Fixing Up Cameron

Fixing Up Cameron
Date of Scene:	13 July 2014
Location:	RIFTS Earth
Synopsis:	John enlists the help of Staren and Toph to help fix up Cameron after her WMAT fight.
Cast of Characters:	20, 24, Staren

---

Staren has posed:
EARTH! The year is 2402 as the ancients counted it, but only scholars care about that now. It is the year 116 PA (The Post Apocalyptic era).

The FIRST thing anyone would notice upon stepping through the warpgate is the distant electric-blue glow of the leylines. (Well, anyone who wasn't Toph. She'd just feel that it's a nice day. Breezy, maybe 72 degrees F.) In places of power like this the glow can tower hundreds of feet high! Like groundbound aurorae!

The warpgate is in the vicinity of where Bowmanville once stood at the turn of the last millenium. A dirt road has been established running roughly parallel to the coast of Lake Ontario -- In the Connors' car, it's an uneventful trip of about 15 miles to Lazlo. There are a handful of small towns, but the area is mostly farms.

Lazlo is as in the desc: At night, the shining glow of the leyline nexus in the center of the city and the leylines running through the city is more obvious than ever. The road goes by a security checkpoint -- the police explain they have to check to make sure noone's bringing heavy weapons into the city. Plasma rifles, rocket launchers, and the like, although they're happy to keep them safe for visitors and will return them when you leave. They probably don't have any problem with anything John has, although Cameron's appearance gets a worried glance before they determine she's /not/ a Coalition Skelebot in some kind of disguise.

A city as large as this has an active nightlife. The outer city currently consists mostly of recent housing projects, but the inside is a mix, although it's surprisingly clean -- after all, the power of magic is plentiful and non-polluting, so there's not much need for gas vehicles.

The address Staren gave is to a workshop/garage type deal. Staren opens a door and waves. "Hey, c'mon in..." What's inside... some tools may be familiar, but the rest is, well... 25th century mechanics use to maintain their cybernetic soldiers and machines of war. There are even some parts around, from cybernetic limbs to engines and does that one have a nuclear trefoil on it?

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron, bluntly put, looks like hell.

The fight with Dark Matter had taken its toll on her. Her infiltration layer is ragged and ruined, with her hands covered in cuts and half of her face missing from scalp to chin. Her chrome endoskeletal skull leers out and those around and, although she does try to smile and reassure those there, it just comes out as incredibly creepy given that one of her eyes is more of a burning red optic than anything else. She stops.

She lurches into the workshop, followed by John. While usually silent, Cameron can be heard clicking and whirring and hissing as she moves any of her joints. One limb doesn't move, however, and her right arm hangs uselessly from her shoulder, a couple of inches longer than her other arm.

John, too, looks different. The long brown bangs that some might remember him with have been cut off, leaving him with an incredibly aggressive buzzcut in their place. "Hey there, Staren," John states. "Nice workshop."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
At least it's easy to find the way thanks to Staren's direction, and the temperature is pleasant. The warm weather in Malibu can really wear you out at times. And as she doesn't carry anything but her radio and some cash, it should be easy for her to get through the checkpoint as well.
Upon finally arriving, Toph is clearly very curious about the workshop. Her seismic sense is practically tingling! Toph walks in and turns her head slightly before she walks over to some of the parts, reaching out to touch them. "Huh, you certainly got a lot of stuff lying around..." she comments. This place would be a perfect place to practice her bending in with various types of metal.
But the blind girl turns her focus to the patient in question. The last time they met, not much were said as they were taking Cameron out of her body, so to speak. And now this body is... kinda fucked up, isn't it? "So..." she begins. "I don't know much about electronics, but I should be able to fix up the metal parts if you just tell me what to do, Staren." Either way she walks up to Cameron, and then reaches out to the useless right arm.

Staren has posed:
Staren just watched the recording of her fight, or he'd be more surprised. As it was it was a /little/ startling to see it even on TV. "Thanks! It's the family business, I guess? I mean... Learning stuff is fun, but this is what pays the bills. Fortunately, adventurers tend to have lots of money, and they /always/ need people to fix up their stuff. Or themselves, in the case of cyborgs..." He starts taking a closer look at Cameron, wincing a bit. "Eesh, he really did a number on you, huh? And yet..." he shakes his head. "Terminators are still tougher than most anything we have here. Especially the infiltration bodies. Most combat cyborgs here look like /that/." Staren points to a poster depicting a classic 'RED' 'borg standing in some ruins, with the text TX-500 MANHUNTER underneath. "Does this skin come off easily for me to get a better look, or...?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
The TX-500 MANHUNTER looks almost like a long lost relative of Cameron's, although it is much bulkier and, yeah, incredibly red. She looks at it, almost curiously, before returning her attention to Staren. She doesn't seem to really notice as Toph reaches for her arm, which means its highly likely that it has been mostly severed. "Yes," Cameron replies, "He really did a number on me. And, no, it does not come off easily. You will need a knife."

