Help Unwanted

[universebeware]

Who: Brainstorm and You!
Where: Brainstorm's Workshop, which is in a slightly-quieter portion of the Cancer district.
Summary: Come Bother the Giant Robot: The Entry.
Warnings: Brainstorm is a jerk.

Unlike most of the inhabitants of Hinoto-Ri, Brainstorm is a touch too large for the given apartments. So he's acquired himself a space that looks more like a hangar than a house, but for someone like him, it works. Most of the time, the door is shut, but today, it is open. It's not that Brainstorm wants company - it's that he expects the other visitors to break their new toys at some point or another. Organics are clumsy things, and much as he loathes to interrupt his own work and research, well. Some things just have to be done, whether he likes it or not.

That, and with spring getting into swing, it's getting warmer, and some days it's easier to just keep the door open.

Those who approach would hear the sound of tools in use - and perhaps be unlucky enough to step up when he's welding, and get a eyeful of terribly bright light. Whatever he's doing when someone draws near, though, he's too busy to notice them.

At the side of the open hangar door is sign with an arrow pointing to a roughly human-scaled stairwell. It zigzags up to a platform that will put anyone who climbs it roughly at Brainstorm's chest level - high enough to not strain their necks, but low enough to still be looked down on. There's a panel on the safety railing with a large palm-sized button on it. A digital display above it displays "Press For Assistance" in multiple languages. It appears to be considerate, but it's mostly to cut down on what he considers annoyances.

--

OOC: Do come bother Brainstorm! Need something built, repaired, or if your character's curious/nosy, or whatever you wanna do!

Comments

[trombeoverride]

Elzam was badly in need of a shady weapons repair specialist and designer and it wasn't exactly the thing you advertised for but something about this guy SCREAMED shady mad scientist. With that he hit the buzzer and waited outside.

[terminally_clever]

I had a similar role at home, so you won't need to worry about bringing me up to speed on anything. Once I have the appropriate access codes and encryptions, I'll take care of things from there.

[likethewolf]

You look like a mechanic. Do you do work for others?

[meaningdies]

... Maybe he should have come by later. Really though, this... person? Robot? Whatever. He's one of the last ideas he has to find some work that isn't totally mind-numbing.

"Brainstorm, right? Heh. I had a question, but if you're doing delicate work I can come back later."

[skyofreverie]

[Sora actually takes a step back when the flash comes, that is, right before he leaps over the railing and rushes closer. By the time he gets there the show is already over and he's very aware of how small he is compared to this guy.]

Are you sure you know what you're doing with that thing?

[universebeware]

Very well, then.

[He's still rather annoyed, but given that it wasn't his call to put her in this position, that means it's not his responsibility if this winds up going pear-shaped.

There's a quiet mechanical whirring noise as his COMP deploys as one scouter-esque visor over one eye. His head tilts to the side just a bit while one hand's fingers drum against the arm they're resting on. After a moment, the device retracts.]

Check your messages in a bit, the information should be arriving quite shortly.

[universebeware]

Brainstorm just stares for several seconds.

Then he laughs. Like, bend over and hold-yourself laughing, which goes on for a long bit before he eventually starts to wind down.

"Ahah...ha...ha... It'll be a cold day in The Pit before I am ever indebted to an organic."

[universebeware]

It's part of my job description here, doing work for others. [He sighs faintly, then makes a faint gesture with his hand, rolling it about slightly as he adds to it.] I suppose that depends on your definition of 'mechanic'. I work on things, not beings - I assume you need work on the former.

[universebeware]

[Brainstorm was about to fire off another shot when Sora's voice was heard, and he peers down at the spiky-head organic, and raises one finger.]

One - yes, I'm testing it. I built it, so I would hope I know what I'm doing with it.

[He raises a second finger.]

Two - I do hope that you are aware that it's rather unwise to rush into a testing area like that.

[universebeware]

"There's no sense in putting it off, as I'm already distracted. I'm just thankful nothing got messed up. However, yes. I am Brainstorm, sh--... City's genius. What do you need?"

[universebeware]

Perhaps it was the number of weapons lying around, or the sheer amount of technical doodads and whatsits crammed into such a nondescript building. Either way, Elzam wouldn't be too far off the mark.

For once, however, Brainstorm isn't deeply involved in a project - just moving containers around to set up for one. He stops, then walks over to the platform, crate in-hand.

"Yes?"

[tyrantball]

Desco gives you an unimpressed glare at this.

"Hey! Desco is only partially organic! Her neural interface is a triumph of cybernetic wetware!"

