> "Ryu won't change his mind," Gryph said. "You know how he
> is."
MMK <Ken>: Ryu, it's over. Nobody makes 3DO games anymore.
GAVOK <Ryu>: I'm not hearing this! Lalalalala!
> He blew a breath out, puffing his cheeks.
TBS: I have a very vivid mental picture right now of Calvin drinking milk.
> "All right, look, why don't we do it like this. I'll get Rose to come down and look after
> her tomorrow.
TBS <Gryph>: So get that crotchless Nurse uniform dry-cleaned.
[RACE idly backhands TBS]
TBS: Bully.
> We can push the timetable on the Area 51 thing up, get
> it out of the way. Once we're back home, I can sit down and figure
> out what the hell I'm going to do with her."
MMK: Sell her for parts.
> "-We- can figure out what -we're- going to do," I corrected.
[RACE stares, then sobs.]
TBS: Porn can change a man.
GAVOK: It really can.
[RACE hiccups.]
> "Her father didn't make her your responsibility," said Gryph.
> "I don't want to drag you into the mess too... "
GAVOK: That's exactly what Scorpion does to his dog when it goes on the rug.
> "You're helping me out with this thing for Meg, aren't you?"
ARL <Ben>: Is ALWAYS the woman with you, isn't it?
> I shrugged. "We're partners. Your problems are my problems."
MMK <Robin>: So that means you're going to use me, right? As your partner.
ARL <Amon>: I'll use you when it's necessary. Putting aside whether you're my partner or not.
S.D.: Oh, uh, "life partners".
RACE: Why must you toss around so *much* gay?
> He smiled. "Thanks. Have you got the cover story in place
> for the sneak yet?"
GAVOK <Gryphon>: Come here, The Sneak! I just gave that fellow what for!
TBS: I have a feeling this is going to take a while.
> "Well, I -think- I've got it. DARPA has requested Sky Dancer
> and its contents for transfer to an undisclosed research project.
[MMK folds a scarf around his head. GAVOK pulls himself into his hat,
and TBS dumps a popcorn bucket over his head. They start snoring.]
ARL: Yeah, it *is* hard to keep a good legal story interesting.
S.D.: And that's with a *good* one.
> If anyone digs into it, it looks like it's under the auspicies of the
> CIA. The CIA will pawn it off on NASA for administration.
TBS: And NASA will trade it to Mossad for one of those KEEN Kfir jets.
> NASA says
> no, that project was transferred, now being run by the NSA and they
> don't have any need to know where it is.
RACE: I parsed that as NRA for a second.
S.D: That wasn't funny and you know it.
[RACE sighs.]
> If they manage to get the NSA to admit to anything, they thought
> the Air Force had it at Area 51 but had unmothballed it and was
> using it for research.
MMK: Aw, that's fancy talk for "taking it for joyrides and scaring the Midwest farmers."
> The Air Force, of course, says no, it was
> taken for a research project.
RACE: 'Research' is also fancy talk, for 'crash it until it stops bouncing.'
> "Now, either they loop around again, or they find the second
> level of misdirection.
TBS <Gryphon, muffled>: Please note that at no time do my fingers leave my hands.
> Seems the Royal Navy wanted to test its
> submersible capabilities.
MMK <Gryphon, muffled>: It sinks underground and takes you to South Figaro.
> But if you ask them, they don't know
> anything about it, but they've heard MI-5 is up to something with it.
ARL: Isn't MI-5 part of a completely different country?
S.D.: In the Hutchinsverse, all secret organizations are just one big boys' club.
> MI-5 has absolutely nothing to do with it, you must be thinking of
> MI-6.
RACE: And the MI-6 takes you to the M-4, but get off before you hit Hampshire and take the first left...
ARL: You don't know jack about English highways, right?
RACE: Ssh! You'll blow my cover!
> MI-6 sure doesn't have it, but the Royal Air Force and SAS have
> been testing something. Maybe you should check with them. The SAS
> will tell you to bugger off,
S.D: And then, after dark, quietly assassinate you. They're good like that.
> but the RAF thinks the Royal Navy is
> using it as a technology demonstrator for an SBS project. No, been
> there?
S.D.: And done that, I hear.
[TBS lifts the popcorn bucket over his eyes.]
TBS: I have the t-shirt if you want to see it.
ARL: No, that's fine.
[TBS lowers the bucket back over his head.]
TBS <muffled>: Suit yourself.
> Sorry chap, don't know.
> "OK, so that's a dead end.
TBS <Quagmire>: That's a house! And that's a BEE!
> Back to Area 51 to try again. If
> they dig -really- deep they'll find an indication that it went back to
> the manufacturer.
ALL: Acme.
> Of course, Lockheed hasn't had it since it left the
> Works.
[GAVOK pops his head out of The Hat]
GAVOK: Force Works?
MMK: That series died a long time back, 'Vok.
GAVOK: Aw, dammit.
> Maybe you meant the chief designer on Project Sky Dancer,
> they'd heard that Mr. Hackenbacker was working on a new project.
ARL <Hackenbacker>: Look! It's erupting like a real volcano!
> Yes, we have a business relationship with him. Sorry, we can't give you
> any details. No, I don't care what clearance you have, I know it
> isn't high enough.
TBS [dealer]: This ain't no brickweed man, this is Mountain Kind.
MMK [MC Frontalot]: For real? You got a light?
> Mr. Hackenbacker guards his privacy very
> jealously. Good day.
GAVOK: He's also Australian.
> "In light of what you set up the other day, I think I'll set
> up a fourth level.
RACE: That's the one for the avaricious and prodigal.
