Entering the Future

Julian Cross had flown almost every type of aircraft known to man. From supersonic fighters to experimental stealth bombers, he had pushed machines to their limits and survived manoeuvres that would have turned lesser pilots into red smears in the cockpit.

But nothing had prepared him for this.

As he settled into the immersion chamber, he felt the gentle hiss of pressurized air seal him into his enclosure. There was no cockpit, no traditional flight instruments, no stick, no throttle. Just the silent hum of advanced machinery around him and the blackness of the virtual world waiting to activate.

"Starting neural link," a voice said in his ear, Selene's voice, calm and clinical as always.

A faint tingle ran down his spine as the implant at the base of his skull interfaced with the system. The vision black for a moment before the world materialized around him as the visors activated, not the dimly lit lab he was physically in, but the open sky.

A moment of vertigo gripped him. He was airborne. Flying.

His breath caught in his throat as the simulation stabilized, revealing the Revenant, fully realized, moving at Mach 4 over the Pacific Ocean. His perspective wasn't from inside a cockpit, more like from within, able to look through the materials like they weren't there.

The first thing Julian noticed was the pressure he still felt around his body from the cockpit, while not able to see it.

No physical controls.

"Alright, Commander," Elias's voice came through the comms. "This is the neural link's first full test. Let's start with basic manoeuvres."

Julian focused, instinctively trying to move his hands to grip a flight stick. Nothing happened. His fingers not able to move.

A spike of panic shot through him.

"Relax," Elias said, as if sensing his distress. "You're not flying with your body any more. You're flying with your mind."

Julian exhaled sharply. Right. The interface wasn't manual. It was mental.

He focused again, **thinking about banking left, **

And the jet tilted smoothly, executing the manoeuvre flawlessly. The wings adjusted dynamically, barely cutting through the air resistance. No lag. No input delay.

"Holy shit."

A smirk was evident in Elias's voice. "You're getting it."

Julian tried a roll next. The Revenant spun effortlessly, smoother than any fighter he had ever flown.

"This is insane," Julian muttered. "It's… too smooth."

"Your body isn't involved in the equation any more," Elias explained. "There's no muscle lag. No reaction time delay. The AI compensates for everything. Your thoughts are commands."

Julian thought forward, faster, accelerating. The AI automatically adjusted the wing surfaces, optimizing the airflow as the jet rocketed forward at Mach 6… then Mach 7.

He felt nothing.

No crushing G-forces. No pressure. No strain on his body.

At Mach 8, a human body should be on the verge of blacking out.

Yet here he was. Completely aware. Completely functional.

"Welcome to the future, Commander," Elias said.

Julian had barely adjusted to the new controls when the first engagement scenario activated.

Warning icons flashed in the corner of his vision. Five incoming missile threats.

Julian's instincts screamed at him to dodge, to deploy countermeasures, but before he could think, the Revenant's AI reacted.

From beneath the aircraft, the laser defence grid activated.

Bright beams of UV lasers fired ahead of the missiles, heating their warheads before they reached lethal proximity.

All five detonated midair.

Julian barely had time to register what happened.

"Defensive engagement successful," Selene reported over the comms. "Laser grid eliminated all threats before reaching critical range."

Julian exhaled, shaking his head. "The damn thing shoots before I even see the threat or tell it to react."

Elias's voice carried a hint of amusement. "That's the point, only the active attacking falls under your jurisdiction."

A new alert,

Enemy aircraft inbound.

"Alright, Julian," Elias said. "Time for combat trials."

A squadron of autonomous drone fighters descended from above, moving in coordinated formations.

Julian instinctively thought about evasive manoeuvres, and the Revenant responded instantly, executing a set of high-speed rolls and altitude changes without delay.

"No stick. No throttle. No waiting for the plane to react," Julian muttered. "This thing is thinking as fast as I am."

"Faster," Elias corrected. "The AI anticipates movement based on your cognitive patterns. You think about moving left, it already knows and starts adjusting before you finish the thought."

Julian grit his teeth, focusing on his first target.

"Engaging."

The rail gun system activated.

Unlike a traditional gun, this wasn't limited by ammo or heat buildup. The miniature fusion reactor provided near-infinite energy, and the frictionless alloy barrels ensured zero degradation.

Julian lined up the shot with his thoughts alone—

BOOM.

The rail gun fired a hypersonic burst of one round, tearing through the enemy fighter before it could react.

One down.

The others scattered, trying to reposition, but the Revenant's neural link system allowed Julian to track all targets at once.

Two more drones came at him head-on.

Julian thought: Fire rail gun—split targets.

The AI split the payload mid-shot, sending two separate magnetically guided rounds into both targets simultaneously.

BOOM. BOOM.

Two more gone.

Julian let out a shaky breath. This isn't just a jet. This is a goddamn weapon platform.

As the final enemy drones adjusted, Julian pushed the throttle mentally—sending the Revenant into Mach 9 territory.

He still felt nothing.

No vibrations. No pressure. Just speed.

He was moving so fast that the enemy fighters couldn't keep up, their targeting systems struggling to lock onto him.

Julian looped back at an impossible trajectory, a turn that should have shattered the frame of any other aircraft.

But the Revenant held.

The last target locked on.

Julian thought: Rail gun, rapid-fire mode.

The AI switched the rail gun's setting and fired, transforming it into a hypersonic machine gun.

A burst of electromagnetically accelerated rounds ripped the drone apart.

"Final target neutralized," Selene confirmed.

The skies were clear.

The test was over.

Julian slowly exhaled. His first simulated flight in the Revenant was complete.

And it was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"This is the most advanced weapon ever built," Julian said, his voice quiet.

Elias's voice was calm, but Julian could hear the satisfaction in it.

"Not for long," Elias said. "This is just the beginning."

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