fanfic_name = Ricks Rain
chapter = 19
author = Adam Scott
Rating = AP
Type = Alternative Universe
fanfic = Chapter 19
That little flight was the push I needed. I felt stronger then ever after that. I dove into the tasks at hand at full speed, pushing up deadlines and production schedules. My nightmare was nagging me in the back of my head. I couldn't shake the image of that monster, devouring everything it came in contact with. I still had no idea if it was real or not but something in my gut told me it was and I had learned to listen to those feelings a long time ago. I even asked Exedore and Breetai if they had ever heard of the Invid, the best that they could come up with was an ancient Zentraedi myth about beings that lived on a plant called the Flower of Life but that was all that they had. They didn't know if it was the Invid or not. The information didn't settle the turmoil inside my head though. I pushed harder to get thing completed, we had delayed for too long now.
I started working from the house instead of the office. This way I could spend more time with Lisa and Roy. I had a command tac-net console installed in my desk at home which gave me access to every communication line on the planet and it was secure. I would start around 6:00 am in my pajamas and then around 8:00 I would get dressed. The whole time Lisa and Roy would be coming in and out of the office. Usually around 11:30 Lisa would bring me lunch and we would sit and talk and enjoy each others company for a little while. After lunch is when most of my conference calls would take place with various contractors and departments of the REF or with the UEG council, which was fine with me because Roy would go down for a nap about that time. That was when Lisa would get her work done. Now that she was no longer "with child" she was back to full duty status. She had her own little console installed about a week after mine and so we worked together in the afternoons. She was concentrating on staffing the SDF-3 and the various support ships and I was working on getting everything built. From the SDF-3, the support fleet, right down to the mecha and especially the new fighter configuration dubbed the Alpha and its heavy bomber counter part the Beta. It will be another year before the two designs would be ready for production but in the meantime we were testing out every little component we could for them. It is my intention to use the Alpha/Beta combinations for the primary defense and assault force on board the SDF-3. We would still have to take a few good old fashion Valkyries but the plan is to have the fighters manufactured on board the SDF-3 or other support ship which we cannot presently do with the VF-1's, their just too big. In addition the VF-1's require huge amounts of fuel which we won't have access too.
Supreme Commander Leonard and General Emerson were busily organizing the Armored Military Police and the Armies of the Southern Cross to handle anything that may come up here at home while the fleet is away. They are also developing and a replacement for the destroids. They are calling it the Spartas. A type of hover tank but it is based on the Veritech design which has proven to be a sturdy and reliable concept.
Things between Lisa and I weren't as good as they appeared. Because I was working all the time, even though I was home, we didn't get to spend as much time with each other as we had in the past. Our little lunch dates were about it and we were too busy in the afternoons to really talk to each other. It was to the point that we weren't sleeping together. Roy would finally fall asleep around 9:00 or 9:30 and then Lisa would head for bed. I would continue working until 11 or so and then I would go and relax in the living room for a while and watch a little TV. More often then not I would fall asleep in the recliner. My nightmare would return and awaken me around 4:00 am. I would jerk myself awake and check my surroundings. The house would be silent and dark except for the flicker of the TV. I then would turn the TV off and head for bed but I couldn't sleep. I would just lie there watching Lisa, sleeping serenely. She was so beautiful, I would often stroke her hair and she would curl up closer to me. But I still held the vision of the monster and I was unable to close my eyes. The alarm would go off around 5:30am but I was usually up already. Every morning Lisa would come into the kitchen and ask if I had been up all night. I would be at the table sipping my coffee and reading the paper, I would reply with "no" but she knew I was lying. She would shake her head start preparing breakfast.
