15059/What the future holds.

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What the future holds.
Date of Scene: 08 May 2023
Location: An empty plot of land somewhere between Gotham and New York.
Synopsis: Nadia & Harper build a communications device to catch the attention of Kara. Who probably could have been reached via cellphone. But why let common sense get in the way of SCIENCE? Nadia makes another GIRL recruitment pitch. Harper is an expert on the Smurfs.
Cast of Characters: Wasp (Pym), Bluebird, Supergirl




Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Today marks the first official GIRL project. Not that GIRL itself is official yet. Funding, resources and most importantly a lab are still a work in progress. Which is why Nadia has enlisted the help of her new friend and engineering ace Harper. For secret and mysterious work on a device that looks like a big antenna.

What does this device actually do? Science!

Or it would if it was working. Which currently it is not. "So I think something probably blew out when I first tested it in my lab. I /think/ being so small caused some sort of feedback loop. And really although I can fine with all the math behind why it broke. That doesn't actually help me establish /what/ broke."

Which is, of course, pretty much the whole point of her GIRL project. Bring together the best people and they can do pretty much anything they can imagine.
Bluebird has posed:
Harper has her hands planted on her hips and is currently wielding a bit of an upperbite the way she's frowning over the big antenna. "Definitely more complicated that turning it on and off again." she grumbles.

Bouncing her heel like she's had too much coffee she tilts her head the other way, letting her hair messily flop over the other side of her shaved temples for a change. It doesn't help. "I don't like how things get weird with how small things get with you stuff. Pretty wicked, but weird, right?"

Harper does a little walk about of the antenna, as if this would help her own perspective. There is an urge to ~kick~ it, like it was an old television set. "Can we run power through it until we find the part that's gone all snap-crack 'n pop or strip the pole and sniff out the culprit?"
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"It's really not all that complicated," Nadia protests earnestly. "If you want I could take a moment to get a whiteboard from my lab to explain with." She frowns. "Or maybe once we're finished I don't want the project to take forever."

Harper has perhaps dodged a bullet for now.

"I don't think it's at all weird. Or, if it is, then it's the good kind of weird. Like mixing sweet and salted popcorn," she muses. Wings fluttering so she can circle the device from another angle. "It might be risky doing that. If we feed power into something which was already damaged when it shorted the first time it could blow that out too. It should break down into manageable sections for ease of transportation. I can get inside all the electronics without us dismantling them which'll save time."
Bluebird has posed:
Harper gestures to Nadia, giving her a big thumbs up. "Sure, after we're finished and it's time to hit the showers, Coach." she drawls. On mention of things being sweet and sour, she's into her pocket to pull out another candy and its crinkly wrapper. She untwists and reveals the yellow orb, flicking it up and snapping it into her mouth to suffer a long slow dissolution in her yap.

Harper's eyes move from the science project to Nadia as she flutters around. Trying to track the motion of those wings is impossible without some helpful slow-mo goggles, but it's still fascinating to the Gothamite. "Right...Good kind of weird." she mumbles. "I'm more of a push-it till it bends or busts kind of gal, but I'll defer to your good judgement in this case. I'm a bit hard on my own gear. Whatever doesn't kill ya makes you tougher. Stress tests I think you'd say, if we're using ~lab talk~."

Harper changes gears and moves forward to places her palms around the antenna to lightly drag her fingertips over the circumference. She's got enough little nicks and scorch marks to show she's a bit too handsy with things. "What is this big boy gonna be fully capable of when it's got all the kinks worked out?"
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Still need to get that backer to fund us," Nadia points out wryly. "Before we can afford to just stress test the delicate electronics quite that roughly!" Working to a budget. Something Harper is likely used to from her day job. There's never quite enough money to go round after all. "It's a nondirectional quantum message relay system." She shrugs. As much as you can shrug while flying with insect wings.

"Like a radio for flying saucers and little green men."

So basically. She's making a very expensive and complicated cellphone....

