![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ Gamora shouts back down, without taking her eyes off the display, ]
He jumped onto the ship!
[ And she knows perfectly well how easily Korath could have latched on if she gave him the time. He could have pounded his fist straight through the hull, if she hadn’t acted quickly. ]
He jumped onto the ship!
[ And she knows perfectly well how easily Korath could have latched on if she gave him the time. He could have pounded his fist straight through the hull, if she hadn’t acted quickly. ]
[ Ah.
That seems fair.
Peter forces himself to his feet, still breathing heavily, and he hits the trigger to retract his mask as he hurries up to the cockpit. He's exhausted, admittedly – running and climbing and dealing with the imminent threat of death will do that to a guy – but the Milano is his ship; he knows his girl better than anyone.
As he's crossing the space to his usual seat, ]
Did he do any damage to the ship?
That seems fair.
Peter forces himself to his feet, still breathing heavily, and he hits the trigger to retract his mask as he hurries up to the cockpit. He's exhausted, admittedly – running and climbing and dealing with the imminent threat of death will do that to a guy – but the Milano is his ship; he knows his girl better than anyone.
As he's crossing the space to his usual seat, ]
Did he do any damage to the ship?
[ He jumps into his seat, throwing on his harness as he gives his displays a cursory glance. ]
The dude can't fly, can he?
The dude can't fly, can he?
[ Once they're free of the planet's atmosphere, Peter takes over the controls, aiming them toward the closest, safest jump.
After a half-second of consideration, though, he instead goes for the second closest jump.
It's only after they're through the jump-point that he takes a long, well-earned breath, sagging back in his seat and bringing up both hands to scrub his face.
Quietly, but with feeling, ]
Fuck.
After a half-second of consideration, though, he instead goes for the second closest jump.
It's only after they're through the jump-point that he takes a long, well-earned breath, sagging back in his seat and bringing up both hands to scrub his face.
Quietly, but with feeling, ]
Fuck.
[ Gamora doesn’t protest when Peter takes the helm, instead sitting back in her seat, finally giving herself a chance to breathe.
(Technically, a thing she shouldn’t need. Technically, she shouldn’t have a concept of “taking a breather.”
Maybe it’s just adaptive behavior – mirroring to fit in.
Maybe that’s the end of it.)
A hand unconsciously shifts to cover her exposed side as they snap through the jump, her attention shifting again to Peter. ]
Are you all right?
(Technically, a thing she shouldn’t need. Technically, she shouldn’t have a concept of “taking a breather.”
Maybe it’s just adaptive behavior – mirroring to fit in.
Maybe that’s the end of it.)
A hand unconsciously shifts to cover her exposed side as they snap through the jump, her attention shifting again to Peter. ]
Are you all right?
Oh, you know.
[ His voice is bright and airy. ]
Just have a machine-headed freak pursuing me across the galaxy. No big deal.
[ He drops his hands, turning to look at her with the intention of following up with his usual brand of sarcasm, but he notices the way her hand is pressed against her side. He instantly straightens, unbuckling his harness. ]
Shit. Forget about me. How's your side?
[ His voice is bright and airy. ]
Just have a machine-headed freak pursuing me across the galaxy. No big deal.
[ He drops his hands, turning to look at her with the intention of following up with his usual brand of sarcasm, but he notices the way her hand is pressed against her side. He instantly straightens, unbuckling his harness. ]
Shit. Forget about me. How's your side?
[ Gamora pulls her hand away from her side, finally allowing herself to take visual stock of the damage done. Her green skin is seared away from her metal frame, exposing the sleek planes of silver beneath; there’s no blood, and the edges of flesh appear cauterized, rather than flayed and shredded. The skin itself will regenerate after she deals with the internal fragmentation, to whatever extent is necessary for her system to figure out the rest of the maintenance. ]
Fine.
[ A reflexive, automatic response – like a simple “if, then” statement in her code.
“How are you?”
“Fine.”
Gamora unclips her harness, nodding back down the ladder. ]
Show me your tools?
[ Shockingly, it’s phrased as a request, instead of an order. ]
Fine.
[ A reflexive, automatic response – like a simple “if, then” statement in her code.
“How are you?”
“Fine.”
Gamora unclips her harness, nodding back down the ladder. ]
Show me your tools?
[ Shockingly, it’s phrased as a request, instead of an order. ]
Uh. Yeah.
