11973/A New Delivery

A New Delivery
Date of Scene:	11 July 2022
Location:	Mercy's Garage
Synopsis:	Susan looks for somewhere to build her new EV. Mercy's shop seems to not be the place.
Cast of Characters:	Mercy Thompson, Susan Sullivan

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Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Monday's are days to work, and while she doesn't have a lot to work on right now, but there's always something to do. She's working on paperwork, the least fun part of the job. That's why she stands in the office typing away at the computer and trying to not get too antsy or full of nervous energy. The pencil tap tap tapping away as she pokes at the keyboard shows she's not doing as good a job as she would like.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    The sound of a large diesel engine can be heard outside, and there's a deep, polyphonic horn that goes off. In moments, with the engine still running, a woman pulls the door open and enters the garage. "Hello?" she says.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Diesel is not the type of engine she hears as often. She looks up at someone coming into the office part of the garage, "Morning." Glancing at the clock, "Well afternoon I guess. What can I do for you?" Her senses giving the new woman a once over.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Got a tow truck outside with a bit of a special project," Susan says. "Much as I'd love to do this on my own, I was wondering if you could help me get my van up and running." She doesn't YET state that it's a completely custom vehicle. Best save that for after she's got interest. "Running down my list of New York garages, admittedly," the woman says.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy walks around the counter and asks, "What kind of van is it?" She starts to look out the window and into the lot out front to see what is there and waiting. "What's her problem?" So definitely not a 'no' to say the least. "I'm definitely willing to see what the situation is."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    What's on the tow truck is...unusual. It looks like something from science fiction, rather than a manufactured vehicle. "It's custom," the woman says. She looks out with Mercy at six large wheels on a boat-like frame with some tube steel support forming what almost looks like an unfinished dune buggy shaped like a loaf of bread. "I've done some work," Susan says, "but I really just need an extra set of hands. I'm of course willing to pay for your time and any parts I use."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy blinks at the sight of the van some as she starts to try and make sense of it. "I can't machine custom parts. What's not working or is it just an unfinished project car?" Mercy will head over to to it, trying to size up its weight and dimensions. "It will fit in the garage, not sure if my lift can support a custom frame like this without getting under it to look." Turning to face Susan she asks, "you did what is done so far?"    

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Yes," Susan says. "The tires and rims are not custom," she admits. "Neither are the axels. I have access to various machine shops," she continues. "So I won't need help with that part. Currently, the systems I've set up I've been limited to using parts I was able to scrounge from a junkyard. That's fine if the underlying system is good, but I really could use someone who can really rebuild and test these systems."
    The vehicle is definitely the size of a full-sized van. Its lower bits look suspiciously airtight, like it's just a boat with wheels. The wheels are completely bald, but they look like something one would see on a semi or a military vehicle. The axels are similarly hefty things. The wheels take up more of the profile than they would on a van, but the most intriguing part of the setup is that both the front and rear wheels are set up for steering.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy keeps her eyes on Susan until she finishes her tail. "So is this the base of a transit passenger van then?" She looks over this and admits, "I'm not sure I'd know where to start. Did you have designs or plans for what you were doing? I mean I'm happy for the job and the work, just not sure if a custom car type place may do it better then I can." She nods to the van, "Does it run and are you okay if I park it in the lot when I need the bay? I got the feeling this isn't a short term project of a day or two. Right?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Correct," Susan says. "It's water-tight, at this point, so if you do need to move it outside, you'll need to tarp it, otherwise it'll fill with a metric tonne of water." She climbs up and gestures into the hull. "In the future," she says, "I plan on mounting the reactor here, with motors here, here, here--" She keeps going, explaining this and that. A lot of it is normal car stuff, but there's also a lot that, once again, feels like she's just spouting stuff from a scifi movie.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy shifts her weight to one leg and is seriously going over the monster until she hears a word, "Reactor?" She points at it, "Is this not an internal combustion engine?" This thing is no longer a her, it's more an it to her. "Keeping it under a tarp isn't a big deal. With those wheels nobody sane is going to steel them and I do have cameras for the lot." She isn't an engineer as much as a mechanic. "I can give it a look over. I can see what needs doing and if you want me to build an engine that you put into there, that can be done. I'm just not clear on how much you are asking me to do and what it is for." Turning from the vehicle, "This can't possibly be street legal in a city like this, so I'm guessing it's for fun in the desert or wilds or something?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Oh, it will be street legal," Susan says. "Granted, I'll be taking it a lot of other places, too." She sits on one of the supports. "You aren't alone in not wanting to take this on," she says. "This is kind of an ambitious project. Even if I tell you what to do, it's going to be a lot of work, and you'll have to learn new skills. Some will carry over into EV work, others...might not."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Yeah I tend toward classics, and not electric," says Mercy as she is clearly on the fence about this. She seems pretty doubtful on the street part, "I think to make it fly to get a license plate on that you may need some new bumpers at the right levels." She nods the garage and says, "Okay. Take her in, if she'll fit. Then give me an hour to look over her. Just to see what you got and what you may need doing, and if I can do it. I have no problems with a project car. This just seems pretty outside my normal wheelhouse." Mercy turns to the garage as she gets out some keys to open up one of the bays for Susan

