Emerald: A Short Story
August 21, 2002
Comments (0)
Homework: Part 2 of 4 for the final project
"By the Gods, woman!" Austen says.
He looks over to where she sits, wondering if he will ever be able to understand women. She just returns his stare with tired eyes.
"Listen to me, would you?" Emerald replies with a sigh. "It's not exactly brain surgery here. . ."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Austen says as calmly as possible. "You want to remove the wet-wire from the back of his head," he stands up, shaking slightly. "And you're going to tell me that it isn't brain surgery?"
She looks at him from under her lashes, cocks her head to the side and grins like a shark smelling blood.
"You know, if you don't have the stomach for it..." she begins.
"How dare you! You impudent woman!" Glaring at her, he walks to the small table in the corner of the workroom. He grabs the decanter and pours a finger of whiskey for himself. "I have been working in this field for longer then you've been alive." he states sourly under his breath, and flops into the chair at his desk.
"You know I heard that," she says. "I can do this by myself, you know that. I had a very good instructor you know."
She eases out of her own chair and saunters over to were he is sulking. Kneeling down next to him, she takes his hand in hers.
He looks down into her eyes, and looses his breath for a moment.
"Yes, I know. Taught you everything I know."
"And then I learned more." she replies. "Come on, I didn't go to Japan for the site seeing. You know that they are at the top of the field," she looks away, a pondering look spreading across her face. "Actually they are the best in every field right now, aren't they?"
He nods, but she misses it. He turns his face away from her.
"But. . ." he begins. "It's not just that, and you know it."
"I know." she says. "I will be the utmost in carefulness, you have my word. I won't let anything happen to him. He's my friend too, ya know."
"I haven't forgotten." he replies. "Oh, how did he get himself into such a mess as this?"
"Well. . ." she coughs and looks away.
"Is there something that you haven't told me?" he demands.
"Um. . ."
"Out with it!"
"Well. . ." she begins. "Ya know when I took him to Japan to rebuild his body after the accident?"
"Uh huh, go on."
"He is mostly cybernetics now, right?"
"Uh huh."
"I might have implanted a device so that I might be able to control him if his brainwashing ever kicked in again. . ." she hurriedly stands up and walks away.
"You did WHAT?"
"It was for his own good." she says. "I just never expected that lying thief to take my precious computer. Damn it! How the hell did he get into my room to begin with? The controls for his device were on that thing"
"Don't change the subject on me!"
"Oh Austen! I didn't know!"
"Well if you live to be as old as I am, maybe you will look back on this and laugh. But for now, you had best remove that tick. . .And your 'helpful' device."
"Oh yes I will, you can be sure of it!" Emerald says, sufficiently chastised.
Just then a knock on the door interrupts the arguing couple. It opens, and the head of Shadow slips through the entrance.
"Am I intruding?" he asks, opening the door and sliding in all the way. "I hope so. Can I talk to you two. . .?"
NOTE: This was an assignment for my CCV Creative Writing Workshop online class with Nancy Thompson.
| 