6569/GIRLs and Their Secrets

GIRLs and Their Secrets
Date of Scene:	15 June 2021
Location:	GIRL Secret Base, Upstate New York
Synopsis:	A wild car ride and a spaceship viewing later, Caitlin Joins the Party!
Cast of Characters:	Nadia Pym-van Dyne, Caitlin Fairchild, Vivian Vision

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Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
It is only quite recently that things have fallen into place for Nadia to obtain her a driver's license. First there was the matter of learning when her actual birthday was, assuming the recovered Soviet files could even be trusted, and then there was the ordeal of her obtaining legal status and citizenship even as the Red Room and elements of Department X manipulated the State Department against her. But at long last the sacred document of emancipation for teenagers has been obtained! Even if she has wings and can fly, they still only go so fast.

So it is that Nadia has cajoled Caitlin into going driving with her, a bit of a 'joy ride' for her first licensed drive. At least that's the pretense anyway. Awaiting them outside of the tower is a 2021 cherry red and black Porsche Panamera convertable.

"Here we go!" Nadia chirps exitedly, perhaps leaving Caitlin to wonder how long the young woman will actually be able to hold on to that license.

Pulling away from the tower she is already pushing the speed limit as they cross the Gateway bridge heading north towards New York.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
At another time in her life, high-speed driving with someone else at the wheel would have made Caitlin very tense. For now, she simply enjoys it; window down, sunglasses covering her face, and enjoying the feel of country winds and sunlight on her skin.

"I can't believe your mom /gave/ you this car," she marvels, again. "This is insane. It's like..." a hand runs over the leather, enviously. Overpriced? Almost certainly; mileage, questionable, and repairs are going to be astronomical.

But there is no arguing with the feel of hand-fit Corinthian leather, and how every part of the vehicle is not merely 'installed', but /fitted/.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Isn't it great? Janet is the best!" Nadia in all likelihood has no idea how much this car actually cost. It was a surprise for getting her license, the best surprise and she clear loves it!

Pushing a button, the roof begins retracting automatically, because of course it's a convertible, as they clear the bridge and pull out on to the highway. Once traffic starts thinning out from the congested Gateway Bridge, Nadia starts stepping on the gas a bit harder, a look of absolute glee on her face.

"So... do you mind if we swing through New York? There's something I want to show you." And apparently didn't want to take the T-Jet, though she may have just wanted to drive her new toy from how much she seems to be enjoying it. What's a 200 mile roadtrip between friends?

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
A bit cramped, but Caitlin's too polite to admit it. The Porsche is a tight fit even with the seat fully reclined and run all the way backwards. Opening up the roof is a relief because she can actually sit up slightly.

"Oh, that's better. With the top down, a little detour? That's fine." She smiles over at Nadia. "It's nice to take a day and go for just... some clear air and wind in my hair. I can't remember the last time I got in a car and just /went/ somewhere without having to /go/ somewhere. You know?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Great!" Nadia grins brightly. When Caitlin sits up, a small realization dawns in Nadia's expression. Being able to always make herself smaller to fit, it is easy to forget that can be an issue for other people, especially Caitlin. "Oops sorry, I probably should have opened that sooner! Aren't convertibles great! I've been tinkering a bit with some other features too! Though I may have voided the warranty..." What exactly she may have done to the vehicle is left to hang in the air for the moment.

The highway flashes by as a blur on either side of them as they speed down the highway between states away from the congestion of the Metropolis and Gotham urban centers. "Oh if you want to get some air we can do that, too!" Wait, she didn't... did she?

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"You didn't. Did you?" Caitlin gives Nadia a look of /extremely/ wariness. "Nadia I love you, you're awesome, but I get /really/ airsick when other people pilot," she warns the Unstoppable Waspette. "Like, really bad. Even if it's in the T-jet. I had to take like a thousand milligrams of dramamine when Cassie flew us into Themyscira. And the co-pilot's seat at least has a rudder and the instruments and stuff, so I could take over if I had to."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia was probably about to push the button, excitement gleaming in her eyes. But when Caitlin talks about getting incredibly airsick, she eases back and relaxes a little. "Okay, we don't need to fly. It's really cool though. Hmmm I should add variable secondary controls in case a passenger needs to take over in a dangerous situation." Ever one to find a bright side in anything, she's already thinking of more innovations to help with such situations.

