[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/80e9YrG.png[/img]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200312/bd228c426d0da7459764cb788d45b1cd.png[/img]

[Sub].:⋮Science Fiction meets Future Fantasy⋮:.[/Sub]


[/center]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“The hell is that?”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would ask herself as she double checked her readings. She was one of the few counterfeits still roaming around and had sat down to see what all she still had access to when deprived of her more magical technomantic abilities. Which led her to skimming the local frequencies and stumbling across a mass of signals, all of which were encrypted.

It was rather baffling really.

Which led her to a conundrum. Track the signals, or ignore them? The conundrum was easily answered though. She was a counterfeit, and that fact did mean she wasn’t one hundred percent like her Prime. Worry about her personal safety was near zero, and brought down to zero by the fact that all of the Penny’s on the island were in a local network together. What she learned all would learn, and Penny had always been a curious sort.

So with only a few moments of thought this Penny would stand up and start tracking where the signals were coming from.

[color=Red]“Uh oh, looks like Penny’s noticed your surveillance drones,”[/color] Kate observed as she and Nykannis continued to watch the various goings on via a large holographic display.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Of course she did,”[/color] Nykannis replied in a dry tone. [color=DarkMagenta]“She’s [i]Penny.[/i] Although, I [i]am[/i] curious to see how long it’ll take her to find us here,”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“Even if this particular specimen is merely a duplicate, a few tests and scans may prove VERY enlightening…”[/color]

Just thinking about it brought a maniacal grin to the mad scientist’s face. 

[color=Red]“Hey, don’t get [i]too[/i] excited,”[/color] Kate warned. [color=Red]“Most of your scanners don’t work so great here, remember? Ditto for my camera. I don’t really know what more you’re gonna learn about her even if she [i]does[/i] decide to come up here for a face to face meeting.”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“For one thing, my most powerful equipment works best at short range,”[/color] Nykannis replied. [color=DarkMagenta]“And even if being in Santa’s Enchanted Village means their effectiveness is greatly reduced, there’s still good old fashioned talking. I’m certain that after I’ve told her just how incredibly awesome I am, she’ll spill at least [i]some[/i] of her secrets in a pathetic attempt to impress me. Look!”[/color] she added, pointing to the display. [color=DarkMagenta]“She’s coming up the stairs now!”[/color]

[color=Red]“You want me to open the door for her?”[/color] Kate asked.

[color=DarkMagenta]“No, let’s see if she can find it even with the cloaking field and perception filter active,”[/color] Nykannis replied, while gleefully rubbing her hands together. [color=DarkMagenta]“That alone will provide valuable information about her detection capabilities.”[/color]

At the top of the stairs Penny would spare a casual look around for anything that stood out to her. Nothing did, which she wasn’t sure if that was to be expected or not. The signals she was tracking were odd, but that was mainly due to the encryption on them and the waveband they were on. Not anything that the signals were doing, which had led her to think they were surveillance systems. For who or what was the question now, especially since she was picking up more readings as she got closer to the epicenter. 


But a few minutes later Penny could tell there was something else going on. She had walked the entire floor but couldn’t find a route to reach where the signals were originating from. Which meant someone was hiding it. She would start returning to the top of the stair as she considered her options, and as she did such she would plot out the floor plan so far as she was aware of it.


When she was done with that, a task that took only a few moments, it was easy to see the glaring problem. A room seemed to be missing, or at least a door to it. She would triangulate with Snoopy and the Prime as she walked to the stretch of wall that bordered the unfilled space on her blueprint and sure enough the signals were on the other side of it.


She would hum to herself curiously as she examined the wall and it was on her third pass she would notice that she couldn’t fully focus on part of it. Her gaze would always skitter off one section no matter how hard she tried to focus on it. With a nod she would start recording where it was she could and couldn’t look at, and was swiftly rewarded with a very familiar outline, one of a door.


[color=9e0039][u][b]“S.E.P. huh”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would muse aloud, curiosity, and caution, peaked. It was quite a lot to go though to hide a room as well as limit their operation waveband. [i]‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’[/i] She would think before reaching out to open the door she couldn’t see. Because even if she couldn't sense this one, it would be like all the other doors on this floor, which means she knew where the handle would be.


And if she was wrong she could always just go through the wall. A useful Plan B.

Upon opening the hidden door, Penny would be greeted by a pair of young women sitting in comfortable chairs, with a small, snack covered table between them. They were both facing the door and holding mugs of hot cocoa. The one with short, dark hair held up two fingers in a peace sign. 