"I guess I could use the phone book to leave a message," she admits. "But I am hoping this will be more impressive."
Bluebird has posed:
Harper replaces the pads of her fingers with her nails, feeling that friction scraping along the metal like it had an itch that needed scratching. Her upper lip lifts in a faux sneer. "That's...yeah."

Ms. Row's hands turn over so she can use her knuckles instead, and lightly raps them on the antenna. "Take me to your Leader." she intones in a monotone voice, pretending seriousness, brows furrowed. She backs off the mechanism and ventures towards her backpack to retrieve some diagnostic gadgets. "I'm sure Ma Bell would love to get her mittens on a Quantum whatsit. How are we going to find a backer that isn't some Corporate soulless monster wearing the skin of a normie?"
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"I'm looking at getting a super lawyer involved," Nadia says solemnly. How do you fight Corporate soulless monsters? With your own monster. "So it's clear that anyone funding us knows they will not have creative control over the lab. Also I'm hoping to put clauses in which protect superhero member identities."

She frowns.

"As for who... I'm looking at eccentric female billionaires who make charitable donations and, ideally, only seem interested in the PR benefits of charity work rather than getting involved." So rich, odd, and ideally known for partying so they don't have time to get involved. "If you can think of anyone that fits the bill let me know!"
Bluebird has posed:
Harper does an about-face, a full 180 degrees to stare back and up at Nadia's hovering form. Internally, she's wrestling with the whole financial backing thing. Worrying about becoming a Shill or a lackey to some business leviathan. The candy rolls around in her mouth, making a cheek bulge as her tongue jams it on the outside of gums and teeth for a moment.

"Sounds...awful, and I realize there's some realities or whatever. I'm not keen about having some Mommy Warbucks strutting around and pushing her tits into our faces. Hands off hopefully, and let us save lives and do good." Harper sniffs and juts out her bottom jaw. "Yeah, let them giggle with their rich friends and brag about helping out some poor girls doing whatever. I'll endure being someone's little charity project as long as they don't get their stupid fingers on our shit."

"If don't really hang with anyone like that, or know of someone trustworthy with lots of cash. There's a bunch of charitable families and foundations in Gotham, but they don't fit the bill I don't think in this situation."
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"I don't know who Mommy Warbucks is," Nadia says, tilting her head to one side. She flitters around a little more as Harper talks and then lands. "Is she a member of the Gotham families you mentioned?"

She nods emphatically at the save lives and do good comment. "That is why I'm going to try get She-Hulk to be our lawyer. I think if anyone understands how important our autonomy will be it's her. But there are other options. Besides I write the contracts /you/ are involved in. And I can guarantee you retain the rights to your work."

She winks. "So no matter who funds us they can't screw anyone over." Could they maybe screw Nadia over? Perhaps! Well they could try anyway. She is a trained operative. Worst case she can simply fake her own death, change her name, and start again with a different name. It's a plan with absolutely no flaws.
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
The repair process, while complicated and time consuming, thankfully doesn't require any new gear. Except perhaps a few jury rigged replacements Harper had to put together. The most recent GIRL recruit more than living up to Nadia's expectations! And now it's finally time to (re)test /The Device/. Nadia Pym pokes and prods at the controls. Calibrating settings and adjusting the quantum macguffin to see if it works.

It doesn't explode when powered up. Which is an improvement on the microverse test. And soon, thanks to some very complex physics, there is a message being broadcast. An enthusiastic, if polite, request for the hero Supergirl to meet them at their current co-ordinates.

Could Nadia have sent a letter, SMS or email. Perhaps even phoned the Titans reception desk to arrange a meeting? Yes. Yes she could. Would it have been cheaper and most efficient? Almost certainly. But this way she got to have fun making.. Whatever the thing will eventually be called. Nadia really does need to workshop the names of her inventions....

But hey. She does what she must because she can. And if she'd thought this far ahead there would be cake on offer.
Supergirl has posed:
Aperture Science.

