Bikini Beach: Tailhook - The Glass Sky

by Joan Banks

 

For a full hour LT Guy Wilson dominated the Symposium. It was a heated discussion and nobody wanted to give any ground.

"Women have no place in combat!" Guy was getting quite loud. "We're going to be spending all of our time trying to protect them. It is DANGEROUS!"

The audience was several hundred strong. The Flag Brief was one of the most popular events in the 'Official' convention. It was a no holds-barred discussion. People could speak their mind, regardless of rank. Guy's current target was a Rear Admiral (a 2-Star Flag Officer).

"Lieutenant, you have to catch up with the times. It is no longer a question of 'If'; it's now a question of 'When'. They are coming and we have to deal with it." They all could see that the Admiral really didn't disagree, but he was constrained by politics.

"Women can't handle high performance aircraft. They don't have the strength..." he went on.

"Excuse me?" a woman was at the other microphone.

"Guy, why don't you give the lady a turn?" Captain Drummer, the moderator said.

"Thank you, Captain. I am LT Phyllis Kraft. I'm a flight surgeon at Pensacola. What the Lieutenant just said is wrong..."

"Hey!" Guy stood again, ready to take the offensive.

"What I said was, it was wrong. Maybe you have been misinformed, but the Aeromedical Studies done by NASA for shuttle crews have proven that, if anything women can take more G's than men AND recover quick..." she was drowned out by booing and heckling. When she tried to speak again, the jeering got louder. When she finally sat down, the room cheered.

"Who's going to trust them?" Guy returned to his rant. "I know I wouldn't want one for a wingman. Oh, Excuse me, wing-PERSON." There was laughter all around.

Later on, on the third floor, the party was going into its final night. Alcohol per capita was at an all time high.

"These women are looking hot!" Bill Peterson said, raising his voice above the din. The suites were somewhat like the wildest, raunchiest Frat Party. The nice part was, there were no consequences for getting a little wild.

"Definitely a target rich environment," Guy replied definitely enjoying the view.

"Dude, I thought you just got married."

"Two TACAN rule." It was one of those sayings - get far enough away from home and it is like home wasn't there. It was a license for cheating on wives. Combined with the unspoken rule of silence between all of them, there was no chance of getting caught.

Guy selected a really sexy (drunk) blond girl and closed the deal quickly. They retired to the relative privacy of the bushes by the pool. He was definitely in a compromising position when...

"Guy! Check six!" Guy looked back and was temporarily blinded by the flash of a camera.

"Are you nuts?" Guy gave up on his conquest, for the moment. He reached for the camera; Bill kept it away from him.

"Don't worry, Dude, there's no film in it!" He stuffed the camera back into a pocket and looked for a new victim. As long as there is no film in it, Guy thought, there will be no proof.

Bill lied.

"Ladies and gentlemen and...well...everyone, please look at this study, found in the binder on the desk in front of you."

Anya listened to the woman in front of the room; the woman went through a lot of trouble to find them, so she stayed for the presentation. She wore a harsh business suit and spoke in angry, clipped phrases. Anya started leafing through the book as the 'Senator' spoke to a young woman. Vengeance, pure and simple, she thought to herself as she turned page after page.

Each page held a deeper story, deeper than the words on paper. Anya was getting better at this; she could feel that this whole thing was wrong. It wasn't their style at all. Out of habit, she kept turning pages.

When she looked up, she saw the Wizard popping out of sight. That's his style, she smiled, inscrutable. Had he taken the Senator up on her offer?

'I think he just saw an opportunity; he definitely doesn't want to be a government contractor any more than I do,' Anya thought to herself. Her hand froze on the page and she looked down.

Almost like a photo album, there was a picture stuck to the page surrounded by notes of text and evidence. Most of the evidence is false, she noted, but the man was still a pig. She glanced up to see that the group was breaking up; people were talking and preparing to leave. Anya walked up to the Senator, waiting her turn as the Senator talked to a woman who was beside herself in anger.

"Our company will have no part in this vendetta of yours, Senator. We are good people providing a valuable service to our paying customers..." The tirade went on for a minute before the Senator had the woman escorted out.

"Senator, I guess I'm next."

"I'm sorry, so many people. You are?"

"Anya, Bikini Beach. I am sorry but this enterprise is something that we cannot condone. Please do not approach us in the future. Good day."

Without waiting for comment, she activated the Charm of Return around her neck and disappeared.

When Anya went to the office the next day, she found her Grandmother rifling through the binder.

"No, No, No, No... Anya, this woman's motivations are suspect. Most of this evidence is contrived. We can't help of these men." She took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "I didn't want you going there to begin with."

"Shall I send it back to her?" Anya asked.

"Yes, tell her we can't help her and not to call us again. This woman wants unconditional punishment. I won't do it."

"Yes, Grandmother..." Anya felt put in her place. There was no way Grandmother would allow her special project.

"Oh, and Anya? That one you kept? It is a good choice. That one we do on our own." Grandmother smiled.

"I can't believe you bought them without even asking." Guy was trying to control his anger. "I have plans this weekend."

