Chapter Text
The labs halls were fairly quiet except for the soft click clacking of a keyboard echoing down the dim corridors. The origin of the sound had been having to stay late these past few nights to finish up on a rather important project. It almost seemed like he had not been sitting there long, at least until one looked at the towering stack of empty styrofoam coffee cups. Though thankfully none of the many cups had spilled anywhere. The slight tremble to the scientist’s rather pale hands betrays just how long he had actually been working on this project. Especially with the dark heavy bags, standing out under his light blue eyes. The skin on his forehead crinkles slightly as his brows scrunch together, eyes darting around the bright screen.
His left hand drifts from the keyboard, just long enough to grab hold of his most recent cup. Though its dark, disgusting contents have long since gone cold. Without breaking eye contact with the scrolling numbers on the screen, he latched onto the cup with practiced ease. Not spilling a drop as he takes a long drag of the awful substance within. He had long since grown used to the bitter taste and harsh smell of the instant coffee. He rarely had time to brew an actual cup anymore, instead going for the quick option. Which unfortunately for him meant sacrificing taste. The price that's paid for genius. Tired eyes scan the lines of calculations again, before he finally taps the enter key. His whole body slumps over, like the strings holding his body upright had been suddenly cut. A weary sigh slips past his lips, legs moving to stand as he finally gets up out of his office chair to stretch his limbs.
He lifts his arms up above his head, interlocking the fingers and starts moving the hands back. A series of satisfying pops come from his back as he stretches out the stiff limbs. Eyes drift over to take a glance at the clock perched on the edge of his desk, blinking dumbly at it for a moment. Since when had it turned to three seventeen? The last time he checked the time it was still nine o'clock. He had promised that he wouldn't work more than a couple of hours on the project. Especially since the last time he had done something like this, it had ended with him working two straight days before collapsing at his desk. The morning cleaning crew had been the ones to find him a couple hours later. Jamie had even taken away his coffee maker key until he had gotten a ‘suitable amount’ of sleep. Though he had ended up sleeping for three whole days afterwards once he had finally decided to listen to Jamie. Even if he doesn't like it, she does occasionally make a decent point. Although that would never be spoken to her face, that woman can be quite scary when she thinks he's being stupid about something.
His fingers hit the Ctrl + S keys on the keyboard to save his progress. Before hitting the eject button and putting the computer in sleep mode. Pocketing the USB stick that was in the computer, he finally leaves the quiet lab. Well worn shoes tap across the cold metallic floors. Maybe he should take a bit of time to work on some of his more personal projects, after all the VARIS could use a bit more work. The firing times between rounds during the last check on the Lancelot had been slower than usual. Yes, that would surely be a more productive use of his time. The sensors could also be recalibrated again. When was the last time that was done?
As his mind falls further into its own thoughts and calculations, his feet find themselves changing direction towards his office. He is going to be needing more coffee for this. The numbers and ideas churn away as his legs steadily increase their speed, the open edges of his coat flying behind him. The adaptations he'd made for the slash harkens could also use some improvement. It has been a couple of weeks since he has been able to work on them. It especially wouldn't be favorable for his little side project to also be pushed to the wayside. No, not with how everything has been going recently. There's also been a couple other projects of his that he should look into accelerating. One never knows when something could prove to be of use until it is needed.
As his mind churns away, lost in a deep sea of thought, his foot comes into contact with the door to his office. The metal slides open as he strides over to his desk with a single minded focus. He pays no mind to the quiet mess strewn across the wooden surface. There is work that needs to be done. Sitting down on his rather nice chair, his hands deftly moving to pick up the closest packet from the towering stack on his desk. That's right, he had almost forgotten about these. It would probably be best for him to go through all of them while he has the time. Flipping through the thick report with hand, his other moved to pick up his pen. He twirls it between his fingers as he starts working through the stack of papers. The hours blur together in a sea of paperwork and nasty cheap coffee. He knows that the door got opened at some point and part of the finished stack had gotten picked up. But it wasn't too important to actually pull his attention away from his work. Once the stack of neglected paperwork had been dealt with, his fingers pulled out the folders for one of his little side projects. He still needed to figure out a better way for the release mechanism to work, as the current version was too clunky for practical use. It also tended to stick a bit too much for his liking. There also had to be a way for the weight and force to be more evenly distributed. Mostly so that using it wouldn't just pull off some poor fools arms from the force. Maybe by adjusting the harness? Yes, that should work.
His eyes burn as he suddenly blinks, pen pausing midair. How long had he been sitting here for? His eyes scan the rather empty room as he stretches out. The bones make a rather satisfying popping noise as he lifts his arms above his head. His eyes are drawn to the plate on his desk. A single sandwich wrapped in wax paper sits innocently on its surface. Next to it is a familiar metal bottle covered in various knightmare frame stickers. Someone must have brought it in at some point while he was working. Unwrapping the sandwich, he takes a moment to actually check the time. Fingers gently fold the paper wrapping up, slipping it into his coat pocket. He should make sure it gets properly disposed of later. Leaning down slightly, he opens the drawer where he keeps the only clock in his office. The bright blue numbers from its face burn into his retinas as soon as he glances at it. He quickly shuts the drawer again, blinking the phantom blue eight out of his vision. Doing some quick math, that was almost fifteen hours if his memory serves him right. He hadn't realized that he had taken that long of a break. Well, might as well get back to what he was supposed to be doing. It should be fine if he goes back to working on the project now. Sandwich clutched between his teeth, he scoops up all of the papers on his desk and places them into the bottom drawer where they belong. Making sure that it's properly locked, and placing the small key back under his shirt. Standing back up, he finishes the sandwich in a couple of bites. Doing another once over of the room, he makes sure to pick up the bottle on his way out the door.
