Heathrow International Airport, 5:15AM GMT, Sunday
[...and now for something completely different.]
Last week's trauma about Isabel had resulted in extra phone calls as well as e-mail, after which Parker had put all questions of Fandom weirdness out of her mind for her Finals week from hell.
Her last midterm had been 36 hours ago. She'd spent a good portion of those hours drinking, and then getting sober enough to drive to London to meet this plane. Oh-dark-hundred, although really, the sky was turning lemon-gold while Parker waited.
She checked her watch as the jet touched down. Right on time.
A few minutes later, the jet arrived at the gate and first-class passengers disembarked.
Among them was a petite, wiry girl in plaid pajama bottoms and a tank top. A tank top with her name on it in case, you know, Parker had forgotten who she was or something. The various business traveler types and that woman Zero swore was a Spice Girl were probably glad to see her go.
Parker grinned at the sight of her though, watching a few first-class passengers hurrying away, and reached out to squeeze her arm. Effusive as ever.
"Hey." Then she held up a cup of espresso. "Wake-up call, or sleep while I drive? And have you got any more luggage?"
Zero made grabby hands at the coffee. "Coffee coffee coffee," she said. Then she jerked her head toward baggage claim. "Yeh, I should probably get that, huh?"
Parker surrendered the coffee and pulled down her shades, spinning her keys around one finger. "Unless you want to be buying it back on eBay tomorrow, yeah. Or explaining to the Security guys that no, you weren't abandoning contraband for your pick-up." She grinned. "We don't need another arrest before you're even officially here, do we?"
"Shh, gendarme might hear you," Zero said, glancing around mock-warily. "I'll get the bag, you get the getaway car?"
Parker mimed a salute. "I'll be outside the BritAir exit, engine idly so we can ditch this place." She cocked her head at the first-class passengers who were studiously avoiding looking at the pajama-clad Zero. "Should I ask how the flight went?"
"I fail to see the point in dressing up to fly across the sodding ocean, but maybe that's just me," Zero said. "Also, I look twelve. Also a song I wrote has been getting a bit of airplay in LA lately, but, you know, these things happen. I also did a cover of 'Tom Cruise Crazy.' I brought you a CD."
Parker cackled in delight, loud enough to turn a few security guards' heads their way. "Awesome! We can listen to it on the way to Oxford." She pointed at Zero. "Back in less than ten minutes."
Exactly nine minutes later, Parker had pulled up her blue Miata outside the BritAir doors, top down and engine idling. "Need help with the bags?" she called when Zero exited the building.
"I got it." Though she be but little, she be fierce. Zero tossed her bag into the boot and hopped in next to Parker. "Nice ride. Dave is better."
"Dave is still alive and terrorizing the L.A. freeways, is she?" Parker pulled out into traffic and swerved to avoid a bicyclist, yelling, "Tourist!" before turning on the radio. "Punch in your CD. We've got two hours 'til we hit Oxford. I'm thinking breakfast at the big hall, and then we find somewhere to plan our attack on the Crown Jewels." She switched lanes without signaling, then floored it as they hit the M-4. "Talk to the boyfriend type lately?"
Zero popped in her CD--variations on a theme of Anonymous vs. Scientology, including 'Tom Cruise Crazy' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and shamelessly put her feet up on the dash. "Yeh. We e-mailed some a few days ago. I'm...not actually sure if we're still fightin' or what. He grovels well, but. 'm not sure he gets it."
Parker caught herself singing along to Rick Astley under her breath (Never gonna give you up/ Never gonna let you down!) then stopped, glaring at Zero for inspiring this kind of behavior. Again. "Careful. Don't scuff the car. She may not be Dave, but she's faster than the cops around here." She frowned at the news about Peter, then judiciously said, "Groveling is good. Flowers and candy and showing up with cookies to hang outside your window would be better, though. Soooo... he doesn't get why disappearing for days and whaling on bad guys without you is a problem?" She snorted. "Very typical male. I'm surprised at him."
"He says he has 'issues.' And 'baggage.' And, y'know, what is that? When did he become the girl in this relationship?" Zero pressed her lips together tightly, and said, "That was stereotyping of me, and wrong. But. I'm sorry that he has issues and baggage an' all, but he could let me help instead of shutting me out and 'not making me deal with it.'" This mini-diatribe comes to you courtesy of air quotes.
Parker's lips compressed into a thin line of agreement, and then she shook her head. "Singing to the choir, here." She switched lanes again, voice rising a little to be heard over a truck they were passing. "I get dealing with too much, I get needing to process, and so do you. But there's limits on how far they should get to run away." Her voice dropped off as the truck receded behind them, and she made a face. "At least you still know where he is. And you can call to taunt him if you want to." She shot a look over at Zero. "Think you'll want to?"
"Maybe. Maybe tomorrow, Iunno. I don't think he even knows I was coming here," Zero said with a shrug. "I see you've got the driving on the wrong side of the road thing down pat."
