Chronicle - Mel and Chris Ch. 01

"Shore to Shore AM," Roger said, "I didn't listen this week. Shit. I almost always listen Friday nights!"

"Aliens..." Dave said slowly, "you're saying that Carole was an alien? If so, we're doomed if they all look like that."

"Maybe she wasn't an alien," said Mel, "but working with them. In the movies they always get humans to help them. Maybe she was an orphan or something."

"A question," said Roger, "why would they take Peter?"

"They're up there," Chris pointed to the ceiling, "and I'm sure they have good tech. They came from somewhere. But they still might need to get deeper info. So. They have a hot chick find a guy like him. I mean, if YOU disappeared would your family just shrug?"

"No," said Dave, Roger nodded as well, "they might hire private investigators and they'd hassle the cops and the newspapers. Peter didn't like his family, I'd guess it was mutual."

"Right," Chris went on, "so maybe he joined them. But whatever, Mel read the microfiche, after a week it was totally gone from the papers. And like you said, he was a good programmer, he was tied into stuff here, so they'd get lots of info out of him"

The room went silent. Then Roger sighed.

"Okay, Chris," he said after another moment, "I need you to clean up your email. And keep it under control. As to USENET, shit, if they've named these things after you two..."

The grins on the young couple's faces were a mixture of pride and shyness.

"A question," Chris said, "can you double my file quota? I can clear out the email queue but I'm going to need to save lots of them. I need file space."

"Ok," Roger picked back up, "I can do that. One warning though. I'm going to have to go to the CS department to update them about this. You're likely to get called in..."

"I'll come in with him," said Mel, "I bribed him by engaging in incredibly perverse sex acts with him if he did this for me. I guess I'll have to 'fess up, provide all of the details. He's like all you CS guys, taken in by us demons."

Roger's mouth moved in silence, Dave just blinked and his mouth gaped.

"And more computer time allowance," said Chris, "I'm almost out of what you gave me."

"Um," Dave recovered slightly, "this was for Independent Study, but..."

"You can't say this isn't independent," said Chris, "not precisely what we did in class, but it seems pretty valid."

"He's got you there," Roger shut Dave down, "besides, here's the deal. The two of you, both, mind you, stop in my office now and again and I'll make sure you get computer time."

Mel released Chris and stepped forward to hug Roger and stepped back, held his upper arms.

"Deal," she said.

"One last thing," Chris said, "if we had access from home we could do a better job of keeping things clean. But we don't."

Roger's eyes narrowed and he stared into space for a few moments.

"Give me some time on that," he said, 'keep in touch."

The New Housemate

"Do you want a glass for your Sprite," Tim asked as he walked from the kitchen into the dining room and handed a Coke to Leo who was in a chair at the near side of the table.

"The can is fine," said the six foot and a smidgen tall twenty-something woman who sat at the far side of the dining table. Her voice was weirdly flat, near affectless, which contrasted with her warm smile and kind but certainly the greenest eyes Tim had ever seen.

He walked to the head of the table and she reached out to take the cold can then sat with his own Coke across from her. Tim doubted a ray of sunshine had ever touched her very pale skin, her hair and eyes mitigated against albinism and he wondered if this is what was meant by alabaster skin? Her loose dark long-sleeved blue t-shirt was just deep enough to expose only the top of her considerable cleavage but denim jeans meant beyond that only her hands and face were exposed. Her brown hair was straight and just past shoulder length, her bangs not any specific style he understood. Her round nearly-shiny face lacked makeup and seemed to imply a higher proportion of body fat than appeared to be the case, her clearly considerable bust on a slender frame, her hips and ass shapely but not pronounced.

"So you're a, um, biology," Leo said as he tried to recall the discussion of a couple of days previously, "student, right, um, Anna?"

The two of them and Neil had been shocked at the near instant response their posting on the roommates wanted board at the Uni Student Union had gotten in the first week of August. Neil had taken the call and agreed to a time for her to come by on the Friday so they could all meet. Their discussion after she'd left had been short, she'd showed a bank statement and her not yet dry student registration card. There was so little of value in the house that there was no gain in going to that effort to scam your way into a well-worn century old house shared by Uni students so they easily believed she was what she claimed. Neil had called the number she'd left and she'd agreed to come by on the Monday to settle the details.

"Yes, Anna, Anna Miller. Bioengineering," Anna said, "first year grad student. Then, maybe medical school. We'll see."

"You really don't mind sharing," Tim asked, "a house with three guys?"

"If you don't mind me," she shrugged, "my parents were missionaries, dragged me around the world as a child, I've seen things. Used to it. The other guy, Neil, right, he okay with me?"

"Yup, no problems with him," Tim assured her although the emotionless smile during her statement struck him as odd, "he's next senior here to me but he likes his room in the basement so Leo will move upstairs into Chris's old room. You get the room right behind you."

"It's nice and big, has a lock," she said as she half-turned, then smiled at them, "and it has a door right to the bathroom on this level. It'll be fine. I'll pay you two months rent starting September first now and a third to cover my initial share of utilities?"

Both guys nodded at the ease, no need to haggle. Chris had paid through the end of August and this meant the three remaining wouldn't be out of pocket any extra money. No way were they going to turn this deal down.

"And is that sweet Mustang out there your car," Tim looked toward the front and the street outside, spoke as he then pointed to his left behind the house, "we have two of the spots in the back but since Chris left mine is the only car. The apartment people will steal the spot back if we don't use it."

"Yes, it's mine. 1971, 351 cubic inches V8. Needed paint job. Not the best gas mileage but it's such a neat car," Tim sensed emotion and had the strange feeling it was about the car.

"I'm heading out of town tomorrow, I'll be back on September 13th, I'll move my stuff in that weekend? But I could leave the car here in the morning before I leave, a friend Jayne will pick me up, won't be taking it where I'm going, that work for you?"

"Yes, definitely, leave the car if you don't mind, whichever 'House' slot is free," said Tim, "I'm going camping that weekend but Leo and Neil will both be here."

"Yeah, we'll be around," Leo confirmed, "just call a couple of days ahead and we'll make sure a time so one of us is here to get you a key when you arrive."

She reached down and pulled her checkbook out of the little pack sitting next to her chair and set it on the table, then she reached across and Tim then Leo almost winced at the force of her handshake.