New Arrivals
Author-Sally M
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The Five Days of Christmas Tests
by Sally M

Summary: Christmas fic. The run-up to Christmas for a Sentinel/lab rat.

Disclaimer: The Sentinel and all his works belong to Pet Fly, UPN, and Paramount and no copyright infringement is intended; there's definitely no money in it.

<On the first day of testing, Sandburg said to me...>

Now Jim, you know that there's eight mega-shopping malls here in the city centre, at least 80 stores in each, and in every one a different Christmas carol is playing - maybe two. That's... oh wow man, that's over 600 Christmas carols that you as a Sentinel can hear at this minute, right?

Right? Right. Now tell me the names of all 600.

**********************

<On the second day of testing, Sandburg said to me...>

Now we've got three specimens here, Jim. First one, Mrs Donatello-Down-the-Street's LotsaChocolate Panforte recipe. Second, Mrs Taggert's Secret Black Rum Christmas Fruitcake. Third, H's great-aunts's Secret Christmas More-Nog-Than-Egg Rum Punch recipe.

I want you to taste them all and work out what the secret ingredients are... aw come on, Jim, I can't believe you think I'm trying to steal them! Purely in the interests of research, man, it's purely in the interests of research.

Just keep tasting, and tasting, and... hey, I wonder if we need to test how long it takes a Sentinel to get sick...

Um. No. No we don't.

**********************

<On the third day of testing, Sandburg said to me...>

Hey Jim, Mom's sent us this Sensual Cleansing - no, sorry, sorry, *Spiritual* Cleansing Incense Powder, probably the same thing with Mom but - what? No, her presents don't get more weird every year - have you forgotten the Inner Self Manifestation Bowls she sent you last year? Yeah, hard to forget - it was the thought that counted, man, though *what* she was thinking...

Anyway, what I want you to do is smell this and tell me what's in it - sage? No no no, no sage, I wouldn't do that to you, there's no sage in the list that came with - oh. Oh man, I'm so sorry, Mom put it in herself.

No, Jim, I promise, I'm *not* laughing. Hey, you're not allergic to sandalwood as well are you, Jim? - Jim??

**********************

<On the fourth day of testing, Sandburg said to me...>

Now this is just like the lab test with the strobe lights, Jim, only bigger and better - much much bigger, there must be four thousand lights blinking in that display, would you say -? Three thousand four hundred and twenty two? You know that? How'd you know that, is it a Sentinel thing? Hey, I could think up a new test for -

It was in the paper. Gotcha.

Now what I want you to do is concentrate on just one - yes, I *know* how far we are from them, that's the point - no, not the big red one on Rudolf's nose, that's too easy. Just pick one of the little ones and see if you can focus without losing or zoning or - Jim, Jim, JIM! Let me finish before you break the no zoning bit, okay?

**********************

<On the fifth day of testing, Sandburg said to me...>

Jim, leave your brother's present alone. No matter *how* good your sense of touch is, you're never going to be able to tell what's under all those layers of wrapping paper by just feeling it.

....

....

....

Here. *Mine* you can probably tell.

What? Hey, I'm Jewish remember, I don't *have* to wait till Saturday morning. And it's all in the interests of science, man...

the end

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