"Golf and beer with the guys, I bet. Well, you can cancel." Melissa was very matter of fact. She could get stubborn when she set her mind on it. This time she wouldn't be the one to cave.

"No way. They'll say I'm whipped. I won't cancel. No way."

She sat at the kitchen table and pushed the brochure at him. Reluctantly, he picked it up.

"Bikini Beach, huh? Catchy name." After five seconds of looking at the brochure of acre upon acre of beautiful women, he was picking up the phone and canceling the weekend.

"I just thought that this would help us." Melissa told him "We need to do things together."

"Why do we need help?" he asked, not looking at her. It was an empty question. Emotionally they were miles apart. They barely even talked anymore, and when they did talk it was usually to fight. They stayed silent for the rest of the drive.

The trip was remarkably short. He never realized that there was a first class water park this close to home. If they can give us a good rate it may be a good place for the next 'wetting down' (the party thrown after someone is promoted). He quickly found a parking space and they went up to the office.

"The passes say that we have to sign in." Melissa told him and led him inside. A young woman met them just inside the door.

"Hi, I'm Anya. You must be Melissa? We spoke on the phone." She gave Melissa a hug "And this must be Guy." She shook his hand.

"I have everything we need over here." She gestured to the desk "Now you bought the one week passes..."

"One week? That can't be right." Guy protested, "Honey, I think you got ripped..."

"Mr. Williams, do calm down." A voice came from behind him. A matronly woman stood there, a disapproving look on her face.

"Your wife only paid for a two day pass. With her permission, we upgraded them to a week. We are having a special, you see."

"Okay, as long as you didn't get ripped off," he chastened his wife.

The older woman went on. "The special includes the possibility of upgrading even further to a lifetime pass. Since that can be quite expensive, that portion of the special can only apply to one pass."

"We're just here for today anyway," he said "I have plans tomorrow."

"Fine," Anya resumed the conversation "I need you to sign here, and here."

"Waiver of liability?"

"It's standard boilerplate." Just as he was about to protest again, two stunningly gorgeous women entered the office from within the park.

"Ah Terri, Bobbi." The older woman greeted them "I see you got yourselves put together without any problem."

They glanced at Guy, about to sign the forms, and giggled.

"We have a few more details, if you would step into the back." The women gestured them to a door next to the counter "If you will excuse me."

Guy quickly signed the forms.

"Where do we change?"

"Right over there, lockers are inside. I have to insist you shower before entering the park. Health Code, you know."

She hustled him into the dressing room.

Pretty swank, he thought to himself as he stripped down and put on his swim trunks. He admired himself in the mirror for a moment, flexed, and then walked into the shower.

He was enveloped in pink fog. Strange, he thought, must be the lights in here. He grabbed his towel and proceeded into the park.

"Young lady." There was a hand on his shoulder, he turned and saw the older woman. "We do not allow topless sunbathing in this park."

"What are you talki..." he coughed for a moment "talking about." He realized his voice was strange. Thinking about what the woman said, he looked down.

Breasts, and decent ones at that.

He leaned a little forward and groped at his groin.

Gone! His trunks had turned into a light green bikini bottom. He was getting a birds-eye view of a beautiful female body.

"As I was saying we do not allow young ladies to go around topless."

"Wha...how? Why?"

"I can see you're an articulate one. Let me answer them in order. As to what, you've been changed into a woman, as you have no doubt noticed. This is a park for women only. We can't have men going all bug-eyed every two seconds, now can we? How? Magic, I won't bore you a lot of technical details, but suffice it to say you'll be a woman until after your stay with us. As for why..."

"I'll take this one, if you don't mind." A voice came from behind Guy. Melissa.

"Several months ago I received an anonymous letter in the mail. It explained about your fooling around."

"I never..."

"Don't bother. Recognize this?" she held up a picture. The photo showed Guy, pants down in a very compromising position with a young lady.

"It was before we were married..."

"Just stop now. Did you actually start wearing your wedding ring BEFORE we were married? How sweet."

Guy looked at the picture; she was right.

"So what are you going to do to me? Leave me like this?"

"Guy, regardless of what you've done, I still love you."

"Funny way of showing it."

"Well, I do. The thing is, I believe you have a complete lack of respect for women. Hopefully, you'll learn the error of your ways." She started crying. "I really want you back, but you have to want it."

Guy held her for a moment immediately remembering that he was topless. Melissa laughed and sniffed and pushed away. Guy took the bikini top and put it on.

"Fine, I'm really pissed about the way you make your point so I'll give it a shot. But I don't have to like it."

"Fine."

"Ahem." The old woman interrupted. "You should know a few things. Your name is now Jill Williams. No one with the exception of Melissa remembers Guy. You two are now roommates. The rest of your life is much the same as it was before with the main difference being your gender. Your transformation will last until midnight after your stay with us."

Guy walked into the park behind Melissa, determined not to have a good time. He felt naked in the tiny bikini, his breasts bouncing with a life of their own with each step. He kept waiting for the pointing and laughter to begin, but it never did.

