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Mewling and crying, the kitten was swept down the current as its mother batted helplessly at the water, carried away from the only warmth and comfort it had ever known into an abyss black beyond imagining. It looked back, once, seeing only a bright green-and-blue blur with its underdeveloped eyes as it entered the long serpentine tunnel underneath Hyde Bridge. The bridge itself was considered both a marvel of engineering and a complete waste of space, as it exited the river 500 yards from the point of entry in order to showcase the most modern form of bracing spans over long distances, but that mattered little to the tiny being currently underneath it, save that it plunged the poor thing into complete blackness for what seemed an eternity. It drove its tiny paws into the water over and over again, using the brief lift each downstroke provided to gasp a breath before its head was plunged underwater by the merciless current.
It was carried around a bend, and for a moment it found purchase on the bottom, strangely smooth and ridged beneath it, but was whisked away again before it could find enough purchase to reach the shore. This sent the kitten into a complete panic, and it wasted precious energy trying to flail its way to the other side before lack of air forced it to stop, and concentrate on breathing. Suddenly, the water dropped as it crested a small ridge, forcing the kitten completely underwater, pinwheeling it until it had no conception of up or down, and it was only saved by the rock it bounced against, pushing it upward until it finally broke the surface again. Still completely disoriented, it failed to notice the light coming from around the bend as the creek ran free of the bridge, and the sudden brightness as it emerged only served to confuse it further.
Mr. Pimms was methodically studying the slight sag in Strut 26B as he had been instructed when a loud splashing from underneath the bridge distracted him. He rose in one fluid yet constant (consistent speed?) motion, and strode to the center of the stream in order to investigate. He had been told to collect all data regarding the possible reason for the sag, and noises indicated movement, which could indicate force, which could indicate damage to the strut, which would provide a logical explanation for the angle at which it was currently sitting.
The kitten, disoriented, almost blind, half-drowned, and exhausted, could do no more. As it emerged from the bridge, it no longer had the strength to push itself out of the water, and thrust upward for one final gasp before it sank underneath, unable to move. Suddenly, it found itself grasped in a hard metal cage, being pulled inexorably upwards into sweet air and sunlight. Shivering and nerveless, it hung limp, concentrating only on drawing in as much air as it could.
Judging by its size, the creature currently in his hands did not possess sufficient strength to damage the strut, Mr. Pimms decided, and was therefore unlikely to be the source of the problem. While it possessed sufficient mass to do damage if propelled at the strut at a high enough velocity, Mr. Pimms regarded that as unlikely as well. Any wielder of an object capable of hurling a projectile at another object with the intention of damaging it would undoubtedly use an projectile that was either harder or heavier or both. Satisfied that he had exhausted all inquiry connected to the strut with the creature, he began lowering it to the place that he had found it.
“Mr. Pimms, what on earth are you doing?!” A whirlwind of scarlet and royal blue descended upon him, resolving itself into Miss Virginia. Mr. Pimms went to tip his hat to her as was dictated, but the movement upset her more than his former lack of propriety.
“No, don’t drop the poor thing!” she cried, holding out her hands as the kitten fell from his. “Didn’t Uncle program you t-wait, give me your coat first, it’s going to shiver itself to death in a moment and I don’t want to ruin my new dress.”
Wrapping it tenderly in the impeccably tailored coat she was given, she cradled the kitten gently against her and dried its face with the sleeve before facing him again, completely oblivious to the fact that she was standing in 2 inches of mud and was not yet ruining her dress but was most certainly making a mess of her also-new shoes.
“Didn’t Uncle program you to preserve the life of a living being if you could?” she said, jabbing a finger at his face.
He shook his head.
“He just programmed you to preserve the life of a human if you could, didn’t he?”
A nod.
Her mouth compressed into a thin line. “Well, until he can make it a permanent part of your programming, I am issuing you a new directive, under the authorization given me by Uncle. If a living being is in distress, preserve its life if you can. Understood?”
Mr. Pimms raised a finger.
“Yes?”
It moved slowly from Virginia, to the kitten, to Virginia again, followed by a slight tilting of the head.
“People are first priority unless instructed otherwise, all other beings in order of the severity of their distress,” she said after a moment, finally deducing what he was asking.
Mr. Pimms nodded, tipped his hat, and splashed methodically back to Strut 26B. He had been told to attempt to resolve the problem today, and Master James would be home in a few hours.
Virginia whirled around and began stomping to the barn, where Cantonia had last been seen nursing her new kittens.
“Poor thing…” she murmured to the kitten in her arms, before glaring in the general direction of the house. “Honestly, he doesn’t think anything through, great scientist or no.”
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