[color=Red]“Sup?”[/color] she asked with an amused grin.

The room’s other occupant had much longer hair and wore a pair of glowing goggles. She too was smiling, but it was a significantly more unnerving smile than her friend’s.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Greetings, Penny,”[/color] the goggle-wearing girl told the new arrival, her grin growing even broader. [color=DarkMagenta]“We’ve been expecting you. Please, have a seat,”[/color] she added, gesturing to one of the empty chairs.

Penny would stay standing in the doorway for a moment, she hadn’t been sure what to expect and she was still caught off guard. Still after a moment she would close the door behind her [color=9e0039][u][b]“Well that isn’t ominous or anything”[/b][/u][/color] She would remark as she moved to stand behind the closest of the open chairs, but made no moves to sit in it yet.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Care to explain why you’ve got a S.E.P. and chameleon veil on the door?”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would ask as she observed the two girls across from her, folding her hands on the back of the chair in front of her as she did. She would get around to asking about the signals later, as it seemed very obvious to her that these were the people behind it.

[color=DarkMagenta]“For privacy, of course,”[/color] the goggle-wearing girl replied. [color=DarkMagenta]“Although, seeing as how you’re our second uninvited visitor, they don’t seem to be working so well… I mean, [i]you[/i] I can understand, but I’m still trying to figure out how that nut job Oros managed to find this place,”[/color] she continued, her grin dissolving into a look of disgust as if merely saying the beast girl’s name was physically repulsive. [color=DarkMagenta]“But enough of that crap, let’s talk about [i]you.[/i] To what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with the presence of the illustrious Penny Asimov?”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Find and replace has that whole clarity through madness thing going for her”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say with a shrug [color=9e0039][u][b]“Comes from her Horror Patron I think.”[/b][/u][/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I am here because of all the signals you have flooded the higher frequencies with. The encoding on them is bizarre as hell so I wanted to figure out who, what, or why.”[/b][/u][/color] She would explain, drumming her fingers on the back of the chair. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Curious to know how you learned of me as well now that I’m here as well.”[/b][/u][/color] She would add looking at the goggle girl. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Since I don’t think you’re a Penrose native.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Ya got that right,”[/color] the girl would chuckle. [color=DarkMagenta]“There are certain levels of crazy even [i]I[/i] won’t stick my nose into. But I don’t mind observing from a distance,”[/color] she explained. [color=DarkMagenta]“Hence the signals you picked up. Those were just my surveillance drones sending data back to my holodisplay here,”[/color] she continued, gesturing to the device in question.

[color=Red]“We’ve really been enjoying the various events,”[/color] the other girl added.

[color=DarkMagenta]“[i]Especially[/i] the snowball fight.”[/color]

[color=Red]“Yeah, you were pretty awesome out there! Well, at least until the whole ‘orbital water cannon’ thing…”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“That explains the encryption”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say looking at the display in interest. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And I’m not terribly surprised at the orbital cannon. Dan was selling them last time I was here as well. Two gold over at the center island, if that store is still open.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Any reason why you’re interested in Penrose, other than the fact it’s a frankly absurd statistical outlier?”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“It’s not so much that I’m interested in Penrose itself,”[/color] the goggled girl explained. [color=DarkMagenta]“But rather its inhabitants. [i]You[/i] in particular. And why might that be, you ask? Well, let’s just say your reputation precedes you. There are a lot of strange things in this universe, but you take the cake. An outlier among outliers. Not only is your power level off the charts compared to nearly everyone else in Penrose, but you seem to be able to break some of the laws of this reality, which is something that NEVER fails to interest me. So, why [i]wouldn’t[/i] I take the chance to study you in more detail?”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Hmm”[/b][/u][/color] Penny’s attention would return to the goggled girl, sharper and more calculating than it had been a moment ago. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Fair enough I suppose. Though it does mean you have me at a disadvantage. You both know who I am, but I don’t know who you are. Mind introducing yourselves?”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“If we are talking shop, would be better if I could refer to you by a name rather than as ‘goggles girl’ and ‘shortie’”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“I’d be [i]delighted[/i] to,”[/color] the goggled girl replied, her maniacal grin growing even wider. [color=DarkMagenta]“I’m Doctor Nykannis, QUEEN OF THE MAD SCIENTISTS!!! NYAHAHAHA!!! And this is Kate,”[/color] she added in a far more disinterested tone, almost as an afterthought.

