Summary:It's time to get Posse all up and running with her new upgrades, so the team preps for the surgery and goes over everything in advance. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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"Alright. We're going to go over this one more time, to make sure everything and everyone is prepared and solid. Everyone has the right to ask questions. This only gets better and goes better if we pool every iota of brain power we have available." Dr. Veronica Kelsey has called this Council of Rebuilding to order.
"So, phase one: We have to replace each of Ava's limbs with improved units with secured communication and the carefully improved armor and significantly hardened electronics." Veronica explains. Digital wireframe schematics of the new arm, legs, and eye appear at a command.
"Then we have to install the new communication trunk, right here below the sternum." Another digital wireframe schematic. Veronica blows that up so that it's big enough for everyone to make out the details.
"Next, we deploy the phase one nanoswarm, specifically to generate the in-place fiberoptics connecting her new limbs and eye to the communication hub, and up to the stentrode." Digital cross-sections of the cabling, along with specifications of exact composition, measurements, and an anatomical layout for where the lines will be run.
"Once they are done, they are shut down and extracted. Then comes Nadia's part of the operation." Veronica motions to the Russian woman. "She will shrink down, enter the skull cavity non-surgically, detach the existing stentrode and then shrink it down, then unshrink the new stentrode into place and finish the connections once it is up to size and in proper placement. When we extract Nadia, and move to phase five."
A new anatomical schematic appears, this one animated. "Lastly, we deploy the second nanoswarm which will slowly sheathe her entire organic body with carbon nanofilaments just below the skin's surface in the substrate, creating the additional EMI-hardening: a flexible Faraday cage built into her biology." She sighs. "That process will be the longest. All current estimates say that will take about twenty hours to complete."
Acting in some ways exhausted as if she just went through the entire process for real, the doctor finally goes quiet, looking around the room, from patient to partners to assistants to 'other interested parties', waiting for thoughts and questions.
"I've improved the armor as much as I can. It's at least hardened, and I don't think the extra weight is too much of an issue. Sorry, you're just going to be putting on a few pounds Ava." Toni says from where she's perched on a chair, watching the display. "I do feel we may need to includes a more gross method of possible shutdown for the nanoswarm given they're going to be creating a sheath preventing signals from reaching them…meaning broadcast needles perhaps, just as a backup to be sure they shut down properly and break down as they're intended." She frowns a bit. "Is there any damage to the tissue around the stentrode after the overload?"
Down in the cafeteria the resident shady albino checks her watch.
-Again.-
Neena's aware of when the procedure is scheduled but when it comes to the matters of final preparation she's chosen to distance herself from the rest of the team. Judging by the waves of stress which are already radiating off of her, Karl can probably tell why.
She's been pacing today. Power-walking inside and outside of the campus buildings. There's enough emotion storming around upstairs that she's had to have a few drinks just to try and keep herself civil.
At least they're both getting their cardio today. This gal's got energy in spades!
Dressed in a hospital gown in the front row, Ava attentively jots into a notepad while the doctors talk. Still wearing her helmet, eye patch,and temporary cybernetics, the bionic vet is a cornucopia of colorful blinking lights on one side, with several tattoos showing on the other below the hem of her short sleeve. Raising her hand and exposing a bizarrely happy looking grenade framed by the words 'FRAG OUT', she adds, "Will I be knocked out for all this or is some of it local anesthetic?"
"Hrm…how about a /fuse/, simple and elegant. Make the antenna pierce the weave, but have the 'join' be a fuse, perhaps even have several that can auto swap if the first gets blown, the others in a 'mag' under the protective weave. In event of EMP the fuse pops, then can be reset in short order, slightly longer if the fuse is blown, not popped." Hank looks to Toni and Roni. "Also…are the new limbs going to be natural looking or still obviously synthetic, this is simply a curiosity to me." A faint smile.