John stands off to the side, looking vaguely surly but concerned. "Here," he says, going to remove Cameron's leather jacket, "Lemme give you a hand with that."

Staren has posed:
Staren sighs and scratches his head. "Alright." He scratches his head, thinking, then walks over to what looks like a heavy-duty dentist's chair adjusted by powerful hydraulics. Like it's maybe meant to support a half-ton cyborg if needed. "Can you give me a damage readout, or should I take some X-rays?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
To Toph, it's not the outer damage that she really notices, nor the missing skin. For her, it's more interesting to study the intricate metal inside of her. Holding the arm it's even easier, and Toph narrows her eyes as she focuses on the damage. As for the damage done?
"You don't need x-rays, I can tell what damage is done to the metal at least," she informs them. But if Cameron can do a damage readout, wouldn't that make things even simpler?
This should be delicate work, but after half a year, Toph is certain she can do it without causing further damage to Cameron, especially if she works together with them.

Staren has posed:
Staren blinks at Toph. "Oh. Of course, you can sense it. Well, then... I'm guessing you can tell what shape she's supposed to be, so maybe we could have you bend the metal back into place, and then I'll work on any damaged electronics? Maybe that would save us some surgery..."

John Connor (24) has posed:
"My right arm is inoperative, probably partially severed or dislocated," Cameron states. "I've sustained damage to my breastplate although all vital systems are functioning. Several motors and hydraulic systems throughout my lower and outer extremeties have been misaligned. My infilitration layer is very compromised."

"Hell of an understatement," John adds, setting Cameron's jacket aside. With the jacket removed, it is clear to see that her right arm is hanging out of its socket, still attached through wires and a few support struts. The skin around the shoulder is missing - it must've been an incredible force on the limb. Cameron turns her head to glance at her arm. "Oh," is all she says.

Toph can back up most of what Cameron says. Most of the damage appears to be in her arms and torso and, while much of it is generally minor, there's dozens of small issues. There is, as Cameron stated, a sizable dent in the middle of her chest.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Nodding, Toph moves one of her hands... and places it on Cameron's chest. "It's pretty easy to tell, yeah..." The suggested plan earns a nod, and Toph smiles. "You were lucky then that the vital systems aren't damaged! Staren and I will get you fixed up in a jiffy!" But first...
Toph places her other hand on the metallic lady's chest, her fingers splaying out across the dent. "Kinda like the other ones..." The other terminators that she ripped apart that one time. But this time, it's not about being quick. It's about being careful. So Toph takes a deep breath, and her fingers dig slightly in.
And then there's the creaking of metal as Toph carefully pulls on it, listening intently and clearly focused on what she's doing. The dent slowly evens out as Toph works, and eventually she runs her hand over the area just to smoothen it out. "Get your gear, Staren. We should probably fix that arm next."

Staren has posed:
Staren looks at that arm. "So you've got a major dent in the chest, and misaligned parts all over from taking a beating and having your arm /nearly freakin' ripped off/..." he starts speaking only for Toph to step up, and he watches the young girl at work. "...Wow. That is /useful/. I'd a had to remove that whole plate and try to bang it back into shape." He looks to Cameron. "Can you show me how far down your arm starts responding, or should I just go over the whole thing for broken connections?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
John can't help but cough and look away as Toph sets her hands on Cameron's chest. His cheeks go bright, bright red and suddenly the big red robot on the far wall seems super interesting. Cameron stares down at Toph's work, unblinking, and then turns her head to smile at her. "Thank you, Toph."

Well, it's half of a smile.

"I can move my forefinger," Cameron replies. As if to demonstrate, her finger begins twitching spasmodically.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
It's kinda amusing how John coughs and turns his face away. What is he so embarrassed about anyway? When her ability is praised, Toph can't help but grin. "That's why I offered to come along, genius! I hate being in the hospital, I imagine you don't like being broken, right?" she asks Cameron. The thanks just earns a bigger grin. "No need to thank me. I love metalbending, and well, this gives me even more practice. And if it can help allies, then why not?"
With the chest plate fixed, Toph reaches out to take Cameron's arm again. "Need me to open it up for you, Staren?" she asks.

