Chapter 3: First leave
Part 1: First Day
14, June 2017, 7:00PM
Location: Heatherfield, CA
The pilots of the Shadow Squadron had gone on a 1-week leave, which they decided to spend in Heatherfield. They started off the day by watching movies and playing video games. "What do you want to do now?" Robert asked six hours later.
"Hmm, I know, how about we have some fun in the basement range?" Cornelia suggested. "Sounds good to me." Robert replied.
They went to the basement, and into the underground shooting range. Robert turned on the ventilation fans as Irma got the guns ready. Robert got the AK-47 7.62X39 semiautomatic assault rifle and the Glock-17 9mm semiautomatic pistol, while Cornelia got the Desert Eagle .357 magnum semiautomatic pistol and the Barrett M82 .50-caliber sniper rifle. Irma got the AR-15 .223-caliber semi-automatic assault rifle and the Berretta M92F 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The three put in their earplugs and loaded their guns after setting up their targets. Starting with the rifles, they took aim, got into their shooting stances and began shooting. Cornelia fired only one magazine of the .50 caliber because the intense recoil was making her shoulder hurt. She continued with the Desert Eagle. Irma and Robert each finished their first magazine and waited until Cornelia was done before checking on their targets. After seeing the damage, they put up new targets before continuing. After going through two more magazines, Robert and Irma switched to their pistols. After they fired off their first magazines, Cornelia put the guns she was using in the safe and sat nearby to watch Irma and Robert continue with their gunnery fun. After firing two more magazines each, they stopped shooting.
"Wow, I think that that's enough for now." Irma said as she blew the excess smoke from her gun's barrel.
"Yeah, we might as well let these cool down for a while." Robert replied. "Yeah, that, and my shoulder is sore from firing that 50-cal." Cornelia added. After letting the gun smoke vent out, the three went upstairs.
At 12:45PM, they decided to have lunch in the back patio, enjoying the fresh air. An hour afterwards, they went inside, changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the pool.
"Ahhh, yeah, that's so relaxing!" Cornelia said as they surfaced from their first jump.
"Tell me about it, I've never felt so relaxed in a pool!" Robert replied. Irma was relaxing on an inflatable, enjoying the cool summer breeze. Suddenly, Cornelia came up from below and pushed her off, causing Irma to scream as she fell in. Irma came up and glared at Cornelia.
"Corny! What the hell was that for?" she asked.
"What? I just wanted to have fun!" Cornelia replied as she tried to keep herself from laughing. Irma climbed back onto the inflatable as she gave Cornelia a grin.
"Next time, I'm pushing YOU off!" Irma said as Cornelia climbed out. She went onto the diving board and the others cleared the deep end. Cornelia then dove off and managed to do a couple of flips before she went in.
"How was that?" she asked as she surfaced.
"That was pretty good, I never knew you were good at diving." Irma replied. They got out and dried off before going back inside.
"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Robert asked as they got ready to sleep that night.
"I was thinking of taking a trip to Magic Mountain." Irma replied. "Sounds like fun, we should bring Cornelia and Caleb, too! It can be a double-date!" Robert replied as he turned out the lights. They fell asleep and dreamed of the fun that was to come the next day.
Part 2: Fun Time
15, June 2017, 7:00AM
Location: Valencia, CA
The next morning, the three got up early and began getting ready for a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. They got into Irma's minivan and they drove off. As they drove, the girls began to sing along to the radio. Wow, these women are good! Robert thought as the girls sang on. He was right, they sounded beautiful! After 1 hour, they reached the park. After they got through the entrance, they began their fun.
"Who wants to go on the Colossus with me?" Irma asked. Cornelia and Robert looked at each other and nodded with a smile.
"Let's go!" Cornelia replied. "Bring it on!" Robert said. They stood in line for the coaster. When they got on the train, Cornelia was clearly nervous.
"This is the first time I've ever been on one of these." she said as the train left the platform.
"C'mon, Corny! This is almost like flying our jets." Irma said. Their anxiety was building as the train reached the top of the lift hill.
"Hang on, sweetheart, 'cause here…we…gooooooooooo!" Robert said as the train started to accelerate. Irma and Cornelia could be heard screaming with delight as the train cleared the first hill.
"OH, MY GOD! THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!" Cornelia screamed as the train went around the first turn.
"SEE? IT'S NOT SO BAD!!!!" Irma yelled back as the train went over the next hill. The screams continued throughout the whole ride, until they pulled into the station. "Wow…that was so…cool!" Cornelia said when they got off.
"I told you it wouldn't be so bad." Irma replied.
"Now what do you girls want to do?" Robert asked.
