I looked out the window towards the Great Plains of North America. The whole place was scorched. I could see craters everywhere.The only settlements were near the rivers as most aqueducts would have been destroyed in the Rain of Death six months ago. It was about four hours after takeoff that I first saw the Rocky Mountains. The craters were not as visible, though I noticed the forests were all but reduced to ashes.
"We will now begin our descent to Palm Springs," said the pilot.
I looked out and saw the barren California desert, now marked with craters. The craters appeared to get bigger; I knew were were descending for our final approach. I noticed a mslla body of water along the way. Soon that was replaced by a cratered landscape, with buildings and streets between the craters.
I could see streets, vehicles, buildings, and construction sites. I could see a fence and a taxiway. Then I felt the landing gears touch down as the Boeing 767's tires made contact with the runway. The plane taxied to the terminal.
"Welcome to Palm Springs," said the pilot. "We hope you enjoyed your trip."
I exited the airplane and headed to the terminal. Direct flights from New York to Palm Springs were not available a few years ago. But nowadays, there were fewer airports, not to mention fewer cities. I called Jenna on my cell phone.
"I'm at the airport," I said. "I'm waiting for my luggage."
"I'm rioght here," said Jenna. "I'll wait for you."
After taking a suitcase full of clothes, I walked out.
"Over here!" yelled Jenna.
I looked and saw jenna wearing a red sleeveless blouse, a blue miniskirt, a straw hat, and sunglasses. I came and gave her a kiss. "Hi there," I said.
"I'll open the trunk," she said, going to a red Chevrolet Camaro and popping open the trunk. I placed my luggage in the trunk. Then I went inside the front seat and she drove.
Looking around, I noticed that Palm Springs was a lot less crowded than New York. There were all these palm trees lining the streets. I noticed plenty of construction sites.
"It wasn't badly hit," I said.
"It was worse when the SDF-1 first arrived twelve years ago," said Jenna.
She drove the car through the streets of Palm Springs for a couple of minutes, and then we stopped at as residential street. There were all these duplexes. Jenna popped open the trunk.
"Here we are," said Jenna.
"So you live off base," I said.
"it's only a short commute to the base."
I got my luggage out of the car and closed the trunk. I then followed Jenna and she unblocked the door.
The living room was small with a blue carpet. I could see couches, a coffee table, bookcases, and a television. Behind the living room was a kitchen and a small dining room. A door next to the living room led to a hallway where the bedrooms and bathroom were located.
"Are you hungry?" asked Jenna. "I can get you some snacks."
"Okay," I said, receiving a box of Ritz crackers. "so how's it like over here."
"It's good," said Jenna. "A lot warmer than Alaska."
"You know, the U.S. was actually going to attack the SDF-1," I said. "They wanted the U.N out. I guess they reconsiudered their position."
"The whole base was on high alert that day," said Jenna. "Of course, now we have a liaison from the U.S. Marine Corps. He's a major, and he's a decade older than me."
Jenna got something out of the cabinet. I saw it was a can. "Creamy tomato bisque soup," she said. "that will be our lunch."
"I thought we would do something like go out for lunch," I said.
"No, that's dinner. I'll make dinner reservations after we eat."
And so she cooked the creamy tomato bisque soup and I ate it. It had this tangy taste, and there were chunks of tomatoes in it.
"So what's it like traching others how to fly veritechs?" I asked.
"Most of the time, I'm training them in simulators," said Jenna. "They have to be simulator -ready before they can take the stick. I took a couple of students up in the air. They have to handle fighter mode before training in guardian or battloid mode. When I am not traching them, I am doing paperwork. Now I know where they came up with the term major. As soon as you get promoted to major, you get major paperwork."
"So true," I said. "Your job turning out to be a lot like mine. My job is mostly paperwork."
"You do get to do more than that. You get to go to places and talk to all sorts of people."
"That's what I like about this job. I wouldn't want to give it up."
