Steviemac
Grumpy Old Man
There's a loud crash from the kitchen as Wally drops the plate he had just gotten out of the cupboard. "The intruder!?" What should he do? As he's trying to figure out how to handle this news, the man leaves. Wally rushes to the door, trying to see where the man may be heading. He sees two security officers lying on the floor just outside his dwelling. There is no sign of the intruder in either direction.
Wally bends down, checking to see if the officers are dead. They both still seem to be breathing. It appears that they have been rendered unconscious by the intruder. There is an intercom in the corridor about ten feet from Wally's door. He rushes over and presses the controls. "I need a medical detachment to habitat area five, section seventeen alpha. You might as well send security too." He goes back to see if he can do anything for the two downed officers.
In just a few short minutes, the first person arrives on the scene. It's his son, accompanied by two coremen. Apparently he was on duty in the hospital when the call went out. He rushes over to his father. "Dad! Are you o.k.? Where are you injured?" His voice is filled with concern for his father.
"I'm fine Lawrence. It's these two officers. I wasn't injured at all." Lawrence turns his attention to the two officers.
Wally hears more footsteps approaching and looks up. He groans inwardly as the chief of security reaches them. He's not looking forward to this meeting. After all, he had the intruder in his home and didn't even realize it.
"What happened here Wally?" the chief demands. Wally tells him the whole story. Frowning, the chief rounds on his friend, "I thought I told you to report ANYTHING out of the ordinary? I had already informed you the expedition had been postponed. What the hell were you thinking?"
"Calm down. It's not entirely my fault. The man woke me after just a few hours of sleep. My mind was still groggy and I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Well THAT'S obvious! What did this man want exactly? Don't leave anything out Wally."
Wally thinks back, trying to remember exactly what the man had said to him. "He seemed to know who I was, although I'm certain I hadn't met him before. He then asked to see everything I had on the Sea. That's what threw me off I guess. The previous expedition is highly classified. No one outside of the current expedition should have even known those reports existed. All I had were a few botanical reports, cataloging new species. He downloaded them and left."
Lawrence has finished his examination of the two unconscious men. "They don't seem to be in any danger. We're transporting them to the medial ward to keep an eye on them." He has the two coremen who accompanied him place the men on the gurneys they brought. They then head off to the medical ward.
The chief turns back to Wally. "I'll need to report this to the cardinal. They're going to want to know about it. I find it interesting he was looking for information on the Sea. Did he say anything else? Mention the expedition at all?"
"No. He just seemed to want information on the Sea itself. As far as I could tell, he didn't know anything about the expedition. Tell that to the cardinal. Maybe they'll lift the delay when they realize this person isn't trying to sabotage the expedition."
"That's just a guess on your part Wally, but I'll let them know your opinion." With that, the chief heads off in the direction of the cardinal chamber. Wally goes back inside. He cleans up the broken dish and continues to make his meal, hopeful that the expedition might set off as planned.
Wally bends down, checking to see if the officers are dead. They both still seem to be breathing. It appears that they have been rendered unconscious by the intruder. There is an intercom in the corridor about ten feet from Wally's door. He rushes over and presses the controls. "I need a medical detachment to habitat area five, section seventeen alpha. You might as well send security too." He goes back to see if he can do anything for the two downed officers.
In just a few short minutes, the first person arrives on the scene. It's his son, accompanied by two coremen. Apparently he was on duty in the hospital when the call went out. He rushes over to his father. "Dad! Are you o.k.? Where are you injured?" His voice is filled with concern for his father.
"I'm fine Lawrence. It's these two officers. I wasn't injured at all." Lawrence turns his attention to the two officers.
Wally hears more footsteps approaching and looks up. He groans inwardly as the chief of security reaches them. He's not looking forward to this meeting. After all, he had the intruder in his home and didn't even realize it.
"What happened here Wally?" the chief demands. Wally tells him the whole story. Frowning, the chief rounds on his friend, "I thought I told you to report ANYTHING out of the ordinary? I had already informed you the expedition had been postponed. What the hell were you thinking?"
"Calm down. It's not entirely my fault. The man woke me after just a few hours of sleep. My mind was still groggy and I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Well THAT'S obvious! What did this man want exactly? Don't leave anything out Wally."
Wally thinks back, trying to remember exactly what the man had said to him. "He seemed to know who I was, although I'm certain I hadn't met him before. He then asked to see everything I had on the Sea. That's what threw me off I guess. The previous expedition is highly classified. No one outside of the current expedition should have even known those reports existed. All I had were a few botanical reports, cataloging new species. He downloaded them and left."
Lawrence has finished his examination of the two unconscious men. "They don't seem to be in any danger. We're transporting them to the medial ward to keep an eye on them." He has the two coremen who accompanied him place the men on the gurneys they brought. They then head off to the medical ward.
The chief turns back to Wally. "I'll need to report this to the cardinal. They're going to want to know about it. I find it interesting he was looking for information on the Sea. Did he say anything else? Mention the expedition at all?"
"No. He just seemed to want information on the Sea itself. As far as I could tell, he didn't know anything about the expedition. Tell that to the cardinal. Maybe they'll lift the delay when they realize this person isn't trying to sabotage the expedition."
"That's just a guess on your part Wally, but I'll let them know your opinion." With that, the chief heads off in the direction of the cardinal chamber. Wally goes back inside. He cleans up the broken dish and continues to make his meal, hopeful that the expedition might set off as planned.
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