[terminally_clever]

I'll do that. And I assume since you already knew where to send it, I can dispense with the usual boring personal introductions and get right to work. I'm sure if you're in charge of the network, you already know everything that's in the government's file on me anyway.

[She's just assuming as a matter of course that the government is keeping that sort of information about the visitors. It only makes sense.]

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma loves looking through the Cancer district whenever she has free time. All the gadgets and electronics are just fun to play with.

During one of her ventures, she sees the open hanger door with noises emanating from inside. Loud noises as if something is being built. So of course she walks in to see what is going on.

And there's a big robot in here! This just made Tachikoma's day! Not even bothering with the stairwell, Tachikoma just watches for awhile, waiting for a lull in his work before shouting to see if she can get his attention.]

Hello Mr. Robot! What are you making? Who made you? Are there other robots like you here in this city? If not, then does that mean you came from somewhere else like me? Are there more robots like you there? What's it like?

[The stream of questions isn't stopping soon, and her voice is echoing pretty loud. She's even moving during his pauses to try and get in Brainstorm's line of sight to make sure he sees her, hopping up and down and waving her arms. You could argue she should have just used the stairs and button, but on the other hand, she didn't need assistance, she just wanted to sate her curiosity.]

[trombeoverride]

"I was looking for the local high tech weapon specialist. I will assume this is the correct place?"

[skyofreverie]

[He looks up, and up, and up and wow this guy was huge!]

What is it?

[A sheepish smile.]

I can take care of myself.

[likethewolf]

I may in the future. I don't trust the business around her, but my motorcycle might need work in the future. Can you work on smaller machines?

[meaningdies]

... He considers that Brainstorm could have been about to say, but no matter. He has more pressing things to do.

"Given that you're the sort that would know, I think - I'm having trouble finding technical work that doesn't involve Hotsuin or Hazama. You seem well-connected, so I thought you might have some ideas."

Help a fellow smart guy out he is dying here in retail.

[daswunderkind]

She wanted everything.

Like.

Literally.

Everything.

Pack it in a black hole and bring it back home with her and conquer the planet and find where Kindle is hiding and beat her up with it- Lash had issues.

Whatever he was making, it looked pretty interesting. In fact, she was going to tell him so!

"Ooooh! What are you working on exactly? I can't understand that one, but the circuitry's looking to shape up pretty tight, tee hee hee!"

[universebeware]

[There's a smug 'heh' that comes from Brainstorm as his folded-arms positioning becomes more cocky than petulant.]

Well, such is the advantage of having a mechanical brain - multitasking works a fair bit better. And if I couldn't pull together information and act on it like so, I'd be a poor network administrator, now wouldn't I?

[universebeware]

At this point, Brainstorm takes a cautious step backwards, and his optics narrow a bit as he makes a disgusted, judgmental noise. "Lovely, not just annoying, but abhorrent as well. Just what I needed..."

[universebeware]

I certainly can. I'd be a bit useless to the populace as a whole if I couldn't.

[There's a bit of weariness in his tone - he might prefer it if he was useless to Hinoto-Ri on some levels, but on others he'll take what positive attention he can get, and if he has to play fix-it 'bot to a bunch of smaller lifeforms, well... He'll do it.]

[universebeware]

An explosive light shredder - it launches a ball of compressed, damaging warped rays of light, which after a short duration explodes. The rays then damage everything within a moderate range. Like a shrapnel bomb, but without the need for crafting, and can be used in greater quantities.

[Brainstorm sounds entirely too pleased with himself for creating a rather nasty device.]

Or in more blunt terms, I made a flashlight that shoots grenades.

[He makes an amused scoffing noise.]

If I had a Shanix for every time I heard that from someone...

[universebeware]

Unfortunately, Brainstorm did not have any idea Lash was there.

Nor was he expecting a voice to come from so high up in relation to where he was - the platform was halfway across the shop. He fumbles the soldering iron a bit, but thankfully manages the dexterity to not screw up what he was doing, or mess up his hands.

After all, he's spent who knows how long working withing hearing distance of Swerve. One eventually gets the skill after a while to not screw up from annoying interruptions.

He jerks up, and turns toward the voice, and...

...what.

"...who are you, and why are you on my wall?"

[universebeware]

Well, here's an organic that possibly speaks his language. Brainstorm can't help a little bit of a cocky swagger once he sets the crate down, then motions to the various things lying around the shop. "Oh yes, this is definitely the place to go for the, ah, discerning firearms enthusiast."