Post by PacAttack on Sept 29, 2020 21:11:31 GMT -8
Knock-knock-knock.
"Mmm... world domination..."
Knock-knock-knock.
"Yyyes... estroy the bandicoot..."
.
.
.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
"Hmm, wha-what!"
The scientist suddenly jolted himself away and swiveled his head around to look about the room. He gave several slow blinks, telling the sandman to take a hike and regaining himself. Letting out a sigh, he readjusted himself in his chair and looked at his monitor. The time of 9 AM shined back at him.
"Bah, must he show up so early?"
He raised himself from his seat and walked around to face his door. It now laid quiet in his his little laboratory. He caught his reflection looking back at him in the metal casing of invention that he had thrown against the wall late one night in another fit of frustration. He felt his temper return to him before a sleepy reminder of the visitor floated by. Deciding against his fury, a moment was taking to look over himself and adjusted his hair.
Cortex grabbed ahold of the door handle as a quick flurry of thoughts flooded through his head. Why was he doing this again? What would he gain? Why would he waste his precious time on such cretins? Would any of this really matter? And more importantly, what was he going to do for lunch? He had neglected to eat last night as he was in manic state piecing together his latest invention.
Taking in a deep breath, Cortex waved a hand up as he threw his head back then let it out. Time to pull the good guy act again. He took his gloved hand and pulled open the door.
Bright and early one man was already up ready to get his day started. Pac-Man widely swung his front door open and hopped out. The morning artificial sun was currently battling with his shining smile for who was the brightest.
Pac-Man dug a hand around in his pocket and let his eyes wander up to the sky as searched around in his inventory. A few good moments of the jingling of metal and a few miscellaneous blips passed before pulled a face could’ve produced a light bulb above him. Out he pulled a folded up paper which he quickly flipped open. He reread the note while a rhythm began to pick up under his feet.
The door opened up to leave the two yellow men staring back at each other. Cortex’s words fell much like his height at end. Pac-Man stared back with bewilderment although his face would look more neutral than anything.
“What am I looking at here?”
There was an awkward moment of silence with the only noticeable thing being the smell of coffee from the two cups that yellow ball was holding. The doctor suddenly spoke up,
“Ahem... My apologies. I, uh, didn’t get much sleep last night.”
He was quick to cover himself up. Pac-Man smirked a bit, knowing the experience all too well.
“But yes! Please, come in.”
The doctor's den had been almost entirely fitted into a make-shift lab. Tall metal machines lined a good portion of the walls decorated with bright buttons and a jumble of different screens. They made a audible humming noise almost as if they were delighted to be within the presence of their operator. Various lights would flash on and off from time to time where the monitors mostly stayed blank. Some of the machinery looked to be in good condition but for the most part it looked like some had picked through a junk pile and assembled everything from said junk. Nonetheless, the machines were alive and going through their programmed actions. On the far end of the room was a large monitor that was nearly twice the size of the doctor himself. A mystery it was as to how he could've brought such a thing up here. It let off a green glow as various lines of text were displayed upon. The green characters were tightly packed and spanned across the screen line after line. It bathed the area below in bright green where laid a rather miserable-looking keyboard and a beast of a computer tower. They were supported by an old rusted metal desk. The dark teal paint that once coated it was peeling off at alarming rates. It had a slot in the middle for the the madman's swivel chair and two filing cabinets attached to each side. One was partially open and has a mess of wires trailing down to the ground and snaking their way off behind the desk.
Pac-Man carefully stepped inside and looked above at the myriad of cables and wires that were hung from the ceiling. Some of them had these little cylindrical glass bulbs that would occasionally glow a light blue before going dark. It reminded him of Orson and his machines. Ors was super smart and would likely have a field day here.
While Pac-Man was staring at the mechanical works in awe, Cortex shuffled around behind him towards his computer, swiping a hand across his keyboard in a quick motion. The monitor above almost instantly became blank but still awake. He took a seat in his chair and took a moment for himself. That yellow one was a strange one. He had no idea what to think of it. It possessed some intelligence as it was able to understand him and even write back to him. It could follow instructions properly, too. He raised massive head and looked at this cold reflection in the screen above. Neither of them knew what to think.
