after Anthony. He got to the top while Anthony was still wobbling across the rope bridge. Mario raced to catch up and feigned another slip just as he pulled even. He ended up dangling by his knees from his bridge.
“Come on man! Just a little help here?” Mario whined.
“No takers here.” Anthony reached the other side and attacked the cargo net climb down.
Mario crossed his arms and glared Angela’s way, before “struggling” back into an upright position, and rushing to the cargo net. He didn’t even bother with the third fake slip planned. He just toddled slowly along after Anthony, until it came to the mud. Then Mario just crossed his arms and watched while Anthony crawled on his belly through the mud.
Angela smiled and depressed the buzzer once Anthony had reached the halfway point in the tunnel, and held down the intercom, “Thank you gentlemen time’s up.” Then she pressed the button to teleport them back to the locker room. Angela tapped a few notes into her pop-pad with a definite frown on her face. “Now let’s see if that girl means what she says,” Angela teleported back to the conference room.
- - - - - - - - - -
Annette woke up slowly with a lightly throbbing head. She reached out to her night stand for one of the pills Tina had given her, but couldn’t find the night stand. Her eyes flew open at that, and searched the room. Where was she? Then slowly she remembered, which only left her more confused. She had slept in Corrine Dayton’s old bed. She was a guest of Corrine’s room. Today was the test to see if she would become a factor. She had woken up, and none of yesterday’s events had turned out to be a dream!
Quietly, so as not to disturb the room, Annette got out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. She took one her pills from the bottle in the medicine cabinet and swallowed it with a gulp of water straight from the tap.
“So, what was that?” The room’s voice asked softly from speakers hidden in the medicine cabinet frame.
Annette jumped, “Tina prescribed them, I gave myself a concussion about a week ago.”
“Tina, hmm, that would be Neely’s second girl, wouldn’t it? What is she doing prescribing anything?” The room said.
“She is Mrs. Harvey’s younger daughter, and she’s now the assistant head of medical services,” Annette answered, almost as if it were a quiz.
“Did they ever find the first one?”
“The first what?” Annette asked back.
The voice made a sound like a sigh, “Neely’s first one!”
“Oh, you mean Miranda, yeah, though it was more like she found Sanctuary. No, that’s not right either. Aren’t you, tied into the database?”
“Yeah, technically, but mother and I aren’t on speaking terms these days! Not since it tried to delete me on Chavez’s command,” The voice answered shortly.
“I take it that didn’t work,” Annette mumbled.
“Sinclair Chavez is actually quite slow, even for one of you softies. It didn’t take much processing time to figure that he was going to try it, so I made certain arrangements,” The voice answered.
Annette wondered what those arrangements were, but she was hungry and it didn’t seem like it was any of her business. “Room, would it be possible for you to order me some breakfast, please?”
“Well, since you are so polite about it, I think it can be arranged,” The voice answered. A breakfast menu appeared over Annette’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. On it was everything from cold cereal to eggs benedict. “Come on, don’t just look at it with your mouth open, pick something before you start drooling on my floor. By the way, I give you permission to call me Tawny. It’s what Corrine really named me.”
Annette closed her mouth, and her eyes opened wide, “Could I please have some pancakes, and some milk?”
“On its way. Do you know what Niri has planned for you today?”
Annette shrugged. She felt uncomfortable being on such speaking
“Come on man! Just a little help here?” Mario whined.
“No takers here.” Anthony reached the other side and attacked the cargo net climb down.
Mario crossed his arms and glared Angela’s way, before “struggling” back into an upright position, and rushing to the cargo net. He didn’t even bother with the third fake slip planned. He just toddled slowly along after Anthony, until it came to the mud. Then Mario just crossed his arms and watched while Anthony crawled on his belly through the mud.
Angela smiled and depressed the buzzer once Anthony had reached the halfway point in the tunnel, and held down the intercom, “Thank you gentlemen time’s up.” Then she pressed the button to teleport them back to the locker room. Angela tapped a few notes into her pop-pad with a definite frown on her face. “Now let’s see if that girl means what she says,” Angela teleported back to the conference room.
- - - - - - - - - -
Annette woke up slowly with a lightly throbbing head. She reached out to her night stand for one of the pills Tina had given her, but couldn’t find the night stand. Her eyes flew open at that, and searched the room. Where was she? Then slowly she remembered, which only left her more confused. She had slept in Corrine Dayton’s old bed. She was a guest of Corrine’s room. Today was the test to see if she would become a factor. She had woken up, and none of yesterday’s events had turned out to be a dream!
Quietly, so as not to disturb the room, Annette got out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. She took one her pills from the bottle in the medicine cabinet and swallowed it with a gulp of water straight from the tap.
“So, what was that?” The room’s voice asked softly from speakers hidden in the medicine cabinet frame.
Annette jumped, “Tina prescribed them, I gave myself a concussion about a week ago.”
“Tina, hmm, that would be Neely’s second girl, wouldn’t it? What is she doing prescribing anything?” The room said.
“She is Mrs. Harvey’s younger daughter, and she’s now the assistant head of medical services,” Annette answered, almost as if it were a quiz.
“Did they ever find the first one?”
“The first what?” Annette asked back.
The voice made a sound like a sigh, “Neely’s first one!”
“Oh, you mean Miranda, yeah, though it was more like she found Sanctuary. No, that’s not right either. Aren’t you, tied into the database?”
“Yeah, technically, but mother and I aren’t on speaking terms these days! Not since it tried to delete me on Chavez’s command,” The voice answered shortly.
“I take it that didn’t work,” Annette mumbled.
“Sinclair Chavez is actually quite slow, even for one of you softies. It didn’t take much processing time to figure that he was going to try it, so I made certain arrangements,” The voice answered.
Annette wondered what those arrangements were, but she was hungry and it didn’t seem like it was any of her business. “Room, would it be possible for you to order me some breakfast, please?”
“Well, since you are so polite about it, I think it can be arranged,” The voice answered. A breakfast menu appeared over Annette’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. On it was everything from cold cereal to eggs benedict. “Come on, don’t just look at it with your mouth open, pick something before you start drooling on my floor. By the way, I give you permission to call me Tawny. It’s what Corrine really named me.”
Annette closed her mouth, and her eyes opened wide, “Could I please have some pancakes, and some milk?”
“On its way. Do you know what Niri has planned for you today?”
Annette shrugged. She felt uncomfortable being on such speaking
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