MADDY
Disclaimer: - I do not own Primeval or any of its characters; I DO However own MADDY, and the concept of a Mobile Anomaly Detector.
I was watching "The Love Bug" on TV a few weeks ago, and got thinking...
This plot bunny hopped along and I couldn't help but type something up. I hope you like it.
Abby was worried. She had been trying to watch Connor for some time. Now that New Dawn was reduced to a pile of dust he should have had nothing else to do. But he was tinkering away in his office again, not coming out for days on end. She began to wonder what he was up to and one day armed with two cups of coffee and a packet of biscuits she knocked on his office door.
Connor smiled as she requested entry to his office. She really had no need to do that and he wondered why she thought it necessary. He really should have gone home to sleep but had been so enthusiastic about his work that he simply had not bothered. Now he kicked himself because Abby wanted to know what he was doing. His short, but curt reply was "Stuff." and he wished he had thought of something better to say. Not wanting to reveal too much to Abby he took both coffee cups and asked if they could go somewhere else for coffee.
Together they went to the break room. The room was small, but quiet, and the couple were almost guaranteed to be left in peace. Connor put his coffee cup down and pulled Abby into his lap. He had been putting his work ahead of Abby for too long and now was right for some quality time. The anomaly alarm had not gone off for a while now and all was quiet.
Gently he rubbed his hand over Abby's s almost flat tummy. He was sure that she had started to bulge in a particular area. Connor had known for some time now that Abby was pregnant and felt proud to be the child's father. In an unscheduled jaunt to the future, Connor had even met his yet to be born son, and they had even decided upon a name.
"So how is little Luke and his mummy today?" Connor asked as Abby nestled closer to him.
"We're ok. Just missing daddy that's all." Abby leaned in to kiss Connor. She could still taste the coffee on his lips, smell his natural aroma and she was in heaven.
Connor and Abby spent ages in the break room, just talking about how the future could change for them, and what they could do to accommodate. They had decided that they were going to buy a house in outer London. Not too far from the ARC so that they could get into work at short notice. Abby was to take a break from work, whilst their son grew up. They had both decided that going on Anomaly Alerts was not for Abby. She was much too precious to be lost in a creature incursion. In time Connor would scale back his own time too, and they would both be able to look after their children. They had decided that too! They would definitely be having more children!
After their little interlude, Connor returned to his lab, and Abby was none the wiser to what he was up to.
Abby was even more intrigued when Connor bought a clapped out old Ford Capri and parked it close to his lab, using a back entrance for access. He even had the area cordoned off with tall screens. He was up to something. Abby hoped that whatever it was, would not lead him into trouble.
Three weeks later...
The whole team were assembled in the car park behind Connor's lab. The screens were still up, and Connor was about to unveil something.
Abby hoped that whatever he had been working on had been worth all the effort and wait.
She had felt as if she had lost Connor over the past few weeks and was eager to have him back.
Nervously Connor stood in front of the screens with Lester, Matt, Becker, Jess, Abby and Emily, waiting for him to do the 'Grand Opening.' He chewed his lip as he looked at Abby.
"Go on..." she whispered encouragingly.
"Well... Ladies and Gentlemen, and Lester, I'm proud to introduce to you my most recent invention, the Mobile Anomaly Detecting Device. Or as I like to Call her – MADDY!" Carefully he pushed the screens away to reveal a polished, freshly painted, sleek, black, Ford Capri.
"Connor...! It's. A. Car...!" Abby visibly deflated sounding very disappointed.
"Of course it's a car, but not just any old car!" Connor bounced with excitement. "Wait until you see the inside!" Connor grinned running round to the passenger seat. Eagerly he climbed in and pressed a button. The driver side door opened automatically.
He indicated for Becker to get in; Matt crouched beside Becker by the open door.
"Good Morning MADDY, Meet Becker. He's sitting in the driver's seat." Connor spoke to an unusual screen incorporated into the dash board. Lights began flashing as the device spoke back.
A very soft, husky and very Sexy, Female voice came back. "Good morning Captain Becker, I hope you are well today."
(A/N imagine the voice of Kim Cattrall)
Becker's mouth fell open and he began drooling at the sound of the voice. In his mind's eye he pictured Jess talking, but this voice sounded nothing like Jess.
"I think you should call him Action Man, MADDY" Connor quipped grinning.
The device paused for a moment, before answering.
"Action Man - A child's play toy, Built out of plastic for the amusement of little boys. Captain Hilary James Becker does not look like a plastic Toy, Connor!" MADDY quipped back. Connor's grin fell from his face.
Becker couldn't help but snigger. Whatever was behind this voice had brains too! "Thank you MADDY. Although I don't like people calling me by my first name!" Becker looked around the car looking for some sort of microphone to speak into but could not find one a so he just spoke towards the flashing screen.
