themainframe | [Video] [Memory Leak]

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[Video] [Memory Leak]

[The video opens up as an angle shot, shooting a good view of Sprocket on the floor coloring with crayons like a five year old. It's quite a feat considering he has no fingers. Arcee can just barely be seen relaxing behind him, lounging on her couch in her apartment. Both of them seem unaware that the feed was turned on, so that can only mean one thing.]

I think I'm gonna draw my future house...

Knock your socks off. [Arcee swings herself up and looks as though she's about ready to leave the room.] I need to get a drink. Want me to grab anything while I'm up?

Juice box~

[Yeah, he sings that. And before he can say anything else, the video changes to static and starts broadcasting, well... a whole bunch of other things. Obviously not taking place in Tokyo, it has more to do with those robot things people may have seen before with these other leaking videos. This one's blue this time! And a lady! Sounding just like that lady before who was getting juice boxes. Of course, she doesn't sound so calm and cool in these flashbacks. There's a lot of screaming and spiders and loud noises and screaming. Really, nothing is very pleasant about it.

But wait, there's more! Just when you think that little tidbit is over and done with, more images begin to flash. Again, more robots, and again, more dead things. Only this time we got things like zombies. It's all very loud and obnoxious and continues to follow the very grim pattern a lot of these videos have been going with lately.

When it finally does end, the feed takes us back to a very wide-eyed Sprocket. For a guy whose face is made out of metal, he looks unusually pale. Like he's just seen a ghost or something. That...that was certainly a thing he just saw.

Arcee returns to the room with two juice boxes without a care in the world. Apparently she missed the whole thing.]

Apple okay?

APPLE IS FINE!

[He shouts that awkwardly, like she caught him off guard.]

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[Hiccup doesn't answer either, not catching until a few beats later that he's been just...sitting there with his mouth slightly open. Quickly he shakes his head and leans back a little, absently brushing some eraser shavings off his blueprints with the back of his hand. He clears his throat a little, watching Sprocket for a moment before looking back up at Arcee.
What's he supposed to say?]

Um....h-hey.

[WOW that sure was an awkward voice crack/stutter there. Maybe she didn't notice.]

[It's not like she can't notice, but she writes up as an awkward human teenage thing. If Sprocket is going to be dumber than usual, she's just going to grab her D-Terminal so she can talk to her kid. At least there's something to talk about, that's a nice blueprint she spots.]

Got something there?

[Aw yeah, she sure does look cool leaning back on her couch and sipping from her juicebox.]

[Again Hiccup clears his throat, harder this time. Well...ok, this is good. Maybe he can shake off that memory and switch the subject. Then again he can't really trust Sprocket not to blurt something out, so he'll just keep talking as much as he can.

Carefully he picks up the blueprint and holds it up so Arcee can see. It's a pretty simple sketch so far, just a design for a new foot for himself. It's still pretty primitive for normal standards, since that's all Hiccup really knows when it comes to building.]

I'm uh....working on a blueprint I'm going to show Wheeljack next time I see him. He's going to help me rebuild my foot.

[Is that so? Sounds like fun, but Wheeljack being involved and all, she can't help but look a little skeptical.]

Okay, but whatever you do, do not let him talk you into adding rockets to it. Wheeljack's specialty lies in things that like to go boom. Last thing I need is you losing your other foot.

Or your head.

[He chuckles weakly at that, glancing briefly at the blueprints.]

No rockets, right. I'll make sure to add that foot note.

[Though he has a feeling Wheeljack's opinion will sway in the opposite direction. After a minute Hiccup puts the blueprint back down, resting his forearms on the desk.]

Arcee, can I...can I ask you something?

Fire away.

[She leans back more against the couch in a casual manner, legs crossed and swinging just a little. By the look of things, she doesn't have much to do right now. Hiccup really couldn't have better timing as far as she's concerned. She'll have all the talks he wants, gives her something to entertain herself with.

Meanwhile, the sound of Sprocket falling over can be heard in the background. ...If it's possible to identify it as Sprocket. He just...falls over. Onto his side. Stiff as a board. Arcee can only roll her eyes because, well, Sprocket.]

Edited 2013-08-29 21:58 (UTC)

[There's a pause in which Hiccup just sits there, his eyes glancing at nothing in particular all around the room. He hadn't really prepared a suitable question to ask, since all he could think about was that memory of her he just saw. Finally he sighs, slumping over slightly.]

Have you um....have you thought about what you're going to do once you leave this world, Arcee?

