The muted rumble of conversation flowed through the spotless corridors of the finest research institute in the nation, punctuated by the soft clack of soles on tile. Behind a pane of resistant glass, a guard was pouring out the morning's first mugs of coffee. "Any sign of that guest Doctor Suba's been going on about?" the young man inquired, returning to his seat and handing off a second mug to his partner, who managed a brief "Nope." before burying her face in the dark brew. He gave a taciturn nod, staring down at the rippling surface of his own heavily-sweetened cup. "I hear he's pretty weird," he murmured, trying for some conversation.
Cheung, his partner, finally finished her draught with a content sigh, the coffee already sunk to half its former level. "Everyone's weird here, Krauss. All of technological advancement's based around finding the biggest space cadet you can find and tossing him a government grant."
Krauss took a tentative sip. He wasn't really one for coffee, but felt that as a security guard it was more or less expected of you. "At least our Mads have regular-sounding names, though. Says here the guy calls himself -- "
"Sorry I'm late, cats and kitties!"
Krauss almost choked.
The rumpled-looking man strode to a stop before the thick glass, the dark glasses he wore lending his easy grin a somewhat unsettling atmosphere. "Mortimer Cool's my name, daddy-o! I'm here to talk to the Doc. D'you know where he's at?"
"Second-floor Net Research Lab," Cheung broke in, interrupting Krauss' nervous stammer. "Just take the elevator and follow the corridor until you can make a sharp left. You'll need to wear this guest ID -- "
"Thanks, sister!" He chimed, turning and striding off into the labs with the same carefree gait, leaving the guard gaping and waving furiously at his receding figure. As he disappeared into the elevator, she slumped back into the seat, glaring at the unused guest ID in her hand.
"Krauss..."
"Yeah?"
"Make more coffee. It's gonna be a long day."
Who's that guy?
last edited by
Mortimer slipped through the sliding doors into the expanse of the Net Research Lab, the satchel over his shoulder bouncing idly off his hip. "Hey, Sam!" He called, recognizing a hunched shape and launching himself toward it, arm extended for a handshake.
"Mortimer! I'm glad you could make it." Dr. Suba gripped the man's hand with a firm slap on the back and a grin mirroring his own. "Did you bring your friend with you as well?"
Mortimer gave an exaggerated shrug. "What kind of traveller would I be if I just forgot things at home all the time?" He rummaged through his satchel, finally withdrawing a small brick of plastic mounted on RC truck wheels. Dr. Suba sniffed.
"Still haven't thrown that thing away, huh? What's with the wheels, though?"
"For my friend, of course!" Mortimer chuckled as he placed the ancient PET on the ground, the wheels suddenly whirring into motion, carrying itself around the lab in wide loops.
"WOW HAHA WHAT iS THiS PLACE!!" A voice buzzed from the primitive speakers. Mortimer's grin widened.
"Sam, meet RobotMan! Robotman, meet Dr. Sa -- I mean Dr. Suba! We're here to show him what you can do!" The PET skidded to a halt by Mortimer's heel, the rumpled man lifting the rig to show the scientist the waving pixelated image of a robot on the old screen.
"I guess that's a good enough note to start on." The scientist mused, absently waving back. "First up, we'll need to check how he functions in the Net. Go ahead and jack in anywhere -- this whole lab is online."
"A field test? I can dig it!" The hippie struck a dramatic pose as his finger fell upon one of the PET's buttons, a tiny bleep indicating a connection had been found. "C'mon, RobotMan! It's time to shine, daddy-o!"
"Mortimer! I'm glad you could make it." Dr. Suba gripped the man's hand with a firm slap on the back and a grin mirroring his own. "Did you bring your friend with you as well?"
Mortimer gave an exaggerated shrug. "What kind of traveller would I be if I just forgot things at home all the time?" He rummaged through his satchel, finally withdrawing a small brick of plastic mounted on RC truck wheels. Dr. Suba sniffed.
"Still haven't thrown that thing away, huh? What's with the wheels, though?"
"For my friend, of course!" Mortimer chuckled as he placed the ancient PET on the ground, the wheels suddenly whirring into motion, carrying itself around the lab in wide loops.
"WOW HAHA WHAT iS THiS PLACE!!" A voice buzzed from the primitive speakers. Mortimer's grin widened.
"Sam, meet RobotMan! Robotman, meet Dr. Sa -- I mean Dr. Suba! We're here to show him what you can do!" The PET skidded to a halt by Mortimer's heel, the rumpled man lifting the rig to show the scientist the waving pixelated image of a robot on the old screen.
"I guess that's a good enough note to start on." The scientist mused, absently waving back. "First up, we'll need to check how he functions in the Net. Go ahead and jack in anywhere -- this whole lab is online."
"A field test? I can dig it!" The hippie struck a dramatic pose as his finger fell upon one of the PET's buttons, a tiny bleep indicating a connection had been found. "C'mon, RobotMan! It's time to shine, daddy-o!"