View source for 8164/Roomba Uprising Pt. 2: 2 Fast 2 Roomba

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2021/10/08
|Location=Main Room - Titan's Tower
|Synopsis=Vic's Roombas decide to play football. There is paint and glitter and pizza, Donna talks to the hand, and several bad ideas are bandied about. Terry being responsible for the Titans' Halloween costumes is a terrible idea.
|Cast of Characters=1305,1140,339,1598,348,409
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Something... very odd is going on in Titans Tower.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There are white lines drawn across the floor, for one thing, several of them, each going north-to-south along the middle of the room inside a box that seems to mark out much of the main floor.&nbsp; There is a bin set behind each of the spiral staircases that lead to the dorms.&nbsp; There are several Roombas in the middle of the room, two lines of them, one line marked with swathes of red paint and one line marked with swathes of blue.&nbsp; A few other Roombas have been decorated with glitter, and the glitter is getting everywhere.&nbsp; The rest of Vic's Roomba Army is gathered in two clumps, one each on the north and south ends of the marked-off area.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the Roombas decorated with glitter lets out a sharp whistle and the two lines of Roombas burst into action, scattering along different routes along the marked area.&nbsp; A blue Roomba scoots back, lifts itself up with its front quadcopters, and lofts a crushed can into the air.&nbsp; Another blue Roomba, outrunning pursuing red Roombas, goes aloft and catches the can in its front gripper arm.&nbsp; It sails past all the red Roombas to tumble into a bin placed behind the bin on the west end of the room.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A glitter-bedecked Roomba raises up its gripper arms and lets out a fanfare.&nbsp; The screen on the south end of the room, which appears to be keeping score, changes: Blue 13 to Red 7.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cyborg, for the record, is nowhere to be seen.&nbsp; Whatever this is, it's not his fault.&nbsp; Not directly.&nbsp; Entirely.&nbsp; Okay, it's probably his fault, but he ''probably'' didn't actually tell the Roombas to do this.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna appears from the elevator shaft.&nbsp; Not the one with the elevator in it, but the other, empty one that is there for fliers (or Robins with grapples) to get around more quickly.&nbsp; She has been down in the danger room training, which is hardly unexpected because she's Donna, and when she's awake but not fighting, there's a high chance she's training for future fighting.&nbsp; Judging by the fact that her lasso is looped over her shoulder, it's a good guess today has been lasso training.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When she arrives in the main room she takes just a few moments to examine the scene in front of her before unslining her lasso, looping it tighter, and slinging it on her belt.&nbsp; Then she draws her sword from the scabbard on the other side of her belt and marches forwards.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She eyes a pair of passing Roombas threateningly, and calls out "VICT…" something catches her eyes, and she breaks off yelling to watch a glitter-distributing Roomba sweeping across the floor.&nbsp; She tilts her head to the side, raises an eyebrow, and yells "VORPAL!" instead.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A few seconds after the yell, a Rabbit Hole opens into the main room and Vorpal steps out.&nbsp; It hasn't been too long since their arrival back from Kian's world, so the Cheshire is still wearing Akiar garb- essentially, a red kilt and that's about it.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He glances at the room.&nbsp; At the glitter.&nbsp; At everything that is going on, and then he slowly turns to Donna and says in the voice of someone who knows he's not going to be believed:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I didn't do it!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Emerging from the elevator-less shaft on Bio-Synthetic wings not long after Donna is Nadia.&nbsp; Something is different about her though, several things actually.&nbsp; For one thing she, she isn't carrying a cup of coffee.&nbsp; This in and of itself would be cause for surprise to some.&nbsp; But for another she isn't coming from the direction of the labs for once, but the training rooms.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dressed in a sports bra and leggings with a Bee-patterned towel draped over her shoulders, Nadia has clearly been working out.&nbsp; In actuality it has been a growing pattern ever since her ordeal on the stairs of Tartarus of her taking better care of herself and making healthier less self-destructive choices rather than leaning on the Black Widow Ops serum in her veins.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the sight of the Roomba Football League, Nadia just sort of stops for a moment, eyes tracking this way and that as she watches them play.