e x p e r i m e n t #08 (video)

[mviw]

[Some time Friday morning, September 8th, a new and particularly important broadcast appears on the network.

The feed flicks on to show Ford at a desk in his lab looking both tired and very guilty. ]

Uh, yes! Hello. Uh. Good morning?

[He clears his throat. Might as well get right down to it.]

As anyone who's slept since Wednesday will know, something weird has been happening. I may have been experimenting with a ward against a certain demonic triangle when there was an explosion that caused the ward's effects to warp and, for lack of better layman's terms, gave everyone the ability to traverse the Mindscape--that is, the realm parallel to any waking dimension.

To put it simply: Once you left consciousness at any point, you likely were able to explore your own mind, and the minds of others.

Fortunately, the effects seem to be temporary and I only singed half an eyebrow in the explosion, so... Good news! Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow.

Ahh, science. Well! That's all for today. If you don't want to deal with it, I suggest visiting one of the tea rooms for a delightful pot of industrial coffee. Always works for me!

[With a winning smile from Ford, the broadcast ends.]

Comments

[mviw]

... Fiddleford... [He's at a loss. He has no idea that he's been of any help to his friend, and he wonders briefly what good being a genius is if you can't protect the people you love the most.

Maybe he should have paid more attention to the field of philosophy.

Ford grasps at something else to say but the effort is in vain and all he can come up with is more apologies.

Following the heavy pause, he at last blurts something out that he hopes is a step in the right direction.]

...what's something you can deal with? [Ford makes a serious effort to keep his tone level and soft, but not condescendingly so.] Tell me, whatever it is. Let me be there for you.

[mcgucket]

[... Spending some quality time with the memory gun? Being left alone in general so that he can hate himself and all of his decisions? But he's pretty sure that both of those requests are not going to go over well. He's too tired to tinker or otherwise do something with his hands, but he can't sleep right now, as the effects of Stanford's experiment are still a thing until tomorrow, or so the other man says. It's bad enough that Stanford was in there, god forbid if Bill or someone else he can't easily lie to (unlike Mikan) was wandering around in there too...

He can't think of anything to say or do that will actually be of help to either of them right now.]

... I don't know. Seein' as I haven't turned this thing off yet, I guess this is still acceptable.

[That probably sounds kind of rude, but the point is, he does consider this moment right now as Ford being there for him? For now, anyway.]

[mviw]

...Well... that's a start. [As downcast as he looks, he sounds a little hopeful.

He rubs at his neck awkwardly, mentally casting around for something to say.]

Talking to you is always acceptable. [Ford clears his throat.] Uh, so... I've been monitoring the aftereffects of the explosion. The magic is dispersing regularly and I'm hopeful the effects will go along with it.

And uh...

Perhaps... you'd like to come into the lab and help me figure out what's wrong with my other instruments. I just started on an experiment to see whether we're on a flat or spherical plane, which you think would be relatively simple even without consistent constellations! [Oh Ford, you restless physicist.]

[mcgucket]

[Seriously Ford, you're already doing another experiment after this recent one went so poorly?

... Well, maybe this one won't be as bad if Fidds is there to provide additional supervision.]

Yeah, that sounds like somethin' to do, keep busy and all here. I can meet you there in... 'bout ten minutes?