"Three days a week I'm driving from Oxford to London for work, I should have it down by now." Parker smiled, and let the subject of Peter go for the time being. "But I have this week off, except for dropping off some files on Wednesday, so we can head to Blackpool for the amusement park, London for all the sights, or back to Stonehenge to see if they painted those stones blue since last time. Whatever you want to do." She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as "Tom Cruise Crazy" started up, and began to grin. "Okay, you were on a roll with this one."
Zero smirked and pushed her sunglasses up her nose. "We are Anonymous," quoth she. "Expect us. It's not my fault Tom Cruise is crazy. Let's hit London. And if Stonehenge isn't blue yet, well, maybe it should be. Although I suspect we don' have the manpower to pull it off."
"No, but it's your fault he was crazy and then embarrassed on MTV," Parker responded with a certain amount of relish. "We can watch the download again when we get you settled in. Stella's off in Spain this week, she said you could use her bedroom." She checked her rear-view mirror, hummed along with the chorus, and said, "We could always re-design just one stone. And I bet Elizabeth and Nourhane would help."
"What about Nourhane's sexpot intended, won't he care if we get her, iunno, arrested?" Not that this would stop Zero, she was just, you know, sussing out the risks. "Hey, did you know Rory's getting married?"
"Selim is in Cardiff for the week. So as long as it doesn't make the papers? No biggie. Although he'd probably get all kinds of worried and storm around the jail demanding our release, which could be entertaining." Parker grinned, like she'd never wound up a guy for the fun of watching him rant. "And yeah, I heard from Alanna. Bizzzzzarre. Which, okay, John and Aeryn got married in November, but still."
"I don't understand," Zero wailed. "I'm too young to be married! They're the same age as me! Except Anakin, who's...frak knows."
"I have no idea. Although having a son who's the same age as us always makes him seem like a grandpa. So weird." Parker made a face. "And, yes, exactly! Nourhane's waiting until she's at least twenty-two and out of school before she gets married, and she's having a semi-arranged marriage, for cripes' sake. Even if I found Twoo Love tomorrow--" Or even if she'd had it, and lost it a couple times. "--I sure as hell can't get married 'til I'm at least thirty. I've got too much to do. I don't get them." She tilted her sunglasses down and asked, "Remember when we ended up running from crazy monks in Special Collections with her and Angela?"
Zero grinned fondly. "Good times. I'm not getting married any time soon, that's for squalling sure. At least not until after college, good grief."
"Crazy kids." Parker smirked back at Zero, and shifted down as the Miata approached a hill. "Anyway. There's no Tom Cruise to torment here, but I bet we can find some trouble if we go looking. I wish you could stay a month, but we'll just have to cram as much as we can into one week."
Zero grinned back at her. "I'm sure we'll manage somehow."
[Pre-played with the splendid swerval_zero for great time-zone friendliness.]
Last week's trauma about Isabel had resulted in extra phone calls as well as e-mail, after which Parker had put all questions of Fandom weirdness out of her mind for her Finals week from hell.
Her last midterm had been 36 hours ago. She'd spent a good portion of those hours drinking, and then getting sober enough to drive to London to meet this plane. Oh-dark-hundred, although really, the sky was turning lemon-gold while Parker waited.
She checked her watch as the jet touched down. Right on time.
A few minutes later, the jet arrived at the gate and first-class passengers disembarked.
Among them was a petite, wiry girl in plaid pajama bottoms and a tank top. A tank top with her name on it in case, you know, Parker had forgotten who she was or something. The various business traveler types and that woman Zero swore was a Spice Girl were probably glad to see her go.
Parker grinned at the sight of her though, watching a few first-class passengers hurrying away, and reached out to squeeze her arm. Effusive as ever.
"Hey." Then she held up a cup of espresso. "Wake-up call, or sleep while I drive? And have you got any more luggage?"
Zero made grabby hands at the coffee. "Coffee coffee coffee," she said. Then she jerked her head toward baggage claim. "Yeh, I should probably get that, huh?"
Parker surrendered the coffee and pulled down her shades, spinning her keys around one finger. "Unless you want to be buying it back on eBay tomorrow, yeah. Or explaining to the Security guys that no, you weren't abandoning contraband for your pick-up." She grinned. "We don't need another arrest before you're even officially here, do we?"
"Shh, gendarme might hear you," Zero said, glancing around mock-warily. "I'll get the bag, you get the getaway car?"
Parker mimed a salute. "I'll be outside the BritAir exit, engine idly so we can ditch this place." She cocked her head at the first-class passengers who were studiously avoiding looking at the pajama-clad Zero. "Should I ask how the flight went?"
"I fail to see the point in dressing up to fly across the sodding ocean, but maybe that's just me," Zero said. "Also, I look twelve. Also a song I wrote has been getting a bit of airplay in LA lately, but, you know, these things happen. I also did a cover of 'Tom Cruise Crazy.' I brought you a CD."
Parker cackled in delight, loud enough to turn a few security guards' heads their way. "Awesome! We can listen to it on the way to Oxford." She pointed at Zero. "Back in less than ten minutes."
Exactly nine minutes later, Parker had pulled up her blue Miata outside the BritAir doors, top down and engine idling. "Need help with the bags?" she called when Zero exited the building.
"I got it." Though she be but little, she be fierce. Zero tossed her bag into the boot and hopped in next to Parker. "Nice ride. Dave is better."
