Robert Callaghan // ʏ๏кคเ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pushtheboundaries) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
san_fransokyo2014-11-21 02:40 pm
pushtheboundaries) wrote in san_fransokyo2014-11-21 02:40 pm
@bigdamnhiro
[The potential here was impressive; had things gone differently, he would have enjoyed watching what Hiro developed over time. Perhaps he'd have had the opportunity to be here legitimately, as opposed to breaking and entering.
To be fair, he was trying his best to not make a mess. To be fair, the moment there was even a slight lapse in concentration, the microbots tried to swarm over everything and explore; it was a constant battle between investigation and restraint, but at least he'd a little bit of practice in controlling them at this point.
Still, as Callaghan flipped up some of the notes, he wondered just Hiro would have done with these, given a longer window to research and develop their usage. He'd no doubt have found and took steps to prevent a problem like this, before it had even become one; clearly, this was Robert's own mistake, one of many perhaps less-than-wise decisions he'd made.
They can't be taken back now. And he's at a complete loss as to how to deal with them, now, when there's no longer a band or mask involved in controlling the microbots, where they seem to respond to thought alone and things that he's relatively certain he didn't even think of in the first place.
He hopes he can convince Hiro to at least hear him out, but he also hopes he won't have to see Hiro at all, and that the answer is somewhere in his notes.]
To be fair, he was trying his best to not make a mess. To be fair, the moment there was even a slight lapse in concentration, the microbots tried to swarm over everything and explore; it was a constant battle between investigation and restraint, but at least he'd a little bit of practice in controlling them at this point.
Still, as Callaghan flipped up some of the notes, he wondered just Hiro would have done with these, given a longer window to research and develop their usage. He'd no doubt have found and took steps to prevent a problem like this, before it had even become one; clearly, this was Robert's own mistake, one of many perhaps less-than-wise decisions he'd made.
They can't be taken back now. And he's at a complete loss as to how to deal with them, now, when there's no longer a band or mask involved in controlling the microbots, where they seem to respond to thought alone and things that he's relatively certain he didn't even think of in the first place.
He hopes he can convince Hiro to at least hear him out, but he also hopes he won't have to see Hiro at all, and that the answer is somewhere in his notes.]
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Tadashi can forgive a lot of things. Messing with his little brother is not one of them.]
What do you mean by "acting up"?
[Frowning over at Callaghan now. He's far enough from the door now that the older man could pass by without touching him, but it'll still be close, and now Tadashi's attention is on him. On the even more organic movement of the tiny robots and they way they've almost made themselves into a second skin. How-]
... How are they doing that?
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which really just means that it's a somewhat looser structure upon him, but still as though he's wearing a suit of mail.
but where to begin, without giving more information than need be...?]
It started a few days ago. I woke up, and they were covering me like a blanket- they moved back as soon as I realized it, but the fact remains that they're responding without the neurotransmitter, and to...noncommands.
[his voice remains steady, but as before, the microbots 'speak' for him- tiny agitated ripples that are only so much in his control.]
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Without the transmitter... Are they responding to your emotions?
[Because that would explain a lot of their strange behavior, the ripples and spikes and all that. It's also the worst sort of thing that could occur to a tool like the microbots. They're small, but so powerful in large numbers, already so dangerous in the wrong hands. To have them responding to emotions or subconscious thoughts...]
Did something happen to the neurotransmitter while you were wearing it? A short or any other kind of damage?
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as for the question? he /does/ give a brief glance towards Hiro, tilting his head as though asking his input, even as he responds with what little he can offer-]
It's...possible.
[to everything, really. all told, it's...more than possible that they're responding to /something/ from him, because his temper had risen and he hadn't /told/ them to hurt Hiro like that, but even so he cannot help but feel childishly satisfied with the results.
that doesn't really help with the sinking feeling regarding the whole fear thing, but if this is what it takes, this is what it takes.
...right?
even he knows that isn't the best thought he's ever had. Hiro's a /kid/, for godssake. the scowl on the 'mask' seems to deepen, and irritable flicker running through the microbots at the base of his form. there has to be a first aid kit in here somewhere, isn't-
it's impossible to miss the microbots creating an exploratory tendril upon the floor, as though searching for /something/ - and equally impossible to miss him looking down at it before it aborts the construct. heel.]
