Flexible Friend

The Timeflex seems like a perfect area of experimentation for R&D (go to Solovyovdesign.com and click through Product and Timflex – yeah… spelling mistake on his part, but who cares…). Seeking to enhance user experience, minimise waste and maximise functionality, R&D create the Dataflex, a non-permanent, self-gumming PDC. All the functionality of a PDC without the bulk. New enhanced user interface with easy access to all favourite options. Troubleshooters can stick it to skin, clothes, weapons, walls… whatever.

So, what could go wrong? Maybe the gum dissolves in water – including sweat – and the damned Dataflex keeps slipping off. Faced with accusations of treason for losing valuable gear, Troubleshooters have to keep back-tracking to find the damned thing… Just avoided a firefight and now have to go back to find your paper-thin PDC!

Maybe Corpore Metal have been fiddling with the device and the gum provides a conductive two-way line into the Troubleshooters nervous system. Maybe the experience starts with uneasy realisation that you remembered sub-clause 345634.22/A of the new HPD&MC New Glorious Hygiene protocol before you actually looked it up… then you can quote the time without checking and know exactly the right way to the briefing room. Before you know it, half the team members have nearly verifiable proof the other half of the team have some kind of weird mutant power that lets them communicate with machines… and they’d get on their PDC to report the treachery if not for the fact they appear to have already logged the call 5 minutes ago and the guy on the Mutant Hotline wants to know why you keep calling him…

How about that Dataflex works perfectly and the gum clings like a dream – then halfway through a stealthy approach to a huddle of conspiring traitors an alarm goes off. The Troubleshooter can’t get the damned thing off his arm or clothes, and the touch-sensitive controls aren’t responding. How about – ‘User input currently offline while unit receives M1n35w33p3r Upgrade from Tech Services WiFi service hub node. Please be patient…’? What do you do? Scrape off your skin? Get your team mates to help out with an emergency amputation? Lightly sear your forearm with your hand flamer? How do you explain the loss of equipment to The Computer, the R&D Gear Futures team… and those gruff looking conspirator types with the fully loaded auto-slugthrowers?