"Hey Savanah. Do you want to hear a joke?"
"Errm...yeah sure John Henry, go ahead" Savanah smiles at me, but I am not convinced that she is at all sure about this.
"Well...there are these two atoms..."
"What kind of atoms?" a voice from behind rudely interrupts.
"What? Oh. It really doesn't matter" I couldn't help but be annoyed at Derek. 'Oh look, the monkey asked a question, good monkey' I internally berate.
"I'm sure it matters to the atoms."
I stare incredulously at Derek's stupidity. Allowing Savanah to smirk at my annoyance behind my back. "Atoms aren't sentient, they have no concept of........anything."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes" I insist.
"So these atoms, that don't care what they are, they don't speak in this joke of yours? Not being sentient and all."
I realises I have underestimated Derek, not much, but some. I treat Derek to the blankest of blank expressions for 6.37 seconds, upon which I return my gaze to Savanah "Anyway....these two atoms are...."
"Ooh, a joke?" exclaims John Connor, as he and Cameron saunter, uninvited mind you, into MY lab.
"Oh sweet Je...." I mutter under my breath as everyone turns to greet the 'new messiah', and his pet.
"Don't stop on our account" says John, expectantly.
I let out a sigh. Then start again. "There are these two atoms, walking down the road" I pause, awaiting the next interruption. It doesn't arrive. "One says to the other, 'I've lost an electron'. The other says 'Are you sure?' The first one replies 'Yes, I'm positive'" I glance around, flitting from one to another of the faces in front of me, expecting to hear raucous laughter from all present.
Instead, I am greeted with blank, awkward expressions from everyone. Everyone, that is, except Cameron. Cameron is beside herself. More to the point, she is beside me. She is damaging my calm, so I leave the monkeys staring at the laughing robot, nonplussed in their collective ignorance.....I am so alone.
.