The Adventures of Professor Proton, Jr.: "The Proton Express..."

The Adventures of Professor Proton, Jr: "The Proton Express" Part XXVII...

"The Adventures of Professor Proton, Jr: The Proton Express..."

Summary: In my first longer Proton Jr tale, can Prof Proton Jr. aka mild-mannered Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy aka Amy F. Fowler save the world at Christmas...And can Proton Jr. keep that blond sob of an engineering genius Tom Swift, Jr. away from his girl?

Equally important...Should Cameragirl Penny allow this thing to appear on her acting credits or just accept that all hope of a professional career is gone and just enjoy while peddling her drugs?

Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...

Part XXVII...

"And we're at 4000 feet. Tom?" Barclay turned to Swift who nodded. All peering out the huge windows of the Suburo compartment to see the dark waters of the South Atlantic before them, only lit a few yards in the distance by the Ocean Arrow's forward floodlights.

"Hold her at this depth for now and bring her up to 1000 when we get within the approximate radius. Maintain full speed." Swift commanded.

"I can't believe it...Arthur..." Dr. Amy beamed at Proton who frowned at her as he somewhat nervously looked out at the water before him.

At least so far, no nasties...And bit overuse of the given name there, even if we are romantically involved. Tom Swift Jr may be inclined to short-sleeves and first names, but I bet Dr. Swift still calls his mom "Mrs. Swift" in public.

(Heh, heh, heh... "Very funny line..." Mr. Jones noted to Leonard who beamed. "And yes...I would." Cool look to Sheldon who blanched a bit.

"After all, Dr. Swift was always a man of gravitas and dignity in the books." He smiled. "Loved those books when I was a kid."

Ah! James Earl is a brother! Howard hissed proudly to Bernie, beaming.)

"...in just a few hours, we'll be studying specimens from Mars, even across the Galaxy." Amy sighed.

"If we avoid destroying the world." Proton noted, a bit bemusedly. "What does happen if we have a containment breech, Swift?" he turned to Swift. "What plan do you have?"

"If it's an accidental one...We've some options, including sealing the affected area in Tomasite acrylic. If it's intentional..." Tom shrugged. "We may not be around long enough to do much."

"You mean if the Russians attack?" Bernadette eyed him. "You did say you have some defenses...?"

"Some..." nod. "We'll have to hope for the best, especially that they and Wyckcliffe will be cautious. They don't want the ship and its cargo destroyed."

"Munson might..." Proton reflected, eyeing Swift who nodded... Yeah.

"She might...But I'm still hoping she's not onboard with the rest."

"She seemed genuinely upset by the murder of Dr. Hofstadter..." Proton noted. "And while she's a fanatic, I've never known her to condone violence."

"I hope so...But I'm afraid it's the Russians and her brother whom we need to worry about." Swift sighed.

"You really think we'll beat the Russians in, Tom?" Bernadette asked.

"I doubt they can match us for speed and there's no indication from the UN forces that Russian vessels were posted in range. Though they must have the landing location from the Wickcliffes. They may have subs there already, though the UN should be able to detect such."

"Can the UN assist us if the Russians attack?" Dr. Amy eyed Swift.

"Depends...If it's an open attack, yes, but they're required to maintain distance as per international agreement. Plus, most of the UN ships aren't armed."