The relaxed atmosphere of the park was infectious and Guy soon found himself joining in the fun. As sunset approached, they decided to go home. His clothes were remarkably similar to what he arrived in, namely shorts and a T-shirt. The main difference was that the T-shirt was pink with capped sleeves as well as the panties and bra. He slipped on the sandals and waited for Melissa by the entrance. Anya was standing nearby.

"You're taking this remarkably well." Anya said.

"Well, I change back tonight so it's not so bad."

Anya looked confused. "Grandmother explained the rules, right?"

"Right, I'm a girl until midnight tonight."

"No you are a girl until midnight after your PASS expires. You have an entire week of this."

"But, how will I go to work?"

"Methinks she's getting to the crux of the matter." Anya smiled. "They think you're a woman, you know. It's not like you have to go in drag or anything."

"Great, just great."

Melissa joined them. Guy didn't have much to say; he moped all the way home.

"Jill, your room is first on the right."

"Gee thanks." Guy's response was overflowing with sarcasm. "So what's next? A little slumber party? Makeover session? Do you want to talk about boys?"

"Drop the 'poor me' act, JILL. You lost that right when you had that romp at Tailhook. You are lucky I don't just turn you out into the street. The house is in my name now, you know."

"I just can't believe you could do this," Guy gestured to his ample female form, "of all things."

"You might just learn something." Jill replied as she went into her bedroom, tearing up yet again "You might just save our marriage."

"Fat chance." Guy slammed the door to his own room.

Guy slept until noon on Sunday, afraid to open his eyes and find this nightmare to be true. Noon was when Mother Nature tipped her hand. Rather than having a childish accident, he got up. Seeing the slightly tan, smooth legs he normally would have been aroused, had they not been his. After relieving himself he decided bed was no longer an option so he wandered into the kitchen for a bite to eat.

"Morning." Melissa was acting chipper.

"Coffee," he said. Melissa gave the cup to him.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"I have a big project planned; I am going to take a week of leave."

Melissa looked a little heart-broken at this but she continued cleaning the spotless counter.

"Oh, I thought we could do some stuff...Please?"

"Fine, just get me some food, will you?"

"Deal. I put out some clothes for you in the laundry room."

He finished the meal and retrieved the clothes. He returned to the living room after showering and putting everything on. He was wearing a short dress and sandals. He kept trying to pull the dress lower on his legs. He felt naked.

"I hope this makes you happy," he said "I guess you better call me Jill now."

"It looks wonderful!" Melissa beamed "Let's just do something with your hair and makeup."

"I knew you would want to play Barbie doll. I knew it! I'm going to make a few calls."

He called his department head, to start the ball rolling on taking that week of leave. "Sir, this is Gu...Jill. I need to take a week of leave, starting today. No, there's no emergency. I just...but...I understand."

"So?" Melissa asked.

"All leaves are cancelled. We have to fly out to the ship this week." He was disappointed. "Dammit, I can't even try for emergency leave now. I told him there was no emergency. Stupid!"

Melissa took Jill through the paces that day. They went everywhere from shopping to eating out. The whole time Melissa was trying to convince Jill that life was not over as a woman, just different. Jill tried to convince herself that she didn't forget to put on pants before leaving the house.

Getting ready for work took on a whole new perspective. Normally, it took all of 15 minutes to shave and shower; now Jill had to worry about her hair. The regs were quite specific about a woman's hair - either keep it short or keep it up somehow. The only way Jill had seen it done before was the braid. Luckily, this body came with some requisite skills, braiding included. It still took at least 45 minutes to get right.

She felt awkward going to the squadron as a woman. How would the guys react? They wouldn't know, thanks to the spell, but the entire dynamic would be different.

At least clothes would not be an issue. She was in one of those lucky squadrons that wore flight suits all the time. The only difference for Jill as opposed to Guy was the inclusion of panties and a bra, but she still wore the same gym clothes underneath. The cotton panties felt tighter than his normal skivvies and fabric was much softer. The bra felt like a sling for her breasts, but it did the job of support like it was supposed to do.

A flight suit takes a little getting used to. Essentially it is a jumpsuit, the same kind that you have to throw your arm out of the socket to put on. A flight suit is loaded with pockets, ostensibly for survival gear. The only problem with all these pockets is if you use them, your actual survival gear will smash it down or your G-Suit will embed whatever is in your pocket into your leg. Overall, it felt a little strange, - tighter in the hips and chest than it ever felt before. Altogether it wasn't too different. She drove to the squadron.

She sat in the parking lot for a moment, collecting her nerve. She was shocked out her daze by a loud pounding on the window.

"Jill! Come on we're gonna be late!" 'Bruiser' Jones was there, a silly smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" she said. He called me Jill, she thought, not a callsign. She had been curious about a callsign since this all happened. 'Horn Dog' (usually shortened to 'Dog') would not really be appropriate for this gender. Having a callsign was important, a sign of belonging. By using her first name, Bruiser had showed her her place, an outsider.

They walked inside together. Jill learned that the flight for the day was still scheduled. Guy was flying lead for that mission so Jill assumed she would as well.

"Boxer will do the brief." Jill said. It was customary for the lead not to do the brief, but to oversee a more junior person in doing it.

