The Park, Saturday Afternoon

[dollpocalypse]

Clad in his finest suit, Topher was halfway through a Mountain Dew and trying to decide whether or not he knew the way out of the park when his phone rang.

"Go for Brink." The person on the other end of the line sounded urgent, so Topher took a sip of soda. No, more like a slurp. "No, I'm not at my -- I'm not at my desk, Boyd." He waved a hand, bored with the response he got. "What do you mean, 'what do you mean?' I'm. Not at. My desk. Am I speaking Swahili?"

Boyd spoke Swahili, apparently. "Of course you do. Listen, Boyd, I'm off today. I know! First time for everything, right? So whatever you need, talk to Ivy. No, really. I've got a feed of my office straight to my phone and I can't wait to see her face when you --" He held his phone away from his ear, examining it. "And... you hung up. Okay. Bye, Boyd! Have fun with Echo!"

Okay, he was talking to the empty park right now. That was sketchy. He should stop that.

Topher ended the call, swiped around on his phone, and pulled up that office feed. Sure enough, there was Ivy, fidgeting as she paced around the office, clearly intimidated by the power that came with being in charge of things for the first time since being hired. It was entrancing.

[[open park!]]

Comments

[selfhelphero]

There were a lot of things in Fandom that were unfamiliar to Billy, even though it hadn't been that long since his last visit, so spotting a familiar face as he made his way through the park definitely made him grin. "Topher! Are you actually away from work? Is that even allowed?"

[dollpocalypse]

"I apparently can take days off!" Topher reported, sounding like the concept mystified him. "What about you? Aren't you busy with your whole magic thing?"

[selfhelphero]

"If the world starts to fall apart, someone will text me," Billy said. "It's more constant vigilance than actual work. We have a lot of good scientists keeping things going." Hint hint, Topher.

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh, don't mention it," Topher smirked. "Or do. I'm awesome."

He had not become less obnoxious since graduation. Not even a little bit.

"And how's whatshisname?" he asked in more of a sing-songy voice.

[selfhelphero]

"Teddy's good," Billy said, grinning in an instant because he had not become less dorky since graduation either. "You should definitely take more time off at some point and come visit. It might be good for you."

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah, but then I'd have to get all competitive and explain to him how awesome I am, et cetera, et cetera," Topher teased. "I know, two cool guys fighting over you would be like a dream, but..."

[selfhelphero]

"Oh yes, it's a dream I have regularly," Billy deadpanned. "I'm more worried that you don't get out enough, and believe me, when someone who never gets a day off tells you you're not relaxing enough, I think it means something."

[dollpocalypse]

"I'll think about it," Topher... probably lied, waving him off. "I guess I do have a better excuse than most people to take a day off, since--" he tapped the side of his head and lowered his voice-- "I'm backed up."

And then he grinned. Because how cool was it that there was a backup imprint of his brain?

[selfhelphero]

"You're... what?" Billy asked, not certain that whatever Topher was talking about was cool at all. "Do you have something in your head?"

NFB

[dollpocalypse]

No, it was totally awesome!

"No, the opposite," Topher said, before pausing and realizing that that wasn't quite right. "I mean, wait, no. I do have something in my head, which is my brain, but there's a backup too. So if I'm not in the office, I can still be in the office as long as someone else gets loaded up with my imprint!"

...Well. He thought it was awesome. It had practical real-world implications!

Re: NFB

[selfhelphero]

"Like, one of your residents?" He couldn't call them dolls, he just couldn't. "They can do that?"

Re: NFB

[dollpocalypse]

"They can now that the technology's there," Topher replied. "Which is thanks to me, obviously."

'Resident' was a good word, actually. Maybe he'd use that. It made them sound like doctors.

Re: NFB

[selfhelphero]

"Can they do that if you're there? Like, have two of you?"

Billy, why would you give Topher ideas like that?

Re: NFB

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Topher said. "It'd be a little redundant, though. Why, can you think of a reason?"

Re: NFB

[selfhelphero]

"Nope," Billy said quickly, because he was a married man. "I was just, you know, wondering. I'm still trying to understand how it all works."

Re: NFB

[dollpocalypse]

"It's like... copying and pasting my brain into a hard drive," Topher explained, very hush-hush now. Billy was the only person who got to be in on this stuff! Lucky, lucky Billy. "The original is still preserved--" he tapped his temple-- "but there can be a copy in the LA office, either on the drive or in one of our 'residents.'" Seriously, that was a neat word. "And then, yeah, I can be in the same room as whoever gets me in their head, sure, but." He smirked. "Kind of a waste of my genius to imprint someone with my skills only to have us in the same place. It's mostly a contingency in case I never need to go on a trip. Such as today."

He paused. "So for example, if you ever wanted an Active printed with, say, some superhero to spice things up with you and Theo..." Teddy, Topher. Teddy. "We could theoretically copy an actual scan and the real person's brain would be totally intact."

Re: NFB

[selfhelphero]

"Except it wouldn't be Teddy," Billy said quietly. "Not really. It's like... like photocopying money. It might look really good, but it's just not the same."

Re: NFB

[dollpocalypse]

"It is, though," Topher said. "If the recipient has the Active architecture, the neuro contents transfer completely. Every half-remembered memory, every nervous tic, every childhood concussion, everything that ever happened to someone -- bam. Copy right over."

He was really proud of his involvement with this, in case Billy couldn't tell. "I mostly perfected the technology. Fine-tuned it a little. Earlier this year, I imprinted this Active, Echo, to be a new mom. She could actually lactate."

