Re: The First Law

[JanetJulian]

"Usually," she agreed amicably. "Or at least stealing your women."

She blinked. "There' s a pre-Kirk Star Trek? Are you sure?" She hesitated, almost reaching over to snap her fingers in front of his face before he suddenly returned to her.

"Thanks." She took the printed ticket. "Hayden Planetarium," she said without hesitation. "But you are talking to an Astro-physicist. Most would probably name the Met or the Guggenheim or maybe MOMA. Or Macy's." She made a face.

[Seth]

He laughed. "Usually. Making a note, my future career plans have changed to 'dimensional conqueror.' You've talked me into it."

"Are you challenging my geek cred?" He laughed, and raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Captain Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter, the screen name of one Henry Herman McKinnies, Jr." He winked at her. "He was offered the role of Captain, but declined in favor of making a little movie called 'Brainstorm.'"

He chuckled. "Well, I'm here as your guest. So Hayden Planetarium it is. And if there's time we do other stuff. Macy's? Like the department store?"

[JanetJulian]

Melinda chuckled. "I'll keep it in mind if I trip over any inter-dimensional portals." She rolled her eyes.

She shook her head. "No, just expressing disbelief. Brainstorm, huh? Never heard of it. Guess it wasn't a very good decision."

She smiled sweetly. "Exactly like," she agreed. "They do this parade thing too, but it's not the right time of year."

[Seth]

He laughed and nodded. "You do that. I'll keep it on the back burner, for now."

He smiled in amusement. "Yeah, and about as bad as it sounds. I'm sure he gets some kind of award for 'if only I had...' in the Hollywood department."

He smiled and leaned back against one of the fencing posts. "I've heard of the Macy's parade. I just... really, people fly all the way to New York to go to a department store?" He shook his head. "That seems crazy to me. I would think empire State and Statue of Liberty rank a little higher."

[JanetJulian]

She chuckled and nodded about whats-his-name's boneheaded decision. "But then we wouldn't have Shatner," she teased with a grin.

"But it's Macy's!" Her eyes bugged out and then she laughed. "Okay, so I think it's a dumb way to spend a day. But don't tell anyone or they'll take my girly card away. Besides, Fifth Avenue has way better shopping potential, though I guess Macy's is on Fifth avenue so maybe there is a connection.

"You might like FAO Schwartz - world's biggest toy store. Or something like anyway. And yeah, there's the Statue of Liberty. Which I guess everyone should see once. But I think the Empire State Building is entirely overrated. Much rather see the Chrysler building. Or Chinatown."

[Seth]

"And thank god for that," laughed Erin. "I'm just amused that but for a bad decision on his part, the world might never have heard of the Shat." He grinned. "Then again, maybe he would have become famous regardless, and Star Trek never would have become the cult favorite it did. Who knows."

"But there's a Macy's in every mall in the world," he laughed. "What's the difference? Bigger, with even more stuff?" He laughed as her eyes bugged, assuming she was just playing a part, or perhaps there was a girly, shopping loving part of her he had yet to discover.

"Ooh," he chuckled. "When I'm a raging multimillionaire, I'm going to have the world's largest lego collection. And all of those sound good. Sure we can only stay the weekend?" He grinned. "The college'll let us telecommute."

[JanetJulian]

"The Shat." Melinda laughed and shook her head. "My money would be on the latter. Guy's got something. Though it's hard to tell these days."

She arched her brow at him. "Rather like telling you that there's no reason to go to Cupertino, because there's an Apple store in every mall. The first ones are just ... better."

A warm chuckle escaped her. "Legos, huh? Now I know your real weakness. And they might let you telecommute, but they have this weird policy where teachers are expected to show up to teach their classes. Go figure."

[Seth]

"Could be. I mean, Original Series definitely wouldn't have been the same without him."

"Fair enough," he allowed. "I honestly do ninety nine percent of my shopping online, so I don't really see the appeal of the department store."

"Yes, they're like my kryptonite." He laughed. "I have like sixteen of the big sets still up in my room at home. And a few things of my own construction. Kinda like the video games - I could lose my mind into them, you know?" He laughed at the telecommuting. "Well, I bet NYU is hiring." He winked at her. "Do they have a good astrophysics program?"

[JanetJulian]

"Just think of them as a showcase. You can pick up and handle the merchandise and then go home and order it online. Millions do it, so why not you?"

She shook her head. "No, never really got legos, but then they weren't as cool when I was growing up. Kinda clunky and old fashioned."

