Chapter 7: "Be Careful What You Wish For"

Author: Marc Morisseau
Originally Published: 5/24/01


"Aaarbbb! B'Brox sounded like someone moaning underwater, as he lay on the table in the Engineering Bay. "Broxy, try to hold still while I finish this examination; you're dripping all over my boots" complained Skitch, as he ran medical scanner over Broxy's semi-congealed body. "I don't know what you ingested as you were working your way through the sewer pipes, but it's taken a toll on your whole system. You can't eat everything you come across, you know!" 



Skitch made a few adjustments, then waved the wand over Broxy again. "Broxy not feeling very well" he stammered. "Definitely something Broxy ate. Maybe now you learn to appreciate Broxy now that he not able to clean up your messes." The vocorder on Broxy's body hissed and crackled, another sure sign that something was wrong. 

Skitch held his crystalline hands over the complaining oil slick. "There's something in here that his body acids couldn't dissolve properly." He shoved his hands deep into B'Brox's body, up to his elbow. "I...think...it's...right...here!"  He grabbed the object, and pulled. Broxy gurgled as Skitch, his entire crystalline body now turned a deep blue, tugged with all his strength. There was a loud pop, as Skitch and his prize flew across the room, both landing heavily on the floor.

B'Brox's body, free of the foreign object, turned into the more solid Broxy everyone knew. Skitch checked himself for damage, then stood up, object in hand. He put it on his workbench and turned on the intensity lights for a better look. The object weighed, Skitch guessed, about three pounds. It was metallic, about half a meter in diameter, and shaped like an X. There was no single color to it, but a myriad of colors and tones and hues swirled across its surface, almost as if it was, Skitch thought, alive. "I wish Darian were here to this" Skitch said to B'Brox. Skitch shielded his eyes as a flash of light filled the room, and there stood Commander Darian. Darian took a moment to gain his bearings, then looked squarely at his Chief Engineer. "Alright Skitch" Darian stammered. "I hope you have a good explanation for this!"