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Sunday,
May 14, 2090. In the cavernous security and operations control
center deep in the belly of BetaMountain Goose laid his feet onto
the console in front of him and snuggled back into his
chair.
The Ops was mostly
deserted. As it had been last year when he were scheduled to keep
an eye on the security monitors because virtually everybody else
had begged for leave to go see their mothers or – in Zach's
case – to go take their children to see their
mother.
Not that he –
Goose – would have minded getting a day off, too. It was
just that he lacked the excuse for it. Resting his feet more
comfortably against the console's casing while feeling under his
chair for the king-size coffee mug he'd smuggled into the room –
ever since Doc's "Milk shake incident" on Ranger-1 the
commander "got electric" when he spotted a mug near a
console – Goose waited for the show to begin.
Like
every year, he wasn't going to get disappointed...
"No,
Buzzwang!" Q-Ball's agitated voice shrilled through the
empty corridor before he stormed into the focus of the security
camera. "I already told you last year that I won't take
gifts from you!"
"But–"
The android following him was armed with a large bouquet of
colorful flowers and a big heart-shaped box of chocolates. "–it's
Mother's Day!"
"I
won't take them!" QBall stormed down the
corridor.
"Please wait, I–"
Buzzwang gave chase and left the camera focus as well.
In
the Ops, Goose panned the three cameras in question to find the
one showing the next act of the annual soap opera. After endless
30 seconds, QBall finally rushed into the focus of L-37-N with
Buzzwang high on his heels.
"Moooommiiiiee!"
QBall
stopped dead in his tracks to be run over by Buzzwang who
couldn't stop in time without dropping the chocolates.
"For
the last time, Buzzwang!" BETA's chief scientist, sitting
flat on his butt, almost literally foamed as he stared up at the
hand the worried bot extended after he managed to juggle both the
chocolates and the by now rather tattered flowers into one hand.
"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!!"
The
android tilted his head. "Daddy?" he asked.
The
monitor flickered and went dark. Gooseman cursed, slapping the
casing of the offensive console and was rewarded with the monitor
sputtering back to life...
...to
show a big, clearly disapproving pink eye. ALMA.
=Don't
snoop on civilians, Gooseman. You've been taught better than
that.=
The ST offered the
monitor a mocked salute. "Yes, Mom."
The
screen went dark.
=That's my
boy.=
END |