Summary:Posse gives Nadia Van Dyne a quick tour around the RESCUE facility while they talk shop. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The RESCUE campus stands out a bit from most modern tech campuses. Sure, there's a lot of green enclosed in security walls, and the central spire that contains the corporate offices is fairly standard design. It does, however, show individuality in that it resembles a helix design, the green glass exterior shimmering with solar circuits embedded in the windows. From a square base, the front of the building becomes bevelled teardrop that narrows towards the top, twisting slowly like a DNA helix so all of the reflected light and/or heat from the windows aren't all projecting the same way at the same time, as well as allowing a smooth continuious charge. Surrounding the centerpiece are paths that lead past flowering bushes and trees here and there, forming a circle around the main building and leading around behind it to a fountain, from which paths lead to the other main buildings - the labs, clinic, the Foundry (the engineering spaces), and the Swamp, the dorm area so called because of the large duck pond in front of it that separates it from the other buildings.
In addition to employees and occasional patients. The paths are wide enough to easily allow those in wheelchairs or riding in powered conveyances to get around without interferring with people walking back and forth. What does stand out is the notable number of people in Overwatch uniforms, that being the security division for RESCUE. Rather than your average security, the guards on duty are wearing armor with helmets, though the faceplates are transparent to make them less imposing, and their armaments are sidearms and shock sticks primarily, rather than the full rifles equipped during an emergency. While unusual, the workers seem pretty used to the security measures…then again, when you go out of your way to annoy tech villains, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
There is, of course, a parking garage inside the main gate, which is primarily underground to lower its footprint, and a main gate that's open at the moment to allow people to drive in and out, though the driveway in does show a bit of security in that it has a more leisurely curve to it back and forth, allowing one to admire the surroundings but with some of the very solid looking flower beds blocking a direct run from the gate to the main campus. Just in case.
The reception area is very high tech and modern, with holographic displays mixed with living plants, a melding of nature and tech, with a large circular open desk at the front where a trio of receptionists keep track of who's coming and going, with security stations to either side people pass through to move in and out of the deeper building.
It's not every day Nadia Van Dyne heads out on official business. But when she does it's important to look the part. So rather than her usual casual science look she's gone with a black knee length skirt, white blouse and a black jacket with little silver wasp pattern buttons. A rather low tech clipboard with a pad of paper on it completes her look. Allowing her to make notes without having to worry about bringing electronics into any sensative security zones.
The young woman seems remarkably composed and confident given her surroundings. The sheer size of the campus doesn't seem to fill her with an excess of awe. Although she does glance around frequently, keeping very aware of her immediate environment.
The campus' security detail is present without being oppressive and intermingled peacefully between passing staff is the occasional orange and blue uniform sporting holsters and some of RESCUE's better-known less-than-lethal solutions. Built on the edge of the Disaster Area and with AIM cells among the company's enemies, the precautions might be warranted.
Hovering by the sidewall in the open lobby, Posse's armored form isn't hard to spot, wearing panels painted in the same dual tones of the security staff rather than her PCB blue. Almost as well-armored as she is for PCB service, the green-eyed cyborg has at least traded her rifle for a pair of pistols slung in drop holsters on either thigh - though not without keeping several pouches of varying sizes strapped across her suit.
Half of the white-haired woman's attention seems to be on something beyond the world around her as her eyes flit here and there at open air before Nadia reaches the front door. With Toni and Roni too busy to attend, she's been dubbed escort for the day.
The sight of a familiar face elicits a wave from Nadia, even if the excess of weapons Posse seems to be carrying makes her frown for a moment. "Hey there," she says brightly. "I hope you're not expecting trouble today… I've seen a lot of security walking around."
She makes a little note on the pad of paper she's carrying. The characters seem vaguely Russian but not quite right. Some sort of code perhaps.
"We prefer to be prepared, and presence is a good deterrent," Posse answers as she walks over, raising one hand in a stiff wave back. As she reaches an easy speaking distance, the cyborg smiles through her clear facemask. "Welcome, doctor. Doctors Ho and Kelsey send their apologies. Being co-CEOs on top a' research keeps 'em busy sometimes."
Nadia Van Dyne laughs. "Oh I'm not technically a doctor," she points out with a shrug. "You're more than welcome to just call me Nadia. I don't really believe in formality and hierarchy. They're inefficient compared with a more co-operative meritocratic approach." She glances over her shoulder at the guards patrolling outside. "A visible military presence also guarantees any trouble that does happen will be much more severe. When you know everyone will be wearing body armour you bring armour piercing rounds, no?"
