View source for Fred Offends Quebec, Threatens Canada

{{Log
| date=10/09/2018
| summary=Fred visits Arthur, meets Max, joins Canadian invasion effort
| cast=
* [[Arthur]]
* [[Fred]]
| place_name=55 Winder Street, [[Lower Midtown]], Detroit, MI
| place_desc=
| log=

Arthur will invite Fred over, and when Fred arrives, one of the interns gets the door. With a strong Quebecois accent, Fred is welcomed in, and &quot;Doctor Hackenmiller-Simons&quot; is called for Arthur comes up from the basement. &quot;Thanks Max,&quot; Arthur says, as Max joins the other interns over by the coffee machine, at a table, working quietly. &quot;Fred, thanks for coming by. Have a seat at the conference table if you don't mind. I invited you over because of something important, and I wnated to explain the context if you have the time.&quot;

Fred, his Landrover parked up nearby - the distinctive rattle of the engine the first herald of his arrival - lurches in to be welcomed by an intern. &quot;Cheers,&quot; he says to the youngster with a smile. &quot;Always nice to meet a Canadian.&quot; And then there's an Arthur, and he greets the man with a polite inclination of his head. &quot;Thanks, sir,&quot; he says, the form of address sounding entirely natural on his lips as he turns to lurch towards the conference table. &quot;I've nothing else on my schedule for the rest of the day, so I've all the time you need.&quot;

Max visibly bristles at the 'Canadian' comment. But he doesn't say anything, just burying himself in his school work. Arthur, cradling a metallic blue mug, sips and smiles. &quot;Great. Look at the screen here. This is the Detroit river.&quot; Click. &quot;This is a map of pollution patterns in the Detroit River. Not Zug Island highlighted in Red. Note the circled peak, no where near Zug Island.&quot; Click. &quot;Highlighted in blue is Fighting Island, near the circled point. Fighting Island is a point of interest.&quot; Click. Picture of children. &quot;Canadian schoolkids play on Fighting Island now, as it's been entirely cleaned from being a toxic waste site at Zug ISland levels. *Click back to the map*. &quot;Fred, what do you know about Fighting Island, and ... &quot; voice going quiet, so the interns won't over hear &quot;studying entropic and temporal effects?&quot;

Fred shrugs when Max bristles, then takes a look at the screen. &quot;Interesting,&quot; he muses, then looks at Arthur again. &quot;Temporal effects is what I do best,&quot; he says, his own voice pitched so it won't be heard by curious young ears. Perhaps oddly, he seems to know exactly how to do that. &quot;Entropic ones, not so much, but I'm learning about that sort of thing at the moment. What I know about Fighting Island is that it's an island and presumably someone did some fighting there.&quot;

Arthur chuckles, and sits. &quot;Well, Dr. Emma Durov and I are taking a trip to Fighting Island.&quot; he explains, quietly, such that the interns won't hear. &quot;We have the logistics ready to make a covert crossing of the river. We still need to do preliminary reconnaisance. But we also want a third with us, to cover well, temporal and/or entropic studies. Are you interested in coming along?&quot;

Fred nods. &quot;I'm interested, absolutely,&quot; he says. &quot;I will say, though, that I'm not very good at covert.&quot; He taps the head of his walking stick. &quot;Not any more. Still, if you're willing to put up with me having leg problems, I'm happy to give it a go.&quot;

Arthur shrugs. &quot;I'm fine with it. You can't walk across a river. I'm renting a dinghy, and will cover us, and it, with my Static Photonic Deflection Matrix.&quot;

&quot;...Photonic... oh. Gotcha,&quot; says Fred. &quot;Where were you a few years ago? I could've used something like that.&quot; His smile suggests that wasn't a real complaint, just a spot of wishful thinking.

Arthur smiles. &quot;In the Washington DC area, working on drought mitigation. This front line stuff is different for me. So i'm glad you're in. Meet with Emma when you have a chance. We'll scout the island, and set a date to go.&quot;

Fred grins. &quot;Front line stuff is home,&quot; he says. &quot;I'll see what I can do to get sorted - I'm a little out of practice, though, so forgive me if I'm slower than I should be.&quot;

Arthur chuckles. &quot;Well, I'm glad of that. You're traveling with two scientists. We need someone comfortable with this.&quot;

Fred smiles, then nods, sobering again. &quot;Do I need to get my mitts on some firearms before we go?&quot; His voice remains quiet - that is, after all, another thing interns shouldn't hear.

Arthur hums. &quot;It's one thing if scientists are caught illegally entering Canda with research equipment. It's another if they're caught iwth firearms.&quot;

Fred smiles ever so slightly. &quot;Fair point,&quot; he says. &quot;I'll see if I can sort it for next time, but even if I can it'll take a while.&quot;

Arthur grins. &quot;Want some coffee or pizza? That's what I needed to ask you. Also, if you have any questions...&quot;

Fred grins. &quot;Coffee and pizza are things I'm unlikely to turn down, just for reference,&quot; he says. &quot;As for questions - I really don't know enough to know what to ask, if that makes sense? I'll pick things up as we go - I think you're generally aware of what I can do?&quot;

Arthur nods. &quot;Well, the interns have the pizza.&quot; Raising his voice. &quot;I'm sure Max will be glad to each you how to say pizza in French, while he serves a slice to you.&quot; Max looks up, and turns bright red in embarrassment. Arthur adds &quot;He's a good intern. Even if he always does a poor job of hiding his feelings.&quot;

Fred grins at Max, but it's a warm expression from the old soldier, not one with an edge to it. &quot;I've worked with a lot of Canadians, and a lot of Quebecois,&quot; he says. &quot;Good lads and lasses, the lot of 'em.&quot; His tone suggests that his approval is both genuine and hard-won.
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