"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 XLVIII…
The Suburo section, rising rapidly toward the surface…
Bud and Tom having managed to reach and strap themselves into their control cabin chairs, Swift was trying desperately to raise Amy on radio…
"Ocean Arrow to Amy! Come in! Amy, we're free and heading for the surface, come in!"
"Ocean Arrow? This is the Lermontov…" Commander Putinsky's voice on radio. "Do you require assistance?"
Tom eyeing Bud who shook head…
Last thing we need right now…Amy's either safe or…
"No, thanks. We're all right now, heading for the surface. We'll be in touch in a bit. Swift out."
"That won't hold em for long." He noted to Bud. "How long to surface?"
"About 7000 feet to go yet." Bud, checking controls. "And we've just about exhausted the power supply. The suit should have protected her." He eyed the worried Tom.
"Lets hope so…" Swift nodded. "Not much we can do for her at this stage. Or for Bernadette and Proton."
"Well, they've got Sermek. And I'm sure Proton has some fun and easy-to-do-at-home science experiments to keep Wyckcliffe or our aliens amused." Bud noted, dryly.
"Amy? This is Swift on the Arrow." Tom tried again. "If you can hear me, we're surfacing in about twenty minutes or so. The Lermontov can assist if you need them."
Bud eyeing him as Tom shrugged. "Any port…Ya know?"
A sudden bang on the hull…Both looking.
"I don't know…" Bud flipped switches. "Sonar's dead…"
Another hard bang and then… At the now-cleared viewport…
"Amy!" Swift cried, as the waving arm of the Fat Man suit moved in front of the window.
…
Swift Enterprises…Office of Dr. Thomas Swift, Sr.
"You used your dark matter detector to reach the alien vessel, got aboard, and then jumped to the Outpost, using Tom's coordinates?" Dr. Swift eyed Proton on screen.
"And left my daughter…?" cold stare.
"To get help, Doctor. It was our only chance." Proton noted. "Bernadette didn't know the system. But I've got to go back at once, I just wanted you to know we were on the ship, as is Wyckcliffe. And to tell you not to trust Putinsky. He is working with Wyckcliffe."
"Yes…All right, I'll ask the Secretary General to move his forces in at once. Go and save my daughter, Proton." Dr. Swift, stern look but a pleading in his eyes.
("Lucas was crazy not to let him do the physical Vader…" Leonard sighed, watching. "What? I thought you always said Mr. Jones was Vader?" Penny stared.
"He did the voice…Another actor did the physical body." Leonard explained. "But I'm sorry, Mr. Prowse, this is Vader."
"Indeed…" Raj, Howard, sighing.)
"I'll do my best, sir."
"Wait, what about Tom? We've lost contact with the Ocean Arrow." Swift noted.
"He and Barclay and Amy were continuing on to the landing site… I don't know." Proton shook head.
"All right. You go back and assist my daughter, take any of our people from the Outpost you can. I've already dispatched the Sky Queen, our flying laboratory, to the area, and I'll get the UN forces in. Good luck, Professor. Hurry!"
"Uh. Roger." Proton noted.
…
What the…? Wyckcliffe attempting to fire at Bernadette, staring around as he flew up toward the upper section of the alien craft. His bullet streaking downward, by Bernadette, who now found herself floating up as well. Sermek and Robbie however firmly on the floor of the craft, along with the two Fat Man suits and Wyckcliffe's detector. Munson's body floating free above the floor as well, twisting.
("Twist and shout…" Lesley called, cavorting. "Come on, come on, come on, Barry. Work it on out." She twisted, beckoned to the floating Barry who grinned. Somehow, we will, she breathed to him.
"You go, dead giwrl!" he called.
And I get it, babe. Thanks. He breathed to her beam.
"Howard! This is so great, thanks!" as she floated in zero-g.
"Sorry…I promise to be a proper corpse now." she grinned to his sigh.
We only have three minutes film time each dive…)
"Hey!" Wyckcliffe felt his gun wrenched down, barely able to hold it.
"Bernadette?" Mary's head image appeared. "I have managed to cut gravity to zero within my central confines and magnetize my hull. Please take care. Mr. Wyckcliffe, I urge you to surrender to my friend Bernadette."
