Futurama

Time and Punishment
By Nostradamus

Time and Punishment I: A History Lesson

As foretold by Nostradamus, 3.III 2004. a.d. after too much coffee.

It was an ordinary morning (for the XXXI century, that is) in New New York. Decent people were going to work, less decent people were going to bed, traffic got jammed in all four legal dimensions, and industrial zone was echoing with voices of happy overpaid workers (''No more bending! No more work! Give us a raise you big fat jerk!'' followed by ''Never!"). However, or as per usual, those passing by the Planet Express building were amused by a new, original decoration tied below the PE pane on the top of the tower.

Leela and Bender were sitting on the couch and watching the news when Fry came in, only in underwear.

"Bender, where are my pants?"

"Shut up, moron! I'm watching the news!" Bender said, turning his head enough to give Fry an angry glance without loosing visual contact with the TV.

''Suit yourself." Fry grinned slyly and sat next to them.

Leela sighed and began, "For heaven's sake, Fry..." But she was interrupted by the news monster.

"...In a surprising move, count Dracula bought Southern Uganda Eritropoesis Research Institute and now holds over 51% of Earth's blood production!"

"... Thanks, Morbo. And now, we continue our fascinating story about how Jewels the Retarded Chipmunk found his parents and got sucked into a rocket engine!...''

Fry yawned and got up. ''This is sooooo boring! I'll go get something to eat.''

''Fry, your pants!'' Leela tried, but he was already too far down the hall. Then through the open door she saw professor Farnsworth only in his underwear, chasing something green in the opposite direction. ''Oh great, it's a family tradition.''

Just as she said that, sunlight seemed to grow a bit dim, and the familiar, boring Linda on the TV was replaced by a seriously looking Linda dressed in a smart black suit. Morbo was dressed in a similar fashion. Actually, the entire scene suddenly looked like a simplified black and silver version. The channel sign was replaced by a sable and silver M in a hexagon.

Linda spoke: "...good day citizens of the Empire. Today's news is somewhat grim, as the Imperial Legion had grievous losses while suppressing the rebellion of our slave colony at Omicron Persei. Fortunately, rebels have been completely destroyed without much damage to infrastructure...''

Leela stared blankly into the TV for a couple of seconds. Then she quickly picked up her wristcom.

''I'll get the professor!" she cried, dashing through the door.

Amy and Hermes were down at the main entrance, arguing whether skin conditioner cream should be covered with regular healthcare plan, when Fry came back. It was Fry, but on the other hand, it wasn't Fry. He was dressed in a black suit, a black tunic with several silver decorations, and a silver pin-up lock that held his heavy black cloak over his shoulders. His black boots were shining with the unpleasant shine of well-conditioned black boots that are kept well-conditioned every day, for years. Furthermore, on his belt hung what looked like a sword, and on the other hip a very big and ugly pistol.

''Good morning, citizens Amy and Hermes!'' he exclaimed, bowing slightly.

Amy was awed, while Hermes calculated how over Fry was actually paid, when Bender rushed in, looking very happy over something.

''Hooray, sausage links! Our brave legionaries have slaughtered civilian population of Pisces I and... well well, what do we have here!?''

''Greetings, robot-citizen Bender,'' said Fry, while Bender was circling around him, probably looking for a loose decoration or a valet. ''Please refrain from trying to pick-pocket me, or I will report you to the local Magistrate.''

''Well, it looks like Fry but it doesn't talk like Fry,'' Bender concluded.

''Yea mon, he sounds like an intelligent lifeform! Except for the weird clothing,'' Hermes said. ''You're not paid to dress like a sci-fi villain! You're paid so you don't starve!

Fry looked at him with scorn.

''Yes, I did notice a serious violation of dressing code here in Planet Express. But it is not my problem - it is your problem.''

The top of Bender's antenna flashed brightly, with a microwave ''ping'' sound.

''Hey Fry! What's heavier - a ton of lead or a ton of feathers?''

Fry looked confused.

''Please specify the feather type?''

Bender looked relieved.

''Yep, it's Fry all right. He probably fell into a dry-cleaner and got mixed for a couple of minutes.''

Leela came in.

''Has anyone seen the profes...''

But as soon as he saw her, Fry drew his gun and hit her, breaking her nose. Then, surprisingly quickly and effective, he brought her down to her knees, pulled her ponytail far back and stepped on her legs, so she couldn't move.

