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xp_logsJohnny and Reed meet in the waiting room of Storm Tech
Johnny sat slumped in the waiting room. He picked up a magazine from the table in front of him. He thumbed through it absentmindedly and he quickly threw it back. There were no pictures just serious looking guys, talking about serious looking science. He sighed and slumped lower in his chair. He was surrounded by serious looking people doing serious things seriously. The room itself was a nice and bright welcoming room. It oozed control and technology. The room felt like a glimpse into a future that had never really come to past. Subtle tech flourishes combined with the seamless lines. The room felt like a well designed product. Even the two attractive secretaries manning the desk were warm and welcoming, yet perfectly efficient. They smiled answering the phones in various dialects their tone never wavering just like their perfect smiles.
Johnny ruffled his hair uncomfortably. He understood the necessity of design and image for technology but he'd always thought his dad as a mad inventor as a kid, and the actual reality was surprisingly sterile and contained. He put up the volume in his headphones till it was almost painfully loud. The sounds of conversation and technology were replaced with words from a life completely different to his. He hoped his dad would be done with his meeting soon; he felt too out of place and awkward here. It wasn't a feeling Johnny was used to feeling, and he could tell it was affecting his mood. He chewed nervously on his lip as his eyes scanned the room. A familiar face came in to view probably absorbed in some impossible question. Johnny's face cracked into a smile. The need for human interaction proved greater than his circumstantial uncomfortableness and he stood up pulling out his headphones and walked towards the face."Reed, right? I'm Johnny," he said his hand reaching out.
Johnny sat slumped in the waiting room. He picked up a magazine from the table in front of him. He thumbed through it absentmindedly and he quickly threw it back. There were no pictures just serious looking guys, talking about serious looking science. He sighed and slumped lower in his chair. He was surrounded by serious looking people doing serious things seriously. The room itself was a nice and bright welcoming room. It oozed control and technology. The room felt like a glimpse into a future that had never really come to past. Subtle tech flourishes combined with the seamless lines. The room felt like a well designed product. Even the two attractive secretaries manning the desk were warm and welcoming, yet perfectly efficient. They smiled answering the phones in various dialects their tone never wavering just like their perfect smiles.
Johnny ruffled his hair uncomfortably. He understood the necessity of design and image for technology but he'd always thought his dad as a mad inventor as a kid, and the actual reality was surprisingly sterile and contained. He put up the volume in his headphones till it was almost painfully loud. The sounds of conversation and technology were replaced with words from a life completely different to his. He hoped his dad would be done with his meeting soon; he felt too out of place and awkward here. It wasn't a feeling Johnny was used to feeling, and he could tell it was affecting his mood. He chewed nervously on his lip as his eyes scanned the room. A familiar face came in to view probably absorbed in some impossible question. Johnny's face cracked into a smile. The need for human interaction proved greater than his circumstantial uncomfortableness and he stood up pulling out his headphones and walked towards the face."Reed, right? I'm Johnny," he said his hand reaching out.
Reed gave Johnny's hand a curious look. "Yes, I'm Reed." He shook the hand, and then glanced at the face. The familiarity was there, but Reed didn't actually have any idea who this young person was. "I don't know who you are. "Johnny" doesn't provide me with much information."
Johnny rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Storm," he said. "Johnny Storm. You may have heard about me...probably not good things. Like "that damn Storm-kid", or "Johnny Cost-a-lot", or perhaps "who burnt my damn toast". Those are all me...my aliases if you will." He looked at Reed to see if there was any recognition. "I'm Sue's brother," he added.
There was absolutely no recognition until the final statement, at which point Reed's eyes lit up. "Oh! Yes, I have heard of you. Vaguely, mind you. You're not generally a topic that is discussed, but your name is familiar." He squinted. "Actually, I think that's all I know about you. Your name. And, naturally, your genealogy. Well, anyways, it's nice to finally put a face to a name. If I forget it at a later date, I apologize. I may be incredibly intelligent, but simple things like social niceties tend to be forgotten."
Johnny's smile quivered from the dual blow of being merely a marginal topic and the force of Reed's 'personality'. "Well, you certainly sound smart. But fear not Reed-y boy, what you lack in social graces I make up for, tenfold. That's the first thing you should know about me. Johnny Storm, social...ugh...not pariah? Chameleon? Social Insider? Who cares. You do the knowledge, I do the human interaction." Johnny nodded and almost seamlessly segued into the next topic of conversation. "So...work going well? What is it that you actually do?"
Reed-y boy? That was a new one. Reed gave Johnny a disparaging look. This person was much different than Sue. "I do many things, and I do them all excellently. I'm currently exploring the use of electricity with neutrinos, as they do not carry an electric charge. However, I think that if we can somehow find a way to change the very rules of quantum mechanics..." He trailed off. "You're not really listening, are you? I don't think I am answering your question adequately. You asked what I actually do. I invent things. I think that's a more appropriate answer."
Johnny shook his head to clear out the glazed look in his eyes that technobabble always caused. "An inventor?" he said perking up. "Like jetpacks, and time travel, and robot butlers?" Johnny nodded sagely. "If you ever need a test pilot for some mission to uncharted regions, you know who to call." He paused and look around conspiratorially. "Do you get to invent what you want...or is it all controlled by ominous forces within the company, telling you what you can and can't do?" He lowered his voice. "Because, I've got a shed that we could make spaceships in...if that's what you're into." He nudged Reed in the ribs.
Reed was absolutely into that. "A spaceship?" The scientist quirked an eyebrow. "And a shed, you say. Would Sue need to know about this?"
Johnny winked and tapped the side of his nose. "Well, Mr Reed-a-lot. I think it's contingent on Sue not finding out. What Sue doesn't know, won't be stopped." Johnny grinned. He felt oddly connected to this brainiac standing before him. Maybe he'd never understand the jargon that Reed would spew, but they were kindred spirits, of a sort. Bound not by science, but by adventure, by the unknown. "Reed, I'm glad I bumped into you. This feels like the start of something historic..."
