July 5, 2009, 11:53 PM Pacific
(Wake up, Rhea!)
I woke, startled, as Whiskers' voice echoed insistently in my head. His tone was urgent, worried; I held still and cracked one eye, trying to see what was
going on.
From my current vantage point... not much, unless you count gritty concrete as Truly Happening. (Looks like a warehouse. What hit us?) I asked the furry one,
listening carefully for the sounds of footsteps or breathing, something that would tell me where the enemies were. If I got back up now, they might knock me
back down again before Whiskers and I could take them out; I had to know where they were before I risked letting them know I was still alive.
And why hadn't medicom kicked in?
(Pay attention, girl!)
Whiskers didn't usually sound that fierce.
"Spud?"
That voice. It had a faint accent, but I knew it all the same. What was --
"Anyone get the number of that truck?"
-- wait, what?! My voice didn't sound like that!
Memory flooded back as Spud pushed my body up off the cold concrete floor of the warehouse -- er, his garage -- and regarded Major Starlight sourly.
"Great. You're here, so I'm either dreaming or this nightmare is real."
Tam chuckled. "Nice to meet you too, Brian."
"Eeeep!" Yeah, that was my belated contribution. Well, what would you do if some strange guy was using your vocal cords?
"Reboot complete, welcome back," Silver snarked. She cocked her metallic head at me (us?). "Huh. Well, there's something interesting.
Rhea's got Spud's eyes."
Tam nodded. "And judging by the facial expressions, one of them is right royally pissed off, the other confused as hell."
"Thanks, guys," Spud said, and I shuddered. "You always know just the right things to say."
"What are friends for?" said a new voice, and I spun my head to face the doorway. A cute redhead, a bit on the short side (but who am I to complain
about that, I mean, Terrence and Lisa, right? It's not my fault I'm built like an Amazon) was just entering, a tray with mugs on it
balanced on her hand. I recognized her, but the name was escaping me. Neigh? Why was a horse coming to mind? She didn't look anything like a horse...
(It's Nene, Rhea. She's the one who teases Terr all the time?)
Oh, right.
"Nene!" I cried, nearly choking as Spud tried to say "Ben!" at the same time.
After receiving a sour look from my body-partner (and don't ask me how I saw it, because I didn't, it just was), Spud continued, "Sooo...
is it Miss Romanova, hacker supreme and Mistress of Snark? Or my roommate Ben, he of the Logical Conclusion?"
Nene shrugged. "Yes?"
"Great," Tam chimed in. "It's Super-Nene, now with Logic Action."
I scooped Mr. Whiskers up off the floor -- he doesn't like being cold -- and retrieved my sewing kit from my hidden belt compartment. His disguise
wasn't as good as his regular look, and if he was going to ride my shoulder he'd need to have his magnetic footsies attached. Fortunately, I keep
spares on hand -- they're right there next to his Angry Eyes, in the little slot next to my Mentos.
I winced as I stuck my finger with the needle. Spud kept trying to raise our head to look at the others in the room, and it was distracting me. "Stop
it!" I hissed at him.
Stubborn jerk. I needed to make sure Whiskers was okay; I could tell I was dangerously close to losing it again, and Mr. Whiskers doesn't like that. More
importantly, nothing around me likes that. This place wasn't shielded like Lisa's apartment; if I accidentally boosted Whisker's powers by getting
all angry and upset and stuff, I'd probably nuke Spud's house.
He might deserve it, but still... I didn't think it was a very heroic thing to do. Calm. Cheerful. C'mon, Rhea.
Silver knelt down behind me and squeezed my shoulders. It helped. I didn't know her very well -- she didn't have much need for my and Whiskers'
services on patrol, and the only mission I could recall running with her was when we went back in time to beat up some Romans once -- but I'd seen her
around the base a few times. The Legendary base had a wonderful little cafe-slash-coffee bar, which was well-liked by all the various groups who had access to
our domain. Silver was no exception. So I knew her, I just didn't know her well.
Right now, something familiar was enough. My hands settled down -- or maybe Spud stopped trying to mess me up, I don't know -- and I got the magnetic
clasps attached to Whisker's disguise in a few quick stitches. I put the kit away and settled Whiskers on my shoulder where he belonged and suddenly felt
a lot better. I looked up.
Everyone was regarding me with the sort of look one reserves for the terminally deranged -- the look that says they're asking themselves, "Is she
gonna blow?"
I hate that.
Calm, cheerful.
(You can do it, Rhea.)
Chipper. Cheerful. Bunnies puppies balloons and beer. Chocolate. Lisa. These are a few of my fav-o-rite things. When the girl bites, when the guy howls,
when it's fun in bed... Fun times in bed with Lisa and chocolate. Fun times in bed with Lisa and chocolate and Terrence.
I felt my usual smile return and relaxed. Lisa saved the day again and she didn't even know it this time. I giggled, then shook my head at everyone's
puzzled look.
"So!" I said. "What's next?"