[color=Red]“Freelance photographer,”[/color] the other girl elaborated, once again holding up a peace sign.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Greetings.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say nodding to both of them [color=9e0039][u][b]“Penny Asimov, Queen of Penrose. As you knew.”[/b][/u][/color] Her attention was mainly on Nykannis, but she was still paying attention to Kate.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I’m guessing with a title like yours that you're an Oddball spec?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask with a raised eyebrow. She figured that more of the overt facts about herself were already known. So hopefully getting those same facts about these two wouldn’t be too difficult.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Correct,”[/color] Nykannis would confirm with a nod. [color=DarkMagenta]“Mad Science! and Weird Science!, to be specific,”[/color] she elaborated. [color=DarkMagenta]“They may seem like the same thing to most of the Neanderthals around here, but they’re actually quite distinct.”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Really?”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say somewhat bemused [color=9e0039][u][b]“How do people conflate those two? They follow vastly different principles. Mad science follows unstable, inconsistent, theories to reasonable repeatable outcomes. While Weird Science uses basic, tried and true theorems, in odd and unusual ways to reach unexpected results.”[/b][/u][/color] She would run a hand through her hair as she explained [color=9e0039][u][b]“They are clearly different fields of study”[/b][/u][/color]

She mulled over the thoughts trying to see how people could mix the two but would give it up shortly. Figuring that her inorganic nature likely helped keep the two distinct. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And you Kate?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask, passing the question to the quieter of the two girls.

[color=Red]“Oh, uh… Photography, I guess…?”[/color] Kate replied, looking somewhat uncertain. [color=Red]“I mean, pretty much all of my powers come from my camera,”[/color] she would explain, tapping the device. 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Interesting”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say, looking at Kate’s camera with notable interest. She was curious about how that worked, assuming it was either some kind of blue magic or information gathering type. Both of which were things of interest and note to the mechanical girl.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Is that just your work Nykannis?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask gesturing at the holodisplay [color=9e0039][u][b]“Or did you help with that as well Kate?”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=Red]“Nope, that’s all Nykannis,”[/color] Kate would reply. [color=Red]“She’s also the one who made my camera,”[/color] the photographer added. [color=Red]“If the name on the strap didn’t give it away.”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Yeah, Kate’s great when it comes to gathering information,”[/color] Nykannis explained. [color=DarkMagenta]“But she’s no scientist, [i]that’s[/i] for sure.”[/color]

[color=Red]“Yep, I’m just an ordinary, down-to-earth girl,”[/color] Kate confirmed with a chuckle. [color=Red]“Nothing crazy to see here.”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Speaking of crazy, crazy [i]awesome[/i], that is, mind if I take a quick look at you, Penny?”[/color] Nykannis asked, her eyes shining with a maniacal gleam as several probe and sensor-tipped mechadendrites extended from the mad scientist’s back. [color=DarkMagenta]“I know Dan’s stupid rules prevent me from dissec- I mean, [i]studying[/i] you in full detail, but would it be okay if I just do a few basic scans? You’re just so fascinating, and I want to learn all I can while I have you here!”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Well, thank you for the compliment”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say with a smirk, though her cheer didn’t quite reach her eyes. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’m hesitant to let anyone look under the hood however. Lots of people want me dead after all. I might be able to answer some of your curiosities if you ask though. Besides, I'm also a displaced counterfeit. My systems no longer represent how the Prime is set up.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“I figured as much,”[/color] Nykannis said with a sigh, retracting her various data accumulators. [color=DarkMagenta]“Hopefully I’ll get a chance some other time, without Dan’s stupidity getting in the way. And yeah,”[/color] she added with a smug smirk. [color=DarkMagenta]“I know all about the whole ‘duplicate’ thing, which is part of the reason why I’ve decided not to press the issue. After all, it’s not like a few basic scans on you would tell me all that much about the original anyway… On the other hand, I’d LOVE it if you’d share how exactly you’ve gotten to be quite so obscenely powerful, as well as a list of all your unique abilities. I mean, was it all just some crazy fluke, or was it a process that can be [i]duplicated?[/i] Those are the things I’m simply [i]DYING[/i] to know.”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Guess it depends on how you mean me being powerful, I fully acknowledge that physically there aren't many girls out there that are on equal footing. But my casting capabilities are really rather poor by comparison, I don’t have hard numbers but I calculate that external casting for me is about twice as exhaustive as it would be for most Maho.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would offer, it wasn’t a fact she ever tried to keep quiet on after all.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Unique abilities I’ll need more context as well, most magicals I’ve met have some unique capabilities so I’m not sure what you’d consider as such for me.”[/b][/u][/color] That and she wanted to know what she could keep quiet about while not lying. She wasn’t above doing so to hide her talents, but being honest was normally the better route if possible.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I can say that, overall, I’m a result of a good starting point that was further optimized by my own intervention. Though I’m not sure if the process could be replicated, at least not in full. Some things were really just flukes.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“So you just got lucky, huh?”[/color] Nykannis asked with a raised eyebrow. [color=DarkMagenta]“I’ll buy that for certain things, like that little super tank you’ve got hidden away, or even that additional off-world tech you acquired by going all ‘Hannibal Lecter’ on that one extraterrestrial cybermantic monster girl, but there are other things that HAD to have a definite, definable cause, and I want to know what that cause is. In particular,”[/color] she continued, [color=DarkMagenta]"you’re classified as a monster girl, and yet you carry a Beacon Shine Spark. Not only that, but you don’t have any mental mutations to speak of. According to the basic rules of this universe, as I understand them, that [i]should[/i] be impossible, so how did you manage it? Was it a synergistic interplay between the Shine Spark and some one-of-a-kind diamond/rainbow/prism Cosmic Omniversal Infusion Noospheric Synthesizer? Was it an artifact of how you were created in the first place? Was it the work of someone like Kayli who has the ability to selectively remove detrimental traits? Was it a special accommodation bestowed by the Grand Magistrates themselves?!”[/color] Nykannis was getting much closer now, and her eyes were beginning to twitch and bulge. [color=DarkMagenta]“I NEED TO KNOW!!!”[/color]

