[164] Forever passive aggressive // Voice.

[stopthat_destro]

And so it would appear that I'm without a warden again.

[Infirmary Filter]I'd like to self-prescribe myself some antidepressants because I'm feeling sad. Nevermind that I don't have any mood disorders or chemical imbalances, or that I'm unsupervised, or that I'm not in any state where I should be diagnosing myself with anything. Just dispense

Comments

Private

[timesbureaucrat]

[Because he knows what "I'm fine" means, and he rather likes Rex, and he's rather worked up himself after his conversation with Rassilon.]

I was going to go test some small chronon grenades in the CES if you'd like to come. I could use help taking readings.

Private

[stopthat_destro]

Chronon grenades? [INSTANTLY PERKING UP.] I'd love to be of assistance.

Private

[timesbureaucrat]

[Blowing things up with high-powered techno-weaponry is the best solution to bad moods. It's like a pint of Ben and Jerry's for nerds.]

I'll meet you at the door to the CES, then.

Private

[stopthat_destro]

[Maybe there's even some recreational chemistry in their future!]

Excellent, I'll bring my goggles. [Because, obviously, all science requires goggles.]

Private (Spam? Assume?)

[timesbureaucrat]

[Of course goggles! And a lab coat. Coming to a science experiment without a lab coat is like going on a date without putting on trousers.]

Are they polarized? Artron flashes are particularly hard on human eyes.

Private (Either! Just know that I'm awful at science-y type things :c)

[stopthat_destro]

I have a pair that is. It'll take me a moment to dig out.

Spam (I just make up technobabble. Doctor Who isn't real science, anyway.)

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin goes to the lab to fetch the things he'll need and then goes to the CES and prowls back and forth in front of the door until Rex comes.]

Spam (LIKE GI JOE)

[stopthat_destro]

[And here comes Rex, science gear on, goggles on his forehead, looking about as menacing as Dr. Horrible right now. He can barely contain his excitement at trying out some alien weaponry.]

Narvin. [A nod of greeting.] What should I expect from the tests? I assume these differ from standard Earth explosives quite significantly.

Spam (Combine them to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow to make ice sink)

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin nods back and opens the door.]

There won't be a conventional explosion at all. If they work, and they should work, there will be a small flash of light as the artron energy is released. The excited chronons will affect time within the radius of the grenade, about five to ten metres. These are designed to slow time inside the blast radius by 1000% for about one minute. I thought it best to start with something small and relatively non-destructive at first, since the Barge's own time slips could interfere with the grenade.

[And he starts setting up the remote detonator. And after a few seconds starts in with a non-sequitur.]

...If you...hypothetically...had a...superior officer, or a former boss...who made you feel...inferior...or a failure...? [There might be a question somewhere in all that awkward attempting to talk.]

Spam (BAWWW WHY. WHY THE SINKING ICE.)

[stopthat_destro]

Mm. I thought it would be some sort of temporal interference. [He smiles a little, thinking about it. Then, he blinks when Narvin raises his question, not really used to the small talk with him.]

Yes? [Not really something Rex has much experience with, but he recalls the few times James tried to put him in "his place" on the Barge.]

Spam

[timesbureaucrat]

Controlling it is the most challenging part. Far more difficult than creating the interference in the first place.

[He nods at Rex's affirmative.]

Right. Exactly. [Narvin invents meaning and inserts it into Rex's one-word response. The "yes" translates in his head as "obviously that person is talking nonsense." Communication fail. Talking about personal things is hard. So he hands Rex a sensor array instead.]

When the grenade goes off, the sensor should light up like a supernova, tracking the changes in speed and direction of the chronon particles.

[Just by showing this to a human he's breaking two Gallifreyan laws and five CIA policies...but although he can't shake the thought and the accompanying thread of guilt, he's also a little pleased by it. His own, small, passive-aggressive action against Rassilon.]

Spam

[stopthat_destro]

[Rex furrows his brow, waiting for Narvin to continue, then looks down in confusion as he's handed the sensor array.]

Fascinating... [He turns it over in his hand and examines it.] But you were saying... about a hypothetical supervisor...?

Spam

[timesbureaucrat]

Perhaps...supervisor isn't the right analogy. Hypothetical analogy.

Imagine if...Einstein...no, not Einstein, he's a theorist, not an experimental scientist... Imagine if Oppenheimer appeared on the Barge and told you that you're a shameful scientist, a disgrace to the field, and suddenly everything you've done, every project you've pursued over your career seems tainted, and you can't quite shake the feeling of shame over the things that bring you happiness. [Again, there's a question lingering in their somewhere, unspoken.]

Spam

[stopthat_destro]

[Well, Narvin just described Rex's worst nightmare right there. Other people might have the "Aaah, I'm naked at school!" dream, but not Rex.]

I... [He clears his throat awkwardly.] I would be upset at first. I don't think I'd be able to focus, really. But... [He chews on his lower lip, thinking.] Eventually, I'd be consumed with the desire to surpass him. To show him that not only is he wrong, but that I'm his superior.

Spam

[timesbureaucrat]

[For people who define themselves by their work, failure is a fate far worse than nakedness.]

That's...not a bad idea. [He's not sure *how* to prove himself a better Time Lord than the man who invented Time Lords, but conceptually, he likes the notion. It certainly gives him something to think about while they temporally blow things up.]

Grenade detonation in ten seconds...