Materials [Closed] - Printable Version
+- alonimi (https://alonimi.net)
+-- Forum: Archives (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=72)
+--- Forum: Incomplete (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=85)
+--- Thread: Materials [Closed] (/showthread.php?tid=624)
+- alonimi (https://alonimi.net)
+-- Forum: Archives (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=72)
+--- Forum: Incomplete (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=85)
+--- Thread: Materials [Closed] (/showthread.php?tid=624)
Pages:
1
2
Materials [Closed] - sir - 07-05-2015
![[Image: lab.png]](https://alonimi.net/misc/images/graphics/lab.png)
Materials [Closed] - sir - 07-05-2015
The first step in entering the UCLB Metahuman Materials lab was to prove that you really wanted to.
Pass through an unmarked vault door. Double-time down two flights of stairs.
Surrender your bags and slowly walk through a blare of ultraviolet radiance.
Observe carefully the various signs in yellow and red:
NO INSECTS
PURGE NEGATIVE EMOTION
REPORT ANY SENSATIONS OF INCIPIENT DESTINY IMMEDIATELY
The laboratory was not a good place for the sun; some materials were photosensitive.
It was not a good place to eat regular meals; some materials were chemical or radiative.
It was not a good place to be anything less than fully aware at all times.
Abel Tierney was exquisitely aware, which is why he was the primary officiant of the sanctum.
The worthy associate professor was known to measure twice and cut never; equally, for ingenuity.
Professor Tierney was uncomfortable to deal with, simply because he was happy in his work.
Brought a piece of living stone, the long hands would weigh, categorize, and file.
He had a broad, winning smile, only slightly too wide, and amber eyes beneath an intellectual brow. Hair of nondescript brown was darkened by dim flourescents, tousled from its initial grassy lawn to thicket status.
Professor Tierney was paper-white, quiet, and utterly dedicated to the proper maintenance of the laboratory.
Also, just lately, nervous; although admittedly, someone no-one ever saw made a perfect secret identity.
Strictly speaking, cellular phones were on the forbidden list. But since the transmitter in his was a mechanical earwig, there was sufficient difference to avoid any...unpleasant consequences.
He dialed ASSISTANT.
Materials [Closed] - megs - 07-05-2015
As soon as Veronica had left, Melanie hopped off the couch and scrambled out of her sweat suit. A ruse, really, because underneath she'd been dressed in her usual: jeans and a t-shirt that advertised some obscure 90's cartoon that no one had ever really heard of. She had needed her roommate to think that she was skipping classes, so she didn't have to be bothered to ride with her to school. Melanie was going it alone today, because she had felonies on the brain, and Veronica didn't deserve to be dragged into her shitty plans. The other woman had gotten herself out of trouble for good, and didn't need Melanie to pull her back in.
She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove. She needed to get into the Materials Lab and that was going to be… tricky. As a chemistry major she had very little need to be in the Materials Lab, since a lot of what she worked with was kept separately.
She also did not need to, per se. She just had a need to. Melanie wanted to know what was in there. What she could use and what she could sell. It was all very hush-hush down there, and that usually promised a decent payload.
Overall, there was the obvious way to get into the lab. And then there was her way. But her way was suspicious. Hell, even the normal way was suspicious. She needed more time to scout the area - to find out who went in and out.
She needed a cover.
Hell, she sort of needed a friend.
Gross.
Materials [Closed] - Tindome - 07-05-2015
"I'm the same person!" the Kiki playing video games said. "I'm already playing video games."
"Yeah," said the one doing homework, "but I feel like if you were the one doing this I'd think differently. I'm just saying, it makes more sense to switch out."
"No it doesn't! I'm in the groove over here, I'm in the groove over there. Trust me, when we're me I'll be glad I did it this way."
"If we alternated I wouldn't have to remember the cram stress. It would be more relaxing overall. I think when we're me you'll see things my way."
"That's because it will also be my way."
Their phone went off, and both Kikis went to check their pockets. Only the one on the couch actually had a phone to check, and she groaned. The Kiki doing homework joined her on the couch, and they melted into one another, getting taller with a little more va-va to her voom. She blinked and shook her head as her memories melded into something cohesive, and she frowned.
