Watchtower

[have_no_mercy]

When they leave Milliways, Tess and Jim enter what looks very much like an elevator. That's because it is. Steel all around with a camera up in one corner.

Smile, Jim, you're on TessTV!

She presses the button for the top floor and then waits.

Comments

[have_no_mercy]

Getting lost in your work is something she can understand. All in all, it was sort of cute to watch him be so engrossed in something. That doesn't mean he's charming her any more than usual.

"I'm on a break, too, and I have a very strict rule: No stripteases while on break."

She slides a burger and fries toward him.

"Eat. It's been hours."

[just_cant_lose]

But he usually charms her just fine! To a point, at least.

'Fiiiiiine.'

He is so hard-done-by. There's a brief pout - and a pause while he locates the inevitable tomato, and disposes of it - but he is hungry, so he gets over that soon enough and has a bite of burger.

'So, when do you want this done by?'

[have_no_mercy]

He does!

"There's no real deadline. We know this is first time project and that things may go wrong along the way. Ultimately, we're looking to have it be functional for the start of 2018."

That gives you a year, Jim. Think you can do it?

[just_cant_lose]

Jim stares at her.

'The start of 2018?'



'Well, I'm taking the rest of the night off, then.'

[have_no_mercy]

"What, you'd rather it be tomorrow?"

If he can get it done earlier, good, but since they're doing everything literally below board and themselves, they've given the project a modest timeline.

"You never know, World War III might break out and we'll have to shelf the whole thing."

[just_cant_lose]

He stares at her some more.

'If I design you a beautiful moonbase and you don't even use it, so help me-'

Grr. Annoying. He bites into his burger, annoyed.

'You see, the beautiful thing about me doing this for you - beautiful for me, that is - is that I don't have to do anything boring. If I were at home and someone had paid that kind of service, I'd have to procure all the manpower, and the materials, and buy and organise the transport blah blah-'

The dull bits are not his favourite.

'But here, all I have to do is tell you what you need and how to build it, give you the plans and all the pertinent information, et cetera. And of course I'll be around the bar for you to consult with if you need to. But all the time-consuming stuff, that's all you. I don't need until 2018 to do this, Tess. I might not even need until the end of the month.'

When Jim's on a big job, he'll just focus entirely on that until it's done. That's a lot of hours, with a brain that works really fast, and is already familiar with the theory of all of this. Working out a design will not take a year.

[have_no_mercy]

"We'll use it."

Tess finally digs into her burger as he speaks, listening and nodding as he goes along.

"I do want it functional by then, built, tested and in use. If we can start construction in the new year, that would be wonderful."

Another bite before she asks him,

"Sorry it won't keep you occupied longer?"

[just_cant_lose]

'Not really.'

He half-shrugs, and has one more bite of his burger before pushing two-thirds of it away.

'I don't want to get hung up in the minutiae of any one thing for too long. It'd become tedious. I have no problem with long-running plans, but they're usually things I touch in and out of. Once I've handed over the design, I expect you'll come back to me if you have questions, or if testing throws up something unexpected, or whatever. That's fine. But the bulk of it will be set, unless some massively unforeseen thing happens and means I have to change everything.'

And the chances of that are...low. Jim anticipates just about everything.

'Now, if you were asking me to put a base on Mars or, better yet, some entirely uncharted planet - that I wouldn't mind dedicating a year to.'

[have_no_mercy]

"I suppose I can understand that. And I'll definitely come back to you if anything should go awry."

Tess doesn't anticipate any major setbacks either. Maybe a few work stoppages to take on some hero business, but nothing that would put the project in jeopardy.

"Unfortunately, we're limited to the moon. Manhunter can go as far as Mars, but there's really nothing left. I'd have loved to put one there, but again, travel is an issue and it's kind of his dead homeworld."

[just_cant_lose]

'But there was an active ecosystem there, with ...I say people, without limiting the connotation to human or humanoid...on it?'

Interesting, if so.

'Is it known as the red planet here? Can I see a picture of it?'

[have_no_mercy]

Tess also abandons her food and walks to the centre console. With a throwing motion she tosses out a large, 3D scale map of the Earth, which slowly scales over the moon and toward Mars, glowing in the same manner as Earth was. Gradually, the image becomes more and more defined, until it appears as if the planet itself is hanging in the room.

"Green Martians are humanoid. White Martians are a little different. And scarier. We call it the red planet, yes. They don't."

[just_cant_lose]

'What do they call it?'

Ohhhh Tess, why didn't you say you had something like this? He would have broken in here months ago to steal it.

'Martians aren't friendly? Except, presumably, your manhunter.'

[have_no_mercy]

"Ma'aleca'andra."

That's why. Also, she's so used to it it's not novel for her anymore and she didn't think about it.

"White Martians aren't terribly friendly. They went through something similar to the Holocaust before the species began to die out completely. I can't say if one or the other is worse, because Manhunter and his protege are the only ones left and it would be foolish to base an entire race on one being."

[just_cant_lose]

Wait, what?

'Only ones left of the white kind, or only ones left at all?'

[have_no_mercy]

"The only ones left at all. He's Green and she's White. We just found her about a year ago."

And it wasn't the easiest of transitions.

[just_cant_lose]

'Can they procreate?'

Would anyone want them to? Perhaps they're hideous.

[have_no_mercy]

Tess shakes her head.

"I've never asked, but she's little more than twelve years old emotionally. Manhunter is significantly older."

Which means Tess and the other women of the League are a bit protective of the girl.

[just_cant_lose]

'Fair enough.'

He fully understands why that would be wrong. Besides, you can't repopulate a planet or species with two people. Not healthily. Someone should really point that out to people who insist on following the Bible to a T. Adam and Eve? Really?

Mind you, it would explain the worldwide bred-in stupidity.

He looks back at Mars. It might be a mess, but he still wants to get his hands on it.

'What happened to the rest of them, then?'

[have_no_mercy]

"We don't know and neither do they, though it seems both species are extinct. Or will be at some time in the relatively near future."

Tess can make guesses, but that's all they are.

"They were somewhat engaged in civil war, so it's possible that caused it."

[just_cant_lose]

'How can you not know? If they're that close, are you not watching them? Is there no communication?'

Shoddy.

[have_no_mercy]

"She was raised on Earth, She knows nothing about Mars. Manhunter, I don't know. He claims not to have any memory of anything happening, just that he found himself on Earth as well."

[just_cant_lose]

'They did know humans existed, yes? And you all must have known they did. Was there no conversation with whoever was in charge there?'

Even his backwardass planet can send probes to Mars, for God's sake. It's impossible they can't have known of the existence of a whole two species living up there.

[have_no_mercy]

Another shake of her head.

"It seems this all took place before we had any kind of technology. We never knew they existed. It's possible time travel was involved."

She huffs out a short laugh.

"Hell, I didn't even believe in aliens until one walked up and smacked me in the face."

You know, literally.

[just_cant_lose]

This sounds interesting. And just like everything else interesting, it's outside of his reach.

He sighs, and goes to find the bow again.

'I don't know why you needed a smack in the face from an alien, but I suppose you must have deserved it for something.'

[have_no_mercy]

"It was a misunderstanding."

No, really. But Jim looks so disappointed about, well, everything right now, it almost makes her want to do something to cheer him up. Almost.

"Are you ready to go back?"