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Another monsoon was dumping its load all over Markov. Elizabeth sat patiently in her car sipping an iced coffee. She was parked outside the strip club where her girlfriend worked. The blond leaned back in her seat and stared out of her windshield at the various people going about their day. It was 8AM and Juliet would be getting off her night shift soon. Elizabeth looked at her passenger seat where her new deployment papers were sitting from the Pilot’s Union. She had a foray coming up in two days and she needed to tell Juliet that she would be gone for at least a week. The blond dreaded what she might think. Being a pilot was the one rock in their otherwise perfect relationship. Elizabeth had shared all her old files and logs with Juliet, so her girlfriend knew the hell she had gone through during the war that brought about The End. She knew what was going to happen. Her girlfriend was going to be silent all the way back to her apartment and when they finally got in the door, she’d come out swinging with new arguments against piloting Tallgeese.
Elizabeth put her drink into the cupholder when she saw Juliet exit the building. She honked twice and the stripper smiled and headed over. The blond unlocked the car and Juliet got in, grabbing the envelope as she did.
“What is this?”
She closed the door and shook the rain from her hair. As Elizabeth started her behemoth of a car and started driving, her girlfriend flipped the envelope over and frowned.
“Pilot’s Union official seal? What do they want now?”
“Just read it, babe.”
“Sergeant, you are to report to hangar bay 53 two days from now. 2nd Armored is being mobilized for a mission into the wilds…” She trailed off.
“Two days?” She kept reading. “You’ll be gone for a week!?”
She sighed and put the letter away in the envelope and placed it in the glove box. Elizabeth shifted gears and looked at her girlfriend. She knew she wasn’t happy.
“Babe…”
“Don’t babe me. You told me you were on leave! That your next assignment was months away! We were supposed to have dinner the day you’re supposed to report! Why do you insist on being a pilot, Lizzy. You know what it’s done to you. Your body has…machines in it.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Those machines were put in place to heal me.”
“That’s exactly my point! You suffered such grievous injuries during the Siege and in your past that they’ve had to build you back together using machines. Why do you risk your life like that? What about me? What would I do if I lost you?”
That line always came up. She always had that one loaded.
“You’re not going to lose me. I’m an expert pilot. We might not even see any action.” Elizabeth tried to explain.
“Really? They wouldn’t send you out if they didn’t think there was something out there that required an entire armored division!”
“Jules, please. This is my life. This is what I do. I love piloting Tallgeese.” The blond said.
“You obviously love that mech more than me.”
“That’s not fair, Jules. It’s my job. It’s what I do to keep the lights on. It’s how I spoil you.”
“Yes, and you shouldn’t. They don’t pay you enough. Why don’t you just live with me and let me take care of you? I make enough money for both of us to live in a nice apartment. You could get a job at a Cytokine store. Or work at that coffee place we go to. Something, anything, to keep you from risking your life for the Union.”
“You want us to live together? That’s news to me!” Now Elizabeth was getting frustrated.
“Why can’t you accept that what I do fulfills me. That I love my job. I love protecting Markov from wild zoids and the Unmaking. I’m protecting you, Jules. When I pilot Tallgeese, I do it to protect you from everything trying to kill us.” The blond was tired of this same fight.
“Do I not fulfill you enough? You literally ambushed me in a parking lot asking for a date. You were…you are gorgeous, and I gave you a chance.”
“You make it sound like I stalked you, and for your information. You fulfill me plenty, but I have other interests! You know this! You do too! You have an entire network of friends at work that I’m never privy to.” The blond fired back.
“I told you. I don’t bring my work home with me. I separate the two.”
Elizabeth sighed and downshifted as she pulled into the parking space outside of Juliet’s apartment.
“Am I coming up or are we still fighting?” The Tallgeese pilot asked.
“Just go home, Lizzy. I’m tired and I need to sleep.” Juliet said as she exited the car and shut the door, jogging towards the complex to get out of the rain.
Elizabeth sighed in frustration and floored the pedal to her Quadra. The engine roared to life filling the air with loud exhaust notes. She shifted into first and spun the tires before jetting off down the street.
Elizabeth closed the door to her tiny one-bedroom apartment behind her and locked the door. It was cold and it smelled like the steak dinner she had cooked last night. Hanging her keys up on the hook by the door she took off her jacket and tossed it on the couch. Pressing a button on the TV she turned on an episode of some show about friends living in some city. Entering the kitchen, she set her finished iced coffee on the table and opened the refrigerator. She was mostly out of food, but there were pickles. Grabbing the jar, Elizabeth sat down at the table and scrolled through her phone. She couldn’t get Jules out of her mind. She was so terrified something would happen to her on a mission or that she’d die. What upset Elizabeth the most is that she gave no credence to the fact that she was an amazing pilot. The blond crunched on a pickle and mused to herself. Juliet had no confidence in her ability to pilot. No confidence in Lizzy herself. That hurt to think about. Taking one last pickle the blond put it in her mouth and sealed the jar and put it back in the fridge. Moving to the bathroom she turned on the water to let it heat up, stripping herself naked. Swallowing the last of her pickle, Elizabeth stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash all over her.
