Paul:\u00a0 Here she is. The Out-of-Gas procedure.
\nSylvester: Done.
\nPaul: Let\u2019s go to the debriefing room. I\u2019m curious to know what she has to say this time…This way, Miss Smith. Where are you going?
\nBeth: Er, you are\u2026 er\u2026
\nSylvester: Is everything alright, Miss?
\nBeth: Hold on, I\u2019m in the travel room of the lottery?
\nPaul: Yes.
\nBeth: Oh, that\u2019s it, I know who you are. The two Lords\u2026 Eh, what do you mean? You look upset. This is how you\u2019re called, isn\u2019t it?
\nSylvester: No. Well, yes. Except nobody ever says it in front of us.
\nBeth: I don\u2019t understand. Hold on. Oh, I see. This is a sort of nickname, isn\u2019t it?
\nPaul: Not sort of. It is a nickname.
\nBeth: Oh. Oh, sorry. I\u2019m really, really sorry. My memory is a little bit upside down. And how shall I call you?
\nPaul: Smith and Smith.
\nBeth: Eh, my name\u2019s Smith too. Are we relatives?
\nSylvester: That\u2019s unlikely.
\nPaul: Miss Smith, Beth, what happened? What is going on with you?
\nBeth: Well, here is the thing: I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t remember. It\u2019s like I was away, then back straight after. In between\u2014nothing. Absolutely nothing.
\nSylvester: How nothing?
\nBeth: Nothing. I have nothing to tell. What\u2019s that?
\nPaul: A phone ringtone.
\nBeth: Oh. And where is this phone?
\nSylvester: In your handbag apparently.
\nBeth: \u2026
\nSylvester: Your handbag is on the chair over there.
\nPaul: I\u2019m going to bring it for you. You look like you\u2019re not feeling well.
\nBeth: Oh, the ring again.
\nSylvester: Answer the call. The debriefing seems to be over anyway.
\nBeth: \u201cGrumpy.\u201d
\nPaul: What?
\nBeth: That\u2019s what is written on the screen.
\nPaul: Aren\u2019t you going to answer?
\nBeth: Well, in fact\u2026
\nSylvester: You forgot this too?
\nBeth: I\u2026
\nPaul: Thumb on the green circle, and hold the device to your ear\u2026 Turn it over
\nBeth: Mum? I\u2026
\nThe phone is now on the table with an embarrassed Beth staring at it.
\nPaul: If you leave this phone on this table without hanging up, we will go on hearing how furious she is with you. Index finger on red circle\u2026 That\u2019s it. Listen, I don\u2019t know what happened to you today, but there is no way we\u2019ll let you go home alone. We\u2019ll find someone to escort you to your door. We\u2019ll take news from you at the end of our shift.
\nBeth: Yes. Thanks.<\/p>\n
A few moments later.<\/p>\n
Sylvester: I told you! We have played too much with her memory. Now, we\u2019ve done real damage.
\nPaul: I have to say, I don\u2019t understand anything. We need these genetics results to know who we are really facing. Let\u2019s check our mail to see if we have a result. I\u2019ve changed the hypothesis.
\nSylvester: Oh?
\nPaul: Yes, I have removed the transformation parameter\u2026
\nSylvester: You look disappointed.
\nPaul: The report isn\u2019t there yet.
\nSylvester: You know that they\u2019re rarely here before 4pm.
\nPaul: You\u2019re right. I\u2019ll check after 4pm.<\/p>\n
Later.<\/p>\n
Paul: So. Results are in. And\u2026 Bingo. Sylvester, look at this.
\nSylvester: No!
\nPaul: Oh yes!
\nSylvester: It\u2019s amazing\u2026
\nPaul: Dear colleague, I agree. Do you know what this means?
\nSylvester: We are in trouble?
\nPaul: No, you moron. We follow the protocol with the data we had. But her abilities: everything\u2019s clear now.
\nSylvester: It is.
\nPaul: And she should begin to remember\u2014Spontaneous Memory Recovery phenomenon\u2014 characteristic of this species. A bit slow for her, most certainly. But then, she\u2019s completely gone nuts.
