15881/Forget telling me about the lab equipment. Does your vending machine stock fruit pies

Forget telling me about the lab equipment. Does your vending machine stock fruit pies
Date of Scene:	09 December 2023
Location:	Somewhere on campus. Empire State College.
Synopsis:	Nadia goes to recruit Caitlin Fairchild for GIRL. She asks the important questions. Like are you evil and what are the snacks like.
Cast of Characters:	Wasp (Pym), Fairchild

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Wasp (Pym) has posed:
When it comes to recruitment for GIRL there are no lengths Nadia Pym won't go. No mountain too high. No quest too perilous. But thankfully today she's just going to a college building in New York. She hasn't even had to hack any Government databases. Just access the Empire State public website and view the list of teachers. Then find a suitable time in the class schedule to set her ambush!

Dressed in her GIRL branded bomber jacket, some jeans, and a t-shirt (it might be Winter but it's not Siberia cold yet!) she loiters outside where one Caitlin Fairchild is due to be. Leaflets and brochures to hand. The finest materials fresh from the printer.

So eager is the Director of GIRL that she practically bounces on the spot. She could easily be mistaken for a high school student on a college day visit. Which is how she manages to evade campus security every time she sneaks on to try recruit people.

Not that they could catch her even if they tried. If the Red Room can't manage it what hope do people on segways have?

Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild could've been on a mountain top. She's in Alpha Flight. They have mountains in Canada. Probably a secret HQ in one of them, where the Flighters all get together.

But yes, today she's on campus, having office hours for her quantum physics lecture. She's only had one visitor so far, a nervous young student named Felix who could barely look her in the eye while trying to get help with his most recent homework. Caitlin was used to the reactions, but it did make giving proper tutoring something of a chore. So many students had a hard time concentrating.

She looks up when she sees a stranger at her door, wearing a purple sweater and a pair of slacks, rising up to her full six foot eight inches as she stands, "Hello there. How can I help you?

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
It's probably for the best no Canadian mountains are involved. If there's one thing no-one wants to face it's an upset Mountie. Probably not even the Black Widow can deal with that. Well maybe. The Red Room trainee course did not specifically cover much about Canada if Nadia is really honest..

Still what's important is her target is on campus. And she goes to knock at the door when... it opens to let the visitor out and her target spots her! Ohnoes. Wait no. Oh yes. She's not her on a covert operation after all! "Hi there! You must be Doctor Fairchild? Or is it Professor? Or can I call you Caitlin?" The petite brunette practically skipping as she lets herself in. "My name is Nadia. Nadia Pym. I'm here to make you an offer I can't possibly imagine you'd want to refuse!"

She brandishes the brochures for Caitlin. "I'm the Director of GIRL. The Genius in Action Research Lab. We're looking for the best and brightest minds to join our non-profit and help make the world a better place!"

Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild smiles, "Caitlin is fine. I do have a doctorate, but I'm not one to dwell on formality. Please, come inside," she says.

She leads the way into her office, gesturing for Nadia to take a seat and settling herself back behind her desk. "GIRL, you say? I do appreciate the desire to increase involvement of women in STEM and research fields. And I do happen to know a little something about advanced scientific discovery," she says.

"Tell me more. Are you a non-profit? How do you bring intellects from different fields together? And do you pay anything?"

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"We're funded by a combination of grants and charitable donations. Mostly from Kane Industries right now," Nadia explains. She's already through that door without a hint of nerves. This isn't the first time she's practically ambushed someone and probably won't be the last. The paper work is all handed over but she makes no moves to sit down. Too energetic to be contained by a mere chair. "We are indeed yes. Honestly one of my long term goals is to totally end the concept of capitalism by removing scarcity of energy and resources."

A post scarcity society is a lofty goal. But then again her surname is /Pym/. If she's really who she claims to be perhaps it's not impossible!

"Payment is... well it depends really. Benefits range depending on the level of involvement. College students get help with fees and accommodation. Full time researchers can expect to be compensated. And if you're doing research on your own projects using GIRL resources then you retain rights to those inventions. Although we do hope that members who have personal success will return the favour and help support other GIRLs."