"It's my day offffff," she whined, pulling herself up out of the couch and grabbing her keys on the way outside. She already knew that if he was bothering to call, she was probably being summoned. She threw on a pair of flip-flops, not bothering to change out of her cutoff shorts of her oversized tank.
Day. Off. No costume. Why was it always the heroes that didn't respect her days off? Supervillains never called her when she tapped out. They were much more considerate overall, really. Justice never sleeps, her ass.
"Hellloooo?" she said as she answered, feigning something in the realm of cheerfulness.
"Yeah," said the one doing homework, "but I feel like if you were the one doing this I'd think differently. I'm just saying, it makes more sense to switch out."
"No it doesn't! I'm in the groove over here, I'm in the groove over there. Trust me, when we're me I'll be glad I did it this way."
"If we alternated I wouldn't have to remember the cram stress. It would be more relaxing overall. I think when we're me you'll see things my way."
"That's because it will also be my way."
Their phone went off, and both Kikis went to check their pockets. Only the one on the couch actually had a phone to check, and she groaned. The Kiki doing homework joined her on the couch, and they melted into one another, getting taller with a little more va-va to her voom. She blinked and shook her head as her memories melded into something cohesive, and she frowned.
"It's my day offffff," she whined, pulling herself up out of the couch and grabbing her keys on the way outside. She already knew that if he was bothering to call, she was probably being summoned. She threw on a pair of flip-flops, not bothering to change out of her cutoff shorts of her oversized tank.
Day. Off. No costume. Why was it always the heroes that didn't respect her days off? Supervillains never called her when she tapped out. They were much more considerate overall, really. Justice never sleeps, her ass.
"Hellloooo?" she said as she answered, feigning something in the realm of cheerfulness.
Materials [Closed] - sir - 07-05-2015
Abel moistened his lips, an automatic gesture that brought to mind 'prehensile' as an adjective.
"Good…" a brief glance at his phone. "Afternoon, Ms. Smith."
His mind flipped through a mental card catalog of qualifications that would render his assistant more likely to acquiesce.
"This is not related to food or beverages. I do not require medical assistance. You do not need to wear anything specific."
He winced slightly before continuing, brow furrowing.
"I will suspend normal emotional hygiene protocols; you still need to wash your hands. Once."
He leaned back in his chair- possibly the least comfortable chair in the lab. The example chair.
"I believe I have made some refinements which I would…appreciate your…opinion on. I want you. Your opinion. Thoughts. Brain thoughts."
Another brief moment to collect himself; the furrow vanished as he continued, voice smoothing out into a baritone.
"The conversion coils appear to still be producing a minor kinetic to electrical overflow, however I believe I have…stabilized it."
He grinned enormously.
"To the point where it will not be dangerous to the operator or others unless it is deliberately rendered dangerous. It was very difficult."
There was an interval into which a suspicious person might have read the desire for praise. His hands tweaked the tips of his ears, another minor nervous habit; his tongue flicked out again.
"I would appreciate your input under the terms just discussed, but I would not wish to study your compromises. Compromise your studies. Yes."
Materials [Closed] - megs - 07-05-2015
Melanie pondered more on her dilemma as she drove. Fishing blindly in the passenger seat she found her sunglasses and slid them on to her face. How in the fuck she'd been convinced to move to Las Ballenas from Seattle was a mystery. She cursed UCLB for having such an amazing Organic Chemistry scholarship program. Funded by some of the greatest chemical research and development groups on the country. Oh, and for being particularly meta-human friendly. A zero tolerance discrimination policy on that sort of thing made the decision easier.
Rounding a corner, she narrowed her eyes to focus in on someone walking down the sidewalk. There was something familiar about them. Whether it was they way they walked, or they way they were noticeably tiny, she couldn't quite decide. She quickly filed through her mental Rolodex and she slowed her vehicle to a stalking sort of pace.
Then it hit her. She definitely knew this person.