"Full speed ahead it is then! Janet says speeding tickets are just a surcharge!" The car lurches forward going even faster now, as Nadia demonstrates a surprising amount of skill getting far more performance out of the luxury sports car's engine than most drivers are able to. The NYC area comes and goes in a blur as Nadia avoids city congestion and instead heads upstate towards Westchester and beyond.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Speeding is illegaaal~!"

Caitlin covers her eyes. Not out of fear, but more out of a desire to not be an accomplice in Nadia's speeding! Of course one cannot go that long in a moving car with eyes covered and she finally drops her hands, trying to keep a disapproving frown off her face.

"A co-pilot is always a good idea," Caitlin agrees. "I could lend you my AI if you want. You'll need to train her to fly," Caitlin amends. "I haven't gotten around to that yet. But she could write some emergency operational code, something that will keep the, uh... car going," she offers. "If you were knocked out or whatever."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Janet says if they run my plates they probably won't pull me over anyway, though I'm not sure why." Nadia adds helpfully in an attempt to allay Caitlin's reservations about speeding that probably does the opposite.

"Oooooh!" Nadia's expression positively lights up when the AI is mentioned. "I've studied a lot of AI theory, but Dad says I should stay away from them. Usually right before he starts muttering about Ultron again. I would love that though, it seems like a really fun project! It feels like forever since we've gotten to do much SCIENCE! together!"

There comes a point where the scenery just starts to bleed together as they get further and further into the actually upstate part of upstate New York. Eventually the speed of the vehicle returns to more reasonable levels and Nadia pulls off onto a side road and then a dirt road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

The dirt road leads past an old barbwire topped fence with a no longer manned guard checkpoint that has since seen better days. Nadia opens the barrier gate with a smaller clicker device that looks like a garage door opener, before they roll up to what looks like the entrance to a concrete bunker set in the side of a hill. "We're here!" Nadia announces, wherever here is.

Vivian Vision has posed:
The silo site has a lot of things going for it. It's discreetly hidden so supervillains and evil spies are unlikely to find it. It's well fortified so if they do find it they'll have a hell of a time getting inside. And of course it has the best sensors GIRL could beg, borrow or build. So anyone inside will see trouble coming long before it gets near.

And with the way Nadia has been driving she certainly counts as trouble!

Viv Vision has many places she visits. But trips out to the silo have taken up a lot of her time lately. There's a lot of computing involved in a spaceship and for various reasons it's best done on-site. There's no point having a secret lair if just anyone can tap in remotely!

When the complex arrangement of secure doors finally finish opening up the air inside the complex is scented with the aroma of home made cinnamon rolls. Speakers spark into life. "Good day Great Aunt Nadia and Miss Fairchild... Uhm. I mean Caitlin. I presume you are here for a tour?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Oh my gosh," is muttered under Caitlin's breath-- her only reaction to Nadia's claims about her mother's laissez-faire lifestyle. The conservative Catholic side of Cait's sensibilities is clearly piqued by the idea of such lawlessness.

They leave the vehicle; Caitlin shoulders her purse from the back seat, and smiles brilliantly when a familiar face is visible just inside the doors. "Viv! I didn't know I'd be seeing you here," she bids the synthezoid. "How are you doing lately?" She steps forward with hands out, offering a friendly embrace.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Getting out of the car, Nadia glances in Vivian's direction with a mischievous expression. "She is! She just doesn't know it yet! Cait this is what I wanted to show you!" She says closing the door behind her. "Or well, what's inside anyway." She affects a shifty eyed expression for dramatic effect, "Welcome to the not public GIRL lab!"

She grins and starts walking towards the large reinforced bunker-style metal doors set in the concrete, "The cool stuff is inside! Viv can you open the doors for us please?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
"I was unaware that Nadia would be bringing anyone to visit," Viv admits, giving Caitlin a 'what can you do' shrug. "So I am as surprised as you are." It only takes a thought for her to set the doors opening. But significantly longer for some of them to cycle open. Heavy blast doors a holdover from the sites days as a silo.

She also fires off a series of commands that bring the various areas up to tour readyness. Redirectly the air conditioning so the smell of cinnamon rolls spreads throughout the corridoors. Lighting up areas not normally lit and turning on special spotlights to show various exhibits off. And getting all the showcase science ready for the geeking out.

