Two Cowboys and a Robot

Two Cowboys and a Robot
Date of Scene:	07 July 2014
Location:	Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse
Synopsis:	Johnny, John Connor, Mal and their crews spend a night chatting and doing business over drinks at the Bar. Also Cameron and River have a wierdout session.
Cast of Characters:	24, 32, 273

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Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
There's nothing like a good bar to attract a few select members from the crew of the oddly-constructed ship parked a few hundred meters from the large establishment floating in the middle of a patch of otherwise empty space. Serenity sits at a docking station alongside a few other medium-sized craft, anything ranging from a Jedi starfighter to a pair of SHIELD interplanetary craft, to something that resembles a UNSC Longsword.

Inside, the crew has spread out across the Grill; a large gruntish figure in a dirty jacket sits at the bar tossing back shots of an unknown amber liquid; a redheaded man sits in a booth alongside a younger-looking woman with a grease-stained blouse and a darker-skinned, more serious looking woman. Next to them is seated a young man and an older teenage girl, though that pair seems to be largely keeping to themselves.

And finally, over at a more secluded booth, sits a man in brown suspenders, seated across from a rather shady-looking fellow with a pair of particularly large men in dark glasses standing alongside the table. The shady figure writes something on a piece of paper, then slides it across the table to Mal, who prompty gives a roguish chuckle, and folds up the piece of paper before tossing it over his shoulder.

"Look here, I ain't tryin' to play no games. You give us a fair deal, and we get your job done. Don't insult me and mine by figuring we haven't seen our fair share of the 'Verse already. So you best write a new number down there with a goodly amount more zeroes on the end of it, or we're walking right out without lookin' back. Dig?"

Courier Six (32) has posed:
From somewhere behind the PUCKISH ROGUE Mr. Reynolds, there sits a pair of folks in cowboy-ish gear.
One is wearing an armored duster and a cowboy hat. He's drinking something green and fizzy and glowing.
The nice looking redhead is in a scheckered blouse and jeans and has been slamming back whiskey.

Totally unimportant.

John Connor (24) has posed:
At the bar, a few seats down from the large man who appears to be doing shots like they're going out of style, a young man with short, cropped hair sits, munching away on a cheeseburger. Sarah Connor might be a great fighter but she's not much of a mother, cooking skills included and, so, John Connor comes here to get some food with a bit of, well, taste.

Part of him wishes he had a drink, but another part of him knows that this place wouldn't serve him anyways.

Next to him, a young woman sits. She looks left and right, like her head is on a constant swivel, glancing about at seemingly everyone in the bar. "They're having a disagreement," Cameron tells John.

"Uh-huh."

"Why?"

John sighs. He abandons his food for the moment and turns to look in the direction that Cameron is staring, right at Mal. "Does it matter?"

"It might."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"You agreed to the job," rasps an unpleasant voice that belongs to our Unsavory Fellow.

"I ain't agreed to nothing that involves me being paid less than it'll cost me to fly the distance just to make your delivery," fires back the ship's captain in the tight pants. "That was the deal," said more tersely. "You don't gotta like me. I sure as hell don't like you. I get your goods where they need to be, and you pay me what we asked for, then you and I can be on our merry ways. Ain't never gotta cross each other again. S'a big 'Verse. Plenty of space for you to...do whatever it is that you do with those two fine looking gentlemen of yours.." he adds, tipping his glass of beer at the two brutish figures standing behind Unsavory Fellow.

"If it's so much as a minute late..." rasps the dark-coated figure, before standing up and grabbing Mal's glass. "Then you'll be paying with your own lives.." he says, tossing back the contents of the beer, and turning for the exit.

"I wasn't finished with that..." says the captain, in a faux-sad voice, complete with matching expression.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
The man in the cowboy hat turns on his barstool, and grins a bit over into the corner where the DEAL was going down. And Jonny Tallbranch tips up his hat a bit, grinning at the fine crew of the Firefly. "Ain't you the bright shining star of diplomacy, Mr. Reynolds. I mean, I can understand the positioning though." A glance towards the men now making their exit, and the Cowboy Courier adjusts his bolo tie a little bit as he stands, carrying his pint glass of Glowing Stuff.
A moment to cross over towards the table in the corner, and he chuckles. "And here I was worried you and your fine crew went and plopped into a gravwell somewhere. Not to belittle the skill of yonder pilot entertaining his sweet heart."

