Eddi paused in his work to point a claw at a box balanced somewhat precariously on top of a rack of computers. That box was delivered here an hour ago, Detective Brogan. It is addressed to you.
I could swear that he sounds curious about it! thought Brogan with some surprise.
Thanks, Eddi, he said aloud. He walked over and examined the box. It was three feet long and six inches square. It might have held anything from a telescope to a baseball bat. The label showed it originating from the local D.A.T.A. office. A hand-scrawled message written across the front of the box read, Let me know how this works out. Horatio.
A pocketknife made quick work of the packing tape. As he had expected, the box was mostly packing materials. The item inside was only half the size of the container. Brogan read over some included documentation and made a satisfied noise. He closed the box and carried it to a table near the command console. The scientist and his electronic assistant were openly curious. He offered no explanation, however, and they were soon absorbed in their work again.
Brogan let them be. He went outside and made some calls to check up on details regarding some other open cases. After twenty minutes, Armitage emerged, stretched wide, and motioned to Brogan.
We are ready whenever you are, Detective. His excitement was palpable, and a bit infectious.
Brogan smiled in response, then reminded himself of the serious nature of their undertaking. Armitage took him on a tour of the cave setup, and described everything in detail.
As they returned to the command console, Armitage proudly said, As you can see, weve taken all possible precautions.
All but one, muttered Brogan, watching Eddi. That earned him an annoyed look from Armitage.
Detective, surely you arent still mistrustful of Eddi?
Brogan turned on him with a sour glare. I dont trust either of you farther than I can throw you. Armitage actually looked hurt at that, and Brogan chuckled dryly. Are you ready to begin the operation?
A resigned Armitage nodded and said, We are ready, as soon as you give permission. He indicated a large red button that had been set into the upper-right corner of the command console. This is the emergency retrieval switch that you asked for. Pressing this will abort the operation and retrieve Eddi immediately.
His eyes crinkled and he grinned large. We perfected that feature just this morning. I suppose I should thank you. To make it work, we had to invent a whole new system for it in just a few hours. I felt like I was in college again, flying by the seat of my pants!
Brogan nodded, his own mood was somber in comparison to the enthusiasm of Armitage. He turned to Eddi and grimaced.
Is something bothering you, Detective Brogan? asked Eddi with real concern in his voice.
Brogan got to the point. YOU are bothering me, Eddi. He waved at Armitage. I need to know that your allegiance lies with the truth and not with some agenda of Doctor Armitage.
How can I reassure you, Detective Brogan?
Brogan let out a disgruntled sigh, and then reached into his pocket. Do you understand what an oath is, Eddi?
The robot flashed its lights briefly, and said, An oath is a binding promise, one that transcends a normal promise because it guarantees that the oath-taker will suffer a severe, sometimes spiritual or metaphysical punishment for breaking his promise.
Brogan twitched his mustache back and forth a bit. He said, Yes, thats essentially it. Mainly, its considered an unbreakable promise. Are you capable of taking an oath?
Eddi flashed a bit more and answered, If you mean to ask whether I understand the concept of a binding promise and am capable of living up to it, then I would say the answer is yes.
Alright then, said Brogan, and he thought to himself, Here goes nothing!
He reached into a pocket and removed a pen and a sticker that he had taken from the school education unit that morning. The sticker had a picture of an old-West sherrifs star, with the words ________ is hereby named an official Deputy of the Paragon City Police Department. Signed by ___________.
He wrote Eddi in the first blank and signed Detective Jose Brogan in the second blank.
He looked at Eddi, whose eye lenses were fixed curiously on him. Hold up your right hand, Eddi, and repeat after me:
Eddi swiveled his head towards Armitage, who shrugged and nodded. He held up his right claw.
I do solemnly swear, said Brogan, that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Rhode Island; that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state; and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of Deputy Police Officer on which I am now about to enter. So help me God.
Eddi repeated the words, and Brogan almost thought he detected a certain amount of pride in Eddis recitation.
Brogan continued - "I further solemnly swear that during my term of office as deputy, I will study the act prescribing my duties, will be alert and vigilant to enforce the criminal laws of the State and to detect and bring to punishment every violator of them, will conduct myself at all times with due consideration to all persons and will not be influenced in any matter on account of personal bias or prejudice. So help me, God."
Eddi repeated the words again. I must be imagining things, thought Brogan. It seemed impossible that the ungainly metal creature could stand straighter than he normally did, but to Brogans eyes he was somehow standing taller and prouder than he had a moment before.
