Thursday, April 11th, 2013.
The storm today was at its strongest. Not a speck of the blue sky could be seen. Since the early morning hours, it has rained incessantly. Thunder roared more frequently, some soft thuds, others more akin to violent explosions. The thick gray clouds made the day dark, only infrequently illuminated by brilliant bolts of lightning. Horrible weather to go sight-seeing in. But, if there was a particular place that you've wanted to visit since you were a toddler, a place that is essentially your Mecca for your particular passion, not even the literal apocalypse would stop you. This particular person was Mia, commander of the M5 Stuart, yet for today, tankery won't be on her mind at all. The convention was fun and all, but there was something, to her, supremely more fascinating to go and see. When she was picking at her clothes, she was meticulous about it. After considerable thought, she decided on a simple gray t-shirt and jeans with a jacket on account of the weather. She tapped her pockets to ensure that all her belongings were where they should. With a smile, she was ready.
"Today's the day. After all these years dreaming about it." she said.
"Mission control." Olivia chimed in.
"Oh yes, mission control." Mia confirmed.
The other two crew members of the Stuart, Sophie and Mary, who are the loader and driver respectively, were still all cozy in their makeshift beds on the floor in their room.
"Have fun but I'm staying. I want to sleep in today." Sophie informed.
"Same here." Mary added, still half-asleep.
"I'll go with you." Olivia said.
Her smile now greater, Mia reached for a pamphlet on the bed.
"Awesome. I know the bus we need to take to get us there. Let's go."
Mia and Olivia left their room and walked toward the elevator which took them all the way down to the lobby. All the doors they past housed their fellow team members. One of which was the T-44 crew. They were all awake. Heather, Ashley, and Emma were huddled around Valarie as she was writing on a piece of paper.
"Now that you're all up to speed, any of you got any suggestions to beef up this objection that's not already written down?" Valarie asked.
"Um, I'm guessing that we can't just say we like Miss Buchanan and that's why we object?" Ashley meekly suggested.
"I'm afraid not."
They all sighed.
"This can't be allowed to happen. The whole team loves her. If she's gone everyone will hate it." Heather remarked.
"No one indeed." Ashley added.
"Valarie, mind going over what you've got?" Emma asked.
"Sure."
Valarie cleared her throat and read aloud what she wrote.
"We, Mojave Rose High School, issues a formal objection to the proposal by the American Tankery Association to modify the criteria for tankery instructors as listed in rule fifty-seven, section six, item 'J'. We view the proposed modification, to make said instructions stricter, as needless. Our reasoning is as follows; One..."
She was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Oh! That's Ray." she said as she walked over to open the door.
He entered in with some papers of his own.
"Good morning guys. I've got some things to share."
"That's good 'cause we're out of ideas of what else to add." Emma admitted.
Valarie passed her paper over to Ray who reviewed it quickly.
"This is good stuff but I see that you didn't mention the time frame of implementation."
"What do you mean?" Valarie questioned.
"I've looked at the past decade of Rules Committee actions. Specifically, to learn who soon rules that are adopted go into effect. From what I've seen, the rule currently being proposed is unprecedented. If it passes, then it goes into effect two weeks from tomorrow. All the other rules I've studied have a minimum of three months before they are adopted. Some even a year."
"Two weeks..." Valarie echoed.
"Schools who are affected by this will just have two weeks to find a new instructor."
"That can't be enough time, can it?" Ashley wondered.
"No it's not. Remember when the school's physics teacher suddenly retired? How long until a replacement was found?"
"Months. The sub was cute though, even though he wasn't really good." Ashley said.
"That's beside the point."
"Yeah, yeah." Ashley responded, slightly blushing.
"I feel like this time frame is a good angle. This should be the main point that we hammer in." Ray suggested.
"Agreed." Valarie said.
The five of them worked on their formal objection. Today for them will be a working day, even though for all them they expected their time at the convention to be a vacation. It was their spring break after all. While it didn't pan out that way, none of them complained. This was something worth doing. To help someone that they trust and appreciate.
