SKULL LEADER'S DOWN
CHAPTER 4
Lisa's bedroom the next morning
Rick began stirring around in bed as he began to wake up from his slumber. He had to blink several times to get his eyes into focus. He then checked his wristwatch to see what the time is. Just as soon after he checked his watch, the alarm clock radio on Lisa's side of the bed went off. It went on in the middle of Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto". The humor of it all wasn't lost on Rick.
'How weird we would be waking up to that. We will be going to Germany tomorrow." Rick said to himself.
Rick looked down at his bare chest and noticed a bare arm draped across it. He then looked over and sees Lisa still sleeping and her head snuggled into the side of his chest. He slowly rolled over to look at Lisa. His heart went into overdrive when he sees her face. He began tracing his finger on the outline of her face, soaking in the features of her face and hair.
'Oh Lisa, you are so beautiful. You even look beautiful asleep.'
He couldn't resist it. He leaned over and started kissing Lisa's face lightly. Lisa slowly began to let a smile show as she felt Rick's lips on her face. 'This is the kind of alarm clock I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning.' Lisa said to herself. She slowly began to stir and turned to face Rick. She then raised her arms and looped it around Rick's neck. She slowly pulled Rick down to her face and parted her lips. Rick met her lips gladly and soon they were engaged in a deep kiss. After a while, they broke off their kiss.
"Good morning beautiful." Rick softly said with love in his voice.
"Good morning to you too, you know you're the kind of alarm clock I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning. I think I will stop using my alarm clock radio from now on." Lisa said with love in her voice.
"I wouldn't mind doing that." Rick said as he laid his arm across Lisa's bare breasts and began to nuzzle and kiss Lisa's neck. Lisa was suspicious of what Rick was doing.
"Rick, are you still horny? We made love last night and you still aren't satisfied?"
"I can't help myself, Lisa. You are so beautiful and desirable you make my libido go into overdrive."
Lisa laughed at his explanation "Well, you need to keep your libido in check for now because we have to report to work very soon."
Rick was genuinely unhappy when Lisa said that. "Oh, all right. I'll stop for now. Why don't you shower first? I don't mind waiting until you're finished."
"You only said that because you want to see my naked body as I walk into the bathroom." Lisa said feigning annoyance.
"Now what makes you think I wanted to do that? I'm just being a nice guy." Rick said in his best fake innocent tone of voice. Lisa wasn't buying the act.
"Uh-uh. Sure Rick." Lisa said as she threw a pillow she was sleeping on at Rick. She then threw the sheet, blankets and comforter off her, got up from the bed and started walking towards the bathroom. As she walking to the bathroom, Lisa grumbled something about men and their sex drive. Even though Lisa outwardly showed annoyance at Rick lavishing all this attention on her, inwardly she was enjoying it. Until several days ago, Lisa would have given anything for Rick to even look at her clothed much less naked. She wanted him to look at her more than just his commanding officer and friend. She never thought that in a million years she and Rick would ever tell each other that they love each other. Much less prove it by making love. But they did and she loves it. She was reveling in it. She didn't dare let Rick see the smile that was on her face as she walked into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the duty day, but she knew that Rick was admiring her naked body as she was closing the bathroom door. And she didn't mind it at all
After Lisa closed the door to her bathroom, Rick closed his eyes, let out a sigh of contentment and smiled as he lied on his back, enjoying the memory of seeing Lisa's beautiful naked body, burnishing it into his memory bank. He then took the pillow that Lisa slept on. The same pillow Lisa threw at him earlier. He inhaled into the pillow very deeply. The smell of her body and sweet aroma of the perfume she wears all the time, it smells as sweet as a rose. He then slowly exhaled with a smile on his face.
Several minutes later after she showered and brushed her teeth, Lisa walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body and using another towel to dry off her wet hair. Rick was still in bed admiring her, which didn't surprise her and she didn't mind.
'What an exquisite woman. She is so beautiful with her wet hair, water sparkling off her wet skin like diamonds.' Rick said to himself.
Lisa blushed as Rick was looking at her. Then she decided to have some fun with him. She walked over to Rick.