He nodded to himself, then, and said I hereby appoint you Deputy Police Officer of the City of Paragon City, and the state of Rhode Island. He peeled the backing from the sticker and, with no trace of amusement, he placed it on Eddis chest.
You are now a deputy of the Paragon City Police Department, he said to Eddi. Your first duty, even above your loyalty to Doctor Armitage, is to uphold the law and to see that any criminals are brought to justice. Do you understand this, Eddi?
Yes, Detective Brogan. I will endeavor to be worthy of your trust. Eddi raised a claw to the top of his half-dome head, and Brogan realized that he was being saluted. With a half-smile, he returned the salute.
Armitage became all business. Take your place, Eddi, and well make the final preparations. He took Brogan aside and asked, Are you satisfied now, Detective?
No! replied Brogan with a backward glance to where Eddi was setting up. But it will have to do.
Ive really been enjoying the characters youve got in this story (and have read some of your other stuff when I was lurking 
) and I like your style of storytelling.
The only bit that always throws me slightly is putting thought in speech marks. I appreciate its a stylistic choice, but for me I always have to do a double take to make sure the character hasnt actually said it out loud.
Thanks for the comments. 
I guess I never learned another way to designate something like
[ QUOTE ]
"Geronimo!" thought Alex as he leaped from the globe atop Atlas' shoulders.
[/ QUOTE ]
How would you format that?
BTW, I really appreciate that comment. I did a google search on "fiction how to designate thoughts" and got a whole education on writing that I'd never thought about before! 
I loved the swearing-in scene. That's priceless!
#69397 Get Grog a Drink!
#155312 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded
#229565 Take Back the Park! (lowbie friendly)
Praetor of the [url="http://www.forgottenlegion.net"]Forgotten Legion[/url] SG and mod for the HUB player community. All hail the mighty Grog!
I was hoping someone would say that. It's one of my favorite scenes.
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the comments.
I guess I never learned another way to designate something like
[ QUOTE ]
"Geronimo!" thought Alex as he leaped from the globe atop Atlas' shoulders.
[/ QUOTE ]
How would you format that?
[/ QUOTE ]
From my understanding, thought is usually put in italics. This goes for past memories, too.
My problem, however, is that sometimes things get lost in the editing process.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Ive never looked for other ways to show thought, I always just use commas and speech style punctuation without the speech marks. The comma seems to give adequate pause for the reader.
(i.e. I really should be starting my NaNo story, Leigh thought.)
As Mr Grey mentions, Ive also seen italics used and, as with speech, there are some really experimental ways of doing thought as well. IMO do what you feel most suits that story (or even character) as long as it doesnt confuse the reader.
If you want to stick with speech style thought, just use apostrophes instead. There'll be someone out there who will dislike you doing it, but some heathens dont play CoX so clearly not everyone can be perfect.
According to the clock that Armitage had hung on the wall, it took ten minutes for the pre-flight check. They outfitted Eddi with his special belt, checking and double-checking all of his internal and external systems.
The tension was palpable as the moment of launch arrived. The rocket launch metaphor that Brogan had facetiously adopted to describe the preparations became eerily appropriate when Armitage said, All systems are green, Detective. We are ready to begin whenever you are.
The robot stood expectantly under the floodlights as Armitage began typing on keyboards and activating an array of electronic devices. Eddi activated the shield, causing a variety of lights on the belt to begin blinking, but Brogan discerned no other noticeable effect. He stepped up to the command console and placed his left hand casually near the recall button.
Alright, Eddi. The initial exploration window will be sixty seconds. I'll recall you manually as a test of the emergency recall. I want you to stay in place and simply turn in a circle and record what you see. If there's any evidence, I want it undisturbed. Is that clear?
Yes, Detective Brogan. I am ready to begin.
Brogan frowned and looked around the cavern. No obvious reasons to delay presented themselves, so he nodded at Armitage.
Good luck, Eddi! said the two men simultaneously. Grinning triumphantly, Armitage activated the machine, causing the floodlights to light up the cleared area where Eddi stood. One second the space was full of brass and plastic. The next it was empty air. The time machine did its work as Brogan watched the second hand sweep across the face of the clock and tapped his fingers upon the recall button.
