View source for 10168/Tuesday in N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Part 4

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2022/02/18
|Location=Colony Zero, N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
|Synopsis=Nadia spends her free time in N.O.W.H.E.R.E. making new friends. (NPC: Fuji)
|Cast of Characters=381,1598
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>If it had been a Red Room exercise it would have been considered mid-high difficulty only. N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s security could be much better, given the technology at their disposal.<br><br>Yes, 'it is too easy'. Or maybe they are not used to competent prisoners, since they mostly pick up inexperienced kids. Still, it took only a few days to pilfer the tools to reprogram the trackers on their smartsuits, a few passcards and memorize some passwords by seeing the technicians and scientists type them.<br><br>And they keep a day/night cycle, instead of having whole shifts. That might be work-friendly, but inefficient. It means at 'night' the hallways are almost empty.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Trust nothing. Too easy is never truly too easy. And even if it is, never treat it as such. But given cooperation didn't get her very far, stealing tools and hacking her suit quickly moved up in priority. Not that she wasn't really planning to do such things all along, but there were less reasons to hold back. Which of course might be exactly what NOWHERE wants, a voice in the back of her mind tells her. But then sitting still was never something she was good at and so Nadia is on the move.<br><br>Once night has fallen and the corridors have thinned out, she slips into the halls and evading the patrols makes her way towards her objective. It's an objective NOWHERE may or may not suspect but one she intends to pursue anyway as a stepping stone towards bringing down the organization, Fuji.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>Now, the Outsiders have not been kept in a residential area. Here, it looks all is labs and some cells. The technicians and scientist almost always come from above through elevators. Residential areas are almost assuredly over this level. <br><br>There are elevators, but they have cameras. There are emergency staircases, and Nadia has never been there. There are closed doors and there might be cameras, but maybe not. There is a third alternative for people that can shrink to insect size, though. Maintenance and air ducts are too small for humans, but not for her. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. uses small robots there, but they are not armed. Would they report if they see her? That's could be a problem.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Anyone who thinks Nadia's superpower is size shifting vastly underestimates her. In truth that power is merely a byproduct of her true superpower, her mind. It was her mind that allowed her to crack the secrets of Pym Particles, her mind that allowed her to improve upon their efficiency, her mind that cracked traveling between dimensions and FTL travel, her mind that managed to assimilate alien Coluan technology and interface it with her own.<br><br>So it is that Nadia turns her mind upon the problems at hand. Where there are cameras, there are either wires or signals, both of which can be hacked or intercepted. Under normal circumstances it would be beyond trivial for her to do so. The lack of proper tools however requires some ingenuity, but that is the first order of business, to rig together a simple multi-purpose tool to allow her to interface with and manipulate NOWHERE's technology. Camera's can be hacked, robots can be repurposed, relying on technology based security against a girl like Nadia is a big mistake.<br><br>But first she needs to steal and MacGuyver together what she needs and for that a very small Nadia sets about pickpocketing and relieving various scientists and technicians of whatever devices they happen to be carrying.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>No one around, but some labs provide a veritable trove of tools and gizmos to dissemble for more tools. The software of the computer systems is alien under a thin crust of human for interfacing, but Nadia has seen that kind of operating systems before.<br><br>It is Coluan.<br><br>Which means in the distant future Colu must have abandoned its isolationistic policy and joined the galactic civilization. Or at least shared its technology with Earth. It helps explain N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s super-tech. And it is also an scary, scary idea. Even the Kree and the Rigelians are kind of primitive compared with the Coluans.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Odds and ends of gizmos and parts in hand, Nadia sets about constructing her multi-tool. The similarities she finds with the technology of the Brainiac Array does give her chills, but that is a train of thought to worry about later, right now she has other goals, like getting to that residential level.