D-77

January 17, 2019:

Due to the Rifts in Reality, Lena gets a job offer from Iron Man.

Chinatown

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

There have been multiple disturbances in the skies in Chinatown today. It had been a relatively stable place since the Infernal attackers boiled over the city, but it appears that it has finally gotten its turn. Flashes of openings, glowing portals, have sprinkled the section of the city: it is as if small rips in the air form, only to close again right away. Many of them are well out of the way of any human: they're up at rooftop level, or even higher.

And then, one of the portals opens, and a round metal object the size of an overlarge bowling ball comes rolling out. It pivots, disoriented and smoking, lights emitting in patterns and holograms. It bounces off a traffic pole (sending the lights into rotation and disarray, with expected traffic problems associated), and ricochets sideways into the side of a brick wall of a drug store. Smoking lightly, it sits there sunk into the wall, with two leg-like prongs wiggling in the air in what would be distress for a living thing. For a technological piece of equipment, it may be something else. It does seem disoriented and distressed, though.

*

The past few days were something of a ride for Lena. Life went one way before violently jerking off course and going in a different direction. One path was gaining traction, while another was just left in the dark for who knows how long. On nights like this, it calls for something to settle the nerves and spirit - a lemon and blueberry slushie. Nursing the massive cup, the girl's eyes flit to the side once the glow of rips in the sky stand out against the otherwise normal light pollution.

It was nothing, at first, far away and not in danger of anyone. Open and close, she counts off how many split the sky until finally something falls through. Resting her back against a near by building, her eyes follow after the 'thing' as it pinballs around the street, making its finaly stop in a wall. A flit toward bystanders, she turns on her booted heels and makes her way down the stretch of building to find where it had actually stopped.

Still drinking, she cants her head, silent at first and watching it squirm. With a roll of her gloved fingers, she reaches out and gently touches at the flailing limbs.

*

Most of the bystanders are now absorbed in yelling at each other of a crash and slam of metal due to the pivoted traffic light. So there is plenty of distraction from what caused it.

The robotic ball of limbs doesn't seem entirely aware of the gentle touch, but does arch the limbs back towards the brick to start to leverage itself loose. It is a quarter turn to the left, then right, then a vibration that causes some of the brick to rattle and shower loosely around it. It is working on being unstuck.

A good inspection shows there were three limbs at some point, but one is sheared off, leaving just two. It has some sleek panels and what is likely an access point along the left hind area behind one of the limbs, with a few specific indentations. It looks a little bit alien, just in the caliber of tech.

Suddenly it seems to become aware of Lena, and one of the panels slides open, exposing a lens, which focuses with a robotic zoom-sound.

*

The way it twitches and fidgets it almost child like. Pet like - some poor little thing stuck and trying to dig its way out. As icy as the girl often was, she can't help but to smile. Another drink down, she sighs and sets her cup on the ground, now with two free hands, she moves them out in an attempt to aid the sphere out of its prison. She'll admire it later.

The exposure of its 'eye', she guesses, gives her pause, and without hesitation, she offers it a cool smile. "Easy there, little thing. I'll help you out of there." She promises, with it being one limb down, using her own fingers would be of aid. Or at least she hopes it will. "Don't shock me or anything." She advises, her hands finally settling around its upper curves and giving it a gentle twist and pull.

*

The robot clearly considers her. The zoom on the lens, drawing in to see her more clearly, gives it the aspect of a bright blue eye. It draws its legs in to the center helpfully, to get them out of the way and so as not to scratch her, and dutifully waits to be rescued.

With some effort and leverage that the robot lacked on its own, it will come loose slowly at first, then all at once. Automatically the lens closed up to protect itself from potential impact, as it is tugged free into Lena's grasp.

Once loose, the limbs come back out again, and a metallic 'whurr' starts up, as it attempts to hover in place, though if she hangs onto it, it won't pull away nor lift her up.

