MAX:
"We're WHAT?! Then this has just been a huge waist of time!"
"Correct," T'phai replied.
"I - huh? Would you start talking English?" I demanded.
"I believe that I was," T'phai replied, "but if you insist that I spell it out for you, fine. We are returning because other locations have elevated to top priority. Oh, and I think Rico said something about a baby."
"WHAT?!"
HIGGINS:
"WHAT?!"
"That's what I said," Gossard replied.
"A baby," I repeated. "How'd they wind up with a baby?"
"Aren't you a little old not to know about the birds and the bees?" Gossard smirked, one skeptical eyebrow raised.
I rolled my eyes, although I couldn't help the tinge of pink creeping up into my cheeks. "You know what I mean."
He shrugged, "Yeah, and I have no idea. All I know is the retrieval ship is gonna be here in about three minutes "
"I.e. 'let's move'?" I asked.
"You got it."
ZIM:
Rico was just finishing organizing a rendezvous with the rest of the squad and was presumably about to radio me as I returned.
I began formally, "Sergant Zim report-" but I trailed off. Now, I've seen a lot of bizarre things but nothing, not in any of my years of experience or any of those bizarre instances I've faced, could have prepared me for what I found when I returned to the LT. "Lieutenant, what is going on here?"
"If I knew I'd tell you," he replied dryly. "We found him while we were searching the face of the cliff."
I nodded slowly, as if I understood even slightly.
"Lieutena - " Sandrine faltered as she caught sight of the baby just moments before throwing her arms around Rico's neck. " - ant. What is THAT?"
Rico backed strategically away while he had the chance.
GOSSARD:
"'THAT'? It's a fish, Sandrine," Dizzy hissed sarcastically, her voice full of venom. "I bet it's hers. I wouldn't put it past her."
"Aw, what? You don't trust her?" I asked innocently. We had returned moments before, unnoticed by Rico and Zim, and probably Sandrine for that matter.
Dizzy just rolled her eyes.
"What happens to him when we get back?" Higgins asked quietly, trying not to be too obvious in his change of subjects.
"Orphanage, I guess," Doc replied, "but I'm not sure. I'm virtually positive this is the first bug-related incident involving a baby so they may want to inspect him. Maybe even bring in some psychics to attempt to interrogate him."
"Interrogate?" Dizzy repeated. "Are you crazy, he's a baby!"
"Yeah, but you know them," Doc replied.
I sighed. The infamous 'them', we all know 'them'.
Dizzy looked away from the scene gradually unfolding before us. "I hope they keep his name."
"'Name'?" Higgins and I repeated simultaneously.
"How'd he get a name?" Higgins asked.
"Man, this is really your day for stupid questions, paperboy," I interjected.
"I MEANT how did you find out his name?" Higgins re-phrased. "Oh! You named him yourselves? What did you call him?"
"His name's Eddie," Doc replied. "Rico thought of it."
I glanced over at the LT, who was steadily moving away from Sandrine at every chance he could get. I could have laughed out loud, somehow you got the feeling she was wasting her time; but I guess, to be fair, she was one of the three with us who didn't know that.
"Where'd you find him?" I asked. "What if somebody's looking for him?"
"Along the face of a cliff?!" Dizzy retorted incredulously.
"Somehow I doubt it," Doc concurred. "Even if he DIDN'T sustain major injuries that isn't a safe place to leave your kid."
I swallowed. "Oh."
HIGGINS:
How could anyone ever do something like that?! Eddie was a defenseless little baby that couldn't hurt a fly and somebody could - could try to get rid of him by - in that way? How? Why?!
My thoughts raged on, getting more passionate by the second. I was so upset I hadn't even thought to pick up my camera, or even about what a great story the whole situation might have made.
"There it is," I announced, my own voice startling me out of my thoughts. Sure enough, there it was, the retrieval ship descending through the cloudy layers towards the snow-covered ground. "What are we going to do with Sandrine?"
"In what sense?" Dizzy asked.
"I think she's coming with us," Doc replied calmly, though his voice was equally cold.
"We could always leave her here," Gossard suggested.
In the back of my mind I wondered vaguely how much of that statement was really meant as a joke.
"Who would know?" he asked.
"Carl," Dizzy replied. "Besides, that's too easy, somebody'd figure it out."
I thought we were joking, I mean I was pretty sure. But, if we weren't joking we were all scarier than I ever could have imagined, but we were just joking . . . I thought I'd better check anyway.
"Of course we're joking," Gossard replied. "We wouldn't just leave her here, she IS a human being."
"Allegedly," Dizzy coughed.