"Oye," she called out the window she was rolling down, as she pulled to a step next to the side walk. "Don't I know you?" she prompts, leaning closer to her passenger side window to be heard. "OH! You totally did some work for Crimson Siren, right?" she didn't wait for an answer, not usually so benevolent, but she still needed that friend.
Not this one in particular, but she had to slow-roll this sudden accumulation of acquaintances. "If you're headed to the college, I could give you a ride." They way she waggled her brows to emphasize the deal, could not be seen behind her gigantic sunglasses.
Being nice was hard.
Materials [Closed] - Tindome - 07-06-2015
"You fixed the thing and you want me to check out the thing you fixed," she confirmed, popping a stick of gum into her mouth as she walked. A car seemed like it was following her, and her attention was only halfway on the conversation. "Got it. Can-do." As the car pulled up alongside her, she covered the mic on her phone.
Aww, hell.
"Be there in a bit," she said, hanging up abruptly. She cracked her gum.
"Yah," she said as she leaned into the open window. "Bailed when she went grimdark, tho. You know how it goes." While Kiki was neutral at best, she had a rule about not hanging around when things got too heavy. She was more into the doomsday device, steal the Mona Lisa style supervillains. Guns and torture just weren't her bag. The grimdark heroes tended not to want a sidekick, so that wasn't quite so much of an issue. But sticking around once the guns and knife fights started was how dead Kikis happened.
People who recognized her from her side work had the potential to be dangerous. On the other hand: she didn't have to pay for gas.
"Sure," she shrugged, pulling herself up and sliding into the passenger seat through the window instead of opening the door. "You can just drop me off by the science building. How'd you know Red?"
Aww, hell.
"Be there in a bit," she said, hanging up abruptly. She cracked her gum.
"Yah," she said as she leaned into the open window. "Bailed when she went grimdark, tho. You know how it goes." While Kiki was neutral at best, she had a rule about not hanging around when things got too heavy. She was more into the doomsday device, steal the Mona Lisa style supervillains. Guns and torture just weren't her bag. The grimdark heroes tended not to want a sidekick, so that wasn't quite so much of an issue. But sticking around once the guns and knife fights started was how dead Kikis happened.
People who recognized her from her side work had the potential to be dangerous. On the other hand: she didn't have to pay for gas.
"Sure," she shrugged, pulling herself up and sliding into the passenger seat through the window instead of opening the door. "You can just drop me off by the science building. How'd you know Red?"
Materials [Closed] - megs - 07-06-2015
"Oh yeah," she agreed, pushing her sunglasses into her hair, to seem the slightest bit polite. "One of 'ems gotta go off the deep end every now and again, I guess." She probably should have smiled. Or not? Would that have been inappropriate given the topic. She was unbelievably terrible at this.
To make matters worse her newfound company was a gum popper. Melanie tried not grimace as the she slid through the window, even though the sound of it would make her eye twitch. She flipped her sunglasses back down and pulled away from the sidewalk.
"Oh, you know…" she answered, lamely. "Work. Just like you, I guess." This time she did smile, because she had been attempting to make a joke. It probably failed. "She needed some Uranium for mega-death-ray this or that. I just happen to be very good at stealing Uranium."
Sharing personal details. There was magazine somewhere that said doing so made people like you, right? And it's not like her guest would be able to take the high moral ground.
Why couldn't she had found a horde of recognizable women? Her social cloaking only worked in groups, and that would have made this a hell of a lot easier. "Oh, mierda," she cursed. "Rude, sorry. My name's Melanie."
Materials [Closed] - Tindome - 07-07-2015
"Yah, pretty much," she agreed, cracking her gum again as she looked at her nails. She bit off a ragged edge to one of them and spit it out the window. "Sucks when it's chicks, though. Usually some dude's fault." Men, in her experience, were much more likely to go crazy without provocation. One midnight showing of Fight Club and suddenly they were ready to beat the hell out of anyone. Women were more usually out for revenge. Probably on some asshole who watched too much Fight Club.
"That probably pays way better," she said enviously. "I'm just, like. Muscle, or whatever. Standard goon rates." She made a face. She was not actually particularly strong, and on her own, she did not constitute any kind of muscle. But an army of henchmen lent a certain credibility to any number of proceedings, and Kiki was good at padding out numbers.