"Rick my love."
"What is it, Lisa darling?" Rick said with love in his voice and with a lost in love look in his eyes.
"I'm afraid that I used all the hot water when I showered. So if you're going to take a shower, I'm afraid you'll have to do it using cold water." Lisa lied in a sexy tone of voice.
"I don't mind." Rick said as he was shaking his head.
And he didn't mind. Rick would have showered with just cold water had Lisa did not stop him just before he stepped into the shower. Rick was surprised that Lisa would do something like that to him, especially at a moment when he wasn't thinking straight. He wagged his index finger at her as if scolding a girl who was caught doing something bad.
"I'm going to get you for that Lisa. You know that." Rick said as Lisa turned around and began walking out of the bathroom.
"Promises, promises Rick Hunter." Lisa said.
"I will Lisa."
Lisa didn't say anything else but she turned around and stuck out her tongue at Rick.
"That is so childish Lisa, so juvenile."
"Sticks and stones Rick Hunter." Lisa said in the bedroom.
Rick could only shake his head and smile as he closed the bathroom door. 'I didn't know Lisa had it in her to do something like that.'
Fokker Base
Rick spent the bulk of the morning and before lunch in his new office at Admiral Gloval's temporary headquarters requisitioning an executive jet he will pilot Lisa and Kim to Europe with and coming up with a flight plan. As he was working on the flight plan, he just thought of something very important he didn't ask Lisa.
"What time are we leaving?"
He picked up the telephone to call Lisa's office to find out. He dialed the number and waited as the phone rang. Lisa answered the phone.
"Captain Hayes' office, this is Captain Hayes."
"Lisa, this is Rick."
"Rick sweetheart, what are you calling for?"
"What time are we leaving for Europe tomorrow? I don't know the time."
There was dead silence for a while then Lisa let out a nervous laugh. "Would you believe I don't know it either? I'd forgotten to ask someone. Let me make some phone calls. I'll call you back."
Rick waited for a while before Lisa called back. They are leaving Macross at 0700 tomorrow. After Rick and Lisa said their good-byes and promising to meet at the officer's mess for lunch, Rick went back to working on the flight plan. The plan was to leave Macross loaded with fuel at 0700, refuel at New Gander, Newfoundland at 1300 local time, one mid air refuel over the Atlantic Ocean, and land at Brussels Airport, Belgium 1600 local. Lisa, Kim and Rick will be driven to the president's residence with a police escort. The meeting with the president should last about an hour. Will be driven back to the airport with a police escort and leave Brussels Airport at 1830 local time loaded with fuel Land at Berlin-Tegel International Airport at 1930 local time, will be driven to the presidential palace, again with a police escort. The meeting with the president should last an hour. Then the three will eat dinner with the president and spend the night at the presidential palace. They will be driven back to Berlin-Tegel with a police escort after eating breakfast with the president. Leave Berlin at 0830, with a refuel at London Heathrow International at around 0900 local. One mid air refueling over the Atlantic Ocean, refuel again at New Gander, Newfoundland, should land in Macross at approximately 1030 local.
'No time for sightseeing dang!' Rick said to himself. Rick had never been to Europe and he wanted to at least see some of the sites while he was there. Even though he would probably be back to Germany again very soon, he knew it wouldn't be for pleasure.
'We are going to be dead tired when we get back to Macross. Thank God, we will arrive back on a Friday and Admiral Gloval is letting us have the weekend off. Well, at least something good with come out of this. Oh well, at least I will get spend the night in another country with Lisa and I will be spending my first weekend with Lisa as my girlfriend. Lisa is my girlfriend. Wow, I still can't believe it!'
Lisa Hayes' office
Lisa was working on her briefings when she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in."
It was Sammie and she had a frustrated look on her face.
"Lisa, I'm sorry to bother you because I know you're working on your briefings…but I need help. I'm not an egghead when it comes to intelligence and it's hard for me to decipher all of this so I can make this presentable."
"Let me call J-2 and Force Intelligence and see if I can help get from them for you."
"Thanks Lisa."
After several minutes Lisa looked at Sammie with a smile on her face.
