"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 XXXV…
Aboard the Ocean Arrow, Arturo compartment…
"You got it?" Swift eyed Proton through the thick tomasite portal of his Fat Man submersible suit…
"Of course I get it…" Proton replied. Swift, Amy, Bernadette, and Bud only seeing his lips moving through the glass.
"You have to turn the transmitter on, Proton." Swift noted, sighing.
"Oh…Ok…" nod. "Roger that, wilco." Proton's voice now audible…
How is he ever gonna manage to work the detector controls with the suit hands…? Bud hissed to Bernadette. "He can't even work the radio."
"Great…" Swift sighed. "Now try out the arm and hand control…Just put your arm right up the…" he rubbed his forehead with fore- and second finger of his right hand as Proton put one foot into the left arm socket and his left hand into the right arm socket.
"There we…Oh!" All backing away as the suit toppled over.
"Huh…huh…huh…Humpty Proton sat on a wall…" Sermek spoke up… "Humpty Proton had a great fall…Uhhh…" As an annoyed Amy pulled out its power-pack.
Swift and Barclay lifting the suit up and opening the tomasite "glass" door to let a slightly battered Proton out.
"Hey, that was fun." He beamed to Dr. Amy's and the group's stunned surprise… "Let me try that again…You know I think I see now why Barclay enjoys his do-daddling."
"Proton, lets try this another way. Watch Bernadette get into her suit and use that incredible eidetic memory to remember the system, ok?" Swift suggested.
"All right…But I think I nearly got the hang of it this time."
"Uh-boy…" Bernadette sighed.
("It's very professional of you not to take the jokes at your expense badly, Sheldon." Amy noted.
"Oh, they're just saying I'll never be a do-daddler…I'm fine with that." He beamed. "Besides, I wasn't acting there, it was fun, like being at Disneyland again. Oh, can we go later?")
"Ok, we just have a few minutes before we've got to try this…Proton? Pay attention!" Bernadette insisted as Proton played with his suit control knobs a bit.
"We've gotta get one of these for my lab at home." He noted to Amy who sighed, rolling eyes. ("Seriously, I mean that." Sheldon noted.)
"That's it…Embrace the Do-Daddler side of the Force." Bud noted, mockingly.
…
"All right, we've assumed patrol position, maintain normal cruising speed…Inform Mr. Swift we are in position." Commander Putinsky ordered.
"Yes, Commander." The First noted. "But what about the Wyckcliffes?"
"Until ordered otherwise, we've no idea they're here…And until specially ordered they're still our (secret) allies. More than that your guess is good as mine." She told him calmly.
"If they mean to attack Swift…" the First began.
"We know nothing of that." The Commander noted sternly. "What's the latest on the spacecraft?"
"It's about three million miles out, taking a parabolic course, probably to slow itself though still moving much faster than our spacecraft." The First noted, eyeing screen tracking the vessel. "If the Wyckcliffes' information on the course to us is correct, it should flatten out course shortly for its descent into the atmosphere. But it must slow shortly, or it will skip off our atmosphere into space."
"I've no doubt it will slow. These aliens seem to have very advanced technology."
"I hope to see some of it, if I may, Commander?" the First, eagerly. "I mean before it's classified."
"I wouldn't mind a look myself. But the President may forbid any access at all till we take it home."
"Bring it home…Is that even safe?" the First eyed her, startled.
"I would doubt it." The Commander, dryly. "But we'll have our orders. First, we need to help either Swift or Wyckcliffe successfully recover the vessel. Lets proceed with our patrol. Keep a close eye on the alien craft, though, Number One. I want to know immediately if its course alters."
("Number One…You adlibbed me a Star Trek rank, Penny?" Leonard beamed.
"I don't always shut my ears off when we watch it, honeybunny." She grinned, kissing him.
We gotta buy these, ya know…She hissed, indicating his uniform.
"Da, Commander." He nodded.)
…
"Ok, we're ready as we'll ever be…" Bernadette in her Fat Man suit, by the detector, waving mechanical arm to Proton in his. Her voice on the main intercom…
Thanks for whipping up that voice control thing so quick, bro…She beamed at Swift, indicating said control now on the detector. He nodding at her glass to indicate he'd got the basic message, offering a thumbs-up.
"Ok, now remember…When you materialize, grab on to the ship using the graviton 'suckers' on your arms." Swift noted over intercom. "They'll activate automatic…Proton?" As Proton's left mechanical arm's vacuum suckers locked on to the side of his suit.
"Just testing, Tom. A-ok, Roger. Over." Proton's voice on intercom.
"Oh…The pain, we're doomed. Doomed." Sermek noted in the voice of Dr. Smith.
"Shut up." Amy commanded. "Everything will be fine, Proton. You've got this." She offered thumbs-up to his glass. He mimicking the gesture in his suit.
Oh, God…She sighed.
"Right. Never fear, Proton's here. And we're doomed, doomed." Sermek noted.
"Enough, Sermek." Swift frowning at Bud who made apologetic wiggle but grinned at Bernadette who gave reproving look, followed by grin.
"Please be careful, honey." Bud noted on intercom. "Dump Proton in space if you have to, with Sermek…"
"Hey…" Sermek, raising glass bubble top.
"…But come back. Your dad'll kill me if you don't."
"That's for sure." Bernadette beamed. "I'll be fine, honey. Ok, Proton? Ready?"
"I've been ready all my life." Proton smiled. "Oh, these aliens are so lucky…"
All eyeing him… "Bazinga!" he grinned. "Amy?" Turning to her…
"You come back. Or so help me I will be so mad at you!" she noted grimly.
"I'll be back. Heck, this is a Nobel winner for sure. I've gotta come back for that." Firm nod.
"Shared Nobel, buddy-boy." Bernadette noted proudly. "Well, lets go."
"Ok, Proton, you're up." Swift noted, stepping back from his last overview of the voice control. "Coordinates are entered. Just give the commands…After we move to Suburo, please. Lets go, folks, time's awastin'. Love ya, sis. Good luck, Arthur!"
"Love you!" Bernadette waved to Bud who patted her mechanical arm.
"Proton! Turn off the graviton…!" Amy cried as the unit on his right arm attached to her side.
"Careful, Proton!" Swift helping a rather stunned Amy. "That graviton locally increases gravity up to twenty times at that setting, you could hurt her."
"Sorry, Amy." Proton's voice.
"Just keep it turned off till we head out and don't get yours stuck on anything…Including your suit." Swift ordered. "But push it up to full power when you materialize. It should reach one hundred times normal gravity and that should let you anchor to the hull."
"Whoa that baby is powerful…Even if it wasn't strong enough to anchor us for deep space flight in the original Cosmic Sailor." Bud noted as he, Swift, and a reluctant Amy headed out.
"All right…Commence countdown on Proton Express One. Ten-nine-eight-seven…" Proton chanted.
"Oh, just do it!" Bernadette glared out her glass.
"Fine, spoil the effect. Activate field, target coordinates!" Proton called.
"Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear…" Sermek intoned as an energy bubble swelled around them and the three vanished.
Doomed…Sermek's faint echo…
…