As he waits for his answer, Hank cobbles up a few simple designs…then drops the one he likes best to one of the screens below, more wireframe diagrams form, showing a small circular 'stud', inside of which are several fuses on a jukebox type assemblage, the stud raised so it is above the skin, and thus the protective weave. Nano-scale mechanicals can be hand triggered to swap the fuses. "Something like this perhaps?"
Veronica considers Toni's suggestion, jotting it down on the visible notepad; nothing mentioned here is ignored. Nothing! "I think the backup of broadcast needles, removed after surgery is complete, is a good idea. I would also like to make sure we have Io handy if needed to communicate with the nanoswarms and shut them down." She'll cover all of her bases, thanks.
"MRI has shown no tissue damage from the stentrode's overload. Inspection and confirmation will be Nadia's job once inside. We'll have a direct video feed at the time, so I can advise her if we see a problem." Nadia is no brain surgeon, but Veronica is.
The doctor points to Ava and jots down her question as well. "Plan is for a local for the new box in the upper abdomen. The nanoswarms' work should not require anesthetics, though we will keep some on-hand and ready to deploy if that proves wrong, and we'll shut them down if our planning proves insufficient and they cause too much pain." Veronica will then probably blame herself for another thirty years. But at least she's prepared to stop it rather than torture her friend to get the desired result.
"The plan for the transmitters is magnetic induction through the carbon fiber cage to the antennae. But we've also built fuses into the unit itself, in case the magnetic induction points manage to transmit an overload. They'll require minor intervention for replacement, if that comes to pass." Though the idea of a mag of fuses is jotted down; if they can figure out how to do that, they should modify accordingly. Trust Hank to promptly offer up a sketch of possibility. "Let's look into seeing if we can manufacture that."
"The limbs will not have the visible light telltales of these older models, but will be closer to the ones Ava was wearing before the incident. But after that incident, and based on our feedback, these will be sealed with elastic carbon fiber mesh sleeves as a sort of 'skin' to keep them cleaner in the field." Veronica looks to Ava. "We could replace them with more realistic-looking units, like the one we are preparing for Kelli. But they would not have the enhanced field functions Ava has been used to, and she has expressed a desire not to downgrade performance at this time."
Toni holds her hands out, palms up. "If we have Io, we don't /need/ the needles. Her power doesn't seem bothered by that sort of interference." She frowns thoughfully. "We should probably test out the range of her abilities, honestly. I hate to lean on it, but if she's going to be willing we should know what she can and cant' do." She frowns thoughfully. "…SHIELD has materials they use for their LMDs that simulate flesh. But it's expensive as hell from what I know to get it to look and feel like skin but still have the same protective layer.
Another stop. Another quick look at her watch. This time it's accompanied by a growl given life as two simple words: "Fuck it."
Karl won't have any warning (did he ever?) before Neena changes direction and starts crossing the campus like the rolling of a storm. There's still time… Barely. But she's always been the sort to cut it close.
All that she has to do is act. -Do something.- So something she does.
Not a step is missed as she closes in on the target building, goes inside, finds the elevators already in use, takes the stairs, wanders down the halls, finds the right door, pushes on through before she can second-guess her actions —
The incredibly complex technical discussion being carried out by highly qualified scientists is interrupted by that monochromed wave of stress which marches across the room to boldly kiss Ava in front of everyone present.
Ava nods in assent to the arm design and makes another note in her own notepad. "I'll load up a VR sim-mph!" The rush of approaching footsteps might have clued her in, and any other time the bionic woman might been more prepared, but Neena's successful use of speed and surprise catch her off guard as much as anyone else in the room.
Probably more judging by how her lone eye shoots open and an arm only belatedly wraps itself around the albino.
