Still undecided as to where to go, we wandered out of Granate and down the street, eventually making our way back to the hustle and bustle of downtown NYC. As we walked, the conversation quickly turned to our missing man. Or woman, in this case.
"The doctor is quite the busy bee, isn't she?" Yorktown asked. I kept quiet, not certain of the answer and not wanting to blow my cover any more than I already had.
"Always has been," Northampton confirmed. "She comes and goes at the drop of a hat."
Langley agreed with a nod of her head as she gestured in my direction. "Thankfully, we have the Professor here, or our day off would've been cut short."
"It's much more than a day off now," Hornet said with a huge smile as she hip-checked Yorktown into me. "It's a group date with the Professor now!"
At the mention of a date, Yorktown and I locked eyes before we quickly looked away, our cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Did this Yorktown feel the same way as the one back home? I dismissed the hopeful thought almost as soon as I thought it. While she may act and look like the Yorktown I knew and loved back in the real world, she wasn't. She didn't have the months of long conversations, inside jokes, and tender moments that the real Yorktown and I did. As much as I wanted to hold her, to tell her I loved her, deep down, I knew this wasn't really her.
Back in the Academy, my classmates and I discussed the "ugly truth versus the beautiful lie." As the name implied, we weighed the pros and cons of a lie that is far easier to swallow and live with compared to a truth that is damaging, or even devastating. Like marrying the woman of your dreams only to find out she never loved you. Would you live in blissful ignorance that you're trapped in a sham relationship, or would you rather face the truth, no matter how much it would break you? I had answered, with the confidence, speed, and folly that only youth can bring, that I would easily take the ugly truth. But as I looked at Yorktown's blissful, embarrassed smile, I understood the appeal of the beautiful lie…
"Let's not call it that," Northampton sighed, bringing me back to the present. "Professor, is there any place you wanna visit?"
As she asked the question, she handed me a small device the size and shape of a hockey puck. No sooner than I'd taken it, a hologram flared to life above it, showing the entire city, along with a blinking light to identify where we were. I marveled at the sheer scope and size of the image it was projecting. This was well beyond the Reality Lens's capabilities. Just trying to render half of this at the lowest setting would've burned out every computer in the Sea of Stars. That meant this was either pulling from someone's memories…or I wasn't in the Reality Lens anymore. And to be honest, both prospects were equally terrifying.
"Let's check out the downtown area," I said, not wanting to venture too far for now.
"Sounds good!" Hornet replied approvingly.
"While we're at it, we can buy some souvenirs for our friends," Langley quickly chimed in, which seemed to lift Hornet's spirits even further.
"Hell yeah! Let's buy a literal boatload of stuff with Anzeel's money."
Langley, however, was quick to veto that in her strict, no-nonsense fashion. "I'm going to veto that. The doctor's going to have our heads if we max out her credit card."
"Don't worry," Hornet said in a familiar tone of voice that suggested I should start worrying more. "I know just the perfect way to plan out a great date on a budget."
"I know what you're thinking. You may NOT use your aircraft to get a better view."
"C'mon!" Hornet protested as we got moving. "I might've thought about it, but I wasn't gonna do it for real…"
After a short, aircraft-less, stroll, we came upon a souvenir shop and headed inside. While the exterior gave it the appearance of a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of shop, the interior was surprisingly spacious, with multiple stories. Almost immediately, everyone took off in different directions.
"Wow, they have a lot of stuff you don't see every day," Northampton said as she ran her fingers along the row of rare movies."
"Yeah, like this!" Hornet exclaimed as she snatched one of the films from the shelf, nearly taking Northampton's hand in the process. "The collector's edition of A Fistful of Molars! I've been dying to get my hands on this!".
I heard Hamman say, "These cat-ear headphones are pretty cute…" and I smiled as I knew she'd probably be wearing those out of the store.
