"Hey, guys, Sarah here! Time to cover more ground than Tempest One ever did…because we're traveling in location as well as time this time! Let's take a quick look at some International versions of the 1983 classic "Press Your Luck."
An old man on a rocking chair sat quietly and attentively in front of the small box TV in the tiny living room. He was bald with scarce speckles of gray hair traced around the back of his ears and wore a green robe. The tuned TV was arguably the loudest noise in the trailer park that sunny afternoon.
Hannah was in a lesser compartment that served as the kitchen. Her hands were buried in the sink washing the dishes but her thoughts couldn't help but wander around the situation at Omega Tech and what it meant for her as an aspiring engineer. And then she remembered Dr. Cortez.
Part of the reason she wanted to be an engineer was to have a comfortable life, free from the troubles of minimum wage unlike her mother, in any case snappish and never too far from a bottle. Hopefully, there was still a chance to achieve that dream.
What if she had made the wrong choice siding with Tony and Dr. Bates?
No sooner had the question popped into her head did she hear the knock on the door. Only one person came to mind at first- Andy, her crackhead neighbor but then she remembered her mum told her the landlady was coming later to collect rent.
Hannah heaved a sigh as she rinsed her hands. Then there was a second knock, harder than the first.
"Hey, keep your pants on, will ya?" She yelled. The old man remained almost motionless on his chair. Hannah dragged her feet until she reached the door. A third knock was on its way just before she swung the door open.
"Tony, what the...?" she found herself speechless after those words as her eyes sized him up.
"Listen, I know you'd definitely think I'm being a stalker but I was so worried about you. And that girl, Riley didn't know where you live so I had to ask around after I got to the junction she said you both always split up..." Tony paused to catch his breath but soon got lost staring deep into her eyes. It was the first time he was seeing her without her glasses. Her hair was rolled up in a ponytail as usual.
His gaze soon swayed to the old man inside.
"Is that your grandpa?" He asked.
Hannah suddenly realized she left the door partly open.
"Can we please talk outside?" She offered. "The house is a bit of a mess, my quarters included." A lucid image of her underwear lying on the floor flashed in his memory as she spoke. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as a wave of embarrassment flushed through her.
"But I think I should say hi--"
Hannah jumped down from the trailer and dragged him away by the arm before he could finish speaking. They walked away from the trailer park to a grassy field that seemed more like a playground for children with a swing set, a seesaw, and a mini slide. Hannah settled for the swing set.
"About my grandpa," She said taking a seat. "He's partly deaf... and partly blind. But he still loves to sit in front of the TV," She chuckled.
Tony laughed as well. Then he took the other seat.
"Is he your only family? Living with you, I mean."
"Nah, my mum works at a diner uptown," Hannah answered. Her eyes swayed around for a moment before turning to face him.
"Must be a downer compared to your place, right?"
"No, no," Tony laughed. "I-I still live with my mother." He stammered.
Hannah could see him turning red. She decided to change the conversation.
"So why did you come all the way here?"
Tony pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he watched some neighbors walk past his view.
"As I said I was worried about you..."
"Geez, it was just two days--"
"I missed you, Hannah." Tony cut back quickly. "The last two days were so crazy and I missed the only feeling of normalcy I had- the only person that made sense."
Hannah couldn't help but flush red in a blush.
"And I checked your record. You never missed a day since you started your internship. Is something wrong?"
The wind began to blow a bit stronger at that moment. Hannah found the momentum to push her swing forward before she spoke.
"I'm scared, Tony." She said, raking her hair behind her left ear. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose this internship. I've invested so much and my mum has made a lot of sacrifices. But Dr. Cortez..."
"You're afraid of what he might do to you if you showed up to work." Tony's eyes were filled with worry as they locked in with hers.
"I know I did the right thing but a betrayal is a betrayal, and he doesn't look like someone who lets go of grudges."
"He wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I won't let him."
Hannah forced a smile.
"You can't promise that, Tony."
"Yes, I can. I'll get Dr. Bates to transfer you to his division if that's what it takes. And I'll be there to walk you to lunch and in the evening when you're heading home."
Hannah laughed.
"You've thought it through already, haven't you?"
She couldn't keep the same amusement on her face when she felt Tony's hands on the exposed side of her shoulder. It felt cold and sweaty but yet it was welcoming and exciting.
"Please just come back." Tony pleaded with a smile that seemed to have more effect than the afternoon sun on her skin.
But she didn't want to accept it. Barely two weeks has passed and she was already falling for him.
"Fine, I'll show up on Monday." She surrendered, shrugging his arm off her shoulder as playfully as she could be. "But the moment I sense something's off I take off, got it?"
"Yes ma'am." Tony nodded.
Hannah looked away immediately and continued swinging to avoid further eye contact.
"By the way, how'd the whole thing with Lucifer's friend go?" She asked.
Tony joined in the swinging as he answered. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you the half of it."
Hannah smirked.
"Try me."
** ** **
"Omega Laboratories saved in the eleventh hour by mysterious investor(s)"
Lucifer read the headline from the newspaper with a great delight and glow in his eyes. He was the only one who seemed excited out of everyone who stood by the airport's news shop. Lila's flight back from Washington was running a bit late and he had chosen to explore the airport while he waited. I was mostly boring- Henry was a poor guide and Lucifer missed Tony sorely but he had promised to let him off for the day so he could be with Hannah. But the news story on the front page of the business daily was the deal-breaker for him.
"I told you it was all going to work out fine, didn't I?" He said to Henry. Henry on the other hand was of a different opinion.
"I am more worried about the dreadful things this partnership could birth. Take that bioweapon for example."
"What about it?" Lucifer sneered.
"You and I know it's a bad idea taking that code to the Don. I would have aborted immediately if I was goddam in control of my body," Henry groaned.
"Listen, Henry, the sooner you get used to me, the easier it would be to step into your new role," Lucifer teased. "Also, what the Don does with his weapon is none of our business."
"So you're saying you don't care about the lives that could be lost?" Henry voiced in rage. "I thought you wanted to try out life as a human? Why are you so selfish?"
Lucifer sighed.
"You're wrong doctor, selfishness in your nature- greed, kindness, love, hate, war, peace... It's all branded inside of you. You've been coded as an irony- a sick joke, having nothing but your free will as your only true power. Tell me, would you rather have a different crime boss having those codes or someone who you could monitor?"
There was a lingering silence before Henry answered.
"I would rather neither."
"Who are you talking to?"
Lucifer turned around sharply to see Lila. She had on a black coat that covered all of what she was wearing underneath but the pair of heels she wore made her slightly taller than she really was. Her hair was a perfect fix as usual and her lipstick was pop cherry. Every fiber of Lucifer's being admitted she was beautiful.
"Hey babe," Lucifer grabbed her in the air before pressing his lips on hers. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before he dropped her. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Well, I just got here actually."
"Great, we still got time to celebrate--"
"No, Henry. We have to get ready." She countered.
Lucifer became stunned.
"Ready for?"
"Don't tell me you forgot what this weekend was," Lila said, shooting a nasty glare at him.
"Of course, I didn't forget." Lucifer lied. "You're up, doctor," Lucifer said in his head.
Henry thought deeply for a moment and then he remembered.
"Oh yeah, it's her cousin's wedding this weekend."
"Well, say it," Lila demanded impatiently.
"It's your cousin's wedding this weekend, Lila," Lucifer said with a smile.
"Mhmm," Lila grunted as she studied his expression. "It seems you didn't lose your memory after all. Come on then, we've got an epic wedding to attend."
"I agree," Lucifer said, taking her arm. "The devil wouldn't miss this for the world."