"And I would not want to give up flying either," said Jenna. "My position is mostly paperwork now. It sure is a lot different than being a second lieutenant or even a first lieutenant."
oooooooooooo
That evening, after spending the day of doing whatever around the house, Jenna and I went to an Italian restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. I ordered a special- veal parmigiana, minsestrone soup, and bruschetta. Complimentary breadsaticks were served.
The meal was expensive, and well worth it. The veal was served piping hot and served on a bed of spaghetti. It wasa like melting in my mouth. In between chewing, Jenna and I talked about little things, such as my life in New York and her life in Palm Springs.
"I haven't shot guns in a while," I said, after swallowing some veal. "I haven't found a shooting range in Manhattan."
"I could take you to the base," said Jenna. "We havwe an indoor firing range. Where did you get into shooting?"
"Vince introduced me to the sport."
We continued eating.
"Do you see her over there?" asked Jenna.
"Who?" I asked, seeing a bunch of people sitting around, none of them looking out of the ordinary.
"That's Jan Morris," said Jenna. "She was in the Miss Macross competition two years ago!"
I looked and saw a woman with curly blond hair. "You're right," I said. I could never forget the Miss Macross contest.
A few minutes later, Jan Morris stood up. Jenna also stood up and approached her. I listened.
"Hi there," she said. "you might not remember me. My name is Jenna Murphy. I was a contestant for Miss Macross."
"Oh yes," said Jan Morris. "I remember Miss Macross. A pity I did not win."
"When did you get here?" she asked.
"I have a home in Palm Springs. After the SDF-1 landed, I found out there were survivors here, so I arranged for a flight here. My home survived, so I decided to live here. Excuse me, but I must go to the ladies' room."
Jenna sat back down as Jan Morris went to the restroom. Jenna and I finished our meal and our delicious wine, talking about our plans for the future.
She paid the bill and we both left the restaurant, full and satisfied and eager for dessert.
ooooooooooooooo
I woke up the mext morning and I looked and I saw the time was 9:30.
"Get up!" yelled Jenna. "Get dressed."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"You'll find out."
ooooooooooooo
A few minutes later, I was riding in Jenna's Chevrolet Camaro. I could see a chain linked fence topped with barbed wire. Behind the fence were buildings and hangars; this was not the Palm Springs Regional Airport.
"This is the air field where I work," said Jenna. "We're going in."
"My flight leaves at two o'clock," I said.
"We should have enough time."
She stopped at the gate and showed her ID to the UN Air Force security police sergeant. He waved us through.
"We have four training squadrons- one for the Air Force, Spacy, Ocean Patrol, and the Marines." Jenna poarked in a small parking lot. "This is the offices of the 18th Marine Veritech Fighter Training Squadron," she said. "Since I'm the XO, I get my own reserved parking space."
"Who's here?" I asked.
"Just the weekened shift," said Jenna. "Let's go to the firing range first. It's down the street."
And so we did. The firing range was inside a small building just down the street from the squadron office.
"Hey there," said a young man in an Air Force uniform.
"I'm taking this civilian to practice shooting," said Jenna. "I'll need a box of bullets and goggles and earmuffs and two targets."
Soon we got the bullets and earmuffs. "Make sure you enter with yourear and eye protection," said the Air Force man. "Here are your targets. You have Lane One."
And we entered the huge room where all the lanes are. We went to Lane One. Jenna hung the target.
"You know how to load the pistol, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said, looking at the Beretta M93R semiautomatic postol. I loaded the cartridges into the magazine and then inserted the magazine into the space inside the pistol's group.
Jenna set the target about ten feet back. "The target's ready."
And I aimed and pulled the trigger. Even with the earmuffs, I could hear the loud bag and the impact of the spent cartridges as they hit the floor. I could see holes being made in the target. After I used up all of my bullets, I reloaded and fired. After a while, I used up all by bullets.
Jenna used a lever to bring the target back. "Very good," she said. "Most of your bullets went through the chest area. Now it's my turn."
Seh hangs her target on the clips, and then uses the lever to send the target back. She takes the pistol and inserts a loaded magazine. She then fires the pistol over and over again. I could see the holes being made by the bullets.