"Not a chance, Mawry, deawr!" he forced the gun up, trying to find Bernadette, now holding to Sermek, and hastily pulling herself down.
…
"Not a single weapon aboard this station, I suppose?" Proton, now in standard Swift space suit, sighed to the Outpost commander, Kenneth Manning, a tall, burly man in blue T-shirt and shorts, the standard uniform, who shrugged.
"We're a peaceful base, Professor. Afraid not. But as many of us as you can take will come with you."
"I can manage two additional at most, I'd say." He noted. "I don't think just two of us, maybe not even three, can take on that crazy…Wait, there is someone." He eyed Manning. "It's all right, Commander. I'll be going to pick up a passenger. I'll just need to borrow an extra suit if I may, there's no way to directly enter the alien ship by my Proton Express."
"Professor?" As Commander Manning signed for another space suit to be brought over…
"Tom likes to name everything he builds, this one's mine." Smile, taking hold of suit and pressing several buttons on the detector. He slammed down his helmet visor as Manning stared.
("Hey, that was fun." Burt noted to Leonard.
"Well, thanks for doing the scene, you were great." Penny beamed. "And we really needed an extra cast member."
"Anytime…Especially if you name my character Ken. I always liked 'Ken' as a name. He got Barbie, after all. And it's nice…I always wanted to be an astronaut and now you've got me a Commander of a space station." Burt smiled.
"Great, great…Wonderful…" Howard sighed. "But we must press on, folks."
Keep him in mind if we ever do one on "The Golem". Howard noted to Bernadette.
"Next time, lower your suit visor, darling. Don't slam." Amy, rubbing lotion on Sheldon's sore fingers. "But very macho." She beamed.)
…
Aboard the ship, a sudden loud crash…Wyckcliffe and Bernadette still floating above the floor…Both turning…
"Your turn to give it up, Wyckcliffe!" Proton, floating out from the darkness of the ship's main section to the left, in space suit, helmet floating but attached by a tether to his side.
("Yay!" Amy cheered. Sheldon, nervous sidelong glance…
You're distracting me in my big hero's scene, girl.
"Sorry…" Amy shrugged to a fuming Howard. "It was just a bit overwhelming…")
"Careful, Arthur!" Bernadette called. "He's armed!"
"Oh, is it, you misewrable kiddie show hwost?" Bwarry fumed, firing.
The laser glancing off harmlessly…
"Shit!" Bwarry cried.
"Yeah, a variation on my repelatron, as a reflective shield…Photons as well as solid matter." Swift, appearing behind Proton, likewise in space suit. Holding a large projector node in hand and pointing it at Wyckcliffe. "Luckily, I had spare projectors aboard the Arrow when Arthur popped in…"
"Careful, Tom, Arthur. He's still got his detector!" Bernadette cried as Bwarry floated back to the said detector assembly.
"Well then, I'll have to neutralize it with mine. Oh, already did it." Proton beamed as Bwarry desperately fiddled with his controls.
"I must admit, I may not find do-daddling as satisfying as real science, but I'm getting damned good at it." Proton smiled, Swift grinning at him as the two drifted. Bernadette still trying to pull herself to the floor using Sermek's body as anchor.
"Bud and I'll make an engineer of you yet, Arthur."
"No need to be insulting, Swift." Proton frowned.
"This isn't ovewr, you bastawrds!" Bwarry fumed, raising fists.
"First man to raise a fist in anger, eh, Arthur?" Tom smiled at Arthur.
"Like eithewr of you could…Awwwwwwwhhhh." Bwarry, jolted by Sermek's sudden discharge, twitched a bit and floated, still.
"Good job, Sermek!" Bernadette beamed, Patting the robot's bubble head gently,as she floated by its side, holding on with her other hand to his side.
"Anything to avoid seeing Proton try to fight it out, ma'am." The recovering Sermek raising its body chassis on its motor section and pulling in arms.
"I'm sure you would have taken him out, darling." Amy, floating and free of her Fat Man suit, now appearing just behind a frowning Proton, beaming at him. The suit having crashed to the magnetized floor behind her.
