The tiny voice

Yesterday, we saw Rome execute an elaborate ruse to force Captain Keller to allow them to remain in normal space. He has no idea she was coaching Junior the whole way and he has no idea of the range of the Vuduri PPT transducers. It is time for Rome to call out to her son:

     “Aason, can you hear me?” Rome called out using her PPT transceivers.
     “Mommy!” came her son’s tiny, frightened voice. “Where are you?’
     “Your father and I are on our way back in Junior,” she said. “Are you and Grandmea all right?”
     “Yes,” Aason said. “But it’s cold in here.”
     “Where are you?”
     “I don’t know, Mommy. I miss you.”
     “I miss you too, Aason. Help me find you. Tell me what you see. Are you in a building?”
     “No. We are in a cave. A big cave,” Aason said.
     “A cave…” Rome shivered thinking about it. “Where is Grandmea? Is she with you?”
     “No,” replied Aason. “They are holding her over there.”
     Rome could not help but smile. “I cannot see where you are pointing,” she said. “Where is over there?”
     “There is another cave off to the side. That’s where they are keeping her. I’m out here on the floor.”
     “Very good. How many men are there?”
     “There are two with Grandmea. And there is one here with me.”
     “All right. Aason, you know what a weapon is, right?”
     “Yes, Mommy.”
     “Do the men have weapons?”
     “I think so. They have long sticks with handles that they carry around all the time.”
     Rome’s eyes widened. “Are they pointing them at you?” she asked anxiously.
     “No,” Aason replied. “And all they gave me to play with are some rocks,” he said petulantly.
     Rome breathed a sigh of relief. “Where are their weapons?”
     “The man near me has his sitting on his lap. I think he’s asleep.”
     “What about the other two? The ones near Grandmea?”
     “Their sticks are resting against the wall. The men are sitting and talking.”
     “All right, Aason. Mommy and Daddy are on our way. We’ll be there soon.”
     “Hurry, Mommy, I don’t want to be here anymore.”
     “We’re coming as fast as we can. I’ll check back with you in a little while.”
     “OK, Mommy.”

Even though I created him, I love little Aason. Despite the fact that he speaks like an adult, to the point where you forget he is only two years old, he is still a child. In the middle of this life-threatening situation, he is complaining that all he has to play with are some rocks. What a kid!