Not that she was doing any villainy lately. Paying work had gone a bit scarce where henching was concerned. She didn't think she should mention her current sidekicking stint. Eventually someone was going to catch wise to her double-teaming, but she'd managed okay so far.
"Kiki," she introduced with another crack of her gum. "You a student now, or nah?"
"That probably pays way better," she said enviously. "I'm just, like. Muscle, or whatever. Standard goon rates." She made a face. She was not actually particularly strong, and on her own, she did not constitute any kind of muscle. But an army of henchmen lent a certain credibility to any number of proceedings, and Kiki was good at padding out numbers.
Not that she was doing any villainy lately. Paying work had gone a bit scarce where henching was concerned. She didn't think she should mention her current sidekicking stint. Eventually someone was going to catch wise to her double-teaming, but she'd managed okay so far.
"Kiki," she introduced with another crack of her gum. "You a student now, or nah?"
Materials [Closed] - megs - 07-07-2015
Melanie nodded in agreement, and mostly pretended to focus on driving. She didn't really have a preference for who went crazy, as long as she got paid first. And that she didn't get caught. She wasn't a side-kick in the usual sense. She was more of an...independent contractor. She wasn't going to hang off anyone's arm for a salary. If someone wanted something from her, they better be willing to pay for it. She snorted a laugh, as she turned a corner. It was reflexive, when she knew better than anyone not to judge a book by it's cover a so forth. "Sorry. You're just so fun-sized. I would have guessed information broker."
The drive was a waste of gas on principle. Not that far over all, but she'd rather fill her tank than pay an emergency room bill for heat exhaustion. "Student," she confirms, wincing at the gum pop behind her glasses. She pulled into a spot in the science building parking lot. "Gotta have a day job, I guess. Plus fancy degrees look good on a resume." Another bad joke with awful delivery as she turned off the car and opened her door. "Pretty convenient that we were headed to the science hall." She grabbed backpack out of the back seat and secured her car keys in the zippered side pouch.
"Where to from here? This where we part ways?"
Materials [Closed] - Tindome - 07-07-2015
Kiki gave the other woman a pointed once-over. "You're one to talk about fun-sized," she left it at, even if it was a sore spot. She'd expected Melanie to drop her off before parking elsewhere, and was surprised she was stopping at the same building. "Gotta have something to put on the resume," she agreed, and even career student looked better than claiming extended periods of unemployment. She had a hunch that in certain industries, supervillainy would secretly be an asset. Investment bankers, maybe.
"Lucky," she agreed, using the door this time to exit the car. She hadn't brought anything with her but her keys and the phone in her back pocket, which she removed to check that she hadn't received any texts. Leaving the car was like stepping into an oven, and she'd be happy to be in the air-conditioned science building.
"I'm headed to the lab," she said, before recalling that there was more than one. "Metamaterials," she added, flip-flops slapping noisily against the pavement as she walked, tucking her phone away. It wasn't actually called that, but she thought it was easier than the official full title. "I'd invite you, but Tierney gets all…" Instead of sayings words, she wiggled her fingers in a way that was presumably intended to convey something meaningful. It might have helped if she had made any effort to deviate from her overall apathetic demeanor. "He's probably going to take my gum," she added for emphasis, cracking it again and making no move to spit it out or prevent that from happening. "I can't even play Pocket Frogs in there. It's bullshit."
She scratched at her hair, an enormous mass that she had put into a braid at some point three days ago and which now resembled the sort of thing some people spent a fortune on products to achieve. "Thanks for the ride," she said as she opened the door to the building, hands in her pockets and holding it open with her back.
"Lucky," she agreed, using the door this time to exit the car. She hadn't brought anything with her but her keys and the phone in her back pocket, which she removed to check that she hadn't received any texts. Leaving the car was like stepping into an oven, and she'd be happy to be in the air-conditioned science building.
