Quoted By:
But the debriefing ends soon enough. The HOPIs of both pilots give and corroborate their testimonies, and the spooks are all too eager to pick apart the A.I.’s for any sort of discrepancy. They find none, much to at least Mullaney’s disappointment.
“We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” Spears says with a sniff of finality as his goons pack up their equipment. “Unami, Elishani.”
You nod curtly. Gully doesn’t even bother. And the two of you remain standing, even as they shuffle off and out of the hangar. Neither of you sit back down until you hear the boatswain’s whistle, signaling their departure off the <span class="mu-i">Calypso</span>.
“…that went well,” you say dryly.
Your compatriot grunts wordlessly, arms crossed and her features pinched tight. She’s still angry. Whether or not it’s from stonewalling her the crew manifesto, the revelation of her name…maybe a combination both.
You scratch the back of your head. In truth, you hadn’t been planning on using it as a crutch to get her out of this funk. Just a happy side-effect of an already pre-determined event. “Hey, Gully? Remember what you and I talked about yesterday…”
>>An hour later…
>>Méliès Community Theater, Upper Garden, Dockside District
“Two for the <span class="mu-i">Maltese Falcon</span>,” Gully says, flashing her silver pass at the booth. They’re accepted with a wordless nod, punched and returned to her with tickets. Then she turns to you, pointing at the billboard. “Your turn to pick, Unami.”
You blink, surprised. “We’re using all of the punches today?”
“I didn’t plan on it originally. But after that shitshow with the spooks…” Her voice trails off, and she clicks her tongue in annoyance. “…besides, push comes to shove, we can just pay for tickets later down the week.”
True enough. Although…while it isn’t like you had anything else planned for the day, three movies back-to-back…it’s quite the time sink. Looks like you’ll be getting out of Upper Garden just around sundown, if not a little later.
“Do they have anything more substantial than popcorn,” you ask, squinting at the billboard. “Since we didn’t get lunch?”
Gully cracks a smile. The first she’s had since the debriefing and your departure from the <span class="mu-i">Calypso</span>. “There’s a little sandwich shop down the street. Go pick your films and we’ll go grab a bite.”
Checking a nearby clock, you frown. “There won’t be enough time to eat. By the time we get our food, the <span class="mu-i">Falcon’s</span> already started.”
“PUEXO pilots get to bring their own food from the outside. Same goes for roughnecks.”
How awfully generous of the theater!
>>Please select two(2) movies you'd like to see with Gully:
>Dr. Strangelove (1964), a black comedy.
>Frankenstein (1931), a sci-fi horror.
>The Lady Eve (1941), a screwball romcom.
>Metropolis (1927), an expressionist sci-fi.
>Seven Samurai (1954), an epic samurai drama.
<span class="mu-s">[VOTE OPEN FOR TEN(10) HOURS]</span>