During the distraction of unburying the drone from the wall, another arrival has made his way over. The ongoing blare of car alarm from the traffic problem drowned out the sounds of his arrival, but he lands on a roof smoothly, and looks down into the alley. Amused, Iron Man looks on for the moment, setting one armored boot on the roof edge, relaxed, elbow and forearm resting on the raised thigh: at ease. He isn't hidden: but most people don't often look up.

*

"Just a lil more…" she assures the thing, before giving a small grunt and pulling it free. The force, and her boots not being planted that well for once, causes her to cradle it against her chest and stumble back. "Whoops, I got ya!" She assures the creature, giving it more care and consideration than she did with most people. At the shift and hum, she looks down at it and smiles, letting it go, tentively, making sure it wouldn't just fall to the ground.

"Well, you're adorable. Were I a worse human being, I might be tempted to snatch you up for myself." She confesses to it, lingering all the while. That feeling of something, someone perhaps, watching over them, gives the professional criminal pause, her head turning to the side, one and then the other, as her eyes glance sidelong at nothing in particular.

Reclaiming her cup, she returns to drinking, her lips and tongue already stained blue from its dye. Now, she circles it, studying the orb attentively, her finger moving out to gently probe at the lost limb. "Hmm. Easy fix. Clean tech." She murmurs.

*

Iron Man may have been content to just observe for the moment the little interaction between young woman and the small robot, but the robot picks up on him being present. It suddenly pivots, turning upside-down (well, it had BEEN upside-down: the lens is on the top most properly, not the bottom, limbs somewhat in front like antenna), and makes a series of loud chirps and static sounds upwards at its creator.

"He says you gave him a hand; he likes you," Tony observes in a friendly manner, with a gesture of a few fingers downwards to the robot, casual as always. He has the mask of his helmet down, which makes his voice have a metallic, projected quality through his enhanced speaker. Even so, the voice of Tony Stark is a very recognizable one: he talks on the news or various media ALL. THE. TIME. Hard to escape, really. "I was expecting two of them; just the one here, huh?" Tony asks, head angling as he surveys the local rooftops and alleys, attention on the HUD inside his helmet.

*

Sighing, the girl turns to find the figure hovering above her, speaking down and about the bot. "Never fails." She mumbles to herself, taking that time to silence herself with another drink from her cup. Watching after the tiny orb, she at least smiles its way when she knows that it likes her. "Only saw the one," she tells Stark. "Grant enterance and all." She explains, slipping one hand into her pocket now as the other holds her drink securely. "I guess if you're here, the mystery of where it came from isn't such a mystery anymore." Begrudgingly, she takes a moment and follows up with a, "I'm a fan of your work."

*

"It entered well, did it? Takes after me, I suppose," Tony answers flippantly, and drops smoothly to land in the alley, so she's not required to crane her head up at him. "Mystery? Still has one. This one came from last Tuesday. Pretty good mystery."

The robot approaches him, and he taps once, twice, on the indentations, and the drone unfolds like a puzzle-box. Tony casually examines it, flicks a thumb against a damaged section that didn't open as if he could just smack it into turning back on. It works, the part unfolds.

"A fan? Hey, thanks. Me too," Tony says with a flash of sideways sly smile to her. The arrogance is thick, but so is the charisma of the billionaire. The drone chirrrrps agreement supportively like the good little yes-robot it is. Tony finishes his download from it, and the robot closes back up. "Leave your leg in another dimension?" Tony chides it semi privately, similar to a tone someone might use on a pet.

*

Lena steps back, giving the Iron Man space to do whatever it was he needed to with the orb. Once the ball turns into something akin to a puzzle, she becomes interested once more. A step forward, and then another, she'll soon be standing by the man's side, eyeing down at the little thing, smiling when it 'speaks'. She watches, attentively, though his self-fandom causes her pale eyes to roll. She couldn't get away from it, it seems. "What does it do?" She finally asks.