There is nothing quite like the aroma of a freshly-brewed cup of coffee. It soothed the soul and awakened it at the same time. And what was better than the aroma than the taste itself. Buchanan enjoyed her coffee with a healthy helping of cream. The bitterness reduced but not removed. Just having a ghost of a presence. Each sip tasting rich and smooth. She needed this drink now more than ever. Tomorrow would decide if she would remain an instructor or not. At a little café in the convention, she sat on a table. On it was a small collection of notes. Across from her was Redwood, enjoying a chai tea.
"I don't know why but I'd thought you'd get a black coffee." Buchanan noted.
"I like drinks with flavors, thank you very much."
"That makes two of us."
Buchanan picked up one of her notes to review them.
"The last time I've been so formal with my writing was in high school. Frankly, I'm surprised my handwriting is still pretty good."
"So, do you think what we got will suffice?" Redwood inquired.
Buchanan thought silently for a moment.
"With what we have and whatever Valarie and Ray are cooking up? I don't know."
"You're not exactly oozing confidence here."
She let out a frustrated sigh.
"Martin. You and I both know that this whole thing is retaliation against me. They won't be fair. They're going to do everything they can to push through their proposal. So, I'm sorry that I'm not super confident right now."
"I know. I know. I believe you but using retaliation as an argument won't get us anywhere unless we got ironclad proof."
Buchanan rubbed her forehead.
"Proof. How the Hell do we get that."
Redwood shrugged. Buchanan took another sip of her coffee. She rummaged through the pile on the table and fetched a paper that was yellow with age.
"What's that?" Redwood inquired.
"A press release. Dated 1991."
"Interesting. Why did you hang on to that?"
"It was from the ATA. It walked about the defective carbon protection and how they resolved the issue."
"I see."
"It's bullshit, I can feel it."
"What makes you think? Don't you think what happened to in 1990 was an isolated incident?"
"Isolated? Sure. But I don't believe them for a second that they did anything about the carbon protection. They only put out that release for good PR. I can feel it that that's all they did."
"Hmm. That would explain why the SU-100 had its lining replaced with the old version, before the new formula, that was prone to defects. They had a large supply of the stuff. Rather than get rid of them, it would be much easier for them to silently still use them."
"Precisely."
"But there's got to be something more to that."
"Could be. Now, what' I'm saying is just a theory. I don't have all the details to make a better one, but hey, crazier things are true."
"A good theory demands good proof."
"No kidding."
They were both looking down at the table, thinking.
"In any case, I believe what we have is enough. We've dealt with poor odds before and come out on top."
Buchanan finished her coffee and then stood up.
"Guess so. I'm going to walk about the convention hall. To give it another look around. I'll catch up with you later."
"Alright then. See you later."
Buchanan walked away down a nearby staircase. Redwood compiled all the notes in a neat fashion and stored them in a binder. He remained sitting at the table. Stressed over what tomorrow will bring.
Not even inside the building and already was Mia nerding out.
"Look...look at that!" Mia exclaimed, face pressed against the bus window.
"A replica of space shuttle Independence on top of a real NASA 905 shuttle carrier!
The moment the bus stopped, Mia bolted out of the door, with Olivia moving quickly to catch up. The two girls were before the huge display, its size making them feel real small.
"So, this shuttle carrier, what does it do exactly? Does it fly real high and then the shuttle launches from it to space?" Olivia asked.
"No, no. That would destroy the plane. All space shuttles launch from the ground. The purpose of the carrier was to transport the shuttle around the nation. It was also used to test the shuttle's aerodynamics."
"Wow. I bet it handles like a dream." Olivia remarked.
"It doesn't actually. It's a brick that can miraculously do spaceflight."
"...woah."
"Let's head inside!"
The pair walked to the entrance. Mia slowed her walk as she got closer to the double-doors. Approaching a place filled to the brim with history. She felt this heavenly aura emanating from within that entranced her. Olivia found her behavior highly amusing. Her entertainment for today won't be looking at all the exhibits, but rather, but looking at how Mia reacts to everything. They opened the door and was greeted to a large room with hallways branching out in different directions. In the room they stood, it was filled with fascinating displays.
"Ah! There!"
