Overhaul

[Lovely]

November 7, 2006
Coalition HQ

He heard someone come in the booth and heard Milo mumbling something about ties as he walked away down the hall. Looking from behind an array of wires and pretending he wasn't there, he looked up past the console to see her just as he torched his finger on a shorted part of the circuit. He winced slightly before nodding a 'hello', trying to look cool like it didn't really hurt like the bugger it did, but Badger wanted to ask her if she knew where he could get a bandage. He'd burned himself kinda bad.

She jumped over the desk and nearly tripped to get to the first aide kit on the wall. Dumping half the box of bandaides getting one for him she rushed over to tend to his finger. She helped him with the burn gel and a bandage.

She let go of his hand and bounced back to the door, smiling. "Well I gotta go sort Milo's tyes by color pattern and length...I'll be back in like five minutes... wanna have a non caffinated drink with me then?"

He blinked. What just happened? "You do decaf? Wow.. didn't think that was possible around here.... can get you some coffee..."

"Well caffine just makes my brain go even faster and I think it may explode one of these days..so I try to avoid it..but yeah caffine is good.. we can do caffine? you like caffine? what about sugar? sugar makes me all hyper super speed monkey like. but its cool, like those pink snoball things. yeah, so like i gotta go, Milo has a meeting and I need to sort his socks the same way before he goes... be back in five, I swear!"

She reappeared like she hadn't left , talking to someone else in the hall who let her in. He overheard part of the conversation, " .... nope cause i just rigged up this decive that types on the keyboard while i talk and it can keep up, big plus. you know instead of falling behind and it's typing for like twenty minutes after i get done." She waved as the door closed.

He chuckled. "Hey, I'm not that bad...I talk.. just... well.. you know.. small talk ain't my deal, but I can keep up."

"What do you like to talk about? I can talk about anything..."

"I can recite anything I've ever seen or read, kinda... like quote and whatever... but, um... " thinks... what does he like other than gadgets. "Well gadgets.. nanotech and stuff... would love to build those little robot toys... and ships. Old ships... like clippers.. yachts.... sailing ships.. weird, huh?"

"Not wierd at all..." Smiles thinking of all those ships in the bottles she has done. "So you like gadgets too? Me too.. I tinker, invent, upgrade, experiment. You know I have a lot of time and all I do is think. Got to keep busy, keep moving."

"Yeah? Cool.. maybe, um... you'll hafta show me some of your inventions sometime. You use tools? I can use an extra hand in here... well, I mean, I can do it, but two will make it faster... more fun," he smiled

"Sure tools, all kinds, I can use anything basically. And Microkinesis comes in handy in tight spots, can manipulate and get into the highly sensitive spaces."

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words just weren't there. His hand came up to the back of his head and like operating a puppet, his mouth closed and he turned suddenly away. "Right.. so, um.. tools.. okay.. like that set of clippers there... need that grouping of wires trimmed and ... well.. they're color coordinated.. red to red... so on.. strip 'em.. um.. well.. yeah, connect the ends there.. and tape each one. Then we'll see if the mother ship can take off again."

[Lovely]

"K... right... got it, on it." She grabbed the clippers and went to work. She kept up a steady pace of chatter as her hands and eyes moved rapidly over the wires. "So what happened in here? Looks all black, pretty charred. Was it not grounded properly, did someone mess with wires they shouldn't have touched? Can I have that tape? Thanks." Stops talking long enough to rip tape with her teeth.

"I think I did it... well.. kinda. See we had a bad chip.. ya know.. caution.. intel inside...kinda thing.. and it burnt. Bypassed it a few days ago and didn't get back to it in time. This whole set up is a leaky boat, really.. I just keep plugging the holes as I find them. Really needs an overhaul. Ten years for the workout we give it? Lucky it was just panel three and not the whole level."

"An over haul? I could help with that? Love to help with that. I can look at it tonight, go over it inch by inch. These circuits are not going to handle another patch job really. They are toast, it's like putting a band aide on and amputation." She snipped and tapped, handing him the clippers. "All done... it will work for a couple days and then burn out again. So whole level? Were you here when it happened? That must have been freak out time."

"Um.. not really.. I mean I was sorta here.. someone saw it ahead and gave me the tip... just a little warm around the tuckus... but got out in time. Thanks for asking," he grinned."Overnight overhaul? The whole thing, huh? Tell ya what... I"ll be in here at ten with some espressos... and a 7-up if ya want... and we'll work on it?"

"Yeah that would be wicked. I redid the tiles grout and shelves in my bathroom last night. This is much better to focus on. I'll bring some munchies, what do you like? Anything you want...I'll get. You bring drinks and I'll bring food!" She clasped her hands together excitedly.