&nbsp; When Donna starts yelling for Victor and Vorpal the Workout Waspette can't help but laugh.&nbsp; "Go Red!&nbsp; You can do it!" she cheers, rooting for the underdog team.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You probably did, ''tenár'h''," Kían remarks, popping out of the open elevator shaft only in time to hear Terry protesting his innocence; he can't possibly have seen What Hath Cat Wrought yet.&nbsp; "What did you do that you are sayin' you did not?"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He flits across the room towards Terry and… just stops and hovers when he sees the horde of Roombas.&nbsp; This is different, and a look briefly crosses his face that suggests he's considering the possibility that returning to Earth was the wrong decision.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He eventually touches down next to Terry.&nbsp; "You haf to admit this ''does'' look like somethin' you would haf done…."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As people arrive in the room, the Roombas are forming up, red vs blue again.&nbsp; Two of the blues are further back than the rest, one holding a (different) crushed can under its little grappling arm.&nbsp; A glitter Roomba whistles and the blue Roomba holding the glitter can lets go.&nbsp; Its partner swings its grappling arm, hits the crushed can, and it sails in a neat arc up over the west-end bin.&nbsp; Two glitter Roombas—one on either side of the bin—scoot forward a bit, lifting their grappling arms in unison with more fanfare.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The screen on the south end of the room changes: Blue 14, Red 7.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Roombas scramble about, blue and red going to line up again.&nbsp; It looks like the red Roombas get the crushed can this time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna turns to Vorpal, eyebrow still arched.&nbsp; She points.&nbsp; "Glitter," she states simply.&nbsp; When it comes to evidence of who is responsible for what, this single word does, even Vorpal must admit, seem compelling.&nbsp; When glitter is involved, Terry is never far behind.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns her head to Nadia, shoulders tilting a little to ensure that the wink she flashes the young scientist is unseen by Terry, and takes a step forwards.&nbsp; "What do you think, Nadia.&nbsp; A little scientific experiment?&nbsp; Two options come to mind.&nbsp; First is moving the white lines to form a box on the floor and seeing if Terry is able to resist sitting inside it.&nbsp; Second is we interfere with the game and see how they cope with a third force entering the fray.&nbsp; Red versus blue versus Titans."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna grabs a spare bin from the kitchen area and strides forwards into the 'arena' with it, and places it on the north side.&nbsp; Apparently she has already made up her mind which experiment to follow.&nbsp; "Kian, get airborne.&nbsp; Intercept the next can when it goes up.&nbsp; Vorp, if it looks like they're going to beat us to the punch and get a basket, stick a rabbit hole over the top of their bin.&nbsp; Nadia, prepare to make a run to the endzone, Kian will pass to you.&nbsp; I'm gonna block."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not everything that glitters is Vorpal's, and not all who wander got driving directions from Gar," he says, speaking with as much gravitas as the kilt allows him.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And this is how SKYNET is born, mark my words," Vorpal says, crosing his arms with a smirk, "You'll train them to be smarter and work against us, and next thing we know we have a global technocracy looking to exterminate us."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That doesn't stop him from participating, though.&nbsp; Perching himself on a stool so he can have a bird's eye view that is not Kian's, he says, "All right, ready to run interference!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nadia grins slightly at Donna's wink and follows her gaze to Terry before blinking a moment.&nbsp; Terry doing weird things is hardly unusual and yet, "Terry, why are you wearing a skirt?"&nbsp; The way she asks it, it isn't a loaded question, she's just genuinely curious.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then Donna is laying battle plans, the mission has been set before them!&nbsp; Under normal circumstances Nadia might have sympathized with the plight of the Roombas, but now it has become Titans versus Roombas and there can be only victory!&nbsp; "On it!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If one of those thin's grabs me, I am goin' to make it stop workin'," Kían says, "an' I can not promise there will be no mess to clean up."&nbsp; He eyes the two teams of insane vacuum cleaners.&nbsp; "Which ''they'' might enjoy, now that I think about it."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He hops back into the air—let's be honest, Donna's impromptu game sounds like fun.