neosapienooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

JANUARY TEST DRIVE

1: SPRAWLING WASTELAND, GLOWING IN THE DARK

No sunlight reaches the Underground, but there is rain: grey, oily droplets that slowly trickle down from the city above, seeping through layers of concrete until they drip from broken light fixtures onto the aptly named black markets below. The glow of neon signs keeps the shadows at bay, just barely. What was once a system of utility tunnels and basement bunkers is now a warren of tiny shops offering reprogrammed ID chips and back-alley cybernetic upgrades, where hitmen and slave traders operate with lawless impunity. But someone is always watching... the eyes of Yakashbah, graffitied in bioluminescent paint, stare unblinking from the walls.

People come to this place for only two reasons: they're either looking for something, or they're trying not to be found. Whatever your reason, the Underground welcomes you.

2: A MIND OF DARKNESS, A HEART OF LIGHT

Outside of manicured parks and glass-enclosed vertical farms, green space is rare in New Gate City, so the elites flaunt their wealth in private rooftop gardens. Fragrant, exotic flowers bloom amidst strings of lanterns, and real grass - an extravagant luxury - carpets the ground beneath partygoers' feet as they sip champagne and admire the dark cityscape below. Tonight, one of the Douman Zaibatsu's myriad charity organizations hosts its annual fundraising gala... but this year, the special guests attract even more attention than the celebrities and fashionistas in attendance. Representatives from the Neo Sapien Organization have been invited to speak on the topic of Human/Meta-human relations, and to raise money on behalf of job placement programs for impoverished Metas in the Last Ward. Of course, most within the Douman Zaibatsu would prefer that these "job placement programs" send Metas to the farms far outside New Gate City (or better yet, to the lunar strip mines), but at least for tonight, members of both factions hide behind false smiles and false words.

3: AS FEAR'S REPLICATING, YOUR WORDS RESONATING

Someone gasps, and everyone looks up. Arcadia's central shopping district goes silent, save for the distant sound of pop tunes played over tinny speakers, as a massive black banner unfurls down the side of a building. A crudely drawn eye fills the banner, bisected by a line of white paint... the unofficial symbol of the Meta rights movement. People start to whisper, and somewhere, there's a cheer. Police drones buzz through the air above.

Meta rights protests aren't uncommon in this part of New Gate City, even though they're soon dispersed by local security forces. This banner, too, will be quickly taken down and destroyed, but the photos and videos of the event will be harder to suppress. Already, the bystanders are murmuring to each other, some in support and some in fear. Others keep their heads down, wary of expressing their true feelings about the rising numbers of Meta-humans. And as security forces move to block off the area, others are frantically trying to disappear.

4: A NEW HOPE GLISTENS OFF THE STREETS

The blocks surrounding the Neo Sapien Organization's headquarters in the Middle Ward are like an oasis at the center of an otherwise inhospitable city. Old buildings have been renovated into bright and cheerful apartments that accommodate a variety of Meta-human physiologies, Meta schools and Meta-owned businesses are flourishing, and Meta-friendly shops and cafes line the streets.

The best coffee in the Middle Ward can be found at The Mean Bean, just across from the NSO building, where the shop's fire-breathing Meta owner personally roasts every batch. NSO employees and and other patrons of the popular cafe congregate to discuss local news and gossip: a proposed Meta registration and identification law, rumors of vigilante gangs near the border with the Last Ward, and rivalries between NSO university sports teams. Arguments occasionally grow heated (especially when it comes to sports), but overall the atmosphere is friendly and congenial.

5: WITHIN THE CHAOS, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE

The Last Ward's electrical grid is reliably unreliable, but blackouts on this scale are rare. Half the ward has been dark for the past three days, save for a few emergency generators and dwindling battery backups. As winter winds batter old, drafty concrete apartment blocks, the residents grow restless and frustrated. Police have already put down several riots, but there's no stopping the spike in looting and other petty crimes.

In the Parish, many people have opted to barricade themselves inside their homes until the blackout ends, but others are taking advantage of the chaos. Most, though, have chosen to band together to protect each other throughout the long nights. The people of the Parish may not have much, but at least they have a sense of community.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The person (?) occupying his seat is dressed in all black with a black hoodie, which might be too egregiously edgy for most people to deal with. But then again, the Mean Bean doesn't have a normal clientele.

"Of course I am. How else do I find you?"

Ain's smile is almost infuriating, but he reaches into his pocket and produces a vacuum-wrapped package, places it on the table. Wrapping superconductor chips in normal plastic wrap is almost criminal. Only an android can get away with it. Maybe.

"The last one, too. You're lucky."

"That doesn't mean you're allowed to take my spot."

