Would Someone Please Get That Girl A Pet

A Happy Drive

     Becker's truck rolled slowly up to the security gate.  One of his men walked out of the viewing booth and to his window.  He slipped his security clearance card out of his back pocket and flashed it toward the guard.

     “You're clear, Captain,” the guard replied curtly.

     Without a moment of hesitation Becker drove through the tunnel toward the building.  He looked back only shortly to see that his niece was still lying underneath a blanket in the back seat.

     “Are you sure I'm allowed to be here, Becker?” she asked peaking her head out from underneath the cloth.

     He dipped his head to the side.  “Not exactly, which is the reason I'm sneaking you in.”

     Maisie nervously slid her head back underneath the blanket.  “That's not good, Beck,” she mumbled inaudibly, as her voice was being muffled by the cloth.

     Becker slowed the truck's speed as he rolled up to a key pad.  “I can't hear you, Maisie, the blanket is in the way.”

     He rolled down his window and slipped his head out slightly, before he slid his security card down the card slot.  After the slot lit up in green, he pressed in a sequence of numbers, and another gate opened in front of them.

     The little girl popped her head out from underneath the blanket again.  “Becker...” she almost whined.  “You know how mommy would feel about you doing this.”

     The captain froze for a moment as he thought back on his sister.  That was true, his sister wouldn't have wanted him doing this, she was always the one doing what was right.  It should be his turn now, especially now that Maisie was his responsibility, but today he felt that he didn't have a choice.

     “It's just for today, Mai,” he said with a hint of guilt in his voice.  “Plus, if you stay out of trouble” -she scoffed, knowing she never was a troublemaker- “and stay out of the way” -she shrunk back slightly, knowing that was more her style- “then I doubt we will hurt anything.”

     Maisie nodded his head, only partially agreeing with her Uncle.  “Okay, Beck.”

     Becker nodded his head, hoping he was right about his last statement.  He certainly wouldn't want to be the reason someone got hurt, especially not Maisie or his team.

     He pulled into the parking lot and detached his seatbelt.  He was about to pop open his door when suddenly lights flashed and sirens wailed around them. 

     Becker sat back in his seat nervously, as soldiers raced out into the tunnel and began loading weapons into trucks, including his.  Oh no, why now?

     Just as Becker turned back to his niece, whose head was about to come out from under the blanket, Sarah jumped into the passenger seat of the truck.  With quick reflexes Becker pulled the cloth back over her head, before turning to the doctor.

     “There is an anomaly about fifteen miles from the docks,” Sarah rushed out, quite out of breath.

     Becker looked back toward the back of the truck and then to Sarah.  “I uh...”

     Sarah's brows furrowed and she shook her head in confusion.  “What's wrong?”

     Becker took a moment to think before beginning to back up the truck.  “Alright, I need more information than that.  Where's your ADD?”

     “Wait up!” a voice called from outside the truck.

     Conner ran up to the side of the vehicle, pulled open the back door, and jumped in, right on top of Maisie.  She squeaked and moved quite viciously under the blanket.

    Conner screamed as he stood up.  “Becker!  Not to worry tou, but I think you have a creature in your truck.”

     Becker slammed on the breaks and Conner fell back into a seat.  Maisie pulled her legs up into her chest and tugged the blanket off her head.

     “That's rude!” she squeaked.  “I'm not a creature!  I'm a little girl!”

     Conner's eyes widened.  “Becker, not to alarm you, but you have a little girl in the back of your truck.”

     Becker sighed through his nose and dipped his head toward Maisie before beginning to back up again.  “Maisie, this is Conner, Conner- Maisie.”

     Conner looked toward the girl and moved his hand in a type of wave.  “Hi.”

     She smiled and waved back.  “Hello!”

     Becker turned the truck around and began driving out of the tunnel.  “Conner, Maisie, put your seatbelts on.”

     Maisie threw the blanket off and quickly clipped her seatbelt on.  Conner, on the other hand, hesitated.  “Whose she?”

     “Conner, put your seatbelt on,” Becker commanded with a bit more force.

     The young man nervously attached his seatbelt.  Looking at the girl with a raised brow.

     “Whose the girl?” Sarah asked turning to Becker.

     “Maisie Everett-Becker,” he replied curtly.

     “Oh my gosh!” Conner exclaimed.  “She's your daughter!”

     Becker grimaced.  “No, no, she's my niece.”

     Connor almost gave a sigh of relief.  “Oh, alright.”

     “What is she doing here?” Sarah asked as they passed the security gate again.  “We can't possibly take her to the anomaly site.”

     Becker glanced back at the doctor.  “I'm going to take her there and then have one of my men drive her back to the ARC.”

     “Why the ARC?” Sarah asked.

     The captain sighed again.  “My flat is being renovated and for today she has no where to go.  The ARC is where she'll be safest.”

     “What about school?” Conner asked, his voice almost squeaking in fright.

     Becker scoffed.  “She's a girl not a raptor, Temple,” he retorted, obviously reacting to the young man's nervous tone.

     “Right, sorry,” Conner apologized, his voice much calmer now.

     “And for your information.  She is homeschooled,” her guardian explained. “So no, no school.”

     “Do you have the coordinates to the anomaly site, Temple?” Becker asked, changing the subject.

     Conner opened his mouth to speak when Maisie asked, “What's an anomaly?”

     “I'll explain later, Maisie,” her uncle replied shortly.

     Maisie sat back with her arms crossed, quite upset with being left out of the loop.  Shortly, however, she wouldn't be.