Video; un: newt | a day or two before the Big Mission Log

[groupiedrifter]

[The little electronics shop has a small back room that is dangerously close to detection, when it comes to any government workers coming or going; just a door with a little private sign on the front — and behind that, there's a figure huddled over a desk, tie loosened and hair askew as he takes apart disarmed detonation collars and puts together prototypes to shut them down completely. His focus is impeccable, that's to be sure, but he's going on a second or maybe third night in a row without rest as he stares down the glassy front of a magnifying glass, fingers shock-still around a small welding gun that carefully patches pieces of refurbished technology together.

There is a hefty-sized box beside him, and he's placing his newly created disarming tools into it one at a time; it's gotten quite full. As he works... he starts... rambling into the feed. It does not stop. It almost seems like it never will.

Beside him on the desk, there are generic brand MEGA-CAFFEINE PATCHES.]

I can't just take it easy. Are you kidding? Taking it easy means there's less time to perfect the proper tools we need for this job; if I screw up and everyone's heads pop like grapes, what's that gonna say about me? That I'm a two-bit piece of shit engineer — and yeah, okay, so engineering isn't my primary skillset, but I helped build giant plasma canons, alright? I fortified armaments for 200 foot robots! I built a drifting PONS out of garbage! So, like, I can't just fail at this mission. Besides, this is Viv's home world, so if I fuck it up, I'll basically be letting her down; what would I even say? "Sorry I let people you probably care about go kablooey? At least I made you a dumpy robot body that isn't anywhere near as good as the ones you've got on your world?" Pfft, no, no way. So excuuuse me if I hit some caffeine patch vendors up for a little pick-me-up; what else was I gonna do, snort sci-fi cocaine? I'm not gonna snort sci-fi cocaine; let's leave that to the Scarface wannabes, yeah? I'm steady as shit right now, couldn't be more steady, like Doogie Howser up in this bi — shit! Electronic shock. Sorry. Don't worry, I'm not gonna blow myself up. C'mon, do I look like a guy who would blow himself up? Okay, maybe I look like a guy who'd blow himself up, but I've been alive 36 blissful years and I haven't turned myself into a reenactment of Jeff Goldblum at the end of The Fly yet. What a sick movie, totally worth it for the gross-out. A lesser man would have played it in its entirety at one of our movie nights, but I'm a kind and compassionate soul who would never do such a thing; Newton H. Geiszler is an angel. I don't know why I put an 'H' in there, I don't have a middle name. Does everyone have a middle name? Shit, did my dad skimp out on me? First he makes me a torrid love affair baby, then he curses me genetically with the gold trophy standard of ADHD and bad eyesight, and now he's not giving me my due right as a German-American by giving me some ugly middle name like Clarence or Wolfgang. Actually, Wolfgang sounds kind of lit. Newton Wolfgang Geiszler. Dude, I might just adopt that for myself. Shit! I don't know. What time is it? Someone'll come and let me know when we're doing the mission thing, right? 'Cus I'll be fine to do it, I'll rest in a little bit; I've been taking catnaps in-between finishing disarming tools. Trust me, I'm the king of taking power naps while sitting upright. I've even done it on a stool before, easy peasy pumpkin peasy pumpkin pie. Oh! Actually, I need to think of names for these ones, right? Like how I named the Newtrilizer. I loved that fucking thing; I'm actually using a few notes from that to help make these, too. But I'm seriously blanking on a name... Hermann would probably think it's stupid to name it, but what does he know, anyway? Only a complete loser would name something after a bunch of dead scientists or boring numbers. He's not here to stop me, so whatever! I'll do what I want! And what I want is to name this one The Geiszler Extemporizer. The Geiszler Depolarizer? Or is that too long? It's kind of a mouthful... I guess naming it something that ends in E-R is pretty boring, though. Maybe I'm boring, too. Damn, I don't wanna be boring... Ooooh, I think I'm having heart palpations. Or hot flashes? I really need to get some air conditioning installed in this place. How am I so poor and underequipped in every job after MIT? You'd think saving the world would get me a hell of a lot more money; mo' money, less problems, ha! Ha.... Mmmrrr.

[He quiets for a moment, then another moment, and then his head slouches forward to rest on his chest. There's a quiet buzzing of dead noise and a soft snore before he he startles back awake, gripping the soldering tool more firmly in his hand.]

Whoa!

[He sniffs, rubbing his eye.

Looks left. Looks right.

Squints at the equivalent of a flashing red video light in his vision.]

... Was I recording?

Comments

[eschewings]

Well, I've been here since the mission with all those afterlives — does that make me a, what was it, newbie?

[ a pause. ] That's a good word, I'll remember that.

[attackbrows]

[ it be like that sometimes. ]

Only your corn flake brand with powdered sugar on top. It was much to be desired.

Audio;

[groupiedrifter]

I guess a name can become badass if the person who has it is awesome enough.

It's like a big buff dude named Smalls, right?

But for you, Yelena, I'll happily be your Wolfgang.

[groupiedrifter]

Some like to make a point that I'm not as smart as my PhDs imply.

........ Mistakes from sleep deprivation would be pretty bad.

[NATASHA, DON'T YOU MAKE HIM YIELD TO COMMON SENSE.]

[groupiedrifter]

[Probably better she can't stick around, as far as Newton's concerned. He looks kind of messy right now anyway. Abandoned tie, way too much undershirt, and eyes practically swollen with sleepiness behind his glasses. Just. A mess.

But he's grinning anyway as he takes the Newtrilizer in his hand.]

Aww, that's a shame. I love being squeezed and knocked out. In that order!

I guess I'll just have to settle for this.

[winkwinkwink]

[groupiedrifter]

[Very threatening, very scary.]

What do you mean? I'm acting like a million bucks!

