There were a lot of things about computers that Charlie Montgomery really didn’t understand. She was very good at blowing them up when trying to work with magic and them, but she decided not to bring that up to any potential target.
She was out targeting someone who could teach her more about how a computer worked, why it worked, how it did it without magic, and all those little things. They weren’t so little, but she was telling herself it wasn’t going to be too complicated.
That’s how she found Mitch Turner sitting at a desk in the technology area of the base. He looked friendly enough. “Hi!” She greeted and pulled up a chair but stayed standing. “You look like the kind of person who knows a thing or two about a computer, and I could use the help of someone just like you, up for it?” She raised her eyebrows hopefully.
There was a whole lot to be said about months of a steady day job and a lack of being hunted and having to travel place to place. Mitch had never really had a job of his own, not one that was considered acceptable by society’s standard. He’d been in prison for so long, and was on the fringes of society before then.
So, this really worked for him, and he put a lot of effort into it.
He was grateful for Atlantis and its opportunities on a more superficial level too, because his desk and chair had been magically modified to be a bit more comfortable for his oversized form and muscles. It made him look a little less out of place and imposing, and it made him feel less like he was playing dress up.
The voice drew his attention and he looked up at her, curious. “Oh, sure. Happy to,” he said, nodding towards the seat she pulled up before finishing up what he was working on. “What can I do for you?”
Grinning Charlie practically bounced into the chair as she situated herself a little bit more comfortably before looking up at him.
“Well, I am not from a world where computers are a huge part of my life, and while I do know how a toaster works, and have made got a waffle iron to make different shapes with a few,” she paused, “tweaks, I need to know more about these things.” She pointed at the computer. “They’re a bit,” Charlie tilted her head. “More complicated than some of the more basic muggle things.” She looked back up at him with a grin. “And I was hoping you could help me understand them a bit more.”
“You must be from the magical world,” Mitch said, smiling still. He knew Harry Potter’s canon pretty well, having gone through them during one of the solitary stints. (He was a self-sorted Gryffindor.) “Well, I don’t know how good of a teacher I actually am, because I usually just fiddle with things until they start to work,” he said. “But I’ll give it a good shot and we’ll see what comes of it, yeah? Do you just need to know how to start it up and use the basic functions, or is there something specific you want to do on it?”
“Me too!” Charlie almost jumped in her seat, okay so her tinkering sometimes meant things blew up, but she still did things that way most of the time. This was a new thing for her, coming for help, but she also didn’t think Atlantis would want her blowing up computers.
“Well, I know our magic and technology doesn’t always get along, but sometimes it does and this is sort of the land of magic and technology, so I wanted to know more about how these things,” she pointed at his computer, “work.” She wasn’t sure she should bring up some of the ideas she’d had yet.
“Hey, kindred spirits then,” he said. “I’m Mitch. Good to meet you.”
He nodded at her request, because it was simple enough and he knew how hard it could be to articulate what one actually wanted sometimes when the options were so wildly unfamiliar. “So, a lot of it has to do with coding,” he said. “It mostly boils down to systems of commands that work together to make stuff happen on the screen. The coding tells the computer that when I click this button, I want this thing to happen. Or if I type xyz, I’m expecting a certain result.” He looked over at her to make sure she followed before he continued. “So, for example, if I’m looking for something specific, like a name of someone, I’ve got to know the coding so that I know what’s computer speak and what’s actually the information I’m trying to find. Otherwise, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Charlie!” She grinned. She pulled out her own self-writing pen, she’d taken to writing with muggle pens over the years and put it on a notebook to write word for word what he was saying.
“So, it’s a language basically? Or like Arithmancy, although that’s a bit more about predicting the future,” Charlie shrugged as she looked carefully at his screen and back to him. “How did you learn it all? Get into it?”
“It is, yeah. Learning computers in school is mostly learning that language, I think,” he said, purely guessing because he certainly hadn’t attended a proper college. “Oh. Uh,” he was quiet a moment, considering the options before figuring to hell with it, “I learned in prison, actually. Work program. They taught us to do it so we could do data entry stuff, and I took to it better than most of the others.”
“Huh,” she was thoughtful wondering if she should take a class but that wasn’t really her kind of thing, assignments and things weren’t her strength. She tilted her head at the mention of prison. “How did you end up in prison, if you don’t mind me asking, you don’t have to answer that!” Charlie added quickly. She probably shouldn’t have asked that.
