let's pretend this isn't everything

[augmentedboundaries]

He was a robotics professor, a pioneer in the field, a genius in development- so why was he acting as basic tech support?

The answer, of course, was because he had chosen this; he had been the one to take it upon themselves to create the support in the first place. He hadn't done it alone, of course - the other students had shown their own skill with computers - but Robert Callaghan had, by far and above, commandeered leadership here by virtue of being the one who would get the most usage out of it. Whether it be monitoring frequencies or mapping locations or conveying information, if he wouldn't be out in the field - so to speak - then he could at least support the field, and for that he'd have to support himself, too, in the maintenance of such.

It didn't make it any less frustrating when what should have been a simple set of code refused to parse, properly, and ended up with him taking apart one of the smaller towers to do some investigation in to another problem.

The basement here was dim, but it only bothered him so much; a working flashlight and even his constructed optic picked up enough light to function. Infrared and low-light were on the list of upgrades, but so were a hundred other things; there was simply not enough time to work on them all, and support the team, and continue the few classes he still kept teaching in his 'spare' time...

Making a low hnh of frustration - a grunt, really - he snapped the delicate connectors back in to place, reset the cover, and let it boot back up. While that cycled itself back on, he hauled himself back in to his seat, and let his attention drift back to the great array of screens and projectors that connected him to city itself.

Comments

[augmentedboundaries]

He stumbles, at the twist of sound; one hand presses against the wall as the other reaches to his ear, a low hiss of discomfort emitting from his throat. The vocal chords can still only do so much; for lectures, Callaghan relies on a speaker that's keyed in to his subvocalizations to help reduce stress. But that's still downstairs, left and forgotten in his rush to investigate, because now it's made very clear that the entire school has come at risk.

He's pushed too far.

Callaghan rushes down the hall, barely paying attention to the monitors until he's set to turn a corner for the building's own server room- and then he practically skids to a stop, then actually trips in his haste to try and get back up, get back to see, because even from on the floor-

i will not let another sparrow become silent

Combined with the dawning realization that the cameras have followed him, are pointing at him, propped up by his arms as he stared wide-eyed and bright-optic'd at the screen before him-

It's raw feeling of being exposed that runs along the fear of everything else, because there's no way that's anything but an outright strike at him, personally, but is it merely that? Or is it a threat? Tengu's insistent that he's trying to save lives as he goes after Krei, does this mean-?

"W-what do you mean?" he croak-whispers, heart pounding away in his chest.

[flame_forged]

The cameras turn as Callaghan passes them, making a rush for the server room, while the monitors still repeat the same message until it finally receives recognition from the teacher. The result that follows is a bit more dramatic than originally intended as the intrusive presence had hoped Callaghan had read it before cutting the power to his own personal station for the team, but at least now he has processed it.

With Callaghan on the floor, the static from the speakers overhead cuts out completely as the monitor ceases to scroll that message. The text vanishes, leaving blackness even as the power continues to feed to the monitor ahead of Callaghan with the others along the hallway turning off.

That whisper, barely picked up by the audio portion of the security system in the institute, is met with a different sort of reply. The monitor switches input, and suddenly a video clip plays. The clip itself is very short, and the subject...

"We were asked to do the impossible. That's what we did. We've reinvented the very concept of transportation. Friends, I present, Project: Silent Sparrow."

The video ends, disappearing as the feed to it is cut harshly away. There is no intention to make Callaghan relive it more than necessary to be perfectly clear.

A few seconds delay, then new text fills the monitor.

Stay out of my way.

All at once, the power shuts down throughout the building. The lights, the monitors, the cameras-everything around him turns to pitch darkness as Tengu cuts the electrical energy supply to the entire San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

It might be time to upgrade the security system; and this time, Callaghan has something to use to convince the board to approve for the proper funding.

[augmentedboundaries]

We were asked to do the impossible.

He remembers that day well; remembers how proud he was, then how terrified- and how sick he became, a sickness that morphed in to raw anger and fury and pain- it spreads within him now, a helpless sensation that leaves him weak and knowing that, even with this being in the past-

-this isn't over. It isn't over, he has no reason to believe Tengu, this has to be a trick, a lie, a way of unsettling him and making him doubt he can't doubt, not for the others, not for himself, he has to believe in something and this-

-this shakes that belief.

Barely aware of the subtle tremor in his good hand, or the anxious fluttering in his torso, the professor remains on the floor for nearly a full minute after the power is cut. Without an outlet, the helpless feeling remains, the knowledge that he can do nothing, and the few things he could do...

Stay out of my way.

With a low groan, he stops supporting himself and lets himself lie back, covering his face with his hand as he struggles to find some semblance of composure or serenity within. Something he can use, in the face of...

This.