We Three

Chapter 1

Minmei peered into the house through the front doorway and tentatively called out, "Hello?"

As she expected, there was no answer. She knew Rick and Lisa were still on duty, but it was best to make sure. It would have felt strange walking in uninvited even when she knew the house was empty. Even though she herself – technically – still lived there.

And she was sure it would be empty for a while. The city was still reeling from the attack which had destroyed the SDF-1 early that morning. Most of the fires in the urban areas had been contained, but smoke still poured from the remains of the battle fortress. Crews still searched for the dead and wounded, and the army was on yellow alert. No military personnel would be returning to their homes until late that night, possibly even the next day.

While walking back to Rick's house, Minmei had heard the rumors: Khyron's suicide run. But those rumors were unconfirmed.

It felt so surreal. Hundreds of people had just died, thousands had lost their homes, and the SDF-1 was gone, yet here she was at her ex-boyfriend's house to collect her belongings and scamper. She had lost her home, too, but not to any Zentraedi attack.

Rick's front door was missing. It had been standing open when the attack started, and the blast wave from the initial bombardment had knocked it off its hinges and sent it flying down the street, where it hopefully hadn't killed anyone. So the first thing Minmei did was walk down the street looking for it.

It was late afternoon. There were very few clouds, and the wind was keeping this neighborhood free of smoke, so it was easy to find the door. In fact, she found several, and since they all looked alike, she chose one at random and dragged it back.

She did this not only as an act of kindness for Rick and Lisa, but also because every ounce of work to rebuild after an attack was precious. She wasn't searching through the rubble for those who were buried, and she wasn't tending the wounded, but she was doing this much – finding the front door of her friend's house while he was busy helping others in more important ways. Thus the members of the human race helped each other out, in ways big and small.

Minmei leaned the door against the house, then wandered inside and came face to face with Lisa, who was on her way out with a couple of sacks full of items.

"Oh, hello," Minmei said, instantly contrite. "I...just came to get my things. I didn't know you were here." Minmei chastised herself for failing to see if anyone was in the house a second time after returning with the door.

"That's all right, Minmei, I was just on my way out. I just came to get some things for Rick. We're working our pilots so hard, he won't be able to come home for a while, so Rick asked me to come get him a spare uniform and his tooth brush. He'll practically be living in his veritech the next few days."

Minmei nodded. For a long moment, neither knew what else to say.

Awkwardly, Lisa finally asked, "Minmei, do you...have anywhere to stay?"

Minmei gave a small smile. "Not at the moment, but neither do several thousand others. I'm sure the army will set up an emergency camp. I'll just go there."

"Minmei, we're in a state of crisis, and will be for some time. There's no reason to burden the army with one more homeless person if we don't have to, and Rick and I aren't moving in with each other overnight. You need a roof over your head; that's far more important. Please don't become homeless just because of my relationship with Rick."

Minmei blushed and shrugged. "That's very nice of you, Lisa, but how could I stay here with Rick after today?"

"Minmei, we're all adults, the city's on fire, and you've nowhere to go. I think it'll be all right if a romance takes a back seat to all of that. And I know Rick would insist on this, also. We won't allow you to kick yourself to the curb. Stay here until you can find something else."

They smiled, their awkwardness gone. "Thank you, Lisa. That means a lot."

"No problem. I have to get back. I'll see you later." Lisa hugged her as best she could while still holding the sacks, then walked outside to find a surprise. "Oh, the front door has returned!"

"And I'm about to put it back on, if I can. And if I can find Rick's tools. You wouldn't happen to know where he keeps them?"

"Nope. Good luck!"

As Lisa walked away, Minmei's heart filled with love, and she smiled. Even in the midst of all this tragedy and heartbreak, I'm still so lucky, she thought.

She wasn't able to reattach the door because Rick apparently had no tool kit, the goofball. Even if he did, new holes would need to be drilled because some of the wood had been ripped out of the frame, and Rick apparently had no drill, either. And even if he did have a drill, she wouldn't have been able to use it because the power was out to the entire neighborhood.

But while Minmei couldn't find any tools, she did find the next best thing: duct tape. So she was in business.

 

Two versions of Lisa Hayes walked back to the temporary RDF command center on the lake shore. One version was outwardly calm, even smiling and humming to herself – dealing with the emergency, taking charge. The other version was still in shock and completely numb.

Right now, the two versions weren't talking to each other. They walked side by side, each pretending the other didn't exist.

A lieutenant whose name she couldn't remember saluted as she returned. Lisa didn't have the energy to respond. She ducked under the canopy crudely stretched over the two tables and three chairs which were currently her office. Four hundred meters away, the fire which had consumed both the SDF-1 and the SDF-2 was finally dying.