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan has the driver go to the opening bay, then works with him to push the mostly empty vehicle out. It's thankfully light. It seems to be made of a strong aluminum alloy where strength is not critical and the parts haven't been salvaged. Aluminum's good stuff for that. Space-age.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy will help them guide it in as she gets ready to climb under this thing. "You're welcome to wait or whatever. Feel free to stay nearby and answer questions even, but if you stay I need to keep you by that yellow line by the office door. Insurance reasons." Mercy thinks it is stupid a hell but she also likes keeping her shop and not being sued into ruination.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan complies, though she also goes outside to talk things over with the truck driver. When she comes back in, she stands behind the aformentioned yellow line and plays on her phone for a bit.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy is already looking under this thing, as much as she can, and seeing about crawling under the hood to give this a serious look over. She tests how heavy it is by pushing it a little, being stronger then she looks will help her gauge how heavy the craft is as well. "What's your name anyway?" Looking over at the woman when she is back. "And is this meant to be fully amphibious"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "If I can manage it," Susan says. "My name's Susan. Susan Sullivan. You're Mercy, I assume?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Yep. That would be me." Mercy got a look over most of it and will come over toward Susan. "If you got literally nobody else. I can try to help. I'd be charging you by the hour for labor and of course billing for parts. That said," Mercy doesn't want to get the woman's hopes up too fast. "This may be better with a boat engine then a car engine in it. They work completely different and aren't meant to be put into each other. That or a dual engine system. A car engine may help you move on the water, but we're talking 'no-wake-idling-along' speeds on the water. Nothing fast. This project sounds like it may be a giant pain, and still not sure wha tyou want to do with it. But I might, MIGHT, be able to help."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "No engine," Susan says. "I've got a reactor design if I can get a kind of rare material to power it. Axial flux motors is my plan, but if you know a better EV motor design, I'm cool with that. I also plan on putting solar panels on it, because why not, right?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy shakes her head, "you're outside my area, sorry. I'm a classics sort of woman. I try to breath new life into the old and keep things going like they should. I'm not up to date on electric, and don't want to touch something with the word 'reactor' involved." She looks a bit apologetic and says, "maybe I'm not the right shop for you. If you wanted to drop a V-8 Rolls-Royce in there or something like that, I would be your girl. But there are modern cars I sometimes have to pass on because I don't have all the computer hardware for them." She shrugs a bit, "Sorry it isn't better news."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Don't need computer help," Susan says. "I need to figure out a wiring harness, brakes, suspension, shocks, headlights, horn--things like that. Still, I get that this is a really complicated beast. You're not the first person to say no."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Some of that I can help with, to a point. I can get pads or disc breaks but that will all tie into a computer likely. I can try to do some pieces of it. Especially if I can use parts I know and if they fit. I mean the suspension on that thing with those tires is going to be really tricky." Mercy's hands spread a bit to say 'what can you do' to Susan. "Why don't you shop for someone else. When you got a single job you want me to do, like the brakes or headlights. Then come back to me. I'll see if I can do it for you and give you my best price for that work." She offers a hand after wiping it clean out of habit, "Best I can offer."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan nods. "Fair enough," she says. She stuffs her hands in her hoodie pockets. She waves a signal to the tow truck guy who prepares to help her get it loaded back up. "Do you have a dog?" she asks as she waits. "I've smelled a dog the whole time I've been in here, but it's obviously not a shop dog. No water dish or pet hair or anything around here."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I got a friend who had her dog in here yesterday," Mercy hates lying but she has no problems saying the truth and letting people get their own connections. Besides, she doesn't smell of dog at all thank you very much. Coyote is a much better aroma. "She had a support animal with her and needed to cope with some stress in here. So the dog was pretty active." Again all true, just not why someone may smell that. "I can help push it out of the garage, Susan. You must have a chef's nose if you smell dog over all the oil and grease scents in here."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan sniffs at the air. At first, it's subtle, but then she really takes in a breath. "No," Susan says. "There's a dog in here right now. I can help you find it if it's not authorized." She stays behind the yellow line, not sure if it's okay to come out from behind it.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I assure you, there's no dogs here." Mercy nods to let Susan free so she can help get her ride back toward that trailer it was on, lending her shoulder to help push it. "Besides I've been known to take in a stray or two in my life. So I'm not worried." Though she is getting suspicious of who Susan is or what she might be.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan nods. "Okay, okay," she says. She walks past the line to her unfinished vehicle. She continues sniffing at the air for a moment. She sniffs in Mercy's direction as she gets close, then smiles politely. "We all have our secrets," she says. The tow truck driver looks very confused, but as Susan begins pushing, he works with her to try to get the incomplete van loaded.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy can pick up on the sniffing, hear it. It has her wondering if maybe there are hunters around, but normal hunters wouldn't pick up on any scent as a rule. "That's the way of life." Mercy will hand over a card before she'll close the bay door to the garage. "Good luck, Susan." She'll not offer a hand shake this time just a friendly wave as she does her best to act as if everything is totally normal.