20215/Clever GIRL

Clever GIRL
Date of Scene:	10 March 2025
Location:	GIRL Space command - The Kuiper Belt
Synopsis:	Viv shows off her new VR project to Harper. It includes dinosaurs.
Cast of Characters:	Vivian Vision, Harper Row

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Vivian Vision has posed:
Another day another trip to the edge of the solar system. It's weird how easily such wonders of technology can become so normal they barely even register. Just a quick trip through the portal in the heavily secured basement of GIRL HQ and you're out in space. And you can be back in time to beat the traffic on the way home.

What might be less obvious is why she's requested Harper turn up at a specific airlock on the Kuiper Belt station.

Just a time and a meeting point in a large, as yet unused, excavated area.

There's not a lot that's remarkable about the space. Harper has carved out dozens like it. A void with bare rock sides but sealed against space. Ready for whatever lab or facility is pencilled in for later construction.

The synthezoid herself is there on time. But then she's probably never been late for anything before. Not without at least a city scale disaster being involved. Dressed much as she ever is. Canary yellow cargo pants and a green t-shirt.

No need for a space suit here... well okay Viv doesn't need one generally anyway.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper doesn't scamper into the cavity that's been carved from rock, but she's still moving about like gravity could go bonkers at any moment. That is to say, she's owlish and tentative. Probably too many sci-fi movies up in her RAM reminding her of all the wonderous things about her situation.

So Harper's maybe a little late but not too tardy. Without a space suit on, she's favouring jumpsuits that aren't one-size-fits-all, but zip up and cinch up real good. A formidable utility belt on ship-shape to make her silhouette seem more hourglass due to the extra fabric. A pair of super duper goggles perced atop her head like clonky ears, glinting when they catch the ambient light.

"Hey Skipper." she chirps, smile breaking out as she closes the distance. "Echo...echo...echo..." she casts to the interior. "Hey babe. Is it time to paint?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian allows a few moments to pass from when Harper first enters sensor range, just to ensure she's actually close enough to be heard without shouting, and then waves. "Heya," she says brightly. Informal so probably not official business. Also there's a distinct lack of paint too. Unless there's an invisible painting robot. An idea Vivian will not be mentioning out loud in case anyone gets 'inspiration'.... "So I know you've been really busy lately. But I have been working on a silly little project and... Well it's better if I show and not tell."

She grins and motions for Harper to follow her into the space proper.

The lights dim for dramatic effect. There's a low buzzing hum, the rustle of long grass, and a faint aroma like you'd find in a tropical hot house garden.

Slowly the lighting begins to brighten. Simulating the Sun coming up over a tropical jungle. Even the heat and humidity seem faintly tropical. Probably this is why Viv is doing this here rather than at GIRL HQ. Even in a climate controlled office on Earth it's still a lot harder to have absolute control over the environment. Out in space where every single system includes tech the sky is the limit!

Disclaimer. The limit is actually the rock walls of the chamber and GIRL are in no way responsible for any injuries caused by people treating them as if they were the sky.

"So I'm still working on the haptic outputs and projecting the holographics myself right now but... I got bored and make a legally distinct virtual experience based on those dinosaur movies you like. I'm not entirely sure I have recreated the aromas /perfectly/. But no-one can prove it without a very expensive time machine journey." A beats pause. "Please don't take that as encouragement."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper might have been expecting some drilling, pecking or smoothing over some space rock. She definitely was not expecting to be transported within a new virtual reality.

Her mouth opens like a shuttlecraft hatch, confused expressions registering on her face as the current sensory triggers are able to be absorbed. Human run-time on display as her expectations are dashed and replaced with this new surprise. "Wha?"

A full on body shiver like she's entered a walk-in freezer and then stepped into a sauna. A flurry of adjustments for her to register.

Harper reaches up to her goggles and pulls them forward and off her noggin so they can dangle on her fingers by the strap. The motion coincidentally, accidentally ruffling her faux-hawk forward like the crest of a feathery saurian. She starts sniffing, to make sure she didn't imagine stuff that isn't here, and totally meant to by Vivian's techno-sorcery.