Then she was done. I saw the bullets all went through a small section of the chest area.
"How about we take a cruise in the VT's," she said.
And so we did.
ooooooooooooooo
The first thing Jenna did was obtain a spare flight suit from the squadron's supply clerk. We went to her private office and I placed the flight suit on.
"Amazing," said Jenna. "My own private office."
I looked around. It looked like a typical office, with a personal computer, telephone, desk, file cabinets, and a bookcase. There were also UN Space Marine recruitment posters on the walls.
Then we left the office. Jenna drove me to the squadron's hangar, which was not far. We went througn a small door and I looked and saw orange-colored veritech planes, along with their support vehicles and equipment.
"These are VT's- veritech trainers," said Jenna. "I remember when I first took flight in these. Major Beckett was my instructor at the time, along with Captain Colmes. The trainer's gunpod has paintball ammunition; we haven't done live ammunition exercises yet. Now I'm the one in the instructor's seat."
She pressed a button and the main hangar doors opene, allowing in sunlight.
"Climb in," she said, pulling down the ladder. I climbed in and entered the back seat. Jenna climbed into the front seat. She retracted the ladder and closed the cockpit canopy.
"Did you have the flight plan cleared?" I asked, putting on my helmet.
"I submitted my flight plan on Friday," said Jenna. "I was scheduling a weekend trainign exercise." She taxied the veritech to a taxiway. "This is Trainer Two," she said. "All systems are go and we are reasy for takeoff."
"Copy that," said a male voice. "you are cleared to take off on runway 1N."
She taxied to the runway, and pushed the throttle forward. Soon we were rising in the air. I looked down and saw Palm Springs. Soon we were flying over the desert.
"If you look to your right, you will see the Salton Sea," said Jenna.
I looked down and saw a small lake.
"it used to be a lot bigger," said Jenna. "But the water was vaporized during the Rain of Death. It has only begun to refill." She turned the plane around. "We are now heading for the bombing range. That is where we practice flight maneuvers." We flew for a few minutes. "Here we are."
I looked down and saw a crater-filled landscape. "Not much here," I said.
"When we have training missions, we set up targets," said Jenna. "then we send the student pilots and blast the targets. Do you want to take the stick?"
"Who me? I'm not a pilot."
"Imagijne how I felt when I first took the stick. Anyway, I'm riding in front. I can take us back alive in case you put us in a dive. Why don't we try climbing?"
"I know I have to pull the stick," I said. "I remember trying out the veritech simulators."
"You also have to increase engine throttle. Push the throttle lever to do so."
And so I pulled the stick and pushed the throttle lever. I saw the altitude reading increase.
"Good," said Jenna. "Now let's move to the right."
"Okay," I said. I moved the stick to the right and the plane banked in that direction. I looked at the gauges. "We're losing altitude."
"Press on the right rudder pedal."
I looked down and saw foot pedals. I pressed the right one.
"Now increase engine throttle."
And so I pushed the throttle forward and I could see we were not losing altitude.
"Excellent," said Jenna. "Now we make a left turn. It's like a right turn, except you substitute left when you mean right."
"Okay," I said. I pushed the stick to the left, increased throttle, and stepped on the left rudder pedal. The plane moved to the left.
"Good," said Jenna. "Now we will descend,a dn I'm not talking abiout taking a dive. to descend, you reduce throttle by pulling back. Then you push the stick. got it?"
"Yeah," I said. I pushed the stick forward even as I reduced the airspeed. I saw the altimeter reading go down.
"Perfect," said Jenna. "Now I will perform a trick called the loop. Make sure your seat belt is fastened."
"Okay," I said.
And then we started to clib upwards fast. I looked at the sky above, and then I looked and saw the ground was above me. We were upside down. Then we completed the loop and we were downside up again.
"Okay," said Jenna. "that was cool, wasn't it. Now let's head back to base."
"We have a combat alert," said a voice. "We have reports of hostile Zentraedi activity in the Lucerne Valley."