[u]May 23, 2002[u]
Eddi had prepared in advance for the transition from an illuminated room to the near-total darkness of the collapsed parking garage of 2002. They had run several kinds of projections in an effort to predict the size, shape, and stability of the original cavern where Clark had met his demise. A human being would have sighed with relief that the projections had proved to be reasonably accurate. Eddi flashed his eyes rapidly, and turned on a spotlight that had been attached to his shoulders.
I am beginning my visual sweep of the cavern, he said. His internal storage would automatically keep a record of his sensory input. The narration was for the benefit of the men that would be viewing the record afterwards.
I am turning in place. He paused, and his vocal unit produced a puzzled tone. I am seeing footprints in the dust, almost as if someone has been walking here since the collapse. He turned until he was facing the pile of debris that covered the corpse of Professor Clark.
He stopped in mid-turn, and zoomed his ocular systems onto a metal beam that was sitting on the debris pile at an odd angle. The debris shows signs of having been recently disturbed. There are marks on the metal beam that appear remarkably similar to hand prints...
His narration was interrupted by a rattling cough from the debris, followed by the wheezing of a man who was struggling to take in even a short breath.
Professor Clark? Professor Clark! You're alive! cried Eddi. The mission immediately took low priority. A few seconds analysis was all it took for him to determine that the weight of the beam was crushing Professor Clark's chest. He would suffocate within a few moments if nothing was done.
Eddi stepped up to the beam and placed his claws upon it. He shoved as hard as he could, to no avail. He had been built for fun, not for utility, and his strength was only slightly greater than that of a man. Clark wheezed again, and Eddi looked around frantically. He found a piece of rebar lying loose in the rubble. Inserting it between the beam and a piece of concrete, he pulled, lifting the beam a scant two inches. Yet, that two inches was enough for Clark to suck in a chestful of life-giving air.
The robot arms may have been just for show, but the brain was another matter. Within a few microseconds, Eddi's neural network of quantum computers had determined precisely how much pressure to apply to the beam and the vectors along which to apply it in order to shift the beam without causing further harm to either Professor Clark or the debris ceiling that had dropped a few bits at Eddi's initial exertions.
With a muffled thump, the beam settled into its new position. Eddi paused expectantly. The ceiling held, however, and his aural sensors assured him that Clark was breathing steadily now.
Before the dust had settled, something unexpected happened. The room took on a slight glow, and Eddi experienced a sudden sense of presence. An all-too-human gasp behind him verified that he was no longer alone.
He turned around, and was stunned to see a man with a disheveled shock of white hair, an umkempt beard, and a tattered lab coat staring at him. A scar ran from just under his right eye down to his jawline.
The man reeled back. An Inquisitor! he cried, panic-stricken. His hand flew to a belt on his waist that was covered in electronics and he vanished.
[u]June 21, 2007[u]
A second later, Eddi's ocular sensors blacked out, and he felt a sensation as if he had been rolled through a fun house and dropped into a ball pit. When his sight returned, he was standing at the launch pad, with the two men regarding him expectantly. Brogan's left hand still rested on the console where he had just pressed the emergency recall button.
What happened? asked Eddi and his frantic tone was unmistakable. The two men exchanged worried looks. Armitage did his best to appear reassuring.
There's a certain amount of disorientation to be expected... he began, when Eddi cut him off.
He's alive! I have to get back! We can still save him!
Armitage strode over and began downloading the robot's memory record. Brogan looked grim.
Eddi, he began, and then he seemed to reconsider. He shook his head and growled. I should have known better than to get involved in something like this!
He shot a questioning look at the scientist.
We'll know in a moment, said Armitage.
As a police officer, Brogan had handled more than his share of hysterical witnesses, even if none of them had ever been non-human before. He stepped up to Eddi, looked him in the eyes, and put on his good cop persona.
Alright, Eddi. He put his hands on Eddi's shoulders. Take a deep breath, calm down, and tell us what happened.
It was strange hearing a robot inhale and exhale but that was exactly how it sounded to Brogan as the flashing of Eddi's eyes slowed and he began to sound like his normal mechanically calm self.
I was examining the room, as you had instructed me, Detective Brogan, he began. I heard a cough, and I realized that Professor Clark was alive!
Hid head began twisting from one side to the other as he glanced back and forth between the two men. Brogan placed his hands gently on Eddi's head and turned his eyes back towards himself.
Focus, please, Eddi. What did you do after you found out Clark was alive?
The eye lenses flashed. I'm sorry, Detective Brogan," said Eddi apologetically. "I disregarded your instructions and acted out of instinct to save Professor Clark."
