5. Eternal Summer

Six o'clock found Sora and Kairi busy preparing their deck for dinner. Their table had been laid out for eight people, including themselves. Sora was now getting the charcoal grill lit so the embers would be hot enough to cook on in a few minutes. He added a small squirt of lighter fluid to help it along, careful to not overuse it. There had been an unfortunate accident not long ago that ended in some seriously burnt hot dogs and an angry Kairi. Now Sora never used more than a half-second squirt at most.

Meanwhile, Kairi was filling coolers with water and the ice they had bought. She filled them most of the way up, placed the beverages inside, and put down a small layer of ice over them. It got the drinks cold quickly while still keeping them accessible. Kairi had a knack for party preparations. If there was a way to get something done faster, better, or more efficiently, Kairi knew about it and used it. One trick was to add some salt to the ice water. It cooled the drinks faster. Kairi didn't know the physics behind it, nor did she care. It worked, and that was all that mattered.

Though their house wasn't especially large, it was very good for parties. The deck opened directly onto the beach, whose white sands gently sloped into the surf. A wooden table with optional expansion sections sat opposite the red charcoal grill that Sora favored, leaving plenty of space open for people to move around. The kitchen and the deck were separated by glass doors that slid into the walls, creating a large opening. It was handy for transporting the volleyball net from the garage to the beach.

On the inside, the kitchen and living room had no clear division between themselves. In the event of a sudden squall, the two rooms had more than enough room between them to comfortably fit twenty people; more if some sat on the L-shaped couch. The flat-screen TV in the living room was connected to the best cable provider on Aegis. When Sora and Kairi moved in, Sora had wanted to get the satellite sports package, but a law had been recently passed restricting all satellite activity to government operations. Still, he could watch nearly every sporting event on Aegis.

Kairi had customized the kitchen to create a perfect preparation area for their famous barbecues. Sora could work on the sauce and meat while she made appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. The couple cooked together almost every chance they got. When somebody was hosting a party, they would always collaborate on making the perfect dish to bring.

Sora looked at the bottom of the grill's dish and saw that the coals were nearly ready. A noise to his left made him spin towards the beach. He calmed down when he saw it was just a jet ski making its way across the waves in the evening light. It seemed that his dreams were causing mild paranoia again. He brought up his hand to block the summer sun's rays.

There was little difference between the summer and winter sunsets. Seasons on Aegis were very mild. If someplace was cold during the winter, it was only slightly less cold in the summer. On the other hand, Sora and Kairi's residence was paradise year round. High heat, high humidity, long days, and no hurricanes. It was eternal summer, and Sora liked it almost as much as he did the Destiny Islands.

Kairi popped up next to him, inquiring about the state of the coals.

"Don't worry; they'll be ready in just a few minutes. I'm going to get the ribs right now. How soon until people start arriving?"

Glancing back at the clock in their kitchen, Kairi squinted to make out the time. "Well, it's six ten right now, and I told people to get here around six fifteen. So… forty-five minutes."

"I asked when people would arrive, not how long until Olette can drag Hayner gets here."

Kairi giggled. "Well, in that case, it's about ten minutes. Nobody is ever exactly on time. We should be alright on cooking time."

Sora smiled and nodded, satisfied that he would have plenty of time to prepare the food. If Hayner got there late again, it was his loss. It was unfortunate that Olette would miss out on hot food, though. Maybe she would be able to get him moving early today. Of course, Satan might have to bundle up today, but neither was very likely.

***

Everyone lined up in the kitchen to get their food. Tidus and Wakka pushed and shoved in order to get the first crack at the plate of ribs. Though Tidus was considered the superior fighter, Wakka simply used his greater size to edge out a victory, reaping the delicious spoils of the best barbecue.

The pair had been in constant competition as children, and it hadn't stopped when they grew up. Events just seemed to conspire in order to keep them competing. For a while, both of them were interested in the same girl, but in the end, she ended up dating the bouncer at their favorite club. Then, when their mandatory military service began, Wakka had opted to take the standard Army infantry route, while Tidus became a Marine. When that particular topic came up, their arguments were absolutely insufferable.

Wakka bit into one of the ribs while he was still in line, cracking a joke about Tidus's choice of service with a mouth full of delectable barbecue. Tidus pushed him forward, eager to get some food and shut him up.