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[He runs a hand, the one that's less scratched up, through his hair, trying to think - which is when he notices the microbots reaching out. Until a moment ago they'd been clustered around Callaghan like armor, a motion that Hiro would describe as defensive if he had to pick one.
Even while he's watching the microbots, Hiro creeps up behind Tadashi and pulls him by the collar of his blazer, backing him up so they're both out of the microbots' path.
Until Callaghan glances and they stop. Hiro studies the microbots, and then Callaghan. Maybe he could pry an answer out of the professor.]
...What were you thinking, right then?
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Other than 'heel'?
[his tone is dry, but he at least doesn't wait long before continuing]
I was trying to remember if I saw a first aid kit. As I said - I'm sorry for the mess.
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Tadashi doesn't fight the pull, taking those few steps back while crowding Hiro a little to try and keep himself positioned in front of his brother (deal with it, bro). He knows exactly where the first aid kit is (he should, being the one who stocks it and all) and he'd very much like to go get it, but hell if he's leaving Hiro's side just yet. Not that he's expecting much of anything to happen now that things seem relatively calm, but he's not taking any chances.]
... You said it started a few days ago. Has their level of responsiveness changed at all since then?
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though he doesn't for a few moments, the microbots slowing.
tk. tk. tk. someone's in thought.
finally, quietly;]
Exponentially.
[and with that word of admission, there's another rustle, as those feelings of not wanting to be here surge- and are acted upon.
he doesn't fight them any further. in a few short moments, he's gone]
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Oh god.
[And then he takes a few more breaths, looks around the room, and it occurs to him that this is maybe, a little, his fault. That he needs to do something about it right now, before somebody gets seriously hurt. He pushes his way out from behind Tadashi and scrambles for a pen, forgetting about Tadashi and the white hot soldering iron lying on the floor and all the little myriad scratches on his hands and every other bit of exposed skin the microbots had been able to reach.
He grabs the nearest rumpled piece of notebook paper he can find and starts frantically scribbling notes onto it, while fumbling for the power button to the computer.]
That's not right. They weren't designed to - ow - to do that, to, to do stuff by themselves. What did I do wrong, where'd the bug come from, why'd they end up like this -
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Tadashi lets Hiro scramble around him, glancing around the garage to be sure that all the microbots are gone, breathing a sigh of relief a few moments later. No more microbots, but that sure is a dangerous tool just lying in the middle of the floor. Hiro frowns down at the soldering iron before bending to carefully pick it up and put it away. Had Hiro grabbed it to defend himself with, only to provoke the bots into attacking him instead? That would explain the scratches on his hands. Speaking of which...]
Slow down, slow down. [He grabs the first aid kit from its home on a low shelf with one hand and snags Hiro by the shoulder with the other, intending to try and steer his little brother toward the nearest seat.]
You're going to bleed all over the keyboard.
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He shakes his hand frantically to get rid of it, wincing as he realizes that every little movement hurts; the paper drifts to the floor, little red smears left behind where he touched it.]
I - ow - I don't get it. [He lets himself be seated on the ratty old garage couch, staring at the geometric criss-cross of cuts and small scratches on his shaking hands.] He shouldn't even be able to control them without a transmitter, but he is, and not even that but he's doing it well because they respond to the least little thing - and they're crazy, they're all over the place, like one minute they're gonna kill me or something and then they change their minds -
[He can't quit talking. The thoughts and words spill over one another in a jumble, and he has to suck in breaths between sentences because he feels like he can't get enough air.]
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He perches next to Hiro on the couch, setting the first aid kit down and making a gentle grab for his brother's chin with two fingers. Look at your brother, Hiro. Time to focus up.]
Hey, we'll deal with this, but one thing at a time. [Letting go and taking a deep breath, motioning for Hiro to do the same.] Stop for a minute. Take a deep breath.
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He can still feel the microbots clamping down around him, impossibly powerful for something made of so many small parts. He can still remember what it was like to be trapped. That's not what he made them for, and yet, he made them capable of that.
So maybe he needs a couple more seconds to practice his deep breathing exercises.]
It has to be something I did wrong. [Because admitting that is apparently easier than admitting oh my god, that was terrifying, let's never do that again. He fixes his eyes on the floor instead of on Tadashi.] He's right. He only copied my program.
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Tadashi doesn't have the same concerns that Hiro does when it comes to his own safety. He probably should, but his worries have always been directed outward. First and foremost toward his brother, but also toward the mentally unstable man he used to call his mentor, as well as all the people Callaghan could hurt.]
