Why not? - English

11-06 The Why Files

"Everything done, Agent Mulder?" Penny asked me as I was about to board Neptune.

"What?" Confused, I turned back to her and offered her a hand while she and Ben pushed Neptune a little into the water so we could head back to the rescue center. Unfortunately, as I was still wearing my mountain rescue uniform, which wasn't waterproof, I couldn't help them. The boots didn't take well to a full bath in salt water.

"Well, as a potential member of the Why Files Agency," she explained to me with a smile as she took my hand and I pulled her up into Neptune before I grabbed Ben's arm and helped him too, who was visibly having more trouble getting into, at the steep bank area we were already in. He thanked me briefly before quickly adjusting his life jacket. As if he would look better if it sat half an inch further to the right or left!

"I declined, as you may remember," I argued with a grin to Penny then as I sat on Neptune's side torso.

"But definitely not, because you don't care. I heard you talking from the cliff before you sent me back to the station. You were on fire," she objected as she sat down across from me and I couldn't really tell whether she was curious or just amused.

I shrugged with a smile before answering her, "What can I say. I like a good mystery."

"Don't we solve mysteries every day in our job?" she replied with a smile and held on to the ropes as Ben drove off, having just listened to our conversation but obviously found it uninteresting.

"Really? Which one?"

"Well, the strangest missions," she replied with a wink and I couldn't help but laugh quietly.

“How we can prevent this probably remains the biggest mystery.”

“And the most unsolvable as well,” she added before we looked up at the ocean rescue center, which we were steadily approaching.

Once we reached it, we helped Ben dock and pull Neptune back to the rescue center. Since I had my clothes at the fire station, I would do the changing later, but I was waiting patiently for Penny to change when I heard voices outside on the dock.

Surprised, I looked to see what was going on and discovered the supposed secret society with the two Why Files Agents coming along the quay on their way home. Penny also seemed almost ready, so I decided to put a stop to their late-night argument. It might be the holidays, but that didn't mean that the children didn't have to be in bed by five-thirty in the morning and those who were already in bed wanted to be left alone in peace too.

"Hey, what's this about now? Are you aware that it's the middle of the night and others want to sleep?" I interrupted the heated debate.

"Professor Cricket here says we have to replace his telescope," Bronwyn exclaimed.

"Pickles! My name is Professor Pickles!" grumbled the professor and stamped his foot angrily. "And yes, after all, it was your carelessness with the rudder that knocked the telescope off the boat," he then turned to Gareth.

"If you had held it better, this wouldn't have happened at all!" the old man replied.

"I have to agree with Gareth to a certain extent, Professor. Although I have to go back a little further and remind you that you barely had room for so many people in the small boat. It was negligent to take a telescope with you too.", I now objected.

“How else were we supposed to discover the star?” the professor protested.

"The star that has already been discovered?"

"We couldn't have known that!" grumbled the professor offended and I glanced at Bronwyn, who was obviously also offended about his behavior.

"You could have known that if you had just done the proper research. I mean, if a girl could figure that out in a matter of minutes, why couldn't you?"