She returns the hug, slightly awkwardly, and smiles. "I have been working on baked goods which will last for extended periods for... well you'll see why shortly I suspect."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I'm sure I will," Caitlin assures Vivian. The redhead is possibly already putting it together; her eyes gleam as she eyes the blast doors and the bunker entrance, letting Nadia lead her along as they go. A guess, yes, but Cait doesn't seem like she wants to spoil Nadia's big reveal.

"You know if you flash dry goods with bursts of ionizing radiation, you can kill bacteria off. You'll need to rehydrate the food afterwards but that's not terribly difficult with the right tools at hand."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia leaves the car outside, though clicks a garage door like clicker button as they walk away. The car doesn't actually beep though the astute would easily surmise it is probably some form of concealment from above for the place so they're not found out by every sattelite orbiting above.

The tour leads underground. The silo at first seems to be a rather standard affair, if the wafting scent of Vivian's cinnamon rolls can be called standard, but it is definitely a Cold War era decommissioned former US Military ICBM silo. How they got their hands on such a thing is open to speculation, but the combined membership of GIRL has access to some pretty terrifying resources when one stops to think about it.

Venturing deeper in they pass some of the work areas that could be called displays the way the dynamic lightning is currently set up, various projects that hint at what is to come like upgraded versions of the vacuum suit and personal ZeroG propulsion the Titans already use, work on advanced materials like Riri's Vibroncarbontanium alloy and testing it for resisting various kinds of stellar radiation, an area where someone has clearly been toying with ways gravity might be manipulated judging by the various equations scrawled above, and many other varied projects that all seem Space related, until finally they reach the innermost door that should lead to the silo proper.

There is one are conspiculously skipped with a posted sign that says 'Private! Go Away! Riri is busy!' "We probably shouldn't disturb her right now. I think she's doing suit stuff." Nadia stage whispers as they pass.

Vivian Vision has posed:
"One thing I've been working on is seeing if I can make a long term stable uncooked dough and accompanying cinnamon sugar blend," Viv explains brightly as they walk around the building. Clearly research must be going reasonably well because the whole complex smells rather great. "Then I'll combine the two in a three dimensional printer that will cook the finished product."

"The mixtures currently last well enough but the texture isn't quite right at the end. Still it doesn't need to be perfect." Especially not when Pym particles mean they can bring far more food than any conventional space flight would be able to fit!

"Although if I'm honest mostly I prepare food to occupy myself while I devote my runtime to coding the software and doing other tasks." Like paperwork, scheduling and reminding mad scientists to eat. All the things none of them are good at doing for themselves.

"Did you have a pleasant trip over? The countryside around the silo makes for quite leisurely viewing." Of course that assumes anyone driving through the area isn't trying to exceed the speed of sound...

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It was a fine drive. Nadia's a little terrifying behind the wheel," Caitlin says with a mischevious aside at the wunderkind. "But unless we run into a cow or something, I think we'll be OK."

She grins at the aside about Riri, keeping her voice down. "Riri and I shared a lab at Stark Industries for a while," she murmurs at Nadia. "I know how she can get."

Caitlin takes it all in but lets Nadia and Viv set the pace. There's a big windup coming and it would be rude to spoil the surprise at this point! She just looks with eager and sincere curiousity at all the applications and development on display, some of it bleeding-edge tech that even Stark would be eager to get his hands on!

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"We didn't even get to fly!" Nadia mock-protests at Caitlin's evaluation of her driving.

Or the experience likely would have been even more harrowing.

The last innermost door is opened and Nadia leads the way inside. The door opens into the expected large cylindrical shaft that once housed a missle intended for possible mutually assured destruction with the Soviet Union and a catwalk spiraling down the outer edge of it. Large fluorescent lights begin pulsing to life down the length of the shaft slowly revealing its contents a few meters at a time and it is very much a sight to behold.

While still a good ways from completion, the vehicle being constructed within the silo is clearly meant to be a spacecraft. In fact a number of design cues have been taken from a craft Caitlin has seen before, as parts of the hull design were clearly inspired by Nadia's time helping to repair the Milano. Though it is very much its own distinct vessel, far more representative the sensibilities of the teenaged girls constructing it. It is probably not a coincidence that the vibroncarbontanium alloy hull seems to glitter when the light hits it.

"Ta da! Since so many threats seem to be coming from space these days, we're building a spaceship! Eventually we'll be able to go find the aliens messing with Mori!"

