Hey Guys! Hope you enjoy! Not much to say, aside from the fact that next week's chapter (I'm trying to do a chapter a week) might be late,or just not happen as it's finals week. Let me know what you think!
How does one explain to their parents why they are packed up their entire life on three weeks notice? Elizabeth was trying to solve this conundrum as she moved boxes of her belongings into her parent's house for storage in her childhood bedroom.
"You can't wait another month or so?" Mrs Bennet pled, "It's coming into wedding season and what better place for you to meet a nice eligible man than at a wedding! You know last summer your little sister met several nice, young men at your cousin's wedding and she still gets together with them for a night out every now and then."
"Yes, Mom, she did meet many nice men who she still hangs out with. But you do realize that it is because Kitty works for a men's style magazine and cousin Brenda and her wife have lots of gay friends, right?" Elizabeth asked as she lugged a box of kitchenwares from the back of a rented truck down to the house. Her mother follow, carrying nothing, except perhaps regret that her daughter had turned out so much like her father.
"My dear wife, do you really think that an entire scientific expedition would be postponed because you want your daughter to meet men before she goes off on a grand adventure?" Can Mr Bennet's voice following them down the stair as he carried yet another box of Elizabeth's possessions. "Do you realize that requesting that to a funding board would be undermining the progress made by women in science for the past fifty years?" he asked with a tone of mild amusement. His wife made a huffing noise and left the room as he turned to his daughter, "Lizzie where were we stacking books?"
"Over by the closet," she gestured to a substantial stack of boxes as she made sure the one she was adding to was stable. "But Dad, I told you to stick with the light boxes. You know you shouldn't stress yourself, and if something happens to you while I'm gone I don't know if I'll be able to come home and take care of you!" Elizabeth warned. Her father was approaching 60 and she couldn't help but worry about his health. She knew her mother had the nagging covered, but sometimes she slipped and did a little of it herself.
"Don't fret Little-bit," he smiled, childhood nickname, "I just had an appointment with the doctor last week, and I'm in fighting-fit health. Besides, do I look like a squid to you?"
"Noo," she replied, smiling begrudgingly, knowing what was coming.
"Do I have tentacles?" He inquired further, looking at her over the rim of his glasses.
"No, you don't." Elizabeth rolled her eyes, as she rested against the nearest stack of boxes.
"And remind me, my sweet daughter, what sort of degrees do you have? Because last I checked, neither a PhD in Biochemistry, nor one in Cephalopods qualifies you to treat humans." her father scolded.
"Hey, I'm not claiming to be an MD!" Elizabeth defended, "I'm just quoting one, your's in fact! Not to mention that while my first dissertation was on the chemical processes of bioluminescence in Whiplash squid, most of my PhD was spent in classes learning about the biochemical processes of humans." She looked carefully at him, sighing slightly, "And I can't help worrying Dad, I mean not that I don't love them, but Mom and Kitty aren't great at looking outside of their own worlds. What if they start a grapefruit diet? They've talked about it before, and they might forget and with your statins, I mean-"
"Elizabeth Marie Bennet," He shook his head in good natured exasperation, leaning against his own stack of boxes and observing his firstborn. "I did take care of myself for thirty some odd years before we had you, and a few years after as well; while you were in diapers and eating crayons."
"Yes, and in those years you played Doctor Indiana Jones, archaeologist. If memory and stories serve; you got kidnapped and nearly sold in Columbia, fell down a cave and spent two days alone with three fractured ribs and a broken leg while your expedition went to go get help in the Amazon, and I hate to bring this up, but I must, you had a mullet. Face it Pops, you need me." She told him seriously, "The best thing that ever happened to your health was getting tenure and being forced to calm down."
"Well, I think bringing up the mullet is a little harsh…" her father shrugged, before fixing her with his patented 'Dad' stare, the one that always managed to get her to spill her guts, despite her best efforts. "Now Lizzie, what's gotten you all spun up about my health? Yes, you'll being going away for a few years, but it's hardly as if you're leaving us forever to join some commune." He paused and smiled to himself, "And if that is the plan, I highly suggest you rethink it. You'll find many people of anti-vaccine persuasion in communes, and if last Thanksgiving with your Aunt Sally is any indication, that would not be a positive encounter for anyone."