"Now then,"
Pac-Man turned his gaze away from the blinking lights above him and towards the chair that had spun around to face him.
"You said you were looking to have a translator made?"
He rested his elbows on the arm-rest of the chair and crossed his fingers, letting his bearded chin rest upon them.
The yellow ball smiled and walked over to him. Pac had forgotten earlier but extended one of the coffees to the doctor. Cortex eyed him carefully for a moment before slowly reaching for it and taking hold of it. It was warm to the touch, even through his thick yellow gloves. He looked down to the lid where steam was rising and back to the ball man. Pac-Man was still smiling at him.
"Oh, er... th-thank you." Cortex said, rather awkwardly. The friendliness of this one was putting his mind on edge. He spun his chair around a bit and reached back to place the coffee onto his desk.
"But back to business," he sharply stated, "this will not come easily. I will require some things. For one, a speech synthesis module. Some circuitry, on-board relayers, an audio recorder..."
While the Cortex was busy listing out his needs, Pac turned a bit and spotted a spot to set down his coffee. He then undid the wrist watch around his arm and held it out in front of Cortex during his techno babble. He did a bit of thinking before hand and figured this neat little gadget of his would be perfect for such occasion.
He went quiet suddenly when those crazed eyes of his scanned over the device held before him. Again, he cautiously took the item from the strange round creature. Without much interaction, Cortex had a good feeling of what it was. He tapped the display a few times and looked upon it was curious eyes. His somber gaze appeared to be lightened by it.
"Yes." He stated again, "Yes, this could do. There seems to be enough for me to work with." He interacted with the software some more, looking through functions of it before speaking again, "You saved me some work to do. I'm impressed."
He wasn't.
"Wakka!" Pac-Man spoke up with an upbeat noise. He was feeling pretty darn good about the whole plan. It took him a moment to notice the the man's gaze at him. He really couldn't read his expression. One of his furry black brows was raised and it looked like his eye was going to burn through him. At least that's what he got. Pac laughed a bit before waving off the odd feeling and adding a few more wakas into the air.
What had this blasted thing just said? He had no clue. It certainly wasn't an ancient tongue. Nothing remotely close to it back home. This would be an obstacle for him. At least, if it weren't for the fact that he was a super genius.
"Now this will require some work on your end too. You are able to understand instructions so this shouldn't be too hard for you." There was a sting to his words that the pac-hero was keen to pick up on. His smile fell a slight bit but he didn't react otherwise. "I will send you a list of words and phrases to say. Record them onto this and bring it back to me when you are done. You will know when I am done with my work. We will be in touch."
Cortex had spun around during his parting words to dig through his desk. In a drawer that was filled with an assortment of different tools, he had pulled out an audio recorder. It was a simple gray brick with the basic functions on it: play, pause, record, forward, and rewind. He had used it during his working time to note down any ideas he had and a few of his evil monologues that he was sure to erase afterward. Wouldn't want those slipping into the wrong hands. The chair spun back around to face his newest test subject and placed the recorder in his hand.
Pac-Man looked it over for a bit before looking up to his instructor and nodded. Sounded simple enough. He could surely handle that. He took a swig of his coffee before letting out his version of a thank you to the doctor as he turned to exit the man's laboratory.
"Gah..." He exhaled, visibly slumping into his chair. This good guy talk was exhausting. For nearly a minute he laid there before sitting up and turning back to his work station. He looked over to the watch and thought over his plans. There was bound to be some supplies he could dig out of somewhere. Going to ask someone else for parts was out of the question. Couldn't have them interfering. Tired eyes wandered across the desk towards the coffee that he had set down a bit ago. While his hesitation to drink it before was still there, he reasoned that it was unnecessary. That... thing didn't seem to be a threat. Perhaps that smile did make his skin crawl a bit but it didn't seem to be onto him or anything. Stretching out one of his wicked hands, he took hold of the cup and raised it to take a sip.
"...Hm."
It was black. His favorite.
"Mmm... world domination..."
Knock-knock-knock.
"Yyyes... estroy the bandicoot..."
.
.
.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
"Hmm, wha-what!"
