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Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 213: Takano 150
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Brown 360
Tommy offered to keep watch until midnight or so, but Derek said he was there now, he might as well take over. Brian suggested that it was unlikely Cutter would return in either persona, but agreed to the precaution. Since there was no urgency, he decided not to use the sword to teleport home--save miracles for when they mattered. Thus Tommy, riding Derek’s bicycle, beat him home, but found Vashti, who traveled by robot, waiting for her. The girls went to the kitchen to get something to drink and a bit of dessert, and heard Brian come in shortly after they were settled.
“In here,” Tommy called, and Brian apparently understood where that was, as he was there in a moment.
“So, what do you think?” Tommy asked.
Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t buy it?”
“What, exactly?”
“I don’t think Mordenslice wants our computer files just so he can corner the market in computing. He’s got something else in mind.”
“O.K.,” Tommy answered. “What?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Vashti chimed in. “Maybe we need to look more closely at what he’s doing in Yellowrock?”
“Yellowstone,” Tommy corrected. Brian nodded.
“He hasn’t really opened anything new down here, so that seems to be the place where he’s doing--whatever it is he’s doing. The question is, how do we find out?”
“I’d say we go there,” Tommy suggested, “and have a look around ourselves.”
“Derek should go,” Vashti said. “He has a lot of experience doing that kind of thing, using his sensory thing and moving around as Morach.”
Nodding again, Brian said, “Unfortunately, word is that the office is going to reopen day after tomorrow, so we’re all going to be needed at work.”
“I’ll bet a lot of people won’t show up on Friday,” Tommy said. “One day, and then the weekend? People are going to wait to return on Monday. I’m surprised they’re even going to try to open the offices on Friday.”
“You may be right,” Brian said, “but we should be there.”
“So, what about the weekend?” Vashti suggested.
Scrunching his face, Brian said, “Maybe. Two days isn’t a lot of time.”
“On the other hand,” Vashti said, “Granville knows that Cutter is looking for those files, and if we tell him Cutter is trying to launch a competing company using our research and we want to go to Yellowstone to investigate, he might give us a couple days off to do that.”
“Field research,” Brian said, nodding again. “He might go for that. We should ask him tomorrow.”
“We should bring Tell and Eagle in on this,” Tommy said. “At least they should know what we know and what we suspect and what we’re doing about it.”
“Agreed.” He looked at the bakery-bought German chocolate cake in the girls’ bowls. “Is there more of that?”
“Sure,” Tommy said. “Let me get you some.” She cut a slice for Brian and put the rest back in the refrigerator. “Enjoy,” she said.
“Thank you. I expect to,” and he put a forkful in his mouth.
“I’m up past my bedtime,” Vashti said, “and even though I don’t have to be up early tomorrow, I should get some sleep. Good night.” She left for the bedrooms. Tommy realized that she was nearing her bedtime as well.
“See you tomorrow, Uncle Brian,” she teased, and headed upstairs to find her own bed waiting.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
