The shrill ringing of the phone got Audrey up out of bed and on her feet almost instantly. She grabbed the phone receiver and snapped, "Gains Here."
The voice at the other end replied cheerily, "Captain Gains, this is your 1700 wake up call."
"Acknowledged" Audrey grumbled as she slammed down the receiver. She started getting dressed. She put on a red bra, another squadron T-shirt, followed by white ankle socks and running shoes. She hastily brushed out her hair and tied it back in a messy ponytail. Audrey grabbed a tube of sunscreen from the drawer in her nightstand and applied it liberally to her arms, the back of her neck, face, and legs. She then strapped on her chronometer, put her dog tags around her neck, picked up her wallet and keys and put on her baseball cap, before leaving and locking her room.
Arriving at the O club, Audrey noticed that Juggs hadn't arrived just yet, so she took the opportunity to get a good table, away from the kitchen. She sat down and the waitress delivered two menus and place settings along with 2 glasses of water. She sat, and sipped her water, waiting for Juggs. Juggs blew in a few minutes later. She was wearing a dark tank top, brown bikini shorts and sandals. She was red, sweating and looking like she was on her way to a decent sunburn.
Juggs flopped down in the chair opposite Audrey. "Man! I hate Arizona summers!" she exclaimed loudly. She grabbed the glass of water in front of her and downed it in one long drink. Juggs picked up the menu, skimmed through it, and said, in a resigned voice, "I guess I'll just have a side salad with lemon wedges."
Audrey grabbed and opened a menu. "No, you're not, Juggs! You're going to have a proper dinner! You had toast for breakfast and a salad for lunch. I'll order for you, if you won't order a decent meal.'
Looking up at the waitress, who had appeared, order pad and pencil ready, Audrey, in her authoritative voice, said, "My friend will have the petite sirloin, medium rare, baked potato naked, and the steamed vegetables. She'll have water to drink" She looked at the menu again. "I'll have the large porterhouse, medium rare with mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. I'll have coffee, sugar, no cream." She noticed Juggs glaring at her. "What?" she asked.
"I hate you", Juggs growled at Audrey. "Here I am, trying to lose weight, and you're eating like there's no tomorrow! If Doc Chandler is so intent on fatting you up, I'll gladly donate 10 pounds to you! Then we'd both be perfect!" she grumbled.
Audrey glared back at Juggs in exasperation. "Look, Juggs" she declared. "My mom used to tell me stories when I was growing up, about how witches would lose their magic, if they didn't eat properly. She pointed out that throughout history, witches seemed to disappear in times of famine. I thought it was just another Old Witches' tale full of bullshit. So, during my flight physical two years ago, I asked Doc Chandler about that."
Audrey shook her head and said, "She told me that this is one of the Old Witches tales that are true. She said that when you eat a lot less, your metabolism slows down. When that happens, witches start losing their ability to use or control magic. If they keep on not eating, it gets worse until they can't use any magic at all. Even if they start eating enough again, their ability to use magic won't come back for months, sometimes years or maybe not at all. Why do you think the Air Force feeds us so well?"
Audrey gave Juggs a hard look, narrowing her eyes and started shooting sharp questions at Juggs, like an attorney cross examining a reluctant witness. "How long have you been on this diet? Haven't you been having control problems recently? And hasn't your striker been gone over by your ground crew and passed all their checks?"
Juggs looked down at her place mat and began speaking quietly. "Yeah, I've been having problems. I just can't seem to generate enough thrust, for one. My takeoff runs are taking longer than normal, but I thought that was due to the heat. And there's been this weird pitch problem that seems to come and go. I thought it was all the striker's problem. It never occurred to me that the problem could be my magic."
Just then, the waitress arrived with their meals. "Here we go," she announced cheerily. "For you, petite sirloin, medium rare, naked baked potato, and steamed vegetables." setting a plate in from of Juggs. She set the other plate in front of Audrey. "And for you, large porterhouse, medium rare, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. I'll be right back with your coffee, sugar, no cream. Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked.
