trans_9 | Inventions of the Exceptionally Nerdy [Open and bendytimeable!]

After a quiet scare with a little laser in his pocket, Billy had come to an alarming conclusion: he needed a pocket protector. The little device, the one true sign of a nerd, would keep him from poking or shooting himself. But that wasn't all it could do! With Billy's mind at work, he came up with another idea: the pocket trap. With some clever signaling coding, he could trap the hand of anyone who tried to pick his pocket. It would definitely help keep his morpher safe!

He wound up stretched across a meat-couch of the Observation Deck, working on adding little strips of identifying material to what was undeniably a pocket protector. Maybe he wouldn't make it cool (nothing could do that), but he'd definitely make it useful.

As he worked, there was a certain undercurrent of excitement on his face. He smiled more often, sometimes looked far into the distance, and could be heard humming if the observer was close enough. Something good had happened to him, and maybe it wasn't entirely due to the pocket protector.

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Voices in his head. Who did he know that could send their voices into his head? Stacy and Kaya, and...well, the voice didn't quite sound like either of them. Billy jerked into a straight posture in his seat, looking wildly until he found the source.

"Is that a problem?"

A wry smile played on her lips as she watched Billy scramble to find the owner of that voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" the blond woman replied, sticking her hands in her pockets. "It's (actually) quite the ameliorating thing to see aboard this ship. Over near the entrance, by-the-by," she said, offering a small wave.

Direction! Billy spun around, folding his arms over the back of the couch to look at her. At least he knew who was in his head.

"There you are. So...not that I'm positive you would answer honestly, but how deeply can you see inside my mind?"

"Far enough that I can drastically alter who you are and you would never suspect it. Not that I would (or could, given our omniscient 'mother')." She smiled. "Honesty for you."

The woman took a few steps forward, her face turned in his direction, though it was difficult to tell where she was actually looking, due to the visor.

"Nothing to worry about, though; it's only surface thoughts. You'll have to pardon the (egregiously rude) sudden jump into your cognisphere; I'm limited in other forms of communication, I'm afraid."

Her first words were enough to worry Billy, calling up his mental defenses on reserve. She could feel that, he was sure, but he wouldn't try to silence her yet.

Once he was reminded that Stacy was protecting him, he relaxed and beckoned her forward. "I can handle that. I'm...a little on-edge about preserving my mind, due to some past encounters, but that's not your fault."

Billy allowed the memories of being trapped in his own mind and attacking people to surface for just a few seconds before setting them aside. "What brings you out here?"

"You and everyone else, not that I can blame you."

When he mentioned her presence here, she glanced around the large area for an extended moment, then turned her head back to face him. "A much-needed change of scenery! Being one who was often (always) surrounded by the limitless, wondrous, dark (lonely) expanse of space, peering out into the Bleed sometimes feels comforting, as strange as it may sound."

The woman's words drew Billy's attention to the Bleed as well. He watched the red light pass for a few moments, wondering, marveling. "It's...almost home for you?"

"Oh, not really. It's more of that 'vast and empty' feeling that I grew all too used to. To explain, I was the sole inhabitant of a space station for three years prior to our current situation."

That sounded lonely, Billy thought. "So...are you more comfortable when you're not around people?"

"Yes, but not for the reason one might think. You see, (one of) the downsides of the telepathy portion of my psionic abilities is that I can't turn it off. Unfortunately," the woman said, tapping her temple. "It means I'm always hearing the surface thoughts of everyone nearby, even if I can't make sense of them all. It all ends up as an enormous (brobdingnagian) sized problem for me."

Billy can hardly imagine the agony that must involve. "Is it easier for you to be active when most people are asleep, or do their dreams intrude on you too?"

"Honestly (in which I have little choice but to be), it's easier to simply be away from more than a handful of people at once. You can see how that might pose just a 'tiny' (sarcasm) problem with our current living arrangements." She'd gotten...mostly used to it, though it would explain why she was rarely seen around. Hiding off would do that.

"Despite the headache, it's imperative that I 'get out more', so to speak. I haven't gazed at a computer in who knows how long (is there anyone who can actually tell time?), and as much as my mind says 'no, no, no' due to being surrounded by others, it would really enjoy the stimulation."

"I see," Billy answered, feeling a twinge of sadness for her. What an awful situation that had to be. But he could still help!

"If you're looking for computers to work at, I can help you. I'm the co-head of Engineering, and we have a Programming division that works with computers. You'd only be working with a few people, if that helps."

"Oh? Excellent! That does save me a bit of extra time and wandering, then. Programming would actually be perfect. Being the (sole) inhabitant of the Superhomey's space station, I had to maintain the upkeep by my lonesome. There was also some (expensive) work with the Lotus Portal Network."

She paused, then smiled. "I think names are in order (though you'll want to use a nickname with me, I'm sure!)"

"Then we'll see you down by the computers. I'm sure you'll be great at it."

Billy shook his head, sighing at himself. "I'm sorry. I'm forgetting more and more often these days. Anyway, I'm Billy Cranston. It's good to meet you...?"

Inventions of the Exceptionally Nerdy [Open and bendytimeable!]

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