17105/Beetles Reunion for the First Time

Beetles Reunion for the First Time
Date of Scene:	05 February 2024
Location:	The sky above and around the KordCo Building
Synopsis:	Ted and Jaime Finally meet!
Cast of Characters:	Jaime Reyes, Ted Kord

---

Jaime Reyes has posed:
Our hero, El Escarabajo Azul (he's gonna make that a thing) has had a busy day. He's been running errands all over the city for his bosses at Frost International - and, well - he's cheating. He's calculating the approximate time it takes to get to where he needs to go, the time it takes to complete the errand, then simply flying across the city, running the errand, taking care of something else, coming back STILL under the time it should've taken him by a reasonable amount, and looking super-efficient.

//I feel like this is cheating, Jaime.// Khaji Da says, as Jaime juggles a pair of bulky portfolio containers under his arms. "It's not cheating, Khaji Da," He says, as he finds a quiet place to transform into his armored-up form, "It's using the tools you have effectively to achieve success! That's like, the first thing Ms. Frost said. If you've got it, use it." There's a crackle-hum of gossamer electric wings, as Jaime sets off across the New York City chessboard back in the direction of Frost International - with a detour to pick up lunch. "You think Ms. Frost likes mole sauce?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord, the Cerulean Scarab (he will make THAT a thing) is using stuff he has. Specifically he is flying the Bug, no, the Amazing Bug around his building to liven up a dull day. It's also decent advertising.Whenever he does it, his company stock gets an up tick in shares traded. Ted has no problem making more money. Well Tony Stark does the same, he's pretty sure, and don't get him started on the constant show Janet Van Dyne or Emma Frost puts on. He can't really match some of their assets. Trying to get his girlfriend to appear in public in a bustier say, went over like Green Kryptonite at a Kryptonian reunion.

Ted does love flying his Bug though. Especially with a cup of hot coffee on this cold day. He even brought a couple bots along. Why not?

Jaime Reyes has posed:
//Jaime, there's an incoming flying vehic-//

What, you thought we weren't going to make a bug on the windshield joke here?

SPLAT! Well, more of a THUD! Jaime gets t-boned by the Bug, and sticks to the windshield for a moment, before he bounces off. The portfolios go flying, and he goes spiralling through the air, before he rights himself. He shakes his head, and then he sees millions of dollars literally about to fall into the east river. "Mierda! Watch where you're going, maldito maniaco!" He dives down to snag both of the folios, catching them just before they hit the water. "Whew!"

Which is when a console on the Bug lights up - 'SCARAB ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED' - why didn't this go off before whoever this guy is slammed into the Bug?

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord looks at the indicator. "I'm amazed the goddam thing worked at all. Also, shit I killed a bug related cape! Bailey! Bingo! Assist that young person. I'll invite him up here. Wow, he really went splat! Go now! He missed some papers or something." He turns on his transmitter, "Uhm, hello, this is the Blue Beetle! I hope you're okay. I sent two bots out to help you... Bingo and Bailey."

True enough, two sort of flying roombas streak down, one grabbing at a folder that had spilled out. The pink and boue bot flies over to Jaime and presents it rather shyly. The other pops a number of first aid devices and does a laser scan of Jaime to check for injuries.

<<Bailey, it's that scarab!>>

<<Just ignore it. Thing always gave me the creeps. I will inform Creator Ted. Don't tell Joan!>> Translated from binary for those who are not AI or Doug Ramsey. Up above, Ted receives bot emojis. They still won't text. Bug, skull, eggplant!

Jaime Reyes has posed:
Jaime snags the folder, and then rights himself, shaking his head. "No," He says, "I'M the Blue Beetle! You're some guy driving a big... freakin'... volkswagen... air car. Who hit me!"

"...Thank you." He says, to the robot who gave him the folder. His abuela would KILL him if he wasn't polite.

//Jaime, the individual flying this airship has a past history with my previous owner, Dan Garrett.//

"Oh yeah?" Jaime replies to Khaji Da, "Do you want to talk to him?"

//...Ask him if he's alone or with Booster Gold. Because if he's with Booster, hard pass. I don't like that guy.//

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord frowns at the reply. "You never heard of Ted Kord? The Blue Beetle? And I hate to tell you this but larger vehicles have right of way in most environments. I been circling my building for twenty minutes. Kind of hard to miss. Anyway, if you'd like to come aboard, I'd like to meet you."

Jaime Reyes has posed:
"No they don't! Pedestrians have right of way! I am not a vehicle! And you were doing over 100!"

Jamie shakes his head to clear out the cobwebs. "Okay. But only because I'm still a little rattled and I'd like to sit for a second."

He pauses. "Uh, you don't have a friend named 'Booster' with you do you? Because the Scarab says tha e na bhron... ah, that he's a bum." He shrugs his shoulders.

A moment later, the armored hero is sitting on a bench seat in the bug, checking the paperwork to make sure it's all intact. He looks up at Ted with glowing eyes, and then says, "I've heard of you from the Scarab. Ted Kord. The Scarab says it never bonded with you because you wouldn't have been able to resist tinkering with it."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord takes a sip of coffee. "I have to argue the point about right of way concerning flying people. But I'm glad you weren't hurt." "Couldn't resist tinkering... bwahahaha! That's actually a good explanation -no offense taken... I would. It did empower me briefly to save my life so I owe it one. Uhm Booster, I haven't heard from him in a while... why what have you heard?"