Staren has posed:
Staren blinks. "Well, that'd help, but what about the skin?" He rolls up his sleeves some, and the silver bands on his wrist extrudes a little tool arm ending in a scalpel. He'll cut it off if need be. "You have some way to heal or repair this?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Being damaged impairs my primary mission," Cameron replies to Toph. "I have to stay functional until it is complete."

"That's her way of saying she doesn't like it," John adds wryly, turning back to look at the group.

"Yes," Cameron says, "I don't like it. My infiltration layer will regenerate in time and much faster than your own epidermis would. It is much more efficient."

Staren has posed:
"Amazing! It looks just like human skin." Staren muses: "I wonder if there's any way to adapt it for human use...?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"I'm an earthbender and a metalbender, not a fleshbender," Toph snorts. Because that would be just freaky.
It's a good thing that it will heal up on its own though, and Toph steadies Cameron's arm. "I'll help you keep her arm steady so you can fix it. Cut the skin and I will bend the plating open for you." It does sound useful though, having skin that heals quickly. "I guess you just have to use bandages until it's healed if you want to look human then?" Toph suggests.

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron shakes her head at Staren, but doesn't say anything more on the issue. She just stands there, without a care in the world, as Staren and Toph get to work. John wanders back over, his face a mixture of fascination and concern. "Yeah," he says, "We've got a lot of bandages back home."

Staren has posed:
"Well then." Staren has the presence of mind to slip some latex gloves on, then Staren asks Toph if there's a seam underneath anywhere and the little scalpel arm slices along Cameron's arm so plating and skin can peel back. It might look kind of disgusting, but Staren's glad to have a somewhat straightforward problem to solve. There's no social BS, no worrying about being polite or offending people, just a damage machine to fix. It's comparatively relaxing.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
It certainly makes it easier when Cameron lets them work. And it's also good to know that Staren knows how to fix this. As well as being able to help somehow. The seam is pointed out, and Toph lets Staren cut the skin away before she moves her right hand above Cameron's arm... and then she pulls her hand back, causing the metal coating to peel back with a slight sound of protest. "Let me know if I need to open it more, okay?" Better not bend it more than it has to be. Is this uncomfortable for Cameron? Does she feel it? Toph considers these things with a pensive look on her face.

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron doesn't seem to feel any discomfort, although she has put her mismatched brown and red eyes onto where they're working which might indicate some degree of anxiety - but who knows?

Her upper arm is strikingly similar to a human skeleton, although it is rendered in metal and hard and angular. Coltan hyperalloy in the place of bone, hydraulic pistons instead of muscles, and all sort of finer bits and pieces exposed through Toph's work... "That's good," she says, offering some encouragement.

Staren has posed:
Staren blinks. "Amazing... the pieces are bent, disconnected, dislocated... but /never/ broken or torn or melted or anything! What the hell is she made of?!" Staren comments. He looks for obvious things to reconnect. When needed, he gets some extra wiring and patches it in. Hopefully there are no complex broken components -- there might /not/ be with such tough armor plating, Staren's never seen anything like it!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
No wonder that Cameron wants to know what's going on with her during these repairs. Toph hardly blames her, but since Cameron isn't flesh and blood, Toph can't read her cues like she does with people. People's hearts speed up, their breathing changes... but for now she trusts Cameron will tell if she's doing something she shouldn't be doing.
"This is sturdy metal, that's for sure," Toph comments, and while Staren works on reconnecting the various things, replacing wires, the blind girl focuses on the bent and dislocated things made of metal, working slowly and steadily to not mess things up, as well as make sure that Cameron doesn't get freaked out. "Maybe we should start a business together or something," Toph jests with a wry grin on her face.

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Hyperalloy," Cameron tells Staren. Other than that, she remains perfectly still. The damage isn't too severe, it seems, it really is just like that everything was pulled out of where it should be. Nothing was cut or crushed - just yanked on with an incredible amount of force. "Told you I couldn't fix it with a screwdriver," John tells Cameron, grinning slightly.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"Hyperalloy, huh?" Toph smiles. "It's fun to work with! If you get a dent or something in the future just lemmie know and I'll be more than happy to fix it." As for fixing this with a screwdriver? "No kidding... that would be like trying to fix a tank with a butterknife!" Close to futile.
As she works out another dent, Toph makes a pensive sound. "So... you advanced to the next round, huh?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Yes," Cameron replies to Toph. "John told me to win the tournament."