TBS: Fun with boulders!
> The Sky Dancer was transferred to the Quest
> Foundation for an indefinite period of time, for research purposes.
> As for who authorized that, well, I pity the person who'll follow that
> path.
GAVOK <Mr. T>: And I shall toss this soul across a far distance.
> "I don't want to know how you set it up, but it sounds good.
> As good as we're going to do anyway. How soon can we go?"
S.D. <Ben>: ...go?
> "The sooner the better, I'd like to have it out of there
> before anyone gets curious about the paper trail. But this may just
> be an interesting exercise. We still haven't heard from Meg, after
> all."
RACE <Zoner>: But, eh. Probably still chasing Juppo.
> "I suspect Greer'll be pissed if we put him through this for
> nothing," Ben observed.
S.D. <Gryphon>: We should buy him a toaster.
> "He'll get over it. He's knows what running an op is like,
> things don't always come off the way you planned. Sometimes they
> don't come off at all."
GAVOK: You could always try club soda.
> "Right. I guess there's nothing much for it at the moment,
> then."
S.D.: Kind of makes you wonder why we just spent so much time talking about it.
> "Oh, one thing. Can you call Quest back and see if they can
> shuttle us back west?
TBS: Okay, I've got Gryph as the Monkey King, Sakura as Tripitaka, but who is Zoner?
MMK: Pigsy, definately. Sandy never got any.
GAVOK: Which makes casting Ryu a snap. Ah, fantasy casting.
> I'd like to fly the Prince of Thebes out, but
> we'll be flying Sky Dancer direct to Maine. I'd rather not fly
> commercial back to pick up the Prince. It'd be much faster if they
> can just shoot us back out."
TBS: Ah, travel by cannon. Never fails.
ARL <Gryphon>: To Gaia's Navel we go!
> "I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll call them up after we eat."
MMK <Zoner>: I just have to remember not to eat the phone *again*.
> "OK... this afternoon, just to cover our bets, I figured I'd
> set up the fourth level of the trail. After that, I don't know.
GAVOK <Gryphon>: Yeah, like, planning stuff is *hard*, dude. Totally.
> I was thinking about seeing if Meg wanted to go out for dinner or
> something. It'll give me a chance to talk to her some more."
ARL <Zoner>: I need someone else's opinion on whether or not this looks infected.
> "Yeah, right."
TBS <Gryphon>: Is ALWAYS the woman with you. You go wit' woman an' all the talk then drag into room and hump hump hump hump hump! Why that ALWAYS with you an' women?
> "Give me a break. Of course I'm interested in her. She's
> funny, attractive, intelligent, and she didn't run screaming when she
> met us.
S.D.: ...and most girls *do*?
RACE: Maybe they were trying to hit on that Centurions chick and SHE ran off screaming.
> All factors in her favor." I was smirking again. It really
> is involuntary.
MMK <Thomas Wilde>: The man's basically a life support system
for a smirk.
WAND <over intercom>: Five cents per quote, James!
MMK: I have a Canadian nickel if you want it.
WAND <over intercom>: Fine, forget it.
> "OK, whatever. You can borrow the car, Johnny.
GAVOK <Zoner>: But if you Mist Finer my upholstery again, I swear, I'm going to kill you.
> Be home by midnight. Have fun."
> "Thanks dad," I called over my shoulder on the way to my room,
> "I'll be a good boy.
S.D.: This is an aspect of their relationship I hadn't considered before.
[A beat.]
S.D.: Kinky.
RACE: Okay, okay! Enough with the gay, already!
MMK: Is ALWAYS gay with...
RACE: No talky!
MMK: [dejected] Awww...
> Oh, take over on this soup, would you? Thanks."
> It didn't take long to arrange for the last redirection - it
> is usually easier to work with the truth, or at least partial truth,
> than to make things up from whole cloth.
TBS: Like that time he didn't finish his project for sewing class, so he told the teacher that Fury ate it.
GAVOK: And then Fury ate the teacher!
TBS, GAVOK, MMK: YAY FURY!
> When I returned to the kitchen Ben had just started doling the soup out.
GAVOK <Ben>: Hey Zoner, care for some soup?
ARL <MZ>: Sure, I'd--
GAVOK <Ben>: NO! NO SOUP FOR YOU!
> We finished putting together the light lunch and took it to
> the living room. Sakura said her head was feeling much better, and
> her appetite was undiminished, which was relieving.
RACE: Ouch. You know you've been relegated to minor character status when they don't even let you have your own *dialogue*.
> She was quieter this afternoon - it seemed clear that, between being disowned by her
> father and the knock on the head, the day so far had given her some
> heavy things to think about.
S.D. <Sakura>: What if C-A-T spelled "dog"?
> After lunch, I fiddled with our network for a while, but I
> knew what I was doing - I'm the world's best procrastinator.
MMK: Hey, I'm going to take that title away from you any *day* now, buddy.
ARL: Why haven't you?
MMK: Well... you know. I've been pretty busy.
ARL: Ah.
[GAVOK pokes MMK in the ribs.]
GAVOK: Work on UVR3!
MMK: I'm'a gonna! I swear!
RACE: We are similar, you and I.
MMK: WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE!
> I was nervous about calling Meg, and I didn't want to admit it.
ARL <Zoner>: What if she just spent the entire call yelling "WHAZZUP!" in my ear?
> Aside from
> personal issues, how would she feel about all the things we'd been
> doing?
S.D <Meg>: It's okay. My brother, he had some weird hobbies--
MMK <Zoner>: With a butterfly net.
S.D <Meg>: You FILTHY ANIMAL!