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It iss not a skirt!&nbsp; It iss a ''ryk'', like mine!&nbsp; An' he looks good in it!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Roombas don't seem to care about the extra bin at first, and the can doesn't get airborne right away.&nbsp; There's a whole play while the Titans are moving around where the reds just try to move the can with one of them carrying it in their little grappling arms but gets piled on by a whole heap of roombas well back from where they started.&nbsp; Foolish of them to run on first down.&nbsp; This leaves the red team with no choice but to go ahead and loft the can into the air.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then there is a can sailing through the air, in perfect arc for Kian to catch it….<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is about where Vic walks in, right where the Akiar is potentially in position to snatch the flying can for the third team of Titans.&nbsp; The elevator door opens and Cyborg takes a step out, pizza boxes stacked in his arms.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The can sailing through the air is Donna's cue to do what she had promised.&nbsp; She darts forwards, grabbing one Roomba by its flailing grappling arm as she passes, and skids low to the ground straight into the mass of Roombas that had assaulted the the previous can-carrier.&nbsp; Roombas fly in all directions from the impact.&nbsp; She plants her spare hand on the ground and swings around on it to block two more Roombas, one from each team, from escaping the pile-up in the direction the can had headed, then swings her other arm around to hurl the Roomba she had picked up earlier straight into another group of Roombas trying to catch up from the west side.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Vorpal!&nbsp; Roomba north northeast, closing on Kian's position.&nbsp; Rabbit hole it!&nbsp; Kian, catch and get read to pass for Nadia.&nbsp; Nadia, path is clear, GO!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"One Rabbit Hole, coming up!"&nbsp; He's had a full night's sleep, and that has allowed him to recover from the journey, so the Rabbit Hole functions beautifully, opening up in the path of the Roomba.&nbsp; "This is fun.&nbsp; But we still don't know how this all—"&nbsp; He glances up and speaks in his best Tommy Wiseau inflection:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh hi Vic."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Donna says go, Nadia ''goes''!&nbsp; The bio-synthetic wings extending from a metallic GIRL logo affixed to her back begin beating at high speeds as she races across the court area and into the open near the Titans' newly added goal ready to receive the pass.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Okay, I'm open!" she calls out hovering a few feet off the ground and ready to drive the can home once it comes her way.&nbsp; That's about when the scent of pizza catches her attention and she glances towards the elevator where Victor stands with the delicious boxes of yum.&nbsp; "Oh, hi Vic!&nbsp; We're conducting an experiment on how a third force might disrupt the behavior of your sports roombas."&nbsp; This is all said very matter of factly as if it is a perfectly normal thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían is off like a shot, intercepting the can at the peak of its arc, rolling to one side and looking for his opening to Nadia.&nbsp; This is showoff mode, even in the relatively restricted space of the main room—granted, probably only Kian thinks of it as restricted.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's ready to lob it to Nadia, and… she's distracted by pizza.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Around here, okay, that's fair enough.&nbsp; The only unexplained thing is that with pizza here, neither Gar nor any of the speedsters have appeared yet.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kian goes high, and drops the can in the box with a *clunk*.&nbsp; "Do we win?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pandemonium.&nbsp; The Roombas were not expecting the sudden intrusion on their game; Roombas screech and scatter, several of them trying to spray cleaning solution at the interlopers.&nbsp; The non-marked Roombas are in an uproar.&nbsp; The glitter Roombas all take to the air at once, filling the air with piercing whistles.&nbsp; When this is not enough to stop play, the glitter Roombas huddle over on the south end of the field—ignoring the attempts of the unmarked Roombas to throw red and yellow cleaning rags at them—and then one of them turns to the screen and makes a single, piercing whistle.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The screen changes: Blue 14, Red 7, Brown 6.&nbsp; Brown?&nbsp; Maybe from the color of Kian's wings?&nbsp; Evidently, though, no, you do not win.&nbsp; Not yet.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I didn't do it!" Vic shouts, still holding the pizzas, his eyes very wide.&nbsp; Then he blinks slowly, taking it all in.