ALISA
"We are now boarding Oceanic Flight 815…"
And now to spend over fourteen hours cramped in a plane. Well at least they shelled out for first class.
Alisa presented her passport and boarding pass. She walked into the plane with carryon in tow. Light streamed into the cabin. Her seat was the first one on the right side. A small table, which could double as a desk, waited beside the large grey seat. Alisa plopped into her chair and stretched out.
Ah… leg room. It's the little things that matter most.
An attendant quickly catered to her and brought a beverage. Alisa took a sip and closed her eyes.
Fourteen hours in the air. I wonder what movies they have on this flight. Let's see… Snakes on a Plane, Air Force One, Airplane, Airplane 2…
"Who picked these films?" mumbled Alisa.
"Alright…" said the captain over the intercom, "So what's the vector, Victor? Alright… Do we have clearance, Clarence? Okay, roger, Roger.Wait what? This went over the cabin intercom?"
Alisa had a small chuckle, "Well I guess that answers that question."
*Sigh* Well it's a fourteen hour flight. I might as well catch some zees.
"There's a yellow rose in Texas, I'm going there to see. No other fellow knows her. Nobody known to me…"
So that's how they're countering my intuition.
Alisa huddled in her Sherman with her ear pressed against the headphones. Her booted foot tapped restlessly against the metal floor. She opened her olive drab jacket to relive herself from the sweltering heat. Sweat formed droplets beneath the fringe of her dark brown hair and fell like tears over her freckled nose. She undid her pigtails as she moved the headphones to a more comfortable position.
"Alisa, what do we do?" asked her driver.
"Hold up here, Beth" said Alisa, "Eyes open people, they can drop on us like that damn Type 89 again. All tanks radio in positions."
Alisa's platoon of Shermans radioed their locations one by one. Alisa unfolded the map and scribbled on each tank. Her unit of five tanks had been spread across the battlefield nearly isolating themselves. The name of the game today was a full mock battle between two pairs of two platoons.
"Hey, Naomi" said Alisa over the radio, "Your platoon see anything?"
"Not a damn thing" she replied, "They won't come over the plains. Kei is too smart for that."
But she's gung-ho too.
"She's as fair as Shannon's side and purer than its water…"
And there they go again with that damn code.
"… Though many a year I sought her…"
"Hey Alisa, how about you, anything going on?" asked Naomi.
"They're on the move and looking for me" said Alisa thinking over the phrases, "That's as far as I can guess."
"Still scarily accurate. Woman's intuition?"
Alisa remained silent.
"You know Kei won't like that."
"Commander Alisa, we've spotted a tank!" shouted a voice, "Do we have permission to engage?"
"You don't need permission to fight" said Alisa, "Just radio its location. Make your own judgement calls."
"Roger, it's at Point 32. We're going to fire."
Damn freshmen. I don't need every little detail. Okay so Point 32 puts them here…
"So they're by the river" inferred Alisa, "So that means that the code can be literal..."
"Commander –"
"Handle it!" shouted Alisa back at the freshmen, "I'm busy with more important things than a single tank."
"And there was General Washington on a strapping stallion…"
That must mean… shit!
"Beth boot it!"
The Sherman tank charged from its position as a shell ricocheted off the turret's radio block. Alisa popped open the hatch and took in the tactical situation. Her tank was running through a dense forest, the hot summer air turned into a rushing wind. A shell whizzed by her tank and exploded in the soft earth. Three tanks were giving chase.
It's like Ooarai all over again.
Over the radio a cavalry bugle blared charge.
Where in the world did they get a bugle!?
"All tanks, converge on my position" ordered Alisa, "Point 15. Repeat, converge on Point 15!"
"Understood commander" said a freshman, "We'll be there in ten minutes."
"I don't have ten minutes."
"Sorry, we chased that tank we radioed about."
"Same here, we're out of position."
"Same for us too."
"Copy that."
Damn it! A little initiative. I asked for a little initiative, not gung-ho cowboys!
"Naomi."
"I gotcha. Head to us. We'll cover the retreat."
"Turn the turret, return fire!" ordered Alisa.
The Sherman turned to face its foes and belched out a round. The 75mm shell crashed into a tree turning it into splinters. Alisa turned to face the front of the tank. She could see the end of the woods. The lush green meadow shone with vibrant light. On a small hill a pair of tanks began to crest.
The cavalry is here!
The pair of tanks began to open fire. Shells landed all around Alisa.
"Hey Naomi, watch your fire. You almost hit us."
"What are you going on about? We're still two clicks out."
Alisa's eyes widened. She gasped. The crew was thrown into a panic. Alisa shook Beth and shouted at her to turn. The turret turned restlessly unable to pick the proper target. The tank barely missed trees as it tried to escape the desperate situation. The tank shook and the metal gonged. The crew covered their ears from the violent noise.
POP! PLUNK!
The white flag popped out of the tank and the match ended.
"When Johnny comes marching home again, hurrah! Hurrah! We'll give him a hearty welcome then, hurrah! Hurrah…"
Yeah, yeah, rub it in.
"Exciting!" Kei embraced Alisa, "That was a hell of a practice. Your tanks were everywhere, we couldn't tell where you were."
Alisa put her hair back in pigtails, "Yeah, a few more minutes and I would've cracked your code. Crap!"
"Woman's intuition?" Kei glared at Alisa, "Let's have a debriefing."
Kei, with the help of Naomi, had dragged Alisa aside. The three leaned up against the Firefly with a can of soda each. The scene would be something out of a story about friendship, were it not for Alisa's thumping heart. Alisa met Kei's eyes and quickly dropped away.
Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god.
"So let's get this started," said Kei.
Kei flipped her long wavy blonde hair and put her hands on her hips. Saunders' overly enthusiastic commander with sparkling blue-green eyes cleared her throat. She dressed in the same olive drab jacket and black uniform shirt. However, rather than the long brown trousers the rest of the team wore, Kei took a far more casual approach with a pair of denim short shorts. Very short shorts.
Okay, think. How do I con my way out of this this time?"
"You're going on an exciting trip to China!" exclaimed Kei, "Pack your bags and get ready to go on a trip of a lifetime!"
Alisa's jaw dropped. Words stuck in her mouth. Only stuttering gasps and squeaks escaped. Her hands trembled. Her breathing was shallower. Her heart stopped.
Naomi pulled an airline ticket from a jacket pocket. Naomi was a tall woman with greyish brown hair and brown eyes. Three freckles arranged themselves in a triangle beneath each of her eyes. Normally she would be chewing on a wad of bubble gum, but she had spat out the rubber long ago.
"Enjoy the trip" Naomi winked.
"Listen, I'll never intercept radio transmissions again" said Alisa, "Just don't send me away."
"But you're the best choice" said Kei furling her eyebrows in confusion, "To be frank, if I wasn't graduating, I'd have taken the ticket for myself."
"I'd have gone, but I need a second ticket for my sweetheart. But those aren't in the cards." said Naomi shrugged, "Oh well a regular old vacation with her will have to do."
"Wait, the best fit for what?" asked Alisa still befuddled.
"The Summer Tankery Exchange Program of course" said Kei, "We drew Wu Wei Shu Academy in Shanghai! And it's all expenses paid!"
"Within reason" said Naomi.
Alisa sighed, "So this debriefing is..."
"To get you acquainted with your responsibilities while you're there" said Naomi.
Kei jumped into her tank and tossed out several pamphlets. Lists of restaurants, shopping districts, cultural sights and tourist traps.
"And to plan out your perfect vacation!" Kei cheered.
