Chapter 2
Isamu

Yang was awakened by someone knocking on his door. With a snap, Yang sat up and looked around, trying to remember what he was doing. Again, the knocking came at the door only louder this time.
"Yang get your sorry self out of bed, you're running late!" yelled a woman from the other side.
"Yeah, Yeah, I'll be out in a minute, wait for me?" he yelled back.
"Not a problem, you're my ride if you remember correctly." She hollered back with a matter-of-fact reply.
Yang was not worried with what he wore. He ran to his dresser and threw on a tan pair of knee length shorts and a light brown button up shirt. Throwing on his lab coat, he ran out the door catching his portfolios and folders as a last minute thought. The door slid open on its electronic sliders noiselessly. Just outside in the hallway stood a short blonde hair woman. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, tied up with a red ribbon. Her face was covered with a countless number of freckles and her nose protruded through what looked like a bad connect the dots puzzle. Her eyes seemed to stare into space with no clue as to what she was thinking. She wore a brown jacket covered with patches, under which she wore a white t-shirt. The jeans she wore were aged and showed signs of wear and tear.
"Thank you for waking me Lucy. What would I do without you?" questioned Yang humorously.
"Anytime you lazy bum", the woman named Lucy jokingly replied, "Did you have a long night?"
Lucy knew perfectly well that Yang did not have a life. She also knew his life did consist of nothing but the Super Nova Project and his love for Sharon Apple.
"Yeah I was up all night with the Colonel.... We should be getting a new pilot today. From what I have heard he's nothing but another hotshot."
"No different then the others then...right?"
"That would seem the case, I don't think we would be lucky enough to get a descent pilot."
The two of them head for the elevator and went to the basement where Yang's car was parked.
"You know we have that meeting this morning right?" Lucy chimed in to break the silence of the ride.
"Yeah, the meeting is supposed to be for the new guy. Fill him in on all the details and such."
Upon arrival at the project headquarters, the two went to the hangar, which housed the YF-19, to prepare the usual introduction for the project. The hangar was busy with people preparing for the arrival of the YF-19. A couple of the workers stopped Yang to ask a few questions.
"All right everyone, I need the flight simulator ready for work early tommorrow morning. Don't forget to calibrate the bearings, and load all the scenarios that I loaded on the server. All right whats everyone standing around for, lets get to it", Yang gave orders so precise that there was no mistaking what he said. After collecting their materials, the two walked together toward the conference room discussing plans for the YF-19.
The conference room was rather big. Again the room had three walls and a fourth wall being nothing but glass window. The only other features in the room were a v shaped, glass-topped desk and a monitor behind the pointed side of the v. The Colonel was already seated at the very tip of the desk. Along one side of the v, with there backs to the door, the YF-21 team sat with sullen looks on their faces. All but one was present. The other side consisted of the YF-19 team. Lucy and Yang took their seats on their side and waited for the Colonel to begin. There was no sign of the new pilot.
"Humph, figures he'd be late first thing. This is no way to start.", muttered Millard under his breath. Yang sat twiddling his fingers and looking out of the window. His team was restlessly looking through papers and trying to prepare for their meeting. The Colonel was talking quietly with the YF-21 Operations leader when a knock came at the door. There was a beep and the door slid open to reveal a young man. He walked straight to the front of the room and stood at ease with a huge smile on his face.
"Hello, My name is First Lieutenant Isamu Dyson, whom you all have been waiting for, I just arrived to assume my postition. So when do I fly sir?" spoke the young man named Isamu. When he spoke, he did it with complete confidence and control. It was as if he knew he could do whatever was put up against him. Yang could already tell that the program was in dire straits. Yang sat back and sized up his new pilot. Reckless and wild was his first conclusion. He was a medium size man in height, and Yang guessed he was about five-eight and around hundred and sixty pounds. He wore black boots tied tightly around the pant legs of his flight suit. His flight suit was a light blue, with a U.N. Spacy emblem on the right shoulder above which his name was sewn in. Over this he was wearing a white vest with oversized front pockets. It reached just above his stomach and looked somewhat awkward on him. He was built rather well, but not a complete buff. He looked as if he had a lot of hidden strength just waiting for a reason to come out. His chin was somewhat broad, and he smiled in a self-centered sort of way. He had blue eyes situated abnormally from his nose. He had dark brown hair that just barely reached the bottom of his neck. It was mostly just thrown all around. Yang sat up as the Colonel cleared his throat, ready to speak to the young pilot whom obviously he ran the show. "Maybe you should take a break. You have obviously become light headed from your travel...I hear your very short tempered. You make it sound as if you don't want to rise in rank." exclaimed Millard.
"Right, if I rise to high in rank I won't be able to fly anymore."
"Well you are going to have to show a little more ambition for this project. Sit down!" said Millard with a tone of annoyance.
Yang knew the Colonels speech and so he didn't pay attention too much to what he was saying. Why do they always make a big deal out of a new pilot? A simple briefing would do just fine, Yang thought to himself. Just as the Colonel was done talking he slowly looked around the table.
