Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Anime Patrol ❯ The Newtype Rescue ( Chapter 2 )

Based on a fansub version of the anime "After War: Gundam X". A special thanks to my husband for helping me out.

Chapter 2: The Newtype Rescue

Mike got to work earlier than usual. As he was getting of his motorcycle he noticed Mary Bradley, the controller, struggling with a heavy package. He ran up to her.

"Morning!" He smiled taking the box from her.

`Thanks." She sighed in relief. "I almost dropped it."

"What's in it?"

"Just a bunch of computer junk my father left behind."

Mike looked at her waiting for more details.

"Let's get inside and I'll show you." She opened the door in front of the young ranger. "My father used to collect old computers and computer programs and games. After he passed away nobody in our family wanted it. So I decided to bring it here and see if anybody was interested in buying the stuff."

They entered the office and Mike sat the box on the table. Mary cut loose the string and lifted the flaps. The boy peeked inside and his eyes got really big with excitement.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "I've been looking for this for the past 3 years."

He took out an Atari 800 XL computer and was admiring the design.

"How much do you want for this?" He asked. The girl shrugged her shoulders. She had no clue how much those things were worth. She thought for a moment and a sly smile lit up her face.

"Actually there is something you could do for me." She smiled.

"Just name it and it's yours." Mike couldn't hide his excitement. "I'll do anything to get this beauty."

"I want to go out with Dan. Set it up and the computer is yours."

"I… I can't do that." Mike shook his head.

"You want the PC, don't you?"

"Yeah, but… " he tried to protest.

"Date with Dan or nothing."

Mike wasn't sure what to do. He had to tell her the truth, but if he did he would loose the deal. The girl waited patiently. Finally he made up his mind.

"Before I talk to Dan about it, there is something you should know."

"He's married?" Mary was looking worried.

"No!" the young man exclaimed.

"He has a girlfriend?" Mary kept talking.

"Hell, no!"

"I know." By now Mary had tears in her eyes. "He's gay."

"No." Mike was getting really frustrated.

"Then there is no problem. Tell him to pick me up tomorrow at seven." And before Mike could say anything else she walked away taking the heavy package with her.

"Dan is going to kill me. I just know that." The man sighed heavily.

"Where are we?" Dan asked, as she usually did when they got out of the transporter. Mike checked the computer. Something didn't seem right.

"Well?" the girl was getting impatient. Mike checked the computer screen again and then showed the map to Dan.

"You're kidding me." Dan looked at him in disbelief.

"Unless the calculations are off, we are right here." He showed her the map again. Dan knew her partner well enough to know that when it came to computers he never made a mistake.

"Damn." Dan kicked the dirt in anger. They were more than five hundred miles from their destination. The woman got a piece of gum out of the coat pocket and began to chew on it vigorously. She looked around trying to figure out a plan. As far as she could see it was all a desert.

The year was After War 0015. Fifteen years ago a conflict triggered by a colony's movement for independence grew into a full-scale war between Earth and the colonies. Eight months into a stalemate in conflict, the colonies government pressed the Earth to surrender, threatening to send the colonies crashing into the planet, an action that would result to great damage. The Earth was prepared for an all out war with its Mobile Suits - Gundam X, a weapon designed for the final battle that it had developed in secret. However this resulted in the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind. Driven to win, the colonial forces proceeded with their operations. The forces of Earth were able to withstand the onslaught, but the home planet was destroyed. Virtually all of the Earth's 10 billion inhabitants were lost. There were no longer any instances of defeat or victory. The result of the colonies' drop was disastrous. A large change in the environment occurred. The natural cycle was broken. Fifteen years later the environment of the Earth finally became stable. People struggled to live but they hoped for the future.

This was the world both anime rangers were currently forced to face.

"Contact our base." Dan said after a long pause. "They need to transport us closer to Belgrass, or we're not going to make it."