''Mutant alert!'' he yelled at his own wristcom, and then, pulling her hair farther back, he leaned the gun's muzzle behind her ear.

''Fry, what...''

''Shut up, mutant scum. Prepare to die!"

Just as he said that, he was hit by a crackling beam of electricity. He groaned, dropped his weapon, and fell back. Professor Farnsworth trotted in, waving a TV controller.

''Good news everyone! I have managed to turn a TV remote controller into a terrible weapon of destruction!''

Then he stopped and looked at the mess.

''Dear me. Have I slept over another week? I see Leela has grown a moustache!''

Leela was too busy trying to stuff a napkin up her nose to notice the last sentence. While Amy was feeding the professor with data, and Bender and Hermes were trying to find Fry's valet, Zoidberg walked round Leela pretending to be conducting physical exam.

''You seem to be doing alright Leela. Can I get you something or so?"

''A bottle of whisky and a very big, very heavy mace,'' she roared. Luckily for Zoidberg, that restoration cream seemed to be working. She looked down at Fry. She kicked him in the groin. She smiled. ''I feel better already." She looked down at Fry again. "Okay, what should we do with him? He used to be stupid in a cute, harmless way, but if he can go like that again...''

Fry sat up, mumbling incoherently and holding his head.

''I feel like I was hit by a space cow!'' he exclaimed. ''Hey ... where's my jacket and my pants! Alright, I lost the pants, but I don't remember dressing like this. Oh no! We're hooked to a giant computer and are living in a virtual reality!"

''Now that's real Fry. With his fried brain.'' Bender whistled. ''Seeya, meatbags.''

''Um...someone? Everyone? You have to see this.''

That was Amy. She was standing at the door, looking outside. Others gathered around her and gaped at the world outside. The world has changed. The familiar doorstep of the PE building was suddenly cut of by a black, clean and smooth sidewalk. Between the sidewalks were black, clean and smooth streets. Buildings were dull gray, without windows or terraces, towering into a dark, gray sky. Lightposts were on. On the streets, black, uniform hovercars were moving silently and without delay, like clockwork. On the sidewalks, people were walking quietly, without delay. Like clockwork. Everyone was dressed in black and gray.

Leela broke the silence, and turning towards Farnsworth, she slowly and ominously said: ''Professor...?"

"...and so I said - listen to me, you pompous frauds, if you can mess with my social security then I can mess with time!'' concluded the professor.

Leela shook her head angrily. ''You're impossible. You actually placed a bet that you can tape a show that was broadcasted 1,000 years ago!?''

''Nothing is impossible! Especially if I get to see Wornstrom's face as I present him the recording.''

''YOU CHANGED HISTORY SOMEHOW! Are you deaf!?'' Leela got up and started pacing up and down, frenetically waving her hands.

''Nonsense! We are noticing that something is wrong, so nothing is wrong because if history was really changed we wouldn't notice it, and now we are noticing that history has been changed... eeeeewwaaa I'm getting all messed up... but I believe Leela is right...''

Bender broke in, "So how do you explain that we aren't changed!? And why was Fry affected, but came back!?''

Professor was obviously caught in the loop, so everyone turned to Leela. ''I'm not paid enough for this," she said for herself. ''Well, let's put the puzzle together. Let us assume that history was changed when the news flipped. Everyone was inside this building except Fry. Therefore the building must be protecting us somehow. Whatever this is, I don't like it.''

''Damn right!'' Farnsworth jumped back. ''I know what is protecting us! In order to save on maintenance, I infused wall paint with time-altering chronatoms. These chronatoms are obviously resisting the flow of parallel reality, containing our own reality within this building! So many big words can't be good. If only I didn't drop that calculator down the time vortex...''

Everyone jumped up. ''WHAT!?''

''Oh, my, I forgot to tell you. When I opened the time rift, a cat tried to come through, so I hit it with a calculator.''

Leela grabbed professor by his shoulders. ''For heaven's sake, professor, you dropped a positronic AI chipset into twenty-first century!''

"Stop touching me! Bones don't come cheap these days! I'm not made of money! Anyway, you are raising this fuss for nothing. All we have to do is to send someone brave and competent enough 1,000 years back through time to pick that damned thing up and bring it back!''