He stole a prototype. Prototypes are supposed to have problems, problems you would have discovered and fixed if you'd had the chance.
[But he didn't. That chance was stolen (along with so many other things), and yet Hiro would probably still have to be the one to fix things.]
This is not your fault.
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Or maybe, if Callaghan hadn't taken them, it'd be him struggling to control a rampaging pile of glitched out microbots.
There's too many maybes.]
That's a big problem to miss, even for a prototype. Look. [He thrusts his hands into Tadashi's full view, fervently trying to make him understand; as terrified as he might've been for himself, it didn't hold a candle to how terrified he was for his brother. If anything had happened to him again, because of Hiro's invention...] What if somebody else gets hurt? What if you got hurt?
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Then that wouldn't be your fault either. [Look at that conviction. Would Tadashi lie to you?]
When people get hit by a cars, no one blames Karl Benz or Henry Ford. Whatever happened to start this, the microbots were never meant to be used the way he's using them. If he was really serious about fixing the problem rather than just getting them under control, he'd stick around and let us help.
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His expression settles into something like a mopey frown, and he sags back into the couch, dropping his hands into his lap palms up, so Tadashi can get to them easily.]
I have to fix it, though. If he won't do it, then I need to.
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Big bro picks up his first aid efforts again, careful about disinfecting each cut and scrape before bandaging.]
You'll fix it. I know you can. [He smiles again, that same old encouraging he's always been.] But you don't have to do it by yourself.
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Maybe he whines a little more than necessary; maybe he's hamming it up for sympathy points and leftover pastries from the bakery later. Not like he's going to be using the computer with his fingers all huge and band-aid covered. He pouts at Tadashi.]
I'm not letting you help unless you promise not to do anything stupid like jump between me and a bunch of glitchy microbots again.
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Maybe a little too thoroughly. Even with all those cuts, there's no way that many band-aids are necessary, especially not the pink ones with hearts on them. It'll be up to Hiro to decide later when proper bandaging ended and brotherly amusement took over... though frilly band-aid application will definitely slow after little demand.]
As the only person in the room that isn't currently bleeding, I feel like that's not really a reasonable request.
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[He holds his hands up to inspect the damage; half a dozen Hello Kitty faces and an army of little pink hearts isn't doing his public image any favors. He frowns. Good thing it's a weekend.
He'll get revenge later, somehow, but he doesn't have the heart to do it right now. He drops his hands back into his lap and sits still for a long moment, stealing furtive glances over at Tadashi, as if debating something. Eventually, reaching a conclusion, he scoots over, tucks himself under Tadashi's arm and just kind of...leans on him.
As close to actually saying so I kinda need a hug as he's gonna get.]
You scared me. I mean, all of it kinda scared me, but the part with you - that part scared me the most.
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He's a little surprised when Hiro scoots in close. Tadashi's always been the more physically affectionate one, and Hiro... well, he's a teenage boy with the same aversion to touchy-feely things as every other teenage boy on the planet. So when that action is coupled with the words that follow, the truth behind them seems to magnify ten fold.
Tadashi doesn't need further prompting to wind an arm around his brother's shoulders and give him a solid squeeze.]
... I was scared too. I got to walk in on my little brother bleeding and surrounded by microbots.
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He's trying to make up for that and do better. Trying. He's still a few years shy of learning how to think about consequences properly.
He huffs softly and curls into Tadashi, sheepish. He hasn't done this in years, not since he was little. Er. Littler.]
I had it under control. Mostly. He was about to leave when you showed up.
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Unfortunately, that knowledge isn't always something Tadashi stops to reference during sudden, high-stress situations. It's something he's trying to be better about, too. Something that Callaghan, of all people, is actually responsible for bringing into focus for him. He can't leave Hiro again. He can't, but at the same time, Tadashi can't stand the idea of his little brother getting hurt (or worse) while he's standing on the sidelines.
It seems they're at something of an impasse.
Get comfortable, Hiro, because Tadashi doesn't seem at all inclined to let go any time soon.]
... I don't trust him around you.
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So he doesn't argue back or tell Tadashi again to be more careful. But he sulks, and continues huffing quietly, so the message is clear enough.]
He didn't hurt me. [His eyes flick down to his bandaged fingers and he grimaces.] Much. And he's not gonna hurt anybody else, if I have anything to say about it.
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