One morning, when she knew that I hadn't even come to bed, she had had enough. "You can't keep doing this!" she said as she walked in to kitchen. I just looked at her briefly and went back to reading. "Are you going to ignore me?!" she exclaimed. I put down the paper and looked up at her with a befuddled look. She had a scowl on her face and was quite mad. I could see the fire in her eyes. My goofy look didn't help the situation any either, it only made her angrier. "Rick Hunter, I am talking to you!" she yelled this time "are you trying to avoid me?!" she asked. I could only stutter a "no"; I wasn't prepared for a confrontation this morning. She had a right to be mad though, I wasn't trying to avoid her I just couldn't bare the thought of losing her and being close to her just made that feeling worse but she didn't know or understand that. I had never told her about my nightly visions and that somehow I knew that I would lose her and Roy if I didn't get the mission started soon. My weak response only frustrated Lisa "then what the hell are you doing then?!" It was rare for her to curse so I knew she was mad and hurt. I didn't have a choice I had to tell her but will she think I'm crazy? I hope not. "Lisa," I start, she looks at me as if to say, "Get on with it already". "Lisa, sit down," I start again "I need to tell you something but you must promise me not to laugh". This seemed to intrigue her and she pulled up a chair across from me at the table. "This had better be good Rick" she said with condescension. I swallowed hard, the image of the monster raced through my mind, how can I tell her, what can I say. A thousand possibilities came to mind; I looked at my wife sitting across from me. I reached out and grabbed her hand. Her look softened a little, it had been a while since we had just held hands. I knew though that I needed to say something soon, she was getting impatient. "Remember when I was in the coma?" she nodded her head yes. "I had a dream, no, more of a nightmare and a vision rolled into one." Her look changed to one of compassion but still angry. I continued, telling her about what I had seen and how the nightmare returns every night. How it was the same thing over and over again. Sometimes it was different but the end result was still the same. I told her of how I knew that they were coming here unless I stopped them and that I had to go as soon as possible. I told her of how I feared of losing her and Roy if I didn't succeed and that the mere thought of it tore me apart inside. I told her that because of that fear I had been forced to pull away from her. The pain was just too great. I couldn't tell her much more, by then tears were streaming down my face and I could no longer control the sobbing. I was so tired and I felt so helpless. I couldn't lose her or Roy. They were the most important people in the world to me. They were my life; they were my reason for existence. I let go of Lisa's hand and covered my face. Lisa got up and came over to my side of the table and wrapped her arms around me from behind. Her warm arms felt good against my cold, clammy skin. Then she kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Its O.K. I won't laugh, I believe you. Now, you need to go to bed, you're exhausted. I'll see if JoJo can watch Roy for a few hours". I started to protest but she gave me that look of "you better do what I say" and cut me off. Then she added, "Leonard and Emerson will just have to do without you for a day." She led me to the bed room and tucked me in. she then gave me a kiss on the forehead. She exited the room and made a call to JoJo's.
Sergeant Jocelyn "JoJo" Marie Tanner was the only person besides Max and Miriya that we trusted with Roy. Roy liked to call her JoJo and so did we. She was a young woman, only 17, but was mature beyond her years. JoJo's parents had been killed in Dolza's Rain and she survived the aftermath long enough to find her way to the SDF-1. She had enlisted in the RDF as soon as she was able, hoping to help rebuild a life for herself. After our accident she was assigned as an assistant to my secretary Lt. Rawlings. As a result she spent a lot of time with us, running messages and reports. Lisa was the first to notice how lonely she seamed and started to invite her over tea and to talk. JoJo was lonely, she missed her parents, she was only 12 when she lost them and she had no other family. Lisa and JoJo became fast friends and they fell into a sort of mother and daughter relationship, which was something they both needed. Soon JoJo became a semi-adopted member of our family.
Roy was still sleeping when JoJo arrived. Lisa informed her of what was going on and JoJo understood perfectly. Then Lisa contacted Lt. Rawlings and told her that I was taking the day off. She then came back to the bedroom, I was still awake. She frowned a little but got undressed and crawled into bed next to me. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and buried her face into my neck. Then she whispered so gently "I love you Rick Hunter and I will always be here for you, don't ever forget that. Don't be afraid to lean on me because I know I lean on you. You are my pillar of strength now let me be yours". Her words were comforting but the vision was still there. I tried to close my eyes and let sleep overtake me but I knew that I had to face this demon one way or another and until then, it would haunt my dreams.
State = Continuará/To Be Continue
feedback = Sí/Yes
email = jscott_73ATyahoo.com