Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter three of "Danger Everywhere." The chapter after the next one will jump ahead four months and bring in more Avatar characters. Among them are Grace, Trudy, and Tsu'tey. Stay tuned for chapter four.
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Chapter 3: In the Control Room
Clarence and Clarice walked into the control room with Selfridge and Ronnie right behind them six minutes later. The latter two stopped in front of the doorway while the former two walked ahead. They looked around. The room was even bigger than the one at Hell's Gate was. The windows were made of a thicker glass. It contained a hologram that monitored the facility at the center. Monitors were at various points, including along the side walls.
Selfridge and Ronnie swallowed hard. They listened to people clearing pilots for takeoff or giving orders to marines. They heard clearing throats. They looked up to see Clarence, who stood close to the front windows along with Clarice. He waved a golf club in the air. Selfridge laughed in delight before going over to him. Ronnie was right behind his boss. They stopped next to Clarence as he brought the club down.
"I am so stoked you have golf gear for me," Selfridge said in much happiness. He took the club from Clarence. "I was thinking I wouldn't have any here."
"Everyone knows how much you love golf," Clarence responded and smiled in a wide way. "Just don't break any windows with your balls."
"No window-breaking will happen with the very thick glass in the windows," Clarice added and giggled to herself.
"That never happened at Hell's Gate," Ronnie said, slipping his hands inside his pockets. "Of course, the gravity affected the distance a golf ball traveled when Parker hit it outside."
Selfridge set the club's bottom end on the floor. "That is why I preferred playing inside. I did not have to worry about the gravity."
"That's not to say it is bad to get a little fresh air once in a while," Ronnie pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Mm-hmm," Selfridge agreed.
Ronnie looked at a bag of clubs and balls leaning against the console nearby. "The bright side is you will have plenty of balls."
"True," Selfridge said, turning to it. "I can't count the number of balls I lost while golfing outside."
"One conked a marine on the head when you hit it," Ronnie teased.
"Did I tell you not to remind me of that?" Selfridge groaned annoyingly.
"Oops," Ronnie said sarcastically.
Clarence chuckled. "You are so in trouble."
Clarice nodded in agreement. "Yep."
Selfridge snickered under his breath. He enjoyed messing with his employees, especially Ronnie. He loved hearing them being sarcastic as well. He was looking forward to seeing a great deal of sarcasm. He had never doubted the Na'vi understood what it was. He lifted the club off the floor and grabbed it with his other hand. He twirled it around twice very carefully. He looked at Robbie when he heard him chuckle.
"If I didn't know better, boss, I'd say you'd become a band member," Ronnie joked with a smirk.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. That was so funny that I died laughing," Selfridge retorted annoyingly.
"It is quite possible to die from laughter. The weasels laughed themselves to death at Eddie's antics in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Judge Doom warned them about that, but they did not listen," Ronnie explained.
"That movie was a pioneer for special effects in the 1980s. It combined animation and live action through a blue screen," Selfridge commented with a chuckle. "I can only imagine how many sleepless nights the filming crew went through making it."
"This century has produced some great movies, but they do not compare to those of the previous two centuries," Ronnie admitted with raised eyebrows.
"I can't argue with that," Selfridge agreed. "In the 2020s, entertainment became terrible because all that directors were interested was pushing certain ideologies down everyone's throats. It did not matter if they were left or right. Both did it. After so many failures, they ceased doing that and became focused on telling good stories and aweing people with great special effects as they had done years before."
"Of course, even movies and shows without any kind of ideology can still do badly," Ronnie said, giving a shrug. "Success depends on if people are interested in them."
"You can't force people to become interested in a brand of entertainment. They will like whatever they want," Selfridge responded sternly. "It is human nature to want to belong, but some people take it too far. This is especially true for entertainment."
"Yeah," Clarence said and cleared his throat. "Would you like to see your office, sir?"
"Of course," Selfridge replied eagerly. He rubbed his hands together so fast that it seemed they were blurs. "Let's go."
"Come," Clarice said, holding out her hand. She suppressed a yawn and smacked her lips. "It is this way."
Clarence and Clarice walked toward the back of the room with Selfridge and Ronnie close behind them. They snapped their fingers while singing nonsense. They came to a small office that contained glass windows. They went inside in which they stopped in front of the doorway. Selfridge and Ronnie took two steps forward. Their hearts skipped a beat or two. They swallowed hard and bit their lips.
Selfridge and Ronnie looked around in much awe. The office had a desk and a computer. A bookcase filled with pictures and awards was behind it along with a coffeemaker. A spear leaned against the back wall. A file cabinet happened to be in the corner. Selfridge went over to the desk and touched the top of it. He looked toward Clarence and Clarice, an approved expression crossing his face. He rubbed his nose before letting out a long yawn. He clapped three times.
"You two did a really nice job setting this office up for me," Selfridge said warmly. He tapped his fingers on the desk before giving it a gentle pat. He slipped his hand inside his pocket. "You did not have to do that at all."
"Since you were the administrator at Hell's Gate, why can't you do it here too?" Clarence asked, coming to his friend's side. He clasped his hands together and twirled his thumbs around. "After all, you did well in keep everyone in line there."
"It was not an easy job, but someone had to do it," Selfridge admitted. "It is important to have experience in any field of work. Mine happened to be business. I have pulled a number of businesses out of slumps. It was no wonder I was chosen to head the RDA's presence on Pandora." He emitted a sharp exhale. "I am going to miss being there, but this facility is better because we do not have to worry about any hostiles. That is except for those who travel through the area."
Clarice slipped a lock of hair behind her ear. "We do not see Na'vi pass through often. When they do, it is usually in small groups. Nomadic clans are not known for being very large. It would be rather hard to maintain a clan of such a size while going from one place to the next. Why move somewhere when all your food is right there?"
Clarence scratched his neck before clearing his throat. "I know. For herbivores, they do not have to go far because all their food is right there. In the case of carnivores, they have to go after their food because it is always moving. Now, let's take our bosses to the lab, Clarice. They should go see the eggs that are about to hatch."
Selfridge and Ronnie looked at each other with big smiles on their faces. Clarence and Clarice headed out of the office. Their bosses followed them close behind.
