"Thomas Eugene Paris, you get back here!"
"What, Mom?" The young man paused at the door. Tom was small for his age, about five and a half feet, and while everyone told him that he would grow soon, the fifteen year old was beginning to doubt that possibility.
"Just where do you think you are going dressed like that? I hope you aren't planning to sneak into the simulator. You know what you promised your father."
Tom stood there speechless. She was the only one who could render him that way. How was it that she always knew what he was up to? "But Mom…"
"Don't start that. You know your Dad doesn't want you at the academy unless he is with you."
Thinking quickly, Tom changed his plans. "Is it okay if I go to the beach and try out my new shuttle?"
"What about the fog?"
"Mom… It's San Francisco; we always have fog. Please?" He gave her the Paris trademark wide eyed look.
"Oh, alright. But change your clothes and take you communicator."
"Mom…"
"If you want to go, you'll take your communicator. You know the rules."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, knowing how she hated it.
"Tom?"
"Yes?" he asked giving her his innocent look.
"You're pushing it."
"Oh," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll stop."
"Good. Be home before dark."
"Okay."
Rushing back to his room he quickly changed out of his flight suit. Pulling out a beige two-piece jumper with a blue cotton shirt, he quickly changed clothes. Grabbing his new model, he ran out the door before his mother could change her mind. His mom did tend to be a little overprotective.
The fog was out and he could see across the Pacific for miles. Tom could still see the Golden Gate so he wasn't too far from civilization, but he enjoyed the piece and quiet that felt like he was alone. It wasn't that he was a loner, it was just that lately he didn't want to spend time with anyone. The academy entrance exam was coming up and most of the time he wasn't able to relax and enjoy things around him. Because of his name, everyone was watching every move he made and making state issues out of nothing.
****
Tom stopped explaining what happened and looked at B'Elanna. "I was so frustrated with everything going on around me that I did something really stupid. I took my communicator off and attached it to my shuttle. I didn't want to wear it. When I wore it I always felt like the world was watching everything I did, so I figured that if anyone was monitoring the signal, I would really confuse them with the shuttle's movements. It took a little while to rig the shuttle for remote communication. I wasn't paying attention to anything else…"
****
Tom leaned over his shuttlecraft and finished adjusting his communicator signal. With the fog coming in visibility was decreasing and with his communicator wired to it he would be able to locate it if he lost the signal.
He was so lost in what he was doing that he never realized that he was no longer alone until someone grabbed him from behind. In a panic, Tom struggled against his attacker, but the kid never had a chance. He felt something strike his head, felt a burst of pain and then nothing.
To be continued… (Please R&R)
"What, Mom?" The young man paused at the door. Tom was small for his age, about five and a half feet, and while everyone told him that he would grow soon, the fifteen year old was beginning to doubt that possibility.
"Just where do you think you are going dressed like that? I hope you aren't planning to sneak into the simulator. You know what you promised your father."
Tom stood there speechless. She was the only one who could render him that way. How was it that she always knew what he was up to? "But Mom…"
"Don't start that. You know your Dad doesn't want you at the academy unless he is with you."
Thinking quickly, Tom changed his plans. "Is it okay if I go to the beach and try out my new shuttle?"
"What about the fog?"
"Mom… It's San Francisco; we always have fog. Please?" He gave her the Paris trademark wide eyed look.
"Oh, alright. But change your clothes and take you communicator."
"Mom…"
"If you want to go, you'll take your communicator. You know the rules."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, knowing how she hated it.
"Tom?"
"Yes?" he asked giving her his innocent look.
"You're pushing it."
"Oh," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll stop."
"Good. Be home before dark."
"Okay."
Rushing back to his room he quickly changed out of his flight suit. Pulling out a beige two-piece jumper with a blue cotton shirt, he quickly changed clothes. Grabbing his new model, he ran out the door before his mother could change her mind. His mom did tend to be a little overprotective.
The fog was out and he could see across the Pacific for miles. Tom could still see the Golden Gate so he wasn't too far from civilization, but he enjoyed the piece and quiet that felt like he was alone. It wasn't that he was a loner, it was just that lately he didn't want to spend time with anyone. The academy entrance exam was coming up and most of the time he wasn't able to relax and enjoy things around him. Because of his name, everyone was watching every move he made and making state issues out of nothing.
****
Tom stopped explaining what happened and looked at B'Elanna. "I was so frustrated with everything going on around me that I did something really stupid. I took my communicator off and attached it to my shuttle. I didn't want to wear it. When I wore it I always felt like the world was watching everything I did, so I figured that if anyone was monitoring the signal, I would really confuse them with the shuttle's movements. It took a little while to rig the shuttle for remote communication. I wasn't paying attention to anything else…"
****
Tom leaned over his shuttlecraft and finished adjusting his communicator signal. With the fog coming in visibility was decreasing and with his communicator wired to it he would be able to locate it if he lost the signal.
He was so lost in what he was doing that he never realized that he was no longer alone until someone grabbed him from behind. In a panic, Tom struggled against his attacker, but the kid never had a chance. He felt something strike his head, felt a burst of pain and then nothing.
To be continued… (Please R&R)