Hank mmms thoughtfully, adds a note to his tablet. "I'll see if I can come up with something suitable, I have already designed a system using portable holographics - it is called an Image Inducer, the full design I'm not really at liberty to divulge." Which means it is probably X-men or Institute. "However…I /can/ work up something so the option exists to hide the appearance, might be useful in a number of situations. It would not /feel/ like skin, but it would have the ability to project a field, actually, it could even anchor to the substrate EM shielding and so it would be not be static." A toothy grin to Ava. "You can even customize the output, if you wished to, perhaps with a number of presets that add or subtract cosmetic features like more or less tattoos, scars, old burns, wounds…"
Yes, that big brain of his if hard at work already, on a design.
To Veronica. "Ah, forgive me, I should have suspected you'd have thought of the fuses, hopefully the nano-fabrication won't be too complex, I'm thinking the stud should just be held down for an interval to trigger the change manually, and on a timer in case Ava is rendered unconscious…" And then enter: Stormfront Neena.
A blink at the sudden kiss, and then Hank manages not to laugh, though he's also a bit embarrassed. PDAs are often a cause for embarrassment, especially when so sudden.
Amusement too. Very much so.
Veronica hrms quietly, conssidering Toni's points. "Well, more than one solution is always best. If Io agrees, then it serves as a chance to get more hard data on her capabilities. If not, we are prepared to overcome a problem ourselves, like good engineers." She offers the magenta-haired asian woman a sharp grin; they're in this together, all of them. "I don't really know that we can convince SHIELD to share that sort of thing. And the sleeve solution makes field repairs much easier." And that remains an effort in their program; that those with these limbs can fix them in the field if something goes wrong. It was a DARPA/military requirement.
Whatever Roni was going to say from there on is just lost. Neena stomps in and kisses Ava, and Veronica just … goes quiet, eyes bugging out just a bit. Holy crap. OK. She knew they were friends. She did not know they were … more than friends.
OK. New information found. Assimilated.
Now, Roni just stays quietly embarrassed and waits for it all to be over. Please, please be over soon!
Toni starts to say something as Neena comes in, turning to look. "Dom, hey, we were just.." Then her eyes widen as suddenly, there is Ava-Neena liplock happening. Well. She did not know that, but…in retrospect, she shouldn't be suprised, considering how much they have in common. Good friends.
Yuuuuup. Apparently really, really good friends.
"Ah…do…you two need a moment?" she ventures after a moment.
Neena hadn't been paying any mind to the tech talk on her way through the center of it all but after a short time she does start to pick up on the notable -lack- of background noise which follows. The moment of passion which may or may not have been partly ignited by some Jack Daniels gives way and the albino stands upright to look around at the rest of the room, discovering that she's apparently commanded the attention of everyone else present. She almost looks just as lost!
"Right. Carry on."
To Toni, she adds "No..no. I'm good. Just…" she trails off then makes an 'onward' motion with her hands while quietly retreating into a nearby chair. One which happens to be close to Ava, naturally.
Not one word.
Ava for her part takes a second to blink off the… everything that just transpired, and without the aid of Jack Daniels, smiles at the albino then shakes her head. The astute might notice a burnished color risen in her cheeks. "You've been drinking… now hush, the egg-heads are talking," she advises before turning back to Roni while discretely tugging at the front of her gown. "As ya'll were."
Hank just takes refuge in his SAHI System design, yup, nope…not smelling a HINT of Jack, or embarrassment, nope…no shock, not a hint of arousal from anyone. None of that. He /does/ discretely insert some nose filters though, pretty well invisible, could easily be jewelry. Dark blue of course, so it blends in. "Right…so…the Substrate Anchored Holographic Imaging System, SAHI for short, could be a thing, and it would not even be a very big device…ultradense batteries, store in a charging case…" A firm nod, reading glasses shifting a bit as he thinks out loud and fills the silence until the 'Carry on'.
An owlish blink, he peers over the tops of his glasses with a faint smile. "What, like luggage?" He asks the Neena 'Stormlips' Thurman.
Maybe a tension breaker? Who can say.
Veronica coughs roughly, twice, to clear her airway and pretend to clear her mind. Nope. Nopenope. Putting all of those thoughts away. Patients are entitled to their relationships, and she as a doctor should deal with them all with equanimity.