Langley, Yorktown, and I stayed back towards the entrance, with Langley and I keeping an eye on everyone while Yorktown was going through her phone. "It sounds like everyone's having a whale of a time," Langley commented as she glanced over at the other carrier. "What do you have there, Yorktown? A shopping list?"
"Yes," she nodded without looking up from her device. "We need to buy souvenirs for Enterprise, Memphis, and Dr. Anzeel." There was a pause, and the now-familiar blush returned to her cheeks. "And something for the Professor, of course."
Somehow, Hornet managed to hear that and gasped, her head popping out from the row of shelves. A broad grin split her face as she practically raced back to us. "I think I just overheard something juicy! Yorktown's gonna buy something for the Professor, eh?"
Without warning, Hornet draped her arm around my shoulders and led me a few paces away from Yorktown and Langley. "Hey, come over here for a sec!" She leaned in, her eyes alight with mischief as she said in a stage whisper, "So, anything you've been wanting to get your hands on lately? Asking for a friend. It's Yorktown. She's the friend."
"Hornet!" Yorktown admonished before she let out a defeated sigh. "... It was meant to be a surprise!"
"It's alright," I smiled as I extricated myself from Hornet's overly chummy grip. "And since you asked, a blue rose."
Both carriers gave me a puzzled look. "A blue rose?" Yorktown repeated. "Isn't that supposed to represent mystery, secrecy, and things that can't be had?"
"Ah," I smiled softly, "It's said one who can obtain a blue rose will have their wishes granted."
"And what would you wish for, Professor?"
Of course, I couldn't tell her what I truly wished for, so instead I smiled a little tighter and answered, "If I say it out loud, it won't come true."
"Ooh, being secretive for a reason?" Hornet teased as she linked her arm in mine and began to drag me away. "C'mon, tell big sister Hornet all about it…and give Yorktown time to shop for your present…"
Souvenirs acquired, we headed back out onto the city streets to determine our next destination when suddenly, a nearby screen flickered to life. A white-haired girl with bright blue eyes and an infectious smile popped into view and began speaking.
"Hey, everyone! It's me, Bon Homme Richard. The Final Countdown is in theaters now! I had a lot of fun in the starring role. Be sure to check it out!"
The screen cut away to shots of jets, ships, and some sort of vortex as a narrator dramatically announced, "Welcome to the paradox of time, where past and present become one and history is actually changed! The Final Countdown... now in a theater near you. Buy a ticket today and you have the chance to win a three-day guided tour of…" My attention was quickly grabbed by Hornet, who excitedly pointed toward the screen.
"Did you see that?" she gasped. "That was Bonnie up there!"
Northampton looked up at the ad as it began to play again. "She's really featuring in a movie?"
"Apparently! I asked her what she's been up to the other day, and she said she's involved in a top-secret project…" She shrugged. " Guess this is what that was. I wish I was a cultural ambassador like her. She's got it easy."
"It's harder than it looks," Yorktown interjected. "Having the eyes of the world on you comes with a lot of pressure. Imagine having to choose your every word carefully. I really don't think any of us are cut out for that. And while we're enjoying ourselves as tourists, she's probably rehearsing for her next public appearance."
I nodded along with her. That kind of constant pressure would drive me insane within a week.
"You got a point," Hornet conceded after giving it some thought. "I didn't think about that. Whaddya say we buy her a souvenir too, while we're here?" Before anyone could answer, she blurted out, "Wait, first, let's take a group selfie! Northampton, you do the honor with your drone. Make sure you get all of us, Bonnie included, in the frame."
As she began rounding up all the other shipgirls, she observed, "Y'know, she'd probably be livid if she learned we went on a date with the Professor without her… But if her face is in the picture, you can at least say she was there in spirit, right?" Hornet turned to face me and beckoned me over. "How does that sound, Professor? Over here, you can stand in the middle. Hammann, Langley, scoot over a bit. Yorktown, you can stand right beside the Professor." Apparently, no matter the timeline or reality, Hornet is always going to be my number one wingman. Or wingwoman.
