The Phone Call
Family's New Shrink Ray
chapter 38
by
copier
· original author:
penslayer5
Beth was about to thank her mentor for his kind words when she felt a buzzing coming from her lab coat. Without giving it much thought she reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone and gasped when she saw the incoming call was from her father.
"It's daddy." She told her two companions.
Steve blanched while Debbie smiled. The blonde spoke very highly of the man while her husband was usually very vague when regarding his rich benefactor. It was clear his money was shady at best, but he still sounded like a loving if busy father.
Beth swiped her finger across the screen. "Daddy!"
The tiny doctor watched his blonde lab assistant walk off to the side to have a private conversation with her old man and could already feel the sweat forming on his brow. Beth's father was a powerful man with very deep pockets, and not someone you wanted to be on the bad side of.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Debbie asked. She already had a pretty good idea but just didn't want the air to fill with silence.
"Hopefully not my execution." Steve joked nervously. He sincerely hoped when he was inevitably brought into the discussion Beth could save him.
Debbie sighed as she took a seat on the curb. "I don't think you have much to worry about here. If anyone's going to hang for all of this, it's me."
"Don't say that." Steve tried to comfort his wife.
"It's true though, Steve. I caused this and I have to live with the consequences." Debbie explained. She took a deep breath. "When this is all over, I'm going to turn myself in."
"Debbie?!" The little scientist gasped.
"I'm serious. Everyone who died today deserves justice and me walking away after all of this is over would be a slap in the face to them and their families." The older woman continued. "If anyone's going to burn it's me. Erica too."
Beth meanwhile sat off to the side and listened as her father explained how he saw the news and tried to contact her over and over again. He was so worried that he called in a few favors had a mercenary team sent into town to rescue her.
"And they still haven't reported back."
"They're probably dead then." Beth replied sadly. More lives needlessly lost.
"I'll send someone else then. I can have anyone there in-"
"Please, don't send anyone else." Beth cut him off. "This is our mess, so we have to clean it up. If we don't then the 50ft woman is going to eat everyone."
"But you could die!" Her father finally snaped. "I can't lose you like I lost Barbe... I can't!"
Beth pursed her lips. "I miss mom too. But I'm not a little girl anymore and you can't protect me from everything. I'm an adult... and that means taking responsibility."
"But you shouldn't have to go down for Jordan's mistakes!"
"I helped him put this project together. We both did this. So, we have to fix it. I'm a scientist and sometimes we make mistakes... and sometimes those mistakes hurt innocent people. But a scientist preservers, because they believe in what they are doing. A scientist deals with setbacks and forms new plans and that's what we're going to do because we are scientists!"
Silence followd.
Beth's father spoke again. "When did you go and grow up?"
"When I had a really good teacher." The blonde smiled.
The man on the line sighed. "Alright. I'll let you take care of business but as soon as the job is done, you call me, understood."
"Yes sir!" Beth mock saluted.
"Good." He sighed. "I love you and be safe."
"I love you too."
The call ended and Beth sighed. She placed her phone in her pocket and returned to her companions.
"I'm back." She half smiled.
"Am I dead?" Steve asked.
Beth shook her head. "No, you're off the hook for now?"
The tiny scientist raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage that?"
Beth smile finally reached her eyes. "I remembered what you taught me."
Even Debbie felt herself smile briefly.
"It's daddy." She told her two companions.
Steve blanched while Debbie smiled. The blonde spoke very highly of the man while her husband was usually very vague when regarding his rich benefactor. It was clear his money was shady at best, but he still sounded like a loving if busy father.
Beth swiped her finger across the screen. "Daddy!"
The tiny doctor watched his blonde lab assistant walk off to the side to have a private conversation with her old man and could already feel the sweat forming on his brow. Beth's father was a powerful man with very deep pockets, and not someone you wanted to be on the bad side of.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Debbie asked. She already had a pretty good idea but just didn't want the air to fill with silence.
"Hopefully not my execution." Steve joked nervously. He sincerely hoped when he was inevitably brought into the discussion Beth could save him.
Debbie sighed as she took a seat on the curb. "I don't think you have much to worry about here. If anyone's going to hang for all of this, it's me."
"Don't say that." Steve tried to comfort his wife.
"It's true though, Steve. I caused this and I have to live with the consequences." Debbie explained. She took a deep breath. "When this is all over, I'm going to turn myself in."
"Debbie?!" The little scientist gasped.
"I'm serious. Everyone who died today deserves justice and me walking away after all of this is over would be a slap in the face to them and their families." The older woman continued. "If anyone's going to burn it's me. Erica too."
Beth meanwhile sat off to the side and listened as her father explained how he saw the news and tried to contact her over and over again. He was so worried that he called in a few favors had a mercenary team sent into town to rescue her.
"And they still haven't reported back."
"They're probably dead then." Beth replied sadly. More lives needlessly lost.
"I'll send someone else then. I can have anyone there in-"
"Please, don't send anyone else." Beth cut him off. "This is our mess, so we have to clean it up. If we don't then the 50ft woman is going to eat everyone."
"But you could die!" Her father finally snaped. "I can't lose you like I lost Barbe... I can't!"
Beth pursed her lips. "I miss mom too. But I'm not a little girl anymore and you can't protect me from everything. I'm an adult... and that means taking responsibility."
"But you shouldn't have to go down for Jordan's mistakes!"
"I helped him put this project together. We both did this. So, we have to fix it. I'm a scientist and sometimes we make mistakes... and sometimes those mistakes hurt innocent people. But a scientist preservers, because they believe in what they are doing. A scientist deals with setbacks and forms new plans and that's what we're going to do because we are scientists!"
Silence followd.
Beth's father spoke again. "When did you go and grow up?"
"When I had a really good teacher." The blonde smiled.
The man on the line sighed. "Alright. I'll let you take care of business but as soon as the job is done, you call me, understood."
"Yes sir!" Beth mock saluted.
"Good." He sighed. "I love you and be safe."
"I love you too."
The call ended and Beth sighed. She placed her phone in her pocket and returned to her companions.
"I'm back." She half smiled.
"Am I dead?" Steve asked.
Beth shook her head. "No, you're off the hook for now?"
The tiny scientist raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage that?"
Beth smile finally reached her eyes. "I remembered what you taught me."
Even Debbie felt herself smile briefly.
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November 12
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