<br><br>Device in hand Nadia takes to the vents. In the back of her mind that voice is still telling her this is exactly what they expect given they left her with powers, but on the other hand sometimes the best way to deal with a trap is to spring it and to a degree she is also still 'playing along' to see what they have in store. If she has vastly overestimated them, so be it, better safe than sorry or the Red Room version of that, 'Better Alive than Dead'. Heading through the maintenance shafts, device in hand, she still attempts to be as sneaky as one can within a metal shaft that doesn't really offer cover. If she can get the jump on the robots and gain control of them, well in addition to cloaking her passage who knows what use she might be able to put them to later like spying or sabotage.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>A couple reprogrammed droids and having gotten lost just three times, Nadia manages to reach the next upper level of the Colony Zero. Which was like twenty yards over the one they were kept. Digging a tunnel would have been a difficult endeavour.<br><br>It is slightly less stark than the labs level. They even have a coffee machine in the hallway. It is free. Unfortunately it has already been determined N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s coffee can be classified as a Crime Against Humanity.<br><br>There is a mess hall, a gym, indoors pool, admin offices. Unfortunately, no directions to Fuji. Given the size of the area something around two hundred people live here. Which is not that big, but still too large to search quickly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>The bots in the ducts aren't bad, Dr. Harvest just makes them bad. Nadia knows in her heart that they do great things to make the world better if given the chance. It is these thoughts that accompany her as she emerges into the less secure Habitation areas.<br><br>Nadia glances at the coffee maker as she zips down the hall. 'Crazy future tech and they can't even do coffee right. They must be stopped. There is no way these people should be running the world.' She thinks to herself.<br><br>Surreptitiously, she makes her way over to one of the computer panels not wanting to attract the notice of any night owls, while also taking a moment to marvel at how well NOWHERE obeys curfews. Things would never be this quiet and empty in Titans Tower. Once she reaches a terminal, she sets about gaining access through a combination of recovered passwords and what limited familiarity she has acquired with Coluan technology to hack the system, searching for information on Fuji's whereabouts, such as his quarters. Or who knows maybe NOWHERE chips everyone, she certainly wouldn't put it past them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>It is coffee from the future!<br><br>Well, that is what Harvest said. His minions are not sure if that is a sense of humor from the future, too. Most are too scared to ask. They get used to the coffee or move into N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s version of the Bouncy Bubble Beverage. An energy drink that probably has no secondary effects. (It is also free from the coffee machine).<br><br>Also, computers. There are terminals everywhere. Touch-sensitive. The really good ones in the lab had holographic terminals, and probably retinal displays, as some technicians apparently clicked invisible keyboards. It made trickier to read what they were typing. But some passwords got learned.<br><br>Most of those passwords don't work in the habitation level. It takes a while and a couple close encounters with an insomniac old researcher with a tablet, and a maybe patrolling cyborg sipping from a cup of coffee to finally find out where Fuji's offices are. He has an office, it seems.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Insomniacs, the bane of night time infiltrations. However, being able to all but disappear in a microsecond is a very useful trick for escape notice, above and beyond simple stealth and shadowing techniques.<br><br>Once the insomniac researcher and the cyborg have been evaded and she has a fix on Fuji's possible location, Nadia zips off again.<br><br>An office? What, is he doing tech support? Maybe he is secretly an accountant. Is it a corner office? A Cubicle? The possibilities are endless and so she quietly heads towards the place where all of these answers, as well as her original goal, can likely be found: Fuji's Office.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>It is an office. And the furniture is extra-large and built to stand Fuji's 500 lbs of armoured body. It is also an engineer's workshop, and the place where the permanently insomniac Toshiro. The cons of being a radioactive plasma cloud.<br><br>On the other hand, he doesn't seem to be a prisoner. He has tools, and advanced fabricators, a computer with holographic displays (looks like he has been working in armor improvements) and also an expensive Lex+ game console, with the controller twice the size a normal one.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Knocking is out of the question as Nadia still needs to keep a low profile. Not that Fuji might not turn her in, that's always a possibility. Much as she does her best to believe in everyone she meets, there is always a certain level of pragmatic acknowledgement that some people will let you down. She doesn't think Fuji will be one of these people, or she probably wouldn't be here, but regardless knocking is out of the question.<br><br>Instead the office is entered via a vent. Sneaky wasp gonna sneak. She slips into the space, silent as a shadow, until she finds a clear surface to sit upon like the edge of Fuji's desk and then suddenly, faster than a person can blink, there is a full sized Nadia sitting there as if she had somehow teleported. "Soooo is not sleeping a byproduct of your altered biology? I guess that spares you from the terrible coffee." She smiles in her usual disarming way.