“Just tug your ear like Carol Burnett if you get scared,” I teased.
“And what will you do?” he asked.
“Whatever I need to.” I winked and walked away like I was some saucy minx and not a nerdy writer from the Midwest. It pleased me to hear his soft groan as I sauntered away.
Less than an hour later, Emma, Harrison, and Charlie sat in deep chairs holding buzzers while I stood holding a long, thin seventies style microphone. Overnight, the designers had performed Hollywood magic. The set had been built to mimic the flight deck of the ship,Homebound, so that even their chairs looked like they’d been pulled straight from the originalTerraFormativeset. Sleek screens displayed constellations and star clusters on the walls around us. Their chairs faced a small, raised dais in the center of the room where 3D maps of space were projected during each episode. I brushed down the goose bumps that prickled my arm in a moment ofHow did I get here?
I stood on the dais, the center of their focus. I would not cry happy tears in front of the cool kids.
“We’re going to try something a little different today,” Sally explained. Her stilettos clicked on the sparkling floor as she paced between us. “We’re going to play a trivia game. Kate, you’ll be the host, asking the Intrepid Trio plot questions about theTerraFormativeuniverse.” She turned to the actors, hand out. “And you three will buzz in fastest to say whether each plot point is ‘fact or fan fiction.’”
I shot Charlie a look and he oh so subtly rolled his eyes. Harrison shrugged and spun around in his chair once. Emma slid a competitive look to the guys.
After making sure our mics and lighting were right, we were off. Maybe because I’d spent the night at Harrison’s home or because I’d been waiting to find out a potentially life-changing truth, whatever the reason, I was surprisingly collected during recording. If there was anything I knew it wasTerraFormativetrivia.
At first the questions were super obvious. Well, at least to me, as they centered mostly around TF canon and the stories I wrote. As I asked more questions, I grew more comfortable ad-libbing, much to my own surprise. Every time a wave of terror would crash over me at the reality of the situation—I was filming a game show with my former favorite childhood actors—I’d feel myself go shaky. But then one look to Charlie and his cheeky half smile and my nervousness would settle.
We worked through lunch to make up some of the delayed schedule. Sally liked to remind us all frequently how much every hour cost.
My heels were starting to hurt, and my throat was dry despite the constant replenishment of fancy bottled water. Still, I was having fun, and even Charlie seemed to be enjoying his time. The banter between the three of them was a gift to behold. Their bond, forged at age eleven, remained strong.
They were currently arguing about a frog supposedly “misplaced” on set.
“You put that in my trailer on purpose!” Emma yelled in mock outrage.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Charlie said serenely. “Someone must have left the door open.”
Harrison was laughing so hard, he had to dab tears from his eyes.
“Enough reminiscing, let’s keep things moving, Miss Dubois,” Sally said in the earpiece she insisted I wear.
“Okay, okay.” I held up my arms. “Whether or not Charliedefinitelyhid that frog in your bed, we have to go on to the next question,” I said loudly as they quieted. “Fact or fan fiction: Freddy Finks was once engaged to Nix, the cyborg from the destroyed planet Tacaps, to save her from being destroyed by Max Malachi’s anti-tech family.”
Emma buzzed before I even finished the question. “Fact!” she yelled.
“Incorrect,” I said sympathetically.
Emma crossed her arms with a pout.
Charlie shot her a look of absolute disappointment and then glanced helplessly to Harrison. But Harrison had discovered the buttons on his chair’s armrest actually worked and began to press them in delight, oblivious to the question. There was something admirable in Harrison’s ability to take nothing too seriously. Charming, but also slightly infuriating.
Charlie obviously didn’t want to answer another question correctly. He already had a hundred points more than the very grumpy Emma. If Harrison took nothing seriously, then Emma took everything very much to heart. But at least she tried. Harrison wasn’t even on the board; he’d checked out several questions ago.
Eventually, Charlie gave in with a loud sigh and reluctantly hit his buzzer. “Fan fiction,” he said slowly, holding my gaze.
I looked down at my flashcard to keep from blushing. That plot line had been pulled from one of my own stories. Many fics had been written about Freddy and Nix’s coupling. Mine was the only one that featured a marriage of convenience to save Nix from Max’s family of pure-human extremists set on ridding the universe of any humans who relied on technology to live.
“Correct. Ten points to you,” I said.
“Yay,” he deadpanned.
I forced myself to stop smiling as I read the explanation on the card. “In TF canon, Max’s family did believe that human bloodlines needed to remain pure after the destruction of Earth. However, the opportunity for Freddy and Nix to explore their growing connection never came to fruition.” I looked up from the card. “Tragically, if you ask me.”
I was pleased to hear a few chuckles from the crew on set.
“Poor Chuck,” Harrison said. “Unlucky in life and in fiction,” he teased, and Charlie shot him “piss off” fingers.
“Uh, gentlemen, let’s not forget this show has a PG rating,” Sally’s voice called out. In my earpiece so only I could hear what she said, “But keep this going. I wanna know what that was about. Ask Charlie if he’s seeing anybody.”