"Whoa there, Nellie. Who do you think you are? Boxer says you're doing the brief. Thought you got made a lead or something?" Bruiser had an astonished look on his face.

"Yeah, about a year...a...go." She realized the situation "No, course not, just kidding. Heh, heh."

I've got to fix some things tight away. When she walked into the ready room she saw two of the guys flipping a coin.

"Tails, Boxer. Looks like you get to fly with her." And he quickly went up to the flight board and swapped two names around.

"Rewriting the flight schedule, Moose?"

"Jill, hey. How's it goin'. Nah, we just got it on the board wrong. This is the way the Skipper wanted it."

"Mm hmm." She wasn't convinced "Should we ask him?"

Both men looked nervous.

"We were just kidding." Boxer was backstepping. "Can't you take a joke?" He went to the board and put the names back the way they were.

"Seriously now." Boxer went into 'instructor' mode. "Is your brief ready?"

Jill felt sick inside. Boxer never became a Mission Lead in her old life and she was his main instructor.

"If Jock has the weather and areas, sure, let's get going."

Not knowing where her office or locker was, she stored her stuff in her ready room chair (right up front (no respectable Junior Officer would ever want to be that close to the CO)). She spoke with her RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) for a moment, wrote notes on the board and began reciting by rote:

"Morning everyone. This will be a 2V2 in Papa areas 6, 7, and 8. We have the areas 5K and up. Weather in the area is CAVU with no changes predicted. Hard deck is 8K and ceiling is 30. Mission lead is Boxer (gag); Opposition lead is Moose. We have odds, you have evens..." she continued on through the brief, spouting things that civilians would count as gibberish, easily hitting all the points as she had done hundreds of times.

At the end of the brief most of them were stunned. Moose patted her on the back. Boxer called her over.

"Jill," emphasizing her name as if emphasizing her lack of callsign, "you hit all the main points alright but you have to slow down a bit."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you didn't understand anything I said?"

"Hey, an attitude like that won't get you division lead." His attitude was thoroughly condescending. "Of course 'I' understood what you said. And you know I prefer the black marker on the board not this stupid blue color you used. Now go get ready for the flight."

Normally, Guy would have taken time to take a leak before a flight. Jill had some guesses on where to go, but really didn't have the time to find out for sure.

Getting dressed for a flight was sometimes like getting ready for an arctic expedition. Guy had this down to an art form. Harness, G-Suit and Survival Vest were the main parts. The harness was a contraption of straps that was supposed to hold you to your parachute. It wrapped tightly around your legs and zipped in front, about to the mid chest level. It was supposed to be tight and uncomfortable. The main danger was getting your dick caught under the leg strap (especially bad if you have to actually eject!). Chalk up one advantage for the girls, Jill thought to herself. Jill had her harness on when the female parachute rigger gave her a funny glance and a little cough. Jill looked down.

The harness bisected her breasts in an embarrassing manner. They were thrust up as if in a super pushup bra. Jill had thought the days of readjusting herself were over. She extricated her breasts to a point above the harness. The new configuration was more comfortable but didn't appear much better. The PR came up and whispered in her ear.

"Are you trying something new, Ma'am? You always put them underneath before, kind of like a sport bra." Jill once again undid the harness and set things up again. It was a lot more uncomfortable this way, but she could see the sense of it. She finished getting dressed.

In the Maintenance Office, they seemed surprised to see her.

"Your RIO already signed for the plane, Ma'am."

"Excuse me? You said the back-seater signed for MY plane?" Only the pilot was supposed to sign for a plane.

"Yes Ma'am. He says it's fine."

"Get the book out and let me see." She filtered through the maintenance records of the plane and signed for the plane herself. Jock was walking around the plane when she got there.

"What took you so long?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Had to sign for MY PLANE."

"Oh, I already did that. They should have told you."

"I saw. Don't do that ever again."

"I was just trying to help."

"Don't. I'm responsible for this aircraft, understand?"

"Sure. By the way, I did half your preflight for you."

"Aargh." She turned away, exasperated. "I'll do my own preflight, thanks." She started her preflight while Jock got in the place. When she strapped in the plane, she heard laughing on the radio.

"Bet she's on the rag." She heard on the radio. Jock looked up and noticed her.

"That's a negative, Tiger Lead." He tried to cover; "An oily rag would be a Hazardous Material problem." Jill just ignored them.

The flight was a nightmare. Jill and Jock got several kill shots in, but Boxer continually called them 'no good'. Boxer continually tried to do all the duties of the section without her help and Jock didn't try to say anything on the radio in their defense. On top of everything, halfway through, she had to pee.

A 'Piddle Pack' was pretty much what it sounds. It looked like one of those little packs of tissues that women carry in their purses. Ordinarily, the pilot just peed into the slot in the top and it absorbed everything.

Jill couldn't figure out how to use the thing without peeing all over herself.

On landing, she sped through post-flight procedures and made a beeline for the bathroom. She had to take all of her gear off in order to lower her flight suit to go. She carried her gear back to the gear room and went upstairs to the Ready Room. Everyone else was already there and Boxer was already talking about the mission.