"Follow me." Irma said as she walked towards the Goliath. "Wow, it's huge!" Cornelia exclaimed as they got in line.
"This one looks a bit more intense." Robert said. "Yeah, it is." Irma replied as they got in line. When they got on, they rode in the front car, sitting together. As the train went up the lift hill, they looked around to enjoy the view (while they could).
"Hey, I can see the van from here!" Cornelia said as she pointed to the parking lot. "Wow, I see it tooooooooooooo!" Irma replied as the train got to the top and began to accelerate.
"HOOOLYYYYYYY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!" Irma screamed as they went through the tunnel at the bottom of the hill. Caleb clung to Cornelia, while Irma clung to Robert as they got over the next hill. Two minutes later, the train pulled into the station.
"That was intense!" Cornelia said as they got off. "Think you can handle one more?" Irma asked.
"I think I can handle it." Caleb replied. "Good, 'cause I'm thinking of riding the Ninja!" Irma said.
"Bring it on!" Cornelia said. "Sounds good to me!" Caleb added. They headed to the Orient Express to head to Samurai Summit, where the Ninja was located.
"This seems a bit relaxing." Cornelia said. "Yeah, but later on, it's gonna be a totally different story." Irma replied as the tram began moving. In just two minutes, they were on the other side, at Samurai Summit. They rushed to get in line for the Ninja.
After a half-hour wait, they got on board. "I wonder what this one's going to be LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!!!!!!!" Cornelia said as the train went over the initial drop. "WHOOOOHOOOOOO!" Irma screamed as the train went over the sharp turns. The ride lasted about three minutes and by the time it was over, Cornelia had a death-grip on the restraint apparatus.
"OK, that first drop came WAAY too soon!" Cornelia said. "What's the matter, Corny? That one too much for you?" Irma asked jokingly. Cornelia glared at her, but after a second, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's hit something less intense." she said. "Yeah, I think we've had enough roller coasters for one time." Irma agreed.
"Let's go on the Sky Tower first, since it's nearby." Cornelia suggested. "Yeah, let's start with that." Irma said. They proceeded to the tower, where they waited five minutes for the elevator. Once in the elevator, they brought their cameras out, ready for any photo ops that come up. After a minute and a half, they reached the observation area. Robert checked his watch, which read, "3:03PM".
"Hey, get one of me in this!" Cornelia said as she sat in the lone roller coaster seat. Irma and Robert each took a picture, then Irma got into the seat and Robert and Cornelia each took a picture. Robert then got in and the girls each took a picture of him.
"There's a funny story about my last time up here." Robert said. "What?" Irma asked.
"My father took a picture of the view, but it was getting dark, so the lights were on. In the picture, it had a light reflected off the window, but he made a joke, saying that it was a UFO!" Robert said. "Yeah, your father is one funny guy." Irma said. They left the tower and rode the Orient Express to the area where the Grand Carousel was located and got on.
"This ride is so relaxing." Irma said. "Yeah, especially after three roller coasters in a row!" Cornelia replied.
After a few runs on the Carousel, they decided to make one more sweep around the park. They first got to the paintball shooting gallery. "I've always wanted to shoot off a paintball gun." Cornelia said.
"Yeah, my first time with one was right here." Robert said. They each paid for 100 shots and the paintballs began to fly! They simply fired at all of the targets randomly. "I'm so enjoying this!" Cornelia said happily as she and Caleb landed several high-skill shots. After having fun at the shooting gallery, they decided to head to the Gotham City area. First, they got in line for the Atom Smasher.
"I love these kinds of rides." Robert said as the line began moving. "I can see why, it looks like a lot of fun." Irma replied. They got on board and strapped them selves in.
"I'm gonna tell you now, this bar will practically be your lifeline on this ride." Robert said as the attendants checked the safety bars. A minute later, the ride began moving.
"This isn't so bad." Cornelia said as the ride picked up speed. In twenty seconds, the ride was at full speed. The centrifugal force brought on caused the riders to lean towards the outside.
"It's like they're trying to toss us out!" Cornelia yelled while struggling to remain upright. I didn't even expect it to be like this my first time on this thing!" Robert replied.
After two minutes, the ride began to slow down. In thirty seconds the ride was at a full stop and the passengers began to disembark.
"That was wild!" Cornelia said as they got off.
"Yeah, but it was fun." Robert replied. They went to the nearby arcade to play some games. Robert and Irma first played a shooting game while Cornelia played a racing game.
"Having fun, Corny?" Irma asked. "Yeah, I'm doing well so far." Cornelia replied. After achieving high scores on the games that they played, they proceeded to Tidal Wave.
