Shade is  sitting in his corner  fussing over his Vid Board,  the Lab Techs  are running experiments on the   specimens in search of  a 'weapons grade' reaction...and  trying to compile  what biets they can for Henry's data bases.

"Hello Shade... how are you getting on? Did you sleep well?" asked Henry, coming over to see what Shade was doing on his vid board.

  Shade  Holds Up his thumb and goes back to his Vidboard He seems to   be drawing a city. the city seems dark, grays and blacks. Thick clusters of high rise buildings... and  grey clouds or smoke hanging    in the air  about halfway up the tallest of the buildings.

"Is that something you have seen?" asked Henry, wondering how to get the little guy to answer the question 'where?'. Was he going to have to play 20 questions.

  Shade  Loks up his  blue eyes shifting between blue and  green. He holds out  both  arms and  tries to shrug. Then goes back to  adding to the city.

"You are not sure if it is real?" guessed Henry, pleased that Shade's eyes were displaying 'happy' colours.

He started looking for a radio receiver. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to explain in terms the little guy would understand, but he wanted to see if Shade could in some way 'transmit' thought.

   When Henry asked the  question if about the Picture   Being Real....

   Shade looked up.. his eyes shifted from green to grey and back...he nodded, then tilted his ehad and held  out his  arms  as he tries to 'shrug'

Henry nodded.

"OK, got it. Well done, Shade."

He dug out a communicator.

"Now listen, Shade. Shadow told me that he could hear you through the radio implants in his head, yes? Can you tap in to an ordinary radio so you can talk to anyone?"

He handed the communicator over so that Shade could have a look.

"Remember, Shadow doesn't want anyone to know about his implants. So don't talk about them, OK? Now, do you want to give this a try?"

   Shade  shook his head  and  reached Up to tap Henry's  collar bone.

  When Shade looks at the Com his  eyes  went  grey as he looked at the COM  turnignit o9ver and pressing a button or two. He looks up and shrugged..( attempted to shrug)

Henry was a little surprised, then realised what Shade meant.

"Ah, that's where his communicator is, not in his head, yes?"

He saw that Shade was looking at the comm rather puzzled. He settled down to show Shade how it worked.

"Don't worry if you cannot interface with it. We'll find some way to get you talking... I know you have lots you want to say. Would you like to try sign language? Deaf humans have developed a complex system, they can express pretty much everything they want using hand shapes as they often cannot speak clearly, and of course cannot hear each other."

Henry tries a few basic signs.

  Shade  watches Henry's  hands... his eyes   are grey  and shift to a light green. Then he   reaches out  for one of Henry's hands and opens that hand...then holds out his own....3  fingered hand...

 he looks up  at Henry..and   tries to shrug again.

A-HA!

"We'll have to devise our own sign language, won't we... your hands cannot form many of the 'conventional' signs. Try this... to say 'thank you' you touch your fingers to your lips, then sweep your hand downwards, palm towards you, in the direction of the person you wish to thank."

Henry demonstrated.
http://media.signbsl.com/video.../mp4/thank%20you.mp4"

  watching   Shade  tries to do the sign, he is a wee bit  stiff as the movements, but works  hard  to try and do it..

  his eyes  are grey as he tries to get it  right.

"May I?" Henry asked, approaching the little guy carefully.

If he doesn't object, Henry gently takes his hand and moves it through the gesture.

"You are doing really well, Shade."

  The Little  Guy lets Henry  move his arms. The strong feel of metal coupled with the warming sensation of the  'ever changing' skin, is an old  feeling.

  He Moves through it a few times, Still a bit stiff..then hold a thumb up.

"Well done," said Henry, returning the thumbs up.

"I shall have to start working up a collection of signs for you so that you can express yourself properly. I know you are about bursting with ideas and frustrated that we cannot understand you."

His comm buzzed. "Excuse me a moment" He read, and tapped a reply.

"Orria is coming down. Now, here's a sign you can learn, it's how to say 'Hello' - you hold your hand up, palm towards the person you are saying hello to and move it in a semicircle, starting in front of your face..."

He demonstrated, then helped the little guy master the move.

"Maybe you can both learn sign. You never know when it will come in handy... and if she learns, she will be able to understand you too."

  Shade listens to  Henry and  works on the 'hello'..he nods  as Henry says about Orria coming down.

 He sits  back  down and Looks at his Vid Board.

Melia rushes in, hurry written all over her. The Ajax turn, and Sam leaving had bothered her a lot. Orria wears a slightly confused and concerned look, one moment she'd been playing the next she'd been packed up and moved to the Med Lab, and then Melia had shown up and moved her again. Melia apologizes, "I'm sorry for being such a bother, things came up, and well Sam and her father left for a med vessel. I hope it's not too much trouble." She doesn't linger long, just long enough to assure Orria it will be okay, and to briefly answer any questions or comments Henry may have. Before returning to the Hanger Bay via the QM locker.

Henry came out to meet Melia.

"It's absolutely no problem, Melia. Orria is always welcome here. When you get back, maybe we can go for a coffee and you can tell me what's going on... in the meantime stay safe, OK?"

He took Orria's hand.

"Hello, Orria. I'm sure the lonox will be pleased to see you, and Shade is looking forwards to seeing you as well. Come on..."

He led her through to Shade's room and tapped on the door to get the little guy's attention.

"Hey, Shade. Do you remember how to sign 'Hello'? Orria's here!"

  Shade Looked up from His Corner  and  tried to  do the 'hello' sign..it was still a biot stiff..but pretty much correct.

 Then he added  a Thumbs up....

"Excellent, Shade," said Henry responding in kind. He then explained to Orria and showed her how to sign 'Hello' back.

"You see, Shade doesn't talk but he has a lot to say. So I'm trying to teach him to sign - would you like to learn too?"

  Shade whirls  and  clicks  his eyes  flash a little orange before going back to a greenish blue.

In reply to Henry Christie (msg # 23):

ORRIA

Orria tries to do the signs but it's kind of limp and a little off the mark. She waves at Shade by opening and closing her hand at him shyly. "Shade, nose?" she asks turning the wave into a point at Shade's face, as she looks at Henry. When asked she nods and tries the greeting again, saying "Hi"

  Though Shade  has a nose...of  sorts... it doesn't look much like a Human nose.

   When Orria  says  hi..he holds a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, it takes practice to get right," said Henry.

Back on Earth, he'd had a deaf student who brought a sign interpreter to class, and he'd picked up the basics - but it was fascinating to watch two 'experts' in full flow conversing with one another.

"You are both a little stiff with the 'Hello' - here's an alternate..." This one looked pretty much like a salute.

http://bslsignbank.ucl.ac.uk/d...y/words/hello-1.html