My head's fine. Tadashi healed that part right up, no problem.
[ He leaves out the rest, not going to breach the topic unless Cal does. The video obviously has him in quarantine, but not displaying any symptoms yet. ]
[Callaghan saw that mask crack. he's...honestly not surprised, and honestly, isn't inclined to ask regarding how things are going. Hiro clearly doesn't know yet, he's probably worried enough as is, so...
...he feels bad adding to the kid's stress level, but better now than later.]
Good.
...do you remember how I seemed to have control of your microbots for a while, after you were hurt?
[ He does. It had been fuzzy at the time, thanks to his concussion, but - now that his head is clear, it's obvious. Somehow, Callaghan definitely had control for a few moments. The question is how? ]
... Yeah. Yeah, you owe me an explanation for that. Because like hell it was just my concussion making things weird.
I do, and I did say I'd explain. There was a second note on that file they gave me, by the mention of 'Incitement'. Their term for it was...'Power Theft'.
[ Yep, that was probably about the reaction Cal was expecting. Eyes wide, voice rising quickly into an angry shout. How dare he! This is even worse than just stealing the transmitter and Hiro's bots - he'd build everything up until this point to be accessible only via his power, to prevent theft...
And then it turns out that the man responsible for all that paranoia can steal everything Hiro makes just the same. Worse, because Hiro can't even steal his tech back.]
[yeah, he kind of expected that. he grimaces nonetheless.] I borrowed what you had, and then gave it back as soon as you were on your feet.
It was the only thing I could think of at the time to do, while you were incapacitated and those people were still trapped. For all I knew, you wouldn't wake up without medical attention, and I wasn't sure about getting you to it when I was...
[have a vague, frustrated gesture. seriously, he was trying to help!]
[ Hiro flips the comm around so that Cal gets a view of his shoes and not his face. That's about the only concession to logic he feels like doing right now - not letting Cal see how livid and upset he is. Even borrowing - why didn't Cal ask ahead of time in case of a knockout? Other than, y'know, not thinking of it, like a normal human being. And he sees the logic of Cal's actions too. If he'd been comatose or dead...
The comm shakes a little as he struggles to get himself back under control. Cal's seen Hiro's anger management issues up close and personal - so really, this kind of reaction isn't as bad as it could be. Still not turning it back around though. ]
Don't. Don't EVER take that from me again. Or I'll -
[yep. he figured Hiro'd be easy. still, with Hiro turning the comm away, he can't see Callaghan's look of...guilt? disappointment? resignation? whatever it is, it has him leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.]
...I know.
[he really shouldn't have thought he could hide it. not for long, anyway.]
...you should know that something else came with it. It wasn't just your...technokinesis.
[ He hears the sigh though - and that tone. That's enough to cut through his anger, at least, so that he reluctantly turns the comm back. Still angry, just less. ]
Then there's more to it than you think, because while I held it, everything was...different. And I don't mean in terms of understanding what could and couldn't be controlled.
[beat. how does he even begin to explain...?]
I- understood things. Not about machinery, but...everything. There was so much chaos out there, but I saw patterns, applications to things I hadn't even considered before...[he makes a little 'hnh' laugh]...and I think I may have gotten carried away, if I held on to it any longer.
Are you telling me...is that how you normally see the world, Hiro?
[ He's not sure what to make of that question. It's puzzling enough that the rest of his anger kind of drains away, replaced by - well, what? Confusion, but with something else underlying it. Like Cal's asked what's simultaneously the most confusing and most obvious question in the world. ]
What, you mean looking at things like a normal person? Dude, that's called - [ he struggles for the words; psychology isn't his strong point ] - I dunno, like schema in robots? You don't have to see the exact same style of chair to see it's a chair.
[ So, yes. Completely normal for him. He pauses again, hung up on something else Cal said... ]
I mean, it's chaotic and noisy, sure? The world is just a pain like that. Everyone feels like that. Don't you?
There's a difference between 'noise' and that. [but he decides to take a slightly different approach;] You had a lot of trouble relating to people growing up, I'm guessing? Getting annoyed with them for not 'getting' things that you could, in a matter of seconds. Things that made sense to you, and seemed impossible for them. No wonder you needed a challenge.
[-and, ah, maybe he shouldn't have said that. his expression turns a bit rueful]
Let's just say it's all for the best this doesn't happen again. All right? I'd rather not linger on what kind of projects I could come up with if I'd had that kind of perception for more than a minute.