Amazingly, Hayner and Olette had arrived very nearly on time. Five minutes after they had arrived, Sora thought up a witty joke about seeing the devil in a winter jacket. He kicked himself for not thinking of it on the spot.

The sun shone in onto the plates of food, making them seem like platters in a king's feast. Mixed smells wafted from the kitchen, making those at the back of the line inhale deeply, savoring the scent of the delicious food. The line proceeded quickly, as everyone wanted to get their food and begin eating quickly.

***

"Warp contact. Range: Two thousand kilometers."

Corporal White's callout was acknowledged with a nod from the commanding officer on duty. "Hail them, Corporal. Make sure we don't have a time bomb on our hands."

"Yessir." White flipped the broadcast switch on his console. "Unknown ship, this is ODN Platform Marathon. Identify yourself."

There was a tense silence. The corporal was about to rebroadcast when a burst of static broke the quiet. "This is the Morgan. I've got some trouble with my broadcast array. Can I get some repairs over there?"

"Negative, Morgan. Power down until our scans are complete."

Silence once again permeated the small broadcast room while the long-range scanners searched over every inch of the slightly damaged Gummi ship, looking for any hint of stowaways or other threats. After several minutes, someone in another row on consoles gave a thumbs-up while looking at his screen. "That's as best we can do. The engines are leaking some radiation, and it's slightly interfering with our scan. It's nothing big. They look clean from here, sir."

The commanding officer gave a quick nod to Corporal White, who flipped the broadcast switch again. "Morgan, you are clear for landing in Hangar 2. Proceed on course 145.33 by 98.01 until you are within 5 kilometers of the hangar. You will receive additional instructions at that time."

Static hissed and popped until the pilot's voice came over the radio again, slightly fuzzy. "Copy that. Adjusting course."

Shifting in his seat, the broadcast room commander eyed his screen warily. "White, get Captain Darrin on the horn. I want her Marines in that hangar ten minutes before that thing lands."

***

Hayner licked his fingers as he finished the first rib. The barbecue sauce that Sora makes was simply irresistible. He wished he could make sauce as well as the spiky-haired Keyblade wielder. Of course, many people wished they could make as good a barbecue sauce as Sora could. It was a fairly common sentiment.

When Olette had told him that Sora was having another barbecue, Hayner had made a point of leaving right on time. It was one of the few things that could make him move with any kind of purpose. Of course, even though they had left on time, they had gotten caught in unusually bad rush hour traffic. It cost them nearly twenty minutes. It had been twenty minutes of Hayner worrying that all the food would have been eaten by the time they got there. Not only could Sora's barbecuing make Hayner leave on time, it could turn him into a nervous wreck if he thought there was a possibility of him missing out on it.

Now that the couple had arrived, though, Hayner was perfectly happy. He took a bite of a second rib, relishing the salty-sweet sauce on the meat grilled to perfection. It was restaurant quality. No, it was better than that. It was the kind of food that deserved to be served on golden platters by angels. When you ate it, your next meal tasted like cardboard by comparison.

And if that weren't enough, there was the potato salad that Kairi made. It was a wondrous dish that turned mere cheese and potatoes into something that would make the kings of old green with envy.

Hayner stopped eating for a mere fraction of a second. How is it that Sora and Kairi were not only two of the most powerful and feared humans in the universe, but were also incredibly good at cooking? It seemed like an unequal distribution of fortune. Not only could they slaughter Heartless by the thousands, but they could make a dinner to die for. The two skills didn't have any apparent connection between them.

He shrugged and continued eating. Their odd skill set, like the ingredients of silly putty, would remain a mystery to him. It was not worth thinking about when he could be devoting his entire brain to the delectable meal in front of him.

On his right side, Olette was also gnawing the last bits of meat from the bone. Unlike Hayner, however, she managed to eat without smearing sauce all over her face. Quite often, this turned into a contentious issue between them. Olette always tried to get Hayner to make a smaller mess. His response was always that the mess was part of the experience. To him, not getting messy was missing out on half the fun of ribs. Still, he never objected when Olette sighed and wiped his face with a wet napkin. He may have been an oddball, but he knew when to submit to her authority.

To his left, Pence was uneasily conversing with Selphie. Normally, Pence was not one to find himself stuck in an awkward situation, but the red-haired girl was just so… talkative. It blew his mind when she started talking. It never stopped. And while he was admittedly no expert on females, he could swear she was flirting with him.