Don't look at it.

As long as you don't look at it, it's not real.

As Lisa set the sacks on a table, a corporal – a young woman – stepped forward and saluted. Again, Lisa didn't have the energy to respond.

"Dr. Fredericks sent me, ma'am," the corporal said. "He requests your presence at the hospital as soon you are able."

"Did he say why?"

The corporal looked pained, as if she had hoped Lisa would spare her this. "He says they've found them and...he needs you to ID them." The corporal looked at her sadly. "Dr. Fredericks is giving them priority, considering who they are."

Version 1 of Lisa smiled and nodded her thanks. Version 2 wailed in grief and wanted to disappear from the universe.

She couldn't remember walking to the hospital. It must have taken half an hour. Or did the corporal drive her? Were the roads even passable? Why couldn't she remember how she got here?

Dr. Fredericks had been weeping. "Thank you for coming, Admiral."

"Admiral?" Lisa asked.

"RDF protocol demands that at least one admiral be vested with command at all times. If no admirals remain, the highest ranking officer shall be promoted to admiral automatically. That's you."

Lisa stared at him. If no admirals remain. Of course. She knew the protocol, but it hadn't occurred to her.

Admiral. She swallowed hard.

"I'm ready," she heard herself say. That was Version 1. Version 2 looked at Version 1 in horror. No. No, I am not ready!

They walked to the morgue. For some reason, Lisa would always remember the walk down that corridor with crystal clarity: the smell of antiseptic which came from the room on the left; the way the sunlight angled through that window; the ringing of the phone, and the way the nurse with the green hair picked it up. Everything embedded itself into her brain.

Then they were alone in the morgue. Every table was occupied. Dr. Fredericks motioned to five in the furthest corner. "They're over here."

"How are there any remains left?" Version 1 asked calmly.

"The Zentraedi ship struck the midsection of the SDF-1. The top third separated and was thrown about half a mile. Everyone in that part of the SDF-1 died when it struck the ground. Blunt force trauma."

Lisa nodded.

"I'm going to lift each sheet. I just need you to provide positive ID on each one."

"You don't need me to ID them. Everyone knew them."

"But you knew them best, and...I felt you would want to be here."

"I see."

"You don't have to do this, of course."

"No, you're right. I want to be here."

"If you want to leave immediately afterwards, that's fine. If you want to stay and have some time alone, that would also be fine. Whatever you wish."

Lisa nodded.

Dr. Fredericks lifted the first sheet.

Lisa took a deep breath and her lower lip quivered. "Admiral Henry J. Gloval."

They moved down the line.

"Commander Claudia Grant." Lisa was now weeping.

"Lieutenant, Junior Grade Sammie Porter."

"Lieutenant, Junior Grade Kim Young."

"Lieutenant Vanessa Leeds." Lisa reached out and took Vanessa's glasses, and Dr. Fredericks covered her again.

Dr. Fredericks held out a clipboard and Lisa signed five pieces of paper. She wrote her signature calmly, and counted them off: one, two, three, four, five.

"I would...like some time alone with them," she said, without looking at him.

"Of course." He nodded and withdrew.

Lisa stood there. Time lost all meaning. Part of her never wanted to leave.

"Why?" she whispered. Her voice was barely audible, so soft it might have been the ventilation. "Why? Why? Why?"

Her bridge crewmates were as much a part of her as her arms and legs. Her heart. Her mind. Her soul.

She had fought, but it had been five against one. Admiral Gloval had been advancing in age; Claudia had never really rebuilt her life after Roy died; and no member of the Terrible Trio would ever have chosen to live over the other two.

There hadn't even been a discussion. It was like they had all planned it beforehand. Ten hands had picked up Lisa and thrown her into the escape pod almost before she knew what was happening. And that was it. No good-byes.

Part of Lisa was actually okay with this. She and the others were military, pledged to give their lives in defense of the human race. And it wasn't like they were the only ones who had made that sacrifice. In the past five years, they had all become so used to death. So much death. That's how it was in wartime.

She thought of Khyron, just for a moment, and hoped he was burning in hell. Then she resolved never to think of him again, and promptly banished him from her mind forever.

"I love you," Lisa told the five bodies lying before her, her voice quavering. "I love you so much, and I don't know how to deal with this."

"Snap out of it, Lisa!" Claudia said angrily. "You're army, born and bred!"

Lisa smiled. She carried her friends in her mind so well she knew exactly what they would say.

She laid a hand on the shoulder of each friend, one at a time, spending a long time with each one. She did this in perfect silence, for words did not exist.

Then she left without looking back.

At the very least, she was one version again.

Chapter 2

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