SecUnits, as a rule, don't interact with young humans. We're barely tolerated to outright feared by adults, and adult humans try to protect their young. The smaller they get, the less exposure they're given to us. At least, on the Corporate Rim.
"Thank you for helping Amena babysit," Farai said as Tano hovered nearby. Tano looked hesitant, but nodded anyway. It wasn't like there was another option. Ratthi and Gurathin were busy working on a paper, Arada and Overse were on their own date, and Pin-Lee didn't like small humans. That left Amena outnumbered six to one. Those odds were bad for anyone, so I had...not volunteered, but I also hadn't said no when Mensah asked me to help.
She now was looking at my drone, a little worry on her face.
"Are you sure you're comfortable?" she asked. Tano made a shooing motion to the door and said, "we haven't had a date night since--well. We're overdue."
"SecUnit and Amena can handle this," Farai said with a confidence she was clearly projecting. She kissed Mensah lightly, then pulled her to the door. "We need to go, Ayda."
"I've had worse odds," I said dryly. Tano laughed outright, then pulled Mensah out the door.
"Be good!" Farai said, and followed. The door shut.
"Okay," Amena started, her arms crossed. "Listen up--"
"NOT IT!" screamed one of the taller small humans, and immediately began to run. After a chorus of "not it!", the smallest started chasing the others.
"No tag in the house!" Amena yelled, but the group was already running through the house, screaming as they did so. Amena groaned.
"I hate babysitting," she muttered. I looked at her. I wasn't going to admit it, but I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Adult humans were enough of a pain and they (usually) didn't have the impulse control of a small, dangerously neurotic fauna.
The screaming intensified, and the smallest human crashed into a coffee table, knocking a vase off balance. I dashed forward and caught it before it hit the ground.
"Neysaan!" Amena growled. "You almost broke First Mom's vase!"
"My knee!" Neysaan sobbed. I can never guess ages, but this one barely reached 100 centimeters and still had the chubby cheeks of a baby. He cried loudly as blood seeped from a scrape. The other children ignored him completely and continued their game.
"SecUnit," Amena sighed, "could you--"
I had already found the first aid kit and handed her the wound sealant. It was novel to use it on someone else. Neysaan continued to cry.
"Oh, settle down," Amena ordered and sprayed the sealant onto the child's knee. His sobbing didn't decrease. "Do you want a kiss?"
Neysaan nodded. I took a step backwards. "I'll be back."
I left Amena to comfort her brother and followed the screaming to the kitchen.
"That's enough," I barked, trying to channel Mensah's tone of voice when she scolded her brood. The small humans froze comically. I'd gotten it right. "Now--"
"SECUNIT'S IT!" one of the children screamed, and they all scrambled out of the room. I glared but started to chase the one who'd screamed. I couldn't go at my top speed in the cramped space, and small humans are surprisingly fast for their size, but I still caught up in seconds. I steeled myself, then reached out and tapped them as I said, "Freeze!"
The child froze. A second dashed by, and I tapped her as well. "Freeze!" I said again. She immediately stilled, one foot still in the air, panting. I'd changed the game. A third tried to dash forward to free her siblings, but I tapped her as well. Finding the last two was not a challenge. I had just captured the last as when Amena walked in, Neysaan in her arms. He was sucking his thumb.
"You're playing freeze tag?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
"SecUnit cheats," the last child complained. "It runs faster'n us."
"You're the one who decided it should be It," another squawked. "It always wins!"
I shrugged. "No more tag."
There was a chorus of "awwww"s, and one "But SecUnit!", but Amena growled and they quieted.
"No buts," she snapped. "Let's just watch a movie, all right?"
When Mensah returned home with her spouses, Amena was reading on the couch and I was watching episode 12 of Toward Tomorrow on the largest display surface in the living room.
"It's quiet in here," Tano said as the door closed.
"It was a little crazy at first, but we got it under control," Amena said, looking up. "Did you have a nice date night?"
Amena yawned. "Good. I'm going to bed." She paused. "Did you know SecUnit knows how to play freeze tag?"
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
dededos
dailybridgerton
prguitarman
