House Visit [Day 1, ME]

[Leo Knight]

[OOC: Leo may roll Perception (Cunning) at Average Difficulty with one Upgrade, if he wishes.]

It was standard to never let a threat out of your sight. Leo kept an eye on the man with the big laser rifle. Usually the cybereye.

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Perception, D1ME, watch laser man: 2eP+1eA+1eC+1eD 2 successes, 1 advantage

[Boogiepop]

"I am in need of as much information as I can provide Ms. Mills," she said, that same detachment to her tone. However, there's a slight widening of the eye and curl of the lip into a very brief smile that was noticeable despite the very brief existence it had. Breaking from looking to Doctor Homes for a moment, Nadia would look to Leo. Since they'd come in together there had been little time her attention wasn't overtaken by all she was witnessing and learning. Yet in this brief pause, a moment where she's realigning herself, she feels the compulsion to check in on his status with just the glance.

Doctor Homes

"We'll be more than happen to give you access to the system itself, Miss..." he lingered on the sentence for a moment, wondering if he could get her name.

"I'm afraid that most of our hardware is physically networked and will require you to plug-in directly." He made his way over to one of the stations, relieving the person there of their task so that there was an open spot for Nadia to do just that if she wished.

"As for entering the city itself, I'm afraid that we weren't prepared for your visit but I assure you that we'll be more than prepared when Mister Perez officially unveils the project to his respective sponsors, Miss Mills included." He nodded.

It was standard to never let a threat out of your sight. Leo kept an eye on the man with the big laser rifle. Usually the cybereye.

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Perception, D1ME, watch laser man: 2eP+1eA+1eC+1eD 2 successes, 1 advantage

It wasn't just the Sergeant but there were a few Argus guards that stood and patroled on the walkway above. It looked pretty obvious that the billions of credits spent on the facility and the work they were doing in private would require security to keep everything safeguarded from rival megacorporations. However, from the posture of the guards and the setup, it seemed more to keep in than to guard from without.

[Nadia Avaline]

Doctor Homes

"We'll be more than happen to give you access to the system itself, Miss..." he lingered on the sentence for a moment, wondering if he could get her name.

"I'm afraid that most of our hardware is physically networked and will require you to plug-in directly." He made his way over to one of the stations, relieving the person there of their task so that there was an open spot for Nadia to do just that if she wished.

"As for entering the city itself, I'm afraid that we weren't prepared for your visit but I assure you that we'll be more than prepared when Mister Perez officially unveils the project to his respective sponsors, Miss Mills included." He nodded.

"Nadia Avaline," she says quickly when she's prompted. Joining him over by the station she steps aside to make enough room for the relieved individual to move on. Having that sense of self that always makes room for another when passing or moving past calls for it, never wanting to give someone the slightest hint they should move for her. As she looks over the station in question she leans forward, laying her satchel with the rig inside down beside it.

"I understand," she says, as she leans back. Stepping forward she'd wait for his direction and assent to continue to utilize the station.

[Boogiepop]

Doctor Homes

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Avaline," he said as he offered his hand, having talked to the woman for a while now.

Given the setup of the facility and the finite room they had to work with all of the plascrete that was surrounding them, much of the staff had public workstations of their own. They were able to bring up what they were working on previously on demand on any other station and often worked atop of each other, depending on the shift. When Nadia sat down, Doctor Homes happily showed her how to get connected to their system. From there she would get an idea of their hardware, including the vast server farm that they were able to stack here that was quickly filling to capacity from all the brain scans and the virtual infrastructure they were maintaining. There were also general building plans, a list of research staff which currently consisted of 5 lead researchers with much of the staff being brought in from Levy University and other places. There was also a list of testers, which seemed to collaborate with Homes's mention that Perez wanting to initially use the project to house people in retirement communities with many of their testers reflecting that.

There was likely more to be found if Nadia sought it.

[Leo Knight]

Leo continued to take in information casually. And kept a running plan for how to kill the way out for Nadia and himself, just in case. He wore a slight grimace; the plan had far too much "and then hopefully they miss" to be worth much.

[Nadia Avaline]

Nadia accepted the offered hand, allowing him to control the shake. With that settled she moved into position with his guidance and aid. As she went forward her iris' gained the same soft glowing once more as she began to make notes of the most pertinent information for Elizabeth. As she collected the information her focus was consumed by the task. Taking the opportunity to gain as much as she was able to get access to.

[Boogiepop]

Nadia accepted the offered hand, allowing him to control the shake. With that settled she moved into position with his guidance and aid. As she went forward her iris' gained the same soft glowing once more as she began to make notes of the most pertinent information for Elizabeth. As she collected the information her focus was consumed by the task. Taking the opportunity to gain as much as she was able to get access to.

As Nadia continued to take more information about the facility, it seemed that 'Doctor Homes' and the other four researchers were listed as the only full-time employees of the place. All of them seemed to have been given an alias of some sort, unless there was some coincidence that everyone had names like 'House', 'Condo', 'Bungalow', and such. The facility itself is below ground level but by only a few stories, its foundation encasing itself other than the few necessities like plumbing and power. There were only two ways in, which was the elevator and the garage way, which typically was where most of the supplies were brought in.

It was perhaps only a matter of time that she managed to gather most of the information about the project itself, which matched the doctor's story. However, the biggest enigma seemed to be the full-time staff themselves.

