Introducing Marcus McJohn. OR: Making bad things worse.
<snip>
"I suppose that there is no crew then," Smith questioned.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well were are they?"
"They're on the planet Phebe in two landing parties."
John, seeing a way to escape the company of this maddeningly dense
computer, took it.
<snip>
------------
Who: Marcus McJohn and Holly
Where: Blue Dwarf
When: Umm...just after the last post, I suppose.
------------
On Level 83, deep in the really deep parts of the Blue Dwarf, Third
Systems Electrician Marcus McJohn, the crewman Holly didn't mention
(for several assorted reasons) was hard at work.
As he was busy correcting a wiring malfunction in a live circuit,
Holly decided to drop in over the loudspeaker.
"Hello Mark." Holly said.
"AAGHH!" replied McJohn as he was suddenly turned into a conductor
for a quite sizable current of angry electrons.
"Sorry."
"Don't... Do... That." McJohn said as emphatically as possible while
waiting for his jumpsuit to stop smoldering. Satisifed he was no
longer about to burst into flames, McJohn went back to work and
finished the re-wiring with a triumphant bit of soldering.
"There. All finished." He began replacing the safety covering.
"I just wanted to ask if you're sure you're working on the right
floor, that's all," said Holly.
"Yeah. Floor 83, Tertiary Habitation Lighting Circuit #41A."
"Floor 83, eh?"
"Yes."
"That circuit's on Floor 33."
"No it isn't. My work order says Floor 83."
Suddenly uncertain, McJohn picked up the work order and looked at it
again. It said Floor 83, and McJohn told Holly this.
At this point, Holly decided to crush his entire argument.
"Try scraping the Oreo cookie crumbs off the paper." the computer
suggested.
McJohn did, and discovered that the work order *had* originally
specified Floor 33.
"I guess you were right, Holly."
Then, belatedly, the prudent questions began to form in his brain.
"Um... Holly," he began, "what have I been working on? ... I mean if
I --"
He was interrupted by a voice which, considering what it was saying,
was entirely too chipper.
"Auto destruct sequence initiated. Initiated destruction in 30
minutes. 29 minutes, 55 seconds and counting."