Vivian Vision has posed:
For dramatic effect Viv triggers some suitably epic orchestral music as they enter the hanger room.

"Thankfully you are both durable enough you can withstand a car crash," Vivian notes solemnly. Trying really hard not to think about just what the top speed her Great Aunts car must be capable of. Presumably it's a lot. "I will make a note to pack some medication for travel sickness in case you need it for your trip back."

Viv will after all be flying back to Happy Harbour once she's done here. It's much safer that way.

"We are of course going to take numerous precautions to prevent any repeats of the Titans last space based misadventure." She shrugs. "I think we could also use it for clearing debris from Earths orbit. With all the space battles there must be a lot in need of disposal and we can recoup some of the development costs."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin purses her lips and whistles low and long as she walks around the gantry. "Wow. Nadia, Viv, this is... something else," she admits. "I would have guessed you'd... I don't know. Build off a Quinjet or a Javelin or something. This is a very novel design."

She puts a hand on the hull near an unfinished panel. Just to touch it, to feel the metal under her fingertips. Caitlin looks awed by the work, with a professional's fascination for the engineering that goes into such a project.

"So... these smaller ion propulsion emitters, I get," she says. Caitlin points at the larger nacelles being installed. "Are those... is this thing going to be FTL capable?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Oooh that's a good idea too Viv!" Nadia enthusiastically agrees. "We could find all sorts of cool alien wreckage! But beyond that there's tons of dead sattelites up there that are really difficult to clean up by conventional means, too."

Nadia follows after Caitlin, letting her inspect the ship. When the engines are brought up though, her expression positively lights up. There are few things Nadia likes more than being asked about the propulsion systems it seems. "Okay, so, the propulsion systems I designed so the T-Jet can reach Pluto in a couple hours? They're basically an early version of these. Actually the T-Jet could go waaaaay faster, but I added hard limiters because if it did it would basically disintergrate due to the forces involved. Quinjet, same deal, I needed a ship that could handle the propulsion system rather than a propulsion system for a ship, so we've re-engineered one from the ground up to allow the Pym Drives to achieve their theoretical maximum output, which is faster than light through the expansion and contraction of space/time. There were a couple times we have gotten stuck, but my experiences helping fix that crashed ship at the tower really helped!"

Vivian Vision has posed:
"It would be wrong for us to claim credit for everything," Viv says modestly. "We've had almost every member of GIRL contributing in one way or another. From space suit design to sensors that'll let us know if an alien biosphere is safe."

Using her holographic system she creates a large overlay. Allowing Nadia and Caitlin to point at various parts of the ship to bring up further details. From what each part does to how it was built.

"My own contributions have largely been with co-ordination. And the software and coding required to get all the different ship systems to talk to each other. Which has at times been challenging given the varied sources of the technology in question."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"You know, you really should consider bringing Doctor Richards in," Caitlin muses. She looks back at the two younger women. "He's got one of the few FTL vessels on the planet, and I don't think anyone knows more about human physiology in deep space than the Fantastic Four."

She crawls around the exostructure, visibly resisting the urge to clamber inside open hatches to poke her nose around. It's not her project, after all!

"What are you using for a power source?" Caitlin pops her head out from under a wing hatch. "I'm assuming you can't fit a Tesla in here," she points out. "What kind of power draws are you pulling for FTL travel, anyway?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia actually looks torn at the suggestion of bringing in Dr. Richards. The girl practically worships Dr. Richards as one of her many Science Heroes, has his autograph, was positively elated at the chance to work with him and Dr. von Doom on restoring the Brainiac Array the second time, but and there is a but. "Dr. Richards is so amazing, and maybe we could ask him for some advice, but part of the foundational goal of GIRL is to show that." She struggles for a moment to find the right words. "If Dr. Richards gives us the answers then I feel like GIRL fails at one of its core missions to prove that we're just as good as all of the men who dominate STEM fields and just validates that stupid ranking of smartest people that had the first woman at number 27 or whatever it was." She's clearly troubled by it, but also trying to stick to her guns on it.

"The power source was first developed by Shuri to power the Brainiac array which needed an absurd amount of power, it took the entire New York power grid to restore a single bus reduced by his technology. It's like a miniature star the size of a marble. She also said something about strategic use of Vibranium to capture and reuse the energy the ship generates once it is underway making it largely self sufficient for long journeys, but that is her brand of particular magic, s you should probably ask her for the real details. Oh it also uses Pym Particles to generate the fields within the drive that expand and contract space/time for us. Cheap and mass producible it is not." Nadia concedes.

