Corinne passed Binar and Cliff on her way to answer the phone. Both of them hard at work - playing World of Warcraft. Really it was a wonder they managed to pay the bills. Freelance programmers they would describe themselves... and freelance was the right word for it! Sometimes Corinne wondered if they paid the bills by having Binar hack into the bank or something, for all the real work they got. But she was the one who did the books (you'd think programmers could wrap their heads around the concept of budgeting... apparently not), and she knew their earnings were legit.
Still... she wished there was more permanent work available. Even with their powers...
She sighed and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
Frankie
"Hello. My name is Frankie Muniz. I got your business card from a friend, and I was wondering if you'd be interested joining the crew for a movie I'm making?" he asked. He wasn't one for beating around the bush.
Corinne
"Frankie Muniz?" Corinne repeated.
He was the guy from Malcolm in the Middle wasn't he? But she didn't have a business card - oh... Binar and Cliff did.
"Oh, ahh, sorry for my lapse," she said, realising she hadn't said anything other than to blurt out his name, "The name on the card is Binar and Cliff? What kind of work is it?"
Frankie
"Computer graphics. I've just started my own production studio, and some friends and I are working on a movie about a bunch of mutant teenagers. We need some people to help with the CGI, graphics, special effects stuff that I know absolutely nothing about," Frankie answered.
Corinne and Cliff
Corinne chuckled.
"Neither do I. Just a moment, I'll get one of the boys."
She took the phone into the computer room.
"Cliff? You might want to take this call. Frankie Muniz, about a mutant movie - job offer for doing the CGI, graphics and special effects?"
Corinne noted she actually managed to spark Cliff interest long enough to get him to turn away from WoW. He took the phone.
"Hello? Cliff speaking."
Frankie
"Hey, Frankie Muniz here. I'd like to offer you and your friend a job with my new production company. I should tell you that I had a feww people reccommended, but I decided to call your group, because I'm looking for mutant and alien-friendly people."
Cliff
"Heeeey," Cliff said. "That's awesome dude. You can't get much more alien and mutant friendly than us. I'm a Dath, and Binar is a mutant. Corinne said something about doing CGI, graphics and special effects? That's right up our alley. Binar does that kind of stuff in his sleep. He can computer program like no other - his mutation is like, specially designed for that. I'm a technokinetic, myself."
Frankie
"Well, I'm a Sem," Frankie said. "My first project is a movie about a group of mutant teenagers on a road trip, but nobody has told the others that they're mutants yet. On the trip they get in a bunch of scrapes, and run into Mutant Haters, and so forth. My hope is that all those teenage girls obsessed with me and Hilary, Lindsay and the other actors will see us being accepting of mutants, and start being more tolerant. We will mainly be using out powers, but we need to make it look like all the actors are humans, and the special effects are real. So, so you think you guys would be interested?"
Cliff
"Absolutely."
This was going to be great! This was like, their best gig yet!
Frankie
"Well, my studio is in Tulsa, I bought, basically 1 entire city-block. So I have many apartments above the studio. Will it just be the two of you coming, or will that girl who answered the phone come along too?" Frankie asked. He was about to offer to send them 3 first-class plane tickets to Tulsa.
Cliff and Corinne
"Really? That's cool," Cliff said. "Yeah, Corinne will be coming too."
He met his girlfriend's eyes. Corinne gave him a small smile.
Frankie
"Well, I will have three tickets to Tulsa waiting at the airport."
Cliff
"Whoa, really?" Cliff asked. "Awesome."
They exchanged the appropriate details.
"Guess we'll see you in Tulsa."
Frankie
They spent a few more minutes deciding when to go, and where they could pick up the tickets.
"See you soon," Frankie said.
Cliff, Binar and Corinne
"Yep, cool," and the two soon hung up. "Hey dudes! We have just gotten like, the best gig ever!"
"Yeah?" Corinne asked.
"We're doin' - Binar, dude you listenin'? Cool. We're doin' the CGI and stuff for Frankie new mutant movie, whoo hoo! He's payin' for us to move down to Tulsa - already settin' aside an apartment just for us," Cliff went on to list the other stuff discussed.
Binar nodded.
"Good," he said. "We needed a new gig."
"I'll say," Corinne muttered. "We'll this is going to be good for you guys. I guess we should start packing up to move?"
Cliff sat back down at his computer. Binar went back to playing.
"Okay, fine. I'll get to packing," Corinne said. "Did Frankie say how many bedrooms?"
"Nope."
"Hmm. I hope it's three," she said under her breath.