[CLOSED] Holographic projection

[picksthenames]

WHO: Cisco and M (and Dragprawn)
WHERE: M's apartment
WHEN: mid April
WHAT: Cisco rigs up a holographic battle arena for Dragprawn
WARNINGS: robot violence? idk

[ Cisco had needed a project to keep him occupied as he kept looking for a job that better suited his needs. Turns out that rigging up a holographic battle arena for a knock off Pokémon was exactly the kind of project he needed. He started by building the holographic projectors he would need to create an arena similar to the fight club he'd created for training back home. Then he modified a roomba into a battlebot of his own and programmed some holographic attacks for it to do. Without direct access to the code the imPocreats used, he can't be sure it'll work for Dragprawn, but he's eager to test it.

Finally, a month and a half later, he's ready to try. He texts M to tell him he's got the tech ready to install, and waits for a magic door to show up. ]

Comments

[heliophilic]

The "magic Door" shows up several seconds later, sent pretty much the second M reads the message. He's standing in the main room when Cisco comes in, leaning against the back of the couch. Dragprawn, the shrimp of the hour, is curled up around his shoulders, eyeing the newcomer but not making a move to attack.]

I'd say that I'm surprised you actually went through with it, but that would be a disservice to your mind once you get an idea in it.

[picksthenames]

[ Cisco will never get used to the whole magic door thing. He steps through into M's apartment, carrying a duffel bag full of equipment. ]

You say that like you know me so well.

[ Little does he know. ]

Anyway, should I get started setting up?

[heliophilic]

[For a fraction of a second, M's expression seems to darken before it turns back to normal and he offers a small smile.]

The implants in my brain make it very easy for me to predict someone's movements.

[He nods, motioning towards the corner of his apartment with the barn door on a track. The door's pushed away from the opening, revealing a full-length floor-to-ceiling mirror across the length of the wall. The room was once set up as a boxing gym, once upon a time, though now M's cleared out most of the equipment. There's still a punching bag propped up in the corner with a pair of boxing gloves, but everything else is a wide-open space.]

I've been told I make a wonderful grunt in these situations if you need an extra pair of hands.

[picksthenames]

Right. [ Because that sounds like the most plausible explanation.

Anyway, Cisco goes over into the other room and sets his duffel down, unzipping it to remove the holographic projection equipment. He sets up the stage, with projection units at ten foot increments, surrounding the center of the room. That set, he starts laying cable between them. ]

You want to start plugging these bad boys in, that'd be great.

[heliophilic]

[M stands out of the way until Cisco needs him, trying to figure out how everything works as Cisco pulls it out of his bag. He's always had a pretty intuitive understanding of how machines worked, probably thanks to all of the ones he had in his head. When Cisco needs him, he puts Dragprawn on the ground, shaking a stuffed cow on the floor to catch the robot shrimps attention before throwing it across the room to chase. It kept the fiesty thing from interfering with Cisco's stuff... for now, at least.

Doing as he's told, he starts to dutifully plug cables in.]

Impressive work. Did you make all this from scratch, or modify something?

[picksthenames]

[ Cisco tucks his hair back behind his ear as he works, trying to keep it out of the way when he's bent over like this. ]

If we were back home, I probably could have cannibalized my pre-existing holo-tech for this, but here I haven't really got anything already built, so I started from scratch. [ The way he says it implies that it wasn't a big deal, though. He does stuff like this all the time.

Once all the cables are plugged in, completing the circle of projectors, he pulls out a tablet and hooks it up to the main projection unit, pulling up the basic training simulation he'd programmed into it. The projectors flicker to life and the space inside them becomes a well-lit blank floor, akin to a wrestling arena. He pulls the battle roomba out of the duffel as the last piece of the puzzle, and sets it down in the middle of the space. ]

I think we're ready for a test match!

[heliophilic]

I'd say it's impressive, but I'm not a fan of repeating myself. Still, it's good work.

