(no subject)

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Agatha's back in the bar today, at the tables she set up before. The sign and items are all still there. Draping it in a blanket helped keep everything safe.

Well, that and the security system she added.

She's not keeping an eye out for customers at the moment. There's something more importaint on her mind.

In front of her is a slightly used camera, disassembled. Notes and schematics are spread out on the table around it, and there is much tinkering. She's humming an odd tune.

Fear.

Comments

[gone_byebye]

Fear requires survival instincts. Ray has the survival instincts of an eggplanet.

"Hi, Agatha."

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Agatha looks up.

" - yes?"

It registers who she's speaking to, and she grins.

"Hello, Ray. How are you?"

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Blink. Blink.

"Wow, for a second there you sounded exactly like Egon. I'm doing all right- how are you?"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

"My tab took me by surprise -- I'd kept my room to store some things on my second visit, and more time passed here than I estimated. I saw a notice from Mark Cohen that he was seeking assistance, and I offered to help with his cameras . . . I needed to look over one before I could say for certain, but these are amazing devices. The design is incredibly efficient, and they take moving pictures!"

There is much squeeing. Agatha's world has taken interesting directions in technology.

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Ray grins. "Twenty-four pictures a second, yeah," he says. "At least, that's how fast I remember it being. I don't know much about film technology myself. Funky stuff, isn't it?"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

"I doubt I could do anything to improve the film, at least at this stage. . . but I do have a few ideas. This is going to be a fun job."

She rubs a crink out of her neck and smiles at one of her clanks.

"And my clanks have been helping out more than ever. They're very effective lab assistants. Oh -- how is your daughter, by the way?"

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"Pretty good, actually," says Ray. "I've rigged up a few devices to get her to the point where she can play games with my nephews, and I got her a dog- I don't know if I told you about that. My friend John is from a world where they were able to build robotic dogs for hunting down fugitives. One of the dogs went bad and tried to kill him. He disabled it and brought it to me, so I took out the dangerous parts and had it reprogrammed. It's behaving like a normal dog now, so I renamed it Francis and gave it to my daughter so she'd have a pet that could keep up with her."

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that's so sweet! Clanks do prefer it when they have friends around. It's good for her to have a companion."

For Agatha? This is just normal day-to-day conversation.

[gone_byebye]

And as far as Ray's concerned, this is perfectly normal. Or, rather, the possibility that it isn't, isn't worth considering.

"I figured it would be a good idea for her to have someone to keep her company. Especially since we're working on teaching her to drive herself. Francis thinks it's just about the greatest thing ever, having someone to play with at high speed."

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

"She's had experience being driven, so there shouldn't be much problem -- some clanks don't catch on to the traffic rules when in the city, I've seen. Is there somewhere they can play safely, without needing to worry about staying out of the way of other traffic?"

To her embarrassment. Still not a bad job, considering she was asleep at the time.

[gone_byebye]

"Yeah. I've been taking them out to Floyd Bennett Field. It used to be an airfield with lots of planes taking off and landing, but it hasn't been used for that in years. There's enough room for her to get up to a hundred miles an hour or more, if she exerts herself that much- the dog can just about keep up. We just have to make sure we're not there at a time when someone's using the field for archery or for toy planes."

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

"That sounds ideal. My father had a machine shop, and we'd see examples all the time -- people who didn't utilize all the functions of their clanks, and would find switches rusted over or joints that stuck, when they were needed. It's good to let them have a proper run once in a while."

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods happily. "Ecto's a working girl- she's still hauling our equipment on just about every bust- but once in a while it's good to let her have her head," he says. "And like I said, she can sort of play with my nephews now. She's got these devices I've hooked up for her that let her control small machines or the radio, stuff like that- do you know what radio is, by the way?"

[k_in_black]

Agatha might not notice a certain Man in Black come over to her table. He's looking over the clanks with some genuine curiosity.

K waits until she looks up and then smiles. "Interesting tech."


[ooc: writing a (Milliways!) paper so must slowtime but wanted to tag because: Agatha!]

