4399/A Workday at Kord Co.

A Workday at Kord Co.
Date of Scene:	14 December 2020
Location:	Sub Basement Three
Synopsis:	Alyx and Ted share some laughs and takeout and a drone is renamed!
Cast of Characters:	Alyx Vance, Ted Kord

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Alyx Vance has posed:
    Down in the sub-basement, where no humans dare lurk, Alyx Vance has started to hold court over a small workstation. One of her Gravity Gloves is suspended in the air between two electronic do-dads -- a gravity vice, a simple thing to work up if you have the knowledge and tools. Thanks to Ted's generosity, she had both. She's wearing her usual get-up: grey Black Mesa hoodie underneath a jacket. Form-fitting jeans. Her pistol hangs tightly from one thigh. This time, however, she's wearing meson goggles.

    Alyx steadies her hand to apply a finishing dollop of solder onto a joint. A flying drone zips towards her, which Alyx shoos away with a gentle swipe of her hand. She's gotten used to working down here, apparently.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord's head drops into the scene, if this were a comic book panel say, upside down and above Alyx. He regards her face with an open interest and covetousness which would proclaim him sone kind of lech. Until you realize it's Ted, women scare him and he's looking at her meson goggles. Of course. the drone Alyx shoed away flits up to Ted and seems a little put out. It gets shooed away more firmly. "Bobo, go check the circuit breakers on the vehicle elevator. I want this thing working when the new Bug is functional. I'm tired of paying a couple grand in fines every time I launch from the east river." The drone flies away to comply.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Thank you!" Alyx exclaims without looking up from her work. "That thing has been totally up in my business all night." Another solder joint in place. Alyx purses her lips and gives a gentle blow of air to push the blue smoke away from her face before turning her head slowly in Ted's direction.

    "I guess now I have you bothering me..." she adds with a smirk.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord smirks. "Me? No. I'll be back doing beetle stuff in a minute. But, what are those GOGGLES and how do they work? Want!" He drops down and becomes up right, revealing the disks on his boots allowing him flight." He adopts a sitting position still watching the goggles. te disks let him float till he is eye level with Alyx. "Also ordering out for dinner. What would you like?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx raises her eyebrows before reaching a hand up to slip the goggles off of her face. "These?" she questions, looking down at them as she does. "They're just goggles, you know, to protect my eyes. You can have them if you're so excited." Alyx tilts her wrist so the goggles are dangling out for Ted to take.

    What did she want to eat? Hm. "You pick, Ted," Alyx answers before looking back down at her work. "I've got enough to think about, here." Another solder joint. Like before, Alyx purses her lips and blows the smoke away from her face, this time in Ted Kord's direction.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord peruses the goggles before handing them back. "Thanks I got enough of them. H-h-h-h-h!" He flits away towards the landline and sneezes loudly. He has a phone in his costume as it happens. However, the take out menus are all by his phone. Yes he could scan, download them and project them into his HUD setup but but even Ted's dorkiness has its limits. Besides, this makes it easier to pick in a way. He lets out one of his piercing whistles and the drone flies close. Ted fans out the menus and Bobo picks one. Ted takes the drone's pick. "Fish. I hate fish, pick again." The nattering and picking continues softly in the background. "Nope, try again. Latverian... well give it! I gotta see what you picked!"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    As Ted winds up a sneeze, Alyx smiles a contented sort of smile and looks back down at her soldering work. She moves the iron to the board and continues on the next series of joints.

    "Is that thing sentient, Ted?" Alyx shouts from afar, not bothering to look up. "Because that's basically slavery and we all know how I feel about /that/..."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord finally gets the menu away from the drone. "Awright... Chinese, go get the usual, Bobo. They know you there. And don't forget the mustard this time."

He turns to Alyx. "Oh don't start with that. If he was an AI he'd have submitted an employment form and a requisition for back wages. Strictly VI. I can tell because he isn't a pain in my butt."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Mmmhmmm," Alyx replies. She slots the soldering iron into its holder and spins on her stool to face Ted. She folds her arms across her chest and looks up at the man with her eyebrows held high. "...Just watch it, Ted. I'm really good at causing the local rabble to rise up." She's teasing. Is she?

