Despite the size of the Macross Multiplex, it wasn't difficult getting to the exit. The whole place seemed empty since everyone was watching a movie. It was a long walk, but Rick and Lisa finally made it to a corridor that led outside.
He'd never been so nervous in his life. Lisa wasn't supposed to react this way -- he'd never seen her at anything less than prudent, collected and extremely professional. To be acting as drastically as she was, something had to be terribly wrong. And Rick had a sinking feeling that he was the cause of it.
I don't know what I did this time, he sighed to himself. But when it's over, I bet I'll be sorry...
Lisa walked quietly behind him. Rick could almost feel how tense she was. But now, she was carrying herself with a little more confidence.
The corridor was split down the middle by a long stretch of rope. On one side, paying customers could enter the doors to their movies. The other side was just a trip to the exit. Rick remembered his childhood days, skipping under the ropes when no one was looking, and catching another movie for free. It wasn't a fond memory, but he laughed at himself anyway.
The sounds of a dozen Space Battles began to fill the hall. Soon, Rick wasn't able to hear Lisa's footsteps. He glanced over his shoulder, just in case.
"You there?" he asked.
Lisa was just inches behind him. Rick almost jumped with surprise. "Oh -- hey," he smiled awkwardly.
Hello, she whispered sternly. Her green eyes were filled with more determination than he'd ever seen.
Laser fire and explosions came from inside a theater as they passed it. And from the next one, it was the eerie breathing of Dark Invader. Rick could tell that Lisa was even closer. She was nearly brushing against his jacket. He picked up his pace, but he didn't want to seem obvious.
A giant movie poster was hanging from the wall. Apparently, a new science fiction movie was coming out in a few weeks. In Space, read the tag line, No One Can Hear You Bleed.
Oooh, thought Rick, trying not to laugh.
Death on Mars was the name of the film. The poster showed a landscape of the red planet, Mars. A skeleton's hand was thrusting up from beneath the dust, and a blood-soaked space helmet lay beside it.
"Hmm," Rick thought aloud. "That looks good..."
"What looks good?" asked Lisa.
She peeked around Rick's side and saw the poster. Immediately, she panicked. Rick had to catch her from falling over the ropes.
Obvious or not, it was time to get the heck out. Rick put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her along at his side. He went as quickly as he could, until he was almost running. But he didn't get far, until Lisa fell out of his arms and landed on the floor.
"Come on," said Rick. He stretched out his hand and tried to be encouraging. "We're almost there, you can do it."
Lisa tried to catch her breath. She rubbed her ankle and glared up at Rick.
"Not...like this...I can't! ...I'm wearing heels!"
"...Oh. Um, sorry."
Rick helped her off the ground. She nodded quietly, but politely, and they continued on with something of a smile on their faces.
"I think we're lost."
"No, I don't think so...the signs all pointed this way."
Rick tried to stay positive, but he'd never seen so many dark corridors since the SDF-1. It felt like the exit signs were running him in a giant circle. But he figured that as long as he was on the correct side of the rope, he'd get to an exit eventually.
He was starving. Since he'd planned on going out after the movie, he'd skipped dinner. And now, even the movie-sized boxes of chocolate malt balls seemed appetizing.
At least Lisa was becoming more relaxed. They were in a quieter wing of the Multiplex now, and many of the screens weren't showing a movie. But still, Lisa seemed a bit tense.
What could be bothering her so much? thought Rick. Maybe she just doesn't like movies...but if that's the case, what was she doing here? It just doesn't make sense...
He'd been trying to make sense of it for a while. Whatever her problem was, he sure didn't want to make it worse. It was not wise to get on Lisa Hayes' bad side. But for all his pondering, he still couldn't pin the blame on himself.
Space Battle...
Battles...in space...
Death on Mars...
His leg collided with a sturdy piece of metal. "Owch!" he cried.
Lisa jumped. "What! What's going on?"
A cheerful robotic voice answered them both. Excuse me. Tickets please!
Standing in Rick's path was a short, square-looking robot, mostly devoid of features except for a few blinking lights and an antenna on top. It rolled backwards a little as Rick rubbed his sore leg.
"What?" said Rick.
"Tickets please," repeated the robot.
"What do you mean, tickets?"
"You are required to present a ticket before viewing a movie."
"But we're not going to..."
The robot's antenna perked up. "You cannot refuse to submit a ticket! Attempting to sneak into a theater is a punishable offense!"
Rick rubbed his face, aggravated. "No, you idiot! We're not going to see a movie. We want to leave."
"Ushers are on their way to escort you out! Law enforcement agents will be called if you resist!"
The robot scooted around in circles flailing its antenna. Rick was glad the hallway was empty; he wondered how quietly he could smash the little thing to pieces. And whether all of the evidence would fit inside a garbage can.