"We're WHAT?! Then this has just been a huge waist of time!"
"Correct," T'phai replied.
"I - huh? Would you start talking English?" I demanded.
"I believe that I was," T'phai replied, "but if you insist that I spell it out for you, fine. We are returning because other locations have elevated to top priority. Oh, and I think Rico said something about a baby."
"WHAT?!"
HIGGINS:
"WHAT?!"
"That's what I said," Gossard replied.
"A baby," I repeated. "How'd they wind up with a baby?"
"Aren't you a little old not to know about the birds and the bees?" Gossard smirked, one skeptical eyebrow raised.
I rolled my eyes, although I couldn't help the tinge of pink creeping up into my cheeks. "You know what I mean."
He shrugged, "Yeah, and I have no idea. All I know is the retrieval ship is gonna be here in about three minutes "
"I.e. 'let's move'?" I asked.
"You got it."
ZIM:
Rico was just finishing organizing a rendezvous with the rest of the squad and was presumably about to radio me as I returned.
I began formally, "Sergant Zim report-" but I trailed off. Now, I've seen a lot of bizarre things but nothing, not in any of my years of experience or any of those bizarre instances I've faced, could have prepared me for what I found when I returned to the LT. "Lieutenant, what is going on here?"
"If I knew I'd tell you," he replied dryly. "We found him while we were searching the face of the cliff."
I nodded slowly, as if I understood even slightly.
"Lieutena - " Sandrine faltered as she caught sight of the baby just moments before throwing her arms around Rico's neck. " - ant. What is THAT?"
Rico backed strategically away while he had the chance.
GOSSARD:
"'THAT'? It's a fish, Sandrine," Dizzy hissed sarcastically, her voice full of venom. "I bet it's hers. I wouldn't put it past her."
"Aw, what? You don't trust her?" I asked innocently. We had returned moments before, unnoticed by Rico and Zim, and probably Sandrine for that matter.
Dizzy just rolled her eyes.
"What happens to him when we get back?" Higgins asked quietly, trying not to be too obvious in his change of subjects.
"Orphanage, I guess," Doc replied, "but I'm not sure. I'm virtually positive this is the first bug-related incident involving a baby so they may want to inspect him. Maybe even bring in some psychics to attempt to interrogate him."
"Interrogate?" Dizzy repeated. "Are you crazy, he's a baby!"
"Yeah, but you know them," Doc replied.
I sighed. The infamous 'them', we all know 'them'.
Dizzy looked away from the scene gradually unfolding before us. "I hope they keep his name."
"'Name'?" Higgins and I repeated simultaneously.
"How'd he get a name?" Higgins asked.
"Man, this is really your day for stupid questions, paperboy," I interjected.
"I MEANT how did you find out his name?" Higgins re-phrased. "Oh! You named him yourselves? What did you call him?"
"His name's Eddie," Doc replied. "Rico thought of it."
I glanced over at the LT, who was steadily moving away from Sandrine at every chance he could get. I could have laughed out loud, somehow you got the feeling she was wasting her time; but I guess, to be fair, she was one of the three with us who didn't know that.
"Where'd you find him?" I asked. "What if somebody's looking for him?"
"Along the face of a cliff?!" Dizzy retorted incredulously.
"Somehow I doubt it," Doc concurred. "Even if he DIDN'T sustain major injuries that isn't a safe place to leave your kid."
I swallowed. "Oh."
HIGGINS:
How could anyone ever do something like that?! Eddie was a defenseless little baby that couldn't hurt a fly and somebody could - could try to get rid of him by - in that way? How? Why?!
My thoughts raged on, getting more passionate by the second. I was so upset I hadn't even thought to pick up my camera, or even about what a great story the whole situation might have made.
"There it is," I announced, my own voice startling me out of my thoughts. Sure enough, there it was, the retrieval ship descending through the cloudy layers towards the snow-covered ground. "What are we going to do with Sandrine?"
"In what sense?" Dizzy asked.
"I think she's coming with us," Doc replied calmly, though his voice was equally cold.
"We could always leave her here," Gossard suggested.
In the back of my mind I wondered vaguely how much of that statement was really meant as a joke.
"Who would know?" he asked.
"Carl," Dizzy replied. "Besides, that's too easy, somebody'd figure it out."
I thought we were joking, I mean I was pretty sure. But, if we weren't joking we were all scarier than I ever could have imagined, but we were just joking . . . I thought I'd better check anyway.
"Of course we're joking," Gossard replied. "We wouldn't just leave her here, she IS a human being."
"Allegedly," Dizzy coughed.