fandomhigh | Driver's Ed, Jan 25th (7th period)

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driver's ed

Driver's Ed, Jan 25th (7th period)

The Danger Shop is once again set up to look like a standard classroom. Once it's time for class to start, Tommy begins the lecture:

"In order to fully understand the vehicle you're going to be driving, I think it's important to understand how it works." Tommy says, and then delivers a lecture on automobile combustion engines.

"Any questions?" He asks. "Next week, we'll be discussing rules of the road, and the week after that, we'll start doing *real* simulations. I trust that's the part everyone's been looking forward to?" he asks the class with a wink. "Your homework is to look over the Virginia Driver's Manual in preparation for next week."

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Togusa slumped in his seat and wished for his tank. He missed his tank. He could probably have a lot of fun in here with it. "Can't we just learn to drive these things? They're primative!"

"Not as primitive as me, apparently," Archie tells him.

"Sorry, just a little annoyed. I mean, we're here to learn how to drive them, not how to become mechanics." Togusa slumped so that his eyes were level with his desk.

"Understandable," agrees Archie, nodding. "Though personally, I'm still learning what the damned things are. I suppose one of the drawbacks to this school is that we have to make so many allowances for the . . . diverse origins of the students."

"True. I'm just used to driving a mini tank." Togusa was still sliding down in his chair. At this rate, he would be on the floor. "Where are you from? What do you use for transportation?" He asked curiously. "I've seen a lot of things around here that I've never thought was possible."

"I say, you're in for some pain if you keep that up." Archie is beginning to look concerned by the speed at which Togusa is sliding downward. "As for modes of transportation -- horses? Wagons? Sailing ships? Where I come from, or should I say when, they haven't yet successfully invented the steam locomotive."

Togusa rightened himself and now just leaned on the desk with his elbows. "Nervous about driving the first time? It's easy. I mean, cars won't rear or anything. I personally have never ridden a horse, so I wouldn't know. I drive a think tank." He buried his face in his arms. "I would love to take it for a spin in here."

"And I have no idea what that is," Archie laughs. "Maybe later in the semester we can persuade Doctor Oliver to do that? Or maybe even outside of class time, if we get permission."

Togusa brightened. "Sure. I have to warn you in advance, it's friendly. It likes meeting new people, and will probably try to harrass you into getting it natural oil. Don't. It makes it more excitable."

"Thank you!" Ivanova burst out. "I am so with you."

"Amen!" Togusa shouted. "Let's use the vehicles we were taught to use!"

"I can't," Ivanova said plaintively. "Students aren't allowed outside of atmo and I have no ground transport."

"Neither can I," says Archie. "I don't have a boat of my own."

"Hence the driving lessons," Ivanova replied. "So I can do something besides fly those sims Anakin sets up at flight club. I should have flown more when I actually had a ship."

"Damn. There goes an possibly interesting experience." Togusa propped his head up on his chin.

"There's always flight sims," Ivanova replied semi-brightly. "If Flight Club ever gets off the ground again, there should be some set up." She paused and groaned. "Pun not in any way intended."

Togusa snickered. "Nothing beats the real thing though. Flight sims might be good, but I like the feel of the machine more."

Ivanova nodded. "I never realised how much I liked flying until I couldn't any more. And even in the sims the machines are weird. I don't like this continual burn thing that everyone except us seemed to have developed." She shrugged. "But hey, here we are talking about flying in Driver's Ed."

Duo grins at Togusa's outburst. "Primitive, maybe, but man! You can't tell me that engine ain't cool! Sure, it needs a bit of tweaking and maybe some jet fuel, and, you know, probably a higher powered piston, and would ideally be made out of Gundanium..." He trails off for a second before snapping back. "Anyway, it's still a pretty sweet basic engine!" He laughs.

"Come on!" Togusa retorted. "That engine needs more than that. It looks like an antique! You might as well use it as a paperweight! It needs a motherboard, some chips and a few enhancements..."

Duo laughs. "You do have a point, though I never saw an old piece of machinery I didn't like. Though, of course, I liked it when I could take it apart and make it into somethin' cooler." He thinks. "Is that what that tank-thing you've got runs on? Mostly computers, I mean. Do you actually pilot that thing?"

"I pilot it, but it does have A.I. Little thing can take quite a beating, but I prefer to keep it intact," He said, raising an eyebrow. "It has a motherboard in it, some other enhancements, but I can communicate with it directly with this," He yanked out a plug to show and let it snap into place.

"What about you? What do you use?"

"Woah, dude." Duo says, eyeing the plug and not bothering to hide his wide-eyed interest. "Wicked. A.I., huh? Man, closest I've been to somethin' like that was this wack-job system that took over your brain and made ya go nuts." He shakes his head at the memory. "Yeesh."

"Me?" Duo grins widely. "Gundams, man! Mobile Suits all the way. You can program 'em to do stuff like move about a bit, but piloting's what they're all about. I'll pilot a ship if I gotta, but they sure ain't my first choice." He laughs. "Nothin' beats a 60-foot suit with a 40-foot energy beam scythe."

"Whack job system? Me or the tachikoma? I only have a few enhancements to my eyes and ears, and I can connect to the Internet from anywhere like this. The tachikoma has A.I. because someone gave them natural oil. They devoloped it from that."

He gaped a bit. "60 foot suit? Remind me to never get into a fight with one of those. The tanks are tough, but they couldn't handle that kind of machine."

Duo shakes his head. "No, no, not you guys, dude. This Zero system I had to deal with back home. Developed A.I.? Woah. That's way beyond what I'm used to."

Duo nods excitedly. "Exactly the point, man! Gotta get the Earth government to listen to us, somehow!" He laughs. "Those tanks are pretty cool, though I'm sure I wouldn't know half the stuff they're made of!"

Re: Discussion!

section9-togusa.livejournal.com - 2006-01-26 06:37 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion!

02maxwell.livejournal.com - 2006-01-26 06:39 (UTC) - Expand

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