Everyone looked at Leela. She sighed.

''Alright, what should I do...''

''Air's so clean here,'' thought Leela as she walked through the forest. ''And the sunshine - it's somehow pleasant, overwhelming... the grass so green ...'' She started. ''Pull yourself together, Turanga!'' she muttered under her breath. ''You are on a covert mission, deep in the Stupid Ages, trying to infiltrate a ...'' She looked at a piece of paper covered by professor's spidery handwriting, ''... a whatever base and locate and retrieve a small piece of plastics. Cake-walk.''

She stepped heartily through the foliage trying to look tough, but her equipment was too heavy - a backpack with very sophisticated and useless tools, a big, clumsy wristcom that allowed professor to contact her in most inappropriate moments, a cumbersome gas pistol with tranquilizer darts, and a heavy, heavy Chronoshifter humped on her back. On top of everything, Fry made her take a bulletproof suit. It was very uncomfortable and hot. She felt as if she was lifting the burden of the world.

Leela stopped, threw her baggage and sat down. It was too damn hot, legs were killing her, and her stomach and some other compartments reminded her of physiological needs. ''Well, it seems to be the right time," she said. ''Three. Two. One.'' Her wristcom chirped, and professor's face appeared on the screen.

''You're not in an especially compromising position now, are you?'' he asked, obviously trying to keep Fry away from the camera.

Leela groaned. ''Actually, I am naked and hanging from a tree upside-down. What is it now?''

The professor probably overheard her, but now she was certain it was Fry next to him.

''You should turn north back towards the city. As soon as you exit the hybrid forest you should see the base camp. I'll contact you, then. Fry you moron, get the hell...''

''Back to the road, then,'' she said to herself. ''But I'm not hauling that bulletproof. It's probably better to die from bullets than from bruises and broken ribs."

After a couple of slow, very slow hours she peered out from behind the last trees.

''You've got to be joking." The forest was suddenly cut by a wasteland of dead, charred land as far as she could see. There, in the middle of the wasteland she could distinguish metallic gleam oh what should be the fence, and several guard towers and buildings grouped into a stereotypical evil military installation.

Her wristcom chirped again.

''Ah, Leela. Please check your nightvision HUD and make ready. You mustn't be either a second too late or too soon!''

Leela burrowed through her bag. ''Nightvision - check, gun - check, wire-cutter - check... Ok, everything's here. What now?''

The professor looked at his notepad. ''Now you sit there for eight hours. I seem to have miscalculated the exact time a bit.''

Leela closed her eye and sighed. She expected something like this. ''Alright. I'm waiting.'' The professor had her in several very strange, dangerous or at least unpleasant missions, but this one threatened to became the most boring one.

She was awaken by a thunder. The sky was dark and cloudy. ''How wonderful! A storm is coming.'' she thought, looking for something that could serve as (or at least pretend to be) a shelter. Her wristcom chirped. ''Leela, are you there?''

''I'm here, professor. Bring it on."

''An electric storm should be forming right now. If Hermes's information is correct, you have twenty three and a half minutes to reach the base perimeter!''

Leela whined ''But it's at least four miles! I can't ..."

''Tut, tut, off you go!'' said Farnsworth and cut the transmission.

''Great. Just great."

Professor Farnsworth turned towards Hermes Conrad. Hermes was currently busy digging through historical databases of the alternative reality - probably the only man ever that enjoyed fighting two parallel bureaucracies at the same time.

''Any luck, Hermes?''

''Yea, mon! These commies have made a paperwork heaven! I actually found a report on alarming air consumption!''

''Not that! Have you located the calculator!?''

Hermes sighed. ''Yes I have. On September 27, 2037. there is a report on an alien artifact salvaged near New New York. Unfortunately, a research secretary named Maximilian Crane was dispatched to oversee the scientists.''

"And what does it have to do with my calculator?''

''Well, for one, base security will be extra tough.''

Fry stirred. ''Now this is funny. I was supposed to have a biology exam one day and the teacher broke his neck, and his name was Maximilian Crane.''

''Nonsense! We're talking about 2037, you clot! You're in the crio-pod for 37 years by now!"

The professor turned towards the camera. "Leela, are you there?"

''Where the hell would I be!?" Leela roared. She was wet and covered with sweat and dirt, and felt ready to kill randomly. Nightvision helmet strobbed because of the rain and gave her a terrible headache.

