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

[universebeware]

[Brainstorm's work just stops dead as Tachikoma gets halfway through that first question. He knows that tone far, far too well - he does suppose that it's been a while since he actually got hit with that kind of deluge of questions.

At least she's not climbing him.

He sighs, and decides he'll try and get this over with quickly, and steps away from the workbench to look down at her, and starts counting off answers.]

I'm fixing someone's broken COMP. I was forged, born from the planet I call home. As far as I know, I'm the only one. Yes, I'm a Visitor. Yes, there are a lot of other robots like me where I come from. It was a ship full of us on a questionable mission to try and find mythical figures from our culture and generally go on a post-war vacation-adventure.

[universebeware]

Brainstorm peers at Naoya for a moment, then chuckles.

"Well, if it's in the interest of not working with Ideo, then I might be able to help you out there. Anything in particular you're looking for, or are your options open?"

[tyrantball]

At this, Desco blushes happily, her golden eyes sparkling with joy as she throws her claws in the air and cheers.

"Yaaay! Desco is abhorrent now! One step closer to being the perfect Final Boss!"

Her tail is wagging furiously as she addresses Brainstorm.

"Desco will leave you to your work as thanks for your compliment, you silver-tongued flatterer!"

And with that, she starts to fly out of the hangar.

[trombeoverride]

Ratsel looks around and nods slightly, taking in the surroundings.

"Indeed. So this would be the place to talk to someone about a black hole engine or something of that nature then?"

[terminally_clever]

It's good to see we're in such capable hands, then.

[meaningdies]

"They're more or less open. I've got experience with most things - I'm much older than I look. Then again, my last experience as a student was with networks and coding - I created the demon summoning app for my world."

It doesn't really matter who knows here, honestly.

[universebeware]

[What's got two thumbs and a now sufficiently-stroked ego? THIS 'BOT.]

Well, they're certainly not fancy forged hands, but they're more than capable of getting the job done.

[universebeware]

Brainstorm just...

Stares.

If he had an actual mouth, he'd be staring slack-jawed at what just happened.

Instead, he shakes his head, turns around, and throws up his hands. "And I thought the Lost Light had some weird ones..."

[universebeware]

"I see," Brainstorm says, tapping at the chin-area of his faceplate. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to have more hands around for working on our own network. Having people that actually have network experience is better than having me pinch-hitting for such things," he adds.

In reality, it means he wants more time to work on his own projects, but he does have a point.

[universebeware]

There's a slight sputtering noise, akin to the sound a teenage boy might make upon being offered an all-expenses paid trip to a bordello. "A black hole engine? Well now, I suppose discerning was a bit of an understatement if you're after that sort of thing..."

[trombeoverride]

"The man who built my robot used principles that a colleague used in a device like that in the power plant of it. I find that when looking for people who can assist in taking care of Trombe, it is best to find people who understand the most complicated parts first."

[terminally_clever]

[Fumi smiles a little.]

Speaking of forged hands... I suppose you must get this question a lot, but exactly what sort of lifeform are you, Mr. Brainstorm? Robot is a given, certainly, but you appear to be far more advanced than most of the ones I've seen around town.

[likethewolf]

I've seen some bigger thing around, that one girl's ship with the annoying computer is pretty large.

Do you keep hours or can I reach you at any time? I'm willing to pay extra if you are able to work quickly and at strange hours.

[meaningdies]

Well of course.

"Heh. Networks are fairly easy, once you get the hang of it. I can probably troubleshoot problems people are having as well."

[universebeware]

[There's a rather obvious droop in his shoulders when Brainstorm realizes where this question is headed. On the upshot, however, Fumi is at least polite about it, and Brainstorm will give her an answer. Grudgingly.]

Despite my mechanical nature, I am still a lifeform, and not a mere machine. I'm simply made of metal, rather than little carbon-based squishy bits.

[universebeware]

I have my ways. When I'm not working on network-related things or Seven business, I work on weapons scaled to beings your size, so a motorcycle should be little trouble. As for speed, it's a vehicle, not a fusion cannon, so it shouldn't take long. As for time... Just try calling. I do have periods of rest, but they're not nearly as often or as consistent as human sleep cycles.

[universebeware]

At that, Brainstorm positively lights up.

"You want to avoid working with Ideo and you're willing to do troubleshooting."

He then pauses, and narrows his optics.

"...what's the catch?"

[universebeware]

"Well, you're in luck. My expertise is generally weapons, but I've dipped my hands into various kinds of experimental tech over the years, and dabbled a great deal in making the merely theoretical definite, so I believe I would be the most qualified individual to look at your engine."

[terminally_clever]

Oh, of course. I hadn't meant to imply otherwise. I assume members of your race are assembled in some fashion and given life via some mechanical or electrical process rather than being born in the same way as humans and other mammals, then, is that correct? Hm... or is it something more like two of you connecting your consciousnesses and passing information concerning your construction back and forth where they're recombined randomly by a centralized processing and assembly unit? That would be the likeliest analogue to reproduction as humans think of it...

[Yeah, she's not shy with questions or speculation.]

[trombeoverride]

"If there is a discreet place to bring Trombe, I'll gladly have you look over it. I'm sure you understand that things like this simply need the best and the brightest. Thank you."

[meaningdies]

"As long as you pay me better than the just barely minimum wage the computer store I'm working at right now pays me, I'll be fine. I'm bored. I don't do well with boredom, and even less well when I'm not certain my boss can tell a microchip from a chocolate chip."

[screwattack]

"Charming."

She lets go of the paralyzer as he grabs it, though with his sheer strength, she hardly needs to.

"I'll pay for the work that needs to be done." Samus takes a glance at his chest, noticing that the damage she'd done from their return trip was fully repaired. It really had just been body damage, luckily. She leans over the rail nonchalantly.

"... While I have you, I'm curious to know what exactly your relationship with the city's government is. You don't strike me as the cooperative or even law-abiding type. Under their direction, exactly how much freedom are they giving you?"

[universebeware]

[There's a light noise not unlike someone clearing their throat.]

More like the former than the latter. Connecting our consciousnesses is a rather dangerous thing, and generally seen as terrible and unethical.

[universebeware]

The paralyzer is moved to a workbench, and laid down carefully in an empty area. A swinging arm is brought around, and the device on its end is activated after a bit of calibration. Bright blue light fires out and engulfs the paralyzer for a few seconds, then fades. The gun is now much bigger, and on a scale where Brainstorm can work on it much easier.

He sets out to disassembling it as he answers Samus' question. "These days, I'm generally glorified technical support for the network, the COMPs, and whatever other high-end projects they deem as important. Long as I assist where it's needed, whatever else I do is up to me. It's a leash, but it's a fairly long one, comparatively."

[universebeware]

"That I can do - I don't exactly have much use for this world's money outside of fuel, so you're set on that front." He does shudder a bit at the boredom comment, though. "I know the feeling all too well. There's no greater torture than having to answer to the moronic."