John Connor (24) has posed:
John's eyes wander over to Courier Six and his cowboy hat. "Y'know," John says, "I used to go to this school and a lot of the guys actually went around wearing cowboy hats." He finishes off his cheeseburger and passes it back to the bartender who then goes to take it back to the kitchen - if this place even has a kitchen, John is kind of convinced that things just appear.

Cameron continues to scope around. Everything is highlighted, tracked and monitored. She finds that booth of the Firefly's crew, assessing them one by one. When she highlights the older teenage girl, she pauses. And her head tilts slightly. She stares.

"Huh," John says. "Bit of a resem..." His words die off. Because who looks like a Terminator other than another-?

"They are not a cyborg," Cameron deduces.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
And, of course, River is staring right back at the two sitting at the bar. Because, if there's one thing River is exceptionally good at, it's staring at people's souls. And creeping them out. Usually, those go hand in hand.

Honestly, she's got enough of that creepy-killer-unstable look to pass for a non-human, except Cameron probably has a more advanced way of detecting other Terminators than just looking at how creepily they look at other people

"Ain't done nothing but ask for what's rightfully ours.." responds the ship's captain, cheerily, gesturing at the now-vacant seat across from him at the bar.

"And what's that?" he asks, peering at Six and the glowing contents of his glass.

"You didn't tell me you had alcohol that glowed!" calls Mal back over in the direction of the bartender, crooking a brow.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny chuckles a bit, and the redhead snorts. "That's because Johnny drinks shit that will kill people most places." She's... uh, already blushing. Whiskey Rose. She does hold out a hand to Mal though. "Rose of Sharon Cassidy, but erryone calls me Cass." A wink as she finds a seat next to Cameron, and settles in with her whiskey bottle.

Johnny looks to the kid and murmurs. "Well, where I'm from a ht's important. Keeps the sun out of your face and there's a lot of sun, you know." A tip of that hat. "Johnyn Tallbranch, Chief Operatin' Officer Mojave Express and the New Vegas Strip. You're the fellow what sticks around with the robot lady here, right? John Connor." He narrows his eyes a bit, as he sips...

And then looks to Mal. "Ah, this here's an Atomic Cocktail. Bit of a local delicacy back in Vegas, really. Got a mighty fine kick to it."

John Connor (24) has posed:
River stares at Cameron. Cameron stares at River. John stares at Cameron and asks, "Uh, Cameron? Hey?"

She gets up out of her seat without another word. She marches right over to River, even as Mal and Six hold a pleasant conversation, and asks, with typical, cold bluntness: "Is your name Allison?"

Behind her, John says, with a sheepish frown. "I'm so sorry about this. Come on, Cameron."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal stands up, and extends his hand to catch Rose's, and greet her with one of those quick, roguish grins.

"Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity," he offers in return, before sliding back down to a seat across from Johnny and the redhead.

Mal glances over in John's direction as Johnny introduces himself over to the man, and looks over the pair. He opens his mouth to say something, then, as Cameron abruptly heads over in River's direction, then, but the pair's already gone.

" Bun tyen-shung duh ee-dway-ro..." mutters Mal, and it certainly doesn't sound like he's saying something nice.

Meanwhile, River sits up a bit straighter, staring Cameron right in the eyes, unblinkingly.

"You're not human, are you?" the young girl says more than asks. "Curious, but not born curious. Not born at all, really. It's complicated, right?" she asks, before giggling a bit.

"It's not polite to be unfriendly, you know. Not in the spirit of the holiday."

