Second Chances (Part III)

Posted on Sat Jul 17th, 2021 @ 8:46am by Lieutenant Bobbie Sue "Bobcat" Hunter & Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy'
Edited on on Sat Jul 17th, 2021 @ 8:48am

1,652 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Operation Romulus Return
Location: Rio de Jainero
Timeline: Immediately after 'The Wrong Foot'

[PREVIOUSLY]

Bobbie Sue wondered if Isabel was showing off for them, or showing the place off. Isabel's father was right. Bobbie Sue knew he was here. She raised an eyebrow at Soren and followed Isabel.

[CONTINUED]

Soren gave Bobbie a shrug as he followed Isabel with her. Taking a moment to look around at the area before they reached the room where her father was who was under the hood of an old fashion car.

Isabel's father was working on a 57 Chevy with a black glossy finish and flame decals on the sides and hood. The engine was shiny with a chrome finish. While being a classic car, from an old era, it looked brand new. And it wasn't replicated. There was a certain look to the parts that identified them as authentic.

The man slowly eased out from under the hood, placing his tool on a cloth covering a small area of the hood. He grabbed a second cloth, one that was wasn't as clean as the first, and began to wipe his hands. He finally turned around to look at the three who entered. Upon immediately locking eyes with Bobbie Sue, he smiled at her, before looking over to Isabel.

"Thank you for going to get them, Isabel." The man said in a slightly heavy accent as he walked over to a modern sink and began to was the grease from his hands. "The Jeep is still in one piece?"

"Yes, Dad." Isabel replied with a smile before walking up to him and kissing him on the cheek. "You know I wouldn't pull a Miguel and wreck the Jeep."

"You need to stop giving your brother a hard time because of that." He said firmly, looking over to her. "That could have easily happened to you."

"I know, Pai." She replied as she walked away.

"I'm not joking, Princesa." The man affirmed as he took his hands away from the water, prompting it to stop automatically, before wiping his hands with a towel. "You and your irmão (brother) have a lot of room to race around in the cars, and I give you that freedom, but you two can still get hurt even here. One thing can happen and the next thing you know the car goes out of control and into a wall or, Deus me livre (God forbid), into the house." He shook his head slightly, looking over to the others, before looking back to Isabel. "Is it too much to ask for you to be careful, Isabel?"

"No." Isabel replied, looking down to the floor, before looking back up to him with a smile. "I will be more careful, Pai. I promise."

"Sounds like my father when I told him I wanted to race cars," Bobbie Sue said, smiling. "He thought fighters were bad enough, but when I started tinkering with old cars, he said it was too much."

The man offered a laugh before walking over to Bobbie Sue. He placed the towel over his shoulder and smiled as he said. "Fighters have safeties put into place. Eject pods and emergency transporters. Cars, especially old ones, don't have much but a seat belt and air bags. Even those are no guarantee. Your father might just be doing what all parents do when their child tells them they are going to do something that involves danger. Just being worried about your safety." He looked from Bobbie, to Soren, then back to Bobbie. "Welcome to my place. Adriano Rafael Serrano." He extended his hand to her. "But my friends call me Rafe."

"Hi, Rafe." She shook his hand. "I'm Bobbie Sue. Or just Bobbie if you prefer. This is my friend, Soren. Thank you so much for letting us come. I've heard a lot about this place."

Rafe smiled a bit as he crossed his arms over his chest, Bobbie catching a glimpse of a familiar tattoo, one she saw on Max growing up. "So, tell me, Bobbie: What have you heard of this place?"

"That you used to work with my uncle." That was safe enough. "That you work with old cars and let people race them." She kept it simple, not wanting to say too much. "He expounded on those a bit, but that's the gist of it."

"More or less." Rafe replied with a smile as he looked over to Isabel. "Why don't you take her friend to the racer room. Bobbie and I will join you in a few minutes."

Soren raised a brow. "I'll go when Bobbie goes." He said firmly.