Mia grabbed Olivia's hand and led her to an exhibit for Mars. The wall around them proudly showed photos of the red planet. Some were from satellites, silently orbiting overhead. The images displayed the planet in all its glory. One showed the poles, covered with water ice. Making for a great contrast compared to the soft rust color that covered the rest of the world. Two small objects can be seen orbiting the planet. Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos. Other photos were from the small army of robots that currently populate the planet. They sent back exquisite pictures of the Martian landscape. Barren and devoid of anything remotely related to life. Though, no one could really say that Mars was a dead planet. Not until boots were on the ground to verify. That's the future. A future that Mia will hopefully get to experience as it happens. In addition to all the pictures, there was an interactive element. Firmly mounted to a pedestal was a rock. Reading the sign on it made Mia jump with joy.
"Wow! A rock from Mars!"
She touched it, shuddering as it did. It felt smooth in texture with a color a burnt brown.
"It's a meteorite." Olivia said upon reading the sign.
"From Mars to Earth. In five million years or it's free." Mia joked.
They shared a laugh. After a few minutes of what Olivia calls 'fondling', they moved on. They only moved a few steps before Mia stopped and was entirely captivated by every display they came across. An exhibit on the International Space Station. A display of a capsule from the Mercury program. Astronaut suits from all eras were shown behind large glass cases. The more of the space center that they explored, the more excited Mia became. She was taking a seemingly infinite amount of pictures with her phone. They walked around the space center when they soon found themselves in a gigantic room. Inside was just one item on display. And it was massive. The size of the thing dwarfed them. It was the most complicated machine ever created by human beings. The brainchild of Wernher Von Braun. The Saturn V.
"This thing is god-damn enormous!" Olivia reacted.
"Three-hundred and three feet tall. Six and a half million pounds when fully fueled. A payload capacity of over one-hundred thousand pounds. Over three million parts working in unison to send those who dared to the Moon."
Looking at Mia, Olivia noted she wasn't reading from a sign but reciting those facts from memory.
"The most powerful rocket ever launched, even to this day." she continued.
Mia felt weak at the knees as if the rocket before her was some god-like entity that demanded to be worshiped. And she would if no one was looking at her. They moved to the rear of the rocket. That was where Mia truly nerded out.
"S-one-C! The first stage of the Saturn V. Those engines...my God." Mia commented.
"They just scream power." Olivia said.
"Five Rocketdyne F-1 engines producing thirty-three thousand pounds of thrust. I can only imagine how it feels for the astronauts when they fired...it's must've felt amazing!"
Mia continued to gawk at the engineering.
"If you don't mind, I want to be here a while."
"Not at all." replied Olivia.
Back at the convention, among all the people going about their business exploring and experiencing every inch that the place has to offer. One particular person wasn't out and about. She very much preferred to sit at one of the many comfortable chairs dotted across the convention. Natalie wasn't in an exploring mood. Neither was she alone. While walking toward the chairs, she happened to come across Ray, where she demanded that he come sit with her. She wanted to talk about some things.
"Ray. Did the stuff that happened to you on Tuesday happen to your friends too?" she questioned.
"I asked them. They told me some girls they came across treated them coldly. But nowhere near the same level I got. It's clear that I'm getting the worst of it."
"It's not surprising, When they first found out about you, you were just the commander of the IS-3. Now, they've also learned that you're the team's co-captain. They probably think you stole that position."
"Is that what you thought once?" Ray asked suddenly.
Natalie felt a rush of unease. She nervously played her black hair, looking away from him, waiting for her response. She took in a deep, slow breath.
"...yes. I did. I'm sorry."
Ray put on a little smile.
"It's okay. I've already forgiven you. And I'm willing to forgive them too as long as they apologize."
"Do you honestly think they will? I've met them too and from what I've seen, they look like they're on the warpath."
"I do. In fact, I think it will happen. Maybe it will be tomorrow. Or five years from now. No matter how long, one day they will apologize and I'll be more than happy to accept."
"So, you don't hate them?"
"No, I don't. I don't hate anyone. I never hated you even during the day the team first met when you yelled at me."
Natalie smiled softly. Internally, she was greatly impressed by Ray's perspective of the whole situation. He was more gentle than she realized which made her feel all sorts of feelings that she needed to figure out later.
"Well, you're a better person than me. I mean, really, don't you hate anything?"
Ray pondered for a moment.
"I do hate wasted food."
Natalie chuckled.
"Ah, that's not shocking at all!"
