At a booth off the beaten path

[no_more_hiding]

Hank has the kind of brain that always needs stimulation. He usually satisfies this by learning something new or conducting experiments, but he already has several experiments with his mutation reconstruction formula running and physical training is taking up all his other time. Which is why he is now sitting in a booth away from the main paths of the bar (reducing the chance of being interrupted) and working on a mental exercise.

Can the Tetsujin actually be constructed?

He's already deep into drafting blue prints of possible structures and is certain it would require a nuclear power plant, if not a couple. Pistons, or piston-like engines seem the best route for the limbs and fingers. How to ensure it would stand upright, however? A gyroscope perhaps? Could the gyroscope also function as a protective cage for the power plant?

Or maybe a system of cables for the fingers and limbs, somewhat like a muscle structure?

Comments

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck can be pretty observant, but he misses Hank the first time he walks by, nose in Hardy Boys book. The fact there are blueprints catches his eye on his way to return the book, and then on his way back to his table -- his third time past, now, in an hour-- he actually takes the time to read a little of them.

And stops, brow furrowing. He looks at Hank, face intent, as if trying to recognize him.

"Looks like a big project," he says, slowly.

[no_more_hiding]

"I'm guessing on the size to be honest," Hank replies distractedly. "But I figure at this scale, assuming the average heights for a teenage boy in Japan would allow for an acceptable margin of error."

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck sits in the booth across from him. He leans his weight on an elbow that's on the table.

"Why teenagers? Mental flexibility?"

[no_more_hiding]

Hank pauses and looks up thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure. The robot comes from a publication in Japan and the main character is a teen-aged boy," Hank explains before shrugging. "And it seemed if I was going to imagine how to make the robot, I might as well stick to the source materials."

A hint of an idea occurs to Hank that this man, who looks and reads like to so many of the CIA agents who would bother him, might come from a reality where giant robots existed.

[andinfluencepeople]

"Huh," Chuck says, as he realizes the fictional nature. He relaxes, a little, though he's still curious. "Gundams? I don't really know manga."

[no_more_hiding]

"I am afraid I do not know what a 'gundam' is. It is 1962 for me and as far as I know, this is the only giant robot being published in any materials in the world. Well, at least as far as the countries the CIA cares to monitor."

[andinfluencepeople]

"2024 -- you're CIA?"

Chuck looks deeply bemused. "No offense, sorry, just. I didn't know they had engineers."

[no_more_hiding]

Hank smile falters a little and he clears his throat.

"Sort of. I used to build devices and tools for the agents. My division was recently destroyed and, well, I guess officially, I've gone rogue with several civilians to take out the man responsible for destroying my base."

The man also happens to want to start a war with humans, but that might be a bit much to explain right now.

[andinfluencepeople]

"Sorry," Chuck says, uncertain. He's misunderstood the situation to be that the CIA has destroyed this guy's division.

The CIA aren't ever really the good guys in movies, though, so maybe it's not that... weird.

"Chuck Hansen," he says, and extends his hand across the table. "I pilot a giant robot," he adds, dry, "with my dad. Er, I used to."

[no_more_hiding]

And now that frown has turned upside down.

"You pilot a real giant robot?!?!" Hank asks, shocked into a 12 year-old. "That's incredible! I wasn't entirely sure it was even possible, the weight alone. The power required to move, the heat exhaust..."

"I mean, this was just an exercise, but they actually can exist?!?!"

Sorry, Chuck. Hank will be back to his sedate self in a minute here.

[andinfluencepeople]

"Yeah," Chuck says, withdrawing his hand, awkward, and leaning on his elbow. "We use some advanced nuclear reactors," he says. "And, uh -- science made kind of a couple dozen leaps forward after we ended up with aliens."

[no_more_hiding]

Hank has to sit back for that.

"Wow. I mean, that's amazing." He says with perhaps a bit too much excitement. "Wait, aliens? I hope that doesn't mean an invasion and that's why you need the robots?"

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck laughs. "I mean, I don't know much about politics, mate, but d'you really think we'd let each other build giant fighting machines if there weren't huge fucking aliens to worry about?"

[no_more_hiding]

"That is a fair point," Hank says, flushing a bit. "I hope the outlook is favorable."

[andinfluencepeople]

"No clue," Chuck says, after a long moment. "We either fixed it all there at the end, or died an' took the last defenses with us. Figure it's a 50-50 shot."

He hesitates, then shrugs.

"My boss's here from about a week before all that, so he's got plans to get help. His world -- timeline? -- 's probably got a better outlook."

[no_more_hiding]

"That is a remarkably prosaic way to look at it." Hank says a little stunned. "Time here must get very confusing at times. I've been fortunate in that all the people from my world are from the same time. At least as far as I am aware."