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>Fuji is eight feet, two inches tall and his armoured form weight almost 450 lbs. He is not the kind of guy you want to startle, which Nadia does very nicely. There is a bzzt sound, and his arms flail briefly as the massive chair leans back... too much, a resounding THUD as he falls on his back.<br><br>An instant later, he sits up. "Miss Nadia!" He stares to the girl, then looks around as he stands up, picking up his chair. "Why are you here? Are you alone? It is very late, you should be sleeping. I do sleep, but I don't need a bed, and it is just a couple hours every day. So I am already awake." He stops, and then scratches the back of his head in a very human but rather incongruent gesture. "Er... I heard the coffee is not very good. Hello."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia laughs quietly for a moment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Well no, I kind of did, but not that much." She smiles, settling to sit on the edge of Fuji's desk.<br><br>"Don't worry, I'm alone, nobody knows I'm here." How that is possible Fuji is left to imagine. "And I can go several days without sleep when I need to, though on the fourth day you start to see things and it gets kind of freaky."<br><br>But she didn't come here to dwell on Red Room training and its consequences. "I came here to visit you Fuji. Because among everyone I've met here, you're different. I like you a lot. You're a good person. So, talk to me. Why are you here? Why do you help them kidnap and torture other teens? I want to understand." She gives her most disarming smile.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>Fuji is not dumb, if no one knows Nadia is here, she probably shouldn't be here. There is a momentary hesitation as his loyalty to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. struggles with his unwillingness to get Nadia (or most anyone) into trouble. Then he responds.<br><br>"Well, it is not that bad, Miss Nadia. When I started to change..." he pauses again. "I was taken to a hospital, but they couldn't do anything. I was going to die. Then Dr. Harvest sent people to rescue me. They brought me here, and gave me the means to build this new body." He flexes his massive arms, if he had a face, he would be grinning. "Instead of dead, I became the mighty Fuji. And the doctors explained me I could help save the world. See, Dr. Harvest knows the future. Many of the kids he takes, they were doomed to die or to become very dangerous people. I guess some will see it as torture, but it is not... except I know you shouldn't be here, Miss Nadia. But he said they wanted Robin and you, because you could lead N.O.W.H.E.R.E. after... when the doctor passes away. He is very sick."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia listens attentively to what Fuji has to say, she is a good listener and genuinely tries to understand people. Too often those who would be enemies simply have a different point of view or have been lead astray. After listening to Fuji's story, Nadia comes even more strongly to the conclusion that Fuji is among the latter.<br><br>"I can understand why you would feel loyalty to Dr. Harvest given that. Let me tell you a different story though. Once upon a time there was a woman. She was wonderful and kind and brilliant. She fell in love with another scientist and they were happy together. They got married, but on their honeymoon she was kidnapped because her father had been a political opponent of the Soviets. Unknown to anyone at the time, even her husband, she was pregnant. She gave birth in a Russian Black Site to a baby girl, who she named Hope because she was her last Hope for the world, before dying. The Russian agents took that girl, they twisted the truth and lied to her. They trained her to be an assassin and then a scientist who could kill for them and make Doomsday Weapons for them. They spun lie after lie to try and ensure her cooperation so that for many years Science was the only truth she knew. They assured her that they had raised her and knew what was best for her, and how was she supposed to know any different?"<br><br>Nadia takes a breath before continuing. "That little girl was me Fuji. Some people will say anything if they want something from you. Your condition probably did have the potential to be fatal untreated, Dr. Harvest may have saved your life, but that doesn't mean someone else couldn't have also saved you. It doesn't mean you have to look the other way when he hurts people. There are people who can help you Fuji, people who can help all of the kids who might otherwise die, and can likely save Dr. Harvest, too. I know some absolutely brilliant doctors. But abducting and experimenting on people against their will is wrong and I can't allow it to continue."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>Fuji slumps visibly, and then sits down on his oversized chair again. "But Miss Nadia. Maybe it is for their own good. Maybe it is the only way to save the world. Why would Dr. Harvest do it otherwise? He is not an evil man, I-I don't think so," he looks down at his hands. "He is not trying to conquer the world, or getting wealthy, or..." or getting revenge for his murdered kid. But that is where Fuji falters.