"this is Trainer Two," said Jenna. "I'm already in the air."
"Fly over there and see what is going on," said the voice.
"Ready for action?" asked Jenna.
"Okay," I said.
She changed direction. We flew over some mountains I could see the broad, crater-fileld expanse of the Mojave Desert. I noticed we were losing altitude.
"Switching to guardian mode," said Jenna. I looked and saw the airspeed indicator go below one hundred knots. "We are no flying in guardian mode. This allows us to fly at low altitudes.
I looked ahead and saw some human-shaped figures. They wewre clearly too tall to be human.
"Backup ETA is five minutes," said the voice.
"Switching to battloid mode," said Jenna. I saw the cockpit reconfigure itself. The monitor came on allowing me to see what the head camera sees. I could see the Zentraedi clearly; the image must be magnified.
"Are those allied Zentraedi?" I asked. "I know that Zentraedi engineers are assisting in reconstruction."
"We'll just wait until backup arrives," said Jenna. "We'll surround them and ask for identification."
And then one of them opened fire at us. "I guess they answered our question," I said.
Jenna switched the veritech to guardian mode and flew to the Zentraedis. She opened fire with the lasers. Then she switched to battloid mode and we hid in a creekbed. she then jumped and opened fire with the gunpod.
She had forgeotten that the gunpod was loaded with paintball ammunition. But it was not a total waste, for their eyes were covered in paint. They wandered around, wondering where we were.
Then I saw more veritech fighters fly in and change into battloid mode.
"We'll take it from here," said the commander of the battloid flight.
"I'll return to base," said Jenna. She changed into fighter mode and then flew us back to the base. Minutes later, the landing gear tires made contact with the runway.
oooooooooooooooo
Later that day, I was back in the American Airlines terminal at the Palm Springs regional airport. I placed my luggage on the luggage conveyer. I then went to the gate. Soon ther announcement came for my flight back to New York.
"Well, goodbye," said Jenna. "I hope to see you again soon."
I kissed her. "Goodbye," I said.
I then boarded the plane and it took me back to New York. As it began its final approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport, I noticed a thick, gray cloud cover below us. Soon the only view was the clouds. We were descending through the clouds more many minutes. Then the clouds faded and I could see the ground below me- streets, buildings, cars, electrical poles. I saw drops of water on the window. It was raining.
The plane touched down and taxied to the terminal. Soon a jetway was extended to the plane and I got off. I headed to the baggage claim, got my luggage, and then went out to get to the airport shuttle that would take me to my apartment in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. I went out and let the raindrops fall on me.
I had not experienced rain in years.
oooooooooooooo
I took the subway back to my family home in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens for Christmas. This was my first Christmas on Earth in so many years. Snow blanketed the front lawn of my family's house. I entered the living room which already had a Christmas tree complete with lights. I heard the heater running and I removed my hat and coat.
"Hi there," said Mom. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you too," I said, giving her a hug.
"Hey, son," said Dad. "Merry Christmas."
Soon everyone came. Sally, Tony, Tammy, and Oliver. Sally's husband, their daughter, and their newly born son. Mom had prepared a nice juicy turkey for us. We all sat around the dining table.
"Before we begin," said Dad. "Let us thank the Lord for the bounty which He has given us, and for watching over each of us."
"Amen," we all said.
"Let's eat."
And so we did. Mom sliced the turkey and we each got some gravy and stuffing. The turkey was very moist, for it had been deep fried. Wine was served for the occasion. We all talked about our lives. I once again shared stories about my journey on board the SDF-1. I was not the only one to tell stories, for Sally just had a baby two months before.
"Raising children is a real handful," she said.
"I know," said Mom. "I had to raise the five of you."
"I'll be on maternity leave for a while."
"you know, I was just informed that I was awarded the Pulitzer Prize," I said.
"Really?" asked Tony. "That's cool."
"What's that?" asked Tammy.
"It's an award given to reporters for their work."