He laughed, "Um.. okay... I'm easy.. I mean um.. I like just about anything.. chips.. I guess.. whatever you want is fine."

"Music!" Giggling. "We'll need music. I'll bring my player, any preferences? What do you like? Or are you a silence type concentrater? Some people can't work with noise, me..I gotta have something. My brain is in eighty different places. I counted once, It really was."

"Music? Oh that's easy.. um... check this out," he said, looking over across the room behind her. The sound of a tuner coming on and searching through local radio to a dance music station piped in. "DJ whoever okay with you?"

She squealed and jumped up and down. "Yes this is great, perfect!" She rubbed her hands together. "So do they keep you locked up here all the time? Do you get out much? You dance? I love it, too much fun. There's a club on the corner of Water and Saca street, you ever been? They got a thumping place. You really should get there sometime. Hey maybe we could go one night? You and me, sometime when the simulators don't need overhauling? It could be fun, get out and let out all that pent up energy, pumping, thumping, grinding, shaking, slamming."

He leaned against the console, grinning, just watching her buzz along. "Um.. well I keep me locked up.. not really anyplace else to go, but,.. umm.. yeah, sure.. a club or something. I haven't been in a while," he bluffed through it, having really not been to a club at all. He'd been in them to work on the systems, but never went to dance. "Sure.. I'll go." His jaw shifted a little as he smiled.

"Yeah? You'll go? Awesome!" She smiled at him. "You have a great smile. Should use it more." Tipping herself over then around and under a desk, kind of leaning and wraping around it, to tweak a wire on the monitor. "Oh by the way, I'm Bronwyn! You are?" She flips back up the desk and holds out her hand to him.

"Brock... folks around here call me Badger, mostly... cuz I'm kinda underground all the time... ya know.. mole.. rat.. ferret...badger," he smiled and gripped her hand, forgetting the burn on his finger.

She remembered and was careful of the burn, even flipped his hand up to kiss it. "Mole rats are cute! and They call me Bron, Plato, Wyn. I'll pretty much answer to hey you."

[Lovely]

10:00 p.m. simulators offline
***************************

Bron was already in the simulator rooms, having told Milo she needed higher clearance while sorting his ties. He had chuckled and listened to her ramble for five minutes about why it would be a good idea. Then he had gone to his office and adjusted her clearance and given her access. She was so excited, she did a cartwheel! She had arrived early, not like she was doing anything else at the time. Bron had already re-wired the speakers on the stereo system, giving them a better performance and sound quality. The music played softly, something older that her parents had listened to. John Mellencamp. An assortment of chips and snacks and drinks were in bags near the desk. She was pacing snapping her fingers and slapping her hands on her thighs as she sang along, knowing every word.

The panel beeped its 'code accepted' acknowledgement and the door to the booth opened. He was carrying an armload of cabling and spools of tape and other repair pieces, a pack over his shoulder holding tools and a few data packs for the replay unit. He smiled seeing she was here already and set the haul down heavily under the console, being gentle with the pack. "Hey... hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.. was afraid you'd be all done before I even got here," he said, smiling up at her as he unloaded the pack, handing her two data packs. "Stuff on those you might like... sounds different... sounds good. What did you do?" He stood listening to the changed accoustics and ran his hand on the console, his eyes closing as he felt the changes in the paths of wiring.

She grinned and bounced over. "You're here! No, I was early, wasn't doing anything. So I just came by, got Milo to up my clearance so I can get in on my own. Not that I mind you being here when I come... but just that way you don't have to be. I'm sure you have things to do, don't want to always have to tag along and watch me.. but I don't mind when you are here. I mean I like it when you are, like you. I do." She smiled. "I have seen you here lots of times when I have come to use them or drop stuff off. Yeah I am the gofer a lot, I think they think I am too much of a spaz to do much else yet. I'm not so good around 'normal' people.. oh gosh, not that you or anyone here is really abnormal.. I'm I mean I'm the one who is odd." She looked at the data packs in her hands and turned. "I brought food! I don't know if you will like what I chose.. I tried to bring a variety of stuff. Salty, sweet, crunchy and soft... I got it all!"

He listened, his eyes opening as he turned to watch her vibrate along through her sentences. He started to notice something strange in the way she spoke, perhaps the way she switched gears so quickly like he did, processing in so many directions. He grinned, "You're not a spaz."

She knelt by the bags, beginning another ramble, then stopping to look up at him. "I'm not a spaz? Wow you are like the only person on the planet who probably thinks that!"