A corner of Brogan's brain was having conniptions over the idea of a computer with 'instincts', but he did his best to keep it off of his face.
"I understand, Eddi. I'm not sure but that I would have done the same in the situation."
There was something just little weird about hearing the obvious gratitude in the robot's voice as Eddi continued his description of events in the cavern.
"I determined that the weight of a metal beam was preventing Professor Clark from breathing. I moved it, and then there was another man in the room with me.
What? asked Brogan in surprise. He looked over at Armitage and saw that the scientist was staring at a computer monitor with an expression that was half wonder and half trepidation. Without a word, Armitage pointed at the monitor.
Brogan strode over to the computer. Eddi followed right behind him.
Yes! said Eddi excitedly. That is the man I saw!
Brogan looked at the monitor and his eyes narrowed to slits. Despite the scar and the look of haggard fear, there was no mistaking the face looking back at them.
It was Holsten Armitage.
Let's see you talk your way out of this one, Armitage!
#69397 Get Grog a Drink!
#155312 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded
#229565 Take Back the Park! (lowbie friendly)
Praetor of the [url="http://www.forgottenlegion.net"]Forgotten Legion[/url] SG and mod for the HUB player community. All hail the mighty Grog!
"This experiment ends now!"
The scientist began spluttering in panic. "Detective, please! You can't mean..."
"I meant exactly what I said!" Brogan's fists went to his waist as he drew himself to his full height. It was no accident that his coat fell open to reveal the holstered pistol strapped to his chest, and no mistaking the threat implied by it.
The shock of the situation hit Armitage as if he had been physically given a one-two punch. He staggered backwards, steadying himself on the rack of computers behind him.
He ran his hand over his forehead and through his hair, then faced the policeman. Listen to me, Detective. Whatever is happening in that cavern in 2002, it isn't me. At least, it's not me at this moment. He indicated the monitor with it's picture frozen in time. If you shutdown the investigation, it won't prevent whatever THAT Holsten Armitage is doing. It may even help it come about.
Brogan's hands balled up and Armitage blanched. Before he could take whatever action was in his mind, he felt a cold weight touch him. He spun around to find Eddi's claw on his shoulder and he jerked back instinctively.
Eddi looked at him impassively, but there was an urgency in his electronically synthesized voice. Detective Brogan, please! he pleaded. We're running out of time!
What are you talking about? asked Brogan angrily.
The time machine is synchronized with the last few moments of Professor Clark's life. Whatever happened to him is happening NOW! A moment's delay is the difference between his life or death!
With one claw touching the sheriff's star on his chest, Eddi looked at Brogan with those cold, flashing eye lenses. "Is it not our job to protect and serve? Does it matter if the man that needs protection is five years away?"
"It sure as Hell DOES matter!" Brogan strode to the cavern entrance and looked out past the skyline of Atlas Park, to the grey horizon in the distance. The sun had managed to break through the clouds and cast a faroff rainbow out over Eastgate bay. Its brilliant band of primary colors, practically glowing against the night-dark storm clouds blowing in from the ocean, held his attention as he searched the distant thunderheads for answers; any answers. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes, exhaled sharply, and came to a decision.
He squared his shoulders and turned back to the conglomeration of electronics and work-lights in the cavern. With his course decided, he became the calm investigator once again.
"Do whatever you do to prepare for sending Eddi back," he told Armitage. "Wait until I give the go-ahead to push the launch button."
Armitage opened his mouth to reply and Brogan nixed him. "Don't say a word unless you want to give me a reason to change my mind."
The scientist paused, thought better of whatever he had to say, and simply nodded before resuming his place at the command console.
Brogan stepped over to the box that he had opened earlier and removed the object inside. It was a kind of a glove, made from a metallic silver cloth. The top of it was a small box with an electrode resembling an automobile spark plug that extruded from it. Wires led from the box on the glove to a battery pack with velcro straps attached. It took no great imagination to see that it was meant to be strapped to the arm of the person wearing the glove.
A couple of spare straps were in the box as well. Good old Horatio, he thought. He already figured on the possibility of it not fitting a robot hand. He gathered up the gear from the box and walked to where Eddi was standing impatiently at the launch pad.
"Hold out your right arm, Eddi," he instructed the robot. Eddi did so, and Brogan proceded to strap the glove to Eddi's "wrist" and then strapped the battery pack to his arm. Eddi watched curiously.