''I'm almost by the fence now." She looked around. "There are no guards at all!''

''Oh, but there are. They're on the other side of the base - some big giant heads are coming for inspection.'' The professor glanced at his watch. ''Make ready now... three, two, one... one ... one? Ah, there it is.''

With a deafening clang a lightning hit one of the power transformers. The machine burst into flame and exploded for some reason. One especially large piece flew through the electric fence, making a truck-sized hole in it.

''Go! Go, confound you!''

Leela run through. She memorized blueprints of the base and was able to find her way although all signs were written in something she could only discern to be Cyrillic letters. "Two left. Three right. One left. Red door number seven. Bingo.''

She slid her spy-card inside a console. The door opened. When the door closed behind her, she let her equipment fall, and sat down to catch her breath. ''Well, at least no one seems to be going this way." She recalled from her history lessons that soldiers from this period were trained in martial arts. ''And even if the are, it won't be boring. Okay! What now?"

The professor startled her. ''Third door down the hallway. Security systems should be disabled due to power failure combined with Windows 9000. Move! You can sit down and breathe heavily as much as you want, when you come back here!''

Leela muttered something inaudible, picked up her stuff and prowled down the corridor. Third door refused the red card but opened to the blue card. Noone was inside. On the table in the center of the room were shattered several primitive tool packs, but the calculator was also there. Intact.

Leela smiled. "Aha! Right in time."

''Exactly. Now drop the bag, quickly, and turn around, slowly."

She heard a silent mechanical clang and an accelerating buzzing sound behind her, so she did as requested. Behind her stood a tall man. His face was unhealthy pale and thin, with a triangular form associated with people who are used to give commands. He was dressed in black, in approximately similar fashion as Fry was then, but her gaze was held by his eyes. Deeply set, but bright and cold. He smiled bitterly at her.

"CIA, I presume. I knew you capitalist jerks were desperate, but I had no idea you were down to sending girls in."

Leela felt her rage awaking, despite the fact that the man held a rail gun directed to her chest. Perhaps she should try to talk her way out.

''What makes you think 'a girl' is in any way inferior to you ?"

''Lesser pain tolerance. More non-vital organs. Some other things you'll discover in time, during or after the interrogation. Now let's see what they sent this time..."

The man quickly reached out and took off her helmet. His facial expression quickly walked through entire specter of emotions, mostly ranging between surprise and disgust. He jerked his hand back and dropped the gun. Leela frowned, truly offended. She did expect an unpleasant surprise, or a scream, but he actually was disgusted by her! She jumped forward, as fast and strong as her anger could drive her, but the man brought himself together to soon. What seemed an easy hit behind the ear turned into a defense she couldn't breach. He blocked her every strike, used every bad move she made, and probably had a breastplate. Suddenly he advanced and sent a mean hit in her stomach. Then he caught her for her right shoulder, twisted her arm and pushed her down. Leela tried to resist, but his grip was to well placed. As she laid pressed down, wondering what he'll do next, she heard an expected, but yet dreaded sound - a sound of a knife being drawn. It sounded like a very long knife. Her heart went cold. "Not here, not like this!" Her free hand came over what seemed to be her enemy's gun. She grabbed it, twisted her arm as much as she could and pulled the trigger. Weapon fired only once, but apparently it was enough. Painful grip on her right arm was released, and she heard a heavy thud behind her. She jumped up, grabbed her packs and the damned calculator, and pressed a big red button on her wristcom. Chronoshifter crackled, emitting a bright flash.

As the flash faded, Leela found herself sitting on the pad in the professor's lab. Fry run to help her up, while others were at least moderately happy to see her alive.

Leela turned to Farnsworth. ''Professor, I shot a guy back in the base. I think he was a high ranking military officer or something."

Hermes was already happily digging through data. He suddenly seemed very satisfied about something.

"Yea. Listen to this: 'New Soviet Union Research Secretary prof. Dr. Maximilian K. Crane gave his life today to stop dirty infiltrator pigs from stealing important military plans...' Such beautiful system... and it's looks like our own reality. All dates and events are as they should be."

Fry stirred. ''Now this is funny. I was supposed to have a biology exam one day and the teacher broke his neck, and his name was Maximilian Crane. That was December 12th, 2000 I think...''

