"The Adventures of Professor Proton, Jr: The Proton Express…"
Summary: In my first longer Proton Jr tale, can Prof Proton Jr. aka mild-mannered Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy aka Amy F. Fowler save the world at Christmas…And can Proton Jr. keep that blond sob of an engineering genius Tom Swift, Jr. away from his girl?
Equally important…Should Cameragirl Penny allow this thing to appear on her acting credits or just accept that all hope of a professional career is gone and just enjoy while peddling her drugs?
Disclaimer: All is Chuck's…
Part IV…
The submarine pens of Fearing Island...
"Here she is…" Swift noted proudly as the group, consisting of Swift and his closest pal Bud Barclay, several security guards, General Smith, Professor Proton, Jr., Dr. Amy, Dr. Wyckcliffe, and the latest, somewhat disconcerting to the others, addition, the annoyingly (to Dr. Amy) tall, brilliant, and lovely Russian exobiologist, Dr. Penova Hofstadter…paused with him to view the large, rather odd submersible before them. More a flying saucer than a submarine, Proton noted to Dr. Amy with slight sneer. Swift's screwed it this time.
("Really…I could have accepted Bernadette as a rival from Russia. She has a doctorate and well, it's Russia. They are famous for large men and tiny women." Sheldon noted to Leonard who sighed. Are they? Raj hissed to Howard who shrugged… "Mom hid my passport when I was going on that swinging engineers' party trip to Moscow. She thought the Russians would put me in a labor camp." "Sheldon." Leonard sighed. "Penny needs to do something in front of the camera and we need a little more dramatic tension…She makes for an obvious bad guy." "Da." Penny grinned, hair bunned up, in as severe a dark suit as Amy's closet and hasty alterations could provide. "I am likely but no means certain attractive yet clewver spy and willain of piece. Or perhaps innocent tragic wictim?" she eyed Leonard, rather winsomely.
Tell me you haven't been hanging out with Barry Kripke to get the accent down…He eyed her.
Hmmn…Sheldon pondered. "So she's the Jim Brown character in our little 'Ice Station Zebra'?"
Howard "Bud Barclay" staring at him. "Watched it with my dad, years ago. I liked the ice caps and the undersea things that weren't so scary as 'The Abyss'." Sheldon noted.
"People, we have the light!" Temporary Cameragirl Bernadette noted.)
"Is interesting. But we have had similar wessel for many years in Russian flweet." Dr. Hofstadter noted with arch look.
"You mean the one that sank chasing after me a few years ago?" Swift noted. "A pretty poor copy, you screwed it on the rotors." Metal fatigue, he explained to the others, "Their stuff couldn't stand up to a deep dive. That was when we discovered this underwater ancient city of gold."
"Listen to him...'we discovered this underwater ancient city of gold'...Like that's such a big deal." Proton to Dr. Amy...
Well...Actually...Her expression back...
"In Russian oceanic territory…" Hofstadter insisted.
"International waters and settled by the UN." Swift replied. "But can we try to put temporary hostilities aside and try to focus on the loss to Science and potential threat to Humanity if this alien cargo is lost or opened without proper controls?"
"Da." Hofstadter shrugged. "But Rwussia demands her interests in this matter be rwespected. We are no pushowvers but world-class power. As exwemplified by our belovwed Pwresident Putinsky and his physical pwrowess."
("I see she studied at the 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' Academy of Acting." Lesley grinned to Raj. Who sighed.
Uneasy lies the head of the General Strongguy who must make these civies work together.
"And I think I did see her at Kripke's office the other day…No doubt taking lessons in Kwripkesse and maybe giving a few things…" she smiled to Leonard.
"You really are pure evil." Raj sighed. "You know, now that you've chosen to come out, you really should meet my sister. I think you'd hit it off…"
"Does everyone keep having to mention that Priya's come out…" Leonard sighed. "Leonard? I know I respect her for it." Penny, high-mindedly. Shrewd glance to Amy and Bernadette…
Hah. I knew it! Triumphant expression to Amy's stare…
Alright, I didn't. But I hoped…
"She could've gotten the truth out of that Leonard-hurting backstabber months ago." Amy shrugged to Bernadette. "She should've just done what I did when I found her living across from Sheldon and feigned proto-lesbian interest. A week of sniffing around her tree and she'd've either exposed her or been on her lesbian honeymoon.")
"We've included you in the team, Doctor." General Smith noted. "No one is being excluded from any information."
"But regards the threat to Humanity, Swift…" Proton, Jr. eyed the lanky inventor. "What possessed you to let such a matter be kept from the scientific community so long?"
"It wasn't my choice, Proton." Swift shrugged. "The UN asked it be kept secret until we were sure we could secure the ship and its cargo safely in space. Then when this incident occurred they were only more concerned about keeping things quiet. I would have announced months ago…"
"Another Swift 'miracle'…" Proton frowned.