Both Juggs and Audrey looked down at their respective meals. They both looked delicious, and smelled even better. Audrey replied, "We're fine, thank you!" Both of them grabbed their utensils, and attacked their food. Audrey dug in enthusiastically, the steak, mashed potatoes and corm were just perfect.
A third of the way through her food, Audrey looked up and saw that Juggs was already finished, and looking sheepishly at her totally empty plate. "I guess I was kinda hungry. I think I do feel better now" she said, in a small voice. Audrey couldn't help laughing at that. "Keep that in mind when you have breakfast tomorrow morning." she said, with another laugh.
Audrey finished her dinner as the waitress delivered her coffee. The dinner was just about perfect; it tasted great, and was just enough to leave her feeling full, but not overstuffed. She leaned back, sipping her coffee. Juggs leaned forward, and asked, excitedly "So what else did General Cassidy say?"
Audrey took another gulp of her coffee. How was she going to tell Juggs she was leaving the squadron today? They'd been assigned together for most of their Air Force careers, and the times they were apart were hard on both of them. They both seemed to need the daily interaction with each other; letters and phone calls just didn't seem to cut it. They were best friends, confidants, unindicted co-conspirators and teammates, each of them boosting the others' strengths and covering their weaknesses. In many ways Audrey was closer to Juggs than her own sisters. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.
Audrey took one last gulp of coffee and set down her cup. In a mechanical voice, she stated, "General Cassidy offered me a slot in the Wing's 16 week 'Train the Trainer' course if I want it. He said I might be assigned to Fighter Weapons School, if I finish well. He said I didn't have to decide what I wanted to do right then, so he gave me a 5 day pass. I'm supposed to report back next Tuesday morning with my decision."
Juggs gave Audrey a speculative look. "Fighter Weapons, you said? Talk about tough! You do realize the Commandant is "Jabby" Jablonski, don't you? You're gonna have your work cut out for you! I heard she's really tough to work for."
Audrey sat there, stunned. Maj. Gen. Catherine "Jabby" Jablonski was a legend in the Air Force. She became one of the youngest aces of the latter days of the Second Neuroi War, after coming out of Primary Flight School. The second leading ace during the Kita Conflict, she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor when she shot down 7 of 9 Neuroi medium fliers that bounced her. The remaining 2 had shot up her Sabre striker so badly, she had to make a hard landing. The resulting explosion and fire critically injured her, forcing the amputation of her right leg.
After being awarded the Medal of Honor, "Jabby" publicly petitioned the Secretary of the Air Force to remain on active duty, which he granted. She was made an instructor at the Air Force's Fighter Weapons School, where she totally revamped the curriculum on air combat maneuvering.
"Jabby" had been appointed Commandant some years later, and had transformed Fighter Weapons into the finest school of its kind in the world, teaching Witches the most advanced concepts in all areas of aerial combat, drawing heavily on the experience of its instructors. Other nations would send their most promising Witches through Fighter Weapons, just to gather some of the expertise offered there. General Jablonski had earned a reputation for being tough, blunt, strong minded, skeptical, driven, stern, uncompromising and being very demanding of both students and instructors in her drive for excellence.
Juggs glared at her. "Great!" she exclaimed heatedly "You're leaving! So who gonna be Alpha Flight leader now?"
Audrey smiled mischievously. "That's up to Colonel Donovan, but I've recommended you." she said, quietly.
The look of astonishment on Juggs' face was epic. Her eyes flew open wide, her jaw dropped and no words came out of her mouth for a few seconds. She managed to close her mouth and blink a couple of times before she managed to say anything.
"WHAT?!" Juggs shouted, drawing looks from all over the dining room.. She continued in a panicked babble. "You gotta be shitting me, Boings! NO WAY! NO! NO! NO! NO! I can't do it! I CAN'T BE ALPHA FLIGHT LEADER!" Her expression changed to a panicked, trapped look, as she kept babbling incoherently on how she couldn't do it.