[It's somewhat of an open ended question, but one that's been weighing on him for a while, especially ever since he learned that Donnie actually went home for a brief time. What might that be like, going home and suddenly coming back a few months later, only to have just a few minutes go by elsewhere? Did that mean months....years maybe, were passing back on Berk while he was stuck here?

He wasn't sure, but either way it made him nervous.
Made him think.]

[It seems like Arcee has no problem answering this question, or if it does bother her, she sure doesn't show it.]

Figure out how much I missed, reconnect with my team, get back to work, go for a drive.

...Maybe not in that order.

[She stretches a little. Oh how she'd love to go for a drive again. It's a sad day when she misses Jasper.]

What about you?

Mmm....probably head back to the village, find Toothless and my dad...and see how the village has been doing while I was gone.

[They've survived this long without Hiccup giving a whole ton of input, so he's not extremely worried. The possible time lapse- however- concerns him.]

I heard that time works differently here. I'm just worried I'll come home and...I don't know, ten years might have passed or something.

[...huh. You know, she keeps forgetting that ten years is a lot for humans. It's like...a blink for Cybertronians. And even then, at least the humans she knows back on Earth would still be alive if ten years went by.

...If all went well.

She has a hard time relating, but she tries anyway.]

Well look at it this way, you'll look good for your age.

[Arcee, no.]

[He starts a little at that before smiling.]

Ahahaa....maybe, maybe...

[While he's talking his gaze wanders back over to Sprocket, his mind drawn back to that memory he just saw. He doesn't feel like he should question her about it now, especially with how content she currently sounds. He'll just....pretend it never happened.

Maybe, if he's lucky, it'll never come up again.]

[It's probably for the best, Hic. An emotional Arcee is not a fun Arcee.]

Isn't that what humans want? To look younger? You know, that's another thing I never got about you people. Kids want to look like adults and adults wanna look like kids.

Well....that's got a lot to do with aging, I guess. When you're really little you look forward to being an adult because you can do more things, be more independent....but then by the time you're an adult you miss your childhood and find yourself wishing you could relive it.

[His smile returns slightly.]

Of course when you get to be an adult you start to grow a few more gray hairs than you remember having before.

Hm.

[It's obvious from her expression that she's thinking this over. Even runs a hand through her hair when he mentions people turning gray.

There is only one conclusion she can come up with.]

Humans are weird.

[Hiccup snorts, dropping his chin into his hand.]

..You have no idea.

[...Then again, does she really? ....he remembers seeing a boy in those memories of hers, a human boy.]

...I guess you've had some experience with humans before coming here though, huh?

[She rather likes that boy too, Hiccup, so watch what you say about him.]

Yeah. Was stationed on Earth for over three years for--[a beat] reasons...

Not many though, rules were we had to stay hidden. No offense, but humans in large groups tend to get panicky when it comes to things that are different. We didn't want to start a planet-wide riot.

Still, I'd do anything to see them again...

[Like fight this stupid digiwar she got signed up for against her will.]

[He nods, idly flicking the end of the pencil on the table.]

None taken. Trust me, I know how that is.

[He grew up with nearly every day being filled with panic. It eventually got to the point where daily attacks and bursts of pure chaos were per the norm.]

Well, what's stopping you? Other than...being stuck here, anyway.

What? Being stuck here isn't good enough for you? Trust me, if there were a way out, I'd be the first one in line. Fight my way there if I had to.

[She grumbles as she takes another sip of her juice box.]

[Oh. Right.]

Well yeah, me too. I just....

[He trails off, biting his lip. Better not give away that he knows too much about anything.]

I don't know. I just wasn't sure if you were still stationed on Earth or not.

[She scowls a little. Not at Hiccup, although not sure if he can tell.]

It's not like I have anywhere else to go.

[The viking sighs, closing his eyes for a minute. Well this conversation turned for the worse fast, but it's entirely his fault.]

I'm sorry, Arcee. I wish things could be different for you.

[...Oh, oops. You know, she really didn't mean to turn this into her own little sobfest. Not wanting to bring Hiccup down to her depression levels, she offers him a smile.]

Well, it's not like it's been all bad. Could be worse.

I got to meet you, didn't I?

[Awww Arcee, you're going to make him blush. It's not like his existence really has made an impact on THAT many people. ..At least, he doesn't feel like it has.]

...Yeah. It's actually sorta...weird. I can't imagine what things would have been like if I never met you, or Wheeljack, or Leatherhead....or a lot of the people I've met in this place.

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