Penny would be slightly taken aback by the ferocity that Nykannis displayed, but she understood where the girl was coming from. And even though she was surprised at how much the Scientific girl had known in regards to some of her more esoteric acquisitions, that wasn’t what made her pause in answering.

She would meet Nykannis’s near crazed eyes with a calm melancholic look. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Closer to your second theory. The White coins are Beacon’s first foray into Coin crafting, and even then it is a divisive creation. I am even more so divisive I’d imagine. So no one was going to stand up for me when they barely knew me and there wasn’t anyone who excised those traits from me on the outside either. Not sure I can trust anyone that much right now. Though I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that someone like Kayli could do something like that.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“To fully understand I think you’ll need the context. To that end I want to ask you something. How old are you, and how old do you think I am?”[/b][/u][/color]

Nykannis’s eyes narrowed. So it [i]was[/i] something indelibly linked to the mechanical monarch’s creation, but something she refused to disclose… That was more than a little frustrating, but there wasn’t much the mad scientist could do at the moment to pry that information out of the cybernetic girl, and seeking out her former patron would be too great an investment of time, especially with Phase Two so very near to completion. Still, perhaps there remained a chance, however slim, of getting Penny to reveal a bit more…

[color=DarkMagenta]“I’m several hundred… thousand?”[/color] Nykannis replied, looking a bit uncertain. [color=DarkMagenta]“I kinda stopped keeping track after the first few millennia. But guessing [i]your[/i] age?”[/color] the mad scientist scoffed. [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]That’s[/i] a trick question if I ever heard one. I mean, to which ‘you’ are you referring? The mundane human who got turned into a magical being? The magical being that resulted from that empowerment? Or perhaps your [i]current[/i] self? Yeah,”[/color] the Monarch of Mad Science added with a smug grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“I know you’ve been through quite a few changes, but then, that seems to be a bit of a theme around here. And not to digress too much, but that’s another thing that’s always interested me. It seems like a lot of monster girls are essentially two entities, the original, mystically empowered human, and the monster. But there are still some exceptions, like a certain tentacle obsessed girl I unfortunately happen to know, as well as those monstrous beings that subsequently get turned into magical girls, like that dragon girl from the snowball fight. There’s just so much variety! So many differing rules of operation, and so many exceptions [i]TO[/i] those rules! And if Phase Two is going to be a success, I need to learn all I can about EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!!!”[/color] 

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. 

