12088/Making a better LexKnight

Making a better LexKnight
Date of Scene:	27 August 2020
Location:	LexCorp Laboratories - LexCorp Tower
Synopsis:	Just another day at Project Stargazer, and another failure, with Mercy convincing Lex to go take a breakfast date.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves

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Lex Luthor has posed:
Project Stargazer. When Brainiac was originally contacted by sheer accident, the deal struck with the being allowed for some serious gains in exchange for some minor concessions Lex had considered it a more than fair trade.

Of course, Lex being the only one on Earth who knows what the deal means long term (or that there even is a deal), it's not like anyone else could criticize.

The technology acquired had been a great boon... but even now, they just don't have the infrastructure to actually make use of it. Lex has -begrudgingly- been forced to downgrade his designs to be more compatible with what LexCorp is capable of.

The process of reverse-engineering alien technology centuries advanced to current Earth use takes time, even for Lex Luthor... but it's been the primary goal of the project; find tools to keep LexCorp at the top, and continue to find ways to improve the warsuit that was developed from the project, as well as Project LexHub.

The project team, and Mercy and Hope were the only ones to know of the project, and NDA's on all the scientists and engineers involved made sure it stays that way. No one wants to be fired from such a lucrative contract, after all.

The complex built specifically for the project within LexCorp Tower has had few visitors besides the team and Lex himself. Mercy has also been told that Barbara (AKA Cheetah) may also be told about this project today, potential, but that's a big if.

The project headquarters itself is, of course, elsewhere... but this is where the main testing and proofing of what the project produces goes. The technology itself is elsewhere. The results? Here. In the middle of the massive collection of workshops, computer banks, and storage units is the suit storage platform, built directly into the center of the open chamber. In front of the warsuit itself is Lex Luthor, who is accessing functions on the primary platform console between the door and the assembly platform itself... with rage and frustration written all over his face.

Today, Lex has gone to the project section early, leaving Mercy and Hope to catch up to him. This usually happens when an idea hits for the project that Lex doesn't want to wait for.

Mercy Graves has posed:
The moment Mercy realized that Lex wasn't in his office, after she got through her usual morning tasks for the business, she couldn't resist the curiosity. Especially when she realized he was in the lab. She forced herself not to rush, the business came first and then her morning run and shower, but she's there earlier that Hope is. It helps that she's been living in the offices and penthouse pretty much full time these days.

She's in one of her usual sharp, black suits, this one with very fine gray pinstripes running through it. The skirt just barely covers the tops of her thighs, giving her plenty of room to move and run. Her hair is still damp from the shower, tied back in a neat knot at the back of her throat. She's carrying one of the datapads that she uses with this project -- the highest of security, locked to just him and her. She doesn't put notes about the suit on her regular computers.

"Good morning, sir..." She chimes in respectfully, not totally able to hide the curiosity from her voice as her clicking heels carry her across the highly secured lab.

Lex Luthor has posed:
By the time Mercy is in the Lab, she can see the suit is being powered in sections as Lex runs some sort of test. If he heard her greeting, he's either too focused, or ignoring her.

Soon, as a massive amount of electricity suddenly sparks out of one of the gauntlets as Lex growls... there's an explosion of sparks as the lightning cage around the platform suddenly activates, containing the overload.

It's happened often enough in the initial prototype phase that Lex made sure that there was containment for testing just for this event.

As the suit is shut down, he takes a tablet from the side, and throws it across the room in a scream, the rage visibly exploding on his face as well.

It takes a minute for him to calm himself enough to actually talk to Mercy, "It's almost like the code evolves on it's own. I've never seen anything like it."

Mercy Graves has posed:
When these things happened initially, Mercy almost jumped out of her skin. There were a few times in the past of her dashing across the room, terrified she'd find him unconscious or dead under the suit. Now, she's accustomed enough to it that while she still jerks a little, she's not in a concerned panic. She slows her steps enough that she's not anywhere near the lightning cage or sparks, but hovers just on the edge of the electric chaos that is happening.

Her head tilts, worried eyes searching a little deeper into the area, trying to be certain that he's still fully in one piece. When he comes out and tosses the tablet, she barely winces. She waits there calmly, only a few feet away, her expression slightly aching for him.

"... considering the origin of the suit, it's distinctly possible that it does, sir. It'd be an impossibility to crack if it was anyone but you. It's still going to take time." She takes another step closer, withing touching range now, studying his face with that worried gaze.

Lex Luthor has posed:
It's almost like Lex views the warsuit itself as an enemy. It's quite obvious why the suit overloaded; Lex tried to actually put one of the modules that Brainiac sent ahead for his end of the deal onto the arm, testing his latest theory of integration.

The technology is, simply put, far too advanced to even remotely be compatible.

With an angry gesture, Lex yells at one of the engineers, "Take the thing off and put it in the next convoy." It's easy to tell he's not lashing out, since there's no heat in his voice directed at the man. Lex is angry that he /still/ can't manage to get the interface working properly.