"Amy? You promised if I took you with us…"
"I lied." She grinned. "But the damned suit isn't so good weightless, even if it does duty as a space suit."
"I detect Mr. Wyckcliffe is unconscious?" Mary noted. "So may I conclude you've managed to prevent his actions against me? Shall I restore gravity internally?"
"We have, Mary." Bernadette beamed. "And please do it slowly as to the gravity."
"Certainly. I hope his irrationality will be treatable…" Mary sighed. "It is a pity to see a fine mind wasted."
All gradually, along with the unconscious Bwarry, settling to the floor.
"Two fine minds…Actually, three if we count poor Penova…" Amy sighed.
"Yeah…" Bernadette nodded, sadly. "Tom?! What about Bud?! Wyckcliffe said…"
"He's fine, on the surface in Suburo." Swift nodded. "We couldn't all go when Proton zapped back into the cabin just before we reached surface and Amy had the only other working space suit of sorts."
"Amy? I'm just fine." Proton noted. "You can't mean to count Munson as a fine mind?"
"Arthur. Munson tried to save us and the ship at the end." Bernadette noted.
"Arthur…" Amy shook head. "Her death wasn't just a waste, it hurt your friend Tom deeply."
"Oh. Tom?" he turned to face a wanly-smiling Swift. "Oh, she was your girlfriend for a bit till she half turned to Evil, right. I'm sorry for your loss, especially if she tried to help. I only meant her mind wasn't all that fine."
"Thanks, Arthur." Swift nodded, rueful smile to Amy.
Sometimes you just gotta try to love him without reservations, I get it…His look said.
("I really would be sorry if you died, Lesley. I've gotten much better at empathy…" Sheldon noted to Lesley's wry smile.
"Thanks, dumbass." She grinned, patting his hand.
"For example, seeing how annoyed Amy is at Leonard for making Proton seem a bit callous, really makes me empathize with him." Nod to Leonard who glanced over a bit sheepishly at the indeed annoyed Amy.
"Is he being sarcastic or…?" Mr. Jones asked Wil.
"I dunno, but if we ever figure it out, it'll be pure gold for my podcasts about him." Wil nodded eagerly.)
"So…You are our friend, Tom Swift, Jr." Mary's floating head beamed at Tom. "Welcome aboard. I speak for all you know as your space friends of old and new Mars. Greetings and a pleasure to meet you."
"Tom, this is Mary, a hologram and AI based on the actual Martian chancellor." Bernadette beamed at Mary. "And indeed, a friend."
"The pleasure's mine." Tom nodded to Mary. "But I am sorry your mission to Earth was so troubled. We truly do appreciate the gift of your people."
"I'm glad not to have to destroy myself and these precious creatures…" Mary smiled. "Oh, by the way, we are beginning our descent, landing in fifteen minutes. I'll see the landing as as gentle as possible within mission parameters but I recommend you all secure yourselves and your machines."
"Right." Swift nodded. "Everyone down on the floor! Sermek, secure yourself and…That other…" he indicated Robbie.
"Right, boss." Sermek retracted bubble head, extending arms to secure Robbie. "Robot in magnetic lock."
"And good job here, Sermek." Tom noted. "Lets remember we're not out of the woods yet, folks. We still have the Russians to deal with."
"I am…A cybernetic hero…" Sermek, singing.
"Oh, please." Proton frowned.
"Arthur…" Bernadette on floor beside him. "He really did save us."
"Just my programming, ma'am." Sermek noted.
"Arthur…? Let me hold you…Down." Amy urged, moving his way.
"Actually, I'm fine…It might be better for you to hold Bwarry down." He suggested.
("Very funny, Leonard. Hardee-har-har." Amy, grimly eyeing Leonard.
"She's really po'd." Penny noted as Howard waved to Amy and Amy resumed her position on floor. "Don't tell her it was my idea."
"Be gentle, gowrgeous." A sprawled out on floor Barry winked at Amy as she put hand on his side.
Both Sheldon and Lesley immediately staring…)
"Oh, my…" Proton, blinking… "I nearly forgot. The Lermontov was threatening to fire its nuclear missiles on this ship."
