"Christ Jesus, did you drag your whole life out here with you?" Wyn says by way of greeting, giving the mess around her friend a highly skeptical look. She delicately shoves a blue box out of the way before she flops into one of the chairs, crossing her arms and giving Billy an expectant look. What you're doing looks interesting, Billy; care to share what it is?
"'My life' barely survived the trip here", he counters playfully, looking over at Wyn. She seemed to want something specific from him, but he couldn't honestly think of what that might be, and that was a reason to be worried.
"Have I forgotten something that I was supposed to give you? I've been busy lately, and certain things have slipped off my radar. That's partially what brought me to this point."
"And that's why you ask people for help. I've been looking for an excuse to field-test my apportation rig..." Wyn says with an affectionate roll of her eyes. "... or, y'know, I could do it the normal-person way." she adds hastily, unsure of whether or not Billy would like his boxes submitted to a very minor warping of the space-time continuum.
"Not... unless I'm missing something. You gave me the jukebox, remember?"
"I did. I'm glad you liked it," he says with a grin.
But wait---Wyn, you've just seized Billy's attention. "Apportation rig? I'd be honored to help you test it, if we have the chance. How has it functioned so far?"
Ahava merely cocked an eyebrow slightly at the mess; there was definitely something going on here that was worth a second look, she decided. Heading over to Billy's location, she waited until he looked up and met his gaze with a friendly smile.
"Hi," he greeted, waving up at the woman. Billy thought he might have seen her in a crowd before. "No, this isn't anything particularly important---just some useful tools I think we may need later on. I was just using my time in the laboratory to finish some projects before I was forced to relocate."
Next, he had to ask: "Were you busy? I'm sorry if my mess distracted you."
"No, not particularly," Ahava answered truthfully. "Actually I was only looking around to try and meet some more people. Considering everything that's been happening and how many of us there are... well. I suppose I can't spend all my time hidden away in a lab, right?"
Not wanting to disturb anything in case it was important or fragile, Ahava leaned against a wall nearby, arms folded and watching Billy's work with interest. "You were forced to relocate?"
"Maybe I should follow your example. I might not have a choice in the matter, actually. As I heard secondhand some time ago and just experienced, the AIs are concerned about burnout. Stacy 'strongly suggested' that I take a break from that room for a duration of no shorter than 24 hours." If he had any skill at impressions, he probably would have attempted to mimic her voice.
"You're from the Science department, right? I'm guessing you have a full work load too." Billy leaned toward her slightly, interest growing.
Tex's hologram blips in to eyeball the mess of boxes and inventions warily. Crossing her arms, she looks from the pile to Billy, tilting her head a little to the side. "You do know what you're doing, right?"
Forgive her, Billy. After Blood Gulch, she has reason to watch tinkerers carefully.
She'll be forgiven. Accidents have happened before. Terrifying food-exploding accidents of messy proportions. After acknowledging the hologram with a bow of his head, he slips into the formal, obedient speech pattern he uses when addressing superiors.
"I do. This is a simple movement detection device that will blink and emit a sharp sound when a person steps within the programmed radius. It contains no chemicals or other ingredients that would create a destructive reaction. Those items are always constructed in the laboratory with appropriate protections in place."
"...So it's an alarm. Where's it going?" Not that she's worried about setting it off, but knowing where the alarm would be coming from would be nice. "And why do we need one?"
"If the rest of the department and the Command Staff approve, I'll eventually set it up in Special Weapons. Most crew members have been coming to us with requests, and we grant them whenever we can, but we've had minor problems with people helping themselves to our equipment and supplies before. Security has been patrolling the corridor in front of the lab more frequently, but I'm going to propose stronger measures to the. This is just a miniature prototype, and one small part of the plan."
Billy looked up at the armored hologram then. "What do you think?"
The Observation deck sure had been busy every time Diana had shown up there. And yet the number of times she'd been up here, she hadn't seen any blinking lights. That's when she noticed someone.
Between the lights, the blond head snapped up. This time, Billy didn't have to stand up to know that the woman towered over him height-wise. Her appearance suggested incredible power as well, and perhaps he was slightly intimidated.
"Hello," he greeted, peering up at her through the strange plant-glasses. "May I help you with anything?"
"Do you know about these blue lights? I don't remember seeing them before." He seemed like the type to know what they might be. The outfit, the tools, the mess. Unless somehow the Amazon didn't quite understand technology as well (or usually, as poorly) as she believed she did. Computers weren't commonplace in Themyscira and while she learned them during her time with the Justice League and such, there was still so much she didn't know of them.
Oh, a technical question. He could answer that! "This is a prototype of a lab security system I might implement later on. The main component is the black orb in the center---that's the sensor that will register when the area within a certain distance of it is breached." He looked up to see if she understood.
"The lights are indicators. When the lights are blue, nothing's been detected. Yellow lights indicate a minor breach, like an object rustling in the wind, and red lights indicate that something large was moved in the area." To demonstrate, he picks up one of his tools and brings it close to the black orb---the lights turn yellow when it brushes the edge of the radius, and red when he fully sticks his hand in.
"I'm just testing the basic function now. The finished product will accommodate a larger area and have a stealth mode---anyone attempting to steal things would easily notice the lights and find a way to disable them."
Comments 61
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"Have I forgotten something that I was supposed to give you? I've been busy lately, and certain things have slipped off my radar. That's partially what brought me to this point."
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"Not... unless I'm missing something. You gave me the jukebox, remember?"
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But wait---Wyn, you've just seized Billy's attention. "Apportation rig? I'd be honored to help you test it, if we have the chance. How has it functioned so far?"
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"Working on something important?"
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Next, he had to ask: "Were you busy? I'm sorry if my mess distracted you."
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Not wanting to disturb anything in case it was important or fragile, Ahava leaned against a wall nearby, arms folded and watching Billy's work with interest. "You were forced to relocate?"
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"You're from the Science department, right? I'm guessing you have a full work load too." Billy leaned toward her slightly, interest growing.
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Forgive her, Billy. After Blood Gulch, she has reason to watch tinkerers carefully.
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"I do. This is a simple movement detection device that will blink and emit a sharp sound when a person steps within the programmed radius. It contains no chemicals or other ingredients that would create a destructive reaction. Those items are always constructed in the laboratory with appropriate protections in place."
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Billy looked up at the armored hologram then. "What do you think?"
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"Hello there," the tall Amazon greeted him.
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"Hello," he greeted, peering up at her through the strange plant-glasses. "May I help you with anything?"
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"The lights are indicators. When the lights are blue, nothing's been detected. Yellow lights indicate a minor breach, like an object rustling in the wind, and red lights indicate that something large was moved in the area." To demonstrate, he picks up one of his tools and brings it close to the black orb---the lights turn yellow when it brushes the edge of the radius, and red when he fully sticks his hand in.
"I'm just testing the basic function now. The finished product will accommodate a larger area and have a stealth mode---anyone attempting to steal things would easily notice the lights and find a way to disable them."
Reply
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