RC 999

Timeline: Sometime in 2016, after "Second Glance." Probably after "Third Kind," too.

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The last tiny screw slid home, and Ilraen stepped back from his work table with a sigh of satisfaction. He held up the Character Analysis Device he’d been working on for the better part of eight years. <There! I think it is finally finished.>

“Seriously?” Nume, who’d been reading on his high bunk, closed his book and shifted around to peer down over the foot rail. “I never thought I’d live to see the day. Mostly because I was sure you were going to blow up the RC.”

<In the beginning, perhaps that fear was justified, but I have learned a great deal since then,> Ilraen answered happily. <The schematics Farilan gave me have been instrumental in perfecting the L-dimensional circuitry, of course.>

“Sure.” Nume rolled his eyes. “So are you going to try it out, or what?”

<Would you like to be the first subject of character analysis?>

Nume hesitated. “You’re sure it won’t explode? Even if it thinks I’m massively out of character for some reason?”

Ilraen nodded. <With the more advanced heat sink in place, I am very confident it will not.>

After a moment, Nume said, “All right. Just a sec.” He swung his feet over the side of the bunk and dropped down the ladder to the floor. Now standing in his socks, he held his arms out to either side. “Go for it.”

Having turned to face him, Ilraen pointed the CAD and took a deep breath. <They say ‘here goes nothing’, but I hope it will not be nothing. So, here goes something.>

He pushed the activation button.

<BEEEEEEP!> went the CAD.

Both agents cringed and yelped. Ilraen’s ears flattened against his skull and Nume covered his with his hands, but it didn’t help either of them.

<SUPERNUMERARY, PPC AGENT, CANON,> went the CAD. <ALSO KNOWN AS—>

“Turn it off!” cried Nume.

Ilraen held the device at arm’s length in one hand and flailed at it with the other, frantically mashing the buttons until he toggled it off more or less by accident.

The pair heaved twin sighs of relief.

Nume glared at his partner.

Ilraen looked down and pawed sheepishly at the floor with one hoof. <Perhaps . . . perhaps installing a thought-speak transponder was not such a good idea after all.>

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Notes:

This was originally published to the PPC Posting Board on April 12, 2018, in response to Novastorme's prompt "Partaking in hobbies."

I have no idea what L-dimensional circuitry is, but it probably has to do with Library Space? Beats me, I'm not an engineer. ^_^

Ilraen looked up from his worktable at a strange sound from the direction of the console. His partner was sitting stock-still, staring at something on the screen.

<Nume? What is it?>

"Nothing!" he said, too quickly. The screen went blank. He rose and surreptitiously ran a hand across his face, then gave a sniff—the sound that had attracted Ilraen's attention.

Ilraen said nothing, but returned his main eyes to his work. His stalk-eyes roved over the room, carefully not focusing on Nume.

For a moment there was silence. Finally, Nume said, "Leonard Simon Nimoy is dead."

<Oh.> Tentatively, he added, <You admire him greatly, do you not?>

"Yes I do." A pause. "Ilraen, did I ever play any of my Alien Voices collection for you?"

<I believe so. Not recently.>

"Well, the article doesn't mention his work on Alien Voices at all. It's ridiculous." He opened a cabinet above the console and started rifling through its contents. "So, what do you say? Journey to the Center of the Earth or The Time Machine?"

<I do like him as Professor Lidenbrock.> Ilraen did not add that this performance of Nimoy's reminded him of his partner.

"Sure." Nume pulled out the CD and popped it into the console.

The two settled down to enjoy it.