I still don’t own SGU; I still don’t want to. Dr Rush is simply a very fine playground.

Kino Vision Number 2
By EllieV

The kino slipped into place, high in a corner in what they’d come to call the “mess hall”. They were having their weekly meeting, something that Colonel Young insisted on and Camile Wray organized. The kino wasn’t there for the meeting; the meetings were all the same. They were supposed to be morale boosters but what they had started out as, and remained as, were exercises in blame.

No, the kino was there for the food. It had watched Airman Becker shyly approach Inman to get some variation into their bland diet of white gloop. They had a synthetic flavoring now, though this didn’t seem to improve anyone’s mood. They bitched and went their separate ways. Becker waited until they’d gone and started cleaning up.

He frowned looking around the room. In his hand he held one of their little metal bowls. His hand made counting motions. He turned, putting down the bowl, and lifted up some of the white powder. He poured it into the bowl and measured out the water, mixing it together.

The kino followed Becker through the corridors keeping high above so it wouldn’t be noticed. Becker paused, listening for a moment as if checking something, then he moved forward. Checking to see if he was alone. The kino floated above, settling into place in its usual corner. Becker hovered waiting to see if he’d be noticed. He wasn’t so he cleared his throat.

Nicholas Rush lifted his head and blinked to get Becker into focus. The kino didn't think that anyone was ever really in focus for Dr Rush.

“I brought your rations, sir,” Becker said.

Rush didn’t say anything. His brow creased as if puzzled, as if he didn’t know what Becker was doing there. Becker held out the bowl and when Rush didn’t take it, placed it on the top of the console, backing away. He waited a moment and then turned to leave. The kino didn’t follow Becker; it waited for Rush.

He didn’t pick up the bowl immediately; he looked towards the corridor where Becker had gone. Almost gingerly he picked up the bowl and spooned the gloop into his mouth. It wasn’t much, it never was, so he finished it quickly. Rush looked thoughtful, tapping the spoon against the side of the bowl. He picked up his notebook and pen and put them in his pocket. He took the bowl and walked out.

The kino followed him, careful to scoot along the ceiling. If anyone was going to notice it, Rush would. He went into the mess hall where Becker was still cleaning up.

“It’s banana,” Rush said.

Becker stopped and said in a pleased voice, “Yes, sir. It’s just synthetic, though.”

“It’s good,” Rush said. Becker beamed but Rush still had that odd look of puzzlement on his face. “You don’t have to bring me food, Becker.”

“Would you remember, sir?” Becker asked. “You never did at Icarus; you never ate in the officer’s mess.”

Rush’s face twitched; some information about not eating in the officer’s mess that the kino was missing.

“No, I never ate in the officer’s mess,” he agreed. “Are there any more flavors?”

“Dr Inman’s working on some, sir,” Becker said.

“Don’t do cauliflower,” Rush recommended. He put the bowl down. His voice was quiet. “Thank you, Becker.”

The kino didn’t follow; it watched Becker clean up.

Finis

This is the second in a series of vignettes inspired by the kino webisodes at the MGM website, this one by Kino 13: Variety. Not all of these very short stories will concentrate on Rush. I’ll try to do another tomorrow but an assignment is calling me, sadly.