I’m not going to quit. Being a pilot is my life. Juliet will just have to live with that.
Elizabeth put her drink into the cupholder when she saw Juliet exit the building. She honked twice and the stripper smiled and headed over. The blond unlocked the car and Juliet got in, grabbing the envelope as she did.
“What is this?”
She closed the door and shook the rain from her hair. As Elizabeth started her behemoth of a car and started driving, her girlfriend flipped the envelope over and frowned.
“Pilot’s Union official seal? What do they want now?”
“Just read it, babe.”
“Sergeant, you are to report to hangar bay 53 two days from now. 2nd Armored is being mobilized for a mission into the wilds…” She trailed off.
“Two days?” She kept reading. “You’ll be gone for a week!?”
She sighed and put the letter away in the envelope and placed it in the glove box. Elizabeth shifted gears and looked at her girlfriend. She knew she wasn’t happy.
“Babe…”
“Don’t babe me. You told me you were on leave! That your next assignment was months away! We were supposed to have dinner the day you’re supposed to report! Why do you insist on being a pilot, Lizzy. You know what it’s done to you. Your body has…machines in it.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Those machines were put in place to heal me.”
“That’s exactly my point! You suffered such grievous injuries during the Siege and in your past that they’ve had to build you back together using machines. Why do you risk your life like that? What about me? What would I do if I lost you?”
That line always came up. She always had that one loaded.
“You’re not going to lose me. I’m an expert pilot. We might not even see any action.” Elizabeth tried to explain.
“Really? They wouldn’t send you out if they didn’t think there was something out there that required an entire armored division!”
“Jules, please. This is my life. This is what I do. I love piloting Tallgeese.” The blond said.
“You obviously love that mech more than me.”
“That’s not fair, Jules. It’s my job. It’s what I do to keep the lights on. It’s how I spoil you.”
“Yes, and you shouldn’t. They don’t pay you enough. Why don’t you just live with me and let me take care of you? I make enough money for both of us to live in a nice apartment. You could get a job at a Cytokine store. Or work at that coffee place we go to. Something, anything, to keep you from risking your life for the Union.”
“You want us to live together? That’s news to me!” Now Elizabeth was getting frustrated.
“Why can’t you accept that what I do fulfills me. That I love my job. I love protecting Markov from wild zoids and the Unmaking. I’m protecting you, Jules. When I pilot Tallgeese, I do it to protect you from everything trying to kill us.” The blond was tired of this same fight.
“Do I not fulfill you enough? You literally ambushed me in a parking lot asking for a date. You were…you are gorgeous, and I gave you a chance.”
“You make it sound like I stalked you, and for your information. You fulfill me plenty, but I have other interests! You know this! You do too! You have an entire network of friends at work that I’m never privy to.” The blond fired back.
“I told you. I don’t bring my work home with me. I separate the two.”
Elizabeth sighed and downshifted as she pulled into the parking space outside of Juliet’s apartment.
“Am I coming up or are we still fighting?” The Tallgeese pilot asked.
“Just go home, Lizzy. I’m tired and I need to sleep.” Juliet said as she exited the car and shut the door, jogging towards the complex to get out of the rain.
Elizabeth sighed in frustration and floored the pedal to her Quadra. The engine roared to life filling the air with loud exhaust notes. She shifted into first and spun the tires before jetting off down the street.
***
Elizabeth closed the door to her tiny one-bedroom apartment behind her and locked the door. It was cold and it smelled like the steak dinner she had cooked last night. Hanging her keys up on the hook by the door she took off her jacket and tossed it on the couch. Pressing a button on the TV she turned on an episode of some show about friends living in some city. Entering the kitchen, she set her finished iced coffee on the table and opened the refrigerator. She was mostly out of food, but there were pickles. Grabbing the jar, Elizabeth sat down at the table and scrolled through her phone. She couldn’t get Jules out of her mind. She was so terrified something would happen to her on a mission or that she’d die. What upset Elizabeth the most is that she gave no credence to the fact that she was an amazing pilot. The blond crunched on a pickle and mused to herself. Juliet had no confidence in her ability to pilot. No confidence in Lizzy herself. That hurt to think about. Taking one last pickle the blond put it in her mouth and sealed the jar and put it back in the fridge. Moving to the bathroom she turned on the water to let it heat up, stripping herself naked. Swallowing the last of her pickle, Elizabeth stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash all over her.
I’m not going to quit. Being a pilot is my life. Juliet will just have to live with that.