"This is a bit of extra insurance I borrowed from a friend at D.A.T.A." explained Brogan. "I told him about this project and he pointed out the outside possibility of meeting with a Rikti invader."
He looked into the eye-lenses of the robot and once again found himself non-plussed at the idea of trying to "read" a mechanical being. "My friend suggested this as a non-lethal method of self-defense. It's called an EMP Glove. It delivers a shock and an electro-magnetic pulse that will do all kinds of bad things to electronics systems, like a drone or a bolt rifle. A living creature, however, is affected about the same as being hit by a low-power taser."
Pointing to a raised stud set on the box behind the "spark plug", he told Eddi, "Touch this to fire it. Be very careful. It's experimental and this could be considered to be a field test."
Eddi's eyes flashed in a pattern that Brogan had begun to accept as his way of nodding affirmatively. "I understand, Detective Brogan. I am ready to go."
Brogan stepped back, nodded curtly to Armitage, and the bright lights of the modern cavern melted away, leaving Eddi surrounded once again by the musty closeness of the cave-in of five years previous.
[u]May 23, 2002[u]
The CCDs within Eddis eyes adjusted to the dimness in less than a second. He turned automatically towards the light shining behind him, a light that had not been there a few moments prior.
The man he had seen on his first visit was in the room, holding a flashlight in his left hand that he was shining at a spot in the rubble. His right hand held a gun identical to the one in the photo that Detective Brogan had shown them the day before.
The hand holding the gun trembled slightly. Eddis neural networks analyzed the situation from a hundred different perspectives, calculated probabilities and energy expended, and within a few micro-seconds it had calmly and coldly informed his higher reasoning center that the man was about to pull the trigger.
Emotions have many functions, one of the most important being to help an organism react to danger without having to think and analyze. Eddis emotional processors reacted immediately and decisively.
He stepped towards the man, arms waving. "Doctor Armitage! Stop!" he shouted. The dim figure started and cried out. Eddi was momentarily blinded as the flashlight swung onto his face and his polarizing filters kicked into life.
"NO!" cried the man. "I don't know how you followed me but you won't stop me!"
His finger squeezed the trigger spasmodically and the roar of gunfire filled the cavern. Eddi's head rocked and he staggered briefly before regaining his balance. His chassis sensors informed his neural net that his head had been grazed by the bullet. Structural integrity remained nominal, but a second hit had a 28% likelihood of significant damage and a series of hits would almost certainly be fatal.
Instinctively, Eddi raised the EMP glove and fired at the shadowy form behind the flashlight. Lighting lanced across the room. The man convulsed in pain and the gun and the flashlight both hit the ground. The shield belt on the man's waist erupted in a cloud of sparks and smoke as the electronics inside were subjected to a localized pulse of electro-magnetic energy. Every light on the belt flared up and was extinguished.
The eletrical flare lasted less than a second. Eddi switched on his own spotlight. The man had fallen to the ground and was tugging at his belt shield in horror.
"What have you done?" shrieked Holsten Armitage. "You've destroyed the shield!"
He unclasped the belt and held it up to his face, then dropped it despairingly. Eddi reached out to try and help him up, still unsure how to handle this version of the man he counted as his friend. Armitage's eyes fell onto Eddi's shield and lit up hopefully.
Without warning he leapt at Eddi and knocked both of them sprawling. Eddi waved him arms frantically, as Armitage grabbed for the bindings that held the belt in place.
"Doctor Armitage, stop! What are you doing?"
Armitage ignored him and Eddi fended him off as best as he could while attempting to roll away. Armitage had the strength of desperation behind him, and he slowly began to pry Eddi's claws aways from the clasps. He gasped raggedly with the effort.
Eddi tried rolling again, this time on top of Armitage. The man avoided him partially and found himself entangled with the robot.
"Doctor Armitage, please! I want to help you! Please, don't touch that!"
Armitage's only reply was a grunt as he grabbed for the belt and placed his hands one either side of Eddi's waist. He pulled with al of his might, but the belt refused to give way. Eddi flailed helplessly, as Armitage grabbed for a firmer grip and his hand closed around the box with the recall button.
"No! Stop!"
Armitage gripped the box as hard as possible and his palm flattened the recall button.
An instant later, the cavern disappeared. Eddi felt a rush of wind, as if the air had been sucked out of the cave, then every fiber of his being reacted as he was slammed from every direction at once. He felt himself falling, bouncing, colliding, and crushed as if by a falling building from above and smashed by a freight train from below. His final thought before his neural net died entirely was that the belt had never been designed for two people.