[color=DarkMagenta]“Which is why, you, Penny, being a confluence of so many of these myriad variables, are so invaluable to me, and why I would very much appreciate it if we could SKIP THESE STUPID GAMES AND GET TO THE FUCKING POINT!!! ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOUR SECRETS OR NOT?!!”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“As I said, context.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would repeat moving on in her explanation. This ‘Phase two’ had caught her interest, and she would be following up on that. As it didn’t sound like a good thing coming from someone so crazed. It was stereotyping, but Nykannis was the queen of [i]Mad[/i] scientists. It paid to be cautious about their projects. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I don’t know what you know and to explain it best I need to know what you know. And even if you didn’t directly answer my question you did get to the point I was going to be making.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I am at best only a year old. But when I say that I don’t mean a year of being a magical, or a year at my current version. I was created and became self aware one year ago. I became that way when I was grafted onto the psyche of the mundane who did become a magical. For as you can see when it comes to me, your hypothesis about there being both a human and a monster was correct. I am, and have always been, a fully sentient non human AI. Something that the person I was connected to never was able to come to terms with.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“That led to a schism in our soul. Which was how the Spark was originally housed despite our nature. Then we had a falling out that nearly destroyed our soul. The ramifications of that situation are as you can see.”[/b][/u][/color] There was also a lot that wasn’t obviously apparent that was the result of things as well. Like the fact that Penny’s soul was still damaged and irrevocably twisted, even though it was also healing. That even without the driving motivation, she was still tempted to break things apart. She didn’t feel human, but was thankful for that, because that sensation was maddening to her. Though she was sure that corrupted humans felt the same towards their encroaching monster status. [color=9e0039][u][b]“So as I said, closer to an artifact from my creation.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Why do you want to know so badly by the way?”[/b][/u][/color] She would go on to ask. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Not many people seem to be interested in learning about the nuances of corrupted individuals.”[/b][/u][/color]

Penny was still being ambiguous, but Nykannis could see a glimmer of possibility present itself. Perhaps if the robotic girl’s trepidation about the mad scientist’s motives was assuaged, she would be more inclined to reveal just [i]what[/i] about her creation made her so special.

[color=DarkMagenta]“I’m a scientist,”[/color] Nykannis would explain. [color=DarkMagenta]“It’s in my nature to want to learn about such things, and, incidentally, that knowledge would greatly benefit a little project I’m working on. It’s really nothing you need to worry about,”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“I mean, it won’t have any effect on what you’ve got going on in Penrose, that’s for sure. In fact, its ultimate goal is the protection of the mundane inhabitants of this planet, and I think we can both agree that’s a perfectly reasonable objective, right?”[/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ll agree that it’s a reasonable objective.”[/b][/u][/color] There were plenty of vile and horrible things out there after all that would love to take advantage of the mundane populace. [color=9e0039][u][b]“The question becomes one of method. How is your project going to go about fulfilling this end goal?”[/b][/u][/color] Because the answer to that would tell Penny plenty about Nykannis.

Now, most individuals of Nykannis’s staggering intelligence would know to proceed with caution here. Penny was exceedingly powerful, and subject to the unique bending of certain rules, which meant that if any non-Grand Magistrate entity could interfere with Phase Two, it was her. Nykannis, however, was a [i]mad[/i] scientist, and if she was presented with an opportunity to brag about her accomplishments, she was going to take it.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Well,”[/color] Nykannis began. [color=DarkMagenta]“My current employer is a contractor for a certain clandestine government agency that works to protect this nation’s ignorant masses from all the myriad supernatural threats out there. Humans protecting humans, and all that crap. How my little project will be helping them do that is fairly simple- They need soldiers, [i]magical[/i] soldiers, and I have a way of producing them en-mass. I’m just trying to make them as optimized as possible, and to do [i]that[/i], I need to learn everything I can about all the unique elements of, and loopholes in, the rules set for this particular reality plenum. I mean, if I can figure out a way to create an operative with all the strengths of a monster girl and none of the weaknesses, why [i]wouldn’t[/i] I make use of it?”[/color] 

The only outward reaction that Penny would have to that statement was that her eyes would go faintly purple. Internally it was a different matter. She didn’t know everything, but she felt at this point she knew enough. Nykannis wasn’t a friend, though neither was she an enemy. What she was was someone to watchout for. Because her plan was a nightmare waiting to happen.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“An ambitious project to be sure.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say with a nod, because it truly was. [color=9e0039][u][b]“But not one I feel comfortable fully assisting with. Armed and trained adult soldiers won’t look kindly upon me and my kind I would imagine. I know I am an outlier, but other Monster girls aren’t and most of Beacon already has a kill on sight order for us. Adding the Government on top of that doesn’t seem wise at the moment. To say nothing of how the Mint might take advantage of your work if they catch wind of it.”[/b][/u][/color]

She would shrug at that, it was true after all [color=9e0039][u][b]“But I’ll admit I’m only seeing the surface at the moment. What else can you tell me about your project? After all, I'm sure you’ve thought about the ramifications to at least some extent.”[/b][/u][/color] At least Penny would hope so, hard to be sure with Nykannis being as old as she was and possibly not from this set of realities.