Mike just nodded and got on the job. Soon a door opened in front of them out of nowhere. They stepped in and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the vulture ship `Freeden' was restocking their supplies and delivering other merchandise.

"Here are the three Dauntless types you ordered." The Freeden crewman looked up at the mobile suits in front of him.

"I'm sorry it's so early in the morning." The merchant apologized.

"Don't worry about it, it's my job." The crewman just smiled. Then he turned around to the two people standing behind him.

"Rocogo, Rhine, please do the mounting."

The two men ran off to do their job. The crewman handed the other guy a piece of paper.

"Please sign here." He requested. While the man was writing he looked at the city and the ocean behind it.

"The city of Belgrass has grown so fast."

"You're right. The power of people is something else. The life is getting better too. There are some nations springing up on the other side of the ocean." He handed the documents back and was about to walk away.

"I've heard that you are heading for the ocean." He hesitated. "I have a mechanic whose family lives in one of the cities on the other side. Would it be possible to take him with you? He's a good worker and I'm sure he'll earn his keep, till you drop him off."

"I need to discuss it with the captain." The man from `Freeden' answered slowly. "If you don't mind waiting…"

The other man just nodded and the crewman ran off. Some time later he came back with the news.

"The captain says that it's ok, but we're not quite sure which way we'll be heading. We can drop him off in one of the bigger ports at the shore."

"That'll be fine." They shook hands and parted.

The new passenger entered the ship's hall only few minutes later. He was dressed in jeans and a parka. A young kid approached him and welcomed him on board. The man was shocked to find out that that boy was the main mechanic for the `Freeden'. After a short briefing he was shown his temporary quarters. Once inside he closed the door, and making sure nobody could see or hear him he pulled out a communicator.

"This is mole 1," he whispered." Come in mole 2."

"This is mole 2." Came from the other end of the line. "What's the status, Jack?"

"Don't call me by my name, you idiot." He replied with anger. "I'm on board and ready to begin the mission."

"There's been a slight change of plans. You need to stay frosty till we get through to the Orcs."

"I thought it has already been done." Jack was annoyed.

"There's been a slight delay. I'll let you know when you can resume operation `Blue Bird'"

The man added a few insignificant remarks and finished the conversation.

Jack closed the communicator and hid it in his closet. After while he left his room and went to take a look around. He reached the deck just in time to see three gundams leave the ship. Jack decided to find out what was going on. He found Kid talking to his co-workers. It turned out that Jamil Neet, the captain, sent out the mobile suits following Tifa's direction to search for a certain destination. Jack looked at Kid surprised.

"Who's Tifa?" he asked.

"Oh, I forgot you're new." Kid laughed. "Tifa is a Newtype. She can sense things. She already helped us out a lot of times."

Kid kept talking but Jack didn't listen anymore. He knew exactly who the girl was. She was the main reason Jack was sent to `Freeden'.

Dan and Mike stepped out of the transporter. This time they saw a city lying in front of them. The sea behind it was shining in the late morning sun. Mike got his handy computer out and did his stuff.

"That's Belgrass." He said with relief. "We're in the right place."

"But at the wrong time." Dan was pissed. The mistake had cost them too much. Mike didn't get it. The confused look he gave his partner made her even more crossed.

"They've already been here."

Mike frowned. He finally understood the situation.

"Where is the nearest base or plant?' Dan already seemed to be working on a plan. The young man did his research and soon they were heading towards an Old Federation Base.

"Can't we just use the portal to get ahead of Freeden?" Mike asked his partner

"No." She replied shortly. The young man waited for further explanation, but when nothing came he asked again.

"Because by now they might have changed course."

Mike just nodded. He knew that anybody stepping into a dimension could cause events to change in an unpredictable way.

The rangers entered the old base with caution. Old facilities were often the target of vultures and other pirates. They could find themselves in danger if they came across one of those groups. The buildings were in a fairly good shape, which gave the rangers hope they would find something useful. Mike got his little computer out and began to scan the surrounding.