But as he rolled up his sleeves, Lisa calmly stepped in front of him. She bent down, picked up the robot with both hands, and lifted it over top of the ropes. She set it down carefully on the other side. The robot stopped for a second, wiggled its antenna, and seemed to look around.
"Re-calibrating to match hallway schematics..."
It looked at the ropes, and then at Rick and Lisa. "Good evening," it said calmly. "Did you enjoy your movie?"
"Not really," smiled Lisa.
"I am sorry. Perhaps your next film will be better. Have a very pleasant evening."
It rolled quietly away, leaving Rick somewhat dumbfounded. Lisa covered the smile on her face and looked up at him.
"See? He was just on the wrong side."
"Um...yeah. Yeah, I see that." Rick exhaled the rest of his frustration. "Think we can find a way out of here?"
"I sure hope so."
"Good," he replied as they disappeared down the hallway. "This place is trying my patience."
The glass door flew open with the force of a sharp kick. The neon "Open" sign in the window almost fell over. Rick and Lisa stumbled in, soaking wet, and a violent thunderstorm was pouring rain on the streets behind them.
The diner was empty, except for a bored waitress leaning against the counter. She paid little attention to them as they passed her by, dropping into a booth and sighing almost in unison.
Rick sat back against the uncomfortable booth. "Oh man...what the heck is going on? We got passed up by...what, five cabs?"
Lisa quietly picked up a sheet of paper on their table. She looked it over and handed it to Rick with a groan.
Attention!
Due to the obvious failure of the proposed "Hug a Cabbie Day,"
Macross City is looking for new ways to show our appreciation
for cab drivers.
Starting October 2nd at midnight, cabbies will have the whole day off!
REMEMBER -- OCTOBER 2nd IS "NO CAB DAY!"
Rick tossed the paper aside, and shrugged tiredly at Lisa.
"You can't seriously want to fix that car, Ben."
Max walked up the stairway to his apartment, with Ben quickly in tow. He stopped at a landing for his friend to catch up.
"Sure, why not?" Ben huffed. "She's been great to me! I can't let that baby go."
"All right," Max rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying...maybe it's time to let her go, you know?"
"Not a chance, man. That car will last me forever."
"Not the way you treat it..." Max laughed.
"What are you trying to say? I do everything I'm supposed to! I even change the oil myself!"
"Oh, I've seen you change the oil. You just put back the old oil from the last time you changed it."
"What's wrong with that?"
They stopped at Max's door, and he fished through his pockets for the key. "I wonder if Rick remembered 'No Cab Day,'" he said.
"No doubt," said Ben. "He probably just left and found something else to do."
Rick couldn't remember a time when he was so nervous. He sipped his coffee in complete silence without a clue as to what he would say. Lisa sat across from him, just as quiet, but nowhere near as proud as she normally appeared. Maybe it was her wet hair and clothing. Maybe she was just plain sick of being with Rick, especially after what she'd been through at the theater. She looked completely worn out.
And he still didn't understand why she'd acted the way she did. But he knew he was close to discovering it, whether he wanted to or not.
Lisa slowly set down her coffee. It was empty. She looked around for the waitress but couldn't find her.
She took a shaky breath. "Well, Lieutenant Hunter," she said quietly, "you certainly have a knack for finding me at my worst."
"I'm not sure I understand," said Rick.
"Well, you know... first Mars Base, and now this..."
It carried like a gunshot in his mind. Mars Base!
"I...uh...well, I'd almost forgotten about that," he smiled.
Lisa looked away, but smiled back. "You're too kind."
Rick tried to flag down the waitress. She went through the doors to the kitchen without looking back.
"I probably never thanked you for saving my life," Lisa said bashfully. "And...I didn't give you much of an explanation for my actions...and I've been unnecessarily harsh on you lately, and..."
Rick watched her look down at the empty cup of coffee. He tried not to let his nervousness show.
"God," she sighed. "I'm such a jerk."
He frowned, and tried to look her in the eye. "Hey, I don't think that's..."
"No. You know what? That's just what I am. I'm a cold, heartless...what'd you call me?"
Rick chuckled tensely. "Oh, you know...I didn't...I mean..."
"Sourpuss. That's what I am, an old sourpuss. And for that, Lieutenant...I apologize."
She quickly got up to leave. But before she could slide out of the booth, Rick grabbed her by the hand. She gasped and turned her head, and for the first time in nearly an hour, she looked him in the eyes.
He gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm about as disrespectful as they come, aren't I?"
Her eyes flashed down at Rick's hand, then back at his eyes. "I...I don't..."
"I never even thought about it," he said, and gently let her go. "I don't think I've ever said an encouraging thing to you. I'm rude, I've got a temper like crazy...and I don't take direction very well."
