by L. S. Wood
For the ones who could not come to be with us! We will do our best in getting you back home to them as soon as we possibly can. You have our word on that, but until then you all must learn to have patients with our decisions. You may roam around the facilities freely, but please no contact with your relatives, not just yet, thank you!”
“Boy, have we, boy, have we learned how to have patients, right crew? Commander Anderson spoke up with a smile on his aging face, as everyone in the room nodded their heads up and down laughing and grinning at one another.
“Slow communications is the number one factor in all our everyday lives now a days. Our mail is still our most first-rate way in staying in touch leisurely with anyone around the globe, and we do have some operable phone lines buried far enough below the earth’s surface and waters between the cities of our planet so we can still communicate with one another for the purposes of emergencies, should they arise. There are telephone crews out there working around the clock as we speak, trying to connect all the cities and small towns of this country, and around the world, trying to reconnect everyone together again by underground wire harnesses for the safety of the people still alive in this world of ours.”
“Gee! We use to laugh about the old comic strips, the city of Atlantis beneath the deep-blue sea. These fantasy lost cities that use to exist beneath the planet’s soil and the ones under our seas. Look at us now for they are all really happening. We once laughed at Jules Vern for writing about spaceships soaring out into outer space from our planet once, and then we built them. Almost to the same exact specifications that he had written in his books. I guess the lives of our comic book heroes are always coming true for us these days, thank God for the comics.
Getting back to your question, Lieutenant, your family is on their way down here from Vermont as we speak. I would say you would be able to see them by tomorrow or the next day after that. I would guess if the medics say it is all right with all of your medical conditions, that is.
It is a long way down here from upstate northern Vermont to good old sunny Florida you know, especially by bus transit these days with all those many stops in between they have to make along the way!”
Ann’s deep blue eyes swelled up with happy tears of joy as she broke out in a happy grin from ear to ear with tears running down her happy cheeks hearing her loved ones were on their way there to meet her. She was so happy she could not help but show her bubbling feelings of being overjoyed in front of everyone in the debriefing room.
“Major! Would you mind going with Captain Trainer to the next debriefing room, please? He has an important message for you, Bill! Captain Trainer has something of great significance to talk over with you alone in the other room, Major!” Bill’s eyes widened like large dinner plates, swelling up with instant tears of anguish, putting on a total look of pure white fear which swept over his sudden lost happy face with fright like a hard frost in winter. He knew whatever needed being said to him in private by Chaplin Captain Trainer in the room next door with him was not good. Why could his space family members not hear the words meant for everyone’s ears? He knew deep down inside whatever the important massage was to be, he sure as hell did not want to hear any word about it from Chaplin Captain Trainer. He turned a true white the color of pale white mist as the ghosts of white on a Halloween costume.
He slightly staggered, limping helplessly across the main conference room floor, not hiding the deep sad bad news and predictable pain he was about to hear from the others when he exited the room with Captain Trainer. Dr. Captain Trainer was known to everyone around the facilities as the base’s psychotherapy doctor, specializing in traumatic behavior experience analysis. He was trained in smoothing over one’s loss, be it in life experienced by one military personnel’s friend, family or crewmember. No one in the debriefing room wanted to trade shoes with Major Bill, no matter what the private news was he was about to receive from down the hall in doctor Trainer’s office.
Ann felt a huge sad lump of sorrow develop suddenly in her throat for Bill as did everyone else in the room, feeling instantly sorrowful for him. They all hoped the bad news would not be too devastating for him, for he was such a nice friend and loveable human being.
He, like the rest of the crew, could not wait to get back home to his wife and children. The remaining crewmembers in the debriefing room had the same exact mystified looks of horror instantly embellish on their own faces as he had when he left the room. Especially when they were all told the sad tragic story about the incident that had occurred to Major Bill’s immediate family after he had left for space once he had left the conference room.
His wife, his little daughter, and his infant son of only a few months old, fell victim to the horrific blast felt around the world that day on their flight home from the cape when the massive neutron blasts occurred. Like so many other innocent victims in the world that day who were flying here or there that cheerless day, when the destruction of these many innocent beings and unsuspecting animals around the world, along with just about every kind of flighty creature in the air died that horrific day.
Most the planes in the air that day crashed, while there were no recorded survivors listed on any of them. Some fighter pilots felt very lucky at the time to have ejected out of their disabled aircraft. However, everyone knows the fatal outcome to what had happened to them, and they would have been just as well off, to have had all perished in their aircrafts, instead their living through convulsions all the way down to the ground to perish. The others, having become one of the many simple minded acting androids roaming helplessly around the planet in search of food and handouts to sustain their simple-minded lives.
