The Not-so-abandoned Warehouse: Thursday Evening

[badassprodigy]

Barry was back in his portion of his warehouse running experiments on a certain device which was sitting in the middle of a block of ice.

While he waited for the results on the most recent readings, he did something he hadn't done for a while which was initiate a connection to his remote lab back in his home dimension. He had shut down most of the operating equipment there but for one reason or another he was looking at the GPS tracking system he had in place for his friends and family. (Some people might call it an invasion of privacy but Barry had reasons, okay?) Looking at his scanner he could see the two blips for his mother and father. There was another two blips which were practically on top of each other representing Jeremy and Roxie and then... there was the single blip for Sara.

Barry stared at the screen for few moments taking it all in before terminating the connection and going back to his experiment. This was no time to be homesick or missing people.

There was science to do.

In a fancy hat.

As you do.

[Open Warehouse. Open Post. Subject to SP this evening.]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"Hey!" Kathy protested. "That's not even fair!"

She paused for a second and then added, "For one thing, it's, err, Social Justice Warrior?"

...The name might not stick. She was still brand-testing.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Barry said rolling his eyes. "That just rolls off the tounge."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm sorry, did you have any suggestions?" Kathy, err, Social Justice Warrior asked. "...And why are you hanging out in an abandoned warehouse anyway?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Well Rainbow Brite is already trademarked," Barry snarked. "And I own this warehouse so I can do what I want with it."

Okay, technically he shared it with Reno and Rikku but he wasn't telling Kathy. Er. Rainbow Social Justice Brite Warrior.

[spin_kick_snap]

Omg, how could he see beyond her cunningly hid cheekbones?!?

"That's not at all shady," Kathy said, hands on her hips. "You just like to hang out in the abandoned warehouse section of the island?" She tried to peer past him into the depths of the building. "This has, like, sketchy science super-villain all over it."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, can we not dive into the evil scientist tropes?" Barry said with another roll of his eyes. "I haven't even fucking blown up anything on the island. And it's not like I've kept it a secret. Radio has broadcasted this place a couple times already."

He pushed open the door. "If you're really that nosy, Rainbow, come inside and take a look. I don't give a shit."

[spin_kick_snap]

"My name's not Rainbow," 'Social Justice Warrior' mumbled. Between this and Sparkle calling her Mouse, she was going to develop some kind of nickname complex. "...And I don't have to come in if you'd rather. I don't want to be rude."

Oh, Kathy. You were the most adorably worst at this.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Please, like Barry wasn't being rude or any better at this as well.

What Barry was doing was a lot of eye-rolling in this conversation. Which is what he was doing as he waved Kathy an invitation with his hand and headed into the warehouse.

"Fine. Kathy. SJW. Rainbow," he said. "Whatever you want to call yourself. Just come in and see what I'm doing so your sense of superhero morality won't result in me being branded meta-for Lex Luthor.

[spin_kick_snap]

Yes, but wanting to be a nicer person than Barry Ween wasn't exactly much of a hurdle to jump over.

"Hey!" she protested, quickly following after him. "How did you--No, I'm not--You don't know--I could be anybody under this mask!"

Okay, she could concede that that argument was stupid. "Is it really that obvious?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Might try changing your voice more and going for a mask that doesn't just hide your eyes," Barry suggested. "Besides it's not like I haven't met you before. It's like Lois Lane not realizing that Clark Kent is Superman in the early comics. He's not even wearing a fucking mask!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Well..." Resigned, Kathy pulled the mask off since it wasn't hiding anything, but she kept the rest of her costume on. It was comfortable, being a karate gi with colorful trim, and it wasn't like she had anything to change into. "I'm mostly wearing it so people who don't already know me figure out who I am. I guess it's not a big deal if people on the island figure it out."

And, really. Who else would run around calling themselves Social Justice Warrior? Who else would admit to it, even if they did.