"That figures," said Oliver. "I mean, you wrote the story of the SDF-1's trip through space and about what all the people on the ship went through."
"The award ceremony's on Friday," I said.
And we continued eating our dinner of turkey, gravy, and stuffing. After finishing the wine, we exchanged gifts and we took pictures. I would always remember this. My gifts included sweaters, pants, CD-R's, and video games.
That evening, I slept in my old bedroom, intending to return to my apartment tomorrow. Before I went to sleep, I looked out the window towards the night sky, wondering how Jenna was feeling.
oooooooooooooooo
The Pulitzer Prize ceremony was held the first Friday night after Christmas. I was dressed in my suit. The reporters and staff from ym office was there, as well as the senior executives of the Associated Press.
I stepped up to the podium. The host announced that I had been officially awarded the Pulitzer Prize for my series on the SDF-1. Photographer snapped pictures.
"My experience on the SDF-1 was remarkable," I said to everyone in the room. "It was the story of a people whisked away into space by unusual circunstances who did the best they could. Families stayed together, new friendships were forged, and new romances were even sparked. And I can not forget those who gave their lives so those people could make it back to Earth. So I could be here. Those people were the true heroes. I want to propose a toast to those heroes."
And we all did.
Later, after dinner was finished, the Chairman of the Associated Press spoke to me. He was dressed in a three-piece suit.
"Yes," I said.
"Construction of the new city near the SDF-1 is nearly done," said the Chairman. "The homes and offices should be readyh for habitation by next month. Listen, we want to open a new bureau at Macross City and I want you to run it. You will be paid the salary of a bureau chief, and you will have an expense account to rent an office, buy supplies and equipment, and hire reporters and staff."
"I am honored, sir. Why me?"
"For two years you reported on the events of the SDF-1's journey on your own. You're capable of running an office. You articles prove that. New York is too packed with reporters. It was the highest population of reporters of any city on Earth."
"There aren't that many cities left on Earth, sir. New York was the most populated city to survive the war intact."
"You can choose to stay in New York if you want to. I am sure there are other qualified people to run the Macross City bureau. If you stay in New York, you will do the stories that your boss assigns you. I'm not putting down Mr. Chegwidden; he's a fine reporter and editor."
"Yes, sir."
"But you can not realize your full potential as a reporter unless you have your own office. You have one week to decide. If you choose to stay in New york, I will understand. I won't hold it against you. I can find someone else. But you are the best, and that is why I came to you first."
"I'll accept the offer," I said.
"Perfect," said the Chairman. "Come to my office Monday so we can make the preparations for your move to Macross City. We will pay all of your moving costs."
ooooooooooooooooo
"Amazing, "said Quinn as we returned to our apartment. "You're gonna be the boss. Your own fucking office!"
"I had my own office before when I was on SDF-1," I said.
"I am going to miss you, Scoop. I mean, who's gonna pay half of my utilities and rent? I'd better check my messages."
I sat down and watched television. It was some old sitcom from about six years back. I knew that studios in New York had a huge explosion in business since the Rain of Death.
"This message is for you," said Quinn. "I'll play it."
"It's me, Jenna," the message said. "I want to tell you that I've just arrived in New York with my friends. We're all gonna celebrate New Years in Times Square. We're staying at the Marriott hotel."
ooooooooooooo
The next day, on New Year's Eve, Jenna and her friends paid me a visit in my apartment. They were all wearing hats and coats.
"Hi there," she said, giving me a kiss.
"Hello," I said to Jenna. "Hi," I said to her friends who were once her wingmates. "This is my coworker, roommate, and friend Quinn Sullivan."
"Hi," he said to them.
"Hello, Quinn," said Katie Taney. "I'm Katie Taney. I used to be Jenna's wingmate. We all kept in touch and we all decided to fly here to celebrate New Year's Eve at Times Square."
"Times Square is da bomb!" says Quinn.
"You know," I said. "I was given a promotion."
"Where?" asked Jenna.
"The Associated Press is gonna open a Macross City Bureau, and I am going to be the chief editor."
