"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 XLIV…
The Lermontov, Commander Putinsky's bridge office…
The Commander seated behind her desk eyeing the seated Bwarry coldly… Munson a bit nervous, beside him.
"You left Swift for dead on the ocean floor…And you want us to further risk war by contact the UN forces and threatening to destroy the alien vessel with our missiles."
"That's wright, sweetheawrt." Bwarry beamed.
"Do not speak to Commander Putinsky in that manner…" her First Officer frowned.
"Yeah, suwre. Say, could you send youwr ewrrand boy hewre out for coffee owr something?" Bwarry turned to the Commander. "We have business to discuss."
"Commander…" the First Officer, dark glance to Bwarry.
"It's fine, Number One. Leave us and take the bridge."
"On youwr way, son." Bwarry, waving him off…
"Enough, Mr. Wyckcliffe…" Commander Putinsky frowned. "Number One, you have your orders, dismissed."
"Aye, Commander." Nod. Heading off with grim look.
"You sleepin' with the widdle fellow?" Bwarry asked, with grin as the door closed.
"Enough, Bwarry!" Munson, annoyed tone.
"If I were so inclined to break protocol, sir. I could not do better." The Commander eyed him. "Nor could he. But I would recommend you remember that you are an unofficial guest on my ship and that I am its commander. And 'accidents' can happen to unofficial guests at sea."
"I believe the last pawrt of that." Bwarry noted. "But, to the business at hand…" offhand wave.
"No one else knows Swift is at the bottom of the deep bwlue sea, so you'wre fine thewre…" he began…As the Commander, frowning, put up a hand.
"Please. Unless you are sure Swift is dead, I should expect he will find a way to reach the surface and make communication with the UN." She noted. "But, since we are not to blame for that…"
"Thanks to me…And sis." Bwarry nodded. "And you're welcome."
"Thank you." Dryly. "We needn't fear the consequences of your action there, except in our consciences." Cold tone.
"Gotta bwreak a few eggs to make the omelet, lady." Bwarry smiled.
"Indeed. Take care yours are not the eggs that we decide to break, Mr. Wyckcliffe." She eyed him coolly.
"As to your request that we broadcast that we shall destroy the spacecraft…" she sighed. "Surely that is an act we cannot avoid the consequences of…It is an act of war."
"Hawrdly. You awre simply twrying to save the Eawrth fwrom a tewrrible menace. Why, you and youwr cwrew awre hewroes and will be in the eyes of the world. Especially when youwr Pwresident denies any wresponsibility and 'owrdewrs' you to cease and desist."
"I see. Forgive me if I still doubt that as to our heroes' status." The Commander fixed him with cool stare. "But even if we escape a war, how would threatening to destroy the ship help us obtain the ship?"
"Just bwroadcast the thwreat and hold youwr position. But, make no demands to have the ship…You wouldn't want to wose the mowral high gwround hewre. Owr make youwr pwres look bad." Bwarry noted sententiously.
"Surely not." The Commander nodded. "But the threat is rather an empty one since no one who wants to have the ship would do so and no sane person concerned for Earth's safety would take the risk."
"Well…" Bwarry smiled. "I'm counting on the idea they'll think you'wre either nuts, owr mowre likely, detewrmined to have the ship or keep evewryone else fwrom having hewr. Besides, you do have owrdewrs to destwroy it if Swift seems wready to succeed, wright?"
"My orders are not your concern, sir." She noted, calmly. "But how does any of this benefit us?"
"Pwroton is on the ship. Now." Bwarry said, calmly.
"What? How? Did Swift…?"
"No, for once the gwreat Tom isn't the stawr hewre. Awrthuwr Pwroton made this one possible, and thanks to ouwr close association duwring ouwr twrip hewre, I can wrepeat the feat." He smiled.
…
"Use the caterpillar treads to push us over the abyss edge?" Bud stared at Swift. "You think Suburo has enough power, that's a lot of weight."
"The repelatron projectors on Suburo are still working, I think I can get the rotor compartment's to function as it's designed to flood for deep or rapid diving." Swift noted. "That'll lighten the load enough I think."
"You'd go into the rotor section, now. The pressure would kill you in a few minutes, Tom."
"I can equalize some in the airlock, it's working manually, as Amy found out. That'll give me enough time to patch in a power cord from Suburo."
"If the system's not wrecked…" Bud shook head. "And the emergency solar batteries, even with the spares plugged in, won't last long at that power drain."
"Long enough, I think…It's our best chance, Bud. And better than standing here, waiting for the lights to go out, etc."
"Etc, meaning we drown…Or get crushed by the pressure, in our hydrolung suits." Bud sighed. "But say we make it over the edge, Arturo and the rotor section will drag us right down into the abyss."
"Once we're over the edge we lose the boulders and debris, free Suburo from the rest of the ship and surface."
"Easy as pie the way you put it…As always." Bud grinned. "But let me do the repair in the rotor compartment."
"You're good Bud, but I designed the system." Tom noted. "Besides, you'll need to sync up the extra batteries and check the release mechanism. And…" wan smile. "I'm the Captain…"
("I want your baby, Stuart!" Denise, currently visiting at Penny's invite, called eagerly.
"Cut!" Howard sighed as Stuart, jaw dropped, staring, collapsed.
"Our hero…" Lesley grinned to Barry. "Great job, Stuart, really." She called. "And this from your nemesis and ex-girlfriend."
"For the show…Really." Penny hissed quickly to Denise, seeing her quick, startled, then rather annoyed look.
"Thank God I hooked up with Lucy again…" Raj sighed, shaking head. "I could not bear this otherwise."
"Yeah, yeah…" Bernadette hissed to Stuart as she helped him up. "She said 'Stuart' not 'Tom'."
