Dirk stared out the window of his ECU office. He’d just had a meeting with his Graduate students. He was really impressed with this year’s staff. They’d picked up his classes when he needed them to, and done a fine job keeping the classes on track when The Protectors had been out of pocket looking into the Jonesville Incident. He smiled at the thought of the team, as he saw Mac across the greens, doing what Mac was always doing… tinkering with something. This time it was one of those riding lawn mowers you stand up on. Probably converting it to a hover craft that could mow the lawn with lasers, he thought. Dirk had talked to Mac in passing a few times, but he had always respected Dirks desire to keep his secret identity just that. Mac never talked much, even when they were alone, seeming more comfortable with his tools than with people, but Power Chord always kept the communicator Mac had made them close by.
Turning from the window, “What a hypocrite I am,” he thought, I have no friends other than the Protectors, the other professors think I’m stuck up and aloof, which suits me fine. Sitting down in his high backed leather chair, looking at the stack of papers on his over sized mahogany desk, he sighed. Saving the world is so much more exciting than this. With a flick of his wrist, there was a heavy “click” as his office door locked. Raising his hands flat, palms outward, the papers on his desk began to rise, sorting themselves into ordered queues. He fanned them like a deck of cards, and one paper slowly rose from the deck. “Not a good idea Mr. Anderson,” he said, “Cheating in my class?” It had been easy enough to write the spells to detect cheating; it was not so much finding how they had cheated as detecting the student’s intent to deceive.
“Well, you have my attention now.” He smiled. This part would be fun, exposing forgery to the class. He’d never had to do it more than once per semester, but there was always one. Someone who thought there was no way he could read the copious amount of work he dished out in his classes, and they were right, but he would read this one, and his graduate students would read the rest.
Glancing at the computer on the desk, it hummed to life, the deck of papers settling to an organized stack. Dirk again twisted his wrist, and the “click” of the door responded. He pushed the intercom button on his phone. “Amanda, could you come in for a minute?” He smiled, Amanda had been with him since he started at the college, back then, she was the department assistant, but as he’d risen to a tenured professor, she had been the one person he could count on. She knew all his secrets, some she figured out, others he’d confessed, but the one person he could always count on. “On my way,” she responded.
As she came in, he could tell she’d been putting in a lot of hours, probably covering for him. “When’s the last time you took any time off?” He asked. She looked genuinely surprised, “well I don’t know. I’ve been trying to keep your schedule clear as much as possible and that takes some juggling,” she said with a smile. Not a complaint, a true statement. He sighed, “I guess we’ve both been burning the candle at both ends,” he said folding his long fingered hands in front of his face. “I think we need a break. If you could take that stack of papers to the Grad’s, I’m sure they’ll be happy to dig into them. Mr. Anderson’s paper will stay with me.” She smiled a knowing smile. “Then take the rest of the week off.” Her smile froze on her lips, “but,” she said. He held up a finger, “There is nothing that we can’t take care of next week. This place will survive without you for a couple of days. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go to that spa downtown, the one on the brochure on your desk,” he smiled.
“Well, I just couldn’t,” she began. “Nonsense, go and enjoy. I promise to get a temp from the pool to help out until you get back. I’ve got several undergrads begging for “extra credit,” I’m sure it’s not what they mean, but they’ll do in a pinch. “I’d have to make a list, prepare a schedule…” she trailed off as she saw the look on his face. “Well, Okay, but you could use some time off to.” She said, as she picked up the stack of papers and turned to leave. “Soon he murmured, soon,” turning back to his computer.
Looking over the list of emails, only one really jumped out at him, it was from his mother. It seemed forever ago he had cancelled a dinner with her, and it was time to make it up to her. He picked up his cell, and placed a call to Elmo’s. He was sure they’d have a table for him, if not, there was always Diamantes. As he turned off the light, he snapped his fingers, and the computer’s hard drive whirred as it slowed to a stop. He gently closed the door behind him and headed out with a light step, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from him, patting the small metal box in his pocket.
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