"This would have been one…" General Smith noted. "But Mr. Swift is a patriot, in the global sense, and he consented to the UN's request, for which we are grateful. And he has put his array of craft including this one at our disposal…"
"A ripoff of Cousteau's diving saucer, Swift?" Proton grinned. "A little beneath even you…"
"Not exactly, Professor of what exactly?, Proton." Swift eyed him coolly. "My girl here, the Ocean Arrow, is a diving seacopter, a flying submarine, in fact."
"It flies…And dives…?" Proton stared, a bit miffed.
"With any luck, yeah. To a height of 50000 feet using backup jets and a depth of four miles, tested." Proud note.
"Nice…" Dr. Amy noted. Proton frowning…
"Well, it is nice, Prof P." she pointed out. "And just the tool we'll need to reach the space cargo if it lands as expected."
"Tool is right…And if a tinkerer like Swift hadn't been involved in our first alien contact…" a miffed…Dr. A?...Where's that loyalty?...Proton glared at Swift.
"Professor…" the General frowned. "We've told you it was not Mr. Swift's fault that the cargo was diverted from what would have been a relatively safe rendezvous point in space."
"Right, right…Someone stole the codes and the correct transmission frequency, sent a diversionary message to the aliens, these so-called exo-Martians, and now is blocking all attempts to reach the aliens to prevent their vessel from landing on Earth." Proton shrugged. "Sounds like a typical engineer's blunder…"
("If you need someone to play the supervillain or even henchguy who puts a torpedo in Proton, Jr…" Howard hissed to Leonard.)
"What blunder? Someone broke into my facilities and stole the data…" Swift glared back.
"Do I detect a note of accusation there…Dr. Amy? I'm a little slow on these things." Proton turned to Amy.
"No, you're quite right Prof. P…There's a definite note of accusation…" who shook head, frowning at Swift.
"Well it could just as easily have been Muncie here…" Proton noted, indicating Wyckcliff who glared.
"That's Dr. Wyckcliffe, you kiddie-show host…Munson to my special friends."
("And Priya would make a fine one, I'm sure…" Penny hissed to Amy, grinning.
"You and your 'bestie'…" an annoyed Raj, overhearing, glared… "Ought to know…"
"Hey…!" Penny fumed. Amy looking distressed.
"I apologize…Amy…That was uncalled for." Raj noted.
"Hey!"
"I should have realized Penny was the instigator…" Raj, grinning.)
"Stupid name any way you say it…" Proton shrugged.
"Wait a mo…" Dr. Amy blinked, staring at the General. "You brought us here because you think one of us took Swift's codes and is jamming the frequency."
"There's your guilty party…" Wyckcliffe grinned. "Why'd you do it, Proton? Couldn't face doing any more Saturday morning science cartoons? Or did you have your doormat here do the dirty work?"
"Hey…!" Dr. Amy fumed.
"People…" the General, sternly. "To be frank, we could just as easily suspect any of you and I'm afraid Dr. Amy is right. We did call you all together as the only people who might have guessed at the Swifts' contact with the aliens."
"I have to concede that bit of imagination to Muncie here…" Proton smiled. "I'd've never believed a mere Edison of an engineer/tinkerer could ever be the first to contact aliens. By the way, are you sure these really are aliens? I'd bet they're cheap carnival show people dressing on TV as aliens…"
"Professor…" the General sighed.
"No, General…Professor of whatever Proton has a point." Swift conceded. "Maybe I could take him alone into space and throw him out on a orbit to intercept the Martians in 100000 years." Proton glaring…
"So to escape Proton's kindergarten for a moment…" Wyckcliffe eyed the General, then Swift. "You think one of us took the codes and diverted this cargo. You gotta any proof, specifically?"
"No, or one or more of you would be under interrogation and facing a series of long prison sentences in highly specialized military prisons." The General, quietly.
"Fine way to treat people who came to their Nation's aid." Wyckcliffe noted.
"Perhaps…" the General nodded. "But if one of you is guilty, you've not only endangered an incredibly precious cargo, you've put all life on Earth at risk. If these specimens are improperly released, the ecological damage they and any microorganisms they carry that could infect Earth life would be catastrophic."
"Rwussia rwesents the implications of these rwemarks, General." Dr. Hofstadter noted firmly.
"They're not intended at Rwus…Russia, Doctor." The General, sternly.
"So you're keeping us together to keep an eye on us till the guilty party cracks?" Wyckcliffe eyed the General.
"No time for that…From our tracking data and what we received of the diverting message, we believe the alien cargo is within 48 hours of Earth." The General sighed.
"Oh, 24 hours of Proton would be enough to crack me if I were guilty." Wyckcliffe noted.
"Says you…Well…Munson is still a stupid name…" Proton, Jr, a bit lamely.
….