[ This, slightly dazed, as he takes a good look at the wound. It's one thing to be told that she and Korath are robots designed to blend in with organic life. It's quite another thing to be confronted with it.
He drags his gaze away, getting to his feet and leading her down to the main space. His tools, predictably, are all over the place, but there's an apparent method to the madness, since he tracks them down with ease. Once he's gathered everything that seems useful, he puts them down on the table near the navigation screen. ]
What else do you need?
[ This, slightly dazed, as he takes a good look at the wound. It's one thing to be told that she and Korath are robots designed to blend in with organic life. It's quite another thing to be confronted with it.
He drags his gaze away, getting to his feet and leading her down to the main space. His tools, predictably, are all over the place, but there's an apparent method to the madness, since he tracks them down with ease. Once he's gathered everything that seems useful, he puts them down on the table near the navigation screen. ]
What else do you need?
[ It doesn't surprise her when Peter seems caught by the exposed view of what lies beneath her seemingly organic skin; living creatures, "real" life, tended to expect everything else was just like them.
That was part of what made it so easy for the Phalanx to infiltrate other races; their enemies never suspected something technological to worm its way into the core of their society.
Peter comes around quickly, and Gamora starts to strip off her vest as he gathers up his tools. She's left with her mostly-shredded undershirt that keeps her "decent" – even if nudity is far from her greatest consideration.
With the tools set on the table, Gamora steps close to look them over, her eyes flicking mechanically from one object to the next.
Finally, looking back up at Peter, ]
Your hands.
[ AKA: she can't do this without actual help. ]
That was part of what made it so easy for the Phalanx to infiltrate other races; their enemies never suspected something technological to worm its way into the core of their society.
Peter comes around quickly, and Gamora starts to strip off her vest as he gathers up his tools. She's left with her mostly-shredded undershirt that keeps her "decent" – even if nudity is far from her greatest consideration.
With the tools set on the table, Gamora steps close to look them over, her eyes flicking mechanically from one object to the next.
Finally, looking back up at Peter, ]
Your hands.
[ AKA: she can't do this without actual help. ]
[ Peter is silent for a second, then, ]
Man, I hope that's a request for help and not an abrupt precursor to you dismembering me.
Man, I hope that's a request for help and not an abrupt precursor to you dismembering me.
[ Gamora casts him a short, flat look. ]
I wouldn't be able to do anything with your dismembered hands. It's not like I can attach them to my own body.
[ She shifts to direct attention to her exposed side: the metal plates that slid into place to protect the delicate systems beneath have formed a smooth, solid layer of silver. They lay across each other in order to shift and bend with Gamora, but all of the wiring and circuitry beneath is safely concealed. ]
I can guide you, but I won't be able to reach inside of the plating. I will need you to reconnect and potentially solder anything broken.
[ Her eyes flick up to Peter again. ]
Can you handle that?
I wouldn't be able to do anything with your dismembered hands. It's not like I can attach them to my own body.
[ She shifts to direct attention to her exposed side: the metal plates that slid into place to protect the delicate systems beneath have formed a smooth, solid layer of silver. They lay across each other in order to shift and bend with Gamora, but all of the wiring and circuitry beneath is safely concealed. ]
I can guide you, but I won't be able to reach inside of the plating. I will need you to reconnect and potentially solder anything broken.
[ Her eyes flick up to Peter again. ]
Can you handle that?
[ He follows her gaze down to her exposed side, a little daunted by the prospect of dealing with any of that.
Peter likes working with tech, sure, but mostly he's making modifications to his ship or to his gear. He's definitely never worked with something that looks this complicated or fragile.
He frowns, licking his lips, but it doesn't take him long before he nods. ]
I can do my best, I guess, long as you can tell me what goes where.
Peter likes working with tech, sure, but mostly he's making modifications to his ship or to his gear. He's definitely never worked with something that looks this complicated or fragile.
He frowns, licking his lips, but it doesn't take him long before he nods. ]
I can do my best, I guess, long as you can tell me what goes where.
I will.
[ ... She wouldn't let Peter loose inside her chest without heavy supervision.
(In the future? This wouldn't be the first time she's asked him.)
Gamora lifts her arm, and her eyes glaze over briefly, flashing once with light buried far behind her pupils. Seamlessly, the metal plates in her torso roll aside, exposing the finer circuits and wires buried inside. Sparks spit once from the shifting gears before settling back into ticking motion with red LEDs running like intermittent veins between the machinery. ]
There's a bearing knocked loose, where a human's lumbar vertebrae would be. It should appear out of alignment, near my spinal column.