[groupiedrifter]

... It's at Neutronic's Electronics.

If I send you my location, you're not gonna get me into a headlock until I pass out, are you? Because that's not a way to get anyone to actually rest.

video

[groupiedrifter]

I'll make you a list of some of the materials and what they're made of.

Having all the compounds of an item helps with alchemy, right?

[groupiedrifter]

You've pinched me before!
That's bullying behaviors.

If my middle name is Troublemaker, I'm making an executive decision to make yours Big Bully.

Alina Big Bully Starkov.

video;

[kovach]

Don't do that.

[ well, he's still being vague, isn't he? he sighs, rubbing his hand over his eyes before his shoulders ease up just a little, choosing the more direct route with his words. ]

Don't overwork as a way to prove yourself. You don't have to do that.

text

[groupiedrifter]

YEAH WELL!!!
Stick to marijuana, champ.
Anything else, and I'm tattling to everyone you know.

[groupiedrifter]

Nah, nothing to forgive, man.

[He sighs almost dreamily. You'd think Blue was visiting him in a dream, for how relaxed he's gotten. Blue can practically hear the drowsy eye-blinks as he settles back down again.]

It's been nice to finally be by myself when I sleep, y'know...? When there's no shitty dreams, I mean. It can get so quiet now... But it's cool to have your company, dude. Talk to me about whatever, I love when people talk about whatever.

video;

[groupiedrifter]

[His eyebrows raise high on his forehead at the very vague commentary.

And then furrows when it's not so vague, glancing aside.]

Oh, hey, would you look at that? Turns out 'overwork' is my actual middle name... I always do it, so it's not like it's anything new. Who says I'm trying to prove myself, anyway? I don't have to prove myself; I'm super awesome.

[Kovacs is pretty much on the money.]

video; un: rita.farr

[farr]

[ well, now, he's pushing himself a lot, isn't he? she could argue for him to rest, sure, but she's done 18-hour work days just to perfect a scene, making sure the camera captured the shot just right, so she knows the devoted exhaustion that comes with it. ]

You know it's much better to talk to company than yourself while you're working. Otherwise you're only going to strain your vocal cords. You should take care of those, Newton. They're very important.

[ pause — ]

Or you could sing while you work. Singing is for your voice like a stretch is for a jog. It'll relax all the muscles at once.

video

[chrysology]

Yeah! I need the base materials to work with. Then you can tell me what you need and I can transmute it from there. Might have to show me what you need but I can probably figure it since you probably have some examples there. Just -- 1910s was not the most advanced technology wise, you know.

[He explains, trying to get the basics anyway so Newt understands. While giving a shrug. He's learning but well aware he is far from the most up to date with technology.]

[firstroar]

[he breathes out a faint, fond sound. right...no more little demons to plague his sleep.

of course he'd enjoy the silence of a solitary mind if his company was always that! couldn't be Mu, though.

talk about whatever, huh...?]

I did want to ask you...what you thought about the music here. Have you heard it at all?

[groupiedrifter]

... Oh.

I guess that makes this your third? Sorry, dude. I'm usually way more on top of meeting the new people. I was just a little — checked out, since Giva.

[HA... HA HA. HA.]

video;

[kovach]

Because I know how your head ticks and you're gonna be thinking you owe it to everybody for what happened.

[ yeah — no point in sugarcoating it. ]

But you don't, Newt. You don't owe anyone anything.

[deaddrop]

[Getting people to yield to common sense is basically Natasha's role on a team. It's what she does instead of having super powers.]

I know the type.

[Oh, does she ever. Between Bruce and Tony, men who manage to be much stupider than their apparent intelligence would indicate are very familiar to her.]

They almost never do their best work at 3:30am. And I get the feeling you've seen a few 3:30ams recently.

[peasant]

i'm making the executive decision to reverse your executive decision
i'd say living saint ranks above genius scientist

how far along are you with your depolarizer?

video;

[groupiedrifter]

I do though! I owe everyone everything I got!

[His shoulders lift, square up defensively, hand tightening around the soldering gun.]

The crew just accepted me back like — like it was nothing! The least I can do is my best, dude! The bare minimum! A few nights of deskwork is so fucking simple, a monkey could do it!

video;

[kovach]

Fuck — [ there's a bit of a frustrated groan in this voice as he straightens up. ] Killing yourself by not sleeping until you're damn delusional isn't nothing.

[ especially with all that he's gone through, with all that body's gone through. it's likely to be more susceptible to landing itself in the infirmary when this is all over, and as much trust as he has in marta to look after him, he knows newt isn't exactly skilled at allowing himself recovery.

(not that he's one to talk.) ]

You're already valuable to the team. What you can do — everything you can make and come up with from that head of yours — it does a lot for helping everybody. But everybody already knows you do your best and more. You don't need to go the extra mile.

video;

[groupiedrifter]

Yeah? What good did I do in Giva? Or — the last mission?

[A dramatic arm wave-]

Two missions where my only contribution was hurting my team and doing way worse to - to the civilians around me! I can't let that stand.

[Kovacs is right, though. He's a little delusional. A little stressed out. A little sleepy. He startles then, stops in his feverish ranting, and looks down at his hand before a miserable whine of defeat escapes him.]

... I burned my hand on my soldering gun.

[It's a sign. Kovacs is right. After a moment, he relents:]

You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just not thinking clearly.

Audio;

[laviny]

Yes, that is true. It’s not the name it’s how you embody it.

Or something.

That is very sweet of you, Newton Wolfgang Geiszler. I will make you some mac and cheese when we get back to the station.

[groupiedrifter]

Ugh, that's practically prison food.

I have to request some REAL cereal for you. I'll get you one of those packs of, like, 10 different kinds of cereal. That way you can test a shitload of them for the cereal to beat them all.