Supergirl was busy with DOJ affairs when the brodcast made it to her... It wasn't hard honestly. For her to hear it. She was in the middle of putting down an insurrection of alien beings who had infultrated a warband in Asia Minor in some vain attempt to assume control of the local populace. With DOJ containment teams no onsite to take said aliens to holding facilities where they can be questioned on their intent.

With a polite nod to the Commanding Officer, "You have this?" She asks, recieves an affirmative and then departs towards the co-ordinates shared with her through the broadcast.

The trip is a short one.

Fluttering cape snapping around her as she hovers above where Nadia and Harper had been working on whatever the device will eventually be called. Small arms cross over her chest as she descends until red boots touch the ground. She closes the rest of the distance on foot with her head tilting to one side.

"What is that?" She asks as she points towards the device.
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"A resounding success!" Nadia says brightly. Flitting about on insectile wings that seem to come out from a sleek backpack. "It's a communications device with..." It fzzzzts and there's a smell of burning. "A few minor technical issues that we'll need to work out." There's a polite little cough. Possibly this is due to the fumes. Possibly because it's slightly awkward when your impressive project is a tiny bit on fire.

"I'm Nadia," she greets. "Nadia Pym. I was hoping I could catch your interest regarding a little project of mine."

She lands. Wings fluttering intermittently. And motions for Supergirl to join them. "See I'm creating a group of scientists. An independent lab which can help hero groups out but also tackle issues which can't be resolved by just punching them. Clean energy, improvements to food and water supplies, you name it really. Anything that makes the world better for everyone." She toe-scuffs. "I figure people probably ask you to help them with things all the time. So I thought perhaps a demonstration might be more attention catching!"
Supergirl has posed:
Kara is pretty small for a woman of her stature. That's usually the first thing people notice about her, followed very quickly by her accent. It's literally like nothing on earth. One of the last remaining beings in the entire Universe with a Kryptonian accent, even all these years later. "You created a multiphasic transdimensional communication device just to get my attention?" Blue eyes look down at the smoking unit, then back up at Nadia.

A grin slowly spreads across her pale pink lips as the explanation is provided. Until there's no more room for smiling and she's forced to raise an eyebrow to continue expanding upon her amusment.

"You want to compete with Tony Stark on clean energy?" A tease with her arms unfolding to rest upon her hips just above the waist of her short skirt. "Nadia, I'm Kara Zor-El." Extending her hand out in greeting, "Please don't call me Supergirl."
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Oh, no not compete with him. I'd give the technology away for free," Nadia says without hesitation. "And yes that's exactly what I did. With help from my friend Harper that is. So far I'm still recruiting members and securing funding. But I have plans to find more people and sort out the financial side." She pulls out a business card. "Think you might be interested Kara? If not we might have to pop over to my lab. Which is fine but Harper did find the trip a little much last time." She glances to her friend and raises an eyebrow as if to ask if she's okay with the idea.

She shakes the offered hand with enthusiasm. "Come to think of it I have no data on how my lab will interact with non-human senses. If we do go please could you make some notes after? I'd be fascinated to read about the experience."
Supergirl has posed:
"The unfortunate reality of technology in a civilization that has not yet transcended the strife of divided nations and market, is that it will never truly be free." Kara says with a small frown, "You may give it away, but someone will take it and attempt to monitize it. The goal is noble, the application is impossible and the cause of more than one planets destruction. Including my own."

Cynical.

Not cold cynism, but certainly close.

Her hand returns to her hips as Nadia continues and nods slowly, "I admire your vision, however. With the right application of this technology and a fundamental plan to keep the science free..." Her grin returns, flicking across her pale features.

"I'd be happy to assist in any way I can. Back on Krypton I was... not as scientific as my mother, but I was considered one of the brightest young pupils before the untimely destruction."
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"You make a good point," Nadia says with a shrug. "We'll have to get up to a post scarcity economy too. I'll add it to the list." Who knows how long the list already is. Probably very.