Audrey smiled her sweetest smile at Juggs. She leaned forward, speaking in her most persuasive and encouraging voice. " Look, Juggs, other than me, you've got the most flight hours in the squadron. Half these girls don't have more than 200 hours yet! Also, you're the only other one of us who's seen any combat. Your magic is holding steady, at least when you aren't starving yourself. And I've heard you might be up for promotion sooner rather than later. I think you'd be a great flight leader, and Colonel Donovan agrees. At least give it a shot."
Juggs finally calmed down, but she still looked like she was still panicking beneath the surface. Her face clouded over. "So that means I'm going to be responsible for Maxwell, right? What do you think I should do about her? Magical prodigy or not, I'm sorely tempted to slap her silly if she fucks up again and have her flying a desk!" she grumbled.
Audrey settled back in her chair, satisfied she'd sold Juggs on the idea of being Alpha Flight Leader. She smiled, and replied ot Juggs. "Well, you'd be her superior officer, so you should do what you think is right."
Juggs gave Audrey a hard look. "You've already decided what you're going to do, haven't you?" she asked in an accusing tone. Her face relaxed and in a lighter tone she asked "So what are you going to do? Be an instructor? And what about your pass? I can't imagine you'd want to hang around here the whole time. Are you going home to see your family?"
Audrey shook her head. "Yeah, I've already decided. I'm going to do the instructor path. No, I'm not going home. There isn't enough time to spend more than a couple of days and I want to have more time with my family. I'm thinking of driving up to Flagstaff, spend some time relaxing and calling my family from there. I'll be back here Tuesday to give my answer to General Cassidy." she said.
Juggs started to stand up, but Audrey put out a hand to her. "Wait a sec" she said. "Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" Her smile turned sly. "They've got Chocolate Decadence cake tonight. You wouldn't want to leave and not share a last dessert with your best friend, would you?" she said in her most persuasive voice, knowing that Juggs couldn't resist a good gooey chocolate dessert.
Juggs sighed. "It's going to be your fault, if I can't fit into my striker." she said, in a resigned voice. She sat down, and the waitress came over to take the dessert order. Audrey looked at the waitress and said, "Two Chocolate Decadence cakes with ice cream and hot fudge!" The waitress left immediately and returned, carrying a tray with the desserts.
The Chocolate Decadence cake more than lived up to its name, especially with the ice cream and hot fudge. Both Juggs and Audrey barely managed to finish the last bits, now so full, they felt like they'd burst if they ran into a sharp object. They leaned back in their chairs, talking, reminiscing, crying and laughing. The understanding that this was probably the last time they would be together like this, passed between them unspoken, and they both refrained from talking about the future.
Leaving the O club, they were still talking about where they'd been, what they did, the odd events that made their memories and the bizarre individuals they've met. They walked slowly, as if neither of then wanted this moment to end. Coming up to their rooms in the BOQ, Audrey impulsively pulled Juggs in a tight hug. Juggs hesitated for a moment, before returning the hug with equal intensity.
Fighting to keep from bursting into tears, Audrey whispered, "I'm gonna miss you, Juggs. You keep Maxwell in line, and you deliver, 'on time, on target'." 'On time, on target' was their unofficial slogan.
Juggs was also fighting to hold back tears, as she whispered back, "Gonna miss you too, Boings. Beat some sense into those newbies, and you deliver 'on time, on target..', too."
Juggs went down the hallway to her own room, not looking back at Audrey. Audrey opened her own room, tossed her keys and wallet on her desk, and threw herself down on her bed, She burst into tears, sobbing hard into her pillow. The last time she cried like this, it was on the bus taking her from home to Primary Flight School. Just like then, her life was changing dramatically. It had to, she couldn't stay where she was. She hoped she was making the right choice. She sat up, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She then got up, took off her chronometer and dog tags. She then took off her shirt and bra, undid her hair and took off her socks and shoes. She crawled under the covers and was asleep in minutes.