"Dave is still alive and terrorizing the L.A. freeways, is she?" Parker pulled out into traffic and swerved to avoid a bicyclist, yelling, "Tourist!" before turning on the radio. "Punch in your CD. We've got two hours 'til we hit Oxford. I'm thinking breakfast at the big hall, and then we find somewhere to plan our attack on the Crown Jewels." She switched lanes without signaling, then floored it as they hit the M-4. "Talk to the boyfriend type lately?"
Zero popped in her CD--variations on a theme of Anonymous vs. Scientology, including 'Tom Cruise Crazy' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and shamelessly put her feet up on the dash. "Yeh. We e-mailed some a few days ago. I'm...not actually sure if we're still fightin' or what. He grovels well, but. 'm not sure he gets it."
Parker caught herself singing along to Rick Astley under her breath (Never gonna give you up/ Never gonna let you down!) then stopped, glaring at Zero for inspiring this kind of behavior. Again. "Careful. Don't scuff the car. She may not be Dave, but she's faster than the cops around here." She frowned at the news about Peter, then judiciously said, "Groveling is good. Flowers and candy and showing up with cookies to hang outside your window would be better, though. Soooo... he doesn't get why disappearing for days and whaling on bad guys without you is a problem?" She snorted. "Very typical male. I'm surprised at him."
"He says he has 'issues.' And 'baggage.' And, y'know, what is that? When did he become the girl in this relationship?" Zero pressed her lips together tightly, and said, "That was stereotyping of me, and wrong. But. I'm sorry that he has issues and baggage an' all, but he could let me help instead of shutting me out and 'not making me deal with it.'" This mini-diatribe comes to you courtesy of air quotes.
Parker's lips compressed into a thin line of agreement, and then she shook her head. "Singing to the choir, here." She switched lanes again, voice rising a little to be heard over a truck they were passing. "I get dealing with too much, I get needing to process, and so do you. But there's limits on how far they should get to run away." Her voice dropped off as the truck receded behind them, and she made a face. "At least you still know where he is. And you can call to taunt him if you want to." She shot a look over at Zero. "Think you'll want to?"
"Maybe. Maybe tomorrow, Iunno. I don't think he even knows I was coming here," Zero said with a shrug. "I see you've got the driving on the wrong side of the road thing down pat."
"Three days a week I'm driving from Oxford to London for work, I should have it down by now." Parker smiled, and let the subject of Peter go for the time being. "But I have this week off, except for dropping off some files on Wednesday, so we can head to Blackpool for the amusement park, London for all the sights, or back to Stonehenge to see if they painted those stones blue since last time. Whatever you want to do." She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as "Tom Cruise Crazy" started up, and began to grin. "Okay, you were on a roll with this one."
Zero smirked and pushed her sunglasses up her nose. "We are Anonymous," quoth she. "Expect us. It's not my fault Tom Cruise is crazy. Let's hit London. And if Stonehenge isn't blue yet, well, maybe it should be. Although I suspect we don' have the manpower to pull it off."
"No, but it's your fault he was crazy and then embarrassed on MTV," Parker responded with a certain amount of relish. "We can watch the download again when we get you settled in. Stella's off in Spain this week, she said you could use her bedroom." She checked her rear-view mirror, hummed along with the chorus, and said, "We could always re-design just one stone. And I bet Elizabeth and Nourhane would help."
"What about Nourhane's sexpot intended, won't he care if we get her, iunno, arrested?" Not that this would stop Zero, she was just, you know, sussing out the risks. "Hey, did you know Rory's getting married?"
"Selim is in Cardiff for the week. So as long as it doesn't make the papers? No biggie. Although he'd probably get all kinds of worried and storm around the jail demanding our release, which could be entertaining." Parker grinned, like she'd never wound up a guy for the fun of watching him rant. "And yeah, I heard from Alanna. Bizzzzzarre. Which, okay, John and Aeryn got married in November, but still."
"I don't understand," Zero wailed. "I'm too young to be married! They're the same age as me! Except Anakin, who's...frak knows."
"I have no idea. Although having a son who's the same age as us always makes him seem like a grandpa. So weird." Parker made a face. "And, yes, exactly! Nourhane's waiting until she's at least twenty-two and out of school before she gets married, and she's having a semi-arranged marriage, for cripes' sake. Even if I found Twoo Love tomorrow--" Or even if she'd had it, and lost it a couple times. "--I sure as hell can't get married 'til I'm at least thirty. I've got too much to do. I don't get them." She tilted her sunglasses down and asked, "Remember when we ended up running from crazy monks in Special Collections with her and Angela?"
Zero grinned fondly. "Good times. I'm not getting married any time soon, that's for squalling sure. At least not until after college, good grief."
"Crazy kids." Parker smirked back at Zero, and shifted down as the Miata approached a hill. "Anyway. There's no Tom Cruise to torment here, but I bet we can find some trouble if we go looking. I wish you could stay a month, but we'll just have to cram as much as we can into one week."
Zero grinned back at her. "I'm sure we'll manage somehow."
[Pre-played with the splendid swerval_zero for great time-zone friendliness.]