"I'd like a psychiatric evaluation, and a cheeseburger. Not necessarily in that order." Spud replied instantly. "And, while we're at
it, I dunno, MY BODY BACK?"
"But this one is so much nicer," I replied, adding a mental raspberry. That cheeseburger sounded good, though. My stomach rumbled.
"She's got you there, Spud," Tam put in, chuckling.
"Oh, hah, hah," Spud grumbled.
"How did you do that, anyway?" Silver asked quietly. I shrugged and leaned back against her familiar presence. Her metallic skin wasn't as hard
as I expected, nor as cold to the touch. It was more like leaning against Terrence -- firm, unyielding, but still human, even if it did shrug off hurled
boulders like so much confetti. Mr. Whiskers had taught me how to do that, sure, but it tookconcentration and energy, so I didn't use the ability most of
the time. And with me it was a field, not ... whatever it was Terr did.
I'd tried asking him once, but his explanation made no sense, so I chalked it up to the same thing that Whiskers uses. Magic.
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I think Whiskers forced enough radiation into his body to make it change, maybe."
"Rhea," Spud said in a pained tone. I was trying really really hard to get used to my mouth working on its own like this, but it was creepy.
"Radiation Doesn't Work That Way."
I swear, that's how he said it -- with the caps and everything. The mental image that came to mind was a very aggrieved-looking Spud pointing at some sort
of website.
I shrugged. "Yeah, I know." I grinned up at their faces. "It's how Terr survives me and Lisa night after night. Magic
radiation, ooOOoh!" I waggled my fingers in the air. "Watch out, evildoers, here come the MAGIC RADS!"
"C'mon, be serious."
"I am serious," I replied. "Look, it's magic, okay? I can't explain it. Mr. Whiskers says it's in the parts we
aren't meant to understand, and I believe him. So, magic."
"She's right," Nene said. "Look, there's no way, physically speaking, Spud can turn into that. Same height, but the mass
differential... sorry, Spud."
Spud waved my hand in dismissal. "I'm not blind, I know I'm built like a Mack truck, while Rhea's more like a Corvette."
"(Curve-ette)," Tam whispered, to which I giggled.
"But can you change back?" Silver pressed.
(Yes, we can... but not right away. You need to rest, regain some strength first.)
"Mr. Whiskers says yes," I replied.
"Oh good NOW PLEASE," Spud cut in.
"-- but I can't do it yet. I'm low on energy."
"Oh, great, just great," Spud muttered.
"Okay then," Nene said. "So that's one problem solved. What's next?"
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
(Wake up, Rhea!)
I woke, startled, as Whiskers' voice echoed insistently in my head. His tone was urgent, worried; I held still and cracked one eye, trying to see what was
going on.
From my current vantage point... not much, unless you count gritty concrete as Truly Happening. (Looks like a warehouse. What hit us?) I asked the furry one,
listening carefully for the sounds of footsteps or breathing, something that would tell me where the enemies were. If I got back up now, they might knock me
back down again before Whiskers and I could take them out; I had to know where they were before I risked letting them know I was still alive.
And why hadn't medicom kicked in?
(Pay attention, girl!)
Whiskers didn't usually sound that fierce.
"Spud?"
That voice. It had a faint accent, but I knew it all the same. What was --
"Anyone get the number of that truck?"
-- wait, what?! My voice didn't sound like that!
Memory flooded back as Spud pushed my body up off the cold concrete floor of the warehouse -- er, his garage -- and regarded Major Starlight sourly.
"Great. You're here, so I'm either dreaming or this nightmare is real."
Tam chuckled. "Nice to meet you too, Brian."
"Eeeep!" Yeah, that was my belated contribution. Well, what would you do if some strange guy was using your vocal cords?
"Reboot complete, welcome back," Silver snarked. She cocked her metallic head at me (us?). "Huh. Well, there's something interesting.
Rhea's got Spud's eyes."
Tam nodded. "And judging by the facial expressions, one of them is right royally pissed off, the other confused as hell."
"Thanks, guys," Spud said, and I shuddered. "You always know just the right things to say."
"What are friends for?" said a new voice, and I spun my head to face the doorway. A cute redhead, a bit on the short side (but who am I to complain
about that, I mean, Terrence and Lisa, right? It's not my fault I'm built like an Amazon) was just entering, a tray with mugs on it
balanced on her hand. I recognized her, but the name was escaping me. Neigh? Why was a horse coming to mind? She didn't look anything like a horse...
(It's Nene, Rhea. She's the one who teases Terr all the time?)
Oh, right.
"Nene!" I cried, nearly choking as Spud tried to say "Ben!" at the same time.
After receiving a sour look from my body-partner (and don't ask me how I saw it, because I didn't, it just was), Spud continued, "Sooo...
is it Miss Romanova, hacker supreme and Mistress of Snark? Or my roommate Ben, he of the Logical Conclusion?"
Nene shrugged. "Yes?"
"Great," Tam chimed in. "It's Super-Nene, now with Logic Action."