"You guys did great. Our side could have definitely been better." He gave a disapproving look at Jill. "Nice of you to join us, Jill."

There was a rule about flight debrief, it wasn't fair and it wasn't right, but it was still a rule: 'First one to the board wins'

Which meant that whomever says they won first, did. Boxer just got to the board first and gave away everything. Idiot, she thought. After the main debrief, each team met separately.

"Jill, we need to work on your basic airmanship. You also didn't break off when told..."

"Hold everything. I fly CIRCLES around you, Jeff." She was starting to fume. "We would have won this if it wasn't for YOU trying to do everything. I can't believe you told me to break off that shot. Two more seconds and it would have been good." He stood in her face, seemingly trying to intimidate her with his bulk, and started to talk. She stopped him. "No! You listen. We lost that fight because YOU ARE STUPID! You have no idea how to lead a section and you couldn't make a shot if it was handed to you, Jeff!"

She purposely used his name throughout her tirade to emphasize that she felt him to be beneath contempt.

"You can't talk to me like that! I'm..."

"What? Flight Lead? Flight's over, spaz. Are you trying to pull rank on me? That's a laugh; 'cause last time I looked, we were both Lieutenants. You just don't know when to give up."

"Shut up!" he raised his hand behind his head.

"What, are you gonna hit the itty bitty girl? Bring it on. I'll kick your stupid little ass."

"That's enough!" a booming voice came at the door. They froze. The CO stormed into the room. All the officers of the squadron were gathered around now.

"You put that hand down, Boxer. Or so help me, I'll rip your arm out of the socket."

"Insubordination sir, she..." Boxer tried to get the first words in.

"Shut up, Jeff. You have to outrank her for insubordination. You don't." He glared at them both.

"I want each of you to go to your office. I'll call for you."

As she left the ready room, she heard a few comments, all made in the 'say a word and pretend it was a cough' style. The main ones she heard were 'bitch' and 'uppity'.

Jill made the assumption that her office was the same as before; she was nearly right. Luckily there was a nameplate on the desk. Apparently she was now the personnel officer.

"CO sent some evaluations back to be redone," her department head said. "I redid them for you."

"Thanks," Jill answered. This was unprecedented; normally this would be automatically returned to her desk with a vague note about redoing the entire job, which could take days. Now the whole job was done for her. Weird. She kept herself busy for a least two hours. Most of the squadron seemed to be avoiding her.

"Williams, get in here!" the CO's voice called. She stood tall and walked to what was probably a royal bitching out.

"Okay, what happened on the flight?" he handed her a marker and gestured to a butcher block easel set up in the corner of his office.

She proceeded to diagram the entire flight, interjecting commentary on how it should have been done.

"That's your story?"

"That's what happened, sir."

"Well here is what we got from Boxer." He turned the page over and there was a completely different battle.

"I checked the flight tapes." He looked at her, checking for fear in her eyes. There was none.

"XO, Boxer, get in here!" both of them appeared almost instantly.

"Boxer, which of these stories is true?"

Boxer bristled.

"Mine, of course. She's not even a lead..."

"Which brings me to why. XO?"

"Basic airmanship, sir. She's not very tactically proficient." Boxer was looking smug; the XO was backing him up.

"That's not true from what I've seen." The CO proceeded to outline the mission, sticking very close to Jill's story.

"That's what she says, but..." Boxer interrupted.

"That's what I say." The CO interrupted Boxer. "I got this off the tapes. Boxer, I'm surprised you can find the toilet in the morning. At least you've got some creative writing skills. You're going to be Public Affairs now."

"PAO? But that's a shitty new-guy job!"

"It's yours now. XO, I want a recommendation for LT Williams as Division Lead on my desk before 1300."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." As the three officers turned to leave, he added, "Williams, stay behind."

"Yes sir." She was feeling smug.

When they were alone, he closed the door behind them. "If I ever hear of you picking a fight in my Ready Room again I will have your balls."

"Sir?"

"You know what I mean. Woman or not, you really have a whopping pair of stones. I can't believe you were picking a fight with a guy twice your size."

"I would have kicked his ass, sir."

"I bet you would have." He nodded his head slowly, as if affirming her confidence. "I'll bet you would. Dismissed."

Jill ate lunch with the other women officers in the squadron. The story of the flight and debrief was told time and time again. The women were impressed, the men shied away.

At the end of the day, a Junior Officer meeting was called, no Department Heads or above were invited. LT Bill 'Flasher' Peterson came in and began talking.

"It has come to my attention that a grave injustice has been carried out. A member of this Ready Room has gone through two years of this command with out a callsign. Can I have the helmet please? LT Williams, front and center." Jill did as she was told, wondering what humiliation they would heap on her.

"For having more juevos than a woman should be allowed to have, I hereby bestow upon you the callsign 'Stones'."

"Have Boxer give it to her. They're his anyway." Somebody shouted. Everyone laughed, except Boxer and Jock.

"No, I think I'll do it." He placed the helmet that was emblazoned with her new call sign on her head. She smiled, knowing that she was finally part of the team.

"First round is on Stones!"

