Free The Pike: Ships In The Night by Erik Schubach

Squad was written on it.
    There was a biometric plate on the wall, and I tried the door, but it was locked so I knocked.  A few seconds later, a heavyset young man with mousy brown hair that was combed impeccably in a part to the side answered.  He squinted up at me, his eyes looked huge through the glasses he wore that were at least a quarter inch thick.
    His eyes went wide, and the poor boy blushed profusely as he asked, “Y-yes?”
    I gave the poor man a reassuring smile and asked, “I'm looking for Ligaya Hannigan, is she here?”
    He just blinked at me, stunned as he got even redder, then he looked at his feet.  Are all scientists shy and bashful like this?  Then he nodded for an inordinate amount of time as he seemed to be gathering his wits about him and he called out.  “Schrodie, there's a... a GIRL... here to see you.”
    I heard a familiar voice approaching, she sounded more sure of herself than the few shy words I have heard her speak. “What are you talking about Lenny?  Why would a girl be...”
    She stopped behind him, and all that confidence I had just heard seemed to melt away as she stopped talking and looked down as she tucked some of her long wavy black hair behind her ear.  She said in a squeak, “It's you.”
    I nodded and agreed with her observation, “It's me.”
    Then she looked at Lenny and grabbed his arm and dragged him back.  “I've got this Len, can you go check my phase shift calculations for Hachi?”  The young man nodded absently, retreating into the room beyond, his eyes locked on me the whole time, I tried not to smile as he almost tripped on some equipment.
    Then the girl was speaking down at her hands as she wrung her fingers.  “Sorry about that, the boys don't get much interaction with girls.  Well, that is an invalid postulation that they don't interact with girls since I'm sort of... well I mean...”  She trailed off like she was trying to solve the most complex problem of her life.
    I saw four heads poking around a corner in the room beyond.  Lenny and three other men, ranging in ages from around twenty to forty.  I tried hard not to smile, the poor guys were so awkward, and it would probably break their hearts if I did.
    I tilted my head at her, trying to catch her deep brown eyes, and asked, “Schrodie?”
    She blushed even more if it was possible and she shot a warning look back at the men. “That's my nickname here, because even when I'm not here working the math, I'm... still here, working the math.  Are you familiar with Schrodinger's cat?”  The men tittered.  Are men supposed to titter?
    I nodded and smiled at her,. “Yes, I'm familiar with Schrodinger's cat.”
    This got a little smile from her, and she chanced looking up at me.
    I pointed at the tape over the room number and prompted, “Heisenberg Squad?”
    She grinned and met my eyes fully now and just wow, you could see her intelligence burning in her eyes, it was almost a physical thing you could reach out and touch.  She said cutely, “We're pioneering new trials in our field.  So we have no idea where we are, but we're making good time!”
    This caused the men to burst into giggle fits and she gleeped out a giggle of her own before composing herself.  She tilted her head. “Umm... why are you here, Miss?”
    Oh...  I looked down at her and said, “Oh, sorry.  I'm Allison, and you left some papers at the Pike.”  I dug them out and offered them to her.  “They looked important so I tracked you down to return them.”
    Here eyes went wide, and it looked like relief flooded through her as she almost snatched them out of my hands and held them tight to her chest like they were precious cargo.  “I was in a panic not knowing what I had done with these.”
    Then she paused and narrowed an eye at me and asked in an almost accusing tone, “You didn't look over the calculations on theses did you?”
    I nodded and teased. “Yes, I used them to solve a time travel problem I have been