<br><br>"I am fine now, Miss Nadia. I am in no pain, I am far smarter than I was, and I have this powerful body," he pauses, "sometimes I wish I could see my parents again, and I suspect some of the people brought here are not treated... as well as they should. But is not the welfare of the whole world more important than our lives?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia jumps down off the desk becoming more animated now. "Lives should only be sacrificed if there is no other choice and even then only voluntarily. Take it from someone who never knew freedom for most of her life, it is an amazing thing and there are people who can help. It is wrong for you not to be able to see your parents Fuji." That in particular seems to spark a rare hint of anger in the depths of her eyes, but it is a fleeting thing. Parents are just something that have come to have tremendous meaning for her.<br><br>"Fuji, if the world is in danger then we will save it. Dr. Harvest wasn't there when Brainiac tried to invade. Dr. Harvest wasn't the one who turned back the Warworld. I know because I was there fighting with my friends. We don't need to be saved by someone from the future, we can make our own future with our own hands. To have someone from the future try to tell us what to do robs us of our own choices. No matter what the outcome, the choices of our lives are ours to make. The future is ours to save."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>"But... can we stop this war that is coming?" Asks Fuji, hesitating. "Dr. Harvest thinks we couldn't, because that would require confronting our own rulers. And if the metas like the Justice League, do that kind of thing, then they become criminals. So, their hands are tied up."<br><br>He looks Nadia again, still slumped in his chair. "What can we do, Miss Nadia? What can I do? Punching bad aliens is easy, I have done it a few times, but changing our own world for the better seems very difficult."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia reaches out and lays a hand on Fuji's shoulder, only possible because of the wings that have extended from her back as she now floats about three feet off the ground to be at his eye level. "We can, and we will. Violence isn't how we change the world Fuji. For my part, I created a group called G.I.R.L., Genius In action Research Laboratories. We take some of the best and brightest minds and combine our knowledge to make the world better through new technologies. We find ways to increase food supply, cure disease, ease transportation issues, connect people and further understanding. Violence doesn't change anyone's mind, it just leads to an endless cycle of revenge, one that will never stop. We need to lift everyone up, to make everyone's lives better so that there is no need for war. We fight to protect that which matters to us, to defend ourselves, but ultimately I believe everyone can learn to understand each other and find peace."<br><br>She smiles at Fuji looking him in the eyes. "I don't like punching any aliens, I prefer to make friends with them. Some of the people from the planet Rann are really nice. I could take you to meet them, if you come with me. Changing the world for the better is very difficult but all the things that are really worth doing are. You can come join me at G.I.R.L. changing the world with science, or a team of Heroes, whatever you want to do, I want to help you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>Fuji nods, looking back at Nadia, "I know..." he did some research before his first 'visit' to G.I.R.L., after all. "Solving some of the world problems is a very good goal. But almost anything you create will be weaponized. I fear the worst problems of the world are social, not scientific. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has released some helpful technologies and..." he slams his fist on his (very reinforced desk) "...and they never made it to the people. Governments and corporations hoard them. Dr. Harvest thinks this is not a major problem, that the main problem is preventing the metahuman wars. But I think it is pretty sad. Still, I'd love to help you, although I am more an amateur engineer than anything. I never finished high school."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia shakes her head slowly as she floats there. "Fuji, technology itself is neither good or bad, technology is innocent, it is a pure expression of our accumulated knowledge. The same technology that can cure Cancer could be turned into a horrific weapon, it's true. But people are not innately bad either. People create weapons because they are afraid, because they need resources, because they do not have enough food, because someone they care about is sick. But we can alleviate the root causes and technology can help that. GIRL doesn't develop technology to change the world, we change the world with the technology we develop. It is also why groups like the Titans and Avengers exist, to stop those who would twist otherwise good intentions and threaten the world. Nothing is perfect and nothing happens overnight, if things fail to reach people, to help people, one way then think of another way and try again. But it is our world to change and our world to protect."