\nSylvester: You\u2019re right\u2026
\nPaul: There\u2019s something wrong with her. We can\u2019t leave her alone. Let\u2019s go see her.
\nSylvester: Now?
\nPaul: Now!<\/p>\n
At Beth\u2019s flat.<\/p>\n
Paul: What\u2019s this mess?
\nBeth: Hiiiiiii! What are you d\u2026 doing here?
\nSylvester: The door wasn\u2019t closed\u2026
\nBeth: The door oooopened alone\u2026
\nPaul: But you\u2019re completely drunk.
\nBeth: I am f\u2026 fine! Earlier, I thr\u2026 threw up. But now I am f\u2026 feeling good.
\nPaul: I see.
\nSylvester: What have you done?
\nBeth: I\u2019ve tried everything in the f\u2026 fridge. And this, this here, is delicious.
\nSylvester: You\u2019ve eaten the whole tub of ice-cream?
\nPaul: Not only one as I can see. He points to a second empty tub.
\nBeth: Oh, that one? It was already star\u2026ted.
\nPaul: How about dropping this bottle you\u2019ve got in your hand?
\nBeth: It\u2019s ch\u2026 ch\u2026 champagne. It\u2019s written on the label. It fizzes. That\u2019s funny\u2026 I found it in the wardrobe. Among the clothes. Curious place for a bottle. But I\u2026 found it\u2026
\nSylvester: And emptied it\u2026
\nBeth: Yeeeeees! No more b\u2026 bubbles. What a shame. My boyfriend is arriving in\u2026 in\u2026 er\u2026, oops, 10 minutes, and there isn\u2019t anything left. Oh, I think I feel b\u2026 b\u2026
\nPaul: Nice reflexes, Sylvester. Straight into your arms.
\nSylvester: All we need now is the boyfriend to come in.
\nPaul: I can just picture him seeing his girlfriend in the arms of a stranger. He won\u2019t like it.
\nSylvester: But what can we do then?
\nPaul: Take her back to our place.
\nSylvester: Are you kidding?
\nPaul: Do you have a better idea? We can\u2019t leave her here like this. We can\u2019t let her see her boyfriend before understanding what happened. We\u2019ll take her. Hurry up. He could be here any time now.
\nSylvester: Eh, you could help me carry her.
\nPaul: And who will be the lookout? It would be better if nobody sees us. I suggest you take her over your shoulder. Like a potato sack. She\u2019s slight. You\u2019ll manage it.
\nSylvester: Oh, please. How about taking turns, eh?<\/p>\n
At Smith and Smith\u2019s home<\/p>\n
Paul: Oh, great news. Miss Smith is waking up.
\nBeth: My head. I have such a headache.
\nSylvester: You\u2019re having a hangover. It\u2019s what happens when you drink too much alcohol\u2026
\nBeth: Alcohol? Isn\u2019t that a disinfectant?
\nSylvester: Yes, alcohol, and no, not always.Champagne is alcohol. Have you just arrived on this planet or what? It\u2019s like you don\u2019t know anything.
\nBeth: Please don\u2019t shout.
\nPaul: Oh, Sylvester, you\u2019re a genius.
\nSylvester:\u00a0 Huh?
\nPaul: Hold on, I\u2019ll be back in a moment.
\nPaul: Here I am. Watch out: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, push the button, and\u2026
\nBeth: Aaaah, what\u2019s that? A psychic analyzer? Do you think my headache is not sufficient?
\nPaul: Could you just explain to me how an Earthling, inhabitant of an alpha level planet knows anything about psychic scanners?
\nBeth: I\u2019m also facing a so-called alpha level planet inhabitant using a psychic scanner.
\nSylvester: Could you explain all this to the genius? One of you.\u00a0 Please.
\nPaul: This isn\u2019t Beth.
\nNot Beth: You\u2019re not human.
\nSylvester: This isn\u2019t Beth?
\nPaul and not Beth: No.
\nSylvester: Ah. And who is this?
