(Untitled)

[acts_of_gord]

They're about two days away from the assault on the dead zone gene worm, and Gordon still hasn't figured out his exit plan. True, they could go with what worked for Shephard, or they could try an alternative variant, but he'd like to have something a little more reliable lined up if possible. He needs time to brainstorm, so he's slipped off to

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[a_mere_child]

Eventually, he is joined by his fiancée.

"Hey, you."

[a_mere_child]

"No." Alyx mock-pouts. "Dad was completely immune to rational argument."

[acts_of_gord]

"Funny how that happens," Gordon murmurs. "I'm a little surprised you didn't build him rockets instead- never mind, you were six, you probably didn't have all the supplies yet."

[a_mere_child]

"I tried. Dr. Magnusson caught me going through his equipment and I was grounded for two solid months."

[acts_of_gord]

"Remember that when our kids start trying to find the potassium nitrate and sugar," Gordon says. "You know they're going to."

[a_mere_child]

"Remind me to padlock the kitchen cabinets."

[acts_of_gord]

"Combination lock," Gordon says. "Padlocks are too easy to pick. And no '3141' or '2718' combinations, either."

[a_mere_child]

Alyx rolls her eyes. "C'mon, give me some credit."

[acts_of_gord]

"Richard Feynman used to have a hobby of picking locks at Los Alamos," Gordon points out. "He said in his memoirs that he didn't know which was more disturbing: how many people left safes containing top-secret nuclear documents with the factory default combinations, or how many otherwise brilliant scientists changed those combinations to 31-41-59 or 27-18-28 thinking no one else on the premises could possibly come up with that use of pi and e. I'd be willing to bet that if Dr. Kleiner has anything under combo lock right now, he's got one of those two numbers as the combination."

[a_mere_child]

"And yet he still keeps locking himself out somehow."

[acts_of_gord]

"Yes, well." Gordon shrugs. "Combinations you can guess at. Keys, you misplace."

[a_mere_child]

"...I guess we should be grateful we're the ones having kids and not him?"

Given what he's like with Lamaar, god forbid he should have any actual children.

[acts_of_gord]

"Very," Gordon says. "The man was more of a mentor to me than my own father, but he'd probably try to toilet train his first child by sitting it down on the toilet and explaining to it at length why the potty was a more logical choice than diapers. On its first birthday."

[a_mere_child]

"Are we sure we want to allow him to babysit Hope and Eli?"

[acts_of_gord]

"Barney and Corporal Shephard can't do it all the time," Gordon says. "Maybe if he and Magnusson do it at the same time they'll cancel- never mind. That's an even worse idea. Forget I said anything."

[a_mere_child]

A bad idea, but a very funny mental image! Alyx bursts into giggles.