Me: So...are you going to tell me where we are going?
Enterprise and I trot through the snow, heading deeper into town. Everyone's looking at us but she doesn't seem particularly bothered by this. I on the other hand am woefully self-conscious. I don't know why it didn't occur to me previously when we arrived at the base but the suits we're in are almost skin tight. As they're insulated, they keep us perfectly warm but at the same time, they don't leave much to the imagination or maybe that last fact is just my imagination.
Enterprise: What's on your mind?
Looking up, I notice she's looking back at me as she continues trotting forward. I shake my head and mutter that everything is fine to which her reply is laughter. She assures me that we'll be there soon before taking my hand. This breaks my train of thought completely and I find myself staring at her which inadvertently leads to me admiring her figure. For someone so tomboyish, she's quite well-shaped.
Enterprise: Like what you see?
Snapping out of my reverie, I find that we've stopped and she's smiling at me. Looking around, I notice that we're in front of a seemingly old building. The scent of food comes from inside and before long, my stomach is growling in anticipation. Still, I can't help but tease just a little.
Me: Is this a date my dear?
Enterprise: I thought that was what we were doing from the start.
She winks as she gestures to the entrance. I follow her in and before long we're seated at a table. The location seems similar to one of the restaurants back at the base where the owner is seemingly also the waiter/attendant. This particular restaurant, however, seems to be a family business. I'm watching the owner conversing with a woman I can only assume is his wife when Enterprise continues our prior conversation.
Enterprise: After all, I can assume you don't just bring every girl you meet to space.
Nearly choking on the glass of water I'm drinking, I find Enterprise staring at me deviously. She's enjoying this but two can play that game. When I'm done with her she's going to acknowledge that I am the winner of this little game.
Me: Actually, you are the first.
She looks shocked by this and I suppose she does have a good reason to be. After all, one would be right to assume that I had at least flown with Dalian before which would indeed be correct. However, the times where I flew with Dalian, I was teaching her how to fly the jets and as such we never went anywhere near the heights I did with Enterprise.
Enterprise: You're being serious.
Me: I am. You and I are the first persons in this world to experience what it feels like to fly at 65,000 feet.
The sound of clattering utensils brings our attention to the front of the restaurant where we find the owner and the woman he was speaking to earlier both staring at us in disbelief.
Owner: Excuse me, but are you the ones that came in on those odd planes?
Me: We are.
Owner: See Martha! I told you those weren't ordinary planes. 65,000...can you believe it?
Martha?: Yes darling. You were right as always. Still, I was also correct in assuming from their outfits that they were some of the pilots from those aircraft.
As I continue listening to their conversation, I notice that they think they think there are other pilots as well. I also notice that they are seemingly convinced Enterprise and I are on an actual date and are planning on making our time here perfect. This gives me an idea and after noticing that Enterprise isn't watching me, I stand, bringing everyone's attention to me. Walking over to the owner and his wife, I inform them of my plan. Martha smiles and takes my hands in hers as she guides me away from Enterprise so that we're completely out of earshot.
Martha: If you are looking for the perfect spot to finish your date, I recommend waiting a bit longer if you can and then heading north for a bit. You'll come across one of the most beautiful displays of colour you'll ever see in the sky.
Me: Oh, are you referring to the Aurora Borealis?
Martha: Yes. Though I think you'll want to be closer to the ground to see them, I can't say for certain. I've never flown in a plane before.
Me: That's alright. I'll follow your suggestion and stay low. Thanks for the suggestion.
Martha: Of course dear. I admit I was a bit shocked to hear the two of you dating given...well, you know...but as I continued watching you both and how you act around each other, you reminded me of my husband and me, the first time we met. Oh, the love we shared. I can see the same thing practically rolling off you both like waves.
Looking back, towards Enterprise, reveals that her husband and Enterprise are currently locked in conversation. Still, when our eyes lock, it's as though nothing exists besides us. She smiles before returning her attention to her own conversation and I do the same. Perhaps Martha is right after all.
