Waitin' at the Station on a Station

"They got my FUCKING knife! My one and only thing I've got left from my life, and they fucking took it! Ian gave me that knife and I want the Mother Fucker back!"

Doc is rather upset.

"Hey, hey, its okay, buddy. They've got my sword, too. It was my father's." Mark replies

"[They took my helmet, those fuckers.]" Thunderhorse says, untranslated by any technological wonders. "[I killed that goat with my bare hands when I was nine.]"

"I hope you can understand him, Doc. He's pissin' me off with all this 'grunka-ick-buck-fuck' bullshit."

"[Silence, you lowland toad!]" Thunderhorse retorts. "[Doc, may I kill him now?]"

"[Not yet,]" Doc replies. He looks around. There are four holding cells, each one the same as the last: transparent wall, toilet, bench, and bunks, and all of them are empty except this one. "Have you guys seen any men in black suits and dark glasses?" He repeats the question in German for Thunderhorse.

"[No,]"

"Nope. Yer the first person we've seen since we woke up in here. Well, you and that cute lady guard who comes in to check on us every now and then. Why?"

Doc recounts the short version of the story, repeating each sentence for Thunderhorse. "These two men approached me in the hanger while I was trying to find the Pu. They tried to kidnap me or something. I ran into a bar to try to get away from them, but they followed me. So I held them off until the police arrived."

"[By Thor! Combat on hallowed ground. How many did you kill? Did you get any scars?]"

"[None. One of them kicked me in the gut really good, but I punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground.]" Doc exaggerates only slightly. Thunderhorse laughs and claps him on the back with honor.

---------

Doc rests on the bunk. It's not very long before Officer MacDougle-Kowalski appears again, this time without the riot gear. She's very pretty; a green-eyed burnette, fit and athletic.

"Hey, darlin'," Mark calls to her. "Came back to see me again, eh?"

She ignores him. "Dr. Shaw? Detective Zorn will see you, now." She opens the door.

Mark moves towards the door. She hits a button on her wrist computer. Mark screams in pain and hits the floor.

"Damnit, woman! That shit hurts!" he yells at her.

"Then stop being an asshole and stay seated. Dr. Shaw, please come with me."

Doc leaves the cell. She escorts him down the sterile hallways to Detective Zorn's office. It's a stark contrast to the rest of the station; the floor is worn with pacing, his desk is cluttered with datapads and electropaper. The ambient wall lighting is dimmed by a layer of dust and grime.

Officer MacDougle-Kowalski lets Doc through the door, staying in the hallway. The door slides closed behind him.

"Have a seat, Dr. Shaw." says a voice from the other side of the swivel chair. Doc sits in one of the two broken hover chairs which are now supported by hastily welded-on aluminum legs. It is wobbly and uneven.

The owner of the voice swivels around. It's a large man in his late forties, with graying hair and traditional cop mustache. His face looks like he was on the losing side of a fight with a cinder block. He's still pouring over a datapad as he turns. He sets it down and looks up at Doc.

"Dr. Lucas Shaw. A pleasure to meet you," he says, extending a friendly hand. Doc shakes it, awkwardly. "I'm Detective David Zorn, I'll be handling your case."

"Nice to meet you," Doc replies, not sure quite what to say.

"It really is you, isn't it? Famous professor lost to history?"

Doc says nothing.

"DNA is a perfect match. I could hardly believe it when I saw the results. So I suppose you're wondering just who those men were? The ones that came after you?"

"Yes. Who were they? What did they want?"

"Exkorean agents. They want you, Dr. Shaw, and your time travel device."

"My time travel device?"

"Don't play dumb, Doc. I may be just an over decorated mall cop for some whiny goddamned rich-ass teenagers and a bunch of fucking horny dolphins, but I'm not stupid. This is huge. Do you have any idea the consequences of breaking the Causality treaty? The Exkoreans are pissed, Doc. They know you have a time device, and they'll stop at nothing to get it."