STEALING DONUTS, Part 3 of 4
MC wasn't done with Gertie's donuts. One word that certainly
describes the Commodore is persistent - very very persistent. A few
days after MC's initial foray with the grav disk, she tried again. She
planted one grav disk on the inside of the donut box cover, another on
the outside bottem of the box, and attached the last to a donut with
some frosting. Then she waited for Gertie to arrive.
Now the Commodore isn't exactly known for having a lot of get
up and go in the morning. In fact, she is one of the great
recreational sleepers of the imperium, or at least it seems that way.
Gertie wandered into the mess and noticed that MC had gotten up before
her. Instantly suspicious, she approached the donut box with caution.
She noticed the grav disk on the inside cover immediately. She found
the grav disk on the bottem of the box seconds later. She gave MC the
lift of that well-known blond eyebrow, appropriated the grav disks and
sat down.
MC looked dissappointed; in fact, one could say that the
Commodore was having a mild pout. It was a brilliant performance on
MC's part - Gertie was convinced that nothing more was in store for
her. Now the Master Chief Sean, and MC knew that Gertie had taken
the donut with the grav disk attached. Having seen MC attach the grav
disk myself, I knew the grav disk was on the plate too, but everyone
else in the mess was as clueless as Gertie.
MC sat next to Thilia, looking for all the world like a child
who had been caught in the cookie jar. But when Gertie had eaten her
way down to the level of the grav disk donut, MC made her move. The
donut slowly and gently floated up, and then slowly it started floating
away.
Now the only things (other than the donut) that moved were
Gertie's eyes. Her glance shifted from her reading to the donut as it
floating away. Two blue eyes tracked the motion of the donut, one
blond eyebrow lifted, and then at the last possible moment her hand
whipped out and snagged the donut. With an expression of
long-suffering patience, she detached the grav disk from the donut.
Looking over the tops of her reading glasses, she gave MC the sort of
look mothers give wayward children, and pocketed the grav disk. MC
replied with a look of studied innocence. Sean, standing at the
counter mixing his morning concoction, had a good laugh at the
tableau.
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MC made one last pass at Gertie's donuts. A few days later,
MC sent a grav disk through the mess and attempted to slide it under
a donut. Gertie watched this display of remote control virtuosity with
vast amusement, and then relieved the grav disk of its cargo. Gertie
tried very hard not to laugh when the empty grav disk arrived at MC's
table, but she didn't succeed.
Sean, of course, was making his morning concoction while all of
this was going on. There was only Sean, Thilia, me, MC, Rocky, and
Gertie in the mess - which is to say everyone in the mess knew about
Sean's "talents." Sean had been watching the antics over Gertie's
donuts and finally decided he was going to play. He leaned against the
counter sipping his concoction, and looked to all the world like part
of the fixtures.
As soon as Gertie settled back down to her reading, the plate
lifted up and floated to the other side of her. She went to grab another
donut, missed the plate, noticed its new location and glared at MC.
"MC!"
"What?" MC turned in her seat to see Gertie.
"Enough is enough."
"Enough is enough what?" MC was bewildered, and a little edgy
in reaction to Gertie's tone of voice.
"You have my kind permission to quit messing around with the
donuts," Gertie growled back while lifting the plate to find the grav
disk. She frowned when she didn't find one.
" I didn't do it!" MC protested, with vigorous sincerity. The
look Gertie gave her said volumes about whether Gertie believed that.
Gertie moved the plate within the crook of her elbow and
settled back to reading. One by one, the remaining donuts floated off
the plate and repiled themselved in the middle of the table. Gertie
reached for another donut, and immediately barked at MC.
"Look Commodore, I'm not amused any more."
"Dammit, Your Commissionership, I didn't do it! Look. You've
got one of my grav disks. Here," MC held up two more, "here are the
other two - and I only made three! Get off my case - I DIDN"T DO IT!!!"
Gertie glared back.
"And besides," MC continued, "do you possibly think I'm so good
with a remote control grav disk as to make a pile like THAT!" MC
pointed demonstratively at the neat pyramid of donuts in the middle of
the table.
Gertie paused, and frowned in thought as she considered. It was
then that Sean busted up. Gertie turned and gave him one of those looks.
That only made Sean laugh harder.
Thilia, being blind, leaned across the table and insisted the
MC tell her what was going on (again).
- -----------------
next weekend - part 4 (and last): Gertie has her revenge
(subtitled "MC did how many push-ups?!?")