female characters
3. Art of Key Characters and Items
4. Voting Rights to shape the story's direction
Support the story and enjoy the extras link below and in the book summary!
https://patreon.com/Sparky20049