\nNot Beth:\u00a0 You first.
\nPaul: Are you kidding? You\u2019re not in a position to negotiate. At this time, you\u2019ve fallen out with your mother, your boyfriend might be furious at having found your door closed last night, and you have lots of things to learn about this world, if you don\u2019t want to create other disasters. Are you here to destroy Beth Smith\u2019s life?
\nNot Beth: No, of course not.
\nPaul: So you\u2019ll have to put things right and clean up Miss Smith\u2019s flat. You did a lot of damage in those few hours.
\nNot Beth: May I ask you where we are now?
\nSylvester: At our home. Nobody will come to search for you here.
\nPaul: It\u2019ll give us time to find a nice story to tell your mum and your boyfriend. You\u2019ll have to be very nice to them now.
\nNot Beth: But you saw the same thing I saw. She registered her mother under the name of \u201cGrumpy\u201d.
\nPaul: I didn\u2019t say it\u2019s going to be easy. What\u2019s your name?
\nNot Beth: Spring Wind over Laurina Mountain.
\nSylvester : Laurina. That\u2019s on Dalygaran, isn\u2019t it?
\nSWOLM: You know Dalygaran?
\nPaul: Apparently.
\nSylvester: She is on Dalygaran\u2026
\nSWOLM: Yes.
\nPaul: And what are you doing in this body?
\nSWOLM: I\u2019m\u2026 holding her place, if I may. She is not able to come back at the moment.
\nPaul: You gave her a body\u2026
\nSWOLM: Yes.
\nPaul: And she can\u2019t get out before you have a blood sample for the extraction pill.
\nSWOLM: Yes. And as you seem to have good information, you might even know that the Great Council has to rule on her fate. She arrived without a body.
\nSylvester: Logically, she is risking nothing. They should vote to help her return.
\nSWOLM: You seem to know us perfectly.
\nPaul: We have memories like elephants\u2019.
\nSWOLM: Sorry?
\nPaul: This is not in your translation set? We never forget a single thing.
\nSWOLM: Ah! It\u2019ll take time. I meant the Great Council meeting can\u2019t be held for the time being. We couldn\u2019t take the risk of her not being back in her body before the gas cut out.
\nPaul: You saved her life. Her Earthling life. If nobody were in her body when the gas was done, the bond with her mind would have been definitively interrupted. And she wouldn\u2019t be able to come back here.
\nSWOLM: Yes, but I didn\u2019t have much time to learn about this planet before coming.
\nSylvester: We noticed.
\nSWOLM: Hem. There is something else.
\nPaul: Really?
\nSWOLM: Beth is a girl here right?
\nPaul: Oh no! Let me guess, you\u2019re a man.
\nSWOLM: You seem to find it funny.
\nPaul: Sorry.
\nSWOLM: You don\u2019t look so.
\nPaul: Sorry, I try to imagine you with the boyfriend, managing to patch things up\u2026
\nSWOLM: It\u2019s not funny.
\nPaul: No, no. Not funny.
\nSWOLM: Stop laughing. It\u2019s upsetting, really. And you know what? Beth is in the same situation!
\nPaul and Sylvester: What?
\nSWOLM: We only had a man\u2019s body to offer\u2026
\nSylvester: Oh\u2026\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be complicated\u2026
\nSWOLM: Oh, I see. When it\u2019s about me, you just laugh. But you worry about her.
\nPaul: You don\u2019t understand. It\u2019s going to be complicated for your people. Beth is\u2026 special.
\nSWOLM: Oh. And how so?
\nPaul: We can\u2019t say anything about it. She\u2019s not even aware of it.
\nSWOLM: Great.
\nPaul: Well, enough talk. We have to prepare the rest of your journey on Earth. Let\u2019s get to work.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paul:\u00a0 Here she is. The Out-of-Gas procedure. Sylvester: Done. Paul: Let\u2019s go to the debriefing room. I\u2019m curious to know what she has to say this time…This way, Miss Smith. Where are you going? Beth: Er, you are\u2026 er\u2026 Sylvester:… Continuer la lecture