It's a very ambitious list.

"I've got a bunch of mission briefs and plans for how it all works. But essentially we'll recruit brilliant minds and help each other out with research. Maybe help out various super teams. I know my biological Father has done things to help the Avengers in the past. I thought maybe I could do similar things for them. Perhaps other groups like the Titans?"

She beams a smile. "We can save the tour for another day if you're already convinced. I could probably do with actually having a thorough tidying if I'm going to be having guests round. After three years researching I have notes all over." Probably quite literally doodled on the walls in places. "Oh and please be reassured that I won't be pressuring you to share alien technology which might upset the galactic power balance." Not that it's really an option to force a Kryptonian. At least not without some long time calamity befalling you.
Bluebird has posed:
Harper comes back into view, eyes a bit red, bearing an aromatic scent that's easily recognizable. She's taking an overly long time to stuff a lighter back into her back pocket while holding one of her cannabalized drones. "Hell yeah they will." she comments, pinning a tail on the end of some recent observations of Earth's current culture.

Her eyes flick from Nadia to Kara, and she chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment. "Heeeeey, Kara." she stretches out the name like maple syrup taffy.

"But ~I~ might pressure you." Harper half-jests, adding on a bit dry-throated chuckle. "But seriously, how cool would that be. And immediately stolen of course..."
Supergirl has posed:
Kara is familiar with almost all of human history from her own varied research. It was important to Clark that she learn as much about the planet as she could, this included the interwoven lines that connect super teams and present a unification of the various heroes who have dealt with each other over the course of the teams formation.

She smiles and nods. "Whenever would be best." As far as tours and tidying.

She remains quiet for a moment, considering something. "I have no problem sharing Kryptonian technology where it can be most beneficial, but Earth is not yet ready for that level of advancement. Much like your Star Trek's Federation, it is important to guide the development of a planet along social advancements rather than use it as a catalyst for those changes."

Enter Harper, whom she is familiar with from the incident a few weeks ago.

Her smile widens a touch. "I could probably be pressured easily to let you both to experimenet with some of the technology I was sent with. If only to see what the future holds." Not that either or both of them isn't every bit the smartest woman on earth. It doesn't seem like she's insulting what they're able to achieve, anyways.
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"The future holds whatever we want it to," Nadia says earnestly. "That being said it does sound like a fun way to pass the time. Just a sample of my Fathers work was enough to inspire me. Who knows what ideas might spring up for technology created by another culture entirely."

She pauses. Looks from Kara to Harper. Then back again. "If it turns out you had her number the whole time. I will feel very silly." She points out with a solemn nod. "But it wasn't a waste of time because it was very educational. If perhaps a little expensive in lost equipment."

She pulls out a crystal pendant and holds it up. "I'm not sure if you can see it. But my lab is between the atoms in the middle. Ish." The only thing wilder than rumours and speculation about Kryptonian powers are the powers themselves. Nadia has no idea if Kara will be able to see the tiny pink castle between the atoms. Finding out will be an experiment in itself.
Bluebird has posed:
The punkish gal smiles a crooked grin. Ah yis, still got it Bluebird. Smooth as standard cotton. She swaggers over towards her knapsack, sets down the partially dismantled drone Dixie, and hauls out a small bag of chips which she pulls open with a practiced hungry snap. She stuffs a few salty terrible-decision hot chips into her mouth and straightens to offer munchies to her companions. To Nadia's question of whether she has Kara's number or not, she coyly arches an eyebrow and grins. Thankfully she chews with her mouth closed and spares everyone a smile of chips speckled with spice dust flavouring.

Swallow and some lip licking. "We're a long way from Star Trek. I've watched some of it and they even supposedly did away with money even. Acquisition oof wealth was considered primitive or something. Talk about science fiction, that's it right there."