<br><br>Nadia glances down at Fuji's desk, perhaps impressed it survived before smiling at him again and adding, "High school? I never went to school, unless top secret Soviet assassin bunkers count." She clearly doesn't think they do. "School is overrated, there are all kinds of ways to learn things. I think the fact you have a good heart is far more important."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>"I did, but then I got sick..." and he is probably younger than Nadia thinks. He stops talking because he knows Nadia had a worse childhood he did, and he likes to focus in the positive. "What I mean is this, Miss Nadia. Developing science is good, exploring the universe is good, and protecting the world from alien threats and super criminals is good. But who will stops Cadmus, the Red Room, the Weapon X and all the others who are building living weapons for the incoming war?" Fuji spreads his hands. "Miss Nadia, I talked to Dr. Harvest about this; it looks he is the only one that is doing anything. We can't stop them by curing cancer or defeating Brainiac. What should we do?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>"Who will stop the Red Room?" Nadia's expression grows more serious though her positivity doesn't fade. "Fuji, I've already helped destroy three major Red Room facilities. Mother is dead, the Black Widows killed her, the next generation of trainees were all rescued. I am not so naive as to think their threat is gone, but the Red Room is very much being stopped and that's just me and my friends. The rest will be too. We can stop them without sacrificing who we are, without kidnapping anyone, without forcing anyone to fight against their will, without torturing anyone. Because Fuji, we are /better/ than they are. We have to be better. What Dr. Harvest is doing is no better than the people he claims to be fighting, no better than what the Red Room has already done to me. If we become monsters to fight the monsters then humanity has already lost."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yes, that is it," Fuji is hard to read, as his 'face' is behind a helmet, but Nadia's words ring true. That the means N.O.W.H.E.R.E. uses are as bad as those they claim they want to stop. "I think... you are right. There has to be a better, nobler way to build a war-free future."<br><br>He sits straighter. "Maybe we can convince Dr. Harvest..." but no, even as he says it, he realizes it would be nearly impossible. Nadia might have seen hints of Harvest madness, but Fuji has seen how he deals with problems or dissidence. "I don't know. Maybe talk with Lil... Omen?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia cheer fades a bit when Fuji brings up Omen. "She's the one who gave me drugged Chai." She is perhaps still a bit grumpy about that. But she rebrightens. "We will take anyone who wants to leave with us when the time comes, and it will come. There is no way the Janet or Natasha won't come, that the Titans and Avengers won't come. Harvest has severely underestimated them and underestimated us. But for right now, I need to get back before they notice I'm not where my suit says I am. But we will win Fuji, we will win and we will save everyone. Because that's what heroes do. I'm glad we got this chance to talk. I'll be in touch."<br><br>She begins to go and then pauses, "If you want to do something to end this, not that I don't believe she is already on her way, but if you want to end this call Janet. She'll take care of the rest."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:381|Conner Kent (381)}} has posed:'''<br>It is sad Omen is the first person Fuji thinks is willing to listen to reason. But you see... Templar is a creep, Keeper is the creepiest, Centerhall is... not a very good person, Warblade is positively bloodthirsty, March is stupid and weird, and most of the others are too scared of the five names. <br><br>He could have mentioned Ridge. He likes Ridge. But the Outsiders captured him!<br><br>"She gave you the drugged tea, but she is not bad, she knows many things and always has good advice," comments Fuji. "Take care, Miss Nadia. I will try to help. Oh... let me show you something."<br><br>Fuji gets to his computer and types a few commands, pulling out an holographic schematic of the Colony Zero (it says 'Colony Zero' on top of the screen). "We are here," he points to an area near the surface. "Most people live here. Technicians, scientists, most of the agents and cyborgs."<br><br>He points down, down, two miles down, to a large oval area. It must be three miles wide and nearly a mile high. "This is the Testing Grounds, where many young metas are kept. They are being... trained, I guess. It is a hard-light, warp-space environmental simulation."<br><br>And even below, a small chamber. "There is a 30th Century Fusion Power Sphere here. It is a very powerful power source. It could provide energy the whole planet. It is what allows the Testing Grounds to work, and keeps the other Colonies out of normal space."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia, who had already returned to wasp size, was about slip into the vents when Fuji's words call her back and she buzzes over to the screen. She watches, carefully memorizing the information. "This will be useful." She agrees. "Thank you Fuji." She smiles at him. "I have a feeling we'll all but certainly wind up down there soon, which might be the perfect chance to shut everything down."<br> <br>
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