Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Jenga with Jarvis
Snip

Tom didn’t even flinch, he talked readily and matter of factly.

“Protect myself from what?” Tom asked, “It was just sex, no emotional entanglements or preludes to relationships. Just physical needs being met on both sides. I found it interesting how many women seemed ready to jump into bed when I tell them they won’t remember it, mainly taking it as a challenge to prove me wrong is my guess. As for relationships… It would be nice to have someone remember me affectionately but the attempts made had always failed for one reason or another.”

• Tom

“Forget your memory issues, maybe the reason is just assuming it is just sex is why they don’t come back.” The comment sounded judgemental but it wasn’t. It was the truth. Vanessa had had her fair share of one-night stands but the reason she never came back the next day was the man was not a fit for her in the bright light of day.

As they walked, the pair came to a large ornate fountain in the maze. The water trickling down was very soothing and peaceful but the bottom of the fountain went so deep it the base looked black. “Penny for your thoughts,” the wizard stated producing two coins.

“Oh it’s a wishing well,” Vanesa took a coin. Turning to face Jarvis, she smiled, “and a great idea. Instead of me peppering you with questions your turn. Let’s start with this.” Tossing her coin into the water, Vanessa stated loudly. “I want to know ten things about Jarvis.” Sitting on the edge of the fountain she looked at her companion.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom watched the coin sink into the depths and looked at Vanessa.

“I guess I can play this game. How aobut we start with the fact that I’m a very fast reader and not only can I retain the information and recite it as written, if it’s related to a skill to background, I can make practical use of the information.”

• Tom

Vanessa nodded and took in the information. “So you have an eidetic memory? Was that before or after your incident which altered your brain?” She avoided calling it a curse like Tom did. It was not a curse but more of an affliction looking at it from a medical standpoint.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“That started around puberty.” Tom said perfectly imitating Vanessa’s voice, intonations, and speech patterns, “the mimicry is something that I’ve been able to do ever since I can remember.”

-Tom

“That is a unique talent,” Vanessa said looking at him with a curious expression. She was now starting to see why Tom might be having difficulty establishing relationships with people and it was not caused by his unique brain. “When did you learn you had this skill?”

Vanessa Slade CNS

Bump

Tom smiled.

“Well, dear my parents tell it, it started around the time I was three with me imitating the sounds of small animals. Imitating them well enough that my father decided to call in a wildlife relocation expert to get the excess critters out of the house. Critters that weren’t there because I was the one imitating the sounds.”

• Tom

Out of nowhere, the wizard materialized before them again asking his questions before they could continue the maze. “If you could be anyone but yourself, who would you be?”

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom looked at Vanessa thenthe wizard and shrugged.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t know how to be anyone else but myself outside of a cover identity.”

• Tom

“Well, that is an evasive answer. Everyone has always wanted to be something at one time or another. When I was little I wanted to be a model. I loved getting my picture taken and it was probably a bit because I liked the attention. With the football team of brothers I have it makes sense. When I got older, I wanted to be a nurse but settled on counseling. So don’t take the wimpy way out and tell me you woke up at three and said I wanted to be an intelligence officer in Starfleet. What did baby Tom want to be,” she asked.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom spent the moment looking thoughtful.

“What did young Tom Marvin Jarvis went to be when he grew up before his universe collapsed? Well, of all the things that had interested him through his childhood the one that lasted the longest and the one that he really hoped to achieve was to be a deep space explorer. Just him alone, in an automated one person long range exploration ship, exploring the universe at his whim.”

Tom look down at his hands, shook his head, then looked back up at vanessa. For a brief fleeting moment she could see longing in his eyes and, just to suddenly, the look disappeared into the friendly, warm, by now obviously practiced look that Tom had.

• Tom