"Groupies…Ya know what I mean?" Wil grinned to Mr. Jones as they watched.)
…
"I do apologize that I cannot override command control for you and Professor Proton, Bernadette." Mary noted, sighing. "But I assure you if I analyze danger to the cargo and myself with threat to Earth, I will destroy myself."
"Well, it's too bad but no need to give up just yet, Mary." Bernadette noted. "Proton, you could use the modified detector to go back to Tom or even to Dad at Swift Enterprises, tell them what's happened, maybe they can find a way to contact Mary and provide authorization."
"She's giving you a pass out, Neutron. I'd take it." Sermek noted. "Also, my logic programming confirms it as the best option by 47%."
"Tom's tried to reach you before without success, partly due to Wyckcliffe's and the Russians' jamming before." Proton noted. "I don't say it's not worth a try but unless we can overcome at least the ionization, there's not a great chance they can reach you even I warn them."
"Maybe be, but as Sermek's says it's our best option…" Bernadette noted.
"May I make a suggestion?" Mary offered. "My sensor data indicates that the ionization will start to decrease once we enter atmosphere. It might be possible to reach me then, at recommended height, about 62 miles and below."
"Ok, there we go." Bernadette nodded. "And should that fail, Tom has been working on a retrieval plan once the ship hits the water. I'd say, we have a decent shot."
"A 'decent shot'…Yes, related to the performance of your chemically propelled projective weapons." Mary's head nodded. "You have such interesting modes of expression, Bernadette, your people."
"Thanks…We try. I hope it's not too confusing." Bernadette smiled.
"Not at all…An interesting puzzle to work out…We have some…Authors…Writers…Who love to create similar forms to entertain. Well, while we consider any options…And I promise to continue working on such, perhaps you'd like to see more of me? And something of the cargo I carry?" Mary smiled. "It might be wise to record as much data as possible…"
"Oh, boy!" Proton beamed. Bernadette grinning at him.
"Clearly Professor Proton here would, as would I, truly." She smiled at Mary.
"You may also wish to leave your small vessels. I have restored a near Earth atmosphere and all decontamination procedures have been carried out."
"Thanks. That would be very nice." Bernadette nodded.
"Could you turn up the lights a bit, Madam Chancellor." Proton, injecting a proper note of formality.
"I'm afraid not. Some of the specimens present in the reception chamber are light-sensitive, this I'm afraid is the safest setting for most." Mary noted.
"Because many come from red dwarf sun planets, right?" Proton suggested.
"Correct." Mary beamed.
"Nice, Arthur, and makes sense, given most temperate zone exoplanets we've found are in red dwarf systems." Bernadette agreed.
"However, I can seal us off and display the entire collection in holographic form here before you, if you like, before you examine any of the physical specimens. This enables me to display them in their native habitats." Mary explained.
"You mean we can see their planets?" Proton, gasping a bit.
"In any detail based on my available data…" Mary nodded.
"A space slide show in 3D…Bring it on, sister!" he exclaimed.
"He's really excited. As am I." Bernadette smiled at Mary. "Though I am eager to examine a few close up and in the flesh."
"Another very interesting expression…My superiors will truly enjoy this. Mary, herself, very much enjoys the literary forms I mentioned. And has made a study of some of the Earth productions we have received. She's quite a fan of your detective mysteries… 'Uh, sir. Just one more question, if I may?'." in perfect Lieutenant Columbo voice.
"Oh, you know my dad loved Columbo…" Proton noted. "He always liked the way Columbo puzzled it out like a science experiment. And that he wore clothes much less fancy than Bill Nye the Science Guy, that show-off."
"So does our dad." Bernadette smiled. "Mary, it sounds like our two peoples will really hit it off."
"As we have, in the past…" Mary nodded. Both Bernadette and Proton staring…
"Has not Tom told you of our previous expeditions to Earth?" she asked, politely.
"Well, he mentioned your people might have landed once at the undersea site of the landing coordinates, when it may still have been above sea level. There were more?" Bernadette eyed Mary.
"Approximately 102 landings were made, before we deemed it too likely to adversely affect bioevolution on Earth. The landing site's previous contact was one of the last before we set out across the stars. Sadly, all were quite costly to the scientists and explorers who ventured to Earth."
"Yes, Tom told us your people have difficulty with our atmosphere's density and the gravity, which stands to reason, you having evolved on Mars." Bernadette noted. "But with your current technology…"
"A physical contact, with our technology, is possible." Mary agreed. "But given your development and potential adverse effects we felt best to postpone such for now, until our return to Home."
"You're coming back to Mars? When?" Bernadette asked.
"In the fullness of time, when we feel we have voyaged as far as is wise and when we feel your people are ready to meet their cousins." Mary smiled. "Till then, Home…Mars, as you call it, is for you to study and explore."
"Thank you…" Bernadette beamed. "I don't know if we'd be so generous with our world…"
"Oh, they'd be welcome in Texas." Proton noted. "It's a hospitable place. Though probably folks would stare a bit…And it's probably for the best you can't really stay long."
"They'd build a wall…" Sermek noted.
"Sermek…No humor just right now…" Bernadette hissed.
"Bernadette? Could you explain the 'humor' in Sermek's comment?" Mary asked politely. "I know what a wall is but…"
…
"Ok, ready to enter the airlock…" Swift, over hydrolung suit mike, noted.
"Tom, the pressure in the rotor compartment is pretty steep." Bud shook head. "I don't think you can pressurize enough to survive long."
"I'm switching to fluid-breathing once I start pressurization, that'll buy me some time." Swift's voice replied.
"God, I hate that." Bud grinned. "It always makes me feel like I'm drowning but can't quite go unconscious."
"There's no need of that, Tom." Amy's voice cut in.
…
