trans_9 | (no subject)

Jonas had enough control over himself that he didn't stagger as he walked onto the Obs Deck, but it was a near thing. He had been in GLaDOS' clutches when the Nightmare King had struck, and had been left largely...comatose, for lack of a better word, by the experience. It had taken him some time to turn himself back on, at which point the mad AI had insisted that he finish running the gauntlet she'd set for him.

And yet, no cake. Not that he had really been expecting any, or that he could properly enjoy it, but it would have been nice to have something at the end of all that.

He phases through one of the fleshy chairs and then resumes normal density and plops down on it.

The sight of anyone passing through is enough catch Tex's attention-particularly when they turn out to be somebody who isn't bothered by pesky things like solid objects.

"Wouldn't walking around the chair be a little easier?"

"[Actually, no,]" Jonas answered, raising his head to see who had spoken. Density control was almost an unconscious reflex, especially when he was not attempting to alter it in such a way as to render someone or something unconscious. "[Phasing and movement are equally as easy for me at this level. Have I disturbed you?]"

Tex peered at Jonas and then at the chair, considering the response, then shook her head. "Nah. It's not you I'm pissed at."

"[As I have only recently been released from GLaDOS' clutches, I should hope not,]" Jonas said. He pushed himself up into a more upright position and considered Tex for a moment. "[Is it something crew-related, or something personal?]"

The snort at GLaDOS' name all Tex said on that matter, but it was probably enough to get her thoughts on the other AI across.

"It's work related," she grumbled. "I got stuck with data processing."

"[Ahhh,]" Jonas said sympathetically. "[I do not believe that anyone finds that enjoyable. It had to have been particularly boring for you.]" Hey, he had spent entirely too much time being locked in Avengers' Tower; while no one had made him do any data processing, he had been so bored that he had volunteered to do some. It had not helped much.

"Yeah. I'm not exactly the data processing type," she grumbled, then gave Jonas a curious look. "So. Alien?"

"[You do not appear to be,]" Jonas agreed. Most data processing types didn't wear nearly as much armor as Tex did.

He smiled a bit at the question. "[That, I suppose, depends on your planet of origin. But I identify as human, if a synthetic one. I am Jonas, codenamed Vision.]"

"Freelancer Tex." She nodded at the introduction, then looked him over again. "Synthetic, huh? Like I told Legion-be glad you got to keep your body."

"[I do not believe that I can exist independent of my body,]" Jonas said. His predecessor certainly was not, or else he would be in Jonas' place right now. "[You are a hologram, currently?]"

"Yeah," Tex said, sounding displeased by that fact. "Unless I hijack Grif or Doc, or I'm in the sensoriums? I'm stuck in here and stuck being see-through only."

"[That must be very frustrating,]" Jonas said. "[There are not any holographic projectors anywhere else on the ship?]"

"I mean I'm stuck in the AI multiplex. I can use any projectors; it's just that I'm limited if I want to really be able to do things. The sensorium doesn't cut it."

"[My sympathies,]" Jonas said. "[I would consider letting you borrow my armor occasionally, but my programming copies the brain-patterns of anyone who wears it. I shudder to think of what it would do with another synthetic intelligence.]"

They would likely merge together into an entirely new person. Not a remotely acceptable option.

"Okay, that's...weird," Tex said, then shook her head. "I'm not sure I could even jump into yours or not. I know I can get into Doc and Grif's because they're from the same place I am, but anybody else..." She shrugged.

"[I would suggest that we not experiment,]" Jonas said with a shrug. "[Although I suppose you could speak to Engineering about the possibility of building you a body of your own.]"

Samus is only passing through, but it's hard to miss the glowering AI. Plus, Tex is one of the few Samus actually, you know, gets along with. She raised an eyebrow with an apparent bit of wondering for her current attitude.

"Should I ask or do I already know who's made you angry?"

"It wasn't Grif," Tex says, her body language loosening up a little as she speaks. "I was stuck processing data. Why I have to process data instead of somebody who knows what they're doing, I don't know."

Not Grif? She wasn't expecting that. All the same she half-cringed sympathetically for the AI. Samus thought back to her days of the federation stuck doing late night desk work. Why her? She never knew.

