Life Happens while you're Making Other Plans

by Technician Brynhild, VRDET R&D

"'Very pretty!' said Gandalf. 'But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.'

"'I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them,' said our Mr. Baggins..."

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

I was in the library when the trouble started.

The rest of the day had been normal to a fault. After a morning of trying to figure out the exact formula for the photogrey tinting for a pair of Joo Janta Peril-Proof Sunglasses, I had broken for a bit of lunch with Red Paladin. After lunch, conversation, and my near-death by french fry, we went our separate ways. Red had paperwork to finish up, but I was lucky enough to have gotten out of that (desponge pills and the aforementioned Sunglasses don't take much bureaucracy), so I decided to go to the library and finish re-reading The Hobbit. It seemed like that kind of lazy afternoon, perfect for a little light reading.

Needless to say, it wasn't.

I finished the book quickly, and then I realized that a networked game of "Red Alert" would be a far more interesting way to spend an afternoon. Fortunately, the library was well-equipped with terminals, and I began to play. Nobody else thought the day was as good for reading as I did; I was alone in the library. [Hey, all the better, right? Nobody'll get pissed off and ask me to turn the thing down.]

My squadrons were about to die horrible bloody deaths when everything just shut down. There was a gentle *fwooooop*, then the sudden silence that only occurs when the familiar background noises of electrical stuff have suddenly disappeared. The library was pitch-black for about 30 seconds, but it didn't strike me as being odd. [Some poor weapons tech just blew out a circuit, I bet. Good for him. It's a good day to go linkdead.] The emergency lights came on, and the main power sources blinked on soon afterwards. I could hear commotion from floors below me, though...this was no normal power failure. [Damn - what the hell's going down?!]

I realized that the only person I had bothered to tell about my afternoon library session was Red Paladin. If this was as big as it sounded, there had to be someone searching for me frantically by now. I was deliberating between waiting it out and racing down the stairs when Red barged in the room.

"Oh, Brynhild, there you are," he puffed out. He must have jogged the stairs with all his strength; I've never seen a guy's face so red before or since.

"So I am. I just had the best linkdeath of my life; I was about to get plowed over by this guy's mammoth tanks...I'll tell you later. What's going on out there?"

"Everyone - or almost everyone - is preparing for some sort of mission. I have no idea what kind, since I left before briefing to look for you. Thought you might wanna know." By now Red was breathless, and he had been talking so fast it had been a little hard to keep up.

"Listen, man, don't hurt yourself. I'm sure it's something routine. Give me a minute to get my things..."

With no further ado, Red took off down the stairs. He had my right arm in a vise grip, and I was half-running, half getting pulled down the endless flights. [Hope he has a good reason for this...] Finally, we were at my quarters. I unlocked the door and went in while he stood in front, ready to receive any news.

My quarters weren't very big, but I'd managed to cram a lot of junk onto every available flat space. Into the backpack went every little thing I could see that I thought might come in useful on a mission. First, the copy of The Hobbit, which somehow hadn't gotten forgotten in the chaos. Next, my St. Dino Pez dispenser, with enough refill packs of candy to last for a month. (Hey, I used to be a Girl Scout!) I found some experimental pseudo-Jolt pills, not yet tested but possibly with the punch of 3 cans of that Nectar of the Gods, and slipped them in for safekeeping. My Swiss Army Knife was already in my backpack, as it well should be, along with my hairbrush. Finally, I swept up 2 Simpsons action figures from my desk, reminded of my lunch conversation, and went for that final vital object. I found it in a locked desk drawer: my WEDJEE Switchblade Vibro-Spork, yet unused but genetically coded to me and ready for battle. [Might just come in handy.] I slipped it in my pack just in time to hear Red mumbling something outside the door. "I heard that!" I shouted, and I went to put on my combat fatigues. When I came out (combat fatigues, Crystal around my neck where it belongs, WEDJEE Monofilament Wristwatch ticking securely, and civvies in pack), I gave him a playful punch to the shoulder and a smirk.

"C'mon, Bryn, you know I'm joking! Now, we're gonna have to hurry to catch the mission..."

More stairs. [By Dobbs, where are all the elevators in this building?] Finally, we reached the teleportation room, where we expected everyone to be, and barged in.

To our surprise, one lone tech was standing at the circuit board. "Oh, hi," he said. "Nice to see you two actually responding to alert signals." [Man, he looks frazzled...I guess he's just in a Dilbert mood today.] "Anyway, if you expected the rest of the troops to be here, tough luck...we're still waiting for the off-base officers to come in. There'll be a briefing in the standard briefing room in about an hour, but until then you guys have some free time.

Red turned to me and smiled. "OK...how's about a 'Red Alert' rematch?"

"Definitely, dude, but be warned that I don't lose twice." We headed for the nearest computer terminal (not too far, since someone set up this base nicely for connections).

Well, as usual, I was right. I had just finished my grand military coup when I glanced at my watch. "Hey, Red, sorry we can't play two-out-of-three, but we have a briefing to get to..." He nodded, and we headed for the briefing room.

Most of the VRDET troopers on active duty were already seated around the room. Malaclypse the Seeker was there as well, prepared to begin his briefing. "Well, if it isn't our friends from R&D! About time. Sit down...I'm just about to start the briefing."

To be continued in "There..."

Disclaimer: All copyrighted material used in this segment is copyrighted by its respective owners. All rights reserved. Don't sue me; I can't afford it. Also, all people, places, and things mentioned in this segment are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real people, places, and things is strictly coincidental.