"Shall we?" Irma asked as she began walking towards the ride.
"Yeah, let's do it!" Robert said. They rushed to get in line. They all sat in the first row of the boat. After a couple of minutes, the boat was full and was sent out. The boat floated gently to the lift belt and began to climb. Once at the top, Robert took the quick opportunity to snap a photo before it was too late. The boat went around the turn and tilted sharply as it went down the drop, splashing water all over the place at the bottom.
"Irma, check this out." Robert said. Irma looked and saw that Robert was looking at a Canadian goose that was happily making his way along the water in the small lake next to them. Irma and Robert each took a picture before the boat pulled into the station. After disembarking, Cornelia wrung her wet hair out and met with the other two. They proceeded to the bumper cars, near Riddler's Revenge, and got in line. After a ten-minute wait, they each got into their own cars. When the ride started, Robert found himself hitting everybody in sight.
"Ouch!" Cornelia said as Robert hit her car. "Oops, I didn't hit too hard did I?" he asked.
"Nah, I just didn't see that coming." Cornelia replied as she drove off. Robert felt a jolt as Irma hit him from behind. Robert looked at her and grinned as he drove off. After getting off of the bumper cars, they walked over to the go-kart track.
"Let's have a little fun on those." Cornelia said.
"Sounds good to us." Robert and Irma said at the same time. They got in line for the go-karts. After waiting for twenty minutes, they each got onto their own go-kart and drove off along the course. They completed three laps before they got off. They later found Jetstream and got in line.
"I hope my hair doesn't get too wet this time." Cornelia said.
"That's the thing with water rides, Corny, you're gonna get wet." Irma replied. They all got onto one boat, along with one other person and proceeded out of the station. The boat went up the lift and began gently moving along the water track. As they went into a small shack, the boat suddenly seemed to drop from under them as they went down the first drop.
"Whoa, didn't see that coming." Cornelia said.
"I did, I've been on this before." Robert replied. They went up another lift and the boat dropped slightly and continued along its course. After a minute, they turned a corner and stopped just short of the second drop.
"Hang on, ladies!" Robert said just before the braking mechanism disengaged, releasing the boat. The girls screamed as the boat went down the drop. The boat pulled into the station and the riders disembarked.
"That was fun." Cornelia said.
"Yeah, it was really fun." Irma replied. They continued walking and found themselves back at the area near the entrance. At this point, the sun was beginning to set.
"Well, now what do you want to do?" Cornelia asked.
"It depends, what time is it?" Irma asked. Robert checked his watch. "It's 6:45." Robert replied.
"Well, I think we should call it a day." Irma said.
"Yeah, we probably should go ahead and make our way back to Heatherfield. They walked out the park exit and took the tram to the parking lot. They got into the van and got ready to go. Irma pulled out of the parking spot and proceeded towards the freeway on-ramp. They got onto the freeway and Robert put in one of Irma's CDs on the radio. On their way back to Irma's house, the girls sang along to the radio. Five hours later, they arrived back in Heatherfield, by which time it was 11:30PM, and Cornelia and Robert were fast asleep. They pulled into the driveway and got out and into the house. They went into the bedroom and fell dead asleep on the bed.
Part 3 Special Talent
17, June 2017
Location: Heatherfield
At Irma's house, Irma, Cornelia and Robert woke up at 8:45AM relaxed. They went into the living room and Robert turned on the TV. They sat down and watched the program that was on. A few minutes later, during the first commercial break, there was an advertisement that announced that Heatherfield was having its yearly talent show at the Heatherdome.
"Wow, you can do something on that!" Cornelia said. "Yeah, but what can I do?" Irma asked.
"I think the better question is 'what can you NOT do?'." Cornelia replied. "Yeah…hey do you think I can sing real well?" Irma asked.
"Is that a trick question? Of course you can!" Robert replied. "Irma blushed. "But…you've never heard me sing before; how do you know how good I am?" she asked.
"Cornelia told me, and I have that gut-feeling that you'll do great." Robert replied. Irma thought about it and smiled as she came to her decision.
"I'll do it, for you." she said. "OK, let's go then." Cornelia said. They got up and turned the TV off. They got into Irma's van and headed off to the Heatherdome to sign Irma up. They got to the Heatherdome a few minutes later, and saw that there was a small line in front of the entrance. Irma found a suitable space in the parking lot and parked in it. They got out and got in line.
While waiting, they saw Irma's friend Martin Tubbs walking down the sidewalk. "Hey, guys, how's it going?" he asked as he walked up.
"Not much, Irma's going into the talent show. What's new with you?" Cornelia asked. "I just got out of basic flight training and I'm waiting to be sent to Lemoore for advanced training." Martin replied.
