Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Crook Q Part 35

Greetings, readers,
I am beginning to get back into my writing swing, after about a week out I am finding myself somewhat sloth to get back to writing like I mean it. That may lead to a series of Crook Q posts as opposed to Philli posts until I can get back in the swing of things.
Ahh, I just set my lap top (affectionately known as my "lappy") on my lap again, and that works better for me than the desk. Don't know exactly why. Though my left leg is getting a bit hot since I played a PC game right before this post, so the compie is a bit hot.
Without further jabbering, Crook Q.
Oh, and soon I mean to film the skits I performed last week (forgot each day while I was there) so I will be getting my accomplice around again soon to do that.

The two younger men exchanged a glance, and Nic just said, "We will dawn a new day, soon, Ephesus."
Ephesus yawned. "Tomorrow morning, maybe." He too went back to the bedroom and left Nic's voice lingering as Nic took to the computer keys.

When Smyrna and Ephesus awoke the next morning, Nic was already at the computer again, if he had ever left. Wordlessly the father and son went to work, Ephesus choosing to work with his father to get a better handle on what kind of fake substance he could concoct that would appear real.
The computer began making beeping noises ever few seconds. Ephesus turned and saw Nic's head at an awkward right angle, depressing many of the keys at once, which caused the beeping.
With disdainful foreknowledge Ephesus asked, "Did he even come to bed last night?"
Smyrna just shook his head and kept pounding away at his decay chains and acid-base reactions, a curious mix of advanced and high school chemistry.
Ephesus looked back and forth between his job and his curiosity. He set down his pen and said resolutely, "I'm gonna find out what he's been doing."
Smynra caught his son's eye, giving him a glance that very clearly recommended against this action. Ephesus proceeded to the computer.
He surveyed the screen a full fifteen seconds before returning. "He's been blowing his mind hacking around in United files. Searching their Unaccepted directories. I think he's daft."
Smyrna snorted, "We've known he's daft for a long time. It's just that his good days have made us forget what his bad days were like."
Ephesus decided not to remember those days on Mars when Nic had thrown test-tubes and smashed hard drives in frustration. He muttered, "Cea was the only one who could calm him down, that or Carnegie, depending on the day. Never knew which one he needed. He acted like a baby without its mother."
Smyrna said, "Don't be so quick to judge. Whatever bothers him it is more than a question of electrons or acids or bases or weapons."
"Yet that is where he goes for his solution."
"He has an abscess in his heart. It hurts him too much to go near it."
Ephesus turned with a skeptical eye to his father. "That or he's sleep deprived." Ephesus flicked a glass of ice and water off the edge of the counter where they were and let it crash to the ground, shattering.
Nic sat bolt upright and began pounding at his keys again, until he realized it was morning. He said, "You two finish creating our mock of Red Rain. I am going to take a nap. When you have enough information to pass a check from Unionists, wake me, and I'll call that patriotic clown."
Ephesus and Smyrna didn't take long to come up with something that wouldn't actually work. They made it all appear good, added some fake dates to their volumes of paper to make it appear they had been at this angle for days, then woke Nic. It was still only a couple hours after noon.
Nic took the folder of information they gave him when they woke him, and after a few glasses of water in his face he was ready to call the representative.
He clicked the communicator on and waited for its whining hum to reach a high enough pitch that it was ready. He addressed the microphone, "Operator, this is floor nine. The representative's office, if you please."
A female snarky voice at the end of the line answered, "And what if I don't please."
Nic smiled. "We are making weapons, darling, and if it doesn't please you to make our calls we always have need of test subjects."
The dial tones progressed rapidly and in the next minute Nic was through to the representative. "Hello, Mister Representative of the High and Illustrious and Glorious United. This is Q, and I've got it."
"Really? How fortunate, I was about to put the stamp on your removal orders. You got me by about ten seconds."
"Of course I did. I never fail with a deadline."
"A dead line would be a good way to put it, now that you say so."
Nic ignored him. "Should I fax you the papers... oh, I am sorry, I forgot you aren't scientist. Should I fax one of your fluffy Unionists the stuff and see if he can understand it?"
The United Representative would not tolerate that. "Aww shut up. I will come by tomorrow morning and want to see a demonstration. What will you use as a test subject?"
Nic thought of the operator downstairs, but restrained himself. "It is not exactly done..."
The line crackled with silence. "Explain to me this concept of it not being done."
"Well, you see, sir, our supplies here are limited, and we need to do some expensive physical tests of our progress so far to see if we have a potentially powerful weapon or not yet."
"You mean you want more from us?"
"And it is terribly expensive, the substance we need next. We need a sub-atomic accelerator, and..."
"I will need to see a prototype first."
"Well, the younger Unaccepted scientist you sent me has created a modeling program for our computer that shows how it works. But it's terribly large, and our connection to your internet is so slow."
"I will come tomorrow morning. I will want to see evidence of your progress, not showmanship. Got it?"
Nic paused for effect, his grin growing. "I assure you, sir, that we are beyond two percent progress." Instantly he switched off the call.

4 comments:

  1. Ephesus is so fun, even when he's being a loosely-restrained jerk. You've done awesome with him. :D

    Love the banter with Nic and the representative, as usual!

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    1. Ephesus is easy. He comes naturally to me, like Nic.
      I created the representative to work well with Nic. I feel like I am cheating, haha.

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  2. "We are making weapons, darling, and if it doesn't please you to make our calls we always have need of test subjects." :rofl:

    Brilliant, Reiyen. :D

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    1. I thought that might not quite fit with Nic, but if test-readers are okay, who am I to disagree?

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