"I'm headed to the lab," she said, before recalling that there was more than one. "Metamaterials," she added, flip-flops slapping noisily against the pavement as she walked, tucking her phone away. It wasn't actually called that, but she thought it was easier than the official full title. "I'd invite you, but Tierney gets all…" Instead of sayings words, she wiggled her fingers in a way that was presumably intended to convey something meaningful. It might have helped if she had made any effort to deviate from her overall apathetic demeanor. "He's probably going to take my gum," she added for emphasis, cracking it again and making no move to spit it out or prevent that from happening. "I can't even play Pocket Frogs in there. It's bullshit."
She scratched at her hair, an enormous mass that she had put into a braid at some point three days ago and which now resembled the sort of thing some people spent a fortune on products to achieve. "Thanks for the ride," she said as she opened the door to the building, hands in her pockets and holding it open with her back.
Materials [Closed] - sir - 07-07-2015
"That will do nicely, Ms. Smith."
Abel was accustomed, by now, to speaking his good-byes to nothing. His assistant had a unique approach to manners and mannerism alike.
His official shift ended in seven minutes, and he spent them in his official chair. His unofficial shift was continuous. He lived in his office, worked in his home. There were certain private areas, and one that was completely private. Most would not have wanted to enter his bedroom if given the chance. Many did not believe he had any such thing, given his sleep schedule.
There had not been any initial provision for a live-in caretaker, but one of the laboratory's early acquisitions had been a Mag-man corrosion gauntlet. The primary delay had been finding a stretch of wall that was not load-bearing. Abel kept the suit and its prototypes in his own tunnels, because he had nowhere else to keep them.
After numerous iterations, it appeared rather sleek. The majority was an endless tessellation of hexagonal motes, wrapped into a skin-sheath too functionally tight for modesty. At Kiki's suggestion, it was a sapphire blue with non-functional strips of orange at joints and mounting points.
The conversion apparatus occupied the back, and looked propulsive and purposeful, offspring of a beetle and something from Apple. The final touches were gauntlets, and a helmet, blank and faceless. Both were cosmetically enameled in blue composite.
Abel stroked the helmet and weighed his guilt.
The field suit required redirecting thirteen kilograms of non-inertial Null Metal. The material's original source had been an anti-gravity bomb deployed by Gerhardt Ullver, A.E. Doktor V5. There had been twelve confirmed fatalities from the incident, and recovery was partial. Gravitational Anomalies persisted in the area, necessitating forfeiture of the properties involved.
The gauntlets were primarily composed of Mjollnir Conductive Fiber in a shell of synthetic Impervium; five and twelve and one-half kilograms, respectively. The original source was a meta-materials facility on St. Cristophe, under the aegis of Crimson Claw personnel. Seizure of the material was complicated by self-destruct charges place throughout the facility. Recovery was partial and fatalities could not be ascertained until radiation levels allowed non-metahuman personnel into the vicinity.
The helmet was based on an Intention Circuit cluster recovered from one of the laboratories of Dr. Cortex 054. It was a rare intact sample of his attempts to create true artificial vision and a direct neural interface by integrating biological components, specifically pieces of the occipital and frontal lobes. The laboratory had seven prototypes, one of which had been removed for cleaning some months previous.
Many people wondered why Abel did not leave the laboratory.
The simplest answer, but not the one he gave, was that outside was where the things he kept originated.
He put the helmet down and went to check on the door chime.
Materials [Closed] - megs - 07-08-2015
Arguing that she was perfectly normal sized adult, was probably not the best approach after referring to your company as fun-sized. Especially, when you were trying to become friends with them. This was not going well. Melanie felt that this was actually going abominably, and she should stop taking her cues from bad dramas that she watched on TV. She tried to recall how she made friends in the past, but there was only Veronica and that was forced on them because they were roommates. It had just happened to work out.
This was optional friendship. Where she would be strictly judged on her ability to be sociable, and insofar it was only proven that her ability was lacking.
She paused in her next step when Kiki mentioned meta-materials. She tried not to look so astounded. Her eyes were hidden, but her mouth was a grim line across her face. Everything had quite quickly gone to shit.
Well, fuck fuckity fuck, shit. God damn it.
"No invitation needed, that sounds miserable," she replied monotonously, jogging a few steps to catch up with her again. Tierney was a name she would have to file away for later. Kiki wasn't much to go on, and probably wasn't her real name anyway, but she'd save that one too.