Audrey woke up an hour before reveille. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and got dressed quickly. A purple U of W t shirt, purple bikini shorts, purple ankle socks and her running shoes made up her outfit for today. She put on her chronometer and dog tags, then stuffed her wallet and keys in her shorts pockets. Digging through her wall locker, she pulled out a small duffel bag. She tossed in her bathroom items, two changes of clothes, a pair of hiking shoes, her travel alarm clock, and sunscreen into the bag. She zipped up the duffel, slung it over her shoulder, and headed out, locking her room behind her,
Walking out to the parking lot, Audrey smiled as she headed to her car. It was a 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible, painted a sky blue. She bought it after coming back from her second Nam tour, from a mechanic who was forced to sell it by his wife, who had just read Ralph Nader's "Unsafe at Any Speed". Audrey had read it as well. To her, it seemed like Nader had an ax to grind about General Motors. Volkswagens and Porsches all had the same handling problems with swing axles ,but no one wrote books about their problems.
Audrey's car was a special factory model, with an upgraded suspension and steering as well as a turbocharged engine. The previous owner had done more tweaks to it, and proudly proclaimed it a "sports car eater". He demonstrated its acceleration, handling and braking, shaming Mustangs and Cameros along the way. On top of it all, it got great gas mileage. Needless to say, Audrey loved her car.
Audrey unlocked and opened the driver's side door. She threw her duffel onto the passenger seat, and began unlatching the top from the windshield. She rolled down both driver's side windows, went around to the passenger side and opened the door. She finished unlatching the top, folded it back and secured it. She then rolled down the passenger side windows, closed the door and got in the driver' seat.
She started the engine, and smiled at the burbling rumble of the exhaust, and the faint whine of the turbocharger. Audrey picked up a cassette tape and put it in the tape player. The opening bass beat of her favorite song came pouring out the speakers; Eric Burdon and the Animals and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." She smiled as she shifted into gear and drove out the main gate.
Audrey took the scenic route up Highways AZ-70 and AZ-77. It was longer, but she wasn't in any hurry and it would put her in Flagstaff around noon.. It was still relatively cool, and traffic was minimal as she left Tucson and hit the open road. She hit McDonald's for lunch in Payson, and arrived in Flagstaff just after noon. Finding a small motel on the south edge of town, she checked in and paid for 5 nights.
Getting into her room she threw her duffel on the floor, threw herself on the bed and was snoring in minutes. Waking up just before sunset, she remembered that she needed to call home after 9 PM.
The phone call home was problematic, Her father understood completely. Tim had to make a similar decision himself. Three years ago,he had been critically wounded in an attempted jewelry store robbery. His recovery and rehab had been long and painful, and in the end, he was given with a choice: retire or take a less physically demanding position within the department. Given that choice, Tim chose a desk job as an inventory officer.
Her mother was less understanding. Being more traditional, she was hoping Audrey would leave the Air Force, come home, get married and produce some grandchildren. The two of them often butted heads, with Janet stubbornly pushing the traditional path of marriage and children. Audrey, wanting to decide on her own path would protest vehemently. Some of their 'discussions' were conducted at the top of their respective voices. The conversation was tense, to say the least, especially after Audrey told her mother that she was staying in the Air Force.
Kerry, the older of her younger sisters, had inherited Janet's healing magic. She was excited about starting her freshman year at the University of Washington, and had been already accepted in the University's Combination Medical program, which combined magical healing and traditional medicine. She hoped to become a pediatrician or pediatric nurse.
Her youngest sister, Hannah, refused to talk to her, leaving Audrey to sigh over the capricious nature of magic. Not only would magic often skip generations, but it would also skip siblings. While Audrey and Kerry had inherited their mother's magical ability, Hannah hadn't. This seemed to create a permanent rift between the sisters, seemingly with no way to bridge it. Hannah was closest to her father, mainly because they were the only non-magical members of the family and also because she was the youngest.