Staren has posed:
Staren gives Cameron a slightly-lidded blank stare. "Uh-huh. That doesn't really mean anything. That's like me saying half the stuff here is made of mega-damage materials. It sort of implies something, but it doesn't explain what it's made of or how it's made." He shakes his head and whistles as he sees the lack of damage. "This stuff is amazing. Aside from the warped hyperalloy, all you've got is some loose wires. We'll have that good as new in a jiffy." He works on that, and makes conversation. "What will happen if you fail that objective, though? It's not a sure thing."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"You're really one hell of a conversationalist, aren't you?" Toph says with no small degree of sarcasm in her voice. "When people ask you a question, you are invited to talk about it. For instance, what do /you/ think about the match you had? I was busy commenting on another match, so I didn't get to see yours. Was it fun? Your opponent certainly certainly seemed to do some damage to you.."
Finally Toph seems to finish working out the bent metal in places. "Got much left here, Staren?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
"It has colten in its composition," Cameron says to Staren, "And titanium. Other materials. Resistant to extremes of heat and pressure." To the final question, Cameron just states: "I won't fail."

She really is one hell of a conversationalist, it seems. To Toph, Cameron states: "Thank you for explaining. I won. Fun?" Cameron tests that word like she doesn't get it and she looks to Staren, then to Toph, and finally to John.

"I've tried explaining it," he says with a little shrug.

Staren has posed:
"Yeah yeah, hang on, almost..." Staren mutters back as he finishes patching wires. Then his tools retract and he steps back. "Alright, close 'er up." He looks at Cameron's face. "I'm not sure how to explain fun to a computer program. It's like..." he pulls off his gloves and scratches his head. "When you are performing a task you value doing, and are doing at least acceptably well at it. Humans are weird -- the value we place on a task doesn't always correspond to the utility it earns us. Taking out the trash makes a cleaner home, but it's not fun. Solving arbitrary puzzles doesn't get you much of an advantage in real life, but it's fun for some people. Partially this is because of hyperbolic discounting, but partially it requires that a task be cognitively engaging. Which means different things for different people. I may enjoy solving an engineering problem, but to someone with little talent or skill in the area, it would not be enjoyable because they are not mentally equipped to be cognitively engaged with such a task. On the other hand, other people may enjoy sociopolitical maneuvering and trying to win social status -- but I am not equipped to find such activities engaging. On the other hand, it can /also/ be enjoyable simply to exercise mastery in a task that is so easy for you that you don't need to engage in it. Say, doing exercises when you're physically fit, or playing through a videogame level you've memorized. This gets boring after awhile if you do it too long, but for a time it's nice just to observe that you can perform well at something."

Staren scratches his head again. "Was that helpful?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Man, she really is a machine, isn't she? Toph sighs, then smiles weakly. "I enjoy fighting. It's one of the things I'm really good at. Some people have hobbies, but... the way I used to live, I didn't get to do much. Only bending. So that's what I leaned to enjoy. Surely there's something you like to do more than other things?"
When Staren gives the signal, Toph places both of her hands on the bent metal, slowly bending it back in place. Staren's explanation of fun makes her blink though, and there's a deadpan look on her face. "And here Jinx called /me/ a nerd..."
With that, Toph pulls her hands back. "Okay, try and move your arm now, Cameron?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron says absolutely nothing as Staren speaks. Finally, at the end of it all, she nods and says: "Thank you for explaining."

She's hard to figure out, even for John. Does she actually know what she's saying, does she actually learn, or does she just say what she says because she recieved a certain input?

Cameron flexes her limb, testing it. She rotates her shoulder, bends her elbow, rotates her wrist, and waggles each one of her fingers. "Perfect," she says, "Thank you."

She turns to Toph, as if considering her question. "I dance," she says, and then adds: "Ballet. I'm a cat."

John just stares.

Staren has posed:
Staren blinks. It's a less emotive thanks than some stupid emotional part of him might like, but... It's nice to have someone not glaze over and just say 'what' for once. He just sticks his tongue out briefly at Toph. Then he watches Cameron test her arm and smiles at their handiwork. "Excellent."

And then the robot reveals it has a hobby. Staren blinks and stares a bit. "You... dance? Why do you dance? Is it for fun? And... um, what do you mean you're a cat?""

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
They did it! Toph beams in triumph when Cameron tests out her arm and moves it as it should, then reaches out and /punches/ Staren in the shoulder. "Nice job!"
Being friendly with the blind earthbender can certainly leave its marks.
Just be glad she didn't know you were sticking your tongue out at her.
Dancing, huh? "Well, that's a good hobby to have!" A robot doing fine arts? Well, there's been stranger things going on, right? She too seems confused about the cat statement, and she blinks. "Uh. I thought Staren was the cat here?"

Staren has posed:
At Toph's comment, Staren becomes a cat. "Meow." he says, in a squeaky little voice.