Every Officer in the squadron went to the Officer's Club that night. In the past, the O'Club was a place where Guy would hit on anything in a skirt. The place had its groupies, women who just loved the idea of Tom Cruise and Top Gun. After buying the initial round, Jill found herself with little to do. She sat at her table with a couple of the other female officers and they talked, mainly about how stupid the men were. Some of the guys had a little too much and when the number of available women at the bar ran out, they turned to their own.

"Stones, let me buy you a drink," a very inebriated Flasher said to her. Before she could say no, the beer was already on the table.

"Thanks." She pretended to drink it. There was no way in hell she was going to get drunk as a woman and do something she would regret for the rest of her life.

"You're a very beautiful woman." He took the seat next to her.

"You won't even remember this conversation." She patted his cheek. "I really should be going. See you guys later." She stood and started towards the door.

"Stones, I Love You!" the drunk Flasher screamed, followed by everyone else calling out, "Stones, I love you." The drunken 'Flasher' screamed. This was followed by everyone else calling out "I love you too!" and they all degraded into kissing sounds. 'Was I ever really that juvenile?' she thought. 'Probably.'

She left smiling; at least she belonged.

Jill was not looking forward to landing on the Carrier tonight. Anyone who actual enjoyed a night carrier landing was either crazy or an adrenaline junkie. The ship seemed so large when standing next to it or even while on it, but it looked like an insignificant toy when viewed from the air. Deck qualifications were particularly dangerous; there was someone new at almost every position involved. Jill was nervous.

Jock must have been nervous; too, he was totally quiet.

(Click) "Tiger 203, checking in, state eight two, Williams." Jock finally spoke from the back seat, checking in with the ship.

(Click) "Roger 203, descend to ten thousand, commence at time four oh."

(Click) "203, ten thousand feet, time four oh," he finished the conversation.

"Jill, go to ten thousand feet. We start our run at 40 minutes after the hour, understand?"

"Tom, It's not like we haven't done this before. I heard them."

"I just want to make sure you understand."

"Listen, you do your job and I'll do mine." He stayed silent. She liked the silent times.

(Click) "203,commencing." She heard his voice again "Jill..."

"I heard!" She increased her throttles and commenced the approach. She was much more comfortable flying this time, having adjusted her bosom in a much better way and, more importantly, having had a chance to go to the bathroom first.

She adjusted her approach to the carrier as the corrections were called from the Air Traffic Controllers.

(Click) "Call the ball." They cut off the conversation with the standard phrase. It was her turn on the radio now.

(Click) "Tiger ball, five oh, Williams." She said.

(Click) "Roger ball, a little low, A little slow." The Landing Signals Officer (LSO) was now coaching her in visually.

She came back on the power, slightly.

(Click) "You're low."

"Come back on the power." Jock said, she turned off his intercom. She adjusted her throttles again.

(Click) "Looking good. Bring it in. Nice and ...CUT POWER! ... ave off, Wave off!" At the words 'cut power' she reacted instantly and did as she was told. The plane was caught in the downdraft behind the ship and scraped to a stop at the first wire.

Why in the world did they tell her to cut power again? It was then she realized that the call didn't come from outside. Jock had overridden the intercom system and yelled it out.

Instead of positioning the plane to relaunch, they were told to shut down. After all the safeties were in place, they got out of the plane.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Jock started the tirade, poking her in the chest.

"Do you think you're a LSO? In case you haven't looked at your wings lately you are a RIO. You don't give those kind of calls."

"Just because you can't fly doesn't mean that I have to sit back and die!"

"If you EVER do that again I'll eject you into the ocean and...you idiot!"

"GET UP HERE!" the voice of God called out.

It wasn't the voice of God, but it may as well have been.

The Air Boss, who owns the deck and the airspace around the ship, was calling them into the tower. The sheer force of the loudspeaker he used made it appear that his voice was coming from everywhere.

They climbed deck after deck to the top of the island.

"Just stand over there." His curt voice came from the chair in front of the room. He was pissed. After a moment, he called them forward.

"What the hell were you thinking? You ignored a wave off! You NEVER ignore a wave off. If you ever do anything like that again, I'll see to it that you lose your wings, understand?" He looked only at Jill.

"I'll be calling your CO. Now get off of this ship. Go!" He was not in the mood for excuses.

One of the LSO's met them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jill, low at the beginning, then you added too much power and cut at the end. You get an 'Okay One wire'." Out of all the possible landing grades an 'Okay' was pretty good.

"What? That was nearly a ramp strike and you're giving me a good grade for it?"

"If you want me to take it back..."

"No! I'll keep it. Thanks."

The flight back was deathly silent. Each of them hated the other at the moment but neither was stupid enough to fight in the plane.

"Stones, Skipper wants to see you." Flasher poked his head in her office. "Let me know how it goes."

"Sure thing."

"Hey, about the other night..." He looked truly embarrassed.

"Don't sweat it, okay. It didn't happen. Don't let it get weird or nothin'." She pushed past him in the doorway. "Here goes nothing."

She felt as if she were going to the executioner. That near ramp-strike last night would probably cost her the Division Lead position. She entered the office.