"So, if you're not being practicing your maniacal laugh here, what are you working on?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Something for a friend," Barry said pointing at the block of ice. "Ever hear of a heat sink? I'm making a cold sink for someone with some... issues."

Yes, it was for Elsa but Barry wasn't going to blab her secret out to just anyone.

[spin_kick_snap]

Probably for the best, because Kathy had no idea who Elsa was, never mind any powers she might be keeping secret.

"Like on computers and stuff," she said absently, studying the device with hands tucked carefully behind her back. Looking but not touching was always the best way to behave in a lab. "Protecting vital components by dispersing heat." She glanced up at Barry, puzzled. You're trying to find a way to use thermal conductivity to warm something up, rather than keep it cool?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Something like that," Barry replied as he started to punch some buttons. "But instead of warming something up the conductors will actually take cold and disperse it without increasing the temperature of the device. For example..."

Barry flipped a switch and the block of ice seemed to collapse in upon itself leaving not a trace of water or ice. Eventually the ice seemed to dissipate in thin air leaving only what appeared to be a thin shiny silicon chip.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Cool," Kathy said, bending over to examine the chip.

...Yeah, that had been a pun. But hopefully so subtle Barry wouldn't notice. Kathy secretly loved dad jokes, okay?

"So it works from the outside in, rather than the inside out. Probably slower, since cold molecules are slower, but you don't have to worry about damaging anything with heat."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Barry said looking pleased that someone else could follow him on this. "Now ideally I made this for someone who needed some help but the usefulness for this technology is boundless. Did you guys have a winter vortex on the island this winter? Think about using this material on driveways, streets and bridges. Now the trick is to make it cost affordable."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And since the cold is dispersing outwards, you probably don't have to worry about things refreezing later," Kathy mused. "The cold molecules can't overpower the warm ones because there aren't any. Which will, in turn, lead to less roadwork because of frost heaves and stuff and less salt being used. You could even use this stuff in watershed areas because there won't be any runoff! That is brilliant!"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Well of course it's brilliant. Barry thought of it.

"Only catch is the cost," Barry said picking up the chip and holding it up in the air to scrutinize it a bit. "This little square cost me about two million to manufacture."

[spin_kick_snap]

If anyone ever asked Kathy what her favorite personality trait of Barry's was, she was totally going to deadpan 'humility.'

"...Which you just have lying around," Kathy sighed. "I assume from your other scientific inventions and patents, of which there are ridiculous numbers?" Call it a hunch. "Just tell me that you don't want to take over the world, if for no other reason than because ruling humanity would cut into your science time?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry snorted in derision. "We're sneaking back into that fucking evil scientific genius mode thing," he said shaking his head. "Fuck, do I look like want to take over the world? The world is a fucking disaster and filled with idiots. I hate fucking idiots. Why would I want to rule the world if it means I'm going to be forced to deal with fucking idiots? So yes and no. No I don't want to rule the world. Yes, I'd rather spend time in my lab fixing the problems that way I can fix the problems made by idiots."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You have two million dollars in your science slush fund that you can access from an abandoned warehouse that you've turned into a giant lab," Kathy pointed out. "What about that doesn't scream 'evil genius scientist'? I mean, I guess you could also be a smarter Ratman, but you don't strike me as the type to pull on tights and save the day."

She offered him a small smile to let him know she was actually mostly joking. "Did I mention how reassuring it is that you're citing misanthropy as the reason you're not going to become an evil scientist?"

Besides, Barry. How many times have you endangered the planet just by accident?

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Hey! He wasn't always the problem! Jeremy had to shoulder some of the blame!

"Hey! I like individual people," Barry protested. "It's just fucking humanity I don't care about. Besides! See that gizmo over there? It's a food replicator like from Lightning Bug. What kind of evil genius makes something to end world hunger?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Hey now, evil geniuses can be very charitable, especially if they've ingested enough enlightened self-interest philosophies," Kathy teased. "Relax, Barry, I'm kidding. I don't think you're really out to conquer the world, okay?"