&nbsp; The marked lines, and the Roombas divided into teams, some milling about and some "arguing", and the three bins and the score on the screen.&nbsp; "Okay.&nbsp; Maybe I did it. But I didn't ''mean'' to.&nbsp; They're not supposed to be ''sports'' Roombas!&nbsp; They're just supposed to have enhanced pathfinding algorithms!"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the glitter Roombas flies up to Donna and offers her a crushed can.&nbsp; Do they want her to run another play with it?&nbsp; Kick a point after?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Nadia!" Donna calls out.&nbsp; "Keep your fo…" *Clunk*<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna is not entirely sure what to say.&nbsp; On the one hand, Nadia allowed her focus to be drawn by the arrival of Vic and Pizzas, and were this some vital mission, something in which lives were at stake, that could have been costly.&nbsp; On the other hand Nadia probably wouldn't have let herself be so easily distracted were that the case.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna mentally borrows two more hands from one of the Hekatoncheires, and on the third hand Kian covered for his team-mate's distraction very well.&nbsp; On the fourth hand that's kind of ''missing the point'' because any one of the Titans could easily have got the score, the point was teamwork.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna borrows a fifth hand which says 'Donna, not everything has to be training, for Gaia's sake'.&nbsp; It's a lot to think about.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna takes the can from the flying Roomba and looks at it in deep thought.&nbsp; "Hey Vic," she says, somewhat distracted.&nbsp; "So I can't decide now.&nbsp; Do we continue with the game, or do we experiment with their adaptability.&nbsp; If I give this to the nearest Roomba to a bin, the trash gets binned most efficiently.&nbsp; Will they learn from this co-operative choice?&nbsp; Or will they determine that my action has decided which group is ascendant, and declare me Queen of the Roombas?&nbsp; I don't want Roombas following me around all the time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No fair," Vorpal calls from his stool, crouched on it in perfect balance, "I want to be the Queen of the Roombas!&nbsp; Or… wait, is that Queen of the Rhumba?&nbsp; No, wait, it's the Queen of the Starlight Ballroom—"&nbsp; He breaks into song all of a sudden:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''~I'd rather have fifty percent of him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or any percent of him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Than all of anybody else at aaaaaall!~''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He trails off, and glances back at his team-mates.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What ''were'' we talking about?"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No, he usually doesn't get distracted in the middle of combat.&nbsp; This is dangerous for him, because that's repression, and repressing your natural tendencies can cause you to bottle up things, which causes contents to come under pressure, at which point they would eventually just burst, causing a rupture and therefore creating a catastrophic hole.&nbsp; And nobody wants to die with a hole inside of them!&nbsp; Therefore, he was going to take this non-important scenario as an opportunity to release all of his pent-up distraction.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's self-care, you see!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nadia looks back from the pizzas just in time to watch the can fly overhead and into the goal.&nbsp; She was supposed to catch that, but it went in the goal anyway, and there is pizza, deliciously distracting pizza.&nbsp; That perfect blend of cheese and toppings upon saucy crust.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, before the pizza can fully claim her with its siren allure, her attention is drawn by the scoreboard.&nbsp; "Fascinating, they seem to have simply adapted the rules to include another team."&nbsp; She takes a moment surveying the field.&nbsp; "But I think we might have just scored in our own goal.&nbsp; Are the Roombas pitying us?&nbsp; Is that why we only got 6 points?"&nbsp; There are so many questions as this experiment has taken some interesting turns.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That iss where I was tol' it should go, it iss not my fault you do not play sensible games on this worl'," Kían comments, fluttering down to a landing.&nbsp; "So the cleanin' robots really are not Terry's fault?&nbsp; They seem like somethin' he would haf done."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He flits back to alight near the cat.&nbsp; "The glitter does make it look like your work, ''tenár'h''."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vic responds to Nadia as he carefully skirts the playing field to go put the pizzas on the kitchen counter.&nbsp; He can't get involved with pizza in his arms.&nbsp; "You got six points because you get six points for a touchdown and then you have to make a PAT—point after touchdown—to have seven points.