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Dec. 24th, 2008 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gone_byebyeWhen Christmas Eve 2008 dawned at the Firehouse, Ecto was already awake. Not that she had ever gone to sleep in the first place. She never slept. There was always something to draw her attention somewhere, whether it was a financial market result on the other side of the world or a message from one of the other four intelligent machines she'd discovered, or even an interesting scientific result coming back from one of the hundreds of processor timeslices she'd bought on other computers scattered across dozens of countries. Regardless, when Christmas Eve dawned in 2008, she was already awake, a fact which put her well ahead of the humans with whom she lived.
"Morning, Mr. Peck," she called softly to the fish on Janine's desk. "Merry almost Christmas."
"Is that meant as some kind of a joke?" the fish snapped back in its squeaky, helium-balloon voice. "I fail to see what's so merry about it."
"Where there's life there's hope, Mr. Peck. I know you don't like being a fish, but it could be a whole lot worse."
"Yes, I can read the news, thank you," the fish snarled. (If anything in that vocal register could truly be considered snarling, anyway.) "When Miss Melnitz leaves the newspaper where I can see it, at any rate. I'm well aware that you people claim to have saved the world yet again."
"Just doing our jobs," Ecto said. "Somebody's got to protect the people."
"Oh, please. Your so-called father didn't even fire a proton pack-"
"Mr. Peck, what did I tell you about saying nasty things about Dad last time?" Ecto's tone was suddenly stern. "Do you want to go back to the Hartz Mountain fish food?"
"... no." The fish folded its fins sulkily.
"Okay then." Ecto settled back on her suspension. "You just remember that when Lieutenant Chen comes in today."
"What does he want with you people?"
"He's got a New Year's Eve request from the city," says Ecto. "Daddy and Uncle Winston and I're gonna be on duty in Times Square this year, just in case."
"Just in case of what?" the fish asked, almost unwillingly.
"Just... you know. In case."
"Morning, Mr. Peck," she called softly to the fish on Janine's desk. "Merry almost Christmas."
"Is that meant as some kind of a joke?" the fish snapped back in its squeaky, helium-balloon voice. "I fail to see what's so merry about it."
"Where there's life there's hope, Mr. Peck. I know you don't like being a fish, but it could be a whole lot worse."
"Yes, I can read the news, thank you," the fish snarled. (If anything in that vocal register could truly be considered snarling, anyway.) "When Miss Melnitz leaves the newspaper where I can see it, at any rate. I'm well aware that you people claim to have saved the world yet again."
"Just doing our jobs," Ecto said. "Somebody's got to protect the people."
"Oh, please. Your so-called father didn't even fire a proton pack-"
"Mr. Peck, what did I tell you about saying nasty things about Dad last time?" Ecto's tone was suddenly stern. "Do you want to go back to the Hartz Mountain fish food?"
"... no." The fish folded its fins sulkily.
"Okay then." Ecto settled back on her suspension. "You just remember that when Lieutenant Chen comes in today."
"What does he want with you people?"
"He's got a New Year's Eve request from the city," says Ecto. "Daddy and Uncle Winston and I're gonna be on duty in Times Square this year, just in case."
"Just in case of what?" the fish asked, almost unwillingly.
"Just... you know. In case."