"Yes, and only the people with them will bother to try," Posse nods. "Good, I've never been a fan of fancy titles myself." Stepping aside, the cyborg gestures towards the receptionist at the front desk. "Once you're signed in I can give you the guided tour. Is there anything specific ya want to see?"
"And the people who don't will consider buying them," Nadia points out, stepping forward to go through the sign in process. "Oh nothing specific. Just a wander around really. Perhaps we could stop in at some of the non-confidential labs and any of the RESCUE specific facilities you've got?"
"I probably won't be personally taking advance of the research facilities myself, but I'd like to be able to give an informed verdict if any of the members at G.I.R.L decide they want to take up any of the jobs Veronica was suggesting would be available to them down the line."
"Roger," Posse murmurs. Once the brief paperwork is complete and a visitor badge issued, the cyborg steps to one side of the counter and brushes her palm along a sensor pad, activating one of the twin security gates and walking through - holding it open for Nadia to follow. "I'm not one of the egg heads here, so you'll have ta ask Toni or Roni for any of the fancy details about research. Dorms, housing, and the basics I can help with. And if you want to see the security floor," the cyborg adds with a sly smile. The 'Chief of Security' print across the back of her armor isn't just for show.
"Oh I'm sure I'll be able to pick up enough just by walking around," Nadia assures as she follows behind Posse. "The fact you have dorms and housing is interesting. It must be very expensive to have purchased all this land? Did RESCUE acquire it after New York got… you know. Attacked."
She can't help but blink at the writing on Posse's back. "You must really love your job if you let them write your position on you. Don't you find it… risky? If security is such a big concern having your position so obviously highlighted makes you a prime target for a sniper."
"Yes. Roni never told me details but I'd bet we got it at a good price," Posse admits as she walks, leading Nadia to a cluster of elevators in view of a small eatery. "RESCUE did a lot of the clean-up in the Disaster Area and surroundings. I don't know much about the company before then. You already saw the duck pond coming in - across that is our housing building available for all the staff, we call it the Swamp. You're in the Helix now, which is our laboratory building; there's also Roni's clinic and Toni's Foundry, our manufacturing shop. There's a parking garage underground, as well as disaster shelters and my domain."
Stepping into the first open elevator, Posse brushes her palm against another sensor panel inside then taps a floor button, holding the door open for Nadia as she eyes the young woman with a gaze that's ever so faintly mis-matched between shades of green. "You're a thoughtful kid, aren't you?" she grins.
Nadia Van Dyne can't help but roll her eyes a little as she follows Posse into the elevator. "I'd hardly call myself a kid," she points out dryly. "And military counter-sniper techniques aren't exactly rocket science! I've read just about every training manual produced by a US law enforcement, intelligence or military organization. Making it hard for the enemy to tell who is in command isn't cutting edge military strategy."
Posse dips her head as the elevator lurches to life. "Sorry, right. That's a bad habit of mine, but you are pretty young from where I'm standing. You look younger than Toni, and that's saying something," she defends while reaching up to unclasp her helmet and tuck it under one arm. The cyborg's left eye is lightly marred by a thin scar cutting across her brow and cheek, and her hair is a close-cropped snowy white that's matted and pressed almost flat from helmet wear.
"And I've read a few of those manuals too," the tawny woman adds slyly. "I understand the risk I'm taking. With all that reading are you hoping to go military?"
"In astronomical terms we're all young," Nadia says solemnly. Although her serious expression falters when Posse suggests she might be interested in a career in the military. "Oh gosh /no/. I just had a very… different childhood than you might imagine. It was very strict and included some very non-traditional subjects." She shrugs. "I know field medicine, etiquette, poisons, forgery…. You name it I've probably spent at least a little time reading up on it. Joining an army would be… Well it's not for me. I'd rather work out ways to stop people fighting than come up with ways to hurt people more efficiently."
"If you're trying to stop a fight, carry a big stick," Posse advises, rapping her knuckles on the frame of her helmet. The elevator lurches again as it slows to a smooth stop and its well-polished doors open to an expansive hallway.
"A non-traditional childhood?" the cyborg considers with a curious look to the young woman as she walks out. "Try me."