“Gentlemen, and you too, Ann, I hope you will excuse me for saying gentleman all of the time.” “It’s okay, Sir, you can call me anything you would darn well like to now that I am back home here safe and sound on earth!” Everyone had a go laugh. “Good then, well gentlemen! We lost, and I do mean lost, most of all the qualified people on the face of the world that day that could fly. We lost all the best pilots around the world except for a very few that did not fly that day. There are but a very few of us old flying bucks left, and let’s not forget the good old gals still alive that can fly as well.” He winked at Ann and smiled before he went on with his speech.
“We do have a very few newly outfitted aircraft ready to try and fly again. Our navy is almost back up to full speed with their old battle ships taken out of mothballs and we do have a very few aircraft carriers back in port being outfitted today with other newly high standards of old time war-faring abilities.
There is not a navy out there anywhere in the world that have regrouped the way we have here in this country, but this is only for our countries security.
By the way gentlemen, all the information I am telling you right now is all top-secret information, and I give it to you strict in charge, you are not at liberty to discuss this, and I do mean this info cannot, I repeat, cannot go anywhere outside of this conference room. Agreed? Good.”
“Our modern day nuclear fleet of submarines can still operate when beneath the water’s surface of our seas. They are unable to deploy any of their long range missiles because the creature in the sky is a leach to their payloads, and sucks the very power out of their battery operated guiding power battery supplies and lines in communications in their guiding systems as soon as any the missiles enters the airspace above the water’s surface. The missiles could go anywhere they damn well pleased then, and destroy our own homeland if we are not careful in using them.
It just is not safe to deplore any of the electronically controlled warheads until we can further figure out a new and more accurate way of guiding them safely to their intended locations or targets. We have taken a couple of our old diesel operated submarines out of mothballs and installed air-turbine starters in them to start them according to intelligence. We are now ready to defend our country against any enemy. We jus
t thought we should add that little tidbit of information, to make you all feel a little more secure in your all being back home here with us.
When you all are reunited with your loved ones, you are not at liberty, as I have said before, to discuss any of the private matters we are discussing here in this room with any of them. Not your mother, your father, your sisters or brothers, especially your children, understood?” “ Yes, understood, Sir”. “Good then dismissed.”
Major Bill never returned to the debriefing room that afternoon, and everyone knew very well why. Each crewmember were led away to their own awaiting sleeping quarters to change into their new uniforms they had just been measured up for just prior to going into the debriefing room meeting after landing. Every crewmember one by one checked out physically by the two attending flight surgeons.
Ann had had an attending flight nurse in the room with her during her return physical, but could have cared less if one were in the room with her or not. She was just damned glad to be back home, and had all the faith in these doctors there on the base, for the attending doctor she had, had given her, her flight physical just over a year past before her last mission, and the attending flight nurse was the same also.
Ann drew herself an extra-large bathing tub full of warm almost too hot, of hot warm bathing water, while adding more than enough bubble bath treatment solution of pure floral fragrance to relax in. The lavender fragrant soap filled the tub almost overflowing with the lovely smelling bubbles of Lavender meant to relax her, and it sure as hell did. She lay soaking in the bathtub until the water in it turned cool, almost cold. It all felt so good to be in a tub of water after so many months of only being able to take sponge baths. She used old recycled body wipes to refresh herself with after exercising in the space stations gym to maintain her physical outer and inner appearance of healthy mind and body.
She became lost in the comfort of her soothing warm bath, when suddenly a hard firm fisted knocking came at her new quarter’s door, catching her totally off guard, taking her back by complete surprise. She had been totally lost in daydreaming relaxed awe in the frothy tub of slowly dissolving, slowly popping bubbles of delight and relaxation.
She flew out in a flash from the tub of white foamy water, grabbing for the soft terrycloth bathrobe she had hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Hastily without thinking, she loosely wrapped the robe quickly around herself, and headed for the locked entrance door. She had been very quick in wrapping the loose fitting robe around her wet naked body. She opened the door and stood standing there dripping wet looking like a little old beautiful dripping ragamuffin. Her long grown-out brown hair hung down on her slender body, dripping water droplets all the way down her bathrobe down onto the floor below, and suddenly realized the front of her robe was half-open, displaying half her womanhood.
Commander Anderson looked down at her and smiled as she fumbled with her loose robe. She turned a crimsoned red with embarrassment as she tucked her collar in around her neck to hide her womanhood. She was an attractive young woman to look at, he thought, even though he was old enough to be her father and almost her grandfather‘s age.
“You know, Lieutenant, you get more beautiful with every passing day that I see you. Your husband is one very lucky man to have you to hold.” She turned as bright as a freshly ripened red-hot tomato.
“The crew, Lieutenant, I mean I, would like to take you and the crew out for a very special dinner this evening to celebrate. Lieutenant, would you like to join us for a goodbye meal to celebrate our returning home, and a farewell from each other this evening, Lieutenant?”
“It would be my pleasure, Commander. I couldn’t think of anyone except my other family that I would like very much to share a great meal with right now, Sir.”
