[EP] Frustration of a Caged Animal - OTA

[st_x5_494]

It was Max's fault, really. She had shown him what freedom looked like back home in Seattle and he had gotten used to not having to follow orders or be stuck within the confines of a complex like this. Had she just left well enough alone, he might have at least been okay with the routine here.

Deciding he needed a snack, he walked over to the vending machine filled with chocolate bars and chips and inserted a coin. Nothing happened. He pressed the retrieve button and still, nothing. He gently shook the machine and still nothing. Frustrated, Alec turned to drive his elbow into the glass to break it. Extreme? Maybe. But he was sure it would be satisfying too.

Comments

[st_arkintern]

"Hey!"

From down the hallway, Peter jogs towards Alec, his brows furrowed and his lips tugged down in an expression of disapproval. He doesn't stop until he's a foot or two away from Alec and the machine.

"You can't do that -- you're going to break it."

And Peter's not entirely sure it's gonna fix itself. As far as he knows, no one here has broken a vending machine before.

[st_x5_494]

He stopped with precision only a millimeter away from the glass and turned to look at the kid who had spoken. Alec sized him up - definitely a nerd.

"Uh, ya. That's kind of the point."

[st_arkintern]

"Do you think that's the best way to handle things?"

Peter gives Alec A Look and then digs into his pocket for some loose change. He slips in a few coins and then punches in A-3 --

-- and nothing happens.

Peter frowns at the machine. Why did it have to make him look stupid in front of this other guy? Now it was probably going to be broken, all because it didn't want to cooperate with his demonstration.

[st_x5_494]

"Yeah, no. I definitely did think to do that first. You got me." He deadpanned with a smile hiding behind his eyes.

[st_arkintern]

Peter's frown at the candy machine deepens. But he's no longer angry at the machine for not functioning -- he's frowning because it's a puzzle he's determined to figure out.

His eyes scan the machine to determine the facts:

∙ The light's still on in the machine, so it's probably not a power issue.
∙ At the time he hit the button, the little screen that showed the amount panel flashed from $0.75 to $0.00.

Peter turns to Alec.

"Just give me a few minutes to see if I can fix this through non-violent methods," Peter says. "If either one of us can't figure it out, I'll -- I'll let you use whatever methods you want to get your candy."

Even Peter's not entirely sure he can figure this out. Not without hte internet, and since the place didn't exactly have high-speed he'd just have to try and use his brain. And maybe hope Alec would lend a hand.

[st_x5_494]

He looked at the kid blankly. Looked like he might roll his eyes and then shake his head. And then suddenly he shifted his body and leaned up against the machine by his shoulder. "You'll probably want to first take a look at the processor first."

He was skilled at fixing things - all X5s were field trained to fix various mechanical objects in order to disable or complete a mission. But his expression continued to give off that dumb brute strength guy.

[st_arkintern]

"You know where the processor is in one of these things?" Peter pats the side of the machine, then looks over at Alec. "Do you know how to access it without breaking this thing completely open?"

[st_x5_494]

He watched the kid for a second. "I can probably pry off the panel without breaking the whole thing. Or you can use a screwdriver if you have one." Which didn't answer Peter's first question, but where was the fun in that?

[st_everybodylives]

"Let me," River spoke just before he was about to break the glass, or his elbow. Most human's couldn't have done that without injury so either he was in desperate need of a chocolate bar or he wasn't human.

"Be a shame to break the thing."

[st_x5_494]

He stopped on a dime, mostly because he heard a pretty voice, and turned to see an equally pretty woman. He lowered his arm and offered a charming smile. "Going to be my knight in shining armour?"

[st_everybodylives]

"The only knights I've met with shining armor hadn't been in a fight in their life." That was the only way armor stayed shining.

She pulled the Doctor's sonic out of her bag and aimed it at the vending machine. A whirring noise and whatever the young man had tried to purchase fell, then one of everything else fell.

[st_x5_494]

Alec looked back at the vending machine and his eyebrows lifted, interest piqued. He then turned back to the woman. "I have got to myself one of those."

[st_everybodylives]

"Well I took it from the creators cold dead hands," She grinned at Alec, letting the statement set in for a beat.

"Not really. I married him, so... close."

[st_x5_494]

His lips quirked at the joke. "That's one way to get what you want."

Alec eyed the device. It was something he definitely didn't recognize. "What is it, anyways?"

[st_everybodylives]

"Generally the fastest way," she agreed, tucking it back into her bag. "It's a sonic device, it uses sound waves."

Then she bent to rifle through the array of goodies in the bottom of the machine and come out with a bag of crisps.

[st_rikingblueeyes]

The whole thing about smashing glass like that was that it made a huge, horrible noise. And even further down, there was nothing quite like a show of physical force to remind a girl of when someone was a lot bigger and stronger than herself. Corbie knew she wasn't going to stop him in time, and instinctively she threw her hands up over her ears and shrieked.

[st_x5_494]

He didn't see the hands over her ears, but he turned when she shriek and then he noticed it. And he noticed the signs of someone who was used to violence and not in a good way.

Instant guilt - another thing he could blame Max for.

Alec's expression sobered and he took a few steps over toward Corbie. He wasn't really sure what to say. "...Sorry."

[st_rikingblueeyes]

Corbie took a couple of breaths when she realized it wasn't going to happen and lowered her hands slowly. "I'm okay," she said. "It's okay."

[st_x5_494]

Alec glanced back to the vending machine, then back to Corbie. Confusion was written on his face. Dumb confusion.

"Are you sure? You look like..." He decided not to finish that statement.

[st_rikingblueeyes]

Corbie nodded, and she felt her face heating. "Yeah. I guess... I dunno. I got stupid and panicked."

[st_x5_494]

"Do you... really like vending machines?" He had a feeling it might be more than that, but his mouth started the question before his brain caught up with him.

[st_rikingblueeyes]

"I didn't even know that's what it was called," Corbie admitted. "No, just..." And now she was definitely turning pink and she looked away. "All that glass," she mumbled. "It's a scary sound."

[st_eelyourself]

Piotr saw what was happening with plenty of time to stop it, but honestly wanted to see if Alec would go through with it. If he ended up hurting himself, Piotr could call Pike to help. So instead of doing anything, he just crossed his arms and waited to see what would happen.

[st_x5_494]

Alec's elbow made contact with the window with precision. It shattered easily and he seemed unphased as his arm retracted swiftly enough to avoid damage.

[st_eelyourself]

Good to know, Piotr thought. Alec had stayed quiet about his abilities so the little hints he could get were always welcome.

With a nod, he kept walking.