Quote:Noah closed the report on his desktop and looked at Tanith and Jake. "You've got to be kidding me. Nobody saw this coming?"
Jake Hansen, leader of the Explorer Corps's second operational group, shrugged his shoulders. "We knew is was a possibility, but no-one expected it so soon, or like this."
Tanith sighed. "To be fair, Noah, the team heard the names 'Silya Stingray' and 'Nene Romanova.' Why wouldn't they expect that they were in a Bubblegum Crisis universe?"
Noah nodded. "And they were, after a fashion. But we've seen hundreds of worlds just like ours but with some change somewhere along the line that made history follow a different path. Why in the world did the team think fictional universes were immune to the same effect?"
"For God's sake, Noah, calm down. Getting upset now won't do anyone any good."
After a moment, Noah nodded. "You're right, Tanith. Mr. Hansen, how many of the survey team will be able to return to work within the next six months?"
"We're not sure, sir; that Priss replicant really did a number on them when she thought they were AD Police officers come to shut her down. But Anika and Mary Springfield can return to work right now."
As for why Noah was expecting this, see this story by Jeanne Hedge from 1995.
Quote:It was just after we lost all but one of a good team, when they though nothing could possibly kill them in an Oz world, that we started seeing the signs go up. I'm told the line is from one of Lois Bujold's books.--
"Check your assumptions. In fact, check your assumptions at the door." That's saved my life at least twice so far.
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012