08. - Video - My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM

[intersected]

Oh, man. Howard's gone, now Velma too?

I don't like this.

[Private to Dick.]
Hey...uh, about that thing from earlier? The thing I was going to tell you about? Uh, would you be okay to talk about it now? I mean, it can wait. I just didn't want to leave you hanging.

Comments

private

[batmanschmatman]

I'm game if you are.

private

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Yeah! Sure.

Um, in person maybe? I dunno, I'm a little iffy on the security on these things. Or paranoid. Paranoid works too.

private

[batmanschmatman]

I get that.

Where do you want to meet up?

private

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[He shrugs helplessly.] Here? My room's pretty secure.

[The bugs Casey's put in probably don't work anymore, anyway. If there was a way to get reception or connectivity here on the Barge, Chuck would have found it.]

private -> spam!

[batmanschmatman]

Sure. I'll be right down.

[And true to his word, Dick - broken nose and all - wanders down a little while later and knocks at the door.]

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[Chuck opens the door, then stops.]

Whoa. What happened to you?

[Not like he hadn't wanted to do that to Bryce's nose a few times, especially after Stanford. The resemblance was seriously uncanny.]

spam!

[batmanschmatman]

[Dick shrugs. He's gotten used to the questions and weird looks.]

Sparring with my inmate. It was an accident, nothing too serious. You know how it is.

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[Chuck shrugs in kind. Sarah's kicked his ass before quite handily; mostly because he'd opted not to fight back and she'd been pissed and...]

Actually, I don't. I mean, I get the sparring thing. Not the inmate thing...I'm still not assigned.

[Last picked in gym class. Last picked in inmate assignments too. Honestly, it was nothing new.]

spam!

[batmanschmatman]

Better to wait it out for a good assignment then get stuck with someone you can't stand.

[Which was seriously something he was intensely grateful for. Costigan could be a pain to put up with, but at least he wasn't crazy, and they generally got along sort of okay.]

So, what's up?

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[He has a point.]

Well...I figured that somebody should probably know about this. Uh. This thing. [He gestures vaguely.] Do you want to come inside?

[He cleaned his room up and everything. Can't have a superhero coming in and judging the mess, after all! Also, because he is stressed. He is a Bartowski; they stress-clean.]

spam!

[batmanschmatman]

Sure, why not.

[Dick is actually pretty much the definition of "slob" when it comes to his own room, so there would have been zero judging. As is, he just steps inside and looks around sort of curiously before turning back to Chuck, waiting for him to explain the ass kicking skills.]

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[Chuck claps his hands once, then rubs them together. This'll be fun to explain; not like he hasn't done it often enough already, with Awesome and Morgan and Ellie and dad...]

Okay, short version. Basically...there's this process that can encode data into images. Subliminal data. You see the picture, you know the info. The government was using this computer called the Intersect to make all these connections with the information they fed into it.

[And here's where it gets awkward.]

So, uh, remember when I mentioned Bryce? He's the guy who sent me the secrets. He destroyed the original computer because bad guys were going to steal it and I saw all the pictures and all the data's in my head. Then they realized that a person with the Intersect could be a weapon...so they made a new version with all these skills programmed into it. Like kung fu. And shooting. And tango. And probably underwater basket-weaving.

For obvious reasons that means that people are always trying to find out who the Intersect is. And capture me. Or use me. Or kill me. So even though I'm pretty sure there isn't anybody I know on board, it's still not really the kind of thing I'd want getting out.

[Chuck shrugs.]

So yeah.

spam!

[batmanschmatman]

[This was far from the weirdest thing Dick had ever heard, especially when it came to "origin stories", and as such, the explanation didn't really faze or confuse him in the slightest.]

Underwater basket weaving?

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

It's got a bunch of random skills, is what I'm saying. Hell, I could be an expert mechanic and not even know it.

spam!

[batmanschmatman]

Well, at least it gave you the skills to defend yourself?

spam!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, did I mention I didn't get that update for two years? In the meantime I was just a giant, walking target.

[It had been quite a day overall. Ellie's wedding, Bryce's death, and downloading the new Intersect...]

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

Me neither. I kind of liked Velma.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Yeah. So did I.

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

It's not every day you meet someone whose actually interested in mathematical concepts from alien planets.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

No, I would...suppose not.

...just out of curiosity, what kind of mathematical concepts?

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

Oh, just block transfer computations and the mathematics behind interdimensional travel.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Huh. Actually, that sounds kind of interesting.

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

Really? You think so? If you want, I could show you some of my notes on the subjects sometimes.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd love to take a look at them! A lot of it's probably over my head, but I could learn.

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

Great! It probably is, but it's great having someone who's interested!

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[Slightly sarcastic] Gee, thanks, there goes my self-confidence.

[alzarian-youth.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry about it. The Time Lords can't even do maths on my level.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Oh. I guess that kinda makes me feel better.

[i_like_your]

It would be unfortunate for you to question this.

f u terminatrix his mom is sarah connor :|

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah? Why?

He should watch T3. >:)

[i_like_your]

Doing so might provoke unpleasant consequences.

I should watch T3! xD Only Terminator film I haven't yet seen. Wonder if it's on Netflix.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[He has been hit in the head with a steel beam before. Unpleasant consequences are a cakewalk.]

Some questions need to be asked.

It's... On a par with the fourth. Best to imagine it's an original film when you view it!

[i_like_your]

You are being deliberately provocative.

This will require intervention.

That's what I did with 4. I think Chuck is the only thing McG hasn't ruined just by existing.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's kind of what I do.

Why are people disappearing?

[Did I mention the abandonment issues? Because he has a LOT of those.]

DX

[i_like_your]

It is best you do not continue with this line of questioning.

Please return to assisting your fellow wardens.

Chuck just accept that everyone you love or even like LEAVES YOU

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

Why. Are. People. Disappearing?

[i_like_your]

You are not being efficient.

Inefficient wardens may be purged.

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[No response. Feed cuts. But he's keeping an eye on you, T-X. You go on his Suspicion Board now.]

MONITORING YOUR EVERY COMMUNICATION, YOU DISRUPTIVE ELEMENT, YOU...

[i_like_your]

I THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]

[i_like_your]

[scruffynerdhrdr.livejournal.com]