Pause.

"No matter how many boxes you can tick on the Evil Overlord list."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Okay. Barry knew Kathy was joking and yet...

"Fine!" He shouted throwing his hands up in the air. "Clearly I need to change this fucking trope. From now on I'm fucking Q, okay? So what do you need for your ever loving fucking battle against evil?"

[spin_kick_snap]

There were big startled eyes blinking at Barry now. The shouting had been unexpected. "I'm sorry!" she babbled. "I'm really sorry, Barry, I'll stop teasing! I didn't mean to upset you, I really didn't. Oh jeeze, I'm sorry!"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Oh, please," Barry said rolling his eyes as he opened a weapons cabinet full of goodies. "That's not upset. That's an outburst. When I shout and yell? That's just me. When I'm not saying anything? That's when you should start worrying."

He let out a sigh.

"The one thing I don't want to become is some lunatic scientist. It's a thing with me. I figure if I don't go insane by the time I'm 27 I'll be lucky. And if I'm going to fight that..."

He gestured at the locker.

"I'm going to have to help people. So tell me, Rainbow... What's your schtick?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I really am sorry," Kathy said again, contrite. "I didn't know it was a thing for you and if I did, I wouldn't have pushed it. I won't make those jokes again."

Sorry, Barry. Painfully earnest was kind of how Kathy rolled. It was one of the ways she could name herself Social Justice Warrior unironically.

She was also aware enough to guess that Barry would rather gnaw his own arm off than continue to talk about it, so she was happy to switch topics with him. "I don't really have one?" she said. "I'm fast, I'm flippy, and my go-to weapon is the, err, ribbon."

Yes, she was fully aware of how incredibly stupid that sounded.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry didn't turn around. He just hung his head for a moment.

"So really I shouldn't be looking at a weapon's cabinet but the gift wrapping section at a Hallmark's store."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not that kind of ribbon," Kathy sighed. "Have you ever watched rhythm gymnastics? Or, like, jazzercise of whatever?"

She wasn't helping her case, was she?

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

No. She wasn't.

"Yes. I regularly watch rhythmic gymnastics and do jazziercise three times a week," Barry said with just a HINT of sarcasm.

...

"SERIOUSLY?!?!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh for--! Come on!" she said, trying to grab his arm. She'd drag him outside if she had to. "Look, I know it sounds stupid, but trust me, okay? Let me show you something."

Kathy wasn't going to pretend it was badass. But it was effective. And, y'know, she dressed in a rainbow gi and called herself the Social Justice Warrior. It was a little late for dark and gritty.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"You're not going to gift wrap me are you?" Barry quipped as he followed her outside.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You should be so lucky," Kathy sniffed. "I bet if I did, you'd be a lot less likely to make snarky commentary."

When they got outside, Kathy pulled out a gymnast's ribbon; 3 meters of fluttering rainbow cloth attached to a 60 cm fiberglass stick. The stick was thin and flexible, but had a decent enough heft to it--necessary, considering the way that gymnasts flung them up in the air.

"So, I'd set up a training route up on your roof, which is why you heard me banging around up there. I dragged a bunch of training dummies up there. But they're up there and we're down here..." Her smile had a slightly mischievous cast to it. "Were you serious about not getting gift wrapped? Otherwise, I'll have to go fetch one."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Or we can both just go to the roof," Barry suggested with a mischievious smirk of his own...

And suddenly Barry was running at a wall then doing some serious parkour moves off a nearby telephone pole, security light and other elements up to said roof.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy laughed delightedly and took off after him. And she would overtake him, too, unless he was also roughly three times faster than the average person?

She was much bouncier than he was, almost a perpetual motion machine given human form. She was also able to balance on the most precarious of perches, finding her balance within instants before leaping off to grab onto something else.