"No bio signs." He stated. "I'm picking up some structures of mechanical signature, could be a mobile suit."

They entered the building Mike selected. Immediately they noticed an old federation suit. Dan sighed in relief. Mike was already approaching it. It didn't take him long to get to the cockpit. The door opened with difficulty. The young man got inside. Dan waited at the feet of the giant.

"Well?" She demanded after a long while. "Is it going to work?"

A whirring sound was the answer to her question. Seconds later she noticed her partners hand waving her up. She climbed to the cockpit and knelt down at the entrance. Mike was working the console.

"We'll need to get fuel real soon. Plus there is no ammunition in this thing."

"Maybe we'll find some in one of the other buildings."

"It's worth a try." Mike nodded and attempted to move the suit. It jerked and Dan started to fall out. Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. She stumbled and her face landed in the boy's lap.

"I don't think it's the right place for that, Dan." He joked.

Dan quickly got up and punched him in the arm.

"What was that for?" The boy complained.

"You did it on purpose." She snapped at him.

"Yeah, right. Like I knew it was going to jerk like that."

"You're the mechanic. You should know."

"Give me a break." He frowned and closed the cockpit door. Dan situated herself on the left side slightly behind Mike.

In no time they were out the hangar searching for ammunition. They found what they were looking for, plus a supply of fuel. They were both amazed that this old base stayed in tact for so long.

"How are we going to find them?" Mike broke the silence.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, but because she was sitting behind him he didn't see that.

"Oh great, so now you're going to be pissed. Don't you have better things to do than to be mad at me?"

"I'm working on a plan, ok?" She was still mad for earlier. She hated embarrassing situations and she blamed Mike for putting her into one. She took a piece of gum out of her coat pocket and began to chew on it. "Let's just get out of this place for now. We'll see about the rest outside."

The young man immediately got on the job. He has never operated one of those suits, but learning on the fly was one of the qualities that got him the job at Anime Patrol. During his months of training he came across instructions for different suits including Gundams. Now it was time for him to use the information. Soon he had the thing running smoothly.

Meanwhile Dan got her mini computer out and established communication with their controller.

"It seems that they are still heading for the same destination." She informed Mike. "Their last log entry indicates that they are taking a different route."

"How are we going to find them if they don't even know where the place is they are looking for?"

"We know it's on the San Lucas Coast. The rest we'll just have to find."

Mike sighed.

"I'm looking forward to the days when our computers will be able to pick up the odd ball things as well, instead of only the set parameters."

They soon reached the seashore. To their relief it took them only few hours to dragon-shaped rock. The rangers quickly hid the suit behind a hill.

"You stay here." Dan left Mike to guard their `vehicle'. The `Freeden' was parked at the beach while the crewmembers were enjoying the sun and the water.

Meanwhile Jack went searching for Tifa. He got near her room just in time to see Garoad close the door. The boy leaned against it murmuring something under his nose. Jack waited for him to leave. The moment the young pilot disappeared around the corner the intruder got a piece of gauze and a bottle of liquid out of his pocket. Only few minutes earlier he got the order to kidnap the girl. He poured some ether onto the gauze and entered the room. Tifa was staring out the window. She probably assumed that Garoad came back. Suddenly a hand fell over her face. She tried to scream but the ether was already taking effect. The man picked up her limp body and carried her out. He got to the hangar without being noticed. Most of the crew was at the beach. He found a ridged hall inflatable boat and put it out on the water. Tifa laid at the bottom.

The sound of the motor caught the attention of the people on the beach and Dan. The ranger quickly realized the situation. She immediately contacted her partner.

"Tifa's been kidnapped!" She yelled while running towards the group. They looked at her surprised. After the second time she yelled her warning a young boy jumped and hurried inside the ship. The other crewmembers followed him immediately. Soon the Gundam X piloted by Garoad was ready to launch. The moment the mobile suit left the hangar a series of missiles was fired in its direction. Dan turned to where the shots were coming from. An unknown Dauntless was approaching the ship.