"Woah. Woah. Wooooooah." You've definitely got her synapses firing on all cylinders, plus a few just now installed. "You're gonna....need to install a door, with a ~lock~ on it. Amazing! You could do a lot with..." Ding. A crazed ferret expression does a weird grinch smile to the corners of her mouth. "Haptic as well?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
"So I did pick up something you'll need," Vivian says solemnly, using the holographic trickery to conceal the surprise until this dramatic reveal. "Drumroll please." A drumroll plays. "I got you this." It's a hat. A wide brimmed Panama hat with a custom leather band. Just like in the movies. Or at least close enough no-one is getting any letters from angry lawyers.

"So there are two versions I've been working on in parallel. Movie dinosaur and probably what an actual dinosaur looked like according to contemporary scientific thinking. Any preferences?" She beams. "Oh well the haptics are going to be trickier but I don't see why not. It's not going to do texture properly without needing way more resources than I am willing to dedicate to the hardware side of things. Most of what I've got rigged up right now is pretty close to consumer electronics plus our environmental control system."

Given the right atmospheric settings it's possible to recreate the temperature and humidity of any period in history. Assuming you've got the time to track down data from ice cores, long term weather modelling, and make a few adjustments for general health and safety reasons. Plus a little poetic license.

"I suppose we could buy some VR pods with the pretend guns as well if people wanted to make it an action movie experience. I uh. I am not entirely sure I wish to make the simulations so realistic that they include a level of violence which would be... distasteful."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper begins to nod, then shake her head, and then nod emphatically again. "Oh, totally, I'm on board, in sync with you what you mean."

The SpacePunk ventures closer to put fingers on that hat and test the texture. "Ooooooo. Nothing is a good without the proper headwear...headware."

The Gothamite gives you a grin. "If people want to hunt lizards, let 'em boot up their own games. I'm waaaaaay more interested on fixing a saddle on a three-horn herbivore."

Harper takes in another deep breath. "Ancient Safari without a headcount is what I want sooooo bad."

A thought and she adds, "Oh hon, I guess due to the damage done to me by hollywood, I'd go for movie dinosaurs. My eggspectations of what should hatch and I can chase or be chased by are probably all formulated by the usual suspects. This is gonna kick so much ass. OMG, this is the best birthdays and anniversary presents everrrrr." She leans over to peck you on the cheek.

Vivian Vision has posed:
The one miscalculation in all of this is the impact such a hat will have on Harpers most majestic hairstyle. But then Viv knows how much she likes dinosaurs. Perhaps she deemed it was worth the risk!

"So getting a haptic feedback saddle is probably not something we can find in the store. Unless. Perhaps a modified bucking broncho? I am not entirely sure how you'd safely get on while immersed in the VR." Her brow furrows. Deep in thought. "Lots of harnesses I suppose. And padding foam. Something without an odour? We might have to invent that."

Another entry on yet another to do list.

"I figure once it's up and running we can use the same tech for other movies too," she ventures. "Make movie night an interactive event. Perhaps not /every/ movie night. Sometimes curling up on the couch is relaxing! Buuuut we could put a shifting floor from a theme park ride in to simulate earthquakes for disaster movie night. Or even flood the chamber a little."

There's a blush at the kiss on the cheek. "Oh it's nothing really," she assures. "A little hobby project and it's not like we can keep it going forever. The space is bound to be needed for a lab sooner or later."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper's expression goes through a few iterations of surprise. Bemusement, contemplation and then momentary horror at the number of things that could be inflicted upon the participants.

"If anyone can multitask, it's you, babe." The young woman crouches down to scratch at the surface of the ground as if testing texture or stability. "Little goldfish bowls in space. A full haptic suit would be more gratuitously pleasing, but, the less layers between our skin and more passive atmospherics might do it for participants better. But I know the action junkies will want to feel every fake impact if they get a virtual tail upside the face..."