The group of eight continued eating until all the food was completely gone. When the last specks of edible material were consumed, everyone helped put the dishes in the dishwasher. Tidus and Wakka brought dishes in, Selphie and Olette rinsed them in the sink, and Sora and Kairi put them in the dishwasher itself. While they were doing that, Hayner and Pence grabbed the volleyball net from the garage. They ran through the house, yelling incoherently at the top of their lungs. It was competition time.

***

"We've reached the hangar bay, Corporal. Relay that to your commander."

"Yes, ma'am."

Captain Meghan Darrin switched her radio to a company-wide broadcast. "Recheck all seals and safety valves. Make sure you're locked up tight. If you've got a problem, make sure I know about it."

Though the company of Marines was in an air-tight hangar bay with artificial gravity, nobody wanted to take any chances. Some would say that 100 heavily armed and armored soldiers was overkill for an inspection, but Darrin herself had seen entire battalions of 1000 troops get wiped out by fewer than ten Heartless. They had been the big, tough ones with living shields.

Needless to say, Captain Darrin felt perfectly justified in bringing her entire company to the bay in full vacuum gear. The possibility of losing an orbital platform on her watch was terrifying to comprehend. It even made the hassle of getting in the hot, bulky zero-atmosphere suits seem like putting on shorts and a T-shirt.

The company had been visibly irritated when she ordered them to secure vacuum weaponry. Because flamethrowers were prohibited on orbital installations, most weapons used incendiary rounds: projectiles that burned at 2500 degrees Celsius and tended to set the target on fire. But the lack of air negated the burning effect of standard rounds, so they needed to get the station quartermaster to sign off on ten thousand rounds of oxygen-enhanced incendiary rounds. It took nearly an hour to get the proper clearances.

However, none of that was on the mind of any Marine in the hangar bay. They were all eager to get a crack at the Heartless with a real weapon, not the "squirtguns" they were issued on the planet. They were all battle-hardened; every one of them had been in many battles against the Heartless on other worlds. The best of the best were stationed in space as the advance guard.

Darrin watched as her Marines took defensive positions behind crates, pipes, and anything else that offered cover. Satisfied that they were ready to defend the bay, she began another transmission to the broadcast room.

"Marines are in position, Corporal. We're ready for docking and inspection."

***

Selphie burst into laughter as Olette finished her story.

"Why was he making Molotov cocktails in the first place?"

Hayner, who was setting up the volleyball net, overheard her question. His pride demanded that he yell back his reason as he drove a stake into the sand with a mallet.

"Because the Heartless aren't vulnerable to much besides fire, and I don't have any mystical weapons at my beck and call!"

He reached over and smacked Sora in the back of the head. "Lucky little dirtbag. You get to be completely safe without anyone criticizing you. Me? It's always, 'Hayner, that's not effective.' 'Hayner, that's not very smart.' 'Hayner, that's not legal.'"

Sora smiled and drove his stake into the sand with one fell blow of his Keyblade. "Some of us are just luckier than others, I guess."

"You would say that."

"Just get the net set up and we can settle this."

Hayner finally drove the stake deep into the sand and tossed the mallet aside. He took up his place next to Pence, who was unusually agile for someone of his size. Sora and Tidus stood on the other side of the net, ready to return one of Pence's blistering serves. Wakka, who volunteered to referee the firs game, tossed the ball to Pence, who immediately prepared to serve.

***

The Gummi ship slowed to a crawl as it approached the outer hangar doors. The massive brown-grey metal slabs shuddered and began to open, allowing the small, colorful craft inside. Te doors, which were designed to fit the largest Gummi ships in existence, did not have to open very much for the ship to maneuver between them. As it drifted past the doors, they slid closed and sealed the tiny craft in. Vents opened, allowing air to rush into the airlock previously occupied only by vacuum.

When the pressure equalized, the inner set of doors opened, revealing the alcove in which the ship was to land. The pilot could see Marines pointing rifles at the ship from their various pieces of cover. How many were there? Far too many to count. It appeared to be at least five platoons, maybe even an entire company. And they were all in vacuum suits. What were they expecting, an entire invasion force?

The ship's engines flared, giving it the final push needed to set down in the center of the bay. As it floated lower to the ground, a series of klaxons began to sound, accompanied by rotating red beacons near each door. They were locking the bay down tight. Wow. These guys weren't taking any chances.