His trusty feet carry him back down the hall, taking the same path as he had a couple hours ago. They stumbled slightly a couple of times before he managed to find his footing. It should be fine. Though the shadows did seem to be moving more weirdly than normal. But that wasn’t important right now. No, what was important was running the simulations for the work he had just completed earlier. This project needed to be finished within the week. It wouldn't do if the upgrades for the Lancelot had to be delayed, again. No, his prized invention failing due to not properly checking everything first before installing it is unacceptable. That just wouldn’t do.
Entering the lab, he easily made his way over to his computer. It wasn’t all that hard to spot. What with the amount of loose papers and colorful sticky notes covering almost every available inch of its metal surface. He should really take the time to clean it up after this. Leaning over, he presses the button to wake the trusty machine from its slumber. Sliding the USB stick out of his pocket, he inserts it into the port on the first try. A big green loading bar pops up on the screen, causing him to let out a loud sigh. Of course. His head moves down slightly while he blankly stares at the bar. Soft fabric innocently rolls between his teeth while he catalogs what needs to get done. There are so many things that need his attention.
The welcoming chime of the computer finishing its loading sequence causes him to look up. His foot goes still and the edge of his sweater drops from his mouth as his attention is enraptured by the glowing screen. Moving closer, his leg hooks around the leg of his spinny chair. With one smooth motion he pulls the chair closer as he sits down in it. He cracks his knuckles and gets to work. Fingers deftly fly across the keys, as he moves the chair slightly so that he could sit closer to the screen. Finally he hits the enter key, watching the new progress bar load as the machine behind the computer churns to life. This machine had been brought out of storage specifically for this project. It was a rather clunky thing, with its large moving magnets and rough exterior. It looked similar to a C.A.T. machine, just larger and more tube shaped with a hatch door. The thing was rather inefficient, constantly needing its sensors recalibrated and its wires reconnected whenever one managed to work itself loose. Which, of course, was halfway through almost every test. He was brought out of his musings by his computer letting out a loud beeping noise, having ‘finished’ running the test. His lip quirks up slightly. Finally, something worthwhile. Though the slight joy doesn't last long as a rather harsh frown overtakes his features. That wasn't right. No, the numbers were all wrong. He scans back through the imputed equations. Everything looks fine, but the end result still isn't matching up. Pulling back for a moment, he goes to check the calculations in his notebook. Taking it out from its place tucked away under the monitor, he begins to flip through the countless pages of calculations.
Double checking the screen again, the numbers still were not adding up correctly. He scanned through it all for the third time, and despite the fact that everything else was correct. The output numbers were still coming back wrong. His feet pushed against the leg of the desk, moving his chair back enough for him to smoothly stand up. Of course his legs wobbled slightly before he was able to stabilize himself and the edges of his vision blurred just slightly. But it shouldn't be a problem right now. It could be dealt with later when he wasn't so busy. His shoes cracked against the floor as he walked with purpose towards the offending equipment. Maybe something was just wrong with the sensors again. Shouldn’t be more than a quick check, nothing he couldn't just do himself. Quicker than calling someone else to do it for sure.
He stops in front of the machine. The long tube-like structure with its blinking lights and smooth plating. He presses a button to make it go back into standby mode. Though he's not wearing any of the correct safety gear, he does know that you're supposed to turn off a machine before working on it. Even if it's just a simple check. It takes a handful of minutes for the machine to power down and enter its idle mode. Its fans whir and whine as they start the cooling process. That shouldn't be too much of a problem right now. No reason to wait for everything to fully cool down when it's just a quick check to make sure everything is plugged in properly. He should also recalibrate the sensors. Especially since he couldn't remember when that had last been done. His hands pop open the back paneling as his eyes scan over the numerous wires and pipes inside of the cavity. His left hand moves forward to turn over one of the closer connectors, checking to see if it's plugged in properly.
The machine lets out a loud groan. Pausing in place, eyes dart up to the pipes in the top of the cavity. If he remembers right they are supposed to carry some sort of fluid. Though he can't remember right now if these are the ones for the coolant or for something else. Either way a bit of creaking as the machine cooled back down wasn't out of the ordinary. He would have to get someone else to look at it if the noises got much louder though. It wouldn't do if something broke down again due to improper care. His brows furrowed slightly as he turned his attention back to checking the wiring again. Everything looks fine here. Maybe the sensors really did just need recalibrated again? He mutters slightly under his breath as his arm moves further into the depths of the machine's cavity. The other hand moved to better brace himself on the metal frame. It wouldn't do if he fell in after all.
A loud creaking sound is his only warning before hot searing agony engulfs his hand. One of the metal pipes from above crashing down with the force of a sledge hammer onto it. He can feel the small bones snap under the pressure. The burning heat from the pipe just making everything worse. His eyes well up with tears that cloud his vision.
Who is making that awful noise?