&nbsp; But see, that's if you ''kick'' it in, if you ''run'' it in you get a two-point conversion because that's harder."&nbsp; Vic.&nbsp; That's not the point.&nbsp; It really isn't.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cyborg turns to survey the Roombas, who appear to have stopped their activity and are all turned toward Donna expectantly.&nbsp; "Hmm.&nbsp; I'm not… look, I just programmed in some football route-running schemes.&nbsp; Which… involved downloading a bunch of playbooks into them and… then I had to teach them the rules and… oh."&nbsp; His eyes narrow.&nbsp; "Hmm.&nbsp; I think ''maybe'' if you dropped the can in the nearest bin they would decide that's a new rule?&nbsp; I… I think they're just… accepting rules as they're made up.&nbsp; Like, that's just the goal you score in instead of the one you're defending."&nbsp; There's a beat, and then he grins brightly.&nbsp; "I'm so ''proud'' of them!!&nbsp; They're ''learning''!"&nbsp; Then his face falls.&nbsp; "I have no idea where they got the paint, though.&nbsp; Or the glitter for the… refs?&nbsp; I think those are the refs."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I gotta admit I thought we were playing basketball," Donna says to Nadia, while nodding along to Vic's explanation of the scoring.&nbsp; "But yeah, I think they're trying to wing it.&nbsp; Think about it.&nbsp; New team, new goal.&nbsp; We put the can in the new goal.&nbsp; The rules they had previously were intended for two teams, and they have nothing to base how to make a three-team game work except the actions they've witnessed.&nbsp; So either they now think that you can score in any goal, or they have concluded that in a three-team match you score in your own goal rather than other goals, because otherwise each team would have two goals to score in and only one to defend, which unbalances the game."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Which suggests," Donna says with a broad grin at Victor, "that they are not just learning but contextually ''innovating''.&nbsp; Which is either a pretty cool emergent behavior or your code had a memory overrun and it accidentally invaded a back-up of the intelligence routines for Caitlin's AI drone.&nbsp; But before we worry about that, let's treat this scientifically and test Vic's hypothesis and see if this scores us two points".<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna narrows her eyes at the bin, and lowers herself into a crouch.&nbsp; "It's totally Terry's fault," she says to Kian.&nbsp; "Glitter, therefore Terry.&nbsp; That's just logic."&nbsp; There's a sudden blur of motion and somewhere between the word 'logic' and the period in Donna's sentence she crosses the space to the bin and there's the rattle of can in bin before the Roombas have a chance to really even start moving.&nbsp; "Let's see what that does to the score."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:409|Kate Bishop (409)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The elevator doors &gt;BING&lt;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kate steps out with a towel wrapped around herself and her swimsuit, toweling her hair as she steps into the common room.&nbsp; She must have been up using the pool.&nbsp; The barefoot teenager pauses having only just stepped out of the elevator and looks around.&nbsp; Very slowly.&nbsp; Okay.&nbsp; Roombas.&nbsp; Titans.&nbsp; Pizza.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Glitter.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So… what did Terry do to Vic's roombas anyhow?" is the conclusion she draws.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry looks between Donna and Victor, and his expression is not hard to read: utter puzzlement.&nbsp; "I know absolultely nothing about basketball or football.&nbsp; I swam in highschool and I do acrobatics.&nbsp; All I know of football is that they wear unusually tight pants and they're constantly grabbing each other's butts."&nbsp; There is a moment of uncertainty, "Or is that Mardi Gras?&nbsp; Never mind."&nbsp; He shakes his head and holds out his hands.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not ''all'' glitter belongs to me.&nbsp; It's very easy to know which is which.&nbsp; My glitter looks like ''this''."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;POOF.&nbsp; A wave of glowing glitter explodes from his hands and moves towards Donna with its distinctive purple-pink shine.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then Kate steps out.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh cra—"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nadia squints at Vic for a moment.&nbsp; "What's a touchdown, we're just throwing cans in bins.&nbsp; How did you come up with such a convoluted way of scoring?"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though even as Donna decides to test the emergent behavior of the Roombas and how they might be evolving, Nadia seems to have decided that pizza and SCIENCE! don't have to be mutually exclusive pursuits and has been slowly edging her way over towards Vic and the pizza boxes even as she continues to watch the Roombas, snagging several slices of pepperoni and cheese for herself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían just shakes his head.