[ Jack on the other hand has the kind of swaggering confidence that comes from a strong sense of self, an awareness of his own appeal, and a whole lot of experience. He likes complimenting other people, especially those who seem surprised by it, everyone deserves a little flattery here and there. And he is the last person to judge people on bad decisions. He can tell something's weighing on the guy, he's jittery.

He is delighted to hear about the robots, eyes widening at the description. ]

That's incredible. The Statue of Liberty could use a little love, out there on her own. And you built these giant robots? Did people pilot them or were they remote? Please tell me no AI was involved.

[ After a beat he looks around. ]

No offense meant, Viveca.

[ Sure she might seem reasonable enough, but Jack's been through so many adventures over his long life, and robots with AI almost always ended up trouble. A giant one would be particularly difficult. Asking for trouble, and he's not a scientist, he's just genre-savvy.

Jack laughs and waves a hand at the playful return. ]

That was a long time ago, you only have to learn that lesson once. Take the taser, be careful where you put it. Let's go get a pint, it's been twenty years since the last time I had one, I'm dying.