Matt couldn't believe his ears... His colleagues were talking to a car!
"I suppose it can drive itself can it?" Matt enquired incredulously.
"Matt Anderson... A pleasure to meet you. It is true, I cannot drive myself just yet, but Connor will update my hard drives so that I can. One day it may just be a possibility." The soft silky voice commented back at Matt. His mouth fell open once more, and he too like Becker began to drool.
"You've invented a talking car Connor?" Lester grumbled.
"She's not just any car. You see, anything that the ADD can do MADDY can do. She's got a built in voice operated computer system. She's wirelessly connected to the main Hub. Anything running on there at the moment can be accessed here." Connor told Lester jumping out of the car and dragging him over to the passenger seat. He pushed Lester, who scowled as he got in.
"MADDY, what's running on the main ADD at this point?" Connor ordered.
There was a faint hum for a moment. Then the soft, silky voice lilted again.
"Jessica Parker, is running Diagnostics, Abigail Maitland is ordering Baby essentials. Matt Anderson is looking at Facebook and Captain Becker has been looking at Wedding Rings." Lester looked over to Becker, about to give the soldier a telling off. When the computer continued. "James Lester is not in his office, although his phone is currently ringing. Would you like me to intercept this call?" Lester looked incredulous. He wondered who could be on the phone at this time of morning.
"Um... Um... Um..."
"I do not understand what you are trying to say James Lester. Would you like me to intercept this call and you can talk here."
"Yes... I suppose I should."
Seconds later the phone had been routed to the car and Lester greeted whoever was on the other end.
"Hello Caroline"
"James... I hope you haven't forgotten to pick up your prescription from the Doctors?"
Lester started to blush.
"Prescription?" He hoped he could put her off. He didn't want the entire team knowing what was on that little chit.
"Yes... You know the one for Viagra!"
"Yes I'll pick it up later! I'm rather busy at the moment... I'll see you at home!" Lester went scarlet!
"OK... Bye"
"How do you disconnect Connor?" Lester commented to Connor who was holding his sides laughing.
"Telephone has been disconnected" MADDY spoke softly.
"I'd like prior notification if it's my wife on the line." Lester growled.
"Certainly Sir," MADDY replied.
"Blind obedience... I like that!" Lester sat up and smiled.
The girls stood side by side looking thoroughly unimpressed. Jess stood jauntily with one foot to the side. Arms crossed in front of her. Abby stood similarly with arms crossed foot tapping in front of her. Emily although impressed, did not like the way Matt was crouching by the car looking like an excited little boy on Christmas morning. She had no idea that a computer could be incorporated into a car in this manner. But having come from the 1800's nothing surprised her anymore. Technology was so far advanced; she was having to take lessons trying to catch up. So when Connor unveiled this car she was adding another piece of technology to the list of one's she needed to get used to.
Jess huffed and walked back to her desk in front of the hub. Abby joined her. As did Emily. She was having a hard time with computers and this one was just too much!
Jess sighed as she sat down and began her next lot of diagnostic runs. To her surprise and utter disgust the ADD started to talk back to her in the same sickening silky voice that was used in the car!
"CON-NOR!" she screamed. Connor's face appeared on one of the computer screens.
"What's wrong Jess?"
"Come here and I'll tell you what's wrong!" She growled between clenched teeth.
"Hello Jessica!" Becker beamed back with a goofy grin.
Jess saw Becker confirm with Connor that he could indeed talk to Jess via videophone. To which Connor nodded before disappearing.
"What's up Jess?" Connor found a furious Jess standing at least a few feet away from the ADD.
"It's talking to me in that horrid voice! I hate it! It's sickening!"
"I think what Jess is trying to say is that it's female. The voice is so sickening because it's female!" Abby interjected.
"TURN. IT. OFF!" Jess hissed.
"I can change the voice if you want?" Connor piped up. Feeling slightly upset that the girls had not liked his baby.
"I suppose you can even put Becker's voice on there? Can you?" Jess asked sarcastically.
Connor walked over to the console and spoke into the screen. "MADDY, can you access your voice records and copy the voice patterns of Captain Becker."
The ADD hummed for a moment. "They have been copied Connor,"
The ADD hummed again, and then what Jess heard made her smile, and then begin to grin, and soon she was sat the console chatting away. For MADDY had copied Becker's voice and was using it to talk to Jess. Jess was pleased, however she found it confusing, and couldn't tell when she was talking to her boyfriend or when she was talking to MADDY.
She asked Connor to change it again. She didn't mind chatting away to it now but found the voice distracting.
After much deliberation Connor agreed to change the voice to that of Natasha Kaplinsky. It was not his favourite choice but after having heard her on the news, he relented. The voice was still nice, still sexy and still female!
I hoped you liked that...
I may bring MADDY back in another of my fics. Just tell me what you thought of this little ficlet.