Pensacola is a quiet North Florida town on the Alabama border. There’s not much to do in the small city unless you’re a drunken college kid or a drunken military recruit. Seven was neither. He approached his studies at the Naval Air Training Center like an obsessed architect, every word of every training manual, every spoken lecture, every written assignment was addressed and reread and scrutinized to no end. His ability and work ethic surprised even him. He lost all interest in any activity that didn’t end with him becoming a naval pilot. It occurred to him that given the proper motivation and trophy there was nothing he couldn’t achieve. He now regretted the lost time of his youth. Precious time that had dissolved into nothing that could benefit him now. Few people realize their real potential and understand the power of focus and dedication. Seven had attained a level of consciousness that his fellow flight recruits would never reach. He woke each morning with a single goal, a single focus, a single reason for living.
Seven consumed the three months of ground school in Pensacola like a hungry dog. It surprised him how easy it was. Throughout his time at the university, he force-fed himself just enough math and science to make it to the next level. It was a pain, a chore, a burden. He now found himself digesting the numbers, mechanics, and science of flight with ease. He graduated first in his class at ground school and immediately began the practical phase of his training. Ground school was the meat of his training; practical flight training was the sweetest of desserts.
After six months learning the fundamentals of rotary flight, Seven Andrews was a fully recognized officer and helicopter pilot. It was a dream realized, a goal achieved, and the greatest accomplishment of his young life. Throughout his time in Pensacola, he had demonstrated his ability to achieve flight in the many training craft that were used at the base. These consisted of several light helicopters and fixed-winged craft. He had attained his basic license and his ticket to move forward with