First Flight Test
The Project Revenant hangar was alive with controlled chaos. Engineers and technicians moved swiftly, checking final diagnostics, adjusting the neural uplink, and ensuring all systems were green. The Revenant, now fully integrated with the Neural Synchronization Protocol, stood in the center of the launch bay, a sleek, predatory thing of black alloys and bleeding-edge technology. It wasn't just a machine anymore.
It was an extension of its pilot.
Elias stood beside Julian Cross, watching as the final calibrations were completed. The former test pilot had spent the last two weeks adapting to the neural link, training his mind to think differently—to command through thought rather than action.
"You ready?" Elias asked.
Julian exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "I still feel like I should be sitting in a damn cockpit."
"You are," Elias smirked. "Just not in the way you're used to."
Julian stepped forward into the immersion chamber, where the flight pod awaited him. Unlike a conventional cockpit, it was a sealed chamber molded to his body, preventing unnecessary movement and external distractions. The neural uplink interface activated the moment he lay back, sensors at the base of his skull syncing with the Revenant's AI.
"Initiating neural interface," Selene's voice chimed in over the comms.
The hatch sealed shut.
And then, he felt like he was no longer in the chamber.
Julian's mind adjusted quickly as the Revenant came to life around him. He could see through the aircraft, as if the hull were transparent. His field of vision extended beyond normal human head movements, an immersive 360-degree view of the surrounding environment which he could move through his eye movement.
He wasn't inside a jet.
He was the jet.
"All systems online," Selene confirmed. "Neural link stable. Initiating vertical takeoff."
Julian didn't reach for a throttle. He didn't need to. He simply thought about ascending.
The Revenant responded instantly.
A low hum filled the air as the aircraft hovered, then shot straight up, smoothly and effortlessly. The inertial dampeners compensated, ensuring Julian felt no strain, no G-force impact—only a sense of movement that came from visual feedback.
"Climbing past 50,000 feet. Switching to high-altitude acceleration profile," Elias's voice came through the link.
"Let's see what this thing can do," Julian muttered.
He thought about moving forward, fast, and with a BOOM, he broke the sound barrier.
The Revenant's plasma thrusters roared, and within seconds, the aircraft broke past Mach 5.
No delay. No hesitation. No strain.
"Mach 7. 8. 9… 10!" Selene reported.
Julian still felt nothing.
In a traditional jet, pushing past Mach 10 would flatten a pilot against their seat, but here? Here, the limitations of human biology no longer applied.
"This is insane," Julian breathed.
Elias's voice was calm. "You're only scratching the surface. Let's test reaction speed."
A red warning icon flashed in Julian's vision overlay.
Missile lock detected.
Before Julian could even register a response, the Revenant moved.
The AI had already anticipated the threat, executing a countermeasure before he even finished processing it.
A laser grid deployed instantly, melting the incoming warhead in midair before it could close the distance.
Julian blinked. "Holy shit, it's thinking before I am."
"Not quite," Elias corrected. "It's responding at the same speed you are. It just doesn't have the biological delay."
"Alright, let's push it further," Elias said. "You've got incoming hostiles. Engaging combat simulation."
Three AI-controlled fighter drones materialized in Julian's vision.
They broke formation immediately, attempting to surround him.
Julian instinctively thought about a hard roll and vertical climb.
The Revenant executed instantly, twisting through the air with impossible agility. No momentum delay. No weight shift. Pure, instant reaction.
"Jesus, this thing is fast," Julian muttered, watching as the drones attempted to keep up.
He thought about firing the railgun.
A targeting overlay locked onto the lead drone, adjusting the shot mid-flight based on real-time trajectory prediction.
BOOM.
A hypersonic railgun round tore through the enemy fighter, disintegrating it instantly.
The remaining two drones split off, attempting evasive action.
Julian grinned. "Let's see if they can keep up."
He pushed the Revenant into a vertical spiral, using the AI's predictive calculations to track the drones' potential escape paths. Before they even completed their maneuver, he was already in firing position.
Two more railgun shots. Two more kills.
The sky was clear.
Julian barely had time to recover before Elias's voice came through. "One last trial. Let's see if we can break Mach 15."
Julian flexed his fingers instinctively, except he wasn't using them. He didn't need them.
He thought about acceleration.
The Revenant responded instantly.
Mach 12. Mach 13. Mach 14.
The air around the aircraft superheated, plasma forming along its edges as it tore through the sky at speeds never before achieved by a manned aircraft.
"This is unreal," Julian muttered.
"Welcome to the future," Elias said.
Finally, as the engine heat reached threshold levels, Selene's voice broke in: "Recommending deceleration. System at peak efficiency."
Julian eased off mentally, and the Revenant responded smoothly, bleeding off speed in a controlled descent.
The aircraft glided effortlessly back to base.
The Revenant landed flawlessly, the flight pod unlocking as Julian exhaled deeply.
The chamber opened, releasing him back into the real world.
Elias stood waiting as Julian climbed out, shaking his head in awe.
"So?" Elias asked, arms crossed.
Julian just laughed, shaking his head. "You crazy bastard. You actually did it."
Elias smirked. "You're damn right, I did."
Julian turned back to look at the Revenant. "This isn't a fighter jet anymore. This is something else entirely."
Elias nodded. "And the world has no idea what's coming next."
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