"Haley, where, the hell, are you?" the girl yelled into the communicator. "We've got a situation here."

There was still no answer. Instead another mobile suit rose from behind the hill and attacked the Dauntless. It was the ranger. Mike's attack caught the unknown pilot by surprise giving the crew of `Freeden' enough time to launch Airmaster and Leopard, the other two Gundams.

Missiles began to fly back and forth. Dan quickly hid inside the `Freeden'. The ship launched the moment she stepped into the hangar. Everybody was in a hurry. The girl put a piece of gun in her mouth and decided to use the opportunity to explore the ship. . She knew where Tifa's room was. She thought it would be a good place to start.

At first the three gundam pilots seemed to be confused. They saw two unidentified mobile suits attacking each other.

Mike opened his comlink. The faces of three young men appeared on his screen. The youngest one, with short black hair was Garoad Ran, the newest addition to the `Freeden' crew. The other two were Roby Roy, the pilot of Leopard, and Witts Sou, pilot of the Airmaster.

"My name is Mike Haley."

A series of shots interrupted his introduction. Another Dauntless came out of nowhere. He didn't let the other guys wait long for an answer. He pulled the trigger and slowly forced the first mobile suit back.

"Whoever is in the Dauntless is responsible for kidnapping Tifa Adil."

"Well, it seems as if you could use some help." Roby grinned.

The new intruders weren't giving up, sending missiles towards them over and over again. By now the Gundams decided to join the battle. The GX took few steps forward, but Mike blocked his way.

"Garoad Ran, you and Witts need to get Tifa back. Neither the Leopard nor I can go on the water."

The GX pilot hesitated for a moment. Finally the boy nodded and the mentioned gundams took off.

"Don't keep all the fun to yourself." Roby sent Mike another grin.

"Be my guest! Take your pick!" The ranger let another series of shots out.

Roby pretended it was tough to decide. He fired a few shots.

"I take the left."

Mike nodded and turned to the right.

Meanwhile Dan reached Tifa's quarters. There was a distinct odor in the air.

"Ether."

Dan recognized it immediately. She looked around for any other clues, but except the gauze on the floor she didn't find anything. She carefully walked back out and proceeded down the hall checking every room she came across. She was almost ready to give up. It seemed though that there were only two more rooms to go. She entered one of them and the first thing she noticed was the lack of human presence. There were no signs that anybody lived in this room. She turned around ready to go check the last quarters, when she noticed something hanging on the back of the door. It was a parka. Dan took it off the hook and searched the pockets. She found a piece of paper with `DOME' written on it. The word sounded familiar but at the moment the girl couldn't remember what it was. Still trying to figure out the meaning of the word she began to search the closet. To her surprise she found a communicator and a few other things hidden behind a stack of blankets. She turned it on.

"… should reach you in few minutes." A male voice came yelling through the speaker.

"They better hurry. The Airmaster is sitting on my tail." Another voice replied. The man sounded quite nervous.

"How is the girl?"

"I don't have time for a chit-chat."

Dan could hear cannon shots and the whir of motors on both ends.

"Shit! The GX is here! Where are the Orcs?"

"The Orcs?" Dan finally realized what was happening. She suddenly about the Dome was. It was a microwave weapon system. Dome was located in an Old Federation base on the Moon. In the previous war it provided the GX with power by sending a huge amounts of energy to the units built into the gundams. The beam from those guns was one of the most feared types of weapons known in those days. And even now, 15 years later, it still hasn't found its match.

The Moon base was being protected by an automated defense system. And only a Newtype - a person with special mental powers was able to make contact and activate the Dome's system. Tifa was one of those people.

