Read Online Lieutenant (An Ell Donsaii story #3) by Laurence Dahners - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laurence Dahners
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on a real bird to see if it works outside of software, but she says it will… and I believe her.” He snorted, “She did all this during lecture time over a period of three days. All while, of course, answering any questions the instructor posed to her in class while she was working on the software and still scoring higher by far than her classmates on both the tests and the simulated flights.”
Ennis leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling. “Damn,” he mused quietly, “I wonder what else we could get her to fix?”
***
Ell looked at the drop of water under the microscope on her experimental setup. It still had that very faint blue appearance but it didn’t seem any bluer than it had the day before. Allan confirmed that its chroma hadn’t changed. Her shoulders sagged and she began disassembling the setup. As she took the cover off the electronics her nose suddenly twitched at the smell of something burned. Yes! The power supply had a blackened spot on it. She leaned back, musing . Could the power requirement for a molecular sized hole be higher than she had calculated? Or was it just a bad power supply?
Amy came in the room behind her, “Time to go out and celebrate?”
Morosely, Ell said, “No!”
Amy took in the slumped shoulders and the screws and covers lying on the table. Ell had been pretty frustrated about her research before the recent breakthrough. She hated to see her down again. “OK. It’s time to go out for some Friday night R and R then.”
Ell cast a squinty eye back up over her shoulder at Amy. “I don’t feel like going out.”
“How would you know, you never go out! My assessment is that you’re a girl in serious need of a social life.”
Ell hunched her shoulders sulkily and peered back down at the power supply, thinking that she did miss her Friday nights at West 87. “What did you have in mind?” she asked without looking up.
“My favorite local band is playing at “Tres Locos” and, thanks to a kindly employer, I can afford a babysitter again!”
Ell scratched at the charred area on the power supply. “I don’t have anything to wear!”
“Yes you do, I’d suggest those snug Western jeans and boots of yours.”
Ell frowned, “I don’t have Western jeans or boots.”
“Yes you do. Move away from the machine Ma’am, nothing to see there. Look at this instead.”
Ell slowly looked around, Amy grinned as she held up jeans in one hand and boots in the other. Ell frowned, “Do you think your clothes will fit me?”
“You’d better not say that my clothes would be baggy on you! I bought these for you, they’re a size 2 like the rest of your pants.”
“Hmmm,” Ell arched an eyebrow, “did I authorize clothing expenditures?”
“Yep.” Amy grinned, “It’s right there under ‘whatever you need to buy to keep me happy.’”
“Humpf, OK. I guess I could use some socializing, what time do we leave?”
“As soon as you’re ready, Tres Locos has great Mexican food too.”
“OK,” she glanced upward, “Allan, order a replacement power supply train, see if you can boost all the tolerances by 100%.”
Ell spent some time doing the Raquel Blandon look in full. The wig, skin bronzer, darker makeup, pencil to cover her light eyebrows, a beauty mark on her cheek and her nose prosthetic. She didn’t look anything like Ell when she was done but the nose prosthetic wasn’t big enough to make her truly unattractive like her old “Ellen” prosthetic had.
Tres Locos turned out to be laid out in a very large space with a band on a stage at one end and a large dance floor around the band which was itself surrounded by tables. There were various stalls around the walls of the huge room selling food, drink and mementoes. Amy got a beer and tacos, while Ell picked out a grande burrito and a Coke.
Cody watched the slender brunette with the long legs walk around Tres Locos choosing her food and then walk with her friend
Ennis leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling. “Damn,” he mused quietly, “I wonder what else we could get her to fix?”
***
Ell looked at the drop of water under the microscope on her experimental setup. It still had that very faint blue appearance but it didn’t seem any bluer than it had the day before. Allan confirmed that its chroma hadn’t changed. Her shoulders sagged and she began disassembling the setup. As she took the cover off the electronics her nose suddenly twitched at the smell of something burned. Yes! The power supply had a blackened spot on it. She leaned back, musing . Could the power requirement for a molecular sized hole be higher than she had calculated? Or was it just a bad power supply?
Amy came in the room behind her, “Time to go out and celebrate?”
Morosely, Ell said, “No!”
Amy took in the slumped shoulders and the screws and covers lying on the table. Ell had been pretty frustrated about her research before the recent breakthrough. She hated to see her down again. “OK. It’s time to go out for some Friday night R and R then.”
Ell cast a squinty eye back up over her shoulder at Amy. “I don’t feel like going out.”
“How would you know, you never go out! My assessment is that you’re a girl in serious need of a social life.”
Ell hunched her shoulders sulkily and peered back down at the power supply, thinking that she did miss her Friday nights at West 87. “What did you have in mind?” she asked without looking up.
“My favorite local band is playing at “Tres Locos” and, thanks to a kindly employer, I can afford a babysitter again!”
Ell scratched at the charred area on the power supply. “I don’t have anything to wear!”
“Yes you do, I’d suggest those snug Western jeans and boots of yours.”
Ell frowned, “I don’t have Western jeans or boots.”
“Yes you do. Move away from the machine Ma’am, nothing to see there. Look at this instead.”
Ell slowly looked around, Amy grinned as she held up jeans in one hand and boots in the other. Ell frowned, “Do you think your clothes will fit me?”
“You’d better not say that my clothes would be baggy on you! I bought these for you, they’re a size 2 like the rest of your pants.”
“Hmmm,” Ell arched an eyebrow, “did I authorize clothing expenditures?”
“Yep.” Amy grinned, “It’s right there under ‘whatever you need to buy to keep me happy.’”
“Humpf, OK. I guess I could use some socializing, what time do we leave?”
“As soon as you’re ready, Tres Locos has great Mexican food too.”
“OK,” she glanced upward, “Allan, order a replacement power supply train, see if you can boost all the tolerances by 100%.”
Ell spent some time doing the Raquel Blandon look in full. The wig, skin bronzer, darker makeup, pencil to cover her light eyebrows, a beauty mark on her cheek and her nose prosthetic. She didn’t look anything like Ell when she was done but the nose prosthetic wasn’t big enough to make her truly unattractive like her old “Ellen” prosthetic had.
Tres Locos turned out to be laid out in a very large space with a band on a stage at one end and a large dance floor around the band which was itself surrounded by tables. There were various stalls around the walls of the huge room selling food, drink and mementoes. Amy got a beer and tacos, while Ell picked out a grande burrito and a Coke.
Cody watched the slender brunette with the long legs walk around Tres Locos choosing her food and then walk with her friend
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