The Glorious Championship! [S3G5] [Round... Uh, Seven? The Oasis]

Originally posted on MSPA by Pick Yer Poison.

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It had been fine when Quantos had died. Quantos had never been nice to AMP or tried to help him, and AMP hadn't really cared about him too much. His death had just been a thing that happened, and then other things had happened because of it. Something told AMP that he wasn't very good at getting his ideas across, but he ignored it.

Elimine, on the other hand, had given him a chance. She'd tried to be his friend, or at least AMP had taken it like that. He found himself feeling a bit strange when he thought about how she'd never be around again. It was a weird feeling, and he didn't like it at all.

The voice told him that he still wasn't very good at expressing his ideas. AMP told her to shut up. The voice shrugged and said it was just trying to help, darling, because honestly AMP looked like he needed it. AMP asked who the hell she thought she was and where the hell she'd come from. She replied that she was his Interface and that she'd just sort of drifted into town, ya know? She was here, she said, putting an arm around his shoulder, to help him work on his public image, his people to people thing, because to be totally honest he was a bit of a hopeless dweeb when it came to being social.

Zimmerman stared at the contraption. "Is that...thing...going to do anything else?"

Alexander pulled a handkerchief from one of his pockets and mopped his brow with it. "It just said Eli was...I think it just said Eli was..."

AMP brushed her off. He didn't need any help, he was fine when it came to that. Database piped up and said that well she thought AMP was fine with that too because she'd never had any problems talking to and she thought he was really nice and neat and - Interface cut her off because listen, darling, she was so obvious it was a wonder he didn't know already, and to be totally honest it was a bit painful to listen to her go on and on and just not say it. Database blushed and scuttled back off to her databanks.

Alexander flipped open his cell phone, his hands shaking. He had to stop drinking so much coffee, it was really making him wired. "Excuse me, Operator," he said, in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Please connect me with the security desk."

There was a moment of silence, followed by a thunking noise as someone picked up the microphone. "We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the, uh, communications system. Please stand by. Eek! Stop it!" This was followed by a few moments of giggling, and then a click as the line closed.

Alexander stood there for a moment, then redialed and repeated his message in a bit of a more furious tone. This time the microphone was picked up more quickly. "I said, we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the communications system. Please stand by." The line clicked off again and Alexander suddenly failed to hold his temper in check.

Interface turned back to AMP and told him that even if he didn't notice it, she could tell that he was just soooooooo pathetic when it came to talking to people. And, she explained happily, that was where she came in. As his Interface, it was her job to help him with all that fiddly little people to people stuff. Make sure he didn't make people angry when he didn't want to, that kind of thing. People like the ones over there who seemed to be in a bit of a tizzy at the moment. AMP cursed and quickly turned his attention back to his surroundings.

Alexander strained against Zimmerman's arms. "Let me go! There's something wrong! I need to find my daughter!"

Zimmerman didn't comply. "Can't let you do that, Mr. Fraze. Whatever's happening out there, you're not going to be running into the thick of it if I have anything to say about it."

Eager to prove her worth, Interface highlighted Alexander and Zimmerman and explained that, see, you can tell the restraining one cares about this Mr. Fraze, because he's trying to keep him from running into danger, but it's more of a boss-employee relationship than a buddy-buddy one because of the way the restraining one talked to Mr. Fraze. AMP asked her what was odd about the way Mr. Fraze had been addressed. She shrugged and noted that well he wouldn't go calling his friends mister and sir and madam and whatnot, would he, and oh no he'd been doing that hadn't he, he needed her help even more desperately than she thought. She sighed and told him to listen closely and do exactly as she said.

"Excuse me!" Everyone looked up in surprise. AMP paused. "Have you tried...talking about it?"