She snorted. "NYU? Never. Anderson leads the department and he thinks because I have dreads that I'll let him feel me up whenever he likes. Ass," she hissed. "Besides, he publishes his students work as his own, which is just so wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to tell you."

[Seth]

He shrugged. "I suppose. I mean, there's some thing I'll definitely want to check out, first. Couches, mattresses. Anything where I need to see how soft it is. Then again, I've never really had t o decorate anything before, either."

He laughed. "I'm not sure they've ever been as cool as I thought they were. Have you ever seen some of the lego movies people have made on youtube? Some are hilarious. So there are bigger lego geeks out there than me."

He blinked at her assessment of the campus's department head. "He does sound like an ass. Doesn't anyone ever report him?" He wrinkled his brow. "Or does it just never come to anything?" He pursed his lips. He clearly didn't like the notion of someone out there striving to take advantage of Melinda. He fidgeted, wanting to go for his phone, but restraining himself.

[JanetJulian]

"The nice house came furnished?" She asked curiously.

"Uhh, no. I mostly watch telescope sequences and cute cat videos on youtube." She grinned. "And the odd bit of music videos."

She quirked her lips and shook her head. "You'd be surprised how common it is. It's a fine line, really, since a lot of profs get students to do research for them. But I had a friend from school who went to NYU. I knew his ideas - we'd talked about them in undergrad. And then suddenly Anderson is publishing almost word for word. Of course he'd just say he came up with the same idea independently. It's next to impossible to prove who thought of what, first, but it's not the first time I'd heard that about him. Let's just say the hearsay evidence convinced me, but would never stand up. And if he'd dared push the point, Anderson would have made sure he'd never worked in the field again.

"Sucks, but that's the way it goes when you're the small fry."

[Seth]

"for the most part," he nodded. "I brought in some posters and junk, but the rest of it was school sponsored. I actually asked about swapping out some of the furniture and got told no."

He chuckled. "Well, you're missing out." He punched up a youtube video on his phone, handing it to her. "Episode One," he grinned. "Although that's not the best one."

His gaze grew more serious as she explained what had happened. "Some people don't deserve authority," he grimaced. He waved his phone at her. "I could work on some righteous revenge before the flight," he promised. "Make his life a little miserable. He sounds like he deserves it."

They drew up to the security line, and he slipped the phone away. He was a good traveler - ready with everything they needed, pulling out his laptop, stripping quickly. Melinda had received a 'random' pat down every time she'd been through the line in an airport for the last few years - though whether it was because she was pretty or looked the type to be smuggling something dangerous, it was hard to say. Her screener seemed a bit resentful when called over, but not at her - she ran Melinda through the routine in short order, more interested in turning her over to her flight than thoroughness or trying to cop a feel.

Erin waited on the other side, already having collected her bags and his own. "Get that a lot?"

[JanetJulian]

She took the phone and watched it for a couple minutes, amused before handing it back. "Someone has entirely too much free time," she said with a grin. She cocked her head at his offer and then shrugged. "Just don't tell me what you decide to do," she said, leaving it in his hands. "And don't get caught."

She sighed as they stepped up. Her piercings guaranteed that she'd not pass through a metal scanner, and she held her arms out as they did the full pat down, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. She stepped up when she was released and reached for her bag, blinking when she couldn't find it and looking up at Erin, only then realizing he had her bag.

"All the time," she said with a sigh, following him towards the gate. "Guess I'm just too much a bad girl."

[Seth]

Erin laughed at her sigh. "Well, I'll send a letter saying that terrorists don't dress like bad girls. They actually try to blend." He grinned. Blending was clearly not a priority for her.

He trudged with her towards their concourse, thinking about something quietly. They were a few hours early for their flight - and within a couple minutes, they'd found their seats, well out on one of the wings, far from anything but a few vending machines and a small Starbucks coffee bar at the end of the concourse.

He spied a few outlets, and looked to her. "Want to hang here? Or find someplace more comfortable?"

[JanetJulian]

Mel grinned. "True. Still, piercings and metal detectors are just not friends."

She followed him, letting him think his own thoughts as she looked around. She marked the gate, but pulled him on towards the Starbucks. "Coffee," she told him. "Must have coffee."

She slanted him a look. "What kind of more comfortable did you have in mind?"

[Seth]

"No, no they don't," he agreed. "Those things aren't as accurate as our public servants want us to believe, though."

"Coffee," he nodded, following her to the line. "And no more chai for me." There was no line, and when she asked her question, he blushed slightly.

"I didn't mean that. I was just thinking one of the restaurants, with the booths. Look more comfortable than airport seating," he said, with a gesture towards the stiff seats. "Might have to order something, but I can always eat."