"OK. So, then, I do not know how much undercover operations Ava wants. But these are her upgrades. So her opinion is the only one that matters, so long as we believe we can make them happen."
|OOC| Veronica Kelsey points out, "That would end up being a +request upgrade, FYI."
"Toni, contact Io. She likes you best. Ask her if she is willing to join us on this for the experimentation to evaluate her abilities." Roni questions. "Ava? We can recap if needed. Do you have any opinions you want to offer?"
"Maybe a little" Domino replies in a murmur to the cyborg with an entirely stoic expression falling across bleached and blackened features.
-Is- there anything more to say? Nah..she really did a great job of summing everything up into one gesture! Now all she has to do is keep her anxiety in check. It's quite the twist for this to be the difficult part to tackle, little miss 'don't get attached to anyone -ever.-'
Yeah, how's that workin' out for her?
Hank is soon given a much more direct blank stare from the albino. "Yes, Hank. Like luggage. Let's make all of her fancy bits packable for easy overhead bin storage."
When Roni asks Ava if she has any opinions to offer Neena's attention focuses..as best it can. This whole ordeal has the merc very conflicted but she seems willing to accept whatever Posse ultimately rules. It is kind of important to the cyborg, after all.
Ava looks around the room, perhaps expecting another deep discussion between the brains present on power levels or design footprints or flux capacitors. Finding nothing she returns her gaze to Roni, still a little tinted but focused back upon the task at hand.
"We're synced on my design goals, 'sides the limbs can still come off right? So any fancy holo-skin can happen after surgery." That's what you get after being the woman's doctor for half a decade through thick and thin: trust.
Hank has the good graces to flush a bit darker at the rebuke reply from Domino, and then looks to Ava. "Forgive me, Posse, my comment was an ill-advised attempt to break the tension caused by Neena's impetuous public display of affection." He inclines his head in sincere apology. And then Ava just…moves on, and so he does too. "If the entire body is meshed, by the way, there could be other applications. Camouflage mode, perhaps even near invisibility, like the Predator for example." No, of course Ava wouldn't want invisibility systems…nah, never happen.
Veronica nods to Ava, accepting her words. "OK. Hank, when you can, put together a spec package on these emitters of yours. We'll do a final evaluation and then plan their introduction for another event later. Ava wants to move forward, so we do so. Toni, take a look at his designs for this fuse carousel, see if you can make that work for manufacture with our existing systems? I don't want to delay the operation if we can avoid it, even if we have to pull it tight to do so."
Then Roni deadpans to Neena, "I take it you will be in the gallery. If you want us to go over any of the plan that you missed, feel free to review the recordings if Ava gives you clearance." It is a discussion of a medical procedure on Ava, so her will holds absolute sway. Not even DARPA gets a copy of any of this without Ava's say-so. "If everything goes as planned, we start the surgery in sixteen hours. It will take nearly twenty-three hours to complete, assuming all goes as planned or within reasonable tolerances. That means everyone gets all the sleep you can. Not just beforehand, but during the procedure. When you're on, everyone has to be at their best. Any questions?"
Toni mms. "I've got nothing further." she says simply. "It's a good plan, just intricate. We can fine tune it once the basics are set up for holograms or whatever." she says simply as she gets to her feet. "Ava's been waiting long enough, let's get this going so she can move around normally again."
Still keeping to herself, Neena's head dips forward to slowly massage the bridge of her nose. Yeah..she just kinda blew up at Hank. No..it wasn't really his fault. Down, girl.
Instead it's what Hank ends up saying after the fact which changes the energy of the room because -even Dom- perks at the thought of active camo inclusion. Just in case she hadn't already been conflicted enough!
It's enough for her to quietly voice "Holy shit."
Slowly looking to Roni, Dom mutters "No need. I'll be there." Regardless of any potential security risks she probably doesn't -want- to know the specifics.