''There he goes again! Shut up!"

Leela sighed heavily. ''There is no place like home. Now if you'd excuse me, I am going to take a shower and go to bed. Throw compliants in the incinerator."

Bender (who has been watching her very carefully for the last couple of minutes) stopped her.

''Hold on, mutant girl! Where's you bulletproof?''

Everyone looked at her. She closed her eye. ''Shit."

RED ALERT! RED ALERT! INTRUDER IDENTIFIED IN SECTOR 2 LEVEL14!

Leela threw herself down to duck a plasma blast and rolled behind the corner. She immediately got up and run down the hall. ''Sixty seven! Sixty eight! Sixty nine!" she cried. ''Seventy! Computer! lambda 77 omega 4!''. The door quickly opened and let her through, closing the security bots behind her. She looked around the room. The place could roughly be described as a physicist's lab, with lots of measuring equipment and scarry things displayed on big LCD's. Several diagrams showed her that she was in the right place. She unplugged the machine and opened specimen compartment. Inside was her bulletproof. She checked the door again, and then carefully examined the suit.

''That's a relief. No samples to hunt down.'' Leela looked around to find the overload controller. It was in the far corner of the room, blinking painfully red. Her wristcom chirped. It was the professor again.

"Have you got it?"

"Everything's okay, professor! Send me the coordinates so I can..."

"Do nothing? Put your hands behind your head and turn around?"

Leela's eye went wide. She knew that voice. Turning around slowly, she faced professor Maximilian Crane once again. He was less pale (and less thin), but the eyes - they were the same. To her surprise, when he saw her face, he just smiled.

"Who are you?" she asked. "You don't seem to be ... surprised that I only have one eye."

The man bowed slightly. "Professor Maximilian Kharkov Crane, madam, owner of MTEC Biotech and Cybernetics Research and Development. I've seen uglier things. Trust me.'' He smiled again. Leela felt as angry as if he screamed and run away. He seemed to read her thoughts.

"I wouldn't recommend that, unless you are plasma resistant.'' He moved his hand so she could see two weapons hidden in his sleeves.''

She sighed. She'll probably end up killing this freak again. And when she comes back, she'll kill the professor too. And perhaps Zoidberg.

''Listen," she tried, "I came back from future to retrieve this specimen. It must not remain here for it will cause irreparable damage to history. You look like an intelligent person. So would you please let me do what I came for?''

He actually laughed. ''Even if I buy that you didn't run away from sublevel 27, why should I care for your history? This is MY present tense, and I like it the way it is, and by the hells I'll defend it any way I can. Now step back from the device!"

Leela's wristcom chirped again. ''Leela! Warp back already! The reactor content is exceeding viscosity limits!''

Professor Crane turned deathly pale and rushed towards the biggest console. He didn't seem to find any comfort there. Actually, he turned back to Leela and lighted a cigarette. "Leela. That's a nice name."

Leela looked at him in disbelief. ''Shouldn't you run?"

He grinned. ''No time."

Then time stopped. Leela hit the red button. Discontinuity.

Discontinuity. Then flash of warm light. Leela screamed. Not that she was especially afraid of something; she simply felt like screaming. Partly because she just saw time from the other side, or because she had no idea where the hell she was, but mostly because ion discharge damaged her wristcom, so she couldn't adjust Chronoshifter properly. As her eye recovered, she could see blue sky, blue ocean, green tropical trees that could be ancestors or distant relatives of palms, and glittering, white, sand-covered beach stretching to horizon. No sound could be heard except for ritmical beating of waves. Sun was bright and high.

''At least I have a nice place to spend the rest of my life," she said to the ocean. ''I guess I should check my supplies first."

As she expected, professor loaded her with portable scientific equipment enough for two greedy nuclear physicists and a marine biologist, but there were no spare batteries, no water, no medicines, and no food. She looked at her wristcom again. Perhaps she should try her luck?

''And I don't know where in time I am. I must at least try to get back to my own." But before she tried anything, she took a knife and carved a dent in the device to mark this current location. ''As a reference point." she said to herself.

"There. All's set. Let's go." And Leela tried her luck.

...and when the mob closed on her from both sides, the witch yelled "Screw you!" and disappeared.

Leela materialized inside what looked like a cheap knock-off of a shower cabin. Standing behind what probably was the console were two men, one fat with moustaches, while the other reminded her unpleasantly of Zapp.