Okay, enough.

Re: NFB

[selfhelphero]

That was very much TMI, and Billy might have even made a weirded out face before he could stop himself. "You don't think that's a little weird, maybe? To rearrange someone's body like that?"

Re: NFB

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh, it's definitely weird," Topher agreed, "but the client was happy -- mostly -- and the baby was definitely happy, 'cause milk and all, and science was advanced and I got a raise. Everyone wins."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Heading across the park on her way back to Efferton Manor, Kenzi spotted Topher and made a bee-line toward him.

"You! Jerk-face!" She was laughing, though. "You never call, you never write..."

[dollpocalypse]

"Do people write these days?" Topher wondered, whirling around at once and fixing Kenzi with a smirk. "Do you write? And if so, why?"

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Because I'm somewhere I gotta stay radio silent, that's why." Tackle-hug! "Doofus. I didn't even know you were coming, or I'd have offered you a place to stay... and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have worked out, so just as well."

[dollpocalypse]

"Eh, don't mention it," Topher said, waving a hand. "My hotel room has space on the ceiling. Like, planets."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi snickered and let go, bouncing on her toes. "Of course it does. So, how goes the inventing and destruction... and what is on that hand-held right there?"

[dollpocalypse]

"I neither invent nor destroy," Topher lied loftily. Oh god, it was such a lie. He did both of those things. Holding up his phone, he explained, "This is a feed of my office. As you can see, my assistant is totally lost and confused without my sage guidance."

She was eating chips.

"...Hey, those are my chips."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Ahahahah!" Kenzi was teetering with giggles, and she poked her nose close to the screen. "Nice office! And nice nanny-cam. Mouse-cam? Whatever, why did you let her know where you kept the food?" Heeeee.

[dollpocalypse]

"She buys it and restocks," Topher sighed. "And apparently skims off the top. Evil! Pure evil!"

He thought about texting Ivy to announce his displeasure, but then what if she stopped doing things that he could call her out on? It was quite a pickle.

"'Sup with you, anyway?" he asked, frowning once more at the screen before turning off the display and glancing at Kenzi.

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Been a while since we've been in person, hasn't it?" Kenzi was mostly amused by that, so the poking in the arm was just reflex. "Look, 3D! With tactile sensors!" Heh. "Let's seeeee, um, hey, had we gotten official foster parent status the last time I talked to you?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher cocked his head. "Um, who is 'we'? And of whom? And... no."

He clapped his hands once. "Tell me the story. With as many details as possible. Let's go."

He just didn't want to catch her up on his own stuff, see. Sneaky.

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"You never read your mail at all, do you?" No, of course not. "Hmm, me and Bo and Toby. We took over Efferton Manor, a while ago, got it rebuilt. That old wreck near the Rocky Bits?" Kenzi was looking very pleased with herself. "And aside from mine and Toby's two, we've got four fosters right now. Human and fae and mutant."

[dollpocalypse]

"So... you babysit?"

He made a face. "You must get a lot of business during the weird weekends."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Oh, Topher. Heh. Then again, this was Kenzi, so, fair point.

"Foster means they stay for a good long while." Kenzi grinned at him. "I feed them sugar and make sure they know they're safe, Bo and Toby do the rules thing. And oh God, don't even talk to me about weird weekends. Have you ever tried to herd flying ponies?"

Yeah, that one had been... special.

[dollpocalypse]

"Uh, I one time was a pony and tried to figure out how to fly," Topher offered.

Not the same thing. Nope.

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Adorable horribleness. Yeah, so anyway, family life: good. Professional life: awesome." Heh. "And how 'bout you? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Assistant I saw, along with what looked like an electronic dartboard... seriously?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Girlfriend, check," Topher reported, grinning dorkily all of a sudden. "She's like nine-tenths as smart as me and her hair smells really good, so I think this one's gonna stick."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Awwwwww! What's her naaaame?" Kenzi teased. "And what's she doing with you?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Bennett, and being an awesome brilliant duo, obviously," Topher gloated. "It's a lot of IRCing while she's at work and I'm at work, but we make it work."

He snickered. "Work."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi rolled her eyes, then grinned. "Same work as you? That you will not divulge details of? C'moooon."

[dollpocalypse]

"Technically yes and no," Topher said, "and no. Sorry, not at liberty to divulge."

He was smirking so hard. Look at him, keeping a big secret and stuff. And Adelle said he couldn't do it!

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Someday," Kenzi threatened. "Someday, someone's gonna pay me enough to break into your work place. And eat your chips. Juuuust wait."

[dollpocalypse]

"Dude, if you broke into my office, our head of security would probably get killed," Topher said with some ambiguous amount of seriousness. "Please do it. He's a total buzzkill."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi cackled with glee. "I'll leave you his keycard on your desk when I'm done."

[dollpocalypse]

"I mean, you can't," Topher added, "because our security is insane because of that very same uptight buzzkill, but if you could, like if you were a telepathic ghost with no heat signature, it would be really cool."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Reeeally? Hunh. Maybe I should recruit one of those." Kenzi grinned at him. "What's the uptight buzzkill's name?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher just shook his head at her. That was not an impressive attempt, Kenz. "Nope."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi hummed in amusement. No harm in trying.

"Some-day. Someday. Meantime, bring Bennett to the next one of these things, girl deserves to hear all the dirt."

[dollpocalypse]

"Still nope." Topher patted Kenzi's shoulder. "But it's so cute that you're trying."