    Alyx rises from her seat and walks over to where Ted's working with the phone and leans against a nearby pillar. She bends one leg at the knee and folds her arms across her chest again. "So... What are we eating?" she asks, looking up at him for her answer.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord's shoulders slump a little. "Chinese. The drone tore up all the other menus... except the fish place. I hate fish." He plops down on another stool. "Are you working on a repulsor beam for your gloves? I can do a r-beam thruster for you. I've done some big ones. Are you finding everything you need? I mean I have it on good authority that Earth is a stunted backwater. But I don't believe it." He pulls his goggles off, apparently done for the day.

Ted looks over the gravity vice.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "I'm working on trying to get these to pull pure energy when it's available. Weaponize it. Something to even the playing field against...well, anyone," Alyx explains, her green eyes shifting to the floating gauntlet. She folds her arms across her chest and sighs softly.

    "Ted, everything's great, honestly..." she says, almost surprised by her own words. "Thank you for letting me use your lab."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord spreads his hands out, half apology, half about to mansplain something. But explain what? He just got a compliment. Wow, the last person who complimented him was... never mind who. They left. He rubs the back of his head and gets a goofy grin. And gets a little red in the face.

"Oh, well I'm glad. like I said. All these extra terrestrimensionals are always trash talking our technology, I was afraid you'd find my stuff backward or poorly made... welcome," he says studying the floor.

"You're very welcome to the facilities. Whatever you want. I'm learning just watching you... hey, just got an alert, food is being delivered upstairs. Uhm you want to take the Beetle Express?" He hops into midair and holds his hands out. "I mean I can princess carry or put your feet on mine or hop on my back. I want to see how the disks handle. Really!" More head rubbing.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx gives the Beetle a suspicious look. Mmhmm. She rises from her stool and plucks the Gravity Glove from its floating prison. She stuffs her hand into it and flexes her fingers a bit. The enhancements weren't ready, but don't leave home without it, you know? "Fine..." she says, trace amounts of annoyance in her voice.

    Alyx takes a couple of steps towards Ted and looks up at him, her arms folded across her chest. She doesn't answer his question -- merely glares.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord ahs. A test. The rare kind he fails. He tries to reach around her several times, rethinks it and finally decides on the Princess carry, floating sideways to better get his right arm behind and around her knees, his left across her shoulders. The disks return him to an upright position and he floats toward the freight elevator shaft, yawning above them. the disks seem to be handling every ounce of the extra weight. He decides to float up near the emergency ladder juuuuust in case. He goves her a moment to jump off or register any protests before he lifts off.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Normal people take the elevator," Alyx reminds, her eyes widening as she's hoisted up into the princess pose. "Alright, Ted..." she warns. "Your hands are exactly where they're allowed to be. Any deviations and you're dead." She brings a hand up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear -- it's unclear how she'd be able to make him dead, but she probably has her ways.

    This warning would be Alyx Vance's only protest. Her eyes rise to watch the top of the elevator shaft. "Last chance to just take the elevator..." she reminds. Was she frightened?

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord blushes a little more. "I watched The Princess Bride enough to know the position. My hands will stay put. I think it's sweet you think there's more chance of me grabbing... something, than my tech failing. I'm flattered because you are a fine engineer." Remember this is the guy who ran around Rogue to get a look at the Fantasticar. In a bikini top and Daisy Dukes no less!

Rogue, not the vehicle.

Without more ado Ted hits the thrusters and hangs on tight to Alyx. Acceleration you know? His hands do not deviate. He said princess carry and damn it he'd treat her like a princess, no make that an empress, like the Ruth B. song! Floors begin blurring by and again Ted wisely keeps his mind on flying and his mouth shut and not saying things like, someone is hitting the gym, or saying 107 lbs hunh? Or really any stupid thing.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "I think it's sweet that you think there's a chance that you won't," Alyx replies, dryly. Her brow lowers and she folds her arms across her chest. As they lift off, Alyx's eyes widen a bit but then, for Ted's benefit, she frowns again. As the floors blur on by, Alyx's for-show i-can-take-care-of-myself exterior flies to the ground -- she closes her eyes tightly and clenches her teeth.