Simon is probably making an identical face to John, at this point.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny... pointedly ignores the drama behind him, as he pushes the glowing glass over at Mal. "Okay, so... way back in the day, the used to test nukes out in the federal lands up to the northwest of Vegas. WHole lot of flat nothing out there, was a good place for it. Lots of Military Test Sites and all that. I'd ask if they weaponized the atom where you're from but seems like everyone who finds out about it has, so."
A shrug. "And from the top of my hotel in Vegas, back in the day, you could watch those old test shots go off. Bright, white lights off in the distance and mushroom clouds and all that. So, the bartenders would mix something up in commemoration of the tests. Somethin a little glowy and a little tangy and tart and with a punch to it."

Those brown eyes widen. "Booom. Atomic Cocktail."

John Connor (24) has posed:
"No," Cameron immediately replies to River, meeting her eye to eye. "I wasn't born, I was built."

"Oh my God, Cameron..." John murmurs, and he gives Simon an exasperated look. "Sisters," he murmurs, shaking his head, unsure of what else to say.

"I am being friendly," Cameron tells River, almost like the pair are talking past each other. "I'm asking questions." She matches River's posture and every expression - or lack thereof - on her face, almost like a hawk sizing up a prey animal.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal reaches out for Johnny's offered glass, sliding the glowing and fizzing concoction back towards him. Serenity's captain sniffs the glass once, experimentally, before taking a sip of the drink.

"Very...ah, yes. There's the punch," he says, setting the glass down, making a deliberate effort to keep it out of Jayne's line of sight.

"We're all built, silly.." says River, giving a playful smile that somehow doesn't really seem very playful at all.

Simon gives a nearly identical exasperated look, but turns back to watch the interaction between the two strikingly similar-looking women, an intrigued look on his features.

"Some of us are just built to ask more questions than others," River decides, expression abruptly becoming more serious.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
The drink... well, it's not burning, but it's warm despite being room temperature. For the record, Mal won't be setting off any red sensors on the ship, nor will he need treatment. Hooray for Fallout Rads.

Johnny chuckles, and adjusts to look over at the broohah hah over Who Is The Weirder Girl... and sighs. "Kids. Man, I have to admit it's weird being hopeful about kids again these days, but we're starting to see a proper crop of kidlets back in the Mojave. It's... well. It's hopeful, that's for sure."
He slumps back into his chair, and then looks to Mal. "Think any more about my offer? Bein' retainer for Special Deliveries and Operations?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
"No," Cameron responds quickly, "Humans are born." She says this like it's an immutable fact and gives River an equally surface level smile. "I'm Cameron. This is John. Who are you?"

John gives a little wave, although he still seems kind of edgy about the whole situation. Sarah Connor's first rule: don't draw attention.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Ain't got nothin' against that town of yours.." Mal replies, sliding the still-glowing drink back across the table to Johnny. "Right enjoyed it, actually. Just got somethin' against stayin' in one place permanent-like," says the ship's captain.

"More than happy to run whatever goods you need running out of Vegas. And if it gets us a day or two to stay with you folk, all the better," he adds.

Back over to River, who giggles again. Though at what, it's not too clear.

"This is River.." introduces the taller, lanky figure seated next to her at the booth. "I'm Simon. Her brother," he adds, peering at the two with those narrow eyes of his.

"He takes so much looking after..." River says, dropping her voice as though to not be heard by the young man seated behind her.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
A smile from Johnny, and he laughs. "Sorry, Mal, I ask because settlin' the Mojave is what I'm aiming to do, is all." He shrugs and downs the rest of the drink.

Cass snorts a bit. "Don' lissen to him he just wants to see Mojave Express on the side'a yer ship in big golden letters."

Johnny sniffs and doesn't deign that with a response. Though he does look over to Mal. "In that case I do have a job, actually. The last one went pretty well. This time I'm lookin' for backup. I know it's not quite a delivery, but we'll be makin' one out of where I'm goin', if my hunch is right."

He grins and leans forward. "How's yer tomb raidin?"

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Hey there, Simon," John says. "Helluva way to meet, right?"

"So does John," Cameron states, although she doesn't lower her voice. "I protect him. Are you really siblings?" She suddenly asks River, "Or is it a cover story?"