[u]Somewhere in time and space[u]
The great universal steady-state carried on its customary creation and destruction that those intelligent life forms living within its boundaries thought of as Reality. In one tiny corner of the universe, a catalyst interfered with the equilibrium. Potential energy ebbed and flowed, as the quantum steady-state in that region moved, acted, reacted, and settled into a new path of least resistance.
My own neural net just died. What the...?
#69397 Get Grog a Drink!
#155312 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded
#229565 Take Back the Park! (lowbie friendly)
Praetor of the [url="http://www.forgottenlegion.net"]Forgotten Legion[/url] SG and mod for the HUB player community. All hail the mighty Grog!
To paraphrase Miracle Max, when you're an electro-mechanical being, there's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.
Futzing around with the time/space continuum can have bad effects on a person.
Two hours later, Brogan pulled up at the corner of Twin Pines Road and Hill Valley Avenue. The excavation, as Armitage had called it, was the ruins of an old parking garage near the Argosy Industrial Park. It was one of the few remaining relics of the war in Atlas Park and had been slated for demolition and removal for some time.
Demolition workers had dug a kind of cave into the debris, cordoned off now by the yellow tape of a police line. A large semi-truck, of the sort that Brogan normally saw covered in a grocery store logo and hauling groceries, stood parked thirty yards away. Thick cables ran from the truck to the cave and Brogan heard the unmistakable whine of gas-powered generators coming from somewhere inside of it.
Stepping over the police line, he walked up to the cave entrance. Floodlights lit the cave and he saw four figures inside. Two were standing near the entrance. The silhouettes inside were clearly Eddi and a man that Brogan assumed must be Armitage. Both were busily unpacking and moving things around while the other two watched and kibitzed.
A fresh breeze caused Brogan to momentarily straighten his collar. He looked up, at the overcast sky and sniffed. The smell of dust and age was strong, but the heavy, damp scent of approaching rain was stronger. Im going to wish Id brought my rain slicker, he thought. His eyes ran along the cables, and he sent up a silent prayer that Armitage had done a good job of grounding all of the electrical connections.
The two police officers standing silhouetted at the cave entrance reminded Brogan of an old Abbot and Costello movie. The impression was reinforced when Abbot looked at the sky, winked at Costello and asked, Whatcha doing Doc? Weather experiments?
Clueless about the teasing, Armitage replied from inside the cave, No, officer, Im taking part in a temporal criminal investigation.
Costello chuckled and nudged Abbot. You got a permit for that, Doc? he asked Armitage.
A startled Armitage said, Ah, no, not with me. That is, Detective Brogan is the supervising officer
Brogan cleared his throat as he approached and the two officers turned welcoming grins on him. Jose! said Abbot. I didnt realize you were on Oppenheimer duty this week!
The two officers laughed and Brogan rolled his eyes. He greeted each of them in turn and tried not to sound exasperated.
Phillips. Newman. What are you two jokers doing here? I thought you were assigned to the Kings Row beat?
Phillips, the taller officer, spoke as Officer Newman looked on knowingly. It was that gang battle last week in Atlas Park between the Hellions and those guys that had some kind of demon or monster leading them. He shook his head and Newmans face took on a serious expression.
They switched a lot of us over to Atlas Park temporarily, just to beef up the patrols for a while and cut down on the violence.
Brogan waved absently at the scientist and robot. They appeared to be close to finishing their work.
Ill take it from here. You guys can get back to whatever comedy you normally occupy yourselves with when you should be working.
Phillips feigned hurt feelings, and mostly failed. Aw, cmon, Jose! We were just having a little fun! He winked at Newman and they each grinned at the other.
Alright, alright, said Brogan with a sigh. Go on, get outta here. Ive got this covered now.
Whatever you say, Jose. Just make sure your buddy here doesnt bring back any dinosaurs!
Newman and Phillips walked off laughing as if they had executed the funniest joke ever, while Brogan shook his head.
The construction lighting inside the cave shone brighter than the outside light, thanks to the lowering clouds. Once Brogans eyes adjusted, he saw that the floodlights from the lab had been hung from the ceiling and that several pieces of lab equipment had been wheeled inside the cave and hooked up to the cables running down to the semi-truck.
Brogan looked out at the approaching storm clouds and prayed fervently that they would finish without lightning striking the bundle of cables and electrocuting them all! To his laymans eye, there appeared to be only scant surge protection placed inside the of the cave.