[ ... She wouldn't let Peter loose inside her chest without heavy supervision.
(In the future? This wouldn't be the first time she's asked him.)
Gamora lifts her arm, and her eyes glaze over briefly, flashing once with light buried far behind her pupils. Seamlessly, the metal plates in her torso roll aside, exposing the finer circuits and wires buried inside. Sparks spit once from the shifting gears before settling back into ticking motion with red LEDs running like intermittent veins between the machinery. ]
There's a bearing knocked loose, where a human's lumbar vertebrae would be. It should appear out of alignment, near my spinal column.
[ Oh, Jesus, this is weird.
He moves around to the jumper seat, plopping down before nodding Gamora toward the table.
(He either doesn't realize or forgets that she probably doesn't need to sit to be comfortable.)
But once he's ready, he takes a breath before scans the opening in her side. Peter and anatomical terms don't exactly mix, but Gamora mentioning "spinal column" is enough to get him on the right track. ]
So I just— reach in and shove it back in place?
He moves around to the jumper seat, plopping down before nodding Gamora toward the table.
(He either doesn't realize or forgets that she probably doesn't need to sit to be comfortable.)
But once he's ready, he takes a breath before scans the opening in her side. Peter and anatomical terms don't exactly mix, but Gamora mentioning "spinal column" is enough to get him on the right track. ]
So I just— reach in and shove it back in place?
[ Gamora settles where Peter motions her, finding a position to keep him eye-level with her exposed circuitry. ]
Yes. It should fit between the open sockets; I'm not registering any peripheral damage to the connective servo units.
[ She keeps her arm elevated, glancing down at Peter. ]
Don't force it; you should feel a magnetic current between the contact points.
Yes. It should fit between the open sockets; I'm not registering any peripheral damage to the connective servo units.
[ She keeps her arm elevated, glancing down at Peter. ]
Don't force it; you should feel a magnetic current between the contact points.
[ Right. Okay.
He should probably stop making comparisons to reaching into someone's guts and rooting around in their organs, because even if this feels the same, metaphorically, it's not the same, technically.
He grimaces for a second, all the same, before finally reaching a hand through the hole in her side. He finds the bearing in question, and carefully, he starts to push it back into place – and maybe he starts off a little too gently, but he slowly increases the pressure until the bearing slots back into place. ]
That good?
He should probably stop making comparisons to reaching into someone's guts and rooting around in their organs, because even if this feels the same, metaphorically, it's not the same, technically.
He grimaces for a second, all the same, before finally reaching a hand through the hole in her side. He finds the bearing in question, and carefully, he starts to push it back into place – and maybe he starts off a little too gently, but he slowly increases the pressure until the bearing slots back into place. ]
That good?
[ Gamora doesn't jolt when the bearing slides into place, but she straightens slightly, the lights in her chest flashing and changing pattern. ]
Yes.
[ A quick, short answer.
Gamora rolls her shoulder, turns her chin one direction then the next. ]
Do you see the lines between the vertebrae? The solid wires.
Yes.
[ A quick, short answer.
Gamora rolls her shoulder, turns her chin one direction then the next. ]
Do you see the lines between the vertebrae? The solid wires.
[ He glances up at her, worried, before redirecting his attention to the opening again. ]
Yeah. I think I see it. What do you need me to do?
Yeah. I think I see it. What do you need me to do?
So, what, like a system restart?
[ He pauses, then, ]
You sure you wanna do this now? 'Cause you're gonna start feeling the damage after this, right?
[ He pauses, then, ]
You sure you wanna do this now? 'Cause you're gonna start feeling the damage after this, right?
Oh.
[ Yeah, okay, that's important.
He lets out a breath before unplugging the wires, as she asked. Before he reconnects them, though, he glances up to catch her gaze. ]
You ready?
[ Yeah, okay, that's important.
He lets out a breath before unplugging the wires, as she asked. Before he reconnects them, though, he glances up to catch her gaze. ]
You ready?
[ Strange, she finds herself thinking, that he's actually giving her consideration, that he cares about her "pain."
Something that still holds true in the future.
Peter's always paid her more deference than others when considering her to be more than a machine.
Again, Gamora offers a short nod. ]
Do it.
Something that still holds true in the future.
Peter's always paid her more deference than others when considering her to be more than a machine.
Again, Gamora offers a short nod. ]
Do it.
Page 74 of 76