Dan ran back outside taking all she found with her. The situation around the `Freeden' seemed to be under control. Mike and Roby pushed the Dauntless all the way on the other side of the hill. The enemy finally realized its position. They fired few more rounds and retreated. Leopard wanted to go after them but the ranger stopped him.

"It's not worth it." He reasoned. "We need to get back to the ship and go after Tifa.

The mobile suits were soon parked inside the hangar. Dan was waiting for her partner at the door.

"I know what they are up to!" She called the moment the ranger got out of the cockpit. "They will try to take Tifa up to space and take over the control of Dome.

"Dome? That's not good."

"We need to talk to the captain."

Roby caught up with them shortly before they reached the bridge. Jamil Neet, the captain, was sitting in his usual chair in the middle of the room. The rangers approached him and Dan immediately began to explain the situation.

"The man who kidnapped Tifa is getting ready to join up with the Orcs. If we don't get to him before then, we might not be able to rescue the girl."

"Full steam ahead." Jamil called out the order. Shingo Mori, the pilot, was already on the job and soon `Freeden' was cruising on the ocean.

"Who are you and why are you helping us?" Jamil was curious.

Dan looked into the captain's face. The scar on his cheek gave him a distinct appeal. She couldn't tell what was hiding behind the sunglasses.

"Let's just say we've got our own reasons to save this world."

"Save this world?"

"Yes, the people who currently hold Tifa, will attempt to take her out to space and taking advantage of her abilities use a fearful weapon hidden on the Moon."

"A weapon?" The captain seemed surprised.

"Yes, I can't tell you any more. I already said too much. It is better for everybody if it remains a secret."

"How did they find out about it if it's such a secret?'

"There are organizations out there to whom this fact is known. So far none of them have succeeded in finding the means to activate that weapon."

"Captain, we are approaching a battle."

The conversation was interrupted by Sara's announcement. Everybody looked out the window. It seemed that the Orcs just picked up the kidnapper.

"I hope we're not too late." Dan whispered to Mike.

The man just nodded. His attention was pinned to the outside

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jack was standing on the bridge of the main ship.

"Here are the two gundams, just like we promised."

Doza Bale, the captain smiled.

"Launch mobile suits! Split them up!" He shouted.

The gundams approached the ships. Suddenly two yellow mobile suits came jumping out from under the water. The first one grabbed the GX and pulled it underneath. The Airmaster managed to escape the trap, but two other mobile suits surfaced and began shooting.

"Somebody needs to get on the enemy's ship to retrieve the girl." Mike turned to Jamil.

"It's too dangerous. You don't even know where the girl is located."

"That's why we will go." Dan stepped forward. She understood Mike's plan immediately. "There is no reason for any of you to risk your lives. You'll have plenty of opportunities for that."

"Yeah, leave it to us. We were trained for that. Right, Dan?" Mike winked at his partner.

"I can give extra fire power from here. Just let me get the Leopard on the bow." Roby ran his finders through his shoulder length brown hair. He couldn't wait to get into the action, since his gundam wasn't suited neither for the water nor the air. The captain considered the situation for a moment.

"Witts, get back to the ship!" He called to the Airmaster.

"What about Garoad?"

"You can't help him right now. Besides you'll be back out there in a moment."

Witts nodded and soon the Airmaster landed on the ship's hull. The rangers, dressed in wet suits, climbed in the giant's hands. Meanwhile Leopard took his position on the stem and began to fire at the Orcs vessels. The Airmaster lifted off.

Meanwhile Doza watched the underwater situation on his monitor. The GX struggled to break free from the Orcs' mobile suit. The attacker let loose kicking the gundam in the cockpit area. Garoad fired a shot but the beam barely reached the other suit's position. The water was cutting the power of the canon in half. While the young pilot was trying to figure out his strategy another suit approached him from behind and grabbed the gundam's arms. The GX was partially immobilized.

"Destroy the cockpit only. Just kill the pilot." Doza called out the order.