"Hot damn, a little experimentation is always on my radar." Her food hand is swiped across her hip when the pendant comes out. Just seeing it makes Harper's stomach do a little wobble, remembering trip required to zoomie into it.
Supergirl has posed:
The offer of a chip and Kara shakes her head, patting at her stomach as if there's a calorie empty enough to affect her physique. It's done in good nature, of course, and she does ultimately reach out to pull one of the spiced chips from the back between two fingers. A single chip. Likely so as not to be rude. Kryptonian's really don't have to eat much.

Because she's concentrating as she chews.

Staring at the pendant Nadia indicated for several long moments.

"Barely. A small .. is that a castle?" She narrows her eyes and grins, "Pink. Cute. Fitting.." She nods slowly and glances up at Harper. "Not really. there are at least three thousand space faring civilizations in the Universe. Some of them are quite advanced. I could share the Kryptonian database on known cultures who have developed the technology for interstellar travel, if you want." In the interest in information exchange.

Her hands settle onto her hips, wrapping around her slight waist.

"My mother would say the only wasted experiment is one you didn't preform."
Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"I made it myself," Nadia says with a grin. "Perhaps I'll hold a celebration party there once we've got everything underway."

She nods eagerly at the offer of an information exchange. "I'd love to share information," she enthuses. "I've got some cultural data about the microverse you might like to see. It's interesting to see the parallels with our universe."

Her wings flutter some more and a device on her wrist makes a little chirping noise. "That seems like very wise advise. And speaking of experiments I have a notification that one of my ongoing projects needs my attention. Gosh I really hate to science and run. But I can assure you I'll be in touch soon!"
Bluebird has posed:
Harper should have had a drink of something, post-toke, pre-chips. Trying to choke down that casually offered info about a cosmos that sounds practically teeming with unseen stuff, is challenging. Her eyes water as she concentrates on not coughing, getting all that stuff coating her throat where it belongs down below. She raises her free hand to lightly bap at her sternum and blinks rapidly. She gives a curt nod. "Sure...yeah, sure. And I'll share...how I know the name of all the Smurfs..." This last bit rasped to herself.

Harper's head snaps back up, brows furrowed as she eyes Kara like she's got three heads. "You can see that?!" Swinging her head over to Nadia and her imminent departure, she hoist her self-heimlich'ing hand to wave.
Supergirl has posed:
Kara glances over at Harper and nods, smiling softly, "Barely, but yes. It requires a lot of concentration, it's not something I'd do on a whim or by mistake. Most of the things people have observed Kryptonian's do are things that come as naturally as breathing.." She taps the side of her head, against her temple, "We're capable of a great deal more." With a little widening grin and a look to Nadia.

"It would probably be best to simply call me next time. I am not entirely familiar with earth phones, but... I have one. And I can give you the number. That way there's not a gross waste of resources simply to get my attention." Which of course leads to her glancing off... narrowing her eyes.. and looking back.

"Convenient timing. I am actually being summoned for a briefing. Perhaps next time we can see your lab?"
Bluebird has posed:
Harper turns back, making the bag of rapidly diminishing chips crinkle-crankle with her fingertips. Kneading at it like a stress ball. Her head bows a little though her eyes remain on the Kryptonian. "I'll bet." she smacks her lips.

Harper's free hand goes to her back pocket, pats her ass and feels the lighter. She tries again and pats the other cheek and feels the familiar rectangular glossy mini-monolith. "Oh shit...me too." she lies, not wanting to be the one to break the trifecta of pressing needs. "This GIRL stuff really helps pack the calendar, am I right? Heh. We should do this again soon. Yeah."
Supergirl has posed:
"We should." Kara says to Harper with a grin, slowly hovering backwards off the ground until the cape starts snapping in the elevated wind higher above where they'd been speaking. "Until then, you know how to get intouch with me. Just yell." That's probably a joke, but... it would work?

She turns in mid-air, then rockets away with a crack-boom, headed towards whatever had demanded her attention. A smile on her small face as the world passes by her at speed.