***

The volleyball sailed over the net in a high arc, easy prey for Hayner's spike. Tidus's last save was a desperate dive in an attempt to keep Pence's miniature bump from dropping just over the net. While he was able to keep the play moving, he had set Hayner up for a lethal spike. Sora was helpless to intervene as Hayner's hand impacted with perfect form; fingers slightly curled, palm open.

Sand sprayed from the impact point, showering Sora's bare feet and lower legs with thousands of tiny knives. He knew what the call would be, but he dreaded Wakka's next announcement anyway.

"It's in! Hayner and Pence win!"

The pair jumped and hollered as their defeated opponents kicked the sand. So much for Sora's winning streak. If he had only won this game, he could say his longest winning streak was in the double digits. He had only lost by three points! He wanted to blame Tidus for giving Hayner such a juicy target, but he knew that it had been their only option.

He shrugged. At least he wasn't about to win his 100th game when his streak was broken. That would be frustrating. Wasn't that kind of like something Kairi said? 'Life is never so bad that it can't get worse'? It was true. There was always something else that could possibly be going wrong that wasn't. But then again, it meant that there was no 'rock bottom' to be hit. It was a mixed blessing.

As he walked back to the deck, the girls were readying for their game; Kairi and Olette playing against Selphie and Wakka. It was considered a fair match. Wakka was really good and Selphie was… not. Kairi and Olette were both a bit above average.

Pence was refereeing this game. As the opening serve screamed over the net, Hayner started rummaging through the coolers, trying to find something cool to drink. Sora remembered Kairi's warning and turned around in his chair.

"Hayner, don't go mixing things again. Pick a drink and stick with it."

With a shout of satisfaction, the blonde pulled a can of soda from one of the coolers. He popped the aluminum top with a sharp snap.

"Don't worry. No booze in this. We've got another game to play, and I'm not going to risk losing for a buzz. I'm surprised that you're not encouraging me to have a bit, though."

"Kairi's idea. She didn't want to have Olette running around after you if you got out of hand."

Hayner took a gulp from the can. "She's always been your better half."

Sora chuckled and turned back to the game.

***

Darrin watched the ship touch down on the reinforced steel deck with a clang. Not moving from her defensive position, she began her rehearsed routine.

"What are we up against, Lieutenant?"

One of her Marines checked a handheld scanning device and reported his findings over the radio. "It's loosely based on Sora's famous Highwind model. Most changes are cosmetic; red replaced with green, orange with blue, and yellow with purple. The weapons have been removed in favor of extra engines and the wings aren't as high a quality as the Highwind. The armor rating is consistent with most civilian ships. If things go to hell, we can take it down easily enough."

She switched her radio to interface with the hangar bay's loudspeaker.

"Come out of your ship slowly with your hands on your head. Make no sudden movement. Failure to comply will be met with deadly force."

The bubble canopy of the cockpit slowly rose on the rear hinge, revealing a lone pilot. He had his hands planted on the top of his head, as ordered. A pair of Marines pushed a portable ladder to the cockpit and hastily retreated to their cover.

"Go down the ladder slowly."

The pilot complied, exiting the cockpit and slowly descending the rungs of the metal ladder.

"Drop to your knees."

As the flier kneeled, Darrin signaled for a squad to check the pilot for weapons, transmitters, or, most importantly, any sign of the Heartless. After a brief check, the squad leader flashed a thumbs-up to Darrin. He's clean. Darrin pointed to the pilot, then to the corner to which she wanted him brought. The squad brusquely walked the man to the corner, keeping their weapons trained on him.

When the pilot was securely in the corner, Captain Darrin ordered another squad to sweep the exterior of the ship. Just as the squad came out from behind their cover, her radio fizzed to life.

"Captain Darrin! Come in!"

She flicked her radio back to the broadcast room's channel. "Corporal? What's going on? It better be damn important to be interrupting-"

The voice of the broadcast room commander came over the speaker. "Captain, the engines aren't leaking any radiation, our scan was being jammed. Get your men away from that ship!"

Before she could do anything, she heard a shout from behind the ship and the sharp cracks of a rifle being fired.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION

…

UNENCRYPTED

…

CONTENTS:

Daily Report: Sensor Satellite 0029 Archangel

Status: All Systems Green

Priority: None

/DAILY REPORT

/NO ANOMALIES DETECTED. SITUATION NORMAL.

/NEXT SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE: 56 DAYS, 2 HOURS

/TRANSMISSION COMPLETE

/TERMINATING CONNECTION

…

…