..Wait. It's still going to be another -sixteen hours- before they start? Sloooowly she turns a wrist over to look down at the watch pinned there. She didn't have THAT much to drink, did she..? Is her timing like -way- freaking early?
And after all of the bravado…
Jeezus, she should really get some rest.
Optical camouflage? Why yes Hank, you do have the cyclop's attention now. A silent, intense stare wordlessly impresses Ava's interest in that one until Roni's question brings her back to the topic of the larger surgery. Her monoptic gaze returns front and center, then pans slowly from Veronica to cover all assembled with a commanding eye. "I'll repeat the standing orders I gave Roni: just because it's almost time and it's been a while coming… Nothing. Gets. Rushed. If anything comes up in designs or bios that say 'maybe', I'll wait. Run a sim if you need to, tell the nanomachines to take a nano-coffee break, whatever. As big a pain in the…" Her attention returns to Roni as she correct, "*Rear* as a 24 hour procedure is to run, I'm sure 'doc can tell you how much bigger a pain it would be to redo anything later. And when she says 'sleep' she means it." This time she's facing Toni.
"'Excellence' is the only rule. That's what I've gotten outta RESCUE so far, and it's what Roni expects even if she's too polite to say it," Ava finishes, smirking just slightly as she ends on a last note of levity, "So no pressure."
"I'll have something for you by morning, Veronica — I will be running some sims first and we'll discuss things with yourself and Toni. What I am envisioning is a small external device that uses the nano-mesh as its framework, with it anchored to a /material/ matrix this will actually in some ways be superior to the version I built into the Image Inducer. Granted it requires a great deal of invasive surgery, and it is limited to people with the same mesh, but it will actually be more stable and move with you better."
Veronica when they're working, Roni other times, boundaries! Just like she calls him Henry when being all formal and worky. Fortunately this is simply a case of adapting something he's already done, he does take the time to download the specs on the mesh to his tablet of course.
It really /was/ his fault, sort of, he did make a bad joke. Though it was with the best of intentions. Even so, he nods to Domino. "Actually we should get you a cot, so you can sleep here, Neena, and keep Ava company while /she/ rests." Eyes of yellow kind, and sympathetic.
Hank doesn't even hesitate as he makes a few notes about the stealth systems, a nod to the cyborg, simple, sweet and to the point.
When she finishes her lecture, he rises. "I'll get that cot, if anyone needs me I'm on comms and will be in Fabrication." Rising, he offers Ava his hand. "See you soon, soldier." Actually pats Domino's shoulder, and then looks to Roni and Toni in case they need him…if not, off he goes. The SAHI won't design itself after all!
Roni smiles as she sees everyone coming together. Yes, they can do this. "OK. Ava, I know you would prefer your room in the Swamp tonight, but I would rather you slept in a room here in the Wellspring. But if you wish, Neena is welcome to keep you company, as long as she scrubs down." She raises her hands in mock defensiveness. "It's just about sterilization, Neena. We are going to have to open her up, so we have to do our best."
That said, Veronica ends that meeting and rolls off, leaving her patient and her — ahem, girlfriend, yes, that is the proper term, is it not? — friend together, while she rolls off with Toni and Hank towards the Foundry. Work to do, miles to go before they sleep and all that.
Toni mmms, nodding curtly. "Be in my lab." she says simply, waving as she heads back out. "Won't be long till you're up and about…though I'm sure Neena can help if you need some more bed rest." she murmurs lazily, disappearing out the door.
The sudden turn in the form of Hank's thoughtfulness surprises Neena. All she can find to say in return is a soft "Thanks."
Roni's comment about scrubbing down results in a thin frown but she nods once. "Whatever needs to be done."
A faint smile to the Murder Cookie, an encouraging wink to the security chief, and then moves out with Roni and Toni. "So…this mesh is /really/ fascinating…" Yes, friends…allies, co-workers. This is a team. A FAMILY. It is about inclusion and trust and working together. Hank /loves/ this. Also…SCIENCE!