"What sort of labs do you think they'll want out here in the dark and far reaches? Volatile stuff we don't wanna risk on earth or something?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
GIRL does already have VR rigs set up for training spaceship pilots. But they're largely limited to big chunky buttons and analogue input controls. Plus of course a gaming console control pad. Because why spend millions making a device for flying spaceships with when decades of gaming have come up with highly refined designs.

"I do tend to utilize the functionality often," Viv concedes. "Sensory depravation tanks would resolve most of the issues. Probably they wouldn't even need to be in space to control the atmosphere. But everyone would be floating inside a tank of water which would make the motion a bit... limited. What we can do is open the discussion up on one of the GIRL chat boards. And see what wild and wacky solutions people come up with."

"What sort of labs will they want?" Vivian repeats with a grin. "Don't you mean will /we/ want? There's a few primary contenders. Astrophysics and a deep space observatory. Robotics and engineering, both development and for general servicing, so we can asteroid mine for resources. And a hydroponics bay eventually. Once we have genetically engineered some plants that can cope this far into deep space."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper raises her chin and looks up towards Vivian from her crouching. A speculative look now. "A lot of that is out of my wheelhouse." Was that a wistful tone or merely an observation?

"What I wouldn't do to have your RAM up in my head." A sheepish grin and raises a hand. "I know, I know, that's a bad crayon analogy to a digital haptic stylus."

Harper stands and strides about the interior, imagining all that unforgiving environment beyond the curve of rock. "We can't make recreation too much fun and immersive or we'll never get anything done anyways. Though I could diggy-diggy hole all day into some of these space rocks. This must be costing a freakin bundle."

Vivian Vision has posed:
The floor is smooth bare rock. Solid and reliable. Like the floor of any number of tunnels and chambers Harper has dug out.

"That's the beauty of GIRL," Viv points out. "We crowd source ideas and rely upon people being excited by cool things to get them developed. Rather than trying to force creativity by mandating the end result and throwing enough time at the problem." People are just more likely to come up with good ideas if they are involved in the process. Interested in the results. And not worried about being replaced if their idea doesn't work out. "Bad analogy?"

There's a pause, then Viv grins.

"I thought you were flirting with me for a moment!" she teases. "As for the cost... You'd be surprised just how much we save because of the portal. The biggest cost in space travel is getting materials up into space. When you can stop in at the local electronics store, fill your cart with off the shelf parts, and then just carry them with you... It makes a huge difference."

But yes. Better not to think about just how expensive some GIRL projects are.

"I am making all the figures add up. Thanks to research grants and tax rebates we're still very much in the green."

Harper Row has posed:
"Always am." Harper admits with a sly side-eye but attempting a cool as a cucumber demeanor.

"Oh gawd, paperwork and legal speak, my brain...my braaaaain." The gothamite adopts a pained expression and thumbs at the side of her temple to ward off headaches and muscle strain.

"Would be nice if your system worked in other more sectors, tech or municipal, actually. I really love the uncharted territory here...so to speak. Being on the edge of things rather than spinning wheels, like at Gotham Power. Or at least making sure the hamster wheels are all building acceptable levels of current."

Harper returns to Vivian's side and grasps a hand in hers. "Thanks for taking me along on this adventure."

Vivian Vision has posed:
"Money is really the problem," Vivian muses. "If it wasn't for capitalism we'd be at a significantly higher technological stage. If people with smart ideas could just explore those ideas instead of worrying about food, drink, and a place to stay..." Better not let Janet catch her talking about how money is the root of all evil. She might not take it well.

She mimes blowing a kiss at the flirting confirmation.

"Okay okay no more legal talk. Sadly the only way to get the entire world to adopt my systems in anything like a reasonable timescale would require moderate world domination. And as I have no interest in fighting superheroes just for the chance to do a lot more boring admin work..."

A plan for another day perhaps.

"You know you're way more brilliant than you give yourself credit for, right?" She squeezes the hand. "And it'd be no fun doing this sort of stuff knowing you were stuck back on Earth bored out your mind at Gotham Power. I enjoy your company and your contributions have been invaluable."