''A...hot...alien...babe!...Nice...work,...Scotty!" he said.

The fat man replied, waving with a half-empty bottle:

"Aye, sir! Both of 'em!''

"What a freak house!" she thought. "But at least it's better than that place with millions of people hooked to a virtual world and used as power cells."

''Am, excuse me, could you tell me what time is it? And date.''

''Ha! Lassie 's been playing with time! Today's April the 7th, 2327, couple of years more or less. Hiccup."

"Right." Leela warped away.

Leela lay down on the sand and tried to relax. Her mind was in chaos. She managed to get the display to work, so she could roughly navigate her chronoshifts, but it was unreliable, and the batteries were almost empty. She saw much more history than it's healthy in one day, and she was starving. But her thoughts were on the other side. History was totally different. She knew that. She saw it. Did professor drop anything else down the rift? How did the communists get to New New York if they haven't learned anything from that calculator? Why did she meet that guy two times, at the same place, in the same manner? How does he, and she, and everything else fit in properly? She knew she only had power to try one more time. When should she go? What should she do?

Fry stirred. ''Now this is funny. I was supposed to have a biology exam one day and the teacher broke his neck and his name was Maximilian Crane.''

Leela sat up, her eye wide. She laughed. Of course! The professor was wrong all along! Back in the year 2000 a man named Maximilian Crane was supposed to break his neck. But he didn't. And so he was there in 2037. "Probably did something big during those forty years, so that his death didn't matter so much,'' she said, packing herself again. ''Well, December 11th, year 2000, here I come.''

Professor Maximilian Crane, or Max Craze as his students called him when they thought he wasn't listening, woke up an glanced at his clock.

''...half past three. If it's the milkman again, I'll hang him through the window.'' He fumbled the light switch in the hallway, and walked towards the door. Stupid doorbell always gave him a headache; whoever it was, he better have health insurance. "Blast it!" he violently opened the door. "What the hell ... oh my god!"

Leela was tired, beaten up, dirty and hungry, and had to walk eight blocks through a twenty century's metropolis with a paper bag on her head. She really had no time or nerves for this.

''Professor Crane? Microbiologist? Do you recognize this person?" She held up Fry's picture.

''Yes, yes and yes. That's that microcephalic imbecile Philip Fry. Dumbest human humanly possible. But what does it has to do with me, and where did you crawl from? Chernobyl?"

Leela reached out.

''There. Now, what should I do with myself?"

Then Chronoshifter flashed again, and Leela found herself back in the PE basement. Professor Farnsworth hit her with a shovel. "What were you doing, you damned Cyclops!? It took like hours to track you down! Luckily, it seems that history is itself again, though I don't remember Zoidberg ever had a flaming sword and a pointy hat.''

Leela hugged the professor. "Oh, thank you, professor! I thought you have abandoned me!"

''Abandon you!? With seven millions worth of equipment!? That's preposterous! What were you doing actually?"

"I found out what was wrong! Apart from retrieving the equipment, I was supposed to break professor Crane's neck in the year 2000! Not that I didn't enjoy it..."

Fry gaped. "Wow, Leela, you were saving my ass even before I met you!"

But Hermes didn't share the euphoria.

''Bad news, people! Professor Crane DID break his neck on December 11th, 2000, but because he fell through the window while trying to hang the milkman! And I just can't find his medical record or death certificate!"

Leela cried ''Damn it! But how..."

''I guess we'll never know," said a voice, as a tachyon ray blew the Cronoshifter apart.

Everyone turned round. In the doorway stood a tall figure dressed in a black, archaic-looking armor but holding unpleasantly modern-looking weapon. Behind him were six others, bulkier and with bigger guns. They moved towards the PE crew slowly and carefully, but no one doubted they could become very quick and effective if someone made a bad move. Suddenly Hermes jumped up, yelled, "Hahahaha! No one messes with the bureaucracy!" and dived into his files and archives.

The tallest figure spoke: ''Do not go there! The bureaucracy is beyond our powers. Secure the others and bring them back to ship. Units 1 and 2, find and destroy any documents related to time travel technology." Then he turned to the PE crew. "The master wishes to see you, alive and unharmed. Do not make me fail him. Now move along."

He bowed slightly and waved towards the door.

To be continued