"The neural net negates the need for AI support. Yet I can't help but think the original payload has elements of it." Lex brings up a hand to his face and rubs his forehead with two fingers, "Even an imitation exoskeleton is extremely advanced for us, but I need /more/. The initial test against the alien made it clear the suit is on somewhat equal terms. I need superior." Lex points to the module as it's being taken, "That's superior. I need it to /WORK/."

Mercy Graves has posed:
Her eyes are a bit too wide as she looks between him, the suit, and the module that isn't working to his standards. Mercy's entire posture is one of calming and reassuring, shoulders a touch bent so she's physically lower than he is, but it lets her look up into his eyes a bit easier than if she was standing stiff and straight.

"...Maybe it's not a matter of programming it to integrate, but letting the AI and it... talk to each other, while in use? Not that I want you in that thing while you're putting an experimental module on it, but... Forcing them to work together does not appear to be working." She's a touch nervous about even offering that suggestion, but she's his second in command for a reason. Sometimes, she sees things he doesn't.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"There's no AI in the suit. It doesn't need one." Lex cuts her off. "The original payload is what /this/-" Lex gestures to the warsuit, "-is based on. It's not a derivative. It's a variant of the technology with it's own design. It's the equivalent of Looking at a sniper rifle and designing a musket because you can't figure out how to build the tools for rifling or receivers." Lex growls as he turns back to the central console. "I just don't have the fabrication available, and every workaround I've considered just damages the suit."

He pulses his lips, "it'd be almost impressive, if it wasn't taking so much money to keep this project running."

Mercy Graves has posed:
Unless he pulls away from her, Mercy's fingertips reach up and she rests a warm, firm hand against his shoulder. The touch is meant to be grounding as much as anything. "Well, we're not going to get new tools today. Maybe... let's go back to the office and get some breakfast. Have you even eaten yet? You'll have another idea for it tomorrow and try again. But..." Mercy sighs, pale eyes going up to the suit for a heartbeat.

"There are other projects that need your mind and this one seeming impossibility still doesn't change the fact that you're the most brilliant technological designer on the face of the planet. Maybe we'll go look at a few successes for an hour or two."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"The test failed. There's no need to try any longer." Lex agrees, without looking back to Mercy, and he growls as he inputs the commands to shut down the suit itself and the connections made. The platform lowers into storage, and Lex turns around as he head for the door. "I had a snack before I came down here. Might as well get a real meal." Lex grumbles as he heads for the exit.

Mercy Graves has posed:
A single squeeze to his shoulder comes before she lets go, encouraged that he's shutting it all down for now. She steps to the side quickly, moving to retrieve that tossed data pad without words. Who knows if it's functional or not, but she passes it back to one of the other high security techs to fix the thing and at least process the few notes from the failed process. The normal clean up after something's gone wrong. She's been through this dance before.

She's at his heels then, just as smoothly, as he heads for the exit. "A real meal would help, sir." She agrees smoothly, keeping pace with him as they escape the lab.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Once in the elevator, Lex places his hands in his pockets. Pressing the button to his penthouse office, Lex watches the hallway as the door to the lift closes. "It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would to crack production." Lex says, simply. "We just don't have the foundation to even begin."

Then, halfway up the tower, Lex presses the stop button, grinding the elevator to a halt. "How much time have you spent actually looking at the blueprints for the tech involved with Stargazer?" Lex inquires, almost out of nowhere.

Mercy Graves has posed:
She leans hips against the edge of the elevator's rail, a bit more relaxed than she was in the lab but still very much on duty. However, the privacy of an elevator allows her a few moments to actually look at him instead of taking in all his surroundings as well. It's nice to be able to give her boss some focus.

His question draws a quiet shake of Mercy's head. "Not overly much. I studied the initial lay out and scans, but there have been several other projects I'm making certain continue smoothly while you focus your attention on this."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"We're rapidly coming to a point where I won't be able to stall progress on my end." Lex mutters, mostly to himself. Then, he turns, walks over to Mercy, and places both his hands on her hips as he presses her against the side of the elevator. "I know it's a pain in the ass, and I appreciate it." Lex leans down and gives Mercy a kiss. Deep, firm. There's a bit of hunger to it as he lingers on her lips.

Mercy Graves has posed:
The kiss is a touch unexpected, but never the less enjoyed. A few inches of that professional, protective tension she keeps in the office melts away quietly as she tilts her head up, returning the press of his lips. Her fingertips find themselves wrapping around the back of his suit, pulling him in just a bit closer. A lovely distraction from the failed experiments. "You know I'm never going to stop you from doing what you need to do... But I will make certain you take breaks to be a *person* too. You'll have more focus and clarity if you take a few hours off." She smiles against his mouth. "You know I'm right."

Lex Luthor has posed:
It takes about a minute for Lex to break it, once he starts. Then, he releases her hips and moves over to the elevator control panel again, hitting the resume button.

No doubt there will be some formal complaints about using the emergency stop button on one of the main elevators during prime time. No doubt Lex will ignore them entirely; It's his Tower, his employees work on HIS time, not their own.

As the elevator resumes... "I have to be more than just a human. I have to be /the/ human if my vision is to become reality." Lex clarifies, offhandedly, as the elevator dings.