For the next 5 days, Audrey played tourist. She spent 2 days at the Grand Canyon. She spent another day at the Meteor Crater. She spent another day at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. She thought about going to Las Vegas, but she wanted more than a couple of days to explore the city. Every night, Audrey went up to Lowell Observatory, gazing at the stars and planets through the telescopes in the clear night sky. She had a great time.
Sunday afternoon, Audrey packed her duffel, and set her travel alarm clock to wake her at 7AM. She wanted to get back to base early enough to get a good night's sleep and properly prepare to meet with General Cassidy Tuesday Morning.
Audrey was up before the alarm went off, and she was on the road in less than 10 minutes. She drove steadily, stopping only to get fuel. She arrived back at Davis-Monthan after 1 PM. She got back to her room, unpacked and then set out her laundry bag for pickup. She stopped by the dining hall for lunch, but didn't see Juggs or anyone else from her squadron.
After she finished a light lunch, Audrey went through and tidied up her room, made the bed with the fresh sheets that were delivered and got changed into her workout clothes. She hit the gym and lifted weights for an hour and spent more time in the steam bath, sauna and Jacuzzi. She got out, got dressed, and ran indoors for another hour. She got back to her room, and took a long shower, carefully shampooing and conditioning her hair. She got out of the shower, carefully dried and brushed out her hair and got dressed in casual clothes.
Arriving at the O club, Audrey went into the bar, foregoing seafood night. She sat at a table,and ordered a beer and burger and fires. She looked around and didn't see Juggs or any of her squadron mates. It was then that she realized that she already said her goodbyes and that life was moving on. Both her burger and beer arrived and disappeared quickly. When she got back to her room, she pulled out her dress blue uniform, She checked it to make sure it was in good condition, and that her campaign ribbons, Witch's wings, name tag and rank insignia were properly placed. Then she stripped down to her bikini shorts, crawled under the covers and picked up a trashy novel she'd been reading off and on for the past month. She fell asleep before she read 10 pages.
Audrey snapped awake two hours before reveille. She got changed into her running outfit and went out to run 3 miles. Coming back, she hit the dining facility for a light breakfast. Getting to her room, she showered and washed her hair again. She spent several minutes carefully drying and brushing it out. Pulling it back into a tight bun, she made sure it was secured properly with enough bobbie pins. She then started putting on her dress blues, making sure every item of clothing was properly set. She put on her chronometer and made sure everything was in her purse. Finally, she picked up her service cap and left her room.
By the time Audrey arrived at the base main administration building, reveille was just sounding. Every one in the Wing knew General Cassidy liked starting his day before or at reville. Getting to the top floor, she saw the door to the General's outer office was open. She stepped inside and saw the door to the inner office was open. General Cassidy was at his desk, going over some paper work. He saw her, and motioned her to come into the inner office.
Audrey came into his office and stopped in front of the General's desk. She came to attention, saluted, and said "Captain Gains reports, sir!"
General Cassidy stood, came to attention and returned Audrey's salute. He said, "As ease, Captain. What can I do for you?"
Audrey steadied herself. She was going to make a decision that would define the rest of her Air Force career, maybe her life. Again, she hoped it would be the right decision. She took a deep breath, and declared, "Sir, I've decided to take that slot in the Train-the-Trainer course that you offered me. I want to become an instructor."
General Cassidy's face split in a big smile. He reached down to his desk and picked up the sheaf of papers he'd been working on. "It just so happens that I have your transfer orders ready here." he said, handing her the papers. He continued, "You report to Building 1460 at noon to Lt. Col. Morris for orientation on the 16 week Train the Trainer course. For what it's worth, I think you'll make a fantastic instructor. Good luck, Audrey. You're dismissed" He stood up, came to attention and saluted her.
Audrey also came to attention and returned the salute. She did an about face, and strode out of General Cassidy's office, heading to her new and unknown future.
This marks the end of the pre-instructor arc for Audrey. Audrey now moves forward in a new direction for her life. She meets more amazing people and does more amazing things that have a profound effect on her personally and on the course of her life. Stay tuned.