7/1 Instance: Update!

[puppygirl]

Timeline - A day or so after 'Intermission X'

Eddie stumbled into the lounge and crashed on the couch, face down. He mumbled tiredly into the cushions, slowly and noisily turning over, inspecting a stopwatch in his hand: how the hell did it take him an hour to get into the city and just under two to get back?

'Time Trials'...the worst thing since 'Escort Missions'.

"Mom, mom, momma, Liebste Mutti," Darren walked into the lounge, apparently talking to himself, "No offence but it's my wedding, I can wear a white suit if I wanna ... 'cos white suits are badass, that's why ... mutti ... mutti, you know I don't have to worry about stains ... Ja I know mom ..." he waved at Eddie in greeting.

Eddie replied with a lazy wave of his hand and leaned back with a groan, eyes half closed. Wait: 'white suit'? "White s-...", he half-asked Darren, realizing he was busy....on...a...phone call?

Darren chose that point to do probably one of the most disconcerting things possible, and hold two conversations at once. The volume of his voice dropped and a second voice, his more mechanical techno-organic one just seemed to emerge from him, completely out of sync with his lips.

"I'm talking to my mom," he told Eddie, "I'm my own phone."

Eddie's tired eyes widened. "You c-...", he shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing surprises me any more. Nothing.", he took to amusing himself with his own phone in the interval. 'Angry Birds', then talk to Darren.

The human voice had switched into complete German, speaking quickly, "Ahhh ... so young, yet so jaded," Darren chuckled, "You all right man, you look a lil wasted."

"I'm just a little...no, yeah: wasted's the word.", Eddie agreed, ending his App. "I'm trying to test my speed; by rights it should take me less than two hours to get to the city and back but...actually, maybe this is a stupid test! I should be seeing how fast I can travel ten blocks in the city."

"Yeah, that sounds right," Darren nodded, "how you should be testing I mean ... the question I have to ask is 'why do you care'?"

"Speed!", Eddie announced, sitting up. "Speed is key! If I'm just a few moments too late, someone dies in-transit.", he looked at Darren. "For example: the woman I carried to the hospital, if she was shot in the chest and I was too late..."

... Ah ... "Mom, I'm gonna have to call you back in a few, okay? Yeah, love you too mom. Bye. Bye." He hung up and then took a seat next to Eddie, "You're really getting into this hero stuff, huh?" He smiled.

Eddie nodded, moving along. "I just think I should be at the top of my game if I'm really serious about this...", he confessed. "There's also a few things I'm doing in preparation, you know, aside from training..."

"What sorta things aside from physical training?" Darren asked gently.

"Well...I'm researching tranqs.", Eddie explained. "Just light injections that might stop me if I get too...you know...'carried away'."

Darren nodded, "Yeah, that sounds sensible ... have you gone to Dai as well, man?"

"I'm visiting her once a week.", Eddie replied, "Haven't been just yet, need to go soon. I'm also planning to use the DR at some point to test my limits..."

"Actually...", Eddie added, "Does your schizophrenic ex still control it down there?"

Darren had been planning to pass on his wisdom and experience in the fact that you had to resign yourself to the fact that no matter how good or fast you were, sometimes you just physically couldn't save people ... but that last comment blew him out of the water, "... My wha'? ... You mean Danger?"

"Dude she is NOT my ex! Well ... she is in as much as she's my ex-stalker ..." Reed ... he would forever hold a soft spot in his heart for bubblegum boy's diverting of crazy cylon lady's attention.

"Yeah, 'Number Six'.", Eddie answered, slightly confused. "...you never dated, did you? Sorry, I just assumed...you know, 'cause she was all 'Let. Us. Be. One. Will. Robbinson.'."

"And I was like 'Hell. No. Have. Girlfriend." Darren shook his head, "But to answer your question, she is still queen of all she surveys down there, yep."

Eddie nodded, pondering to himself. "You think she'd intentionally kill me?"

"Only if you pissed her off and then took the safety off the room, why," he gave Eddie a sideways look, "... What have you done, oil-slick?"

"I haven't done anything!", Eddie protested, "Nor do I intend to! Last I saw her she was a little too 'tin-man' to prompt a 'reaction', if you catch my drift...", he looked at Darren with a smirk for a moment.

"...no? Not doing it for you?", Eddie asked, squirming awkwardly.

"No, absolutely not," Darren cocked a brow at him, "So ... why are you asking if she'll try and kill you or not?"

