(no subject)

[biggerstick]

[What does an insomniac superhero do at night? They wander off the pool house and build their own working area in the underground labs]

Comments

[biggerstick]

[DISTRESSING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AIs AFTER DISCOVERING DEAGING IS A THING THAT HAPPENS]

... okay, okay, I probably wouldn't ruin anything if I were over fifteen. But that's a huge probably. We need to find a way to lock me out.

[paragon]

. . . I've got nothin'.

[biggerstick]

[turns to the door]

...

I see we're back to not knocking.

[paragon]

[ giving Slick a thoughtful pat on the head when he rolls over to greet him. ]

No, I've got it. Doppelgangers. Clones, right? Maybe robot clones. Does that happen?

[biggerstick]

Deaging actually— robot clones, what have you been watching?

[paragon]

Nothing special, just seems like a thing that could happen. What's this about deaging?

[biggerstick]

Apparently this place makes people regress in age? Temporarily, not sure if there's a trigger.

[paragon]

. . .

And you think you'll wreak havoc in your own workshop?

[biggerstick]

Depends on how much younger I am. After... seventeen or so, I think I'd recognize my own designs. Before that— I have no idea.

[paragon]

[ . . . his lips twitch a little. ]

This is really buggin' you, huh.

[biggerstick]

I was a difficult kid and there's sensitive equipment here.

[paragon]

Then you're the best person to keep yourself out.

[biggerstick]

JARVIS is programmed to listen to me, regardless of how old I am. I can lock myself out, but then younger me just has to give an order and I'd be back in.

Do you see my problem?

[paragon]

Can't you just, uh, tell him to only listen to orders from older you?

[biggerstick]

Yeah, but younger me can override it. See, when I first built JARVIS I didn't think about time-travel so one of the basic building blocks, so to speak, is to do as I ask. There are fail-safes, but those are triggered depending on the order, not on how old I am when giving it.

[paragon]

But you couldn't override a fail-safe if it was triggered, right? Can't you make your age work like an order somehow?

[biggerstick]

More pain than it's worth it's... it's like building blocks. Doing as I say is a base, messing with that means messing with everything on top of it.

[paragon]

. . . think I get it. Kinda.

[biggerstick]

It's easier to get a door that locks.

[paragon]

You keep threatening to.

[biggerstick]

[flops on his couch. Totally not sulking]

Building proper security is a pain.

[paragon]

This really about the security?

[biggerstick]

No, I'm looking for distractions.

I really don't like this place.

[paragon]

It can't be that bad.

[biggerstick]

Okay, picture this. You're suddenly 10 years younger and find yourself trapped here. How would that work out for you?