Vivian Vision has posed:
"We have had Valeria Richards involved," Viv points out brightly. "And really that's just as good as Doctor Richards being involved." Or at least that's what Val says. "I think we have enough unusual members that basic human physiology information would only be good as a baseline." She brings up a holographic overlay showing the medical bay. Then changes it to show the structural elements, before moving to show off the power systems and engines.

"Thankfully due to the space saving capabilities of Pym particles we can afford to bring along refining gear to extract materials from asteroids we find along the way. Not to mention the abundance of things we could use for fuel in gas giants."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Gee whiz," Caitlin mutters enviously. "Your mom sure pulls out all the stops, doesn't she?" The redhead shoots a look at Nadia. "Pym Particles are crazy expensive. I asked Mr. Stark for some once and he laughed me out of the budget meeting. Must be nice having that sort of logistical support."

She steps around the vehicle, gives it one last look-over, and moves towards the two younger women. "For what it's worth, I think GIRL is doing great things, and no one's going to look down on this project for bringing in an expert," she points out, looking down at the two other women. "Science just isn't about raw metrics of intelligence. It's about pursuing a body of evidence without bias or agenda. If you want to start showing people how science is done right, I think you should be setting a standard for collaboration and cooperation, regardless of gender. Otherwise a lot of people might dismiss this as..." Caitlin purses her lips. "As more of a statement about gender politics, than being purely about the advancement of science." Shoulders rise and fall in a heavy shrug.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Val is /amazing/ and it's true she has pulled a ton of files for us from the Fantastic Four's collective database. She has also made some really ingenious original contributions of her own too. Like last I heard she was working on a larger scale forcefield generator, so we can have shields like SpaceTrek!" Nadia's grin only continues to get wider and as she looks between Vivian and Caitlin, if that's even possible.

"Janet /is/ amazing." Nadia agrees. "And helps me get everything I need, but actually I make my own particles. I mean I started with a black market sample of the originals back in the Red Room but to escape I needed to crack their nature and make them reproducible. Most of the original samples were used up in the development of my micro lab. I actually improved the process a bit." She seems particularly proud of that last part. "If you want a small amount to experiment with, I can give you some OR you could join us!" The pitch begins as if it is a completely natural seguey and perhaps in her brain it is. "See, Bobbi had to stop coming. I think it's related to the troubles SHIELD is having and so actually at the moment we are without a professional scientist adult advisor. Which I mean is fine." Probably not fine for the universe though. "But, one of the reasons I wanted to bring you here was to ask if you might want the job to help guide us and do really cool SCIENCE!?!" The whole thing is sprung with typical Nadia finesse or lack thereof.

Vivian Vision has posed:
"I have a subpersona who is handling all the accounting for the project. It's the only way to keep myself from worrying about the overall cost," Vivian admits with a rueful grin. "Thankfully a lot of the most expensive items are things we have special access to. While Shuri has only provided a small amount of vibranium overall it still amounts to a staggering value. That and the price of the Pym particle is why I was thinking about ways we could use the close to Earth proving flights to collect space junk. We'd be helping the planet and making money while we do something we need to do anyway."

The synthezoid teen chews at her lip for a bit and then adds "I don't really care if people think we're doing it for gender politics. As the sort of people who would dismiss our work for that reason are.. well.. generally they are going to dismiss what we do regardless."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks a little stunned at the offer. Pym Particles? Research labs have mortgaged their entire futures to get their hands on a few of those, and the production remains a closely guarded secret. Getting to -play- with them...

But more importantly, she realizes what Nadia's really asking her for. "You, uh... Bobbi left? Really? That's a shame," she murmurs. She's talling. "I mean, I'm really busy, with SI, with the Titans, and..."

She trails off; it's hard to miss the excitement in Nadia's eyes over her passion project. "So... I would have to have a scheduled day or two to be here," she finishes. "I can't come by just anytime, but I'll make room for y'all."

Nadia's given a careful hug (which will certainly become a Nadia Grapple), and Cait gives Viv's arm a gentle squeeze. "But GIRL is about scientists training scientists, and I can't turn my back on that. I'll do what I can to help you out."