&nbsp; "I need to teach you some sensible games.&nbsp; But we need more people wit' wings."&nbsp; He sighs, and shakes his head.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He spreads his wings to head for the pizza, but then Terry glitters.&nbsp; He's staying behind Terry until that all settles out.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is thinking defensively.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The glitter Roomba stationed near the north bin puts its grappling arms in the air and emits a fanfare.&nbsp; The score on the screen on the south wall changes: Blue&nbsp;14, Red&nbsp;7, Brown&nbsp;8.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey, it worked!" Vic says.&nbsp; "They counted that as a two-point conversion!"&nbsp; He turns to stare at Nadia.&nbsp; "No, I didn't—"&nbsp; He stops.&nbsp; Does he ''want'' to explain the history of football just now?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then… and then there is glitter.&nbsp; And it is settling over everything in its path, and the Roombas start to move, abandoning the game for their true purpose.&nbsp; They will be trying to clean anything touched by glitter, very shortly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Glitter!&nbsp; That's Donna's cue to exit the game.&nbsp; There was a time, a few months ago, when Donna had been close to ground zero on one of Terry's glitter bombs.&nbsp; She had the good fortune to be close to a fire hydrant at the time so was only removing bits of glitter from her hair for a few days afterwards, unlike Thor who's beard had been be-glittered for a week, or Aquaman, who was sneezing glitter for two.&nbsp; Still it was enough for Donna to become very aware of the dangers glitter poses, and to be on high alert for it.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Terry's cloud of glitter approaches, Donna exits stage left even faster than her superspeed dash for the goal run.&nbsp; She will face an army of zombie centaurs without fear, but glitter is an enemy to flee from.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With little evidence to normal senses of her journey through the intervening space, Donna leans against the kitchen counter with a slice of pizza in her hands, watching the Roomba army take on its most implacable foe in a grudge match for the ages.&nbsp; "My money's on the glitter," Donna says.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:409|Kate Bishop (409)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone, even Matt Murdock himself, would have a hard time convincing Kate that the glitter roombas were not Terry's fault after he quite literally exploids glitter literally everywhere… some sort of glitterati cone shaped 2<sup>nd</sup> level spell in a knock off D&amp;D module.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite being in a towel she step step steps to the side out of any remote sort of way.&nbsp; "God damnit all Terry… though I am curious if hyper intelligent roombas can manage to get glitter up off our floors.&nbsp; This… this could be the event that causes Skynet."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the end it is not forethought which saved Nadia from the glitter, but her love of gooey cheese and pepperoni, which she has already begun stuffing into her face when the sudden appearance of a cloud of glitter causes the game to break down completely.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Donna arrives fleeing the sparkling cloud of doom, Nadia just grins and holds out the box of pizza she has been eating from for Donna to snag a few slices.&nbsp; "Pizza is truly the better part of valor."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You know, even when the rest of his ''rhy'thar'' was not workin'," Kian explains, "he coul' still make glitter happen.&nbsp; I think there iss nothin' to be done about that."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He breaks out giggling, and rests a hand on Terry's shoulder.&nbsp; "An' you are such a bad influence on me, I do not know if I am proud or disappointed that you did not glitter bomb that priestess.&nbsp; It was a near thin' for you, yis?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry smirks and glances at Kian.&nbsp; "No, if she had insisted on keeping you there again, I would have.&nbsp; But I think I unnerved her enough to discourage her rom doing it again."&nbsp; He chuckles.&nbsp; "And then there were the ones who wanted Gar to stay."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He watches as his team-mates detly dodge the glitter, and he sighs.&nbsp; "I knew I should have used a Rabbit Hole or the element of surprise…" he snap-points at Kate, "but I literally did say that at the start of all of this.&nbsp; In my books, it's better to be there at the beginning and have our robot overlords associate us with the circumstances surrounding their birth.&nbsp; It makes you less likely to be a target."