(19) Cherry Red and Turbo-Charged

I nodded. Somehow I knew that John was not going to let his parents die. His lips parted in a grave smile, then he looked down at his bag and tossed it at me. After pulling a matching black leather backpack out of his closet he started filling it with supplies. I looked at my empty satchel and wondered what on Terrafima I should pack. All my things had been back at the other base. I didn't even have a spare tunic or a cloak to keep me warm on the cold nights. John looked up when he had finished filling his pack with a few items of clothing, a communicator, and a couple of spare ray guns, and charge packs. He pulled his long blue coat on and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked a me. Then he took my hand and led me into the room where I had burned the dress. It's smouldering remains were lying there in the floor. John made his way to a crate and, after looking around for a moment, he pulled a large black cloak out. It was embroidered around the hem and collar like my tunic. I donned the cloak as he lead me down the winding passage ways to the armory. He pulled out his key card and scanned in. We were approved by the machine and allowed to enter.
The walls and floor were covered in the largest variety of weapons I had ever seen in my life. In a straw-filled crate John removed a belt of small explosives. These charges were only about the size of a walnut, but their blast would destroy a ten foot wall made of two feet of solid stone. Another communicator was found and placed in my hand. The small device fitted in my ear and enabled me to speak to anyone on my frequency. The small controller that came with it fit safely in a pocket in my bag. John pulled out a large gun, nearly as tall as me, and to my surprise, he set it aside to get at some rope and grappling hook shooters. He turned to me and said,

"We need to travel lightly and quickly, don't grab anything you can't use or run with." This made sense. We were a rescue mission after all. Two people confronting the army of the Beasts head on was suicide and didn't do anyone any good, except the Beasts. John led me to the kitchen where we grabbed ration packs for the journey.

Fully geared up for the rescue mission, John took me to the vehicle shed. The metal structure was full of everything from missiles to scooters. We ducked behind a large 5-wheeler as John devised a way to get around the guard. He seemed too immovable and alert to sneak past. Then an idea hit me. John handed me his backpack and pointed out his sleek and somewhat sexy land/air ship. I made my way over to the convertible which could roll on two wheels like a vintage earth motorcycle, or whose wheels could turn horizontal and cause the contraption to hoover a few feet above the ground. I snuck past the guard as John started chatting with him.

"Hey Claude, how's the shift going? I haven't seen you much since your reassignment. I heard you're going to make Alyssia very happy. You sly dog! Yeah, the news of your engagement spread like gossip in a small town." Claude mumbled something about being on-duty, but he was not a very bold man. As I crept back to the door we had come through I saw John clap Claude on the shoulder and say, "Oh, there's nothing happening right now! I don't even think the Beasts are awake outside this base. Their sleeping...or dead." A dark chuckle ripped through John's throat as he said that. A weaker one escape Claude's lips. "Oh", said John, "I'm taking my lady out for a ride on my bike over there. We'll just take a turn around the base. All the ladies love the bike." He drawled. I could almost hear him wink. Rolling my eyes I came around the corner of a large truck so that it looked like I had just come through the door. Claude looked at me with wide blue eyes. His mop of blonde hair and round face made him look like a child. How was he old enough to be engaged? Much less in the military? I flashed my best attempt at a dazzling smile and wrapped my arm around John's muscular one. He looked down on me with a twinkle in his eye and said,

"Hey baby, you ready to go on a "magic carpet ride"? He winked at me and I giggled at the old Disney movie reference. Thousands of years after the film had been made, it was still preserved and watched by each generation. He quickly stepped around Claude, pulling me along. Claude opened his mouth to object but John turned his head and cut him off saying, "Just a quick trip Claude, ol' buddy. Please don't tell the big boys? I just want a bit of freedom from this cursed metal prison." I turned and looked at Claude with my best pouty face. I saw Claude swallow and nod carefully before turning his back on us.

John hopped on the back of the cherry-red "bike" that was clearly his baby and fired her up. I ran over the the large metal door and swiped his key card through it so that the door raised up about 6 feet off the ground. John nudged his bike along till he was out of the hanger. I closed the door and slipped under it and into the moonlight. It must be nearing dawn, for light was just starting to appear over the northern horizon through the trees. I sighed in the cool air before I was suddenly pulled up onto the bike by John. He had pulled me into his lap and there was a sly smile on his face.

"Good job Elaine." He whispered in my ear. He smelled so good when he was this close. Like mountains and sunshine with just a hint of leather. It was a very manly smell. He kissed my forehead and then lifted me up to place behind him on the bike. I hugged his waist and leaned my head against his back. "Hold on" he called with a laugh in his voice as he kick-started the bike into 18th gear and started the hydrolic turbo thrusters. He turned the bike sharply and we sped off to the west, the wind blowing my hair behind me in a mass of red.