*

Tony is a showman, and he smiles a bit as she draws in to look at it. He holds up one armored finger, and makes a few adjustments to the drone, activating the vocal translation for it. "Go ahead and answer her," Tony instructs the robot, motioning across to Lena.

The robot answers in a funny, blunted little robot voice of mixed feedback, "Bwk bwwzz bwwwh," says the drone. "Or not," Tony winces at it, holding a palm to stop it. "More fried than the diagnostic suggested," Tony admits in dismay. And answers her question himself. "Sort version? It's an anchor sensor on these portals; getting more data so that we can stop the universe from falling to pieces like a paper in a shredder."

*

Tensing up, giddy almost from the idea of the little thing having a voice, Lena waits for it to speak. It does, somewhat, causing her to frown after the fact. Looking inward and against the machine, she hears Tony speak about the portals, anchors, and then lifts her fingers. "Oh, I see it." She murmurs, slipping her hand around the little orb and dropping her drink to the side. Looking around it, she works the sphere open, eye-balling its insides and digging in. "Sorry," she tells the bot, before twisting her pinky in and finding something that clicks into place.

"Ok, little thing. Give it a shot." She requests, waiting to see if it will speak this time. Apparently, the idea of the world folding in on itself was less important than taking care of the orb.

*

Stark watches with a very raised dark eyebrow, but doesn't interfere with what she's doing. For one thing, he can see quite clearly where she's going with this, since he built the drone and knows where she's reaching. He rests armored hands against his upper hip armor, head tilted, smile vague. If she were going after the data he'd have a different reaction, but this? He's fine to observe.

The robot does peek at Tony before it does any speaking. When it gets a shrug from Tony it tries again. "I am D-77 dash one!" beeps the drone in a fuzzy little robotic way. "Property of STARK industries! I sense and record dimensional phenomenon, and network with other D-77 modules to stabilize ruptures in space!" There is a sort of excitement in the tone, as if it were just so thrilled to convey anything at all, while waggling both of the antenna-like limbs.

"Otherwise known as dimensional-duct-taper," Tony agrees solemnly. "This isn't your first little bot, I can see. Are you often finding drones falling on your head? We can see about a helmet for you, if so. For safety."

*

Lena practically beams. The puzzle shut up, she hugs the little thing against her chest again. "Christ, you're so cute! Don't tell Jadis I said that, she might get jealous." She whispers the after thought, keeping the bot close at hand. Then she snickers, "Duct Taper. Nice. Can't say I know anything about the dimensional phenomenon, but then again, weird things do seem to happen around the likes of us, regardless of city. Head the Speedster had to deal with his fair share as well."

Turning, she looks toward the Iron Man, not aware of his expression thanks to his golden plate mask. "No, he's the first." She explains, realizing now how she holds it like a child might cling to their favorite plushie. "Ah, sorry, D-77." Releasing it, she allows it to do as it wishes.

*

The robot circles around Lena two times like a cheerful bee. "Decorum," Tony admonishes it with a soft laugh, and the drone stops. "Yes Mr. Stark," it replies dutifully to the inventor. Instead, it just hovers close to Lena's face, well into her personal bubble, unless she chooses to step back out of the way. The eye moves over her, inspecting. Of course it does: the thing gathers information. Right now it appears to be counting her pores, possibly.

"Always on the lookout for people that want to train or work in tech, though, you have a good instinct with it. Give D-77 a bit of info and apply if you like. D-77, get to the tower within the hour," Tony says. It isn't every day one meets the head of a massive company like Stark Industries, but Tony's used to this. Scouting and hiring talent is a Tuesday for him. Or Wednesday? "/I've/ got another portal trying to eat a building," Tony sighs. He steps back once, flips out a two-finger salute, and blasts off into flight smoothly.

"Mr. Stark is a wonderful employer!" chimes the damaged robot enthusiastically.

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