Both of them were smiling and were reclining in their chairs. For a few minutes, they enjoyed the relative calm of the area they were in. In front of them was a large window. The storm outside has not let up. The window had water constantly flowing down the glass. With careful ears, they could hear the individual raindrops rapidly colliding with the window. It all made for a pleasant ambiance. Natalie then remembered one more question to ask.
"You ever mention to Valarie what has happened to you?"
"No."
She was taken aback.
"What? Why not?"
"There is something important going on right now. She doesn't need another thing to worry about."
"What do you mean? What's going on?"
"Um...well...." he hesitated.
"Tomorrow, there is this rules committee. They will decide whether or not to adopt a rule from the Association. If it passes, then Miss Buchanan can no longer be our instructor."
"No way. What is being done about this?"
"Valarie, her friends, and I have been spending the better part of the day drafting up some arguments against the rule."
"So, do you think you all have done enough?"
Ray sighed.
"Truthfully, I don't know. I feel like we're missing something but have no idea what."
He looked forlornly at the window.
"We don't want to let Miss Buchanan down, but..."
He trailed off.
"...have we done enough?"
Though there were some booths to waste a few minutes, overall, the convention didn't have much to offer to Buchanan. The whole point of going to the convention in the first place was to participate in the race. But now since that was done and dusted, she was now just looking for ways to occupy her time. She didn't mind that there wasn't much for her to do. The convention was always geared for tankery athletes anyway. Her walk around did eat up some time and she did convince herself that her walking counted as exercise. She would have rejoined with Redwood by now so they could hang out but a text from him informed her that he was busy. He was with officials to talk about the process of awarding the team awarding them the Panther II. A whole bunch of paperwork. Better him than her. Redwood actually liked that kind of stuff. Buchanan soon grew tired of walking as she was now going in circles. She ascended some nearby stairs and rested against a railing, overlooking the ground floor. Behind her was an auditorium with some event going on. She didn't care enough to learn exactly what it was, but what she did know was that it was loud. Every once and awhile, people would enter and exit the auditorium. The open door briefly releasing the cacophonous noise of young girls cheering and yelling. A woman around her age left the auditorium and walked over to the railing and rested against it as well. She was not too far from her. They glanced at each other, acknowledging the other's presence. Small talk ensued.
"That sure is loud. What's going on in there?" Buchanan asked.
"An introduction to tankery presentation." the woman answered.
"Introduction? Well, I guess you're never too old to get into the sport."
The woman let out a small laugh.
"Ha, no, no. It's for my daughter. She's interested in the sport so this thing is perfect for her."
"Uh huh, why is it so loud though?"
"Simply put, teenagers are loud."
"Oh, I understand that one-hundred percent."
"You got kids of yourself?"
"Yeah, like thirty plus."
The woman looked at her bewildered.
"Not biological kids, of course. They're my students."
The woman relaxed.
"Heh, you had me for a second there. You must be an instructor."
"MmmHmm. No better job out there."
"Oh I bet. Do you mind helping me out, since you're an instructor and all?"
"I'd be happy to."
"Great. You see, for the past year my daughter has developed this interest in tankery and I have my reservations about it."
"How so?"
"Ah, you see...I used to do the sport myself when I was younger. It ended badly to put it lightly. I fully understand the benefits of the sport but...I don't know. I'm worried she'll be in the same situation I was in long ago."
"Hmm. I need a bit more information."
The woman thought for a second.
"It's about safety. Has it improved since, say, 1990?"
Buchanan felt her heart jolt. 1990. Was the woman just picking a year at random and it was just one hell of a coincidence? Or was it something else? Her mind raced with possibility.
"Unfortunately, things have remained the same in regards to safety."
"Oh. That's not what I wanted to hear."
"I feel the same way. During my time at this convention, I've only met a pitiful amount of instructors who do more than rely on the carbon protection for safety. For myself, I made first-aid kits that are in all of the vehicles, trained firefighting, and practiced bailing out of our tanks in the event of an emergency."
"That's amazing. I wish those things were mandated. It would make me feel a lot better."
"I'm trying to make that happen."
"Any success?"
"None."
They let out annoyed sighs.
"At least you're trying." the woman comforted.