She beams a smile.

"Obviously if people are working on projects funded by grants then they get paid as if they were a salaried employee. As for how we bring people together... we have a world class facility that's about to be opened to the public. Top of the line equipment. No restrictions on work except we do not do weapons research. The lab is rated to store evidence from super crimes and to investigate threats up to an Avengers level. We have connections with the Titans super team too. Supergirl is involved for example."

Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild listens to it all, sitting back in her chair. It's a little too small for her, all the university furniture is. Apparently your average science lecturer is under six feet tall.

"As they say, I'd definitely like to subscribe to your newsletter. I'm always looking for other outlets for research and discovery, not to mention colleagues with whom to share insights and breakthroughs. Not to mention just maybe have a few friends? I've only had a few close ones in my life, but they're worth their atomic weight in gold," she grins.

"Is there any way I could tour the facilities and get a look for myself?"

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"We have some areas that are off limits to anyone without security clearance," Nadia says with a shrug. "The rest of the facility is open for visitors. Stop by any time. We're open almost twenty four hours a day." Mostly because at least one or two people are so caught up in research they forget the time. "I'm usually around and can give a tour. Or any of the other members can. We also have online virtual meeting spaces for socialising. It's possible just to be a part of the group in a social capacity. Meet scientists and engineers. Share ideas. It can work around existing career commitments. Even around membership of super teams."

She is after all a Titan herself.

"Members are welcome to bring in cases from anywhere they wish. So if a superhero needs help saving an alien planet. GIRL will be there to support them however we can."

The collection of brochures and fliers get spread out across whatever empty desk space Caitlin might have. There's even some duplicates on the off chance she has students who are interested. Because that's the sort of big brain thinking a super genius comes up with!

Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild smiles, "I have security clearance. Well. Canadian security clearance."

She picks up some of the brochures, speed-reading and flicking through the various pictures. "Ooooo, an atom-smasher, nice. A little unstable to have, but so useful," she says. Easy for her to say, she's invulnerable enough that she'd survive if it blew up.

"Sounds awesome, so long as it's on the up and up. You're not secretly evil, are you? You have to tell me if you are."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Nadia Pym tilts her head. "I escape from a Siberian bunker operated by an evil group of Russian spies," she explains earnestly. "It's not secure to talk about them here. Your office could have bugs. But in an area I've swept for recording devices I'd be happy to explain more about them."

That's... probably a no? Evil Russian spies don't tend to need to escape from their bunkers. They get sent out on missions and don't actually mention the bunkers...

A shrug.

"As for the security clearance. It's GIRL security rather than anything like /National/ security. Governments are easy to compromise. I don't trust their idea of what is and isn't secure. I could run rings around the FBI and NSA when I was seven. Even SHIELD isn't really all that good when it comes to covert operations.."

Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild sighs, leaning back in her chair, "I agree. I think nation-states are a largely antiquated notion generally. The future will be born on the shoulders of both extraordinary individuals and those of voluntary conglomerations such as the one you describe. Something must be the antidote to the continual rise of corporations overtaking the world. Something must be capable of halting the rise of the oligarch," she says.

"Finally: do you have snack machines? I do get low blood sugar sometimes. I need access to Hostess."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"There's a fully staffed canteen and break area," Nadia says earnestly. "Not to mention vending machines and, most importantly, coffee machines that make nice coffee. None of the cheap vending machine stuff which tastes of nozzle cleaner fluids. You can't do good science with bad coffee."

She grins and adds "We hire locals to ensure there are fresh and healthy snacks on offer. Plus baked goods and warm meals. What's more I have personally tested every burger delivery place within range to make sure I can get a good delivery burger at any time. Day or night. And then ranked each organisation based on speed, quality and consistency."

What's more those tables cover morning, afternoon, evening and night. So you can tell at a glance if the local independent retailer can get you a good double cheeseburger at 2am faster than the big chain store. The sort of cutting edge nerd research only a super genius would consider necessary...