The radio crackled. A man's frantic voice blasted through, and filled the small cockpit. "Pull up Lisa! Pull up now!"
A joyful laugh was her response to his reaction to the wild stunt. "Negative, Jack. I'm going for a new record."
He sighed heavily. "I really wish you would just stick to the routine. This is dangerous."
Ignoring him, she kept hurtling downward, through several layers of clouds. The veteran pilot waited until the runway rushed up to meet her, then leveled off.
After an incredibly soft landing, she emerged from the sleek aircraft. The bright summer sun reflected off of her red hair as she strode towards the building.
Soon Lisa was sitting in a red vinyl booth, with a brown serving tray on the table in front of her.
She smiled as she looked at her lunch. Refuel Yourself, the best cafeteria on Geddleson's Air Force Base, hadn't disappointed.
Before the hungry pilot could begin, a man slipped into the seat across from her. Unsure of his mood after their last conversation, she waited.
He gave her an evil grin, and grabbed a handful of fries. His hand almost made it to the edge of the tray before he received a sharp slap.
"Drop the fries, Jack!" ordered Lisa, before bursting out in laughter at his expression.
He feigned a hurt frown. "And this is the way I get treated, when I planned on taking you on the adventure of a lifetime..."
Her eyes sparked with interest at the word adventure. "What kind of adventure? You hate any kind of risk!"
His surprise seemed genuine. "I don't hate risk. I just don't want to see you go splat... I feel so helpless when I watch you up there."
Lisa blushed, then became serious. "I don't have any intention of going splat. Now what's this adventure you were talking about?"
He sat back, savoring the moment. "How would you like to go down in a submarine?"
"Of course! Are you going on one of the tours? I went on one when I first moved here, it was amazing."
He shook his head. "I've been on every tour available. They were good, but now I get to solo! I ran into an old schoolmate last week, and we ended up talking for hours. When we were done, he offered me a ride home - in his Lambo."
Lisa's eyes widened. "It sounds like he really did himself proud."
Jack nodded. "Turned out he invested in Microsoft when it was still young. When we passed the bay he pointed out his yacht. Mentioned that it was equipped with a submarine. When I asked for a tour, he gave it, along with a ride. Showed me how easy it is to use, then he offered to let me to take it out myself sometime."
Lisa beamed. "Thank you, just tell me when!"
On the big day, a limo pulled into Lisa's driveway. When the driver opened the door, she slid in. "You didn't have to do this, Jack. A cab would have been fine."
"I know, but Sloan insisted when he found out I was taking you along. Said that we should enjoy ourselves," he replied, grinning as he offered her chilled champagne.
When they arrived at the dock, the driver stopped in front of a massive yacht - a ship, really. Once they boarded, Jack introduced Lisa to the crew, and gave her a quick tour.
She looked around in wonder. "I can't believe he let you borrow all this!"
"We were best friends until his Dad got transferred to Japan. Then we couldn't talk to each other anymore, even on the phone. This was before everyone had Internet. And long distance was crazy expensive."
Lisa frowned. "You could still write."
He nodded. "We did for a while, but we were kids. And letters took months to arrive. Writing was boring after a while, so we lost contact."
"I wonder what the odds are of you meeting years later," she mused.
He laughed. "Probably one in a million."
Lisa looked at the deep blue water. "When does the fun start?"
"As soon as we get there," replied Jack.
She frowned. "Get where?"
He grinned, his eyes shining with excitement. "You'll see."
The two lounged, enjoying the amenities. When the yacht stopped, the captain exited the bridge. "We have arrived at the Mariana Trench," he announced.
Lisa jumped to her feet. "Oh, my! Thank you for bringing me along, Jack. This was one of my bucket list items."
Jack hugged her. "It was on my list too. I was hoping you'd enjoy it."
They quickly got into the tiny sub, and were soon in another world. "Let's explore the deep parts first," Lisa suggested eagerly.
Jack's eyes were shining. "Exactly what I was thinking."
As he maneuvered the craft into the trench, the ocean became darker. "We're getting close to the limit. Let's slow down."
Lisa looked around. "This might be the only time we ever get down here. Let's go over to that ledge, and set her down for a few seconds."
He did so, then turned off the motor and the light. They sat in silence, watching the small glowing creatures.
"I wonder how many of these species are still undiscovered?" Lisa asked.
As if on cue, a massive form glided up from the depths. At first they thought it was a shadow because it was as big as a whale - but no whale would be down there. Then it began to glow...
To be continued!
Describe what you see:
I see contrails from a jet going straight down. Usually they go sideways, or descend gradually.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like it's either an emergency or a training session.