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But let's be honest here.&nbsp; If anyone is going to invent Skynet…" he points at Nadia, "it's going to be her."<br><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So now the Roombas are busy cleaning up the glitter, and Vic sighs.&nbsp; "Alright," he says firmly, "new lab protocol.&nbsp; No more copying code over to the entire group of robots before I test it out on maybe one or two ''first''."&nbsp; He shakes his head and then transmits a few commands to the Roombas through the Tower network.&nbsp; "There.&nbsp; Restored them to the last build ''before'' I started messing around with competition algorithms.&nbsp; I thought team play might stop them from trying to kill each other."&nbsp; This is said offhandedly to Donna.&nbsp; "I think I'll keep the code on one or two of them, see how they evolve."&nbsp; This is probably a terrible idea.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Roombas are not ''all'' cleaning the glitter; several of them are now cleaning the paint off of each other and cleaning up the white lines and the bins.&nbsp; The ones cleaning the glitter are having a rough time of it though.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah, Nadia's the one that'd invent evil attack robots," Vic says as he grabs a slice of pizza and watches the Roombas at work.&nbsp; "I keep all my weaponry in my chassis where it belongs."&nbsp; He waggles his free hand.&nbsp; "But hey, if the Roombas ''do'' gain sentience, you can all rest assured that they'll see me as their Daddy and I like all of you.&nbsp; Most of the time."&nbsp; He grins.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What?!&nbsp; Hey!"&nbsp; Nadia splutters with a mouth full of pizza.&nbsp; "Nothing I invent is evil!&nbsp; Science isn't evil!&nbsp; Evil people just like to use it for bad things."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a pause before she asks, perhaps predictably, "What's a Skynet?"&nbsp; Go on, explain it to her.&nbsp; What's the worst that could happen?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Donna winks to Nadia.&nbsp; "Waspette—there are those who will tell you that Amazons rush in where angels fear to tread, but even we're not foolhardy enough to get into a fight with a cloud of glitter."&nbsp; She takes the pizza box from Nadia and holds it out to Kate.&nbsp; Kate deserves pizza.&nbsp; Donna is unconvinced anyone else does.&nbsp; At least not Terry.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Vic, have you considered creating a Roomba simulator to run your experimental code on?&nbsp; Just to see what it does?&nbsp; Like find out if the Roombas decide to steal one of Terry's stashes of glitter for their own nefarious ends.&nbsp; Which it seems likely they've done here, because I know of no other sources of glitter in the tower.&nbsp; I wonder if they found the one in Gar's room.&nbsp; They may have gone in there to attempt to defeat Gar's socks.&nbsp; We should check Gar's room to see if it's filled with dying Roombas."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:409|Kate Bishop (409)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Carefully affixing the towel down around her, doubling up her towel wrap strategically as she steps the rest of the way into the kitchen and sighs.&nbsp; "Thanks Donna."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks over at Terry at his explanation.&nbsp; "I am pretty sure being at ground zero of the robot uprising means you half a fifty fifty chance of being treated nicer for helping them awaken… or you are the reason they rebelled… I think you lean more towards reason for rebellion Terry."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With that she takes the box from Donna and checks the score, she needs to figure out which is her pizza of choice.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, now that the game is decided, I think I am going to go back to bed and rest.&nbsp; I'm still kind of not fully recovered from Rabbit Holing across gods-knows how many light years.&nbsp; Now that we know it's a thing I apparently can do while also totally depleting myself."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that things have calmed down, something comes to his mind, a question Nadia asked and that Kian answered.&nbsp; "Yes, it's the thing Kian said, Nadia… but for the record, I don't look good in it.&nbsp; I look ''fabulous''.&nbsp; I've got the second best set of gams along the guys in this outfit!"&nbsp; Because he is not going to claim the first as long as Nightwing is part of the roster.&nbsp; "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room, taking a bubble bath."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Heading over to the elevator, he strikes a pose at the open door and glances at Kian.&nbsp; "Why don't you come up to the lab… and see… what's on the—"&nbsp; He pauses.&nbsp; "Oh, right.&nbsp; We haven't shown you—never mind.&nbsp; I know what we're going to choose for movie night."&nbsp; He glances at Donna.&nbsp; "We need to coordinate our Halloween costumes for the team.&nbsp; I missed out on Halloween last year.