Smith: Eagle in the Sky

The Syrian plane disintegrated, evaporating in a trail of silver smoke, torn apart by a flash of white lightning, and the ejected pilot's body flew from the fuselage. For a moment, he stood in front of David's curtain, cruciform, his arms and legs splayed, his helmet still on, his clothes billowing in the rush of air. He had chosen this life. And it had cost him everything. From a young age, it was clear that David Morgan was a "bird"—a natural, capable pilot. In the South African Air Force, he received accolades beyond his years, and even his family began to accept that David would do anything to get away from Morgan's billion-dollar company and continue flying instead. In pursuit of his dream, and of Deborah, a beautiful young Israeli writer, David soon joined the Israeli Defense Forces, only to find himself embroiled in the country's conflicts. But when he paid a terrible price for his choices, would he ever become the man he had always hoped to be—or would he choose to disappear into the sky?