[By the time they're finished, Dragprawn has made their reappearance, batting the cow plush across the room in an attempt to goad it into fighting back. At Cisco's declaration they stop and stare.]

Hey D... Burning bubbles.

[Dragprawn looks up at M suspicious, but raises their telson and prepares for nothing to happen... only the little red bubbles actually shoot from their mouth. As they aren't aiming at the battle!roomba, it totally doesn't count as the first move.

Dragprawn seems delighted by this development.]

I'd say they're good to go. You think your vacuum can handle it?

[picksthenames]

I think my vacuum has a few tricks up its sleeve.

[ He didn't think to program voice commands into it, so he pulls out his tablet and starts remotely booting up the battlebot. Little rows of LEDs blink on and it spins in place, scanning the area around it. It sees Dragprawn in its field of vision and rolls over to sit posed and ready to attack it. ]

Ladies and gentlemen! [ Cisco calls with the voice of a WWE announcer, even though it's just him and M and the two contestants to hear. ] Are you ready for the holographic battle of a century? In this corner, an alum of the ImPocreat battle arena, we have Dragprawn!

[ Pause for nonexistent cheering. ]

And in this corner, a fresh face on the scene, we have a newcomer... Everybody clap your hands for the Roomba of Doom-ba!

[heliophilic]

[M can't help but bring his hand up to cover his face, half to hide his groan for such a bad pun name for the battle!roomba, and part to hide his ever-so-slight smile. Cisco might not remember him, might not technically be the same person as before, but it was... nice to have him back in the apartment again.]

You know we're going to have kick your ass for that name alone, right?

[picksthenames]

Yeah yeah, you're all talk. Let's get this thing started.

[ He brings up the lights in the holo-arena, and the roomba whirs at the ready. ]

[heliophilic]

[Someone went all out on this project. All for the best, it seems, as Dragprawn seems utterly delighted. They shuffle over to where the battle roomba is waiting, their antennule quivering in excitment.]

Do we want to do a coin toss or just start yelling things?

[picksthenames]

Let's start it the only proper way to start something like this.

[ He comes over, fist extended. Does he mean rock, paper, scissors? Yes, he does. ]

[heliophilic]

[M looks down at the fist and smirks. You sweet summer child.]

Oh you really are new.

[Still, he's trying to be a good sport and all.... M extends his fist as well. To be kind or ruthless?

One...

two...

three.

Scissors.]

[picksthenames]

[ Aw, dang, he threw paper. ]

Guess that means it's your go.

[heliophilic]

Burning Bubbles.

[Energized by the knowledge that their attacks will actually work now, they raise their telson and shoot out a barrage of 1000 average-looking bubbles from their mouth. Unfortunately for the battle roomba, should they connect they're practically molten.]

[picksthenames]

[ The roomba starts whirling away from the blast of bubbles, trying to dodge. Some bubbles hit, though, and the roomba beeps frantically. ]

Never mind that, hit him with your throwing stars!

[ The roomba counters by spinning in place rapidly, shooting out bright yellow stars like shuriken. ]

[heliophilic]

[Dragprawn actually seems surprised by this, as it isn't any of the moves that their fellow imPocreats can make, but after getting hit by the first several and hissing angrily, they begin frantically dodging, moving as fast as a just-shy-of-a-foot robot shrimp can.]

Biblical Wrath.

[The lights in the room seem to dim for a moment, but in actuality a slowly-growing cloud just below the projector is the cause. Once it grows to sufficient size, it begins to rain drops of sizzling blood onto everything below.

Good thing it's just a hologram, because it burns.]

[picksthenames]

Biblical--? Oh, okay, that's a thing that's happening.

[ The roomba whirls around in an attempt to dodge the blood rain, but there isn't really anywhere it can go. ]

Bring the lightning, little guy!

[ The roomba begins to spin again, bright streaks of lightning trailing from it in a circle as it does. Inspired by Barry's lightning when he runs, the roomba comes to a sudden stop, sending the lightning shooting out towards Dragprawn. ]