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron looks between everyone who is looking at her again. You could almost forget that she's a deadly killing machine who had, on one occasion, tried to kill one of the occupants of the room. She looks almost confused. "The instructor said I was a cat, that I had to remember it." And so, obviously, she did. Then, Cameron shrugs. It's a surprisingly human gesture.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Seriously?
Toph crosses her arms over her chest and lets out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. There really are weirdos everywhere. But fine. "As you say, Metal Kitty," Toph resigns with a shrug of her own. Yes, Toph does come up with nicknames for people at random like that.
"Let's get the rest of her fixed up too while we're at it, huh? Turn back," she urges to Staren before she turns back to Cameron. "And you might want to lie down on the bench or something for that."

Staren has posed:
Staren returns to normal. "Ah. Huh. They were probably hoping that imagining yourself with catlike qualities would help you to make agile, light motions. For an activity like dance, or fighting for that matter, you need to be able to shift your stance, and the position of all your limbs, quickly. However, sometimes in fighting you need to brace yourself and tank, or focus more on delivering power." As Staren explains, he first shifts all of his weight back to one foot, then moving his forward leg and arms to block imagined strikes, then dropping into a wide-legged stance and leaning forward slightly, then twisting his torso to hold his left hand in front of him, palm flat to the side, and his right hand balling into a fist behind him, before twisting his torso the other way as he puts all those muscles at once into a punch at the air. "HA!" Then he stands normally again.

"For more on fun, you might also want to look up 'The Aesthetics of Play' -- they're a categorization of fun for those seeking to design fun experiences." He looks Cameron over. "Anything still broken?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Even as Staren displays the concept of stances, Toph nods. "The key is in the stance, that's what I teach to my students anyway. For my kind of fighting, you need to be steady. Though for other bending styles, it's different. Airbending requires you to be light on your feet and move in circular patterns. Unlike earthbending, where you need to be more forward. Each fighting style has their specific traits. The fighting style you use is probably light and fluid then. Perhaps to compensate for your heavier metal composition," Toph muses.
It's not often you can get away with calling a lady heavy, now is there?

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Metal Kitty?" John asks, "Well, works just about as good as Tin Miss."

Cameron nods to Staren. "I'll get it from the library," she states, with all the finality of saying that she'd terminate a target. She smiles at Toph, half her face lighting up - while the other half continues to leer like a skull. "Nothing I cannot repair myself or with John's assistance now that my arm is functioning. Thank you."

Staren has posed:
Staren listens with interest to the tidbit about bending styles. He wonders if the differences are required for each element, or simply tradition? A discussion for another time, perhaps.

He smiles and nods at Cameron's status assessment. "Excellent. Let's close you up, then..." He puts his gloves back on, then gets some medical supplies and bandages up the arm, closing the infiltration layer. "Glad we could help! Come by any time." He looks at Toph. "Man, I may need to hire you for the occasional difficult job. You could make some things a /lot/ easier."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
They're done? Oh well. Toph shrugs and smiles. "You're welcome. Glad we could help. Lemmie know if you need my bending again sometime, okay?" she says. "I should probably get my ass back to Malibu before it gets too late." Even if she doesn't have a curfew, she can't imagine that Tony and Pepper would like her staying out /too/ late.
As she's about to leave though, she does halt to listen to Staren, turning her head slightly as she smiles. "If you got any interesting metal, then sure. I like to work more on my bending, and heh, it might get me out of some of my lessons too." Because even if they might be useful, they sure as hell are boring at times. "Catch you guys later!" And with that, the blind girl heads out and back towards the warp gate.

John Connor (24) has posed:
With Staren sealing up the surgical incision down Cameron's arm and wrapping it up in bandages, it's all done very quickly. "Sure thing, Toph," John tells her, "And thanks, Staren."

Staren has posed:
"You're welcome!" Staren smiles to John. He blinks at Toph. "Sure, wait just a sec." He runs over to a bin and fishes out a few small scraps, then runs out to Toph. "Here you go. This is some of the stuff we make armor out of here. Not as good as hyperalloy, but..." he shrugs. After handing it over, he waves as everyone gets back in the car. "Seeya! Goodnight!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
More distractions? Toph halts yet again, arching an eyebrow. But when the metal scraps are held out to her, she blinks and takes them. "Huh?" She could probably do something fun with these things and make something out of it. Perhaps a bracelet or something? A belt buckle? Or perhaps return it to Staren later. The possibilities are endless.
"It might not be gold either, but it's still got some interesting composition," Toph grins. "Thanks. And good night to you guys as well."