"Nice moves!" she said, giving him a victory sign once they'd reached the roof. Barry would be able to get a clear idea of Kathy's path to his rooftop; fallen dummies made for excellent trail markers. She set the three on this roof to rights, then stepped back to give them--and him--a bright grin. "I didn't know you could move like that!"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Mind-body thing," Barry said with a shrug. "And clearly you have some sort of meta-human powers going on. Let's see what you can do with a ribbon, SJW."

[spin_kick_snap]

See? He was already taking her more seriously, calling her SJW rather than Rainbow! That was probably a step in the right direction.

Right?

Twirling her ribbon to get the momentum up, she let the stick slide through her fingers and caught a length of fabric a few feet behind it. "Head!" The fiberglass stick went slamming into the back of the closest dummy's head. Catching the flying ribbon with a foot, she flipped, sending the stick flying backwards into the dummy behind her. "Right arm!" The stick smacked into the dummy's right bicep with a satisfying thwack. Yanking on the ribbon, the stick changed direction again, sailing back to the first dummy and hitting it right in the "Solar plexus!" A kick and the stick was flung into the hip of the dummy closest to Barry, right on the heels of her call.

She was going through several simple routine moves as she flung her stick into the dummies. It was how she'd learned and she wasn't sure that she could get the necessary accuracy by staying still. After a few minutes of warming up, she started speeding up. Her flips sent her flying all over the rooftop and she stopped using the stick only for ranged attacks. A low roll had her tossing the stick around the bottom of the dummy, tangling it in ribbon. When she bounced back up to her feet, she tugged and the dummy toppled over. A high roundhouse sent her flying over another dummy's head, and the stick flashed out to smack into a temple. She ran at the third, tossing a loop of ribbon over it and kept running until it too crashed to the roof.

When she came to a stop, barely breathing heavily, she stood in front of Barry, beaming, with all three dummies down and the ribbon fluttering at her ankles. She might even been posing a bit--if so, she wasn't going to tell.

[Link goes to a rhythm gymnastics vid. Starts at 40 seconds in; the next 10 seconds are pretty neat if you're interested.]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry watched and gave a nod of approval when she was done. "Not my style but I don't have the speed you do," Barry commented. "The calling out of your attacks was for my benefit, right?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"No," Kathy deadpanned. "I figured that calling out where I'm about to hit someone and giving away my location is a really smart idea. I'm extra-looking forward to it if they have guns!"

There was a nascent smart-ass lurking beneath Kathy's meek demeanor.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Seems to me you'd be better off with a stunning ray gun than a ribbon," Barry said shrugging off the sarcasm. "But if you're going to be hopping around like I can probably improve upon your protection with your gi."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Stunning rays require a different kind of aim," Kathy said. "Or, rather, I think so. And--you can? Are you sure?" She gave him a hesitant smile. "I didn't come knocking on your warehouse door expecting to get presents, Barry. Or need them to be convinced you're a decent guy."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"You didn't even know someone was even in my fucking warehouse," Barry said shaking his head. "And this isn't a present. It's to prevent you from getting fucking shot because someone isn't afraid of a ribbon coming at their head. I mean you look fast and can handle a fight but I'm guessing your not immune to bullets. I've made some lightweight material that will provide you better protection."

...

"And we can make a better mask and find you a voice modulator."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm not really worried about anyone recognizing my voice," Kathy said with a shrug. "I mean, I highly that I'll be recognized in Baltimore. But I'm not going to turn down help."

It was hard, though. She still felt she ought to turn it down, if for no other reason than because she didn't want Barry to feel as if he had to give her things. On the other hand, he sincerely seemed to want to help, which meant that refusing might offend him.

In the end, necessity won over politeness. She couldn't afford to be coy when she really might run into guns.

"Thank you. I really am grateful the help. I'm trying not to be stupid about this, so... Anything you can offer to help keep me in one piece is much appreciated."