"Ouch. How long were you stuck doing that?"

Tex shrugs. "You know what it's like keeping track of time around here. It felt like hours. Long enough to piss me off."

Her head tilts a little as she eyes Samus. "Rest of the ship still in one piece?"

Samus accepts this as an accurate measure of time.

"As of right now, yes. Who knows how long that'll last though."

The rest of the obs deck gets a thoughtful glance around as Tex taps at her helmet's chin. "I think I'd give it...about five more hours. Then somebody does something stupid and sets somebody else off."

"Oh have a bit more faith. I think they can make it at least six." This previous statement might or might not have been a joke in the way that Samus may or may not joke around with other people. It's hard to tell.

Tex looked back to Samus, tilting her head to the side. "Sure you're not giving them too much credit?"

"Hmmn," she considered that, "Alright, maybe five and a half."

"Feel like making it a bet? You'd have to do it through Grif, since he still owes me money, but..."

"Not much of a gambler, though you've got my interest." Continue, Tex.

"We could find other people who're sick and tired of the stupid. After the next act of idiocy? We all bet in a pool how long we think it'll be 'til the next one. Maybe also have a pool for picking the next stupid thing-messing with tentacles, nearly getting eaten planetside, that kind of thing. The guess closest to what actually happens wins, and the winner gets the pot. Only real rule is that they can't help the stupid thing happen; that'd put it in whoever's doing it's favor."

She pauses, considering. "Or we could start a deadpool."

She serious-es for a moment, "Not going to bet on the death of the crew." She was sure they would lose a few on the way, but those would be as few and far between as possible if Samus has a say.

"But," She lightens again. Well, as much as she ever does, "Everything else seems like fair game to me."

Tex nods, glancing around the obs deck again. "I'll ask around. There has to be more people with some brains and money to spend hiding somewhere."

Samus nods back, "Oh, I'm sure there is."

Tex nods again, then tilts her head at Samus, curious. "So what've you been doing? I haven't heard Grif bitching about training exercises lately, so I'm guessing you've been doing other stuff."

"Mostly security detail and armor maintenance," if there isn't one thing taking up her time, she has plenty of other things to occupy herself with. Plus she thought she'd give Grif a little break after being locked up in the brig, but she'd never admit that.

"Since you said the rest of the ship was in one piece, I'm guessing security detail was boring."

"There were a few bumps in the road but everyone stayed alive. Don't know how much you heard about the spacewalk fiasco, but it shook up a few of the science crew. They got out alright, though."

"I didn't hear anything about it, but I don't keep track of what they do. What happened?"

"A group went to open up hydropnics. I went as security. The one leading the group made a couple of miscalculations when she patched up the spacewalk. It cracked and if we hadn't been tethered down we would have been sucked out into the bleed," Gee Samus sure didn't seem to fazed by this.

"Fun," Tex says after a moment. "I guess the scientific discovery they made was that they shouldn't let her do the math."

Samus shrugged, "She took responsibility for her actions, but I'm sure she'll be double and triple checking everything from now on."

"Sounds like a plan. Dying because of math sounds like a really crappy way to go."

A shrug, "There are probably worse, but I'd agree that isn't the way I'd want to go."

Legion had little use for the Obs Deck, but it was still important to examine every available nook and cranny of the ship left to be explored. It steps in and does exactly that: examines. The furniture, the room layout, everything.

This likely would've been more productive had it not noticed Tex. It knew body language on a factual level-- the crossed arms and the way she held herself suggested frustration. Having no reason to speak before being addressed, Legion simply gives her a curious look (or something roughly akin to it).

Tex caught to look, giving Legion a small nod of greeting. "Forced into data processing," she says, guessing the meaning of the look. "Looking for somebody?"

It usually had no reason to be 'social,' but Tex was a fellow AI, and an interesting one at that. Legion could learn from her.

"No. Collecting ship information," it corrects before continuing. "We find it difficult to believe you would be forced to do anything." And it's honest: she definitely displayed some rebellious habits behind her words.

"It's hard for anybody solid to force me into things. Which is nice if anybody tries to pull crap. In the multiplex? If I'm forced into handling data or going into diagnostics, I'm kinda stuck. Just don't ask why I had to deal with data; I don't get it, either."