The scientist suddenly jolted himself away and swiveled his head around to look about the room. He gave several slow blinks, telling the sandman to take a hike and regaining himself. Letting out a sigh, he readjusted himself in his chair and looked at his monitor. The time of 9 AM shined back at him.
"Bah, must he show up so early?"
He raised himself from his seat and walked around to face his door. It now laid quiet in his his little laboratory. He caught his reflection looking back at him in the metal casing of invention that he had thrown against the wall late one night in another fit of frustration. He felt his temper return to him before a sleepy reminder of the visitor floated by. Deciding against his fury, a moment was taking to look over himself and adjusted his hair.
Cortex grabbed ahold of the door handle as a quick flurry of thoughts flooded through his head. Why was he doing this again? What would he gain? Why would he waste his precious time on such cretins? Would any of this really matter? And more importantly, what was he going to do for lunch? He had neglected to eat last night as he was in manic state piecing together his latest invention.
Taking in a deep breath, Cortex waved a hand up as he threw his head back then let it out. Time to pull the good guy act again. He took his gloved hand and pulled open the door.
“Well well well, look who it is. Good morning, my frie-.”
Bright and early one man was already up ready to get his day started. Pac-Man widely swung his front door open and hopped out. The morning artificial sun was currently battling with his shining smile for who was the brightest.
Pac-Man dug a hand around in his pocket and let his eyes wander up to the sky as searched around in his inventory. A few good moments of the jingling of metal and a few miscellaneous blips passed before pulled a face could’ve produced a light bulb above him. Out he pulled a folded up paper which he quickly flipped open. He reread the note while a rhythm began to pick up under his feet.
I have seen your flyer. I would be interested in helping you. Meet me on the top floor of building eight.
-Dr Neo Cortex
He was taken aback slightly at how fast someone responded. Part of him thought there would be enough going on but he wasn’t going to hesitate with an offer like this. Stashing the note away, Pac stretched out his legs and thought about where to start this morning. He was feeling like a nice big orange this morning. Maybe he would later visit that new tea house later. Heard they made some good dumplings there. Feeling limbered up, he took off down the path to get the most important meal of the day.
The door opened up to leave the two yellow men staring back at each other. Cortex’s words fell much like his height at end. Pac-Man stared back with bewilderment although his face would look more neutral than anything.
“What am I looking at here?”
There was an awkward moment of silence with the only noticeable thing being the smell of coffee from the two cups that yellow ball was holding. The doctor suddenly spoke up,
“Ahem... My apologies. I, uh, didn’t get much sleep last night.”
He was quick to cover himself up. Pac-Man smirked a bit, knowing the experience all too well.
“But yes! Please, come in.”
The doctor's den had been almost entirely fitted into a make-shift lab. Tall metal machines lined a good portion of the walls decorated with bright buttons and a jumble of different screens. They made a audible humming noise almost as if they were delighted to be within the presence of their operator. Various lights would flash on and off from time to time where the monitors mostly stayed blank. Some of the machinery looked to be in good condition but for the most part it looked like some had picked through a junk pile and assembled everything from said junk. Nonetheless, the machines were alive and going through their programmed actions. On the far end of the room was a large monitor that was nearly twice the size of the doctor himself. A mystery it was as to how he could've brought such a thing up here. It let off a green glow as various lines of text were displayed upon. The green characters were tightly packed and spanned across the screen line after line. It bathed the area below in bright green where laid a rather miserable-looking keyboard and a beast of a computer tower. They were supported by an old rusted metal desk. The dark teal paint that once coated it was peeling off at alarming rates. It had a slot in the middle for the the madman's swivel chair and two filing cabinets attached to each side. One was partially open and has a mess of wires trailing down to the ground and snaking their way off behind the desk.
Pac-Man carefully stepped inside and looked above at the myriad of cables and wires that were hung from the ceiling. Some of them had these little cylindrical glass bulbs that would occasionally glow a light blue before going dark. It reminded him of Orson and his machines. Ors was super smart and would likely have a field day here.