[Nadia Avaline]

As she finishes up collecting the information, she makes what notes she can and then pulls back from the station. Shifting out of the seat at the same time she takes up the satchel in one efficient motion. Turning around again she holds the satchel in front of herself with both hands crossed to hold the handle. Dipping her head to the doctor, a very brief courteous smile. Taking the pause in the moment, her eyes glowing for a moment, to add the note about the strange situation surrounding the doctors at the bottom of the page.

"Thank you, Doctor Homes."

[Boogiepop]

As she finishes up collecting the information, she makes what notes she can and then pulls back from the station. Shifting out of the seat at the same time she takes up the satchel in one efficient motion. Turning around again she holds the satchel in front of herself with both hands crossed to hold the handle. Dipping her head to the doctor, a very brief courteous smile. Taking the pause in the moment, her eyes glowing for a moment, to add the note about the strange situation surrounding the doctors at the bottom of the page.

"Thank you, Doctor Homes."

Doctor Homes

"You are welcome, Miss Avaline. I apologize we've only been able to show you this much on short notice but I hope I've been able to enlighten you our project and its potential applications for the future. We shall be ready for you when Mister Perez hosts his presentation here." He nodded.


Sgt. Curtis

With his armour visor down, it was hard to get a read on the security contractor. He lightly had learned to glaze over all of the details of the scientist's work after spending so much time here. When it seemed the visit came to a close, he looked to both Leo and Nadia.

"So, are you both ready to go?" He said, offering to escort them back.

[Nadia Avaline]

Taking a moment to ensure she was properly collected, Nadia looks to Leo and then to the sergeant. A nod, "Yes, I believe so."

[Boogiepop]

Sgt. Curtis

"Alright, let's go," he would say before leading them back where they came from, perhaps glad that the inspection had come to an end. They would be led through the gated door and taken to the elevator. The sergeant would ride the elevator back to the surface and return them to the hallway without incident. They were free to return as they wished.

[Nadia Avaline]

As they were lead out, Nadia's attention would drift inward. Eyes lighting to their glow as the PAD activates and she displays the information present upon her cybereyes. Spending the trip out of the doctors presence and back up through the elevator doing some reorganization of her notes. Ensuring the information she'd collected would be transformed into an easily readable format for Elizabeth later, making sure to give special attention to ensuring it met Elizabeth's standards. Not only did she make it more easy to read but she also ensured that there wasn't anything she could recall which was lost in the translation to her notes as she listened prior.

Once they were out of the elevator again her eyes would dim and she'd look to Leo. "Thank you again, Mr. Knight," she says with a brief smile. "Shall we return to the car?"

[Leo Knight]

"Let's." Leo said shortly. He glanced around carefully, cybereye glinting, leading his way over to the car. Not satisfied, he made a pass around it, looking for signs of tampering, before opening the door to let Nadia in.

It was only once they were both seated that he spoke again. "What was all that?" He asked bluntly.

[Nadia Avaline]

While Leo made his pass, Nadia moved along to the back. Opening the trunk after waiting for Leo to pass she places her satchel back in and shuts the back just as Leo opened Nadia's side door. Half a step toward him she freezes, looking to him with widened eyes. One second, two. He was waiting for her. At the moment of realization she performs the steps as she's seen Elizabeth do and took her seat without word or fuss.

Inside the back of the car she was still reeling a bit, nerves played at her as if she'd done something wrong. Closing of the door as Leo joined into his seat brought her focus back.

"I do not understand the question," her nerves colored the words a bit, but she held it all together well enough. Head forward she focuses on the back of the headrest in front of her as the car kicks into motion.

[Leo Knight]

Leo's eyes narrowed further, studying her carefully. Some augs were obvious. Some were less so. But it was a strange response, and it spoke to Nadia being somewhat different from the average person, in a multitude of possible ways.

On the other hand, she probably didn't kill people for a living.

After a while, Leo sighed, looking forward. "You don't ask a lot of questions, do you? Or..." He frowned. That wasn't quite right. "Back there, you did. But not otherwise."

[Nadia Avaline]

Nadia is silent for half a minute following the question. Though she was parsing it, her expression was cold and neutral.

After that half minute she turns her head toward him, sizing him up, "I do not understand the question."

[Leo Knight]

Leo turned back to look at her again. He was silent for a long time, his expression strange. Not quite blank. Sad? Maybe.

"You hungry?" He said suddenly. "I could eat. You want something? My treat."

[Nadia Avaline]

"That-" she swallows, shaking her head. "That would not be appropriate, Mr. Knight. I should return this to Ms. Mills as soon as I can, she will be waiting to hear from me. Keeping her waiting would be very inappropriate."

[Leo Knight]

Leo shrugged. "Okay." For a few moments, he was silent.

"They don't control everything." He said suddenly. "I mean, little things, from time to time, those belong to you. It's not much, but it's something. Even if most of the time we have to do whatever..." He trailed off with a sigh, then shrugged. "I get to choose my takeout, anyway."

He gave Nadia a sidelong glance.

[Nadia Avaline]

"I do not understand," she says, looking forward to the back of the headrest once more. Sitting for a few more seconds her brow furrows in thought. Breathing in sharply with a low exhale.

"I believe you may be mistaken in an assumption, Mr. Knight. I am an Avaline series clone, created for net security and construction. Ms. Mills is the owner of my contract," she speaks professionally, succinctly.