The stress of the past few weeks, and the 'Dad' stare were cracking her defenses. "I just want to make sure you'll take care of yourself while I'm gone." She answered lamely. He keep staring, and she crumbled, wanting to tell him as much as possible without telling him anything she shouldn't. "What if I said that the agency funding this expedition I'm going on, well they're US government, but they're also kind of shady and secretive. And I might not be going exactly where they say I am, or studying what they say I will be…" She trailed off, looking at him, wishing she could just tell him everything. The room felt thick with all the things she couldn't say.
"Are you in danger?" He asked gently.
"No," she shook her head, "I mean as long as I don't blab to anyone about it, otherwise I might end up in Gitmo… or maybe it was dead. They were kind of fuzzy about that, but in a threatening way."
"I see." He removed his glasses, taking a corner of his shirt to polish the lenses, "And I'm guessing this government agency did not give you much of a choice in accepting this research position?"
"It's like you've met them!" Elizabeth sighed heavily, "No, I don't have a choice. But if I'm being honest the subject matter I'd be studying is fascinating, and if it had been offered instead of demanded, I might have still taken the position, despite it's massive level of weirdness."
There was a very long pause, before her father replaced his glasses, pushing them back up the bridge of his nose. then he walked over to the door, shutting it firmly and locking it before turning back to her and asking quietly, "Elizabeth, are you going to study monsters?"
All she could do was blink, so her father continued. "Now I assume that the good agents from the Monster Control Bureau have not gained any charm over the decades, and made it very clear you aren't to tell anyone, but that doesn't apply to someone who already knows that monsters exist." He smiled, looking pleased with himself.
"You know?" was all she could manage at first. "Does Mom know too? She can't have, it wouldn't be a secret anymore if she did, the whole world would know. How do you know?"
"I'm an archeologist, I dug up history, found proof of ancient legends, monster and otherwise. And more than one dig I've been on has involved chupacabras attacking the site, finding skeletons that just weren't natural, or waking up some long sleeping undead. If I learned nothing else from my fieldwork, I learned to always pay attention to the warnings written on tombs, nine times out of ten they're right, and the tenth time you get to watch the newbies wet their pants." He chuckled, before turning serious once more, "Now you know why I was adamant that you girls get some self defense and firearms training? Even if I couldn't tell you what was out there, I certainly could do my best to make sure you stood a chance."
"So you know the people I'm going to work for?" Elizabeth asked tentatively, "I didn't just go crazy? I'm not selected for some secret mind control project or anything?"
"No, Elizabeth, you are not any more crazy than you were before," He chuckled, "And everyone knows the government abducts prostitutes for mind control experiments. As your mother never convinced you to join that mother/daughter pole dancing class and you don't dress like your sister, I believe you are safe."
She laughed, "Thanks for the clarification." They were quiet for a moment, "So I guess I can tell you I'm going to study luska in an underwater research facility."
"A luska, eh?" Her father smiled, "Those are nasty things. Had a guide down in Chile who told us about a national park that had a luska picking off stray vacationers. Many other countries have significantly more lax policies in regards to who knows about monsters, often because too many people know about them. Governments don't officially acknowledge their existence, but do provide contingency plans for monster attack. Actually this luska the guide told my expedition about, the Chilean government hired a group of monster hunters from the US to take it out because their people were dealing with a vampire next in the capitol. Monster Hunter International, I think it was, based out of Alabama, but they've got groups all over the US-"
He was cut off by the handle on the door jiggling, "What are you two doing in there?" Came Elizabeth's mother's voice. "I've made lunch!"
"Sorry Mom!" Elizabeth jumped up to open the door to her mother's impatient face. "Dad was just giving me some professional advice, being stuck with the same group of people for long periods of time, like when we're out to sea and all that, I didn't realize the door was locked."
Elizabeth didn't get another chance to speak to her father alone before she left, but as they hugged goodbye in the driveway, he gave her an extra squeeze and whispered, "You'll be just fine Little-bit. Go have an adventure!"
"Thanks Dad," she squeezed back, before letting go and climbing into the truck.
"Don't be afraid to pick up a nice man on your trip! No need to get me a curio if you get yourself a husband!" Elizabeth's mother shouted as she pulled out of the driveway. Mr. Bennet just shook his head and waved until Elizabeth had driven out of sight.
"Well Liz," she spoke to the otherwise empty cabin of the truck, "In twenty-four hours you'll be on your way to the Nautilus. You are going to go study monsters. And you're going to rock it." The declaration hung in the air. She could do this. She was Elizabeth Freaking Bennet, and the Monster Control Bureau won't know what hit them.