While Pac-Man was staring at the mechanical works in awe, Cortex shuffled around behind him towards his computer, swiping a hand across his keyboard in a quick motion. The monitor above almost instantly became blank but still awake. He took a seat in his chair and took a moment for himself. That yellow one was a strange one. He had no idea what to think of it. It possessed some intelligence as it was able to understand him and even write back to him. It could follow instructions properly, too. He raised massive head and looked at this cold reflection in the screen above. Neither of them knew what to think.
"Now then,"
Pac-Man turned his gaze away from the blinking lights above him and towards the chair that had spun around to face him.
"You said you were looking to have a translator made?"
He rested his elbows on the arm-rest of the chair and crossed his fingers, letting his bearded chin rest upon them.
The yellow ball smiled and walked over to him. Pac had forgotten earlier but extended one of the coffees to the doctor. Cortex eyed him carefully for a moment before slowly reaching for it and taking hold of it. It was warm to the touch, even through his thick yellow gloves. He looked down to the lid where steam was rising and back to the ball man. Pac-Man was still smiling at him.
"Oh, er... th-thank you." Cortex said, rather awkwardly. The friendliness of this one was putting his mind on edge. He spun his chair around a bit and reached back to place the coffee onto his desk.
"But back to business," he sharply stated, "this will not come easily. I will require some things. For one, a speech synthesis module. Some circuitry, on-board relayers, an audio recorder..."
While the Cortex was busy listing out his needs, Pac turned a bit and spotted a spot to set down his coffee. He then undid the wrist watch around his arm and held it out in front of Cortex during his techno babble. He did a bit of thinking before hand and figured this neat little gadget of his would be perfect for such occasion.
He went quiet suddenly when those crazed eyes of his scanned over the device held before him. Again, he cautiously took the item from the strange round creature. Without much interaction, Cortex had a good feeling of what it was. He tapped the display a few times and looked upon it was curious eyes. His somber gaze appeared to be lightened by it.
"Yes." He stated again, "Yes, this could do. There seems to be enough for me to work with." He interacted with the software some more, looking through functions of it before speaking again, "You saved me some work to do. I'm impressed."
He wasn't.
"Wakka!" Pac-Man spoke up with an upbeat noise. He was feeling pretty darn good about the whole plan. It took him a moment to notice the the man's gaze at him. He really couldn't read his expression. One of his furry black brows was raised and it looked like his eye was going to burn through him. At least that's what he got. Pac laughed a bit before waving off the odd feeling and adding a few more wakas into the air.
What had this blasted thing just said? He had no clue. It certainly wasn't an ancient tongue. Nothing remotely close to it back home. This would be an obstacle for him. At least, if it weren't for the fact that he was a super genius.
"Now this will require some work on your end too. You are able to understand instructions so this shouldn't be too hard for you." There was a sting to his words that the pac-hero was keen to pick up on. His smile fell a slight bit but he didn't react otherwise. "I will send you a list of words and phrases to say. Record them onto this and bring it back to me when you are done. You will know when I am done with my work. We will be in touch."
Cortex had spun around during his parting words to dig through his desk. In a drawer that was filled with an assortment of different tools, he had pulled out an audio recorder. It was a simple gray brick with the basic functions on it: play, pause, record, forward, and rewind. He had used it during his working time to note down any ideas he had and a few of his evil monologues that he was sure to erase afterward. Wouldn't want those slipping into the wrong hands. The chair spun back around to face his newest test subject and placed the recorder in his hand.
Pac-Man looked it over for a bit before looking up to his instructor and nodded. Sounded simple enough. He could surely handle that. He took a swig of his coffee before letting out his version of a thank you to the doctor as he turned to exit the man's laboratory.
"Gah..." He exhaled, visibly slumping into his chair. This good guy talk was exhausting. For nearly a minute he laid there before sitting up and turning back to his work station. He looked over to the watch and thought over his plans. There was bound to be some supplies he could dig out of somewhere. Going to ask someone else for parts was out of the question. Couldn't have them interfering. Tired eyes wandered across the desk towards the coffee that he had set down a bit ago. While his hesitation to drink it before was still there, he reasoned that it was unnecessary. That... thing didn't seem to be a threat. Perhaps that smile did make his skin crawl a bit but it didn't seem to be onto him or anything. Stretching out one of his wicked hands, he took hold of the cup and raised it to take a sip.
"...Hm."
It was black. His favorite.