"And I'll be riiight here," Northampton said as she took her place and lined up the drone to take the shot. "Everyone ready? Say 'cheese' on three. One, two…three!"
We all said "Cheese!" and smiled, holding it long enough for Northampton to check the picture on her phone. "Yup, looks good," she nodded, satisfied with her handiwork.
Hornet shot her a thumbs up before holding up her own phone. "Thanks! Send it to me. I wanna show it to Bonnie right away." As she began typing, she glanced up at us. "Oh, I just got an idea. Why don't we go watch that movie she's in? She did tell us to check it out. I know you wanna. Especially you, Professor."
…I did? While it's possible the Professor had some sort of rapport with this Bon Homme Richard, I'd barely heard of her. I'd gotten a few files from the Northern Parliament and Royal Navy, but nothing substantive. None of what I'd heard was good, though. Perhaps this would give me some new insights into her character. "Sounds like a plan. Let's do it."
"Sweet. Yorktown, go ahead and book some tickets for us."
For the past few months, I had been in a pretty dark place. Yorktown, Hornet, Lexington, Northampton, all of their injuries haunted me, and my inability to find a cure for Yorktown and Lexington ground down what little hope I had left. The Reality Lens had restored some of it, but as time passed, that, too, had faded. I didn't find joy in much of anything as my life had been distilled down to either work or finding a cure for Yorktown. But now, here, trapped in the Reality Lens, I had no choice but to sit back and at least try to relax and watch this movie.
I don't know if this is really the movie from whoever's memories that they saw on that day, or if this film was selected specifically by the Reality Lens because I needed to see it. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't nearly as important as the effect it had on me. While the plot itself was nothing special, the actors, and Bon Homme Richard herself, did a decent job of it, the real stars of the show were the ships and aircraft. I wasn't familiar with these jets, but as I watched those "Tomcats" dance in the sky with those Zeros, I felt a stirring in my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time. I remembered what it felt like to fly, to soar on eagle's wings with Yorktown by my side. I felt joy, I felt wonder, I felt…hope, renewed.
As we all filed out of the theater, Hornet was the first to voice her opinion. "I can't believe they really got Bonnie to play the captain. The movie was surprisingly gripping, too."
"She did a great job of it," I agreed. "I got a chill up my spine when she said 'Splash the Zeros'."
"That whole sequence was amazing!" Hornet enthusiastically gushed. "You know, I think my Hellcats on the new rigging I got have the same name as that squadron, the Jolly Rogers. Different number, though. Think they're the same ones?"
"Worth looking into," I shrugged. "If so, that's one hell of a history they've got."
"I read that the troops, warships, and locations featured were also real," Langley added. "Apparently, the movie was produced in collaboration with the Oceanic Federation."
Northampton chimed in. "Even the mass-produced ships were real. I recognize 'em from a previous naval exercise. They must've pulled them in for filming right after."
"Is it wrong I felt bad for Commander Owen?" Yorktown sighed as she glanced at the movie poster. "Trapped in the past with nothing to his name…it just seemed…very lonely."
"He didn't have anyone before, and at the end, at least he had Laurel. In my experience, where you are, or when you are, doesn't matter nearly as much as who you're with," I said, looking over at Yorktown with a soft smile.
Hamman, who had finally finished her popcorn, put in her own two cents. "The ending was a bit of a letdown though. Just as it seemed like something major was about to happen, they just got pulled back to their original timeline…"
"I suppose that's just the nature of the genre," Langley said with a shrug. "Time travel is one of the hardest things to pull off convincingly in literature, with time paradoxes and all that stuff."
"Wasn't the whole premise of the movie going back in time to prevent disaster? The screenwriters should've done a better job if you ask me!" Hornet shot back. "Hornet II Well, at least Bonnie got some awesome lines. 'We're about to fight a battle that was lost before most of you were born.' I'll bet you, if Enterprise were in that same situation, she'd have been all like, 'the enemy's in range. Strike first and wipe them out.' If you ask me, the folks in the movie were way too hesitant to do anything that might've influenced the past."