[color=DarkMagenta]“I can understand your trepidation,”[/color] Nykannis said with a nod after Penny had voiced her concerns. [color=DarkMagenta]“And honestly, I have no idea what they’re gonna do with these things once they get them, but if there’s [i]one[/i] thing you can be sure of, it’s that there’s no way the Mint is getting its hands on The Artifact. It belongs to my employer, and let’s just say his opinion of the magical mafia is less than favorable. And speaking of,”[/color] she continued. [color=DarkMagenta]“The Artifact is what allows for the mass production of magical operatives in the first place. You know how I was talking about the rules and systems that govern this reality earlier? Well, it turns out they have a physical interface, and The Artifact [i]is[/i] that interface. With it, I can make full use of the Create Your Own Avatar system that every patron employs to create their magical servants, but although I have full access, I STILL need to know the precise combinations of perks, powers, and specs that synergize to make certain effects possible, which, as I said before, is where [i]you[/i] come in. You gotta admit, this is pretty amazing stuff,”[/color] she went on. [color=DarkMagenta]“And you could be a part of it! If you agree to help me out, I can guarantee your little homeless shelter won’t have to worry about anyone bothering it ever again! You’re the Queen of Penrose, right?! Wouldn’t you like to have your own personal army that’ll obey your every command?! I can give you that. Heck, you can even get each warrior tailor-made to your exact specifications! And all you have to do in return is let me collect a little information. That’s not [i]too[/i] unreasonable, right?”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Wait, you’ve found access to the Root database of existence?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask rather incredulously at the claim. That. That was not at all what Penny had been expecting to learn about. The fact that such a thing existed was rather frightening in the first place considering the implications of what it could do. The fact that a self proclaimed, and so far provably, mad scientist had access to it just made it all the worse.

That wasn’t to say Penny wasn’t curious, she very much was. It just sounded too good to be true, and she wondered what the drawback or cost of the thing was.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“And you need my assistance to help reverse engineer the logic behind its code. Is that right?”[/b][/u][/color] She would go on, finally moving to sit down on the chair she had been standing behind so far. She was thankful that Nykannis’ employer hated the Mint, otherwise the consequences would likely be disastrous. She would avoid the offer of a personal army, and the slight against the Sanctuary for the moment. Because she didn’t care for the former, and couldn’t argue the latter.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Where did they find this thing? And how certain are you that it is what you claim it to be?”[/b][/u][/color] Information was needed, now more than ever.

[color=DarkMagenta]“That’s right,”[/color] Nykannis confirmed with a smug grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“And ‘they’ didn’t find it,”[/color] she clarified. [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]I[/i] did. As for [i]where[/i] I found it, there’s a certain city in Antarctica that sits on the largest omnidimensional nexus in this reality plenum. Yes, even larger than Penrose, but it’s currently dormant, so most people don’t know about it. ANYWAYS, since I’ve learned from experience that all the best stuff on nearly every version of this planet I’ve ever been to can be found in Antarctica, I knew that if The Artifact existed, then [i]that’s[/i] where it would be. And I’m [i]one hundred[/i] percent certain of its capabilities, because I’ve already used it over twenty times! Besides, I’m the greatest super scientific mind this pathetic planet has ever seen! Do you SERIOUSLY think I don’t know what I’m talking about?!”[/color] she asked, her eye beginning to noticeably twitch once more.

Penny had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. Gods damned nested infinities were going to make her life difficult before she ever left Penrose it seemed. But that was neither here nor there for the moment.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Remember my age”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would retort as she visibly drew herself together. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And the fact that I don’t know you. I’m not meaning to insult you, but I wasn’t even aware that something like the Artifact could even exist.”[/b][/u][/color] She had been preoccupied, rather understandably, with trying to stay alive and keep the Sanctuary safe.