"Thanks. You know, something awful happened to me in my own time in tankery. It was because of that, that I do all those safety precautions. I just can't allow what happened to me happen to my students. If it does...God, I don't even want to think about it. It makes me shiver."
They both remained silent for a moment.
"Isn't that interesting..." the woman remarked.
"What's interesting?" Buchanan asked.
"That both of us had a bad experience in tankery."
"Bad isn't a good enough word for what happened to me."
"Do you...do you mind sharing what happened? If not, I totally understand."
Buchanan looked at her.
"I'll just keep it short. I nearly burned to death in my tank."
"Lord. That's just awful!"
"Oh, you have no idea. My tank had a defective carbon lining. A shot punched through it and penetrated the fuel tank, igniting it. My crew got out quick but the impact knocked me out. I came in and out of consciousness, feeling the heat growing more and more. I would've died out there had not one of my crew climbed on top of the tank and pulled me out. The ammo cooked off just seconds later."
As the woman heard her story, there was a tinge of anxiety that was festering and growing within her. A slight sweat was appearing on the back of her neck.
"A-absolutely horrifying. Um...where did this happen exactly?"
"The Mojave desert."
The woman felt as there was a lump in her throat. Her breathing quickened.
"Did you ever, uh, learn who shot you?"
Buchanan eyed the woman with curiosity.
"I learned who did not too long after. I still remember her name. Just the name though."
The woman relaxed a little.
"Ah, okay. So what happened to your Easy Eight after that?"
The moment the woman's words left her mouth, she was mortified. That was quite the slip of the tongue. Buchanan had turned her body toward her. Her face was one of shock.
"I never said what my tank was. The only way you'd know that was..."
Buchanan stepped closer to the woman, now visibly anxious.
"...if you were there."
The two women were looking at each other. The atmosphere between them was terribly tense. Buchanan looked directly into her eyes. She now knew that the woman's mention of 1990 was no mere coincidence. It was chosen specifically because the experience that they were both mentioned were one and the same.
"MacKenzie Conner." Buchanan uttered.
"It's uh...uh...Hayes now." the woman corrected.
"Marriage I'm assuming."
Buchanan's voice was devoid of all emotion. This unnerved Hayes, who was totally unsure over what she will do.
"The Jagdpanther gunner. Right before my eyes." Buchanan said.
Hayes stepped back but Buchanan got even closer.
"For ten minutes on that day, I thought I killed you. I thought I killed your whole crew. I was hysterical. People tried to calm me down but how the Hell do you calm a person down after they think they've killed five people? That was the worst day of my life. I wanted to visit you in the hospital but I was terrified about how you would react to me being there."
Buchanan remained silent as she got right in front of her. Hayes didn't back-up anymore.
"If you're going to hit me, do it. Let me just say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that—"
Her voice stopped when Buchanan hugged her, surprising her beyond belief.
"It's not your fault...it's not your fault." Buchanan repeated as she wept.
In their embrace, they shed more than just tears. Years of emotional baggage was now gone. They both felt incredibly lighter. At long last, the closure that the two women were seek was finally achieved. They never would have guessed it would happen like this, or that it would happen at all. But it did and they were overwhelmingly relieved that it did. When they stopped hugging, they were both puffy-eyed and smiling.
"I didn't expect this to happen at a tankery convention." Buchanan commented.
"I know, right? The reason I'm here at all is weird actually. Maybe she can shed some light on it."
"I can try." said Buchanan, wiping her eyes dry.
"Okay, the other day I learned that I was invited to come here by a man named Martin Redwood. Does that sound familiar."
Buchanan crossed her arms.
"That's my boyfriend."
"Well, I'm betting then that our little encounter wasn't by sheer chance."
"Yup. Definitely was some intervention involved."
The doors behind the women swung open and out came a sea of teenage girls.
"Looks like the presentation is over. It's time for me to leave." Hayes said.
"I really enjoyed our chat. It was beyond productive. I feel amazing"
"Likewise. Um...mind if exchange numbers? I believe that it would be good for both of us."
"I like that idea."
They huddled together to share numbers.
"Thank you, Gabrielle. For forgiving me. I know it's not my fault...but I just wanted to hear it."