"It's an understandable concern, as you could inadvertently erase yourself from ever having existed. As for me, I'd be happy enough to just sit on the sidelines and watch history unfold. That alone is a golden opportunity we don't get in real life. In any case, the stakes are way too high, and there are some decisions you can't make on impulse."
Hornet pondered Langley's words before she nodded slowly. "Hrmmm... Fair enough. How about you, Yorktown? What'd you think about the movie?"
The Fighting Lady seemed pensive as she answered. I've been thinking about it since the ending, and I'm still not sure. Changing the past means changing everything that happens after it. The past shaped us into who we are today. Changing it would change us as well. That's not even mentioning the fact that the future we know may not exist anymore when we return to it. And much like the butterfly effect, our actions may not result in the outcome we wanted. Doing what feels like the right thing at the moment may lead to greater problems down the line. Of course, changing the past could create a better future, or a worse one, as could doing nothing." She sighed heavily and shrugged helplessly. "All that is to say... I don't know what I'd do."
"'I don't know' means someone else has to decide," her sister countered. "People's lives would be at stake."
"I know," Yorktown nodded as she stared at the poster again, her mind a thousand miles away as she continued to consider the question. "I suppose I'd do what the captain did and take it step by step. If you can't predict the future even when you can influence its course, the best thing to do is minimize the potential repercussions."
Hornet regarded her sister with a look of respect and admiration. "You know... That answer fits you, actually. In the end, that decision isn't even for us to make. Professor, if you had a chance to go back in time, what would you choose to change?"
Hoo-boy.
I let out a long, drawn-out sigh as I ran my fingers through my hair. If she'd asked me that question a few months ago, my answer would have been the same as Langley's: change nothing. But I've been going back and forth between Yorktown and Hornet's answer. If I could go back, and nothing else would change, I would save Yorktown and Lexington in a heartbeat. But nothing exists in a vacuum. What if, by sparing Yorktown, I condemn Enterprise to her fate? Or Saratoga? Or Essex? Could I live with myself, knowing I doomed an innocent soul for the sake of my own selfish heart? What if that never came to pass? What if, bolstered by Yorktown and Lexington, we pushed through Operation Siren with ease? What if, what if, what if. Nothing but uncertainties. However, assuming I didn't have the luxury of pawning this off to someone else, I decided that the best option would be to tread carefully.
"I would take it slowly, one step at a time," I finally answered. "I would try and analyze any possible repercussions of my actions, work to minimize them and change things if I could. Because even the simple act of being in the past changes things in the future. When you get back, if you get back, it won't be the same world. So you have to proceed carefully, try not to overthink things, and take it, as I said, one step at a time."
While the girls all nodded, it was Yorktown who spoke up. "I agree. Not making decisions you might regret is what's important. When you don't know what you're supposed to do, do what you feel is right."
It was a damn good life lesson, and one I would take to heart. "Good advice, Yorktown, thank you."
"You're welcome," she said shyly as a blush returned to her cheeks. "Now come, we'd best get back to Doctor Anzeel before it gets too dark…"
A/N-So for those who don't know, The Final Countdown was a real movie, filmed aboard USS Nimitz with actual US Navy aircraft and personnel. It's worth a watch, or at least watching the F-14s dogfight the Zeros. The most recognizable squadron was VF-84, the Jolly Rogers, who had a history of shooting down Zeros going back to WW2, when they were established in 1943 as VF-17, flying the F4U Corsair from land bases(the Corsair would not be a carrier-capable aircraft until 1944). They would later fly the F6F Hellcat off of none other than USS Hornet(CV-12). Now, in Azur Lane, they're listed as the Jolly Pirates, but I stuck with their real name here because, well, I like it better. Strange I was so specific about Hornet having Hellcats from VF-17. I'm sure I won't bring that up again. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