His tone is irate, but he sits down across from the other anyway, sighing loudly as he slams down his cup. The table shakes. He fumes for a few more seconds before looking down at the package, his mood a touch calmer.

"You were supposed to bring that three days ago. Where the hell have you been?" Not that he was worried or anything. He just doesn't like late deliveries, that's all. "You're lucky I'm not gonna clobber you for making me wait."

Ain chuckles, a soft laugh that seems too nonchalant while under threat.

"Just some customs trouble. Took a while, but it's sorted."

He waves a hand, trying to keep himself vague. Add should be used to these sorts of half-answers by now.

He is, and he hates it. He clicks his tongue, sliding the packaged chip over to himself and flipping it around a couple times for proper scrutiny before setting it back down. Looks about right. As usual, Ain comes through, eventually.

"You could at least send a fucking text. I almost settled for a bootleg, and that shit wouldn't even last two months." It'd also cost him three times as much, which is why he tells himself he tolerates this weird business relationship of theirs. The black market may carry a bit of everything, but that doesn't mean it all meets his standards, especially when it comes to personal upgrades. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," is the (almost) smug reply, though it's wrapped in the same lilted lightness as most of his words, making it difficult for most people to determine if he's truly being smarmy. Add, of course, knows that he is.

"What's it for, anyway?"

Knowing the other, it's probably a new project of his. Ain is interested in hearing about whatever he decides to divulge, if only for amusement.

"Top secret, kekeke," he replies with a smirk. Yeah, that's right, two can play at the being cagey game.

... except he really wants to talk about it, so maybe two can't play after all. Damn. He caves after barely a pause. "Well, let's just say... I've been working on something that can carry a powerful charge across distances."

He knows about this weakness of Add's, which is why he enjoys asking about them. It's fun to listen and it holds his interest, unlike other people's words, especially when they try to get something out of him. How unfortunate.

"That sounds useful." Especially if efficiency can be preserved. There's a lot of applications for these sorts of things. "So how does it work?"

Nobody is close enough to them to eavesdrop, he thinks. He made sure to 'suggest' to the closest bar attendants that they forget about him and Add.

"It's simple, really! Of course, I had to go through several prototypes to get it to work the way I wanted—" and if he was feigning restraint before, all of that goes out the window as he plunges straight into a long and technical tirade about this cool new robot he thought of.

Unsurprisingly, it's another assault drone—just because he doesn't need over-complicated drone weapons to defend himself on a day-to-day basis doesn't mean he won't ever need them someday—but he's clearly put too much thought into it already, and he's got a few ideas on more practical uses, so at least he'll probably still get some use out of it. And the threat of long-ranged weapons or Meta powers being used against him has always been a potential weakness of his, with how much his combat style favours close range. But if he could 'store' his power in a mobile object and then transport it to where it needs to be, he doesn't even have to be close by!

"... so I finally constructed a circuit board that wouldn't melt, but then the components were still overheating and crashing the software— not every time, of course, but I can't rely on something that only works sometimes. I tried a bunch of different cooling methods but the design was just too small to fit much of anything on there, until I had the brilliant idea of of using its own motion to continuously cool the components! I'll need to do some more testing in humid conditions first but at least for now it seems to be working a lot more smoothly. If it can accomplish that much with a cheap home-made board, getting this thing to work with quality components should be a snap, keke! So, what do you think?"

Add is still grinning with enthusiasm, waiting for Ain's expert(?) opinion. Honestly, most people wouldn't even stick around for half of that, so he's happy just to talk to someone that's willing to humour him.

True to their relationship, Ain listens with respectful attentiveness. The myriads of ideas and plans that Add was able to conceive has constantly kept his interest, different from the many other things he had tried and discarded. This helps keep their relationship cordial, apart from the fact that they mutually have dirt on each other.

"Well it's pretty cool. You could ride it as a hoverboard or a portable air conditioner. That'll make it more useful and you can use it even when you don't feel like punching things."

He stirs his juice with a stick thoughtfully.

He snorts, barely holding back a laugh. "A hoverboard? Don't be ridiculous, this thing is supposed to be small and agile, there's no way it could support my entire body." If he wanted to do something like that, he'd need at least, like... six of 'em.

He pauses to take a sip of his drink, thankful that it's not entirely cold yet. Hmmm, six drones though...

"... if I altered the chassis to a more sturdy material, maybe..." It could work. He mumbles some more to himself, staring off into the wall as he starts to zone out.

"I dunno, I thought it'd be nice."

He waves a hand idly. Commonly usable technology in this place only goes so far, and it's probably more fun to give prompts to an actual tinkerer. The trend now is to make tech smaller and faster, both for efficiency and to keep it undercover.

"You could have them integrate with your sleeves too and magnify electricity for punches?"

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

4

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject