(Meanwhile, back at the -- nearly literal -- ranch...)
After Bob and Scott had left, John lowered his chair to all four legs with a loud thump, and stood. The deceptively sleepy look in his eyes vanished. "Okay," he said, "while they're doing that, let's get all the kids here in the blockhouse."
Peggy looked over at him. "Huh? Why?"
He smirked. "I'm not quite as trusting as Bob is. We only have this 'Wiregeek''s assurances that he's friendly. I'm not going to assume anything. This is the safest, most defensible place on the ship, and I want the kids in here until we know for sure." He walked around the conference table and headed for the stairs to the building's lower levels.
"Wait, wait," Peggy pressed on. "Where are you going, then?"
John turned to look back at here, and one side of his mouth quirked up into a half-smile that in the right light might have been called "evil". "I'm getting the guns out of secure storage." He paused, then added with a bigger smile, "And the Bondo grenades." A moment later the sound of his boots on the stairs down echoed through the control room.
Kat raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "He's got a point. Let's go round up the kids."
Helen sniffed. "If he's got that much of a point, someone ought to watch the sensors. There might be someone else coming. Even if we can't talk to them, we can at least see them coming. And one more thing. Officer Friendly!" she called out, rolling her eyes slightly.
The huge plasma screen at the end of the room flickered, and the image of man dressed in the 1950s version of a police uniform appeared. He was blond and blue-eyed, with a face that was strong without being craggy, and an open, friendly-seeming smile. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked, pushing up the bill of his uniform cap with the nightstick he held in his right hand.
"We've got a visitor coming in at the east garage. Keep an eye on him, please," Helen barked.
"Right-o, ma'am," the AI said with a sharp nod.
"We don't think he's up to anything bad," Peggy added, "we just want to be careful."
The AI's eyes tracked over to her. "Understood, ma'am. Officer Friendly is on the beat!" He saluted her with his nightstick, then vanished.
The screen returned momentarily to the view of the receding earth before being replaced with the image of a regal middle-aged woman wearing a white gown and a crown of ivy and grape leaves. She stared down her nose for a moment, then cleared her throat. "I, too, shall be watching the interloper," she declared imperiously.
"He's not an interloper, Gaia," Kat said patiently. "Not yet, at least."
The female AI sniffed derisively. "He is from Outside," she said simply.
"Can't argue with that," Nancy said with a laugh.
-- Bob
---------
Visit beautiful Boston, proud successor to Seattle as
"City Most Scared Of Its Own Shadow
After Bob and Scott had left, John lowered his chair to all four legs with a loud thump, and stood. The deceptively sleepy look in his eyes vanished. "Okay," he said, "while they're doing that, let's get all the kids here in the blockhouse."
Peggy looked over at him. "Huh? Why?"
He smirked. "I'm not quite as trusting as Bob is. We only have this 'Wiregeek''s assurances that he's friendly. I'm not going to assume anything. This is the safest, most defensible place on the ship, and I want the kids in here until we know for sure." He walked around the conference table and headed for the stairs to the building's lower levels.
"Wait, wait," Peggy pressed on. "Where are you going, then?"
John turned to look back at here, and one side of his mouth quirked up into a half-smile that in the right light might have been called "evil". "I'm getting the guns out of secure storage." He paused, then added with a bigger smile, "And the Bondo grenades." A moment later the sound of his boots on the stairs down echoed through the control room.
Kat raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "He's got a point. Let's go round up the kids."
Helen sniffed. "If he's got that much of a point, someone ought to watch the sensors. There might be someone else coming. Even if we can't talk to them, we can at least see them coming. And one more thing. Officer Friendly!" she called out, rolling her eyes slightly.
The huge plasma screen at the end of the room flickered, and the image of man dressed in the 1950s version of a police uniform appeared. He was blond and blue-eyed, with a face that was strong without being craggy, and an open, friendly-seeming smile. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked, pushing up the bill of his uniform cap with the nightstick he held in his right hand.
"We've got a visitor coming in at the east garage. Keep an eye on him, please," Helen barked.
"Right-o, ma'am," the AI said with a sharp nod.
"We don't think he's up to anything bad," Peggy added, "we just want to be careful."
The AI's eyes tracked over to her. "Understood, ma'am. Officer Friendly is on the beat!" He saluted her with his nightstick, then vanished.
The screen returned momentarily to the view of the receding earth before being replaced with the image of a regal middle-aged woman wearing a white gown and a crown of ivy and grape leaves. She stared down her nose for a moment, then cleared her throat. "I, too, shall be watching the interloper," she declared imperiously.
"He's not an interloper, Gaia," Kat said patiently. "Not yet, at least."
The female AI sniffed derisively. "He is from Outside," she said simply.
"Can't argue with that," Nancy said with a laugh.
-- Bob
---------
Visit beautiful Boston, proud successor to Seattle as
"City Most Scared Of Its Own Shadow