“Why, that is quite understandable, Lieutenant.” “Would you like to come in and wait for me while I get dressed, or should I meet you and the crew somewhere?” “It isn’t that I wouldn’t like to come in, Lieutenant, but I just think it would be a little more appropriate to meet you and the others downstairs in the main lobby. I shall go round up the others while you get yourself dressed Lieutenant, or may I call you Ann?”
“Of course, you can call me Ann, Commander. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” “We shall see you at 1900 hours then, Lieutenant, I mean Ann”. “Yes, Commander, 1900 hours it is in the lobby, Sir”, as she closed the door behind her.
“Please Lord, please let Amber, Sarah, and Ben get here by tomorrow. I miss them all so very much, I can’t stand it, and don’t want to wait another second to see them either.”
Commander Anderson along with the rest of the Twitchel crew except for Major Bill, were all seated and waiting in the lobby of their accommodations building when Ann came sleekly descending down the winding staircase dressed like a modern day model showing off a new line of wardrobe.
The crew all looked greatly refreshed, well groomed, and looking wonderful to her. They all had clean-shaven faces and were now dressed up in clean dress military uniforms. Most of all she noticed the fresh stylish haircuts they had performed on them before refreshing themselves up in the showers. What a handsome bunch of guys they all were, Ann thought to herself. All the crew in dress uniform appeared very handsome to Ann, and she in return looked like a million dollar babe to them all. She looked like a Hollywood model descending a model’s walkway, coming down the staircase in her new sleek-line high heel shoes with a touch of special makeup on, and the lovely dress she was wearing showed off her most lovely figure. She glowed on her insides with a very warm heart, feeling the beauty she bore on the outside to kill, feeling so beautiful out of her drab old stinky military flight suit. She could have been the ugliest woman in the entire world coming down that staircase, and she would have still felt the same way, but she was not, and the goodness of it showed.
The sad part about her was that she did not even realize or sense the beautiful looking woman she was, just feeling refreshed in life after her lovely soothing bath, and feeling damned well pleased to be back home on earth once again.
Her fellow crewmembers, watching her come gracefully down the staircase, had never looked at Ann in any other way other than an equal astronaut officer working right along with them in the space program until tonight. Tonight she was not just one of the other persons onboard anymore. Tonight she was a most beautiful specimen of young womanhood, and each one of the crew wanted to treat her as the person she really deserved to be treated. Ann had become more a young sister to all the men over the course of the last long trying year aloft held prisoner in space against their wills. She was the one they all turned to at one time or another in conversing about their strong hurtful feelings of loneliness, and wanted to talk to her about their families whom they had all so dreadfully missed, including Commander Anderson on a couple of rare occasions. She was able to give them all the close feeling of strength and closeness to family they needed, even though she was not part of their own real family, but she really had been.
“Lieutenant, you look absolutely ravishing this evening, absolutely ravishing indeed,” said Commander Anderson to his first lieutenant.”
Ann had prudently curled, put her hair up in a lovely looking French twist, and was not wearing the typical NASA looking military uniform they were all so accustomed to seeing her in over the last long year.
She wanted to look differently nice for herself this first night back on Earth. She had put on a most beautiful red sleek lined civilian evening dress showing off her slender lovely womanhood, the youthful beautiful and ravishing young woman she was as she descended down the stairs and off the last step to the stairs. She walked ever so graciously up to her fellow comrades who were waiting in the lobby for her.
“Was this dinner, Sir, supposed to be in full military dress uniform?” Ann asked Commander Anderson. “No, Sir, Lieutenant, I mean Ann. It was not. It is real nice to see you all dressed up that a way, and not looking
like some old mechanical robotic android all dressed up in your old flight gear Ann.”
The crewmembers except for Major Bill all traveled from the main housing barracks to the military officers club in the adjacent compound to spend their evening together. The crewmembers kept away from their immediate families and friends intentionally by orders until the next day. The two medical flight surgeons from the bases medical facilities along with their wives and a nurse accompanied the returning flight crew to the officers club that night. They stayed a safe distance away from the crew just to observe and keep an eye on them being back so they might enjoy themselves together one last time as a space family before separating from one another when all would go their separate ways in life after such a trying ordeal they had all gone through together.
Everyone around the dining table ordered the same exact meal from their menus, of clawless southern equator waters lobster tails as a side dish, to go along with a medium rare tenderloin soft cooked steak for their main course in small proportions. They had had their options of fish, clams, shrimp, veil, and an assortment of other fancy dishes along with as many desserts that they wanted. They enjoyed the pleasure of a drink or two of their favorite beverages getting almost tipsy on the first drink after not having any alcoholic beverages in such a long time.
Real food for a change that really looked extremely appealing to everyone with excited roaming eyes, all having to eat it in very small increments and bites of appropriate portions so no one would become severely ill from over eating.
The clubs food was rich in high protein and many carbohydrates for their first real evening meal together. They all knew better, and none wanted to act like gluttons and get themselves sick in front of one another on their first day back from space.