"That's like what you did," said Katie.
"Except I'm gonna have a much bigger budget, enough to hire new reporters."
"Anything else happening in this city?" asked Jonathan Wolfe.
"Did you see that Zentraedi cruiser in Queens as you flew in?"
"How could we not notice?" asked Katie. "We saw it as the limo took us to Manhattan."
"Well, the city is going to build inside it and around it. It's going to be a huge residential and commercial complex. Maybe I'll fly back here to visit the place once construction is finished. It will take about two more years to finish."
"Listen, guys," said Quinn. "We should be at Times Square at five PM. It gets so crowded at around ten that you have to squeeze through people."
ooooooooooooooo
All of us- my friends, Jenna's friends, and any dates they brought along- were at Times Square by six o'clock. It was dark, the lights only coming from the electronic and holographic billboards and the street lights. Police barricades blocked off the streets. There were plenty of barsd, nighclubs, and restaruants along this world-famous place. Even eight months after a global holocaust, Times Square was still a place to party. There were bands playing and singers singing. Police officers and New York Army National Guasrd soldiers stood watch. I even saw Tomahawk destroids on the streets. If an enemy from Earth or beyond were to attack us on this of all evenings, they would be given an appropriate greeting.
"Greetings," said the host, dressed in a tuxedo. "What a year it has been. It was the year where the human race gotm into a staring contest with annihilation, and the human race won. I want to dedicate this celebration to those who could not be with us on this day."
So I spoke with my friends and Jenna's friends as we had a party. For these few hours, the struggles I endured in the past and the challenges I will face in the future were buried. There was only now. I did not even feel the cold and snowfall. Hot coffee was being served from carts and kiosks at inflated prices. Occasionally, at the beginning of each hour, we were informed where on Earth the new year arrived.
Finally, eleven fifty-nine came.
Then we started counting down. "Sixty!" we shouted in unison. "Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight. Fifty-seven. Fifty-six. Fifty-five. Fifty-four. Fifty-three. Fifty-two. Fifty-one. Fifty. Forty-nine. Forty-eight. Forty-seven. Forty-six. Forty-five. Forty-four. Forty-three. Forty-two. Forty-one. Forty. Thirty-nine. Thirty-eight. Thirty-seven. Thirty-six. Thirty-five. Thirty-four. Thirty-three. Thirty-two. Thirty-one." Half a minute left. "Thirty. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven. Twenty-six. Twenty-five. Twenty-four. Twenty-three. Twenty-two. Twenty-one. Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen. Sixteen. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven." Just one-sixth of a minute left. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three! Two! One!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" we all shouted. Fireworks were launched and balloons were realased into the air.
"Happy new year," I said to Jenna, looking into her clear blue eyes. I kissed her.
"Happy New Year to you too," she said.
We all greeted Happy New Year to each other. We took so many pictures we used up three rolls of film. The band continued playing and we were dancing in the streets.
But then it was time for us to go home. We had the rest of the new year to go on with our lives.
ooooooooooooooooo
After the Associated Press headquarters made all the arrangements, it was time for me to go. I had a happy hour toast the previous afternoon. Now I was at John F. Kennedy International Airport, waiting for American Airlines Flight 77.
"Take care," said Quinn.
"You too," I said. "I'll send a postcard once I get settled in."
I went through the detector and walked along to the gate where Flight 77 would board. There were a few other people with me.
Then an announcer said that Flight 77 to Macross City was now boarding.
I took my carry-on luggage and showed my boarding pass to the lady at the gate and walked through the jetway into the Boeing 767. I took my assigned seat and sat down. I fastened my seat belt. the other passengers came and took their seats.
"All passengers, this is the captain speaking," said the pilot. "We are now leaving for Macross City. Make sure your seat belt is fastened and your trsy is in the upright position."
I heard the plane's tires roll along the concrete as it taxied to the runway. Then I felt pushed back as the pilot increased the throttle of the engine. Soon I felt the plane rise up, and we were on our way to Macross City.
To my new job and my new life.