Something's up. The way Malcolm clutches that bag. Did it just move? Long scratches on his hand. Helped Station Security subdue a shoplifter, or so he says. Porthos whining at Malcolm's feet. Trip feeding him endless treats. The whining changing to barking and growling.
"Sorry, Malcolm, I'm out."
The bag erupts with a sound like a tactical alert. A multicolored fur ball flies past my shoulder and lands on the helm console. Teeth bared, claws out, tail lashing, hissing.
Travis laughs. "Easy, Stinky."
He turns for a second and grins. "Way to let the cat out of the bag, Porthos!"
NOTE: Stinky, Malcolm's little male calico cat, is the creation of SitaZ. I'm going to play with him as long as she'll let me. Porthos and Stinky have all the "disaster duo" potential of Trip and Malcolm.