She took a dumbfounded breath. "No...you don't..." she whispered.
"I'm sorry," he said, earnestly.
They spent a moment in silence. Lisa looked back down at her hand.
"I'm not so tough," said Rick. "I mean...just look at me! I'm just some kid stuck in a war." He threw his hands lightly in the air. "The truth is...I'm pretty scared."
Lisa slowly sat back down. She watched Rick carefully; now he was having trouble finding her eyes.
"I try to put on this front...kind of keep everything out of my head. But...I really respect you. I admire what you do. You're looking after my life every time I fly."
She blushed deeply, and tried her best to hide it. "I just...don't let you land," she smiled.
They shared a laugh; a sigh of relief. The rain pounded just as hard against the window, and the thunder clapped just as loud, but neither of them seemed to notice. They sat quietly, exhausted but much less fatigued.
That was, until the waitress appeared out of nowhere and scared both of them to death.
"More coffee?" she called out, apparently as loudly as she could.
Rick grated his fingers against the table. "Sure! Yes, coffee would be great, thank you."
Roy came down the hallway, pushing through a sea of movie-goers on their way out. He finally made it to Claudia. They made their way back into the crowd and headed for the door.
"I can't find Rick!" said Roy.
"And I can't find Lisa!" Claudia shrugged. "I could've sworn she was sitting right next to us the whole time! When could she have left?"
"I don't know...I hope she's all right."
A group of nerdy-looking boys started giggling beside Claudia. One of them pretended to trip, and fell towards her with his hands conveniently reaching for her chest. Claudia punched the little guy in the face before he could touch her.
"And what about Rick?" she continued. "I thought you said he was looking forward to this!"
"He was," said Roy. He eyed the wounded boy on the floor, a little stunned, as they passed the group by. "He...um...yeah! That's all he talked about all week!"
"Gosh, this is just our luck..."
Roy sighed. "Well...I told you it wouldn't work. They'd never go for something like this..."
Claudia frowned. "Maybe if they just loosened up a little!"
A young man in a Strike Trooper costume tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me," he said, "have you seen my lightsaber...?"
Claudia growled impatiently. She grabbed the fellow by his head, and pounded the plastic helmet against a garbage can.
"Whoa!" Roy laughed.
The Strike Trooper wobbled around dizzily. "Ouch!" he moaned. "What the hell was that for!"
Claudia folded her arms. "That's for trying a cheesy pickup line on me!"
He rubbed the top of his helmet. "What pickup line? I'm just looking for my lightsaber! I dropped it, all right?"
Claudia covered her mouth shyly. "Oh! Um...oh...sorry!"
Rick tried to shelter himself under the doorway to Lisa's apartment. The rain was coming down harder every minute, and it was a long walk home. But he'd deal with that later.
Lisa stood inside, with a bashful smile on her face. Her green eyes held a sparkle that Rick had never seen before. She sniffed from the cold and her hair was a soaking mess, but she was still smiling, and still content to stand in the doorway.
"Did I ruin your night?" she asked shyly.
"Oh no," said Rick. "No, not at all...in fact...you made it a lot of fun."
Lisa played with her wet hair. "Oh, I'm sure. Sitting around in a dingy old diner, with a girl who goes crazy in movie theaters..."
"Don't feel bad," he smiled. "I really did have a good time."
She nodded to the floor and shuffled her feet a little. The wind began to kick up; some of the rain was blowing in through the open doorway. Lisa didn't seem to care.
"Well...thank you for everything, Lieutenant Hunter."
Rick winced at the mention of his rank. "Oh...come on, now! Please, don't say the L-word on weekends."
She giggled at herself. "I'm sorry."
"I'm more comfortable with Rick...if you don't mind."
"Of course! And I really appreciate you spending the evening with me..." Lisa seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "...Rick."
"My pleasure," said Rick courteously. He grinned a little. "Do you, uh...still prefer 'Commander' on weekends...or can I call you Lisa?"
"Please do!" she said eagerly, and seemed to blush a little.
They said their goodnights. Lisa invited Rick inside to warm up, but she didn't seem to offer very hard, so he declined. This was all just a bit too much for him anyway.
As he stepped through the puddles in the sidewalk, he remembered the sparkle in Lisa's green eyes. He must have completely misjudged her. The Lisa he saw tonight was totally different from what he was used to. She was timid, and kind, and to Rick's surprise, she was very warm. And if he hadn't been so hot-tempered all the time, he might have noticed sooner.
She wasn't just an angry face on a computer screen. She was a human being, with a sparkle in her green eyes.
As he rounded the street corner, heremembered the movie poster -- Death on Mars. It dragged at his heart. His thoughts trailed back to a mission to the Red Planet, to save Lisa Hayes from the grasp of a dead man.
He decided to take the long way home.