    Her hands, even, move to wrap around one of Ted's forearms as they sail to the top of the building.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord remembers just n time to signal the hatch to retract. They soar upward for another 100 feet above the gaping shaft. He rotates slowly for a view of the city. the man loves heights. then he realizes she's grabbed his arm and her green eyes are shut tightly. He drops down, moving laterally over to his patio, then to stop a foot in the air by the familiar doors. right eyes shut.

"Ahuh. We made it. We're alive. Dinner is served. Sorry. I forget a lot of people dislike heights." He jostles her a little.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx opens her eyes -- first one, then the other. She takes a deep breath, noting the patio below her feet. She exhales softly and brings one of her hands up to adjust her hair. And then... swats at Ted's arm with her palm a few times. "Why would you have food delivered up here!?" she exclaims, hopping down onto her feet as she does.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord sputters. "What are you hitting me for? That was a classic princess carry! I... didn't specify and drones usually being me food up here. Listen take all that you want and eat it wherever you want. Bobo will carry it for you... thank you Bobo. Uhm, thanks for a nice talk and the other stuff I said about faith and such, Alyx. Tomorrow I'll probably have a bunch of questions about your mysterious energy and gloves. But I don't make people work after five on a Friday usually."

Ted pulls his hood back and removes his goggles before sitting on the couch and perusing the food. Definitely all Ted Kord now off duty, and not that good looking. Most people felt his looks improved the more of his face he covered. Ah dumplings.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Why couldn't we have just asked Isaac to bring the food back /down/ to the lab?" Alyx wonders. "I hate to break it to you, but I renamed that one Isaac," Alyx says as she moves to where the food has been put on display. She bends forward and gives it all a good look before picking up one of the white paper cartons to claim for herself.

    She grabs a set of the wooden chopsticks given by the restaurant and jams them into the top of the carton. "You're going to bring me down, right?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord raises an eyebrow at that, looks at the food. Then he looks at Alyx and gets up with a resigned sigh. "You want me? Not the nice safe elevator, with carpeting and Simon and Garfunkel playing? Me?" He holds his ands out for another princess carry move as he steps onto the disks again. That orange beef smelled so good too.

"And I named him Bobo!" he says pointing at the drone.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx holds the white paper carton out in front of her. "...Hey, easy there, I forgot about the elevator..." she answers. Instead of immediately going for it, though, Alyx leans back against one of the support walls of the patio. She pulls the chopsticks out of the carton and looks up at Ted.

    "And I /renamed/ it Isaac," she points out, stubbornly. Her green eyes lower to peer into the carton. "What is this?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord drops back down to the floor with a little glare. "I built him... well he built himself from the legs down. then again, Bobo is a stupid name. Isaac it is. Who was Isaac? Your pet giant scorpion?" He signals for the elevator and steps over to her to see what was in the carton. "White rice. Maybe you want something more flavorful. Isaac, give her the... orange beef. Thanks. Mix them together for a treat." He takes the carton from Isaac and hands it to her.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Pet giant scorpion?" Alyx questions with a smirk as she reaches out to take the second carton. "...No..." She smiles faintly and shakes her head. "Why would you say that?" She looks down into the second carton and takes a smell from it. Her eyebrows rise and she shrugs her shoulders. When on Earth...

    Alyx tucks the carton of white rice under her arm and reaches into the orange beef. She plucks a piece out with her fingers and stuffs it into her mouth -- can't take this girl anywhere! "You know, you don't have to call it Isaac..." she reminds in between bites.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord smirks. "Because you are a badass and badasses frequently keep scorpions. Also I was making a joke. Totally not your sort of thing. Uhm that stuff is a little spicy, mix it with the rice." He warns. He looks at the drone.

"I called him Blue Beetle Drone 0.1 so -Bobo. You thought enough of him to give him a real name. Isaac it is. Do you want to just sit down and eat that? And get something to drink? And see what else I have? The cafeteria isn't open on the weekends you know. You might want to go buy food... I can take you... or I can get some personnel. They like overtime near the holidays."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Whatever happened to not wanting to make people work after hours?" Alyx questions with a smirk. She reaches out and presses the elevator call button. "I'll be fine, I promise." She grins, looking up at the owner of the building for a lingering moment. "Thanks for dinner..." she says before bringing two fingers up so she can deliver a mock salute.

    And with that, Alyx Vance is in the elevator listening to the smooth sounds of Queen as it brings her back down to the sub-basement...