milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Ray pushes open the front door and steps inside from New York City. "Okay, I give up," he says as he heads for the Bar. "Gimme something to make the formless nameless sense of dread go away."

The Bar gives him soft-serve ice cream with enough sprinkles on it to choke a pony. There are marshmallows.

He does not ask what brand as he takes his crime against dairy and goes to find a seat.

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Fortunately for what semblance of sanity she can still claim, Agatha has currently forgotten about the 'love triangle' aspect of the stories. Possibly she forgot it by force, but it works for her. Change of subject!

"Trelwney has absolutely nothing to do with any of my relatives, at least as far as this one indicates. The British propaganda gets a tad heavy-handed at times, but it is a good read."

"Kind of like the James Bond books back home," Ray says. "James Bond's the world's top secret agent, a British spy who can get into or out of any situation with his incredible gadgets and his wits. Only thing is, he's not the one who makes the gadgets, so it's not really the same- but still."

Agatha rolls her eyes at that.

"Please. That's just silly. What if he finds himself in a situation that he doesn't have a gadget to help him with?"

She smiles and picks the book up.

"Propaganda aside, it's good to read about other female Sparks. There aren't a lot of us around . . ."

A pause, and she flips the book open to an illustration of Trelawney and Jack Tarr in a heroic pose.

"That's likely why Gil lent it to me."

"Usually at that point he seduces the local pretty woman and it works out in his favor," Ray says with a shrug. "Or he gets into a fight with somebody. They're pretty simple books."

But he nods. "Always good to have a role model, huh?"

Agatha facepalms.

"He sounds more like Othar. Did he happen to die in any of the books?"

She looks altogether too hopeful at the thought.

"Yes. It was thoughtful of Gil. . . he caught on that I was a Spark even before I did. He gave me a job as his assistaint and helped me when I broke through. . . "

It's clear she's not giving a lot of thought to the actual content at this point. Or to what she's saying. Or singing (http://s59.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19PORMNTTZOQD2E7WBMTYU3IIU).

"It was the madness that held us together
When the lab came apart at the seams
He said 'Build a weapon with shine
While we've still got some time'
And I gave into my schemes

Now I don't have the chance
To thank him for the dance
So I'm all alone with the circus' stance
I will sleep safe and sound
with my clanks guarding 'round . . . "

"Well, there's one book that ends with him apparently dying of poison, but he's up and around again by the next book." Ray shrugs- and then blinks.

His PKE meter is out and on the table faster than you could say 'boo'.

Agatha still hasn't caught on.

"When faced with my family
I fear it may damn me
And I'll smile, yes I'll smile as the Spark takes me over.
And if I build in my sleep for the secrets I keep
It's a price I'm willing to meet.
The end of the night never comes too quickly for me.

But I don't have the right
To bring the truth to the light.
So please leave me alone, I'm no savior.
I will sleep safe and sound with nobody to hound me
When faced with my madness it might lead to some badness
And I'll smile, yes I'll smile as it takes me over."

Ray whistles softly, both eyes on the meter. "Oh, wow- Agatha, you should seriously see the readings I'm getting-"

There's more than one way to go byebye. Scientific bliss-out is on the list, apparently.

"And if I build in my sleep from the secrets I keep
It's a habit I don't wish to beat.
Oh my time in the lab never comes too quickly for me.
And I'll smile.
Smile
Smile
As the Spark takes me over.
I'll smile.
My time to be mad never comes too quickly for -- readings?"

That snapped her out of it. Cue curious peering.

Ray holds up the meter, turning the face towards Agatha. "PKE readings. You've been affected by the demonic curse that's going around the bar, Agatha. People are spontaneously breaking into song under the influence."

She is geek enough to take in the readings first, then headtable. Blushing is noticable around the edges.

"Not again. I suppose it's vaguely comforting to know the cause of the singing . . . is there a cure?"

"We haven't determined one yet," Ray says. "The demon in question's never been successfully fought off. He mostly leaves places when he's bored. I was talking to Andrew Wells- that's whose world it's from. He thinks we might be able to do something with machine-mounted proton packs, because the demon makes people burst into song and dance if they get too close, but he can't really affect machines. I was going to rewire Francis with a pack tomorrow morning. He's about big enough."

Agatha finally raises her head again and narrows her eyes.

"My clanks will lend their aid. Would it affect his control if they could speak?"

Some of the more advanced designs might stay home, to be safe.

"Andrew seems to think it's more a matter of their intelligence than speech. We'd be better off with remote controlled devices with minimal intelligence- it's just that Francis isn't smart enough to dance."

"Hm. That makes it tricky . . . my smaller clanks certainly don't have the legs to dance, but I doubt they could carry a weapon large enough to be effective -- I only have a few of them with me."

Silly Agatha. The self-replicating ones just keep your grandclanks hidden.

Ray gives this some thought, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Oh, I just know I'm going to regret this," he mutters at last. "How's your miniaturization-fu, Agatha? I mean- if I gave you the plans for something and explained how it worked, would you have a talent for making it function at a smaller size?"

"It depends on how small you need it to be. The main problem I've found with trying to make a smaller clank function the same as a large clank is in finding the same parts on scale. . . but with Bar's help . . ."

Geekout.

Ray nods. "I don't know how much further I can miniaturize the proton packs. They're already the miniaturization of a device that normally takes up two or three rooms in a university basement in my world. If we could render them smaller without losing the amount of shielding and structural integrity I built into them, that'd make it a heck of a lot easier to deploy the robotic solution. Of course we'd somehow have to do all this and test it in time, but still."

Agatha orders coffee from a passing waitrat.

"I'm in. I've been getting a full night's sleep since I arrived here, I should be getting back into my normal routine before it's time to return. It depends on the design, but if everything is kept in proportion. . . "

"All right. I'll get you the basic plans tomorrow- I don't have my holocomputer with me. We can start working from there while I rewire Francis."

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