"My test is to see how much pressure I can endure in a situation before losing it...", Eddie replied. "Basically, if I come up with a threshold for use of my power over time, I know when's best to abstain from power usage or to dope myself with a tranq."

"The last thing I need when testing my limit is a computer deciding to go megalomaniac..."

"Ahh ..." that made a bit more sense, "That's just simply a case of defining the parameters of the safety program ... umm ... are you any good at programming computers?"

"No.", Eddie answered simply.

"... Okay never mind, just makes life a little more difficult for you, but basically we'll have to write a program for you, so that the DR can monitor your vitals and know when you’re about to hit your limit before tendril barrage death strikes ... though I say we, I mean me, unless we can talk Reed or Doug into doing it," he grinned.

"Aha...", Eddie smirked. "Makes sense. I think you should do it, you make me feel safe(!)". He raised his finger, "Cha-anging the subject: a 'white suit'? Dude, two things: One, it'd be totally lame compared to a RED suit (- black shirt optional tie), and Two, why?"

"I might get Doug to help though, it'll be good practice," Darren gave a happy grin at the second question, "... You really have to ask?" He looked at the guy for a couple of moments, "... Wait, you don't know?"

Eddie shrugged, with a goofy looking 'should I?' face.

"Dude! How did you not know! I thought everyone did!" He laughed, "I'm making an honest woman of Sel in a couple of months time ... or rather she's making an honest amorphic sentient mass of me."

Eddie's face remained as he processed the information. "OH!", he finally said, "You're getting married!? Damnit! I always figured I'd get married first...", he joked, nudging Darren. "Megaman, you lucked out! Who popped the question?"

"I did ... I didn't plan it or nothing it just sorta ... came out and she said yes sooo ... yeah, wedding bells are a-ringin'," Darren had a happy, goofy smile on his face.

"D'aww, that's so cute!", Eddie all but squeed. "Look at you! Being all 'Nuclear Family'! I couldn't think of any robots or vampires who'd go together like you two do.", he smirked.

"I...have plans myself, actually...", Eddie said, looking away shiftily.

Darren laughed, "Plans huh? What sorta plans?"

"Well...", Eddie straightened himself up, "I've got a date with someone: A girl. She's a freelance journalist. Hell, she started a fanclub about me!"

"... Screwball? You're going on a date with Screwball?" Darren laughed again, oh that was so cute, ha! "Word of advice, don't start talking about marriage on the first date, either you'll scare her off or you'll wake up in a Vegas wedding chapel."

"Duh, obviously!", Eddie defended, sighing. "And yes, Screwball. She's totally cute and...well, she's affectionate! I like that."

"Oh, I'm not saying she's not a nice person or anything, hell she's got everyone doing charity work and stuff just ... you're dating the queen of your own fanclub?" He started to snicker, "That's just so ... damn cute dude."

"'Cute'?", Eddie blushed a little, "Jackass...you're just jealous that she made me a fanclub, and not you!", he cut his eye at Darren, which quickly turned to looking concerned. "Do you think she's psychotic? I really like her for some reason: is it a trap? Do you think I'm still rebounding?"

"I don't need a fanclub," Darren said gleefully, "And who would you be rebounding from? ... As for Screwball ... apart from probably needing some Ritalin she seems pretty level to me ... if she's psycho anything it's psychotically happy."

Eddie gave Darren a disapproving look. "I've been rejected every time I've asked a girl out for the last...God, I don't even remember how long! Not to mention my knack of getting into trouble seems to be at an all-time high! OF course I'm nervous..."

"Oh, God. I'm actually nervous. Me! ME!"

Darren laughed, "Well I'd say just try and relax and be yourself, Slick, can't really offer anything more than that since there's only ever been one girl for me, you'll be fine so long as you don't expect too much from it."

"You're right.", Eddie took a deep breath. "It's not like she's my 'soulmate' or whatever...anyway, more to the point, when's the wedding for you? Can I wear a red suit?"

"Pfft, dude, it's Selene and me getting wed, you could probably turn up in a toilet paper toga if you wanted." Darren joked.

"Note to self: Toilet Toga is 'GO'.", Eddie joked back. "Right, I'd stick around but my 'leet-o-clock' job-hunting round begins in five. I'll have to catch up with you later.", he winked, standing up.

"I'll get to work on that program for you dude, take care, and remember you need to be honourable now and not accept kiss tokens from fair young maidens you rescue, since you're wooin' the fair Screwball."

"Alas, life is so very cruel...", Eddie said, dramatically and mirthfully as he glided away. "If I get her? Win. If I don't? Eligible bridesmaids...."

With that, Eddie left.