Beyond the elevator's confines, the floor opens up to neat and sunny corridors leading away in each cardinal direction, flanked by badged doors and glass windows - rows upon rows of rooms for different purposes, each sporting a small plaque and label.
"Except then everyone wants to take your stick away from you so they've got it instead," Nadia notes with a shrug. She can't help but take a glance at the elevator to see if the weight limits are non-standard to accomdate Veronica's exosuit and Posse's cybernetics. "Why do that when you can eradicate the reasons behind conflict? Free food, water, energy and clothing for everyone. That's how you stop fighting."
"As for my childhood it's… well rather personal. But the very short version is I grew up in… I suppose you'd call it a Russian black ops program. Located in a Siberian bunker. A lot of the details are kind of classified." She holds her hands up in a what can you do gesture. "I decided I'd rather not be a part of it and escaped."
The elevator's capacity is healthy but not excessive - well-suited for passengers but enough to haul freight. As Posse leads down a hallway the rooms on either side come into view. Small and segmented, each lab seems to serve a different purpose and is equipped accordingly with industrial electronics, air hoses, and water lines feeding a variety of devices while scientists tinker among them. While white lab-coats are the norm, more exotic colors are also present.
"That would stop some fighting, but not all of it," Posse opines. "Ya need both; Toni and Roni lead all of RESCUE's 'better peaceful world' work with medical cybernetics and the like - I just show off their tech and give people a reason not to cause trouble. Officially my PCB gig is separate - we've got the tech and a partnership, but that stuff's not what RESCUE does. Heck Roni's a full-blown pacifist."
"And that," the cyborg adds dryly with another look down at Nadia, "Sounds like a high-speed, jacked up childhood. So you were in one of those secret Cold War programs, huh?" Posse ruminates for a moment, then cracks a warm smile. "Welcome to the States. You seem like you've adapted well."
"I do wonder why anyone opts for medical cybernetics when it's not really all that hard to just grow replacement parts in a vat," Nadia muses, mostly to herself. "I suppose mechanical enhancements do allow a certain post-human physicality. But there must be a lot of hassle involved in the upkeep."
"Cold War? Oh no. Nothing like that. No, that would imply it's not still active."
"I've been here in America for over a year now. So it's been more than enough time to find my feet and get used to everything." She coughs. "Well most things. I still don't understand half the shows on the television. Especially the ones which are supposed to be comedies but don't actually have any jokes in…."
"Some of us have a warped sense of humor," Posse admits almost proudly. "And if anyone's figured out how to make spare parts for people they haven't felt like sharing yet. That's where Roni's come in. Her side of RESCUE does a lot of work for amputees, veterans, disabled - that sort of thing. Toni added her own tech on top and that's where my suit came from." The guard chuckles dryly as she walks slowly, letting Nadia browse the labs as they pass but letting their projects speak for themselves.
"I think half the reason they pick me for tours is so I can give a demo. Most people are more interested in my parts than the clean rooms."
"Oh it's not at all hard. For me at least," Nadia assures. "There are just a lot of legal loopholes… It was probably the only 'plus' side to my previous life. Ethical considerations were never high on the priority list. But suffice to say I'm confident that the surgery to attach nerves is much easier when you can shrink down to scale and do it manually. It's a little time consuming for me to do on scale though. I'm still researching a more… accessable method."
The young scientist seems more interested in the facilities than anything else. Making fairly thorough notes on the pad of paper. "To be honest you're far from the first cyborg I've seen. Back in Russia there was one in particular who… was not a very nice person. I think she was approaching eighty or ninety percent replacement parts by now."
Posse whistles low. "Wow, I'm lucky enough to not get blowed up that badly. So no s***, you've got scientists in Russia who can grow a limb in a vat and then stitch it back on good as new? I need to set you and Roni up for a dinner date. You two could talk shop for days."
"How long ago did you all figure that out?" the cyborg can't help asking.
"Back in Russia? Oh no I meant /I/ can do it," Nadia corrects. "And she wasn't blown up, that I'm aware of anyway, she's just very old. Claimed she was young back when the World Wars began. Roni came by the visit my lab the other week. So we've already had a little bit of time for shop talk."
She bites at her lip, then shrugs. "I've known how to clone Human tissue since I was twelve. Re-attaching it to a person is something more recent but it's just using the same techniques used to fit a cyborg limb. Biology and technology aren't all that different when you operate on a small enough scale."