Soon after, we return to the table and Enterprise and I begin eating our meal. I can't help but notice, though, that we both keep looking at each other. It's as though we're being drawn to each other. When we finally manage to finish our meal, we stay and talk with the couple that owns the restaurant for a bit longer before saying our goodbyes and heading outside.
Me: You know, for a first date, not bad Enterprise. Not bad at all.
She laughs as we continue walking hand in hand towards the waterfront. I consider telling her about my plans to stay here until it gets darker but one look at her tosses the thought from my mind. From the joy written on her face, I can tell she's in no hurry to leave and neither am I.
We spend the next two hours exploring the nearby surroundings. We build snowmen, play snowball fights, make snow angels, chase one another across the town of Anchorage but most importantly, we have fun. By the time we're ready to leave, the whole town knows who we are and everyone comes to wish us goodbye. Martha brings a container of food, saying it's for the trip back. We both thank her and I take it towards one of the Su-57s. Everyone gasps as it opens its canopy on its own and lowers its ladder. I climb up and fasten the container in the aircraft before jumping down. Once I'm clear, it seals itself.
Martha: Do make sure to come to visit us again sometime!
Me: We will, I promise. I look forward to having some more of your amazing cooking then!
She laughs and waves as Enterprise and I finish saying our goodbyes and climb aboard the J-16. We put on our helmets as the canopy comes down. Everyone steps back from the aircraft as the Engines of all three fire up. The Su-57s taxi ahead of us first but stop short of the runway, allowing us to go first.
Me: [Tower, this is Dragon One requesting clearance for take-off.]
Jackson: [Dragon One, you are cleared for take-off. Safe trip girls. We look forward to having you again!]
Enterprise: [It was nice to see you in good health again Jackson. Thanks for looking after the planes for us.]
Jackson: [My pleasure.]
Me: [It was nice to meet you as well Jackson.]
Jackson: [Likewise. Take care of her for me, will you?]
Me: [I will. Don't worry.]
Even though they've kept the runway fairly clear of ice and snow, I know that it might be difficult to take off. What's more, the runway isn't as long as modern-day runways but at the same time, it's also not too short. Still, I use full power to take off. Making full use of the afterburner, I manage to take off without much difficulty. Immediately after lifting off, however, I begin banking to the left.
Enterprise: [Another surprise?]
Me: [You know me so well.]
Grinning, I keep the throttle at full power as we begin our climb. Completely forgetting that Martha mentioned that the lights seemed closer to the ground than the heights we said we were flying at, I quickly climb to 65,000 feet. Enterprise seems to have gotten used to the climb. In fact, I think she's actually starting to like it. I guess that's the difference between a normal person and an aviation enthusiast.
Enterprise: [I want one of these planes.]
Me: [Haha. You can't use them. You don't have the necessary equipment on your carrier and it's not long enough for them to take off normally.]
Enterprise: [I guess I can always just keep flying with you.]
Me: [Haha. Perhaps, though I still haven't forgotten that I said I'd teach you how to fly one.]
Enterprise: [While I don't doubt my piloting skills, I severely doubt I wouldn't crash.]
Me: [You won't. The planes can take over if you are failing miserably. Besides, I'll be in the back to help guide you.]
Enterprise: [Are you-]
Me: [I'm sure. You'll be fine. We can practice taking off from land first once we get back to Hawaii and once you're used to taking off and landing, we can move to the carrier.]
Enterprise: [How do you land on the carrier anyways?]
Me: [You'll get to experience it when we get back but first, we are here.]
I can hear her audibly gasp as she notices what's before and indeed, all around us.
Enterprise: [Is this...]
Me: [It is. The best way to end our "date", no?]
Enterprise: [Thank You.]
Smiling, I keep us steady for a bit longer before making a full 180-degree turn. Our two escorts zoom by as we begin making our way back to Hawaii but before long, they are back on our left and right.