The suit in front of Garoad began to arm its weapons and aim at the helpless gundam. The first four torpedoes were launched. Garoad tried to break free, but all his attempts were in vain. Suddenly a pod of dolphins surrounded the approaching weapons. They began to whistle loudly among one another. The signals seemed to have disengaged the torpedoes' guiding system. The weapons scattered around and blew up. One of them hit the mobile suit behind the GX. The grip loosened on the gundam. Garoad used the opportunity to get back to the surface. He shot down two other mobile suits and retreated.

"Garoad, give the Airmaster cover!"

Jamil explained the situation to the pilot. The boy immediately turned around and began to draw the attention of the other mobile suits towards him. Witts flew in a big circle around the Orcs. When they got close to the back of the main ship the rangers motioned to Witts to drop them. Soon they found themselves underwater swimming towards the ship. Most of the enemy suits were engaged in a battle. Mike and Dan used one of the hatches, used for dropping the suit underwater, to get inside. They quickly located the inflatable boat that the kidnapper used. It was still wet. They stole two mechanics' suits and went on a search. They decided to part hopefully that way shortening their time on the ship.

The Orcs noticed the Airmaster circling around them. When he approached them from behind they opened fire. Witts shot a few rounds back and back up to his own ship. Jack had a feeling that it wasn't just a lame attempt at a surprise attack. He decided to go and check on Tifa. Without a word he withdrew from the bridge. When he reached Tifa's room he noticed the door was ajar. He peeked in and saw somebody in a mechanic's suit leaning over the bed. Tifa was awake.

"What are you doing in here?"

Jack was annoyed that somebody from the crew dared to interact with the prisoner. The man turned around. Two pairs of brown eyes glared at him.

"I'm taking her back to where she belongs."

Tifa took the offered arm and stood up.

"She stays."

Jack took on a position ready to fight. A sudden blow to the head from behind knocked him unconscious.

"What took you so long?"

Mike was more than pleased to see Dan. He communicated with her the moment he found Tifa. Now all they had to do was get off the ship.

"What are we going to do with him?"

Mike pulled his partner into the room and closed the door.

"I've got an idea. Why don't you take Tifa and I stay behind with him."

Dan understood his plan right away. While she was trying to get Tifa back to her friends, Mike was going to transport the prisoner to their station.

"Why should you get the easy job?'

"Because I came up with the idea first."

Mike winked at her and opened the door with a bow. Dan just sighed. She pulled out her gun and took Tifa's hand. The girl didn't protest. Moments later they disappeared around the corner.

Mike got his computer out and a door opened in front of him. He grabbed Jack under his arms and pulled him into the portal. First `prisoner of war' was taken.

Meanwhile the other ranger and the girl got to the boats. The Orcs mechanics were working on some mobile suits. They looked kind of funny and the strange guy bringing a girl to the workstation. Dan began to put a boat out onto the water.

"What are you doing?"

One of the mechanics finally realized something was wrong. Dan quickly pushed Tifa into the boat. The girl lied down on the bottom immediately.

"Stop!"

Dan didn't reply. Instead she fired a round of shots and jumped into the boat. The boat took of with a roar. Bullets began to fly over their heads. The ranger gave Tifa the transmitter she received earlier from Jamil.

"Call for back up!"

She yelled over the engine and sent another round of shots towards the ship.

"This is Tifa. Please come in!"

"Tifa!" Sarah's voice came through the speaker. "We'll be right there. Hang on!"

"They better hurry."

Dan noticed two mobile suits taking off after them. The situation didn't look good. The suits began to fire. Dan was cutting the waves in a zigzag avoiding the missiles. Suddenly two gundams came flying over the Orcs ships. The first one, the Airmaster position itself between the fleeing women and the enemy mobile suits. The fire from the gundam gave the girls time to get away and make contact with the GX. Garoad hovered over the boat till both women got into his hand and than took off. The Airmaster joined him shortly and they took the rescued to the `Frieden".