[ Hiro winces a bit - not at Callaghan, but rather at his own memories of being a very, very lonely kid in school. "Had a lot of trouble relating to people"? Try "never figured it out once in fourteen years." ]
I wasn't good at people. I thought it was just - I dunno, I was just fast. But if it's weird even to you...
[ He's awed? And a little scared at the same time? Being a smart kid is fun when he assumes that adults are just dumb in comparison. This ... this makes him sound more like some kind of alien freak that doesn't even think like a human being. He swallows for a moment and lets the feeling pass. Better to be an alien freak than normal.
Still gonna give Robert a bit of a stinkeye though. ]
You saying you'd go crazy with my kind of brainpower? Wow, thanks.
[ Missing the point, possibly, but at least he's not angry. Ironically, he's less angry about having his intelligence stolen than the technokinesis, despite the former being way more intrinsic to everything than the latter. Mostly he still can't quite comprehend it. ]
I wasn't good with people. Believe it or not, teaching wasn't my first choice of career. You, on the other hand, have a 'natural' superpower, if such a thing exists.
[freak? not so much. with the worst of the conversation over, Robert's relaxing - slightly - and doing his best to continue with the whole treating-Hiro-as-a-peer thing. considering he's actually opened up a hint about his personal past, so far so good.]
I didn't say I'd go crazy. I'd probably get used to it over time.
[which is exactly what he's afraid of. maybe he should end things here...]
But I'm sure you have better things to do then hear me ramble. I've said what I needed to, and...[the briefest of pauses]...for what it's worth, I am sorry.
[ Superpower. An actual, legitimate superpower, enough that it can be stolen the same way a Porter-given one can be. And he's 100% sure that the Porter didn't do anything to advance that past what he had at home; he'd notice for sure, the same way he has ungodly flattening headaches whenever his powers are off. Which - actually explains a lot of things. Why he gets headaches wearing limiters when his brother seems unaffected.
He is gonna be insufferable once he adjusts to the concept. ]
... You too, huh. Seemed to do okay by the time I met you. [ Minus the obvious issues. He quiets for a moment; Callaghan doesn't seem to want to continue the conversation, and Hiro's not in the mood for much either. But ... dammit, he's curious, and now that he's no longer angry, that loneliness creeps back in. ] Did you have any friends? Growing up?
[ Consider that question to be acceptance of Callaghan's apology. ]
casually delves in to the manga canon because screw it
[ If you hadn't immediately pissed Hiro off, Cal, he'd probably have been happy to talk to him with a warmup. ]
Yeah, I know how that feels. People just decide you did something wrong and there's no reason behind it. Machines, you probably screwed it up yourself.
I WILL MIX PERSONAL CANON WITH THIS AND CAL'S WIFE DYING OF SICKNESS SO HELP ME
Machines, too, you can fix; a lot of times they just need a bit of attention before they're up and running again. Do it right, and they're better than ever.
That can be a bit harder with people. [and what little smile he had falters a bit] Sometimes you can't figure out what's wrong until it's too late to do anything.
[the word is short, soft, and almost warning. there is a fine line between pity and sympathy, and it's one that, perhaps, Robert Callaghan has some difficulty understanding at times.
but after a moment, he manages a quick smile, as though trying to be reassuring. he can recognize when he's toed a line]
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microbrobotics) wrote2025-01-08 05:19 pm
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[ He leaves out the rest, not going to breach the topic unless Cal does. The video obviously has him in quarantine, but not displaying any symptoms yet. ]
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...he feels bad adding to the kid's stress level, but better now than later.]
Good.
...do you remember how I seemed to have control of your microbots for a while, after you were hurt?
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... Yeah. Yeah, you owe me an explanation for that. Because like hell it was just my concussion making things weird.
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[bracing for impact in three...two...one...]
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[ Yep, that was probably about the reaction Cal was expecting. Eyes wide, voice rising quickly into an angry shout. How dare he! This is even worse than just stealing the transmitter and Hiro's bots - he'd build everything up until this point to be accessible only via his power, to prevent theft...
And then it turns out that the man responsible for all that paranoia can steal everything Hiro makes just the same. Worse, because Hiro can't even steal his tech back.]
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It was the only thing I could think of at the time to do, while you were incapacitated and those people were still trapped. For all I knew, you wouldn't wake up without medical attention, and I wasn't sure about getting you to it when I was...
[have a vague, frustrated gesture. seriously, he was trying to help!]