Hayes departed toward the crowd of girls, linked up with her daughter, and the two left out of Buchanan's view. Now alone, she reflected on what had just transpired. She had never felt so at ease in her entire life. She soon stopped leaning against the railing. A peek at the time told her it was nearing two o'clock. It wasn't late but decided to go back to her hotel room anyway. There, she will wait for Redwood to return.
The Saturn V sent Mia over the moon but that wasn't the main reason why she came to the space center in the first place. Following the signs, she made a beeline for one area in particular. She moved so fast that Olivia had difficulties keeping up.
"Slow down Mia! People are gonna look at us weird for running! It's not like whatever you want to see will move!"
Mia slowed her speed.
"Okay, okay. I'm just excited and all."
"So am I but no need for a sprint."
The girls continued followed the signs. Within a few minutes they had arrived. Just on the other side of a large pane of glass was a time capsule of the Apollo program. Mission control, looking as it did when the program was active. To Mia, the feeling in her body was akin to a religious experience.
"Just think of the history that happened in that room. I cannot even begin to imagine the emotions the people in there were feeling when Apollo 11 landed." Mia said.
Olivia looked at Mia, whose face was pressed against the window.
"It's pretty cool. Those computers look ancient and I kinda like how they look." she remarked.
"All the work done, stress endured, and problems solved. It amazed me that they made it all possible despite what seemed to be impossible odds. But they were tough. They were competent."
"So, tell me Mia, would you want to be an Astronaut or have a role in, uh, mission control?"
"You might assume I'd say astronaut because that's the job that has all the excitement and adventure. But honestly, I'd prefer to be in mission control. It speaks to me. Also, it's way roomier than a space ship."
The two looked at mission control for several minutes. Mia, in particular, was soaking it in. Who knows when she'll be back in Houston. She'll need to savor this as much as she can. Unlike all the other displays around the space center, she just took one picture of mission control. She only needed one as it was the best picture she has ever taken. She was so proud that she set it as the background of her phone. While on her phone, she happened to glance at the time.
"Ah, it's almost four o'clock." Mia said.
"Oh really? We've been here forever. Can we go?"
Mia looked at mission control one more time.
"Yes. I'm...satisfied."
They retraced their steps back to the entrance. Outside, the weather has ceased. The clouds were beginning break way and bits of the blue sky were seeping through. Together, they waited for the bus.
In her hotel room, Buchanan was lounging in the bed. She had been alone for the past few hours. Redwood's business with the Panther II was taking its sweet time, apparently. The day had turned out in a way she had not expected, not in a million years. But it did and she was so happy. Her happiness, though, was tainted. She kept thinking about tomorrow. She didn't want this week to end on a sour note. Her mind was inundated with what she could do about the rules committee. If only she had proof of the Association's lies about the carbon protection, she would have what she needs to shoot down the proposal. But how to get it was beyond her. It frustrated her. She rubbed her face and shifted on the bed. She attempted to take a nap but her thoughts continued to gnaw at her. Stressed, she turned her body toward the door and waited.
And waited.
Until she heard the sound of someone unlocking the door. Redwood entered in.
"Hey, finished up with that Panther II stuff. It's now on its way to a train back to California."
"Nice. That includes ammo too?"
"It does. That saves some cash, eh?"
"MmmHmm. Say, Martin, I've met an interesting person today."
"Oh yeah? And who was that?"
"Just a woman named MacKenzie Hayes."
A flush of red appeared on his cheeks. He tried to eke out a sentence but no words materialized.
"And she said she was invited by you." Buchanan continued.
"Um...well... yeah. I did."
Buchanan rose from the bed and walked toward him. She held his hand and gave him a loving kiss.
"What you've done for me...I will never forget. I love you.
"I love you too."
The pair laid on the bed, right next to each other, hands held.
"How do you feel about tomorrow?" Buchanan asked.
"Ugh, I tried not to think about it. That Panther II stuff was a good distraction but on my way other here, I got to thinking about it. It stresses me the Hell out. For some reason, I fear that if the rule passes I won't be able to see you again but that's obviously not going to happen because it's not like you're going away or something, I can always see you no matter what happens. Then there's the match coming up later in the month, and then I got all my other responsibilities with the school—"
Buchanan laid a finger on his mouth.
"We're both stressed."
She rolled on top of him and played with his hair.
"I know the perfect stress reliever."