Minmei sat on the floor, gripping the baseball bat and peeking out the front window at the looters across the street.

If Rick had any firearms in the house, she hadn't been able to find them. She had found the bat, though. Rick was in the military and had never really shown an interest in sports, so why he had a baseball bat but not a gun, she had no clue. But she had to work with what she found.

The phones, amazingly, were working, so she had called the police, but there was nothing they could do about looters. They were swamped with bigger problems. It was the answer she had expected.

She scowled at the looters. There were three of them, two men and a woman, and they were brazenly robbing the house across the street in broad daylight. She knew they were robbing it by the way they kept checking to see if anyone was around and the frantic speed with which they piled things into their truck.

She had no idea whose house it was. Considering the neighborhood, it was probably someone in the army. The owner might be someone who had given their life just this morning to save these people, or on duty right now to protect them! The thought burned her with rage.

She wanted to do something, but she was powerless. She didn't even have a camera to take pictures of them, and the truck's license plates had been removed. So she stationed herself in the front room, beside a door secured with nothing but duct tape, kept the bat ready, and kept an eye on the looters as best she could while hoping they didn't see her.

When their truck was full, they took off, roaring down the street, tires squealing around the corner. She wondered if they would be back.

She rested her head against the wall and thought briefly about her life before the Zentraedi came. No explosions, no war, no looters, no hiding in houses holding baseball bats. Just normal, blessed civilization.

When could they have that again?

She went to the kitchen, still holding the bat. It was a real possibility that food would be scarce the next few weeks, so she had been ignoring her hunger in order to ration what they had. But her hunger had become raw enough that she finally allowed herself a can of beans and a small can of tuna. She dared not open the refrigerator; with the power out, she couldn't afford to let any heat into it.

Her hunger satiated, she peeked outside again. Other than a single car going down the street, there was no activity. But the sun was setting.

Rick would almost certainly be gone until the next day, at least. Minmei didn't relish the idea of staying here alone at night with no secure door. But she had nowhere else to go, and she would need to sleep.

The attic would be safest. No one would look there. It would be stifling hot, but better than dying.

She pulled the blankets off the bed and found a spare sheet in the closet. She gathered them up, walked into the living room, and almost died of fright when the front door opened. She gasped and dropped the bedding, frantically wondering where she had left the bat.

But it was Lisa.

Minmei let out an enormous sigh of relief and clutched her chest.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.

"Sorry. I thought you were a looter. Or worse."

"Ugh. So it's come to that, has it? Have you seen any?"

"They left about half an hour ago. They cleaned out the house across the street. I couldn't do anything to stop them."

Lisa nodded, and sat on the sofa. She looked haggard. "It's just bad news all around, isn't it?"

"How are you holding up?"

Lisa shut her eyes and shook her head. A few tears escaped. "I spent the day trying to save what remains of the human race, identifying the bodies of my best friends, and learning that I'm now an admiral. And I went home to get some rest and discovered that my house has burned to the ground and I've lost everything I own! So I came here because I have nowhere else to go."

"Oh, Lisa," Minmei whispered. She sat next to her and held her hand.

Lisa hadn't expected all that to pop out. But she desperately needed someone to talk to, and Minmei, of all people, was suddenly the best person in the world for that.

"It's so wild!" Lisa said through her tears. "This morning seems a million miles away, like it was all a dream. Everyone was still alive. Suddenly my friends are dead and I'm in charge of the world."

"The world?"

"You're looking at the highest ranking officer on the planet. Absent any elected government leader, I'm in charge of the whole human race, and oh, God, my friends are dead, Minmei, they're dead!"

Lisa sobbed for a long, long time. Minmei held her tight, crying with her, stroking her hair.

When she was almost cried out, Lisa lifted her head again. Minmei held her hands.

"Admiral Gloval is dead," Lisa said. "And all my friends on the bridge crew."

"I'm so sorry, Lisa," Minmei whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I'm so tired," Lisa said softly. "I need to sleep, but I know I won't be able to."

"You should at least lie down. I'll see if Rick has anything that can help."

"Thank you, Minmei. I'm...I'm so glad you're here. I don't want to be alone tonight."

Minmei nodded, kissed her forehead, and went looking for a sedative. Lisa closed her eyes, not yet ready to move if she didn't have to.

Minmei returned with a glass of water. "I found some cold medicine that'll make you drowsy. It's the best he's got."

"That'll be enough." Lisa downed two pills.

Then she noticed the blankets on the floor. "Why did you strip the bed?"

"I was going to sleep in the attic for safety."

Lisa grimaced. "A good idea, but not one I relish. You know, I'd rather just sleep right here on the couch and damn the consequences."

"You're sleeping in that bed, Lisa. I'll take the couch."

"I wouldn't hear of it."

"You're Rick's girlfriend."

"You live here."

They mock glared at each other.

"What a bizarre situation," Lisa said.

"I know. We should have our own reality show. It would be a hit."

Lisa laughed a little. Then it grew, and she dissolved into hysterical giggles. And that was how Minmei discovered that Lisa schnorted when she laughed hard. Minmei laughed also.

"You know, the bed is big enough for both of us," Minmei finally said. "And...well...you're too proud to say it, but I think you need someone to hold you tonight."

"I do indeed," Lisa said softly. "What about your plan to sleep in the attic?"

"I feel much better now that I'm not alone."

"Me, too." Lisa smiled.

"I'm sorry your house burned down, but I'm glad you're here."

They hugged for a long moment.

Then Lisa yawned and said, "I'm done for the day. I'm hitting that bed hard."

"I'm right behind you."

 

It was one in the morning when all the urban fires were under control enough for ground crews to finish them off. It was three in the morning when Blue Squadron declared the final sector clear of hostiles. From that point, it took another 30 minutes for Amanda and Pete to convince Rick to get some rest. "We need our squadron commander as mentally sharp as possible," Amanda had said. "We can get by with a token crew for now. Yes, we promise we'll call if anything happens."

So Rick had stumbled into his house just before four in the morning, looking forward to his bed so very much, only to find Lisa and Minmei asleep in it, curled up next to each other. Minmei's right arm was wrapped over Lisa, holding Lisa's left hand.

Rick blinked for a few moments. His mind simply shrugged, flashed him a does not compute message, and shut down for the night.

He didn't even bother undressing. He grabbed a spare sheet, collapsed on the couch, and was asleep within moments.