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The comm shakes a little as he struggles to get himself back under control. Cal's seen Hiro's anger management issues up close and personal - so really, this kind of reaction isn't as bad as it could be. Still not turning it back around though. ]
Don't. Don't EVER take that from me again. Or I'll -
[ He lets the implied threat hang between them. ]
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...I know.
[he really shouldn't have thought he could hide it. not for long, anyway.]
...you should know that something else came with it. It wasn't just your...technokinesis.
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There's nothing else to take. I've only got one.
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[beat. how does he even begin to explain...?]
I- understood things. Not about machinery, but...everything. There was so much chaos out there, but I saw patterns, applications to things I hadn't even considered before...[he makes a little 'hnh' laugh]...and I think I may have gotten carried away, if I held on to it any longer.
Are you telling me...is that how you normally see the world, Hiro?
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What, you mean looking at things like a normal person? Dude, that's called - [ he struggles for the words; psychology isn't his strong point ] - I dunno, like schema in robots? You don't have to see the exact same style of chair to see it's a chair.
[ So, yes. Completely normal for him. He pauses again, hung up on something else Cal said... ]
I mean, it's chaotic and noisy, sure? The world is just a pain like that. Everyone feels like that. Don't you?
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[-and, ah, maybe he shouldn't have said that. his expression turns a bit rueful]
Let's just say it's all for the best this doesn't happen again. All right? I'd rather not linger on what kind of projects I could come up with if I'd had that kind of perception for more than a minute.
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I wasn't good at people. I thought it was just - I dunno, I was just fast. But if it's weird even to you...
[ He's awed? And a little scared at the same time? Being a smart kid is fun when he assumes that adults are just dumb in comparison. This ... this makes him sound more like some kind of alien freak that doesn't even think like a human being. He swallows for a moment and lets the feeling pass. Better to be an alien freak than normal.
Still gonna give Robert a bit of a stinkeye though. ]
You saying you'd go crazy with my kind of brainpower? Wow, thanks.
[ Missing the point, possibly, but at least he's not angry. Ironically, he's less angry about having his intelligence stolen than the technokinesis, despite the former being way more intrinsic to everything than the latter. Mostly he still can't quite comprehend it. ]
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[freak? not so much. with the worst of the conversation over, Robert's relaxing - slightly - and doing his best to continue with the whole treating-Hiro-as-a-peer thing. considering he's actually opened up a hint about his personal past, so far so good.]
I didn't say I'd go crazy. I'd probably get used to it over time.
[which is exactly what he's afraid of. maybe he should end things here...]
But I'm sure you have better things to do then hear me ramble. I've said what I needed to, and...[the briefest of pauses]...for what it's worth, I am sorry.
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He is gonna be insufferable once he adjusts to the concept. ]
... You too, huh. Seemed to do okay by the time I met you. [ Minus the obvious issues. He quiets for a moment; Callaghan doesn't seem to want to continue the conversation, and Hiro's not in the mood for much either. But ... dammit, he's curious, and now that he's no longer angry, that loneliness creeps back in. ] Did you have any friends? Growing up?
[ Consider that question to be acceptance of Callaghan's apology. ]
casually delves in to the manga canon because screw it
Some...not too many. I found things like machines more engrossing, anyway.
WHY NOT
Yeah, I know how that feels. People just decide you did something wrong and there's no reason behind it. Machines, you probably screwed it up yourself.
I WILL MIX PERSONAL CANON WITH THIS AND CAL'S WIFE DYING OF SICKNESS SO HELP ME
Machines, too, you can fix; a lot of times they just need a bit of attention before they're up and running again. Do it right, and they're better than ever.
That can be a bit harder with people. [and what little smile he had falters a bit] Sometimes you can't figure out what's wrong until it's too late to do anything.
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... Who? What happened?
dammit chrome
...Abigail's mother got sick when she was still very young. But that was a long time ago.
[and this whole 'treating Hiro as a peer' thing has now backfired along with everything else.]
I'll let you go. Like I said, I'm sure you have better things to do.
[yyyyep that's his way of saying 'this conversation is over']
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I'm sorry -
[ And that's it. That's all that comes out. ]
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[the word is short, soft, and almost warning. there is a fine line between pity and sympathy, and it's one that, perhaps, Robert Callaghan has some difficulty understanding at times.
but after a moment, he manages a quick smile, as though trying to be reassuring. he can recognize when he's toed a line]
Take care of yourself.
[and then he cuts the feed.]
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