"She'll be fine." Rafe replied, looking over to Soren. "Trust me."

Bobbie Sue took Soren's hand and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be right there. I promise."

Soren looked down to her, smiled, then looked over to Rafe. He was uneasy, but he trusted Bobbie knew everything would be fine and nodded slightly.

At that moment, Isabel walked over and took his hand, leading him to the door. "You're in good hands, Flyboy. Don't worry. I won't bite... much." She than giggled as they made their way to the turbolift.

Bobbie Sue watched them leave and shook her head. "She's quite a character." then she turned to Rafe and added, "Max has wanted me to come here for a few years now. It's been hard because I'm not near earth very often. Your cars are amazing. Did he tell you I'm a fan of old cars?"

Rafe let out a laugh. "Isabel has her own ways. She's very excitable, but sometimes it leads her to run before walking. You're pilot friend is in good hands. She won't do anything unnecessary." He walked back to the car he was working on and continued. "Max is seldom an open book, but it doesn't surprise me he would open up to his niece." He turned around, leaning against the hood, looking to her with a smile. "Yes, he told me about you. In fact, I was with him when he found out you were born. He was concerned we wouldn't be able to finish our mission in time to get to see you. I promised him he would and I kept that promise. How is your Uncle? I don't see him as much as I used to."

"Neither do I," she admitted. "But we send messages to each other." He was always there when she needed him, even if it could only be virtually. "He came to see me tonight. Soren saw him leaving my quarters. Right now, he thinks Max is a family friend." She looked at the door he'd just walked through. "We're both pilots on the Tokyo."

He nodded before gesturing to the car. "Take a seat." Rafe smiled as he walked over to the passenger side and got in.

A wide grin spread across her face. She didn't need to be told twice. She got behind the wheel and took a moment to caress the steering wheel and look over the console, admiring the old-fashioned display. She then checked the gears and pedals. "It's perfect."

"Turn the key." Rafe replied with a smile. "She sounds even better."

She did so without a problem, her grin growing broader. "Oh, she does." She glanced at Rafe. "Can I take her out?"

Rafe let out a slight chuckle. "She's part of my private collection." He said as he leaned forward, turning the knob to the glove compartment, before looking to her with a smile. "But I can make an exception." He pulled out a photo and handed it to her. The photo was of a young Rafe and Max sitting in the same car, both in uniforms. Max was in the driver’s seat, hands on the wheel as Bobbie was now, behind them were two other people. They all looked happy, looking to the camera.

She ran a finger over Max and smiled. He looked so young. "Who are the other two?"

"Two other members of our... crew." He laughs slightly. "Gregory Strife and Thayne Kilgore." Rafe let out a soft sigh, clearing his throat a bit, before looking to Bobbie Sue, his smile a bit faded. "Strife commandeered one of Max's pet projects and was arrested. Sent to a penal colony. Thayne is still out there. Now a pirate. Killing people who show signs of betraying him. Jumping from ship to ship. Evading capture." He let out another sigh, taking the photo from her hands lightly, before adding. "Max has never stopped chasing him. This was taken back when we were all stand up officers ready to bring peace to the galaxy. Brothers in arms."

"I've heard their names, but he never told me the details." She smiled at Rafe. "He's good at keeping secrets."

"The four of us were going to change the universe, but our views would often clash. Max was always our balance. The judge to every indecision." He let out a laugh. "From how to proceed on a mission to who paid the check. Max was always the deciding factor because we trusted him to consider all the options and we trusted him." As he eased the photo back into the glove compartment he continued. "When they turned on us, turned on Max, you can imagine how your Uncle felt. They weren't just colleagues. They were brothers. Brothers who turned their back on their goals for their own reasons. Reasons that forced them to break their code, but also, go against the Federation. He would die for them, and in some ways, he still might. Max still feels he could reach them, but it's weighing on him."

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Bobbie Sue Hunter 'Bobcat'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Rafe, Isabel, and other NPCs by Dillinger

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