"Get the door, Stones." he laughed a little "Nice callsign, by the way. About time."

"Yes sir, about last night. There was a communica..."

"Last night." He laughed again "Oh yeah, the Air Boss called me at home last night. Really torqued the wife off, I can tell you. These things happen, don't worry about it."

Jill breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what..."

"What are you here for? Fitness report debrief, of course."

"Sir, I know I've had my problems. I'll do better on the paperwork."

"Calm down, will you? I don't see any problems. That's why I am making you the number two Lieutenant."

"Number two?"

"Joker is leaving next month, he needed the number one slot or else it would have been yours."

"Thank you sir." She returned to her desk in a slight daze. There was no way that someone of her seniority should rank number two out of the squadron. With all the problems (substandard paperwork, the apparent problems at the ship) there was no way in hell that she should have gotten this. A number two spot in a squadron meant that she could write her own ticket. This would mean her career would be on a fast track; nothing could stop it.

Flasher was sitting on her desk when she returned.

"So..." He asked. She held up two fingers.

"I knew you were good. Say, want to get some lunch?"

"Sure." They took his car and drove off base. Flight suits off base were forbidden, unless driving directly home. They cheated by unzipping them and wearing them around the waist. As she did this, Jill became acutely aware of her breasts. Telling from the glances from the drivers seat, Flashers' mind was in the same place. It felt awkward, neither wanting to continue the conversation for a while. They sat outside at the Taco Shop and ate quietly. Finally she broke the silence.

"My God, Bill, this is me. We've known each other all through flight school. Don't tell me you're going all school boy on me now."

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

She slammed her hands on the table. "Dammit Flasher! I'm up here." She pointed to her face "I really can't see out of my chest."

He really laughed at that one. "Duh, I guess I really have been an idiot."

"Keep it up and I'll kick your ass."

"You could try...wimp," he said, breaking his strange fixation on her breasts. The mood broken, the conversation lapsed into more familiar territory.

The rest of the day went very slow. It was one of those days where all you do is paperwork until your fingers hurt and at the end you feel as if you accomplished nothing. Bill (Flasher) cheered her up as he passed her office, cracking her up at every opportunity. When the clock finally said 1600 she left.

It was a short drive home. The street was littered with cars, leaving no place close to park. The living room was full of women.

"Hi," she said as she walked in. She got some icy stares but most of the women said hello. Melissa followed her into the kitchen.

"This looks like the wives club." Jill said.

"It is." Melissa looked a little guilty.

"And exactly whose wife are you? Not mine, I assume?"

"It is something Anya worked out for me. I am dating one of the guys who is out on the ship right now."

"Which one?"

"It doesn't matter. It isn't real."

"Which one?"

"Bags. She assured me it wouldn't be real after you change back. It was just for this."

"What?"

"The wives club, silly. I want you to stay for a bit. We have pizza coming."

"Fine." Jill sighed. "Let me get cleaned up. It's been a long day."

"It'll be here in 30 minutes."

Jill went to her bedroom and undressed. It was definitely a long day and she was aching. Her upper body was covered in bruises from the harness and everything she was wearing stank of sweat and beer. She unbraided her hair and showered. It was a relief to be clean again. Instead of worrying about it she brought her wet hair into a ponytail and got dressed.

She looked in the closet. There was actually dress or two in there but it was in the dresser that she found what she wanted. She came out wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. There were no seats left, so she took a place on the floor.

"So here he comes, back from his big six month deployment and what does he want?" they all shared a knowing glance and laughed. "Other than that, of course. Did he want to talk? No, he wants to go for a drive in his precious little sports car." They all voiced their disapproval.

Jill didn't know what they were so upset about. The family was there. There was always something to talk about. Six months without driving a fine automobile, no way. Deciding it would be a tactical mistake to butt in, she stayed quiet.

"I go through six months of doing EVERYTHING here. Does he appreciate it? No. Does he even have flowers for me? No. I repaired the car, kept the house in order, had a hot water heater blow up AND kept him in 'care packages' for the entire time."

There was general agreement that this was not the way to act. Jill's first reaction was to write all of this as whining. At the same time, she was acutely aware that it is exactly how Guy reacted. She looked up and noticed that Melissa was staring at her. As soon as Jill met her gaze, Melissa looked away, wistfully.

In theory Jill knew what the wives did at home. Most of the time the guys joked about how all they did was shop. Deep down they all the men knew it wasn't true.

"...and another thing. Do they think we don't know the dangers they're in every single time they get in those planes? Do they really think we're that stupid? I die a little inside every time he goes flying." One of the newer wives was speaking although it was apparent that all the women agreed.

"Jane, I know it's hard," the CO's wife spoke up. "You have to realize that they aren't just playing out there. They're risking their lives. They're risking their lives to protect us and our babies. You don't think they worry, but I know they do." She glanced at Jill. "They're worried that they'll fail and let us down, that they can't protect us somehow. They put on a brave façade but that's for our sake, to stop our worrying. We have to be strong as well. We can't let them know how much we die inside every time they take off, knowing they may not return. We just have to let them know how proud of them we are and how much joy we have at their return. That's our job, and it's not easy."