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Slightly startled, Agatha passes her microwrench to the nearest clank and turns to him.

"Yes. They're my own creations."

[k_in_black]

"Really?" K nods, clearly impressed.

"They seem--," K leans in a little closer for a better look, "--almost sentient."

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

The clank also leans in for a closer look, peering at him.

"They are. They're perfectly capable of reasoning, problem solving, independent decisions -- and they're ideal lab assistants."

[k_in_black]

K's very amused at that, and holds still while the clank checks him out--though he's keeping an eye out for any poking screwdrivers or anything, in case the clank gets a little too curious.

"Don't usually run into robotics too much myself. Other than Baltian bodysuits." K glances at Agatha. "Shaped like dogs. The Baltians use them to get around. Baltians are only about this high." K holds up his hand to show about five inches tall.

"Most of the alien races that visit my Earth go in more for ships and weapons than cybernetics. Are most of the clanks on your world like these here?"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Nope, the little clank is sticking with a visual examination.

"Things like, ah, 'robotic' armour aren't unheard of, but they only tend to show up as surviving artifacts from Sparks who prefered to fight their enmies directly."

She blinks slightly at the mention of mimmoth-sized aliens.

"Clanks come in different forms. Most don't look anything like mine. Each Spark has their own style. While some stylistic traits can be observed, either through imitation or functionality, most designs are quite unique. We have ships and weapons as well, but with the rule against violence I didn't think it wise to build and sell guns. And ships are just too bulky."

She's thinking either the water kind of ship or airships, here.

[k_in_black]

"I'm guessing 'Spark' is the name for an inventor in your world? Not just any kind of inventor either, judging by these things." K risks a closer look at the clank.

Men in Black are trained to be perceptive: "There's just something different about this little guy, but I can't quite place it."

K reaches into his suit and pulls out a small box. It's completely jet black, and somehow the surface is shiny and light-absorbing at the same time. With a flip of K's wrist, the box opens to reveal a small control panel. A holographic display of greens and reds appears in the air right above it.

"I'd like to take a scan of him, if I could, so I can understand your technology better. I can promise you it won't hurt him. Do you mind?"


Of course, Agatha might have some curiosity of her own now....

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

The clank blinks, but allows itself to be examined.

"More than just an inventor, yes . . . it's complicated, and even those who have it don't fully understand what it is. The Spark is whatever it is that makes mad scientists what they are, to put it simply."

The clank looks nervous and glances to Agatha. Agatha is curious about the device. Also wary.

"Well. If you're certain it won't damage him. . ."

Beyond the initial 'Oooh, shiny!', the camera on her table will hold more lasting interest -- she prefers the type of gadget she can dig her hands into without worrying about it melting or creating a crater three miles in radius. Thus, the safety of her clanks takes priority.

[k_in_black]

"Not a bit." K even turns the scanner around to give the clink a closer look at the display. He suspects the little guy won't know what to make of it, but he hopes even a little more familiarity with the scanner will make the clink a more comfortable with K using it.

K turns the scanner back around and simply punches a quick succession of numbers. The holographic display shifts colors as several tables and graphs appear, monitoring various aspects of the clink's energy levels.

K studies the results for a bit with a slight frown of concentration, then nods, closes the scanner and puts it back in his suit.

"Well, there's definitely an unusual energy signature there, though I doubt I could tell you anything about it right now that you don't already know. Very interesting, though."

"Doesn't seem limited to your world either, since they seem to be working just fine here."

He nods to the camera. "What's that project there, if you don't mind my asking?"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

The clank gives a slight heave of relief when the device is put away. You never know.

"I've been looking for employment since the tabs are being called in, and Mark Cohen hired me to assist with some of the technical work at his studio. We don't have cameras such as this where I come from, and I wanted to examine one more closely before getting started. It's a very clever design, but simple enough once you get a feel for it."

[k_in_black]

"So how long will it be before you build the universe's first ever camera-clank?"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Agatha considers this for a moment, then checks through her notes.

"It might take some time to confirm if certain sections are as compatable as my first estimates make them out to be, but I should be able to begin work tomorrow."