"Wow, that must have been tough!" Robert said. "Yeah, but I never gave up and I got through it." Martin replied.
"Wow…hey, how's Alchemy doing?" Irma asked. "She's doing great! It's now been a year since we first got together. She's a wonderful woman." Martin replied.
"Yeah, where is she now?" Cornelia asked. "She's at home getting some rest; she had an accident two weeks ago." Martin replied.
"What happened to her?" Irma asked. "She was on her way home from work when some idiot cut her off by Sheffield. She hit the brakes and swerved into a light pole." Martin replied. They were moving closer to the entrance during the whole conversation.
"Where does she work?" Robert asked. "She's an aerobics instructor at the Heatherfield Recreation Center." Martin replied.
"Wow, she must enjoy that job." Robert said. "Yeah, well, I gotta go, see you guys later." Martin said as he walked off. The others waved goodbye and noticed that they were close to the entrance. A few minutes later, Cornelia and Robert waited outside for Irma to get done signing herself up.
"Well, how did it go?" Robert asked. "The show starts in an hour, I'll be on last." Irma replied.
"Not bad, that gives us an hour to invite the others." Cornelia said. They left the Heatherdome and drove to Will's house.
Cornelia walked up to Will's front door and knocked twice. "What's up?" Will asked when she opened the front door.
"Irma got signed up for the talent show, wanna come?" Cornelia asked. "Sure, sounds fun." Will replied as they got into the van. They then went to Taranee's house. Will got out and knocked on Taranee's door.
"Hey Taranee, we're going to the talent show today, Irma's going to be in it, wanna come?" Will asked when Taranee answered.
"Sure, I'll be out in a sec!" Taranee replied. She came out and got into the van. They then went to Hay Lin's house down the block. Irma honked the horn and in thirty seconds, Hay Lin came out and ran up to the van.
"What's happening today?" Hay Lin asked. "I'm in the talent show today, wanna come and see me perform?" Irma asked.
"Sure, I'd love to!" Hay Lin replied as she got in back with the others. "Elyon's gotta see Irma when she goes on, she'll love it!" Cornelia said as they drove off.
"Good thinking, let's go pick her up!" Irma replied as she drove the van to Elyon's house. Irma pulled up in front and honked the horn twice. Elyon came running out and to the van. Cornelia opened the sliding door and Elyon got in.
"What's up?" she asked. "Irma's in the talent show today at the Heatherdome." Will replied.
"Awesome, let's get there early so she can get ready." Elyon replied. "We're doing that now as a matter of fact." Irma replied.
They got to the Heatherdome and found a good parking space close to the entrance. They got out and walked towards the entrance.
"We'll be in the front row, just to let you know." Cornelia said. "Yeah, good luck sweetheart." Robert said as he gave her a good-luck kiss. The others got their tickets and managed to find some front-row seats. By the time they got there and took their seats, the first act was just beginning. They relaxed and watched the other acts, all of which were good, but they knew that Irma's act would be the best.
"Last, but not least, we have Miss Irma Lair, who is going to sing for us tonight." The announcer said. Robert, Cornelia and the others shouted with joy when Irma came onto the stage. The others sat wide-eyed when Irma took the microphone and the lights dimmed.
"I'm going to be performing a song for the love of my life, who has always been there for me, and this is how I'm going to show my love for him." Irma announced as the spotlight shone on her. Irma saw Robert and the others in the front row and smiled as she turned on the stereo and began to sing. Robert and Cornelia's jaws dropped as they listened to Irma's beautiful singing voice echo throughout the auditorium. Wow, her voice is like that of an angel! She can win contests with a voice like that! Robert thought as Irma got halfway through the song. Robert definitely looks like he's enjoying this, but that just goes without saying! Cornelia thought as she saw Robert's mesmerized face staring at the stage, and Irma as she got to the last chorus.
Everyone began applauding and cheering loudly when the song was over. Irma blushed, knowing that she really impressed the audience, especially Robert and the others.
"How was that, my dearest love?" she asked him when they were leaving. "That was awesome! We always knew that you had it in you!" Robert replied.
"Awww, come here, you!" Irma said as she embraced Robert and kissed him. "Come on, lovebirds! You can get mushy when we get to your house!" Cornelia joked as they got into her van. They drove to Irma's house where they turned on the TV to watch the talent show highlights. They shouted and jumped with excitement when the program announced that Irma's act was the #1 act of the night's show.
"I made number one? That's so awesome!" Irma said. "Let's rest, we've gotta go back for our next deployment." Cornelia said as she turned off the TV and they all fell asleep on the living room couch.
