Baby Pictures

== Revised text ==
Setting: Hansen-Vos suite, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
Herc pushes open the door to the suite, scopes out—
Pietr, behind a wall of binders and textbooks, but not looking at any of them. He's captioning a stack of photographs.
Herc sighs into the chair across from him.
Pietr glances up with a smile, gestures for a moment.
Herc acknowledges, sits back.
Pietr finishes another scrawl, passes over the stack.
On top, a pile of tykes: most curly-topped blonds, a few with dark hair and browner skin.
"Family?"
Pietr nods, turns to his homework with a huge sigh.
Herc snorts, flips the image over.
- Wil, Mari, Princess, Lene, Van, Diani — [date] -
The next.
Two brunets: a tiny one and a pretty teenager. On the back,
- Takala & Diani — [date] -
Herc holds it up.
Pietr catches the motion, gives Herc his attention.
"Sisters?"
Pietr takes the image back, adds,
- mamma & daughter -
to the caption.
Herc blinks.
Mobile slides into view.
- Happy accident -
Herc grunts.
Pietr smiles, goes back to scratching at his worksheets. He stops when Herc jerks his hand away from twisting his ring and quirks an eyebrow.
"Accident," he blurts. "Chuck was—"
Pietr sunshines.
- Very happy! -
Herc swallows.
Pietr dims.
"I mean—I—We—" Swallows again. "He's my son an' I ...." Hangs his head.
Pietr squeezes his hand, one-thumbs his mobile with the other hand.
- Pix of chuck? -
Herc rubs the back of his neck, takes a deep breath, raises his head. "We, uh ... lost most of 'em when—" Deep breath. "—when we lost the house."
Pietr radiates sympathy (not pity—/real sympathy).
Herc hauls himself to his feet, trudges to his room, fumbles the envelope from its place on the highest shelf, trudges back to the kitchenette. "This's it." Offers—
Pietr takes it reverently, gently eases out the faded photographs.
Herc drops himself in his chair, watches Pietr admire the pictures.
Chuck—an hour old—sleeping in Angie's arms.
Chuck—an anklebiter now—and Angie at the beach looking for crabs in a tide pool.
Chuck—that same afternoon—in his lap, giggling, Angie grinning beside them, some random German tourist behind the camera.
Chuck—still baby-fat—trying to catch soap bubbles with tiny fingers (and damn if he wasn't already fast enough to nab most of 'em).
Pietr tucks the pictures away, passes the envelope back, eyes bright and shiny with tears.
Herc looks away, breathes deep, and jumps when Pietr's mobile buzzes against the tabletop.
Pietr jumps, too, flails apologetically.
"Class?"
He nods, grabs a tablet and his mobile, flies out the door.
Herc sighs.
Picks up the envelope.
Turns it over and over between his fingers.
""You have a request from Cadet Vos,"" announces AGNIS.
"What is it?"
""Cadet Vos offers you read and copy access to his rather extensive collection of digital photographs.""
Herc grunts. "Accept the offer, please."
""Cadet Vos has flagged one directory as perhaps being of special interest to you. If you wish, I can display these images on the main screen for your enjoyment.""
Herc shrugs. "Go ahead." He moves to the couch and sprawls.
The screen glows to life with—
Chuck: napping on a couch.
""Say 'next' to change the image.""
"Next," rasps Herc.
Chuck: playing fetch with Max in some park.
"Next."
Chuck: absorbed in one of his puzzles and leaning against the garden greenhouse.
"Next."
Chuck: strolling a city sidewalk.
"Next."
Chuck: reading ... is that a novel?
Herc squints.
""Before you strain your eyes, Cadet Hansen appears to be reading [title].""
"Where did—?"
""This base /does have library facilities, Ranger.""
"Oh. Right. Thanks." Rubs his neck. "Next, please."
Chuck: pen to another puzzle (always works in pen, almost never makes a mistake), other hand shoveling in that horrible sugar cereal he loves.
"Next."
Chuck—
Herc wipes his eyes on his shoulder. "AGNIS?"
""Yes, Ranger Hansen.""
"If I—" Deep breath. "If I pick some of these, can you have them printed for me?"
""Of course. Shall I employ the same company Cadet Vos does?""
"Yea, that'll be fine."
""Shall I return to the beginning of the show?""
"Please."
Chuck: napping on a couch.
"Print that one," croaks Herc.
.
== Original text ==
Pietr sits at the kitchenette table, sorting and captioning
his latest packet of printed photographs.
Herc strolls in, drags out a chair, plops down.
Pietr finishes his note, pushes over the finished stack.
A pile of little kids, most curly blondes, a few with dark hair.
"Newest family?"
Pietr nods.
Herc flips the top picture. In Pietr's jagged scrawl:
-Wil, Marieke, Sky, Lene, Van, Diani — 4/5/2019-
Shiff.
One of the brunettes with a pretty teenage girl.
-Takala & Diani — 4/5/2019-
"Sisters?" asks Herc, holding it up.
-Mum-
Herc blinks.
-Happy accident-
Herc fiddles with his ring. "Kinda like ours, ay?"
Pietr beams. -Pictures of Chuck?-
Herc rubs the back of his neck. "We lost most 'a 'em when we, uh, lost th' house." He hesitates, then stands, disappears into his room.
Pietr captions a few more photographs.
When suddenly, faded pictures appear!
"These're all that's left," explains Herc.
Pietr takes them reverently.
A newborn nestled in the arms of a woman with long blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.
Shiff.
A pudgy toddler with wisps of red hair reaching for a soap bubble.
Shiff.
The redhead knee-deep in a tide pool peering at something in
the water, his mother beside him.
Shiff.
Chuck sitting on Herc's lap, laughing, while both his parents smile at the camera.
Pietr slides them back. 'Thanks.'
"Yer li'l one'll have more, yea?"
Pietr grins, nods energetically.
His phone vibrates.
Pietr blinks, flails apologetically.
"Class?"
Nods, zips out the door, waving, phone in his other hand.
When Herc checks his email late that night, he finds an inbox crammed with image files.
All candid shots of Chuck.
Napping on the couch.
Click.
Playing fetch with Max.
Click.
Working a crossword puzzle in the garden.
Click.
Strolling an open market.
Click.
Reading a book while eating some of the horribly sugary cereal he loves.
Just a red-haired teenager.
Herc swallows.
Types a one-word response to the final message.
Drums his fingers against the desktop.
Highlights a few files, sends them to the printing company Pietr uses for his snapshots.
Leans back in his chair, studies the ceiling.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Skeleton Key
Category:Sydney Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Herc
Category:Herc's POV
Category:Herc (ficlet)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Wil (mention)
Category:Marieke (mention)
Category:Lene (mention)
Category:Van (mention)
Category:Diani (mention)
Category:Takala (mention)
Category:Elize (mention)
Category:Angela (mention)
Category:Chuck H (mention)
Category:AGNIS
Category:AGNIS (ficlet)
Category:Max (mention)