From No Tomorrow

To The Past

In the minutes leading up to the appointed time, Elzbieta dressed herself in her best outfit, which, she realized, was not very impressive. Just as she finished, she heard a heavy, fast knock on the door of her quarters.

"Come in!" she invited.

Breathlessly, Imre blundered into the room, clenching a paper in his hand.

"Imre?" received Elzbieta, shocked.

"They picked you!" Imre huffed. "You've been chosen! Look!"

With shaking hands, Imre stuffed the paper into her arms, watching as she unfolded it.

"What?" she blathered, suddenly understanding Imre's excitement. "I've been picked for the mission?"

Imre nodded silently.

"But... so soon!" Elzbieta stuttered. "How can it be so soon? How can they have finished interviewing everyone?"

"Well..." Imre began, slowly catching his breath, "There are only so many able-bodied Ragyogas left..."

Elzbieta shuddered.

"...and the best of us are mostly too old to change history; they were already around when it happened."

"Oh," realized Elzbieta. "I didn't think I was still that young."

"Young enough," Imre defined. "And look at the other two names."

Looking back to the stiff, lightly crumpled paper, Elzbieta recoiled with fresh shock.

"Akyta?" she read, "they picked Akyta?"

"Why not?" Imre endorsed. "She may not be the single best markswoman, or the best tank driver or the best pilot, but she's got a stronger will to fight than anyone else onboard."

Nodding slowly, Elzbieta read the last name on the sheet, which she did not recognize, then cast it aside.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"They want you to pack everything you want for the mission besides food, money and weapons," Imre recited. "They said they had your lunch ready on deck."

"I see," Elzbieta accepted.

"Is something wrong?" asked Imre, detecting some new distress. "Other than the obvious, I mean?"

"I wanted to eat lunch with you," she half-pouted.

"Oh, that's sweet of you," Imre blushed, "but, if you succeed, we'll have all the time in the world to finish lunch."

"Yeah," Elzbieta doubted, "if I succeed..."

"You will," Imre assured. "You have it in you."

Elzbieta beamed wearily.

"I'm going to go tell the others," Imre resolved. "I'll see you up above."

With that, Elzbieta was alone, dressed for a date, but now saddled with gearing up for a mission.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself.

Shaking the gloomy thoughts from her head, Elzbieta closed her eyes and took three deep breaths, filling her lungs all the way each time. As she did, she imagined herself airborne, capering through the skies.

When she opened her eyes, Elzbieta's head was clear. Quickly, she redressed, then drew a mental list of what she would need for her mission and began stuffing the items into her hardiest bag. Once she pulled it shut, she meaningfully stood up, took a few more deep breaths and strode out of her quarters, then turned down the hall and sprinted to the nearest elevator.