"I think we do cybernetic attachment differently than you do." Posse stops walking and turns to face Nadia fully, her brow raised and eyes open and attentive. It might be the closest the stoic officer gets to showing surprise. "Roni's given me new parts without any microscopic shrinking to wire things together. Have you mentioned that cloning tech to her yet?"
"I tend to do most things a little differently," Nadia concedes with a laugh. "It's like that saying about hammers and nails. When you have a special skill or process you tend to apply it to as many areas as you can." Her head tilts to one side. "I've briefly talked about my areas of expertise. But I'm not actively engaged in any cloning research. Like I said it's a very complex area legally. Over at G.I.R.L we have some plant biology research underway, but even that took a lot of legal wrangling. Genetic modification upsets a lot of people, so the idea we might be growing bits of people in a vat… Well you can imagine the uproar it'd cause."
"You mean like the Noble Prize you'd get from the disabled community? Ya might as well have the cure for cancer," Posse retorts. "Your uproar would be a freaking parade."
"It's really useless to the world right now," Nadia assures solemnly. "It's not like I can personally re-attach every damaged limb. And the shrinking tech needed for other people to carry it out isn't something I could share. The potential for misuse right now is almost impossible to calculate."
"To put it into perspective I could almost certainly get anywhere in your facility, take whatever I wanted, then leave. I doubt anyone would be able to tell I was there, never mind stop me. The same is probably true of most places on the planet. Would you want someone with ill intentions able to walk into the White House?"
"Defenses adapt. Every genie gets out of the bottle eventually," Posse reasons blandly. "And I'm sure by now the White House has more than just the sniper team everyone knows about. That's why I mentioned Roni. If attaching real limbs is really that close to cybernetics, she's got a way to do it without your shrinking tech, and even the rough job other surgeons can do today is better than nothing."
Nadia Van Dyne shakes her head. "This particular genie isn't mine to release into the world," she explains. "Besides it's very hard for defenses to adapt when the whole planet gets swallowed up by a black hole or shunted into another dimension of space. I'm not saying I won't help with the work underway at RESCUE! It's just going to need to be done under certain constraints." She grins. "But if you've got lawyers who can handle the paperwork I'd be happy to dabble in some genetic engineering again. I've not had chance to do much in that field since I gave myself super powers." She claps with excitement "Cloning up a few spare parts would be a welcome change."
"Cloning body parts has got nothing to do with black holes; there are other ways to handle attachment. Mention that to Roni and I'd give you five seconds before her jaw falls off or she goes in for a hug - or both," Posse replies with certainty. "And we've got an endless supply of patients to perfect non-shrinking reattachment tech on. RESCUE's medical cybernetics tie us into all the big amputee groups."
Nadia Van Dyne rolls her eyes a little. "I know the cloning doesn't," she says with a sigh. "The shrinking tech however does." She makes another doodle on her pad of paper, although if it's still in code then it's not entirely clear what a bear in a top hat means. "I've already agreed to help out in your medical work. Although I have some significant concerns that you're suggesting we test things on patients before we're sure they'll work…"
"Putting all those things aside I very much doubt there is anything we can't overcome given time. Biology isn't infinitely complex after all."
"Right, start in a petri dish or whatever you use. I mean once you're ready for human trials," Posse refines. "Like I said before, Roni's our expert on medical; just take her word on all things RESCUE. Me, I get that miracle surgeries carry risks. My own process was completely above-board and it still had an ugly wash-out rate. I'm lucky like that," the cyborg considers with a shrug. "That or the devil's milking a reprieve from me."
Seeming to remember herself, Posse lifts her chin and nods further down the hall. "Anyway, sorry to stop the tour. I can keep leading you on. And if you want to let off a few rounds I can take you down to the basement shooting range and show you some of the robot magic Toni's cranked out."
"Besides I expect both Veronica and Toni will want to consider if organic replacement is something they consider worthwhile. Mechanical upgrades might be less discreet but I'm not going to argue against how well they work," Nadia muses, quite possibly to herself, as Posse turns back to continue the tour. "I'm not really big on fire-arms. They're a little… crude. I'm sure they're ideal if you are out in the wild and need to hunt but for city living? An exceptionally terrible idea."
Posse glances back at the young woman strangely. "They're still fun to shoot."
"You've obviously never had wrist mounted energy blasters," Nadia counters. "Bullets pale in comparison."