September 26, 2005
Week 22 - The Quest 2
Episode 1
"Dad!" Hal whines, as he flops his jacket in the corner of the office. "Have you looked at these people you work with?"
"What are you talking about?" Rantz asks, as he boots his computer.
"You can see the geekyness dripping off them!"
"Well... it's a magazine about comics and sci fi. What'd you expect?"
"But, they're, like, extreme!"
"Don't be melodramatic."
"What if it's contagious? What if I go home tonight and start talking about 'who's stronger Superman or the Hulk', or some crap like that?"
"Come on, they're actually nice people. Smart too. And they're really not all that weird, once you get to know them."
There is a knock at the door. Powell, steps into the office, dressed as Pan Boy.
"Um, hi," he says.
"Hey Powell," Rantz says. "You remember my son Hal?"
"Oh, sure... Hi!"
Hal stares at him. "Hello," he says, after a moment.
"Why are you wearing your 'Pan Boy' costume in the office?" Rantz asks.
"Uh... Celeste wants to modify it a little. She wants to add some sort of image of frying eggs on the back of the shirt. But I don't know... I think that would be, um, too much..."
"I think you're right. It's good the way it is."
Powell nods and leaves. Hal looks at his father. "Dad... That guy is walking around in a superhero costume. You don't think that's, sort of, unusual?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't. I guess I've gotten used to stuff like that." Rantz taps his finger on his desk. "Maybe you're right. Maybe the geekyness is contagious."
Hal shakes his head. "Is
there anywhere I can get an inoculation?"