The women all nodded their assent.

After what seemed like days, all the women left.

"I never brought flowers, did I?"

"No." Melissa busied herself cleaning the house after the meeting.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Jill started helping, collecting glasses.

"You mean you wanted me to tell you to spontaneously buy me flowers?"

"That doesn't sound right, does it?"

"No."

"Some of those women really hate me."

"Can you blame them? They think you're trying to steal their husbands, locked out on that ship with them. Then you shame their husbands by getting a top rate fitrep, which you admittedly don't deserve."

"Sure, if you put it like that. But I work hard, dammit. I have to be twice as good as those guys to earn their respect. I don't think most of the guys will ever accept me."

"You're probably right, Jill. They won't ever fully accept you."

"It's not fair."

"Which part? The part where you have to work twice as hard or the part where you get undeserved credit."

"Both...neither...I don't know!"

"When you do, let me know." She started the dishwasher.

"Goodnight Jill." Melissa gave the beautiful woman who was also her husband a peck on the cheek and left for her room.

"Good night, honey."

Thursday and Friday fell into a strangely familiar pattern.

At work, Jill found herself becoming an actual member of the squadron instead of just someone who worked there. Bill was constantly cracking jokes and trying to get her to smile, which worked (most of the time). Jill knew Bill was hitting on her; she had seen him act this way before. She also knew if she acknowledged it, their friendship would never be the same. She ignored the overtones of his advances and simply accepted them on face value.

She decided that this life wasn't so bad, it was just different. It was harder in some ways and much easier in others.

Jill and Melissa spent Saturday relaxing. They threw some steaks on the barbeque and enjoyed each other's company. Melissa offered to invite Bill over but Jill refused.

"This is so weird. I like him and all, but I want to be fair to him. If I did start going out with him, dating inside a command is really risky. No, the whole thing wouldn't be fair."

"That's very considerate of you." Melissa noted, "Anya called..."

"And what does the wicked witch of the west have to say?" Jill asked sarcastically.

"Don't call her that! It's not very nice." Melissa laughed.

"I'm sorry Anya!" Jill called to the sky. "I really did have fun at your little park."

"You know, I did too," Melissa agreed. "I think it was the most relaxing day out I've ever had. I really should have gone back this week while the pass was still good."

"I would have too, except I don't know what I would come back as this time."

"Anyway, she called and would like for you to come to the park before midnight. I think she wants to talk about your decision." Melissa looked at her "What is your decision, anyway?"

Jill bit her lip. "I really don't know..."

"So, Jill, you've returned," the old woman said. "I take it you've made a decision?"

"A week ago the whole thing would have been a no-brainer. No man in his right mind would want to be a woman."

"But?" She knew there was going to be a but.

"Still, if I wanted a career, this would be the way to go. It seemed that no matter what I did, there would be no major retribution. My bosses defaulted to treating me like a hero. I would move quickly up the rank scale. Nothing could get in my way..."

"But..."

"What would my fitrep have been, if I were still a man?"

"I believe you got number 12. Not a really stellar position if I understand these things."

Jill winced visibly. "Ouch, that would hurt."

"Yes, I think it would."

"I could definitely be a lot more popular as a woman." Jill gazed up at the sky wistfully, contemplating the past week. "This whole thing got me thinking..."

"Yes?"

"I'd like one lifetime pass, please."

It was two in the morning, and Melissa was worried. Guy was done at the beach hours ago. No matter what the decision was, she was scared. It was two-fifteen when the lights showed up in the drive.

The garage door opened and the car pulled in. Melissa was in knots. 'He decided to stay as Jill,' she thought to herself. 'I know he has. It's better for his career. Just to get back at me for doing this, he'll leave me.'

Guy walked in. "Honey?" he called.

Melissa squealed in delight as she threw her arms around him. He pushed her back.

"What?" she asked "Are you still mad?" Her world fell; he was still leaving.

"No, you're just crushing the flowers." He removed the bouquet from under his jacket. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to buy flowers at one in the morning?"

"They're beautiful." She put the fragrant bunch to her face and breathed deeply. "Why did you decide to come back?"

"I chose a life of warfare." He held her and kissed her, gently. "What's the point in leading a life of war? I just remembered what I was fighting for." He knew it would be hard work to build back the trust between them, but he was motivated to try. "I know I haven't done enough to show I appreciate you." He reached into his pocket "It cost a pretty penny but I got you this..." he handed her the small envelope.

"What's this?" she opened it like a kid on Christmas.

"A lifetime pass to Bikini Beach."

"Guy, you shouldn't have."

"What's the point in having a wife, if you can't appreciate her once in a while?"

"Very nice work, my dear."

"Thank you, Grandmother. I had a feeling this one might work out better this way."

"It would have worked out fine either way, but everyone is so much happier like this. (Yawn) I think we should help people be happy on more reasonable hours, though. Get some rest, dear. We're opening in just a few hours. Good night, Anya."

"I will. Good night Grandmother."

 

 

 

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© 2001 by Joan Banks. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.