Chapter 2: Caught Up
Normally, I would've had DANTE teleport me straight to the Magna Black estate, about an hour's drive from the office. I made an effort to stay out of sight and arrive somewhere quiet, so no one would be the wiser regarding the exact means of my comings and goings.
With Martie here, however, I needed to play it straight, like a regular guy of normal means. Well, almost. [i}DANTE, I need a cab here, quick![/i]
shatternity
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Lowdown
Ah, life as a corporate drone.
Well, okay, I wasn't really a corporate drone. More like an executive, right? Even so, being Chief Technology Officer of Magna Black wasn't all that entertaining. It embodied all my least favorite parts of commanding a ship, the "three P's," as I like to call them: paperwork, politics, and pedantry. It utterly failed to possess the "three A's" that made my job on the Protector worthwhile: action, adventure, and awesome.
Ah, life as a corporate drone.
Well, okay, I wasn't really a corporate drone. More like an executive, right? Even so, being Chief Technology Officer of Magna Black wasn't all that entertaining. It embodied all my least favorite parts of commanding a ship, the "three P's," as I like to call them: paperwork, politics, and pedantry. It utterly failed to possess the "three A's" that made my job on the Protector worthwhile: action, adventure, and awesome.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Boss
It's amazing how much time you can burn up just learning the ropes. After I got settled into my office, Rakhee gave me a tour, then dumped a bunch of paperwork on me. DANTE helped me fabricate just enough of an identity so I'd pass any background checks the Magna bigwigs wanted to put me through. That wasn't something I expected Ryan to do, but who knew to what extent he'd filled in the staff over here about who I was? I suspect he didn't offer much explanation at all. He was the boss, and the boss is the boss. You do what he tells you.
It's amazing how much time you can burn up just learning the ropes. After I got settled into my office, Rakhee gave me a tour, then dumped a bunch of paperwork on me. DANTE helped me fabricate just enough of an identity so I'd pass any background checks the Magna bigwigs wanted to put me through. That wasn't something I expected Ryan to do, but who knew to what extent he'd filled in the staff over here about who I was? I suspect he didn't offer much explanation at all. He was the boss, and the boss is the boss. You do what he tells you.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Orientation
DANTE delivered me to my first day of work for Magna Black, sporting a gray suit and crimson tie, along with freshly-shined lace-up dress shoes. Brands? Who cares about brands? DANTE pretty much duplicated them based on whichever patterns he had were the most energy-efficient. I'm not even sure the things had tags. Why bother? I was here to work, not dress to impress.
DANTE delivered me to my first day of work for Magna Black, sporting a gray suit and crimson tie, along with freshly-shined lace-up dress shoes. Brands? Who cares about brands? DANTE pretty much duplicated them based on whichever patterns he had were the most energy-efficient. I'm not even sure the things had tags. Why bother? I was here to work, not dress to impress.
Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Into the Fold
Date: August 28, 1997
Location: Magna Tower, Manhattan, USA
Mission: Meet with Ryan Andriesen.
It was a gamble, I admit. I walked straight into the building and up to the receptionist, who was busy with a phone call at the time. When she finished, she looked up at me and gave me a nasal, "Can I help you?"
I tapped my fingers on the countertop that separated us. "Yeah, I need to see Mr. Andriesen."
Date: August 28, 1997
Location: Magna Tower, Manhattan, USA
Mission: Meet with Ryan Andriesen.
It was a gamble, I admit. I walked straight into the building and up to the receptionist, who was busy with a phone call at the time. When she finished, she looked up at me and gave me a nasal, "Can I help you?"
I tapped my fingers on the countertop that separated us. "Yeah, I need to see Mr. Andriesen."
Chapter 29
Chapter 29: I wanted one thing most in this world
Date: May 9, 1990
Location: Aboard Inferno
Mission: Figure out what place and time we'll travel to next!
Paul barfed again, the second we reappeared on Inferno. I had a little laugh at his expense. He slugged me in the arm. "Asshole," he choked out.
"Chill out, Paul. Maybe you're just not cut out for this time travel thing."
Date: May 9, 1990
Location: Aboard Inferno
Mission: Figure out what place and time we'll travel to next!
Paul barfed again, the second we reappeared on Inferno. I had a little laugh at his expense. He slugged me in the arm. "Asshole," he choked out.
"Chill out, Paul. Maybe you're just not cut out for this time travel thing."
Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Wrath of the Albino
Date: August 24, 1997
Location: Islands of Tonga, South Pacific
Mission: Interrupted.
"You've got some explaining to do," Simone said with a tap of her foot. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," I countered.
Date: August 24, 1997
Location: Islands of Tonga, South Pacific
Mission: Interrupted.
"You've got some explaining to do," Simone said with a tap of her foot. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," I countered.
Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Homestead
Date: May 9, 1990
Location: Aboard Inferno
Mission: Test out Inferno's temporal core for ourselves.
Since bringing June aboard, I'd been reluctant to try out the same technology that brought her to me. The teleportation didn't bother me much, but DANTE indicated time travel could be highly disorienting, and not all people reacted well to it. On top of that, I was uncertain about leaving June alone.
Date: May 9, 1990
Location: Aboard Inferno
Mission: Test out Inferno's temporal core for ourselves.
Since bringing June aboard, I'd been reluctant to try out the same technology that brought her to me. The teleportation didn't bother me much, but DANTE indicated time travel could be highly disorienting, and not all people reacted well to it. On top of that, I was uncertain about leaving June alone.
Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Sacrifices
Date: April 19, 1995
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Mission: Save four lives out of 173.
Date: April 19, 1995
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Mission: Save four lives out of 173.
