FIC: Summer 2008: "Fault Lines": For Jelsemium
Title: Fault Lines
Author: Emma DeMarais (
emmademarais) / Marlon Brando
Recipient:
jelsemium
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Author notes to follow. Thank you to both my betas.
Summary: David and Colby make a bet and Charlie goes off on why it's a bad idea
Spoilers: None
Fault Lines
"Dude, I'm telling you I just know..."
"I think you're full of it, but I'm happy to take your money..."
"Speaking of, show me the money!"
Charlie and Megan came out of the conference room to find David and Colby pulling out their wallets and producing bills which they displayed to the other before putting them away.
"What was that all about?" Charlie asked as Megan busied herself at her desk.
Colby gestured to his partner, smug. "David here just bet me twenty bucks that there would be an earthquake today."
"You're kidding!" Charlie marveled. "You guys are clearly not from California! We have earthquakes here daily!" Both Colby and David tried to speak, but Charlie just kept on talking, launching into full on professor mode - minus the chalk. "Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes each year. Now most of those are so small no one feels them. Only a few hundred are greater than 3.0 on the Richter scale. Those are the ones that stand a decent chance of being felt by the average citizen. Here, let me show you..."
"Well actually, Charlie..." David tried to interject, but Charlie didn't notice, too engrossed in drawing a diagram on a spare page of his notebook.
"Get comfortable guys, this could take a while," Megan deadpanned as she walked off towards the break room.
"Hey, bring us back some popcorn, will you?" David called after her. "We need rations before we go under!"
"Dude, she's got jujubes in her desk," Colby said. "Think we could..."
"I heard that!" Megan's voice floated up over the cubicles just as Charlie started up again.
"The San Andreas fault runs 800 miles throughout the state of California, mind you it's not technically a single fault but multiple fault lines, or segments if you will, that make up a greater fault zone..."
David and Colby looked at each other, shook their heads and pulled up chairs to wait the lecture out, each putting on their best 'yes, I'm listening' face - perfected over the course of many cases with a certain verbose math genius.
"If I give you the twenty bucks now think he'll stop?" David whispered.
"Hell, I'd give him the twenty bucks to stop," Colby said, playing with a paperclip.
"Now this is an approximation of the San Andreas fault zone where it intersects Southern California," Charlie continued excitedly, completely oblivious to their ennui. "I've marked the FBI offices on Wilshire here..." He made a big arrow pointing to a small dot near the ocean.
"He still going at it?" Megan asked, coming back to her desk with a fresh cup of coffee and a donut, earning dagger stares from her hapless and hungry co-workers.
"Apparently," Colby muttered under his breath just before Charlie started scribbling the beginnings of an equation on his completed drawing.
"If this works..." More scribbling from Charlie. More squirming from Colby and David. More smirking from Megan. "You'd have a rough estimate of the probability of an earthquake on this calendar day... Oh, you know they're doing interesting things with mathematical prediction of earthquakes in Russia of all places? The International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics..."
Don walked up to the bullpen, took in Colby and David's glazed over expressions, Charlie's diagram and turned to Megan with a questioning gaze.
"Don't look at me," she said, putting her hands up. "They're big boys. I'm letting them get themselves out this time."
Don grumbled and took a closer look at what Charlie was displaying on his notebook.
"Earthquakes? Buddy, we've got real crime here. Can this wait for a day when we aren't about to get a search warrant? Or better yet, when we're not working period?"
"How about never?" Colby said under his breath to David. "Never fits into my schedule just great."
"Yeah, I've got room a week from Tuesday for never," David replied, chuckling.
"Sure, sure!" Charlie said, starting to put the notebook away. "I was just telling Colby and David that the probability of an earthquake today was essentially 100 percent - for all values of California, that is."
"Um," David cleared his throat. "Actually the bet was just for an earthquake of at least 5.0."
"Oh." Charlie said, blinking in surprise. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Yeah, why are you guys hanging around talking about earthquakes?" Don asked, annoyed. "Don't you have work to do?" He grabbed a folder off his desk and stalked off, shaking his head.
Colby and David just gaped like matching carp and Megan couldn't help but bursting out laughing at the sight.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are so dead," she singsonged.
Charlie just looked pensive for a few seconds before brightening, punching the air with his finger in triumph. "You know since only 15-20 earthquakes here a year are greater than 4.0 I'm sure I could come up with a probability matrix for you..."
Colby sat back in his chair, groaning.
"Where's a search warrant when you need one?"
"Forget that," David quipped. "What we need is an earthquake..."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
NB: Hey guys, sorry to spring this on you but the last one or two fics may be delayed. I'm headed to the airport in about 3 hours and I won't be home (well... my other home) until tomorrow afternoon-ish. There are two fics remaning, along with the Author Reveal. I'll post one fic today, and then I'm afraid the other one and the AR will have to wait till Sunday/early Money.