[JanetJulian]

"Oh? Something else I'm glad I don't know?" She said with a hint of a smile. She nodded when he agreed with coffee and smiled wider at his blush. "Why not the leather seats here?" She asked, pointing to a pair over by a fake fireplace.

"Starbucks does like its comfy seating." She nodded him towards it with the bags. "I'll get you a simple coffee," she promised, turning back to the woman behind the counter. "Vente carmel macchiato skinny with an extra shot. And a grande bold, black."

[Seth]

He laughed. "Probably. All these systems are controlled by numbers - maximum volume of people versus safety. And it's the airlines which pay for most of it, so when they start to put their foot down, security loses out versus profit."

He looked over at the seats and nodded. They certainly weren't as private as a booth at a restaurant, but he could hardly argue with how comfortable they looked. "That'll work," he nodded.

He plopped into a seat, letting her order, and the clerk behind the counter quickly filled the order. He pulled out his laptop, setting it up quickly on the small table between the two of them.

[JanetJulian]

Melinda paid for the drinks and collected them, nodding at the barrista and leaving a generous tip before heading over to join Erin. She set his coffee down next to his laptop and dropped into the chair across from him, leaning back and sipping hers with a heavenly sigh.

"Whatcha doin'?" She asked, peering over the top of the machine.

[Seth]

He was bent over it by then, accepting the coffee with a grateful smile. He skipped cream and sugar, taking a long slug and then setting it down on the small table.

"Investigating," he said with a smile. "Y'know what's great about revenge?" His eyes twinkled. "Most people that really deserve it have done a few things on their own to warrant it."

He peered at the screen. "Still working out the details, but I'm going to bet even money someone' been embezzling the NYU astrophysics department for years."

[JanetJulian]

Melinda shook her head and then shook it again. "I told you I didn't want to know," she said with a crooked smile. "But really? That seems a bit much even for Anderson." She shrugged.

"Though I do find that karma can be a bitch."

[Seth]

He shrugged. "Maybe it's not him. But it's definitely happening - and if he's the head of the department, even if he's not doing it, it won't look pretty that he hasn't caught it."

He cracked his knuckles. "Alright, mum's the word then." He pressed his lips together, pretending they were sealed.

[JanetJulian]

Melinda snorted and shook her head a third time, drinking down her coffee and staring across the airport. The notes of Harlequin's song played in her mind and she couldn't help a slight shiver.

But she didn't say anything. Instead she pulled out her phone and checked to see if she had any messages or email.

[Seth]

He continued to work, and her phone did have a new e-mail - several, most of them work related, but one in particular which stood out. It was addressed to faculty throughout the college, but by individually adding names rather than routing through the college servers - a necessity when an e-mail was 'non-official,' but the sender still wanted to make certain all the professors got it.

"Friends and colleagues,

I know many of you were as distressed as I was by the brutality of the LAPD's response to a peaceful protest. Many of our students were injured during the police response, but one of my students in particular could use all the support individuals or the educational community could give him. Daniel Nadowe was one of the students present at the rally, and during the protest suffered multiple strikes to his face and torso. When admitted to the hospital, he was diagnosed with eleven broken ribs, and his face and jaw had been so badly broken and beaten that his family couldn't recognize him.

The Nadowe's are not a wealthy family - Daniel's father was laid off six years ago, and has yet to find work. Daniel is here on a scholarship, and while the school's insurance will cover his surgeries to a point, he still looks to incur thousands of dollars in debt simply to have a face presentable to society again - and not one his parents will recognize. To add insult to injury, and possibly to protect their own interests, the LAPD is claiming that Daniel is associated with a group on the FBI's terrorist watchdog list, and have placed him under arrest pending his recovery.

I understand that this is an unusual and not entirely professional request, but any financial assistance that could be rendered to Daniel for hospital fees or in acquiring an attorney would be greatly appreciated. Daniel is one of the best students in my classes, a promising mind with a bright future. If you can and are willing to donate, please reply to this e-mail, or contact me on campus.

Thank you so much for your time,

Prof. Ellen Montgomery,
Department of Environmental Science

Erin continued to tap buttons, and glanced over to her, realizing he could do his work another time. He made an offer to close it, perfectly willing to spend time with her instead. "Sorry," he said. "Very ADD."

[JanetJulian]

Melinda frowned at the message, remembering Officer Maloney's words about beating up someone who had pissed him off. Could there be a connection?

She looked up at Erin and then down at her phone, forwarding him the message.

"Anything you can do about this one?"

[Sponsored content]