"Booster is not a bum. He's just sort of part Dr. Who and part that guy Zack from Big Bang Theory. Sometimes he disappears for a while then comes back and says stuff like, "This again? I thought I fixed this! There the Kord triplets. I think he liked making me nervous."

Jaime Reyes has posed:
There's a pause, and Jaime cocks his head.

"Khaji Da says he also always asks you for money." He shrugs his shoulders, and says, "I mean, he's your friend, but the way the Scarab describes him, he sounds like a bum. I mean, I have a friend who's always hustling and grifting, but Paco never asks me for *money*. Besides, I think he's doing male modeling now. It's the guns... I wish I had guns like that." Jaime shakes his head, and sets the folios down. "Listen, I appreciate you making sure I'm OK Mr. Kord. I don't want to sound like I'm RUDE - I was just a little rattled, that's all." He looks around, and says, "Hey, is that an iced coffee machine?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord says, "Last time I saw Booster he was running a successful app and company... which I kind of financed for him -but it is making money for him. I hope he returns to this time. He's... he's a good guy. It's just this time is very strange to him. About the only thing he understands is football and everyone wants money." He looks at the smaller bot and says, Bailey, please getour friend an iced coffee. Tell he how you like it. Bailey's pronouns are 'her' and she'. I sometimes have another couple terms for her, but she's 99% sweetheart. Let her show you the fingernails she made."

Jaime Reyes has posed:
Jaime looks at them, and says, "Very nice. My sister would kill for a manicure like that." He sits back, and says, "Oh. Milk and a little sugar." He says before he rubs the back of his neck.

"All I know is what the Scarab tells me, and what it tells me is 'Bum'." He seems bemused by the whole thing. "So - ah - how can I help you, Mr. Kord? I'd love to spend the day hanging out with another Beetle, but eventually I do have to get to work. My boss, she does not tolerate slacking on the job. When Emma Frost fires someone, there might be gasoline involved."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord rubs the back of his neck at the mention of the name. "Emma... yeah I created an AI assistant for her. Maybe you could check on it for me. Poor thing is probably starved for affection. I create people. These bots are not programmed. They learn. They create new things. So far it's limited to Legos. But they're awesome with them. They do need human interaction and well Frost was treating the poor thing like a Texas Instrument calculator. SO just give me a call if it replaced her with an android and has her all damsel in distress in a broom closet. Though, I'd bet on Frost and not the AI."

Bailey patpats Jaine's arm. "Bailey will happily do your sister's nails, hair, makeup. I guess that's another new thing she figured out. She's the last one I built. She has the most advanced processors. She's precocious. I went to a board meeting wearing enough makeup for RuPaul when she caught me napping. Oh thanks Bailey. Give me a refill please?" He holds out his mug.

<<Creator Ted had a couple other words for you.>>

<<Stop being a bitch, Bingo.>>

Jaime Reyes has posed:
"She's aware of the essential value of AI, but she's got some sort of grudge against it I don't totally understand myself." Jaime admits. "Seems real personal."

He gestures to Bailey and says "Couldn't do any worse than the last person she went to... she was mad for a week." He clears his throat, and sips his iced coffee, before he says, "So uh. The Scarab -- it was yours?" He asks. "Because... I found it. I swear to god. I picked it up on the side of the road when Paco and I were driving from El Paso to Metropolis. It was just lying on the ground at a rest stop."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord shrugs. "Is it? Was it ever? It sounds sentient. So I don't own it. My bits are mine but not in a legal sense. I'm their creator. I'm teaching them. I give them purpose. It's their choice. It seems you do the same with the scarab. I approve. Best of luck... and maybe it will let me scan it sometime? Now I'm wondering if some of my more advanced stuff is a result of long term contact with that thing." Bailey and Bingo float closer to Ted and put their manipulators on his shoulders.

Jaime Reyes has posed:
"Well--" Jaime says, "...It's kind of... fused with my nervous system. I couldn't remove it if I wanted to. Let me tell you, it's making my social life real awkward. Can't even go to a public pool." He pauses, as if to consider his options, and then he withdraws his armor.

He's just an ordinary Mexican-American kid. Stern-faced, dark-eyed, wavy black hair, neatly dressed in black slacks and a button-down shirt and colorful tie. The stegasaurus-taco socks do betray a certain sense of humor though. He turns his back, and then lifts the back of his shirt, showing where the Scarab is fused with his spine, between his shoulderblades and running down his backbone. Yup. It's in there.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord turns to a console. "Stop camera. Erase last two minutes, Bug. Good googley moogley! Yes. I would not do anything without its consent. Has anyone else looked at this? He peers at the extended scarab. "Despite the squick factor, it does look cool to him.Bingo moves to get a better look.

"Sorry, Bingo, back off. It's fine. Bingo's talents led to EMT. She's kind of sensitive. SHe freaked out in a hardware store seeing mechanical components. She worries and feels for people and bots."

Jaime Reyes has posed:
"I haven't had it scanned by anybody. I got in trouble with the doctor because I dodged my physical for soccer-" Jaime frowns. "I had to quit the team anyway when I moved to Metropolis, so-"

His phone pings. "Sorry, the Snow Queen's asking where I'm at, she needs me back at the office, pronto." Jaime armors up. "Look, Khaji Da says my vitals are fine, but if you want to run some scans, I'll come by and you can - but the Scarab says no touching. It's seen what you do with a soldering iron." He opens up the hatch, and falls backward out of it. "Hasta luego!" Then he flies away. Swoooosh!