Cake

Note: The last chunk of the former "Double Date"; after "Safe" and "Sync"
Date/Timing: 8 January 2019
Setting: Jaeger simulator, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
Chuck stares at his crossword, wills the grid to sharpen.
"She hasn't moved this well since the Academy," says D'onofrio.
"And definitely not when she was Drifting with the triplets," adds Lightcap.
"Plural? They switched?"
"Unless Cadet 'Wei Cheung' had three distinct neural architectures, you're telling me they didn't?" Lightcap drops her head back. "I /really wanna put them in a Conn-pod."
Chuck grinds his teeth audibly.
"Calm down, Hansen," D'onofrio huffs. "She's not gonna steal your copilot."
Chuck grumbles.
"Would you relax if we got you some cake?"
Chuck lifts his head, snaps, "/No."
D'onofrio rolls his eyes.
Lightcap sighs wistfully at the monitor, opens the mic. "That's enough, you two. Unhook yourselves."
Pietr blinks at the window to the control room.
.::You're done,:: says Chuck. ::Come back.::
Thumbs up!
Off with the squid cap.
Time for a chair.
Check on Kirra—oozing toward the floor!
Pietr tucks himself under her arm and half-carries her into the control room. 
D'onofrio drags over a chair with a piece of cake, pauses, takes the plate off the chair, pauses again, and slides over the chair.
Kirra sags and Pietr lets her slump down.
Pietr leans, shoulders slouched, against a console.
"Cake," says D'onofrio, depositing the plate in Kirra's lap. "Raise your blood sugar, Monkey."
She goes for the fork.
The fork goes clattering to the ground.
Kirra leans down after it—
Pietr saves the cake from being smeared across her front, snags the fork, hip-nudges Kirra out of a topple.
"Huh," says Lightcap. "Hey, Chuck?"
Chuck inches closer. "Yea?"
"Code Monkey Chuck."
Chuckold stabs cake. "I'm here ...." Chews.
"Do you smell—or taste—anything weird? Burnt toast, lilacs?"
She leans toward Pietr.
He nudges her back upright.
"Fairy floss?" Chews.
"Fairy floss? This is so /cool! Your brain's gone /completely haywire!"
Stabs. "That's nice." Chews.
Pietr shoos Chuck away.
He scowls.
"In a good way! All the new connections you made during recovery've tied bits to pieces that normally aren't!"
Stabs. "I like fairy floss." Chews.
Pietr frowns and waves, 'stop looming!'.
"D'you remember when?"
Chuck sulks back to his crossword.
Stabs. "Some point." Chuckold flops her flops her hand.
Cake plops to the floor.
Chuckold looks like she's going to cry.
Chuck snorts.
"This is awesome! Think we have time for an MRI?"
Pietr reminds Kirra of cake.
She brightens; a stab and she starts tilting again.
"One project at a time, Cait. AGNIS, don't let Cait work on more than one project, please." 
""I will not allow Doctor Lightcap the resources to work on multiple projects,"" replies AGNIS, devoting more attention to the contents of the Jaeger simulation suite.
I-PVOS_991.440-A corrects S-CDAR_533.480-G course toward the floor.
""But brains!""
""Go unlock Universal Compatibility,"" prompts R-SDON_410.31-F.
R-CLIG_250.140-T sighs, ""Time?""
CDAR ingests dessert.
""Thirteen hours.""
""Plenty of time to put Pietr in an MRI!""
""I don't think we have one here,"" P-CHAN_512.66-D points out.
CDAR stabs.
""Monkey!""
""I like cake.""
""Find me a hospital with an available MRI!""
CDAR ingests dessert.
PVOS eases the plate away.
CDAR fumbles for a tablet.
CLIG whirls.
""You're not claustrophobic, are you Pietr?""
He shakes his head.
""Perfect. Go, Team DriftSci!""
""Go eat, this is a good idea.""
""But the MRI ....""
""Monkey, text me when you find one,"" says SDON.
""Monkey when I text one.""
""Pietr, Ducky Chuck—""
""/Seriously?""
""You're off the hook 'til then.""
PVOS displays a brief, positive agreement, and offers CDAR a course correction.
""But I can run—""
""To the cafeteria. Bye, guys. C'mon, Cait.""
""But--""
""Eleven, I will lock you out of the system if I have to!""
""But-but-but—!""
""That's it, I'm locking you out."" SDON looks at the console with trepidation. ""Now, how do I lock this thing ...""
"By asking me, obviously," says AGNIS.
""Riiiiight.""
""Traitor,"" mutters CLIG.
""Will you lock Eleven out, please?""
AGNIS disables R-CLIG_250.140-T's access. "Doctor Lightcap is no longer permitted to use DriftSci's network."
""Thank you.""
""I regret suggesting that patch!""
""Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, five hours from now,"" CDAR mumbles. 
AGNIS boosts speaker levels. 
""That was kinda fast,"" challenges CHAN.
""Internet. Shatterdome. 'Sure, we'll take your Mark V Ranger.' Easy."" CDAR makes what AGNIS can only describe as "grabby hands" for the dessert.
PVOS gives it back.
""I learned it from Tang Min."" Ingests dessert.
CHAN queries.
PVOS replies with regrettable ignorance. 
""She taught me, 'you say 'Shatterdome', people'll do all sorts of things for you."" Stabs. ""Like send shoes home. Or bash yer skull in."" Ingests dessert. ""Oh. Hafta text—"" Fumbles at the pocket wherein she keeps her COMMUNICATOR.
AGNIS notes this clumsiness and makes a record in S-CDAR_533.480-G's recovery file. 
PVOS offers his COMMUNICATOR. 
CDAR reacts positively and accepts— 
PVOS holds it just out of her reach—
AGNIS sets it to vibrating. 
PVOS looks at the screen. 
AGNIS: Please return Officer Darling's cake. I will inform Ranger D'onofrio. 
Pietr beams, presses his nose to his mobile, and returns Kirra's cake. 
She stabs.
Tips again.
Pietr nudges her back upright.
Nothing.
He leans away—just a bit—and pokes Chuck; tilts his head toward his other side.
Chuck glances across Pietr, snorts.
Kirra's fast asleep against Pietr's thigh.
He offers his mobile.
- Drugged cake? -
Chuck grins and nods. "Lightcap had some, too."
- Do now? -
Chuck's face falls, realizing they're kinda stuck.
- Pokemon? -
He rolls his eyes, stands up anyway. "Nerd."
- Copilot -
Go, Team DriftSci! arc: (Hypothetical) | Pons Made of Garbage | A Distinct Lack of Caffeine | Highest | Grooming | Plushie | Interface | Safe | Sync | Cake | Aye, Aye, AGNIS | Exclusion | Jockeying | Sleepytime | Go, Team DriftSci! | Go! | Up | Rubber and Glue | (Go Over) 
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