INVITATION VERY NEEDED. She complained in her head. Fucking Cosmopolitan and their suggestions on sharing personal details. She was never listening to some poorly edited women's magazine ever again.
You can't steal things from a lab, now occupied from a person who knows your're good at stealing things. She mumbled a no problem as she crossed the threshold, turning to walk backwards with a little wave. "Well, it's the Chem Lab for me. See you around, I'm sure."
Call her a coward, but she was mostly certainly running away. But in the form of a fast walk. She had learned the hard way, you did not try to salvage plan A. You just moved right on to plan B. Melanie was pretty pissed that her one attempt to do things the easy way, had turned out to be the really fucking hard way. She should have stuck with her suspicious methods the entire time. Note to self: walking through walls is way easier than making friends.
Materials [Closed] - Tindome - 07-10-2015
Kiki was oblivious to the other woman's distress, as she was to most people's unless directly informed. Noticing things wasn't really her job. Unless she'd been put on some kind of watch duty. Then it… technically was her job.
"See ya," she said with a little wave of her fingers, cracking her gum one last time for the road. She didn't know if she'd actually run into Melanie again. It was a big campus, and a big building, and she didn't spend a lot of time aboveground. But it was the polite thing to say. She was also oblivious to the fact that these had been friendly overtures. Not that she didn't have friends. She just wasn't always aware that they were friends.
She yawned as she made her way through the halls, through the vault door and down the stairs, flip-flops noisy against the floor tiles all the while. She gave up her phone to a little locker, and even washed her hands before heading inside. She did not, however, spit out her gum. She announced her arrival with a loud crack of it instead, in case her feet had not made her presence known already.
"See ya," she said with a little wave of her fingers, cracking her gum one last time for the road. She didn't know if she'd actually run into Melanie again. It was a big campus, and a big building, and she didn't spend a lot of time aboveground. But it was the polite thing to say. She was also oblivious to the fact that these had been friendly overtures. Not that she didn't have friends. She just wasn't always aware that they were friends.
She yawned as she made her way through the halls, through the vault door and down the stairs, flip-flops noisy against the floor tiles all the while. She gave up her phone to a little locker, and even washed her hands before heading inside. She did not, however, spit out her gum. She announced her arrival with a loud crack of it instead, in case her feet had not made her presence known already.
Materials [Closed] - sir - 07-11-2015
A guest's arrival was logged in three places, and with considerable prior warning. Abel had nonetheless decided to forgo meeting visitors on the doorstep. Doing so seemed to give the impression they were unwelcome; a magazine-selling mormon.
In moving toward him, Kiki Smith, Assistant, moved past: the Erosite containment tunnel, the mag-boot locker for the unobtanium vault, and an uru-forged socket set. The last had a sign reading DO NOT TOUCH: UNWORTHY. Privately, Abel suspected Kiki of having attempted them.
He didn't mind. The number and kind of things he did not mind was a secret between them, aided and abetted by his resting professor face. With the exception of universal adhesion compound #4 and unbound gravitite, chewing gum was not a danger to any of the items presently within the lab. In five cases, it could potentially be used to repair containment.
Abel gave her a cursory glance up and down, lingering at hips and gamine ankles- more mechanical than lecherous. Given that she showed no signs of unauthorized arms, he waved her in.
"First, to explain how smart I am- and I'm very smart, as you're aware. You also. But yes. To explain, the containment on each hex was not able to prevent electrical output under sufficient stimulus, because of transmission speed to the conversion unit. Too slow, spaghetti-o. Meaning, actually very fast."
He continued walking, simply assuming she was following. It was a game he played on occasion, with equivocal results.
"However, the material is capable of thermal output natively. I believe I have a nanoscale filter that will push the thermal output from infrared to visible."
He slumped into a chair, folding one knee over the other like a stridulating grasshopper and rubbing his jaw, making sure it was still attached, blinking amber eyes owlishly behind long lashes.
"We have a bright future ahead of us, but we aren't going to be too hot."
An eloquent pause.
"I would appreciate your professional opinion as to whether this is likely to explode."