Number One Fan

Chapter 6: Clink

Happy rocked back and forth on his heels, straddling the gap between Howie and Russell. He had never been in an executive lift. They were reserved for express access to the ship's exclusive areas, where the real crew worked. They also served as prisoner transport. "Hey, you know... I'm a big fan of yours," He whispered into Russell's ear. But Russell remained silent, the only noise being the humming from the lift's inter-workings as it crossed through the ship on its way to level six, AKA the security center. Happy continued smiling. "I read your personal log. I genuinely believe you've made a remarkable recovery from the treatment you endured in your village. I always thought that Kallum was unhinged. Fortunately, he seems to be behaving himself on the ship. Wouldn't you agree?"

Russell's face twisted at Happy. He was most certainly experiencing discomfort, perhaps mild embarrassment; he'd written some not-so-nice things about his playmate when he'd been pissed off badly enough. A personal log was meant to be personal, not read and crossed-examined by overeager super-fans. Clearly, some security protocols needed to be updated. "You read my personal log?"

"For research purposes, it's better to know the mind of the one you're writing so it's accurate. I've read them all. Yours, Cam's, Maxion's, Captain Kai's."

"Even Tommy's?" Russell raised an eyebrow.

"Especially Tommy's! I've read each and every one of his at least three or four times. And each time, I learn something new." Happy's tail fluttered excitedly at the mention of Tommy, as it always did.

"I see... thank you for reminding me that I obviously need to put more effort into securing the personal logs of the senior staff," Russell commented, exhaling an uncomfortable sigh. He stepped over to be next to the turbo-lift wall instead of Happy.

"Do you think I could meet Tommy?" Happy asked, as if what he said before wasn't bordering on creepy and deranged.

"No, I don't think so. You can send him an e-letter, like everyone else." The doors opened, and Russell continued dragging Happy down the corridor to the security station.

"I've tried electronic and paper, but he doesn't write back! Do you think something's wrong with his personal terminal? Or maybe he doesn't have a pen? I can give him a pen!" Happy eagerly re-entered Russell's personal space, trying to force himself into the fellow bunny's bubble as much as possible, even getting on his tip-toes to try and match his height. 

Howie stuck his tongue out in disgust as they departed the lift; he thought that lunatic was about to kiss the security chief. Suddenly, the corridor became quite a bit smaller. 

 Russell scrambled to push Happy away. "Quit moving around!" Russell urged. He forced Happy back into his own bubble again and shuttered as he stood up straighter. 

"Sorry..." Happy chirped. He upset Russell... no! Had he done something wrong? This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen! 'It's okay, Happy. You can try again later.' Happy said to himself. He sighed. Now that he could no longer pester Russell, Happy simply tried to learn about his surroundings, which were empty compared to the other levels, perhaps because only a handful of security officers were on board. Most of them were Panthorians, who roamed the corridors looking for trouble, and when they weren't doing that, they spent their R&R performing arm wrestling matches and drinking themselves to death with voidfire brew. But even for Panthorians, who were usually obnoxious and rough, it was almost alarmingly tranquil in this space. Happy expected laughing and drinking songs, rowdy prisoners... just the typical jail stuff that he read about on the net and absorbed through comics, but all he could hear was the whirring and clicking of computers, the dripping of plumbing from behind the walls, and the hissing of doors as they opened and closed. Apprehension was Happy's new companion. "Rus... I don't think I want to go to jail if it means I won't get to see Tommy."