The Orcs realized that they wouldn't achieve their goal and decided it was time to withdraw It wasn't long before everybody joined the captain on the bridge.

"Where is your partner?" The captain was rather concerned.

"He's fine. He's back where he belongs."

Jamil got up from his chair and shook Dan's hand. Tifa walked up to the woman and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you."

Dan just nodded. Garoad ground his teeth together. Roby elbowed him in the side.

"Don't tell me you're jealous over a woman."

Garoad's eyes got big and his face turned red. Everybody began to laugh.

"Well, I should be going."

"Where are you going? Do you need a ride?"

"I have my means of transportation. Take care."

Dan turned ready to walk out. When she was passing Tifa she stopped.

"You know something you shouldn't. Let it be our secret."

Tifa nodded and smiled.

When the ranger found herself alone she pulled out her computer and punched in her coordinates. Soon she was stepping into the portal. Mike was waiting for her on the other side.

"I guess it went good." He welcomed her with a grin.

Dan just nodded. They walked out of the room and headed for the office. They had to fill out a report. When they were about done Mike suddenly cleared his throat.

"Dan, I need you to do me a favor." He sounded rather nervous.

"What's that?"

"You see, Mary has this awesome computer that I've wanted for some time now and…"

"What does it have to do with me?"

"Well, she said that she will only give it to me if I set her up on a date." Mike laughed nervously.

"Well, then go out with her." Dan looked at him not understanding what the problem was.

"She wants to go out with you."

"What?! I'm a woman. And I don't go out with women. Forget it."

"Come on. If you don't do it I'll loose the deal." He begged

"Why should I care?"

"Hey, it's not my fault that everybody thinks you're a man."

"Mine neither." Dan replied angrily.

"Well, excuse me, but you behave more like a guy than I do."

"No, I don't"

"You even dress like a guy."

"Oh, so now you're an expert on women's attire?"

"No, but I am on the men's attire you wear. You gotta admit, you don't exactly look feminine. You probably couldn't dress sexy even if you tried" He taunted her.

"Then what do you suppose I should wear?"

"Dresses and skirts."

"Yeah, right. They would go great with the job I do." She said sarcastically.

Mike tried to say something, but she cut him off with a short "Just drop it, Haley."

They didn't talk anymore, finished the report and went their separate ways.

That night Mike's phone rang. He picked it up and heard "Ok, I'll do it!"

"Dan! You will? Why the change of heart?" He asked.

"You were right. I don't dress like a woman. And if I want to keep up appearances…"

"You're great. How can I thank…"

"Just remember, you owe me. But don't do this again."

The girl hung up. Mike stared at the phone with a big smile on his face.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dan arrived at Mary's house exactly at seven o'clock the next day. The girl was already waiting. She looked gorgeous. She wore a light blue dress with no sleeves. Matching ribbon kept the dirty blond hair from falling into her blue eyes. She put on a light pink lipstick.

Dan got out of the car. Mary blushed. Her date looked good in the dark brown pants and vest, and a crème colored shirt. After exchanging quick formalities Dan approached the girl.

"Mary, before we go anywhere, there is something I need to tell you." The young woman sighed heavily before she continued. "I'm not exactly who you think I am."

Mary's face turned pale. That didn't sound good.

"You see I'm a woman." There it was. Dan finally got to the point. The situation was cleared, but somehow she felt rather rotten.

"You're joking, right?" Mary was shocked. She couldn't have been more stunned if a meteor dropped right next to her.

Dan just shook her head. Finally Mary began to cry. Dan tried to comfort her, but the girl pushed the arm away. She quickly turned around and ran back inside. Dan stood there for few seconds looking at the closed door. She sighed and got back into the car. She leaned against the steering wheel and closed her eyes.

"Maybe Mike's right." She thought to herself. "I SHOULD start wearing more dresses and skirts."

She looked up at the house one last time, then started the engine and drove away.