Sorry for the delay. - DB
Author: Emma DeMarais (
emmademarais) / Marlon Brando
Recipient:
jelsemium
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Author notes to follow. Thank you to both my betas.
Summary: David and Colby make a bet and Charlie goes off on why it's a bad idea
Spoilers: None
Fault Lines
"Dude, I'm telling you I just know..."
"I think you're full of it, but I'm happy to take your money..."
"Speaking of, show me the money!"
Charlie and Megan came out of the conference room to find David and Colby pulling out their wallets and producing bills which they displayed to the other before putting them away.
"What was that all about?" Charlie asked as Megan busied herself at her desk.
Colby gestured to his partner, smug. "David here just bet me twenty bucks that there would be an earthquake today."
"You're kidding!" Charlie marveled. "You guys are clearly not from California! We have earthquakes here daily!" Both Colby and David tried to speak, but Charlie just kept on talking, launching into full on professor mode - minus the chalk. "Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes each year. Now most of those are so small no one feels them. Only a few hundred are greater than 3.0 on the Richter scale. Those are the ones that stand a decent chance of being felt by the average citizen. Here, let me show you..."
"Well actually, Charlie..." David tried to interject, but Charlie didn't notice, too engrossed in drawing a diagram on a spare page of his notebook.
"Get comfortable guys, this could take a while," Megan deadpanned as she walked off towards the break room.
"Hey, bring us back some popcorn, will you?" David called after her. "We need rations before we go under!"
"Dude, she's got jujubes in her desk," Colby said. "Think we could..."
"I heard that!" Megan's voice floated up over the cubicles just as Charlie started up again.
"The San Andreas fault runs 800 miles throughout the state of California, mind you it's not technically a single fault but multiple fault lines, or segments if you will, that make up a greater fault zone..."
David and Colby looked at each other, shook their heads and pulled up chairs to wait the lecture out, each putting on their best 'yes, I'm listening' face - perfected over the course of many cases with a certain verbose math genius.
"If I give you the twenty bucks now think he'll stop?" David whispered.
"Hell, I'd give him the twenty bucks to stop," Colby said, playing with a paperclip.
"Now this is an approximation of the San Andreas fault zone where it intersects Southern California," Charlie continued excitedly, completely oblivious to their ennui. "I've marked the FBI offices on Wilshire here..." He made a big arrow pointing to a small dot near the ocean.
"He still going at it?" Megan asked, coming back to her desk with a fresh cup of coffee and a donut, earning dagger stares from her hapless and hungry co-workers.
"Apparently," Colby muttered under his breath just before Charlie started scribbling the beginnings of an equation on his completed drawing.
"If this works..." More scribbling from Charlie. More squirming from Colby and David. More smirking from Megan. "You'd have a rough estimate of the probability of an earthquake on this calendar day... Oh, you know they're doing interesting things with mathematical prediction of earthquakes in Russia of all places? The International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics..."
Don walked up to the bullpen, took in Colby and David's glazed over expressions, Charlie's diagram and turned to Megan with a questioning gaze.
"Don't look at me," she said, putting her hands up. "They're big boys. I'm letting them get themselves out this time."
Don grumbled and took a closer look at what Charlie was displaying on his notebook.
"Earthquakes? Buddy, we've got real crime here. Can this wait for a day when we aren't about to get a search warrant? Or better yet, when we're not working period?"
"How about never?" Colby said under his breath to David. "Never fits into my schedule just great."
"Yeah, I've got room a week from Tuesday for never," David replied, chuckling.
"Sure, sure!" Charlie said, starting to put the notebook away. "I was just telling Colby and David that the probability of an earthquake today was essentially 100 percent - for all values of California, that is."
"Um," David cleared his throat. "Actually the bet was just for an earthquake of at least 5.0."
"Oh." Charlie said, blinking in surprise. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Yeah, why are you guys hanging around talking about earthquakes?" Don asked, annoyed. "Don't you have work to do?" He grabbed a folder off his desk and stalked off, shaking his head.
Colby and David just gaped like matching carp and Megan couldn't help but bursting out laughing at the sight.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are so dead," she singsonged.
Charlie just looked pensive for a few seconds before brightening, punching the air with his finger in triumph. "You know since only 15-20 earthquakes here a year are greater than 4.0 I'm sure I could come up with a probability matrix for you..."
Colby sat back in his chair, groaning.
"Where's a search warrant when you need one?"
"Forget that," David quipped. "What we need is an earthquake..."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
NB: Hey guys, sorry to spring this on you but the last one or two fics may be delayed. I'm headed to the airport in about 3 hours and I won't be home (well... my other home) until tomorrow afternoon-ish. There are two fics remaning, along with the Author Reveal. I'll post one fic today, and then I'm afraid the other one and the AR will have to wait till Sunday/early Money.
Sorry for the delay. - DB