Again Isamu asked, "So when do I fly sir?"
"Has the schedule for the YF-19 been prepared yet?" asked Millard
"We will started testing once we get the plane back from the factory", responded Lucy.
"Why...what happened to it?" asked Isamu.
"We had some repairs it needed after the accident", she replied.
"Oh so you guys had trouble with your last pilot, that's fine, now that I am here everything will be just fine" Isamu responded with complete confidence.
Yang was getting very hot; this new guy thought he could just come in and fly his creation like it was some OTHER jet. HA he was full of himself. Yang thought to himself for a moment and then responded, "All of our other pilots said the same thing when they got here. Four of them used up their health insurance; the other two of them received exceptional promotions. The accommodations they were buried with are sure to last a lifetime." Yang was referring to the seven other pilots, four of whom would never fly again and two that died at the hands of his jet.
"And just who in the hell are you? Why don't you let the adults handle this, Go home, put your pimple stuff on and go to bed. Got it?" Isamu replied sarcastically.
Yang was thinking fast trying to respond to his rude and sarcastic comment. "A pilot, so I am led to believe, can grasp a situation immediately right...and so I put this to you. Why do YOU think I am here?" Yang was agitated with this guy now. "How could I ever possibly work with this lunatic?", Yang thought to himself.
Isamu was caught off guard with that remark and thought to himself for a minute then replied, "Maybe your Millard's son?"
Lucy started to giggle. She thought he was funny? How could she? This man was a complete idiot, it's a wonder he made it through flight school.
The Colonel cut in tired of there bickering. "He is the design chief of the YF-19 and head of the YF-19 team."
"Who that kid?" asked Isamu in a tone of disbelief. His forehead creased in wonderment.
"Age, sex, and race are truly meaningless concepts on this base Ltn. Dyson." spoke Yang, still annoyed that this was going to be his new test pilot. He could see there were going to be some long days ahead of them.
Again there was a beep at the door, and a voice asking, "May I come in?"
"Enter" the Colonel answered back.
The door slid open to reveal a huge man. He stood about six and a half to seven feet tall. He wore a flight suit somewhat similar to Isamu's with very little difference. The color of the suit was an yellowish-orange and he lacked the vest. His face was very sharp in appearances with every feature being outlined. His chin was narrow and he smiled with white teeth that contrasted his greenish colored skin. His nose narrowed to a point and his eyes were filled with edginess.
"So he's the test pilot for the other team", Isamu responded as Guld walked in.
Guld stopped in his tracks and eyed Isamu. They exchanged warning glances.
"Let me introduce to you the test pilot for the General Galaxy team, Chief Guld Goa Bowman." Spoke Millard only to break the silence. "Their fighter the YF-21, which is controlled by brain waves, is epic making.", the Colonel continued. "Chief Bowman, this is First Ltn. Isamu Dyson, test pilot for the YF-19 team.
Bowman still staring at Isamu gave him a reluctant nod to aknowledge the new face.
Yang could tell these two had probably met before. They eyed each other with fierce warning.
Turning to Millard, "Captain, regarding todays flight. The adjustments of the thought control system went really well. We can start fire control testing within three days", Guld spoke in a deep voice, carefully pronouncing every syllable.
"Oh so you're the one I saw flying in area seven huh?", asked Isamu.
"Your report sounds encouraging", Millard spoke to Guld and then turning to Isamu, "I suppose you can't stay idle?"
"I am afraid a high priced fighter will only be wasted on him, a pilot with absolutely no self control.", replied Guld in a voice that mirrored sarcasm and hatred.
"Who the hell you talking about?" Isamu shouted back, offended by his rude comment and infuriating him even more.
"I think you just answered your own question." Guld replied.
Isamu now shaking put his hand through the glass-topped table. Glass flew everywhere and Isamu turned and walked to the window.
"You haven't unpacked your stuff yet have you? The faster you run away the better.", Guld continued.
"I wonder if they've ever met?" questioned Lucy to herself.
"They do seem like friends", replied Yang as he could see she had deduced the same conclusion that he had done earlier.
"Oh, give me a break.", Lucy replied in a sarcastic manner.
After the incident between the two fighter pilots, Millard brought order to the meeting and everyone simmered down. The two pilots carefully eyed each other still. The meeting went on without further interruptions and all was set for the new pilot to begin his flight simulation.
"Well I look forward to working with you Isamu, I think anyways, so I will see my team bright and early tomorrow morning for Flight Simulation."
"Yes sir"
"Right sir"
"You are all dismissed now", the Colonel left off.
With that the group disembarked onward to their barracks or what have you. Yang followed Lucy out the door as they headed for his car. Back in his room, Yang continued working on his project. He calculated everything for the next morning from, computer printouts to the different scenarios that would be presented to him. All the while he thought to himself how he was going to regret having this lunatic on his team. With that thought in his head, he put up his project up and turned in for the night.