The trip back feels much shorter than the trip to get here despite us travelling slower to conserve fuel. Enterprise falls asleep midway through the journey after trying to keep awake with me by engaging in conversation. When I finally notice she's asleep, I smile and do my best to keep the plane as steady as possible for the rest of the trip.
As we near our destination, I wake her up and we both prepare for the descent.
Me: [Dalian, still around?]
Dalian: [Of course, though I thought you guys weren't going to come back tonight. We're just finishing up down here with the night tests.]
Me: [Anything to report?]
Dalian: [Other than success? Nope.]
Me: [That's a relief. We're going to begin descending now. Think you can have the deck clear for us?]
Dalian: [Of course. Everyone's here waiting on you both to return after all.]
Me: [Really?]
Wales: [Indeed. We're all here. We would have sent out a rescue party but received information from Eagle Union's HQ stating you were in Alaska.]
Dalian: [Imagine my surprise to hear you had gone that far away on a "little expedition."]
Me: [Haha. We didn't mean to worry you all so. Still, we have something that'll make it up to you.]
Enterprise: [ I'm surprised you were all that worried though given both our ships are still operational. Surely if anything happened to us they'd come...or sink.]
Me: [Forgive her. She's just woken up. Still, you have nothing to worry about. We're both perfectly fine and will be landing soon.]
Dalian: [I'll make the necessary preparations.]
Su-57#1: [Mercury squadron reporting. No unauthorized movement was detected during patrols. Requesting permission to join the escort.]
Me: [Thank you and permission granted.]
As we begin our rapid descent, the fighters from the Mercury squadron fall into formation as requested. When we finally break through the last of the clouds, we find Hawaii seemingly speeding towards us. Pulling up, I level off as we rocket over the fleet. Surprisingly, they're still all positioned just outside the bay.
Enterprise: [Thanks for taking me today. I really needed to relax like that and I had an amazing time.]
Me: [Likewise. Thanks for sharing the memory with me.]
As we line up for our final approach, I notice that we are still well above the speeds we should be at. After informing Dalian, I go around for a second approach and soon, we're back on our final approach once more. A quick look around shows that the ships gathered around my carrier are loaded with girls all watching our return. Laughing, I point it out to Enterprise and she says something about performing for them but I simply shake my head in laughter.
Following the guidance systems, I touch as smoothly as possible before coming to a halt through the assistance of the arrestor cables. In truth, my carrier is long enough for a J-16 running on fumes to land perfectly fine without the cables but given it is night, I don't take any chances.
The locks on deck clamp onto the landing gear and begin moving the aircraft to the designated area. Shortly after we clear the way, one of the escorting planes also touches down. Opening the canopy, I notice Dalian and a few of the others making their way over while taking care to avoid the now active runway as more planes continue to land.
Dalian: Welcome back!
One of the remaining jets that still haven't landed as yet thunders overhead as Enterprise and I climb down, one at a time. Once we're firmly on the ground, Dalian comes over and pulls me into a hug, shocking me since I didn't expect it.
Me: I'm fine. Don't worry.
Dalian: At least tell me where you're going next time...
Me: Well it wasn't exactly planned.
Enterprise: What are you talking about? We went on a date-
The minute she realises what she said her mouth slams shut. I guess we really were both into the little game we were playing then. Still, I don't know how she's going to explain this one to everyone that heard.
Dalian: OH MY G-
Wales: Well that explains a lot. Such as what you were both doing all the way in Alaska and your sudden disappearance. Still, I must admit, I am a bit shocked by all this. I'd have never pictured either of you dating anyone, let alone each other.
Hornet: What's this about dating?
Hornet and a few others, including Elizabeth, join our party and before long, it's as though the entire base knows, or at least thinks, that Enterprise and I are officially dating. How will we ever fix this?
Me: Anyways! Who's hungry?