“Most of the time, I guess I looked the part,” he commented. “The last time, it was for bank robbery. I’d figured I may as well make it worthwhile if I was going to keep ending up in prison either way, and that seemed like the least violent way to have an interesting story to tell.” He didn’t want her thinking he might hurt her, after all. People tended to judge a person based on the way they looked, and he actually had a background that corroborated a lot of those first impressions. “But hey, I learned how to do this in prison so it was worth it. Wouldn’t have had the chance otherwise.”
“You don’t look the part to me,” Charlie meant it too, sure he looked a bit gruff but he didn’t look like a bad sort of bloke. “I don’t know much about prison systems outside of what we had at home, but having your good memories sucked away from you or learning about computers, the computers sound a better bet.” She smiled letting the thoughts of how Azkaban used to be drift away. “So, if there was one thing critical to know about the computer, what would it be?”
“Well, hey. Thank you,” Mitch responded, laughing a bit. “You’re probably one of the few who’d say that.” He winced a little as she continued, nodding. “Yeah, it’ll sound weird, but I’ve actually read the book series set in your world. Azkaban definitely would’ve been worse.” At her question, he considered it a moment, then shrugged. “Aside from turning it off and on? Probably how to get to the internet. From there, it’s all information. Anything you could need to know, or need to know how to do, you can find on the internet.”
“You’re welcome, and it does sound a bit weird, I looked up the little bit me and one of my sisters got a mention,” there was basically nothing about her in it and part of Charlie was jealous, the other part of her was glad. “And what if I can’t find something I need to know on the internet?”
“If you need something specific, feel free to ask? I’m happy to help. Sometimes, it’s easier to go that route anyway,” he said, nodding a bit. “Really, though, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something that isn’t listed online. It’s got a wealth of knowledge, all you have to do is search for it.”
"It's more fun asking you," Charlie smile with a small bounce of her shoulders. "But I promise not to bug you about simple things," she added. "I wouldn't want to waste your time." Charlie was still overwhelmed by the internet and everything you could find, especially here in Atlantis.
“Well, I hope you continue thinking that,” he said, laughing again. “Nah, don’t worry. I really don’t have a whole lot on my plate.” Aside from Victor and his periodic explosions, but he was there in a familial bodyguard potential more than just about anything else. “I don’t mind helping. Can I show you anything more specific, or did you have any other questions?”
“I have a feeling I will,” she smiled. “So, what do you do to keep busy?” Charlie was always curious. “Well, thank you, it seems like I came to the right person for help, but I think I should explore the internet a bit see what I come up with and bug you after that.”
“I’ve got a sort of makeshift family that I look after. Or try to, anyway, they’re both a hell of a lot more powerful than I am and can easily take care of themselves. And I’ve got a kitten,” he shrugged, smiling. “He’s a little shit.” He looked over at her, eyebrows raised. “What about you?”
“Family is family, and I’m sure you take care of them in ways they need,” Charlie sometimes envied those kinds of families, hers was weird. “And I’m sure you love that little kitten.” She countered with a shrug. “I haven’t been here that long so I’m still figuring out what will keep me busy, but my best mate Tracey is here and some people from home and Atlantis has endless entertainment, have you been to the open mic night yet?”
“I certainly try to. They’re good people, they mean a lot to me. All three of us are strays,” he said, nodding. “I do. He’s a mess, but he’s a good little thing.” He nodded as she spoke, glad she had people here. He needed more of them, frankly -- he mostly spent his time working or with Victor and Sydney. “I haven’t, no. I’m told my musical abilities are the kind best left to the shower.”
"I think Atlantis likes collecting us strays," she had a feeling all of them became strays unless you were a Weasley or a Spinnet of course. "What's his name?" She asked, calling him kitten or hell kitten didn't really work for her. "You don't actually have to sing or play anything, I hear open mic nights are good for watching too."
“I think you may be right.” At the question about his kitten, his smile showed how much the little thing made him melt. “Quincy. He’s a good little baby.” Honestly, Mitch was pretty sure he’d never been to an open mic night in his life. “Well, that does sound like fun. I’ll have to check it out at some point.”
"Quincy," she repeated. "Good name." It was clear to her that he really loved the kitten, even if he was a bit of a pain in the arse. "I'm going to drag you to the next on as a thank you for all your help." She said holding out her hand. "Deal?"
Mitch laughed. He was used to being manhandled a bit when it came it people in his very small circle, so this seemed about right. He took her hand, shaking it. “Absolutely. Go for it,” he said.