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal raises a hand, after sliding the drink back. "Ain't meanin' any disrespect to your offer. Mighty kind of you," he's quick to add, and it sounds as though he really does mean it. "And like I said, we'll be happy to take care of whatever crops up in this corner of space. So long as there's work here, I don't mind sticking around."

River continues to just stare at Cameron behind those tanged, curly locks of hers. "Huh. Yeah..." says Simon, absentmindedly, his attention clearly a bit more fixed on the interaction between his sister and her unknown doppleganger.

"Oh yes, really," comes River's reply. "What about your John? What do you protect him from?" she asks, surprisingly coherently.

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Scary robots," Cameron says, seriously. "Hyper-alloy endoskeletal combat chassis beneath a living tissue infiltration layer. They look like people, but they're not."

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny nods at that, and murmurs. "Right then. I'm looking to get a few people down into one of the Vaults. They're big old bunkers buried under the dirt across the country, helped keep people alive through The War. Well, some of them, plenty of them were mangled sociopathic death traps." Johnny rubs his face. "I'm looking for one that's got bits and pieces of Old World Tech that relates to robotics and the proper methods of Old World computer engineering. Books and tapes and shit."
Huh. Sounds easy enough?

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Something about this causes River to giggle, just as before. It's an odd mix between a girlish expression of mirth, and a calculated sort of facade. "Just like you," she replies, flashing a wide, eager smile. "A robot built to protect humans from robots. Now that doesn't make sense, does it?" she says/asks once more.

Mal gives a nod in reply to Johnny's clarification of the job, and what it might involve.

"Salvaging?" asks the captain. "What's stopping you from just getting a landspeeder down there?" he adds.

John Connor (24) has posed:
"No, it doesn't make sense," Cameron says, "Because I was built to kill humans." That statement hangs in the air, somewhat ominously, and John stares at Cameron, like she's comitted one big faux pas. You could hear a pin drop. After a moment, Cameron seems to get that she said something wrong and adds, "But I'm fixed. I'm good now."

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny murmurs. "Ain't enough room. Entrances were designed for extremely limited access. Most of 'em are buried halfway into mountain sides and the seals themselves don't lend themselves to just driving a truck inside."
He shuffles at his Pip-Boy, and taps a key that brings up a schematic of a Standard Vault for Mal. "All sorts of man sized corridors inside. Supposed to be self-sufficent, after all. That was The Idea." A lip twitches.

"Ends up that pleny of them were designed to fail in specific ways in order to test human behaviour, or set up socially to do the same. After all... no one was REALLY going ot end the world, right?"

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
River's smile fades. Abruptly. Ominously.

"Me too," she replies, a bit quieter. And it's not clear which part she's replying to.

"Gettin' you out there shouldn't be much of a problem, I'm thinking," Mal replies, reaching to itch at the back of his neck.

"Getting in sounds like an issue. Might want to be packing some of those explosives you folk seem so fond of," he adds.

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron nods. She seems satisfied with the response and then seems to try a different tactic: "I like your hair. It's tight."

When John hears Six mention the end of the world, he looks over in that direction, distracted.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny grins. "There's the rub. I haven't been in a single one where I knew exactly what was going to be on the inside. Crazy drugged out raiders, zombie plant people, and then one that was completely empty. Like, completely empty, because everyone had killed each other over political divisions." That last one seems to have been the worst, somehow.

Johnny comes back to the front. "Hazard pay for whoever you bring. Bonus on successful retrieval. I will cover medical expenses. Payment in trade goods."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Naturally, that's not really what any big brother wants to hear his little sister say. And so, Simon is understandably a little mortified at what his sister replied to Cameron, but still doesn't cut in.

River giggles, smiling once more as though everything's been normal this whole time. "What happens when they build robots to kill robots?" she asks, pretty much ignoring Cameron's comment about her hair, or just jumping right on past it.

"Can't be telling mine to do anything that's going to risk their lives for something they don't know.." replies Mal, leaning back in his seat a bit.

"Transportation there and back? Sure. But I don't reckon many others 'sides Jayne and myself will be wanting to go down in those Vaults.." he says.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny grumps, but chuckles. "Ain't sure I'd want your important people down there, after all. People need to keep your ship flyin' afterall." He grins, and nods. "Think about it. I'll be postin' this wideband in the next few daysw, but I figured I should give you a shot at first refusal."

