//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Until Fairer Skies Beckon // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// The next morning, Rainbow discovered the watermelons had grown large enough to eat.  In one day. This was troubling, because the only thing she could think of that could have caused it was magic.  Magic that had apparently passed so closely, yet not touched her. But the priority of the moment came back and Rainbow picked the three watermelons that were ripe. She hurried back to the bunkhouse, eyes peeled for UTA patrolls. Reaching the building, she walked in and said, “Who wants some?” Everyone did, of course.  Free watermelon was best watermelon. However, as they were breaking them open to share, Lightning asked, “Where did you get this?” “Found them.”  Rainbow shrugged.  “They were growing near the fence.  I can’t believe no one noticed them.” “They still might think we stole them,” commented Kiel, wiping his mouth and suddenly frowning. “So we’ll need a way to dispose of the rinds,” said Pantera. They all ate in silence for a few seconds, stuffing watermelon into their faces just to ensure they got as much as possible before the UTA found out in case Rainbow really had stolen them. “Just toss them back over the fence, I guess,” said Rainbow.  “The grass is tall.” Everyone seemed to agree on that.  The problem then became smuggling the rinds back out when they were finished.  They took turns making sure the coast was clear before hustling in small groups to the fence to dispose of the evidence. There didn’t seem to be many soldiers around today.  As she was on her way back from the fence, Rainbow glanced across the runway and spotted a group of them coming out of the headquarters building.  Had they been having a meeting?  Why? Some of them seemed kind of surly, based on what Rainbow could see of their distant body language.  Bad news? As she watched, the unmistakable figure of Wind Rider came out.  He paused to talk with Connor Clash and then went on his way. Curious, but not that curious, Rainbow headed for the Flyers Club. The day passed slowly.  Rainbow plotted ways to escape.  She came up with plenty.  She didn’t have confidence in any of them. They were called in the late afternoon to hit a village to the north.  Strapping in, Rainbow squinted at the gauges in the cockpit.  They’d never flown at this time of day.  It might be dark by the time they got back. Wind Rider seemed to realize this and pushed them hard to get up north.  This time, it was Striker’s L-39 that lagged behind, despite also being a jet. The shadows were long as they arrived, the small buildings down below hiding behind each other.  There was little time for coordination, and no way to see what they were aiming at, anyway. At least the MiG’s teal cockpit interior provided some contrast, instead of the dark grey most western fighters used.  Rainbow couldn’t understand the Soviets’ fixation on teal, of all things. Wind Rider made the call to have only half of them drop.  The village was pretty well leveled by that point. They headed back.  The setting sun wasn’t quite in Rainbow’s eyes, but she fought it.  It took a while for her to realize there was also a plume of smoke on the horizon. They arrived back overhead the base just as twilight was falling.  The smoke was coming from the same area that there had been a fire the previous night.  Was it still smoldering and she had just missed it while taking off? No, as they came closer, Rainbow saw a fresh line of flames.  They were still not worryingly close to base, but it was still worrying how they seemed to have sprung up in the short time since she’d left. The runway was visible enough that she could land, though another few minutes would have made it harder.  Rainbow didn’t know whether the lights at the base actually worked. Turning her jet over to Soarin’, she walked out of the hangar and paused, looking at the fire, far away outside the fence. Rainbow squinted and took a step forward.  Was that a person all the way out there?  The fire was still probably half a mile away, she shouldn’t be able to see that far.  But just for a moment, she thought she’d seen someone illuminated by the distant flames. That evening, Rainbow slipped out of the bunkhouse.  She looked, but the fire was out. Carefully making her way over to the fence, she checked for guard patrols and then headed for the watermelon patch. As before, they’d grown faster than they’d had any right.  How was this possible? But Rainbow’s thoughts were wiped away when her eyes fell on the fence itself.  One watermelon was wedged under it, the rapidly growing fruit actually bending the chain link up. Rainbow crouched on her hands and knees.  If she broke the watermelon out of there, the resulting hole might be big enough for her to squeeze through.  Heck, as quick as they seemed to be growing, it probably would be big enough in another hour or two. Rainbow looked over her shoulder, back in the direction of the bunkhouse.  But if it would only barely fit her, it was too small to fit most of the others. She decided to come back in the morning.  If the hole was big enough, then she might show it to the rest.  They could make a decision then. And if not, free watermelon.