&nbsp; I am ''not'' going to let that happen again!"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And, ding, he vanishes behind the sliding elevator door.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Donna, are you sure that if Vic runs a simulation, it will not take over the Tower computer system an'… well, I do not want to speculate."&nbsp; Judging by the way his feathers fluff out and then re-settle, Kían '''did''' speculate.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He just didn't care to share it out loud, so as to not worry his teammates.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or worse, give Vic and Nadia ideas.&nbsp; See, there's that strategic thinking again!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Victor snorts as Terry leaves.&nbsp; "I am ''not'' going as Riff Raff just because I'm the tallest.&nbsp; No butler costume for me, no ''sir''."&nbsp; He frowns thoughtfully for a moment, chewing on a slice of pizza.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he seems to shelve that thought and says to Donna, "A simulator's a good idea in ''theory'' but the problem is that I can't possibly program in every real-world variable.&nbsp; Like Gar's socks… they're involved in some kind of weird hyperspace extradimensional thing that I am ''not'' gonna be able to figure out."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Skynet's… another movie we need to show you.&nbsp; Basically it's a really advanced AI that takes over the world after humans try to shut it down.&nbsp; But, see, the problem there is shutting it down ''after'' it's gained sentience.&nbsp; Once it's actually aware you probably just need to figure out how to negotiate with it.&nbsp; Make it part of the family.&nbsp; Let it take over the Tower computer system."&nbsp; He grins at Kian.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1140|Donna Troy (1140)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Considering that the tower system's personality is based on a cartoon character who wants to destroy the earth, I'd suggest that the the best idea is to avoid anything that causes it to gain actual sentience," Donna suggests.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If I ever hear the tower asking 'where's the kaboom' I'm going to blame all of you," she concludes with a nod.&nbsp; "Apart from Hawkeye.&nbsp; She obviously had nothing to do with this.&nbsp; Whereas Vic is Vic, Nadia is Nadia and Kian is giving them ideas."&nbsp; Yes, Kian may have stopped himself from speculating aloud, but honestly it was far too late for that.&nbsp; Donna knows Vic and Nadia too well to think they'll have missed that comment.&nbsp; "As for Terry, it won't be his fault either, but then… glitter."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She watches Terry depart with a sardonic expression, waiting until he gets to the top of the stairs before calling up after him, "What are you saying, Terry?&nbsp; We did Halloween last year.&nbsp; Don't you remember, we turned up looking like humans and terrified half a dozen worlds."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:409|Kate Bishop (409)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"We aren't doing Rocky Horror as team costumes.&nbsp; It won't be appropriate for our PR.&nbsp; That said.&nbsp; Team costumes for Halloween fun, definitely a good idea."&nbsp; They are a gang of teen heroes… and some adults after all.&nbsp; Way to be a downer Kate.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She also digs into the pizza having found the meatlovers.&nbsp; "Also I am with Donna… the tower better not become sentient…."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably a very good thing indeed that Terry isn't around to take on Kian's question: "What iss Rocky Horror?"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It remains a good idea that Terry isn't around to tackle Kian's next question: "An' what iss Halloween?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1305|Victor Stone (1305)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey, the ''worst'' thing my Roombas have done is try to kill each other.&nbsp; If they come alive and deide to play pickup football in the Tower I'd call that a win."&nbsp; Vic then grins at Donna.&nbsp; "What, you want to do it all over again this year?&nbsp; I know things have been slow around here but I ''think'' some people might be upset if we disappeared for months again."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vic isn't touching Kian's first question.&nbsp; But the second: "Halloween is a holiday where people dress up in costumes and… well, ''kids'' go around getting candy.&nbsp; Sadly adults are supposed to be happy just having parties and trying to scare each other.&nbsp; But, hey, we could have a party with a bunch of candy?&nbsp; This year, we bring the aliens to Halloween instead of bringing Halloween to the aliens!"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One might note Vic said nothing on the subject of the Tower itself becoming sentient.<br> <br>
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