He pokes at Cass' side, as she's staring and giggling at the fracas at the other table, and tips his head. "Come on, darlin', lets leave these people to figurin' out who is who andwhat's what."

He stands up, slaps some NCR scrip on the table, and nods at Mal. "Catch you on the flipside, Captain."

John Connor (24) has posed:
"They don't," Cameron replies. Abruptly, as if deciding to move the conversation onto a different track, she asks: "Do you have a metal plate in your head?"

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal gives another quick, cheery grin to the pair. "When you're fixing to head down that-a-way, be letting me know," he says. "We'll get you there, and I'll go down with ya," he promises, with a nod to the both of them.

"No...No, no, no..." River replies, to Cameron, something about that question striking a chord with her. "Nothing metal anymore."

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Thank you for explaining," Cameron tells River, giving her another curious look. She looks to Simon, then to John, then back to River once again. She probably doesn't get that it affected River as it did, or that such a question isn't exactly polite in the first place. Still, she remains enthralled in her wierd, robotic way: "Do you go to school?"

Courier Six (32) has posed:
Johnny smiles. "See you around, space cowboy..."

A wave tossed to all parties, and he and his lovely companion are staggering out.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
River giggles again, and leans back to rest against her brother's shoulder. "Nope!" she says. "Had enough school, I think.." she adds, as her brother giving a knowing, slightly worried smile.

"Yes, I'd think so.." he agrees, gently.

John Connor (24) has posed:
It's probably fairly interesting to see Cameron watch River and then mimic here, altering her posture ever so slightly to lean up against John. But John shies away, giving Cameron a confused look. "Did you know someone named Allison Young?" Cameron asks. Giving the group another, odd look, John wanders back over to the bar.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Simon remains by his sister, even as John meanders over closer to the bar. "Noooo...." replies River, shaking her head exaggeratedly slowly.

"Should I?" she follows, tilting her chin up and to the side.

John Connor (24) has posed:
"Maybe," Cameron replies, somewhat enigmatically. It's a strange response when she had always been so black and white just moments before. Yes, no, questions, answers, facts and data.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
River gives a sort of shrug in reply to this, and seems to consider her reply for a moment or two.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
River gives a sort of shrug in reply to this, and seems to consider her reply for a moment or two.

"Well, no," she decides on, nodding her head then, affirmatively.

That's just when the captain in tight pants wanders back over, tapping his finger on the back of the booth that the pair are seated in.

"Already five minutes late, picking up our...particularly well-mannered friend's cargo," he says, crossing one boot over the other.

"Hate to interrupt, you see. Ain't too often our special snowflake finds a conversation partner..." he offers, flashing a quick sort of smile at Cameron.

John Connor (24) has posed:
Cameron nods to River. "Thank you," she says. She watches Mal from the moment he seems to cross some sort of threshold - like he suddenly was put into a 'possible threat' category. But he seems fine and so Cameron gives him a smile in respone toe one he favours her with. "I understand, you need to leave. So do we. Curfew," Cameron explains.

John Connor returns, a glass of water in his hands. "I was just... about to say that," he states. "Are you all done... y'know... talking?"

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Cameron's response produces a crooked brow from the captain. "Curfew?" he asks, through a brief sort of chuckle. "Well, I'm certainly glad our River isn't keeping us on quite that short of a leash..." says Mal, with another one of those grins.

"Done one way or the other," Mal adds, turning back towards Connor. "Seems like you've got a curfew, and we've got a job to do. So unless you're taking our delightful houseguests along with you...."

John Connor (24) has posed:
"That really wouldn't go down with mom," John says to Mal, perhaps a brief image of Sarah and Derek pulling guns on River coming to mind. "And she's the one who sets it, not her." He indicates Cameron, who seems to have fallen back into that stoic sense of neutrality that is the norm for her.

"It was nice meeting you," Cameron says to River.

"Yeah," John adds, "Same here. I hope she didn't - y'know - weird you out too much."