(no subject)

[k_in_black]

The Door opens, and in stroll two men who look very familiar--to the very few who can ever remember having seen them, that is.

Such people would not be at all surprised to discover that the shorter, rounder one is a) doing most of the talking, and b) in a bad mood.

(There is, after all, a minor cultural event imminent, and due to events long ago, the Milli-MiB can't help but know all about it.)

"What's really gonna roast my nuts is the goddamn canon bleed. Like that damn elevator the second one just slammed right into the Main Hall, right where the lobby was."

K nods. "That was a mess, and no mistake."

"Three weeks! Three weeks to knock out that damn wall and put in another mezzanine! And how long's it been since that one?"

K doesn't miss a beat. "Nine years, six months, twenty-two days."

"Exactly! And what's that tell you?"

"This gonna be that Barry Sonnenfeld argument again?" K suggests as they take their seats and Bar helpfully comes up with two Eli Lockhart bourbons.

"You're goddamn right it is. Almost ten years, you think that guy did any research? Think he gave a minute's thought to getting the HQ exactly the way it was? Of course not. He's going to 're-imagine it.' I can hear him already. 'Oh, we can do that better now.' And who gets to clean up all the spatial-distortion disasters that maniac is about to unleash?"

"Agent T?"

"Well, yeah, sure, I'm gonna say it's T's ass if he doesn't fix it. But it still pisses me off."

Comments

[balancingminds]

Charles is taking a break from editing to have a scotch and looks over at the men and their conversation, its rather unusual, "Agents of what?"

[k_in_black]

"Men in Black," K answers helpfully (being the only one who ever occasionally has moments of helpfulness).

"We're part of a bureau that licenses, polices, and monitors alien activity on Earth. And a good part of the galaxy."

[balancingminds]

"That sounds like complicated and important work, its good to protect people,"

Though it makes him wonder where he would fall in their definitions as he's of Earth but not human and rests his hand on his forehead to have a listen.

[bring_a_sponge]

Dead air.

Crickets. (Metaphorically.)

Or to put it another way: two psychic holes in space, shaped like the two men.

[balancingminds]

Which is exceedingly unusual even for Milliways and Charles takes a drink as he asks, while still listening,

"I'm afraid I didn't get your names. I'm Charles Xavier."

[k_in_black]

"Pleased to meet you," K puts out a hand.

And even Zed gives him a courteous nod. (Because Zed is, in part, a diplomat, hard as this is for anyone in the bar to imagine, and Charles, after all, isn't one of the majority around here who look to Zed at first sight like some kind of raving maniac.)

(Of course, Zed will, as usual, withhold judgment for a bit. Because Charles might be actually be a complete loon, after all, and just better at hiding it. It wouldn't be the first time.)

"I'm K. This is Zed."

[balancingminds]

As nothing is changing, Charles shakes their hands with a smile, he's never seen mental shielding quite like that before.

He wants to ask and find out how they're doing but needs a good opening, "You as well."

[k_in_black]

"You, uh, wouldn't be that Charles Xavier, by any chance?"

[balancingminds]

"If by that Charles Xavier, you mean the one connected with mutants than yes, I am. I am from 1962 and possibly earlier than some of your information."

[katyafeline]

Katya, who had been having a perfectly fine argument with the bar about the best variety of vodka, is now watching the two humans with something that is an odd off-kilter mixture of amusement and confusion.

She will never get used to this place.

[k_in_black]

To be fair, these two have that effect on lots of people.

"I think you're being too pessimistic," K replies. "Wouldn't be that hard to put the sets back. It was a good design. Maybe they kept it."

"Like hell," Zed rumbles. "Think of all the damn CGI he's gonna throw in there. Which means half the damn building won't even be physically viable."

"How the hell am I supposed to work in a goddamn 3D office?"

[katyafeline]

".... It is less impressive than a 2D office?" She had been watching like it was a championship tennis match, but really.

Really?

[bring_a_sponge]

"It's not the impressive that's the problem," the man growls.

"It's the fact that my stylus is probably gonna poke my goddamn eye out every time I take a note."

[katyafeline]

"... If you are that uncoordinated, you should not be drinking, no?" Confused Other is really very confused. She's not a science geek by any stretch of the imagination, but she can't figure out what the problem is.

[k_in_black]

K can see the storm clouds already forming over Zed's head, so he opts for a change of topic.

"How are you doing, ma'am? I don't think we've met. I'm K." He puts out a hand to shake.

[katyafeline]

"Yekaterina." This part she understands, even if he sounds American and the other fellow still seems worked up about having to deal with height and width and length all at the same time.

[k_in_black]

"Pleased to meet you."

And he sounds ever so slightly Texan, if one considers that a part of America and not a fabled land all of its own.

"And this is Zed."

Now in diplomat mode, Zed tries to make nice and gives her what passes for him as a friendly nod. Fortunately, she's another one of the very few in this place who don't seem completely nuts to him at first sight.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo eyes them dubiously from down the bar.

It is often dangerous to ask the MiB just what they're blathering about. Because sometimes they answer you.

"Did you destroy HQ again, Zed?"

[bring_a_sponge]

"Maxwell," Zed grunts in that way that means, 'Hello.'

"No."

"Preventers court-martial your ass yet?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"The Commander assures me the war crimes tribunal is still a work in progress. While they try and find some brass to sit on it who haven't, you know, committed war crimes." Duo's tone is dry. Perhaps someone should buy him a drink.

"Hiya, K. Haven't tipped over into rebellion and tossed him in a nuthouse yet?"

[k_in_black]

K smirks. "Not just yet."

"We're having a minor crisis back at HQ. Turns out there's another movie due to pop up in the fictional MiB dimensions."

The amused look persists, so K apparently isn't too worried, but it looks like it's needling Zed something fierce.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo stares at him. "You know, you usually make more sense, K. Generally speaking. I totally support your right to not make sense, Zed does it enough."

But seriously, what?

[k_in_black]

K gives Duo a thoughtful look.

(Zed is glowering, but Duo, of all people, must be used to that by now.)

"Remember all that trouble we had a ways back with Black Oil?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Hard to forget!" Duo says, with wary interest.

Is there something he needs to blow up?

[k_in_black]

"Well, one of the less appealing revelations from back then was that the MiB is a fictional phenomenon in several universes."

"In some of them there's a tv show. A few have a radio series. Novels in a few others. But most of them seem to have MiB movies."

Which was fine. We coped. But now there's a third movie on the way in more than half of those dimensions, and there's a good chance that's going to raise some hell with the floor plan."