"Good news Sammie. J-2 and FIA say they will send someone over to help you until the operations is over, if and when it happens. You should expect them to be in your office sometime shortly."
"Thanks Lisa. I owe you one." Sammie said with a smile of relief and gratitude on her face.
"Don't mention it, Sammie."
"Lisa."
"Yes Sammie?"
"Is Rick eating lunch with you again today?" Sammie asked with a fake innocent look on her face.
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
Lisa's house – late evening
After lunch with Lisa and Claudia, Rick spent the rest of the day finalizing the flight plan, setting up a time table with the refueling squadrons who will do the mid air re fuelling and faxing the flight itinerary to Canadian, British, Belgium, and German aviation officials. Rick left work a little late but he still was the first to be home. He brought several change of clothes and a suitcase from the PX and starting packing it. In the middle of packing, he heard a door opening and closing.
"Rick, are you home?"
"Yes, I'm in the bedroom. I'm packing my suitcase."
He heard footsteps coming into the bedroom
"How much more do you have to pack?"
"I don't have much left to pack."
"Good, because after you finished packing, can you do a favor for me and…"
"Don't tell me. You want me to cook dinner for us."
"Please sweetheart. I'm almost finished with my presentations. I just need to make some corrections. It shouldn't take as long as last night. If you cook for us tonight, I will clean up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. I will even cook for us when we get back and for the weekend, I promise. Please?" Lisa said as she wrapped her arms around Rick's waist with a doe like look in her eyes.
"Ok, I'll do it."
"Thank you, Rick." Lisa said as she kissed Rick.
Rick didn't know what food Lisa has in her refrigerator-freezer or food pantry, so he decided to see what food she has before deciding on what to cook. Many men his age do not how to cook but Rick knew how. Ever since his mother died when he was young and his father was away many times doing air shows with the flying circus, especially during the school year, Rick had to learn how to cook out of necessity. However, ever since he joined the military, he didn't cooked all that much, because he can always eat at the officer's mess or the officer's club, so Rick didn't see any reason to cook. Before his home was destroyed in Khyron's attack, he didn't keep much food in the house. The only food he kept was food that was not perishable or could be kept in the refrigerator for a long time.
Lisa unlike Rick always kept plenty of food in her house even though like Rick and almost everyone else Lisa knew, she lived by herself. So, it was no problem for Rick to find something to cook and eat. Rick cooked up a simple but tasty chicken and rice dinner with a salad in less than 45 minutes. Rick told Lisa that dinner was ready.
"Dinner smells good Rick."
"I hope that the dinner tastes as good as it smells."
"It will Rick. I know it will."
Lisa then put the first forkful of the dinner in her mouth.
"It tastes great Rick! You should cook more often."
Rick gave Lisa a "you have to kidding' look at her.
"Ok, not all that often." Lisa said with a smile.
"That's better." Rick said with a smile.
After they ate dinner, Lisa true to her word, cleaned up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. She went back to finish up her presentation while Rick sat on the couch, opened up his laptop computer and played a flight simulator game. Later in the evening, Lisa abruptly folded down the computer screen on Rick was he was rolling towards a high score on his game.
"Hey!"
"Sorry. I just wanted to tell you that I'm finished with my presentation."
"You could have just told me you're finished. I was almost at a high score."
"Sorry. Will you forgive me?" Lisa said with doe eyes and her lower lip out.
"Oh…all right. I forgive you."
"Thank you." Lisa said with a quick kiss on his cheek.
She then took Rick's laptop and turned off the power. She then folded down the laptop's computer screen and laid it to the side of the couch. She then sat on Rick's lap and looped her arms around Rick's neck and started kissing him. Rick then put his hands on Lisa's waist as he returned Lisa's kisses and soon they started to make out. After a while, they broke off their making out. Rick looked at Lisa with love in his eyes.
"I love you Lisa." Rick said softly.
"I love you too."
"Always?"
"Always."
They kept on making out until almost late into the night. They decided they need to go straight to bed because Lisa had yet to pack her suitcase and they do have to get up early because they are to fly out of Macross early in the morning and it was going to be a long two days of meetings and flying.