I scooped Mr. Whiskers up off the floor -- he doesn't like being cold -- and retrieved my sewing kit from my hidden belt compartment. His disguise
wasn't as good as his regular look, and if he was going to ride my shoulder he'd need to have his magnetic footsies attached. Fortunately, I keep
spares on hand -- they're right there next to his Angry Eyes, in the little slot next to my Mentos.
I winced as I stuck my finger with the needle. Spud kept trying to raise our head to look at the others in the room, and it was distracting me. "Stop
it!" I hissed at him.
Stubborn jerk. I needed to make sure Whiskers was okay; I could tell I was dangerously close to losing it again, and Mr. Whiskers doesn't like that. More
importantly, nothing around me likes that. This place wasn't shielded like Lisa's apartment; if I accidentally boosted Whisker's powers by getting
all angry and upset and stuff, I'd probably nuke Spud's house.
He might deserve it, but still... I didn't think it was a very heroic thing to do. Calm. Cheerful. C'mon, Rhea.
Silver knelt down behind me and squeezed my shoulders. It helped. I didn't know her very well -- she didn't have much need for my and Whiskers'
services on patrol, and the only mission I could recall running with her was when we went back in time to beat up some Romans once -- but I'd seen her
around the base a few times. The Legendary base had a wonderful little cafe-slash-coffee bar, which was well-liked by all the various groups who had access to
our domain. Silver was no exception. So I knew her, I just didn't know her well.
Right now, something familiar was enough. My hands settled down -- or maybe Spud stopped trying to mess me up, I don't know -- and I got the magnetic
clasps attached to Whisker's disguise in a few quick stitches. I put the kit away and settled Whiskers on my shoulder where he belonged and suddenly felt
a lot better. I looked up.
Everyone was regarding me with the sort of look one reserves for the terminally deranged -- the look that says they're asking themselves, "Is she
gonna blow?"
I hate that.
Calm, cheerful.
(You can do it, Rhea.)
Chipper. Cheerful. Bunnies puppies balloons and beer. Chocolate. Lisa. These are a few of my fav-o-rite things. When the girl bites, when the guy howls,
when it's fun in bed... Fun times in bed with Lisa and chocolate. Fun times in bed with Lisa and chocolate and Terrence.
I felt my usual smile return and relaxed. Lisa saved the day again and she didn't even know it this time. I giggled, then shook my head at everyone's
puzzled look.
"So!" I said. "What's next?"
"I'd like a psychiatric evaluation, and a cheeseburger. Not necessarily in that order." Spud replied instantly. "And, while we're at
it, I dunno, MY BODY BACK?"
"But this one is so much nicer," I replied, adding a mental raspberry. That cheeseburger sounded good, though. My stomach rumbled.
"She's got you there, Spud," Tam put in, chuckling.
"Oh, hah, hah," Spud grumbled.
"How did you do that, anyway?" Silver asked quietly. I shrugged and leaned back against her familiar presence. Her metallic skin wasn't as hard
as I expected, nor as cold to the touch. It was more like leaning against Terrence -- firm, unyielding, but still human, even if it did shrug off hurled
boulders like so much confetti. Mr. Whiskers had taught me how to do that, sure, but it tookconcentration and energy, so I didn't use the ability most of
the time. And with me it was a field, not ... whatever it was Terr did.
I'd tried asking him once, but his explanation made no sense, so I chalked it up to the same thing that Whiskers uses. Magic.
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I think Whiskers forced enough radiation into his body to make it change, maybe."
"Rhea," Spud said in a pained tone. I was trying really really hard to get used to my mouth working on its own like this, but it was creepy.
"Radiation Doesn't Work That Way."
I swear, that's how he said it -- with the caps and everything. The mental image that came to mind was a very aggrieved-looking Spud pointing at some sort
of website.
I shrugged. "Yeah, I know." I grinned up at their faces. "It's how Terr survives me and Lisa night after night. Magic
radiation, ooOOoh!" I waggled my fingers in the air. "Watch out, evildoers, here come the MAGIC RADS!"
"C'mon, be serious."
"I am serious," I replied. "Look, it's magic, okay? I can't explain it. Mr. Whiskers says it's in the parts we
aren't meant to understand, and I believe him. So, magic."
"She's right," Nene said. "Look, there's no way, physically speaking, Spud can turn into that. Same height, but the mass
differential... sorry, Spud."
Spud waved my hand in dismissal. "I'm not blind, I know I'm built like a Mack truck, while Rhea's more like a Corvette."
"(Curve-ette)," Tam whispered, to which I giggled.
"But can you change back?" Silver pressed.
(Yes, we can... but not right away. You need to rest, regain some strength first.)
"Mr. Whiskers says yes," I replied.
"Oh good NOW PLEASE," Spud cut in.
"-- but I can't do it yet. I'm low on energy."
"Oh, great, just great," Spud muttered.
"Okay then," Nene said. "So that's one problem solved. What's next?"
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs