Jenkins?”
“You’re talking about the yeti you and I encountered,” Finn said.
“Yeah,” Dahl said.
“There’s nothing on him in the computer system,” Finn said.
“We didn’t imagine him,” Dahl said.
“No, we didn’t,” Finn agreed. “He’s just not in the system. But then if he’s the programming god your lab mates suggest he is, and he’s currently actively hacking into the computer system, I don’t think it should be entirely surprising he’s not in the system, do you?”
“I think we need to find him,” Dahl said.
“Why?” Finn asked.
“Because I think he knows something that no one else wants to talk about,” Dahl said.
“Your friends in your lab say he’s crazy,” Hester pointed out.
“I don’t think they’re actually his friends,” said Hanson.
Everyone turned to him. “What do you mean?” said Hester.
Hanson shrugged. “They said the reason they didn’t tell him about what was going on is that he wouldn’t have believed it before he had experienced some of it himself. Maybe that’s right. But it’s also true that if he didn’t know what was going on, he wouldn’t be able to do what they do: avoid Commander Q’eeng and the other officers, and manage not to get on away team rosters. Think about it, guys: all five of us were on the same away team at one time, on a ship with thousands of crew. What do we all have in common?”
“We’re the new guys,” Duvall said.
Hanson nodded. “And none of us were told any of this by our crewmates until now, when it couldn’t be avoided anymore.”
“You think the reason they didn’t tell us wasn’t because we didn’t know enough to believe them,” Dahl said. “You think it was because that way, if someone had to die, it would be us, not them.”
“It’s just a theory,” Hanson said.
Hester looked at Hanson admiringly. “I didn’t think you were that cynical,” Hester said.
Hanson shrugged again. “When you’re the heir to the third largest fortune in the history of the universe, you learn to question people’s motivations,” he said.
“We need to find Jenkins,” Dahl said again. “We need to know what he knows.”
“How do you suggest we do that?” Duvall asked.
“I think we start with the cargo tunnels,” Dahl said.
CHAPTER SIX
“Dahl, where are you going?” Duvall said. She and the others were standing in the middle of the Angeles V space station corridor, watching Dahl unexpectedly split off from the group. “Come on, we’re on shore leave,” she said. “Time to get smashed.”
“And laid,” Finn said.
“Smashed and laid,” Duvall said. “Not necessarily in that order.”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with doing it in that order,” Finn said.
“See, I bet that’s why you don’t get a lot of second dates,” Duvall said.
“We’re not talking about me, ” Finn reminded her. “We’re talking about Andy. Who’s ditching us.”
“He is!” Duvall said. “Andy! Don’t you want to get smashed and laid with us?”
“Oh, I do,” Dahl assured her. “But I need to make a hyperwave first.”
“You couldn’t have done that on the Intrepid ?” Hanson asked.
“Not this wave, no,” Dahl said.
Duvall rolled her eyes. “This is about your current obsession, isn’t it,” she said. “I swear, Andy, ever since you got a bug in your ass about Jenkins you’re no fun anymore. Ten whole days of brooding. Lighten up, you moody bastard.”
Dahl smiled at this. “I’ll be quick, I promise. Where will you guys be?”
“I’ve got us a suite at the station Hyatt,” Hanson said. “Meet us there. We’ll be the ones quickly losing our sobriety.”
Finn pointed to Hester. “And in his case, his virginity.”
“Nice,” Hester said, but then actually grinned.
“Be there in a few,” Dahl promised.
“Better be!” Hanson said, and then he and the rest wandered down the corridor, laughing and joking. Dahl watched them go and then headed to the shopping
“You’re talking about the yeti you and I encountered,” Finn said.
“Yeah,” Dahl said.
“There’s nothing on him in the computer system,” Finn said.
“We didn’t imagine him,” Dahl said.
“No, we didn’t,” Finn agreed. “He’s just not in the system. But then if he’s the programming god your lab mates suggest he is, and he’s currently actively hacking into the computer system, I don’t think it should be entirely surprising he’s not in the system, do you?”
“I think we need to find him,” Dahl said.
“Why?” Finn asked.
“Because I think he knows something that no one else wants to talk about,” Dahl said.
“Your friends in your lab say he’s crazy,” Hester pointed out.
“I don’t think they’re actually his friends,” said Hanson.
Everyone turned to him. “What do you mean?” said Hester.
Hanson shrugged. “They said the reason they didn’t tell him about what was going on is that he wouldn’t have believed it before he had experienced some of it himself. Maybe that’s right. But it’s also true that if he didn’t know what was going on, he wouldn’t be able to do what they do: avoid Commander Q’eeng and the other officers, and manage not to get on away team rosters. Think about it, guys: all five of us were on the same away team at one time, on a ship with thousands of crew. What do we all have in common?”
“We’re the new guys,” Duvall said.
Hanson nodded. “And none of us were told any of this by our crewmates until now, when it couldn’t be avoided anymore.”
“You think the reason they didn’t tell us wasn’t because we didn’t know enough to believe them,” Dahl said. “You think it was because that way, if someone had to die, it would be us, not them.”
“It’s just a theory,” Hanson said.
Hester looked at Hanson admiringly. “I didn’t think you were that cynical,” Hester said.
Hanson shrugged again. “When you’re the heir to the third largest fortune in the history of the universe, you learn to question people’s motivations,” he said.
“We need to find Jenkins,” Dahl said again. “We need to know what he knows.”
“How do you suggest we do that?” Duvall asked.
“I think we start with the cargo tunnels,” Dahl said.
CHAPTER SIX
“Dahl, where are you going?” Duvall said. She and the others were standing in the middle of the Angeles V space station corridor, watching Dahl unexpectedly split off from the group. “Come on, we’re on shore leave,” she said. “Time to get smashed.”
“And laid,” Finn said.
“Smashed and laid,” Duvall said. “Not necessarily in that order.”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with doing it in that order,” Finn said.
“See, I bet that’s why you don’t get a lot of second dates,” Duvall said.
“We’re not talking about me, ” Finn reminded her. “We’re talking about Andy. Who’s ditching us.”
“He is!” Duvall said. “Andy! Don’t you want to get smashed and laid with us?”
“Oh, I do,” Dahl assured her. “But I need to make a hyperwave first.”
“You couldn’t have done that on the Intrepid ?” Hanson asked.
“Not this wave, no,” Dahl said.
Duvall rolled her eyes. “This is about your current obsession, isn’t it,” she said. “I swear, Andy, ever since you got a bug in your ass about Jenkins you’re no fun anymore. Ten whole days of brooding. Lighten up, you moody bastard.”
Dahl smiled at this. “I’ll be quick, I promise. Where will you guys be?”
“I’ve got us a suite at the station Hyatt,” Hanson said. “Meet us there. We’ll be the ones quickly losing our sobriety.”
Finn pointed to Hester. “And in his case, his virginity.”
“Nice,” Hester said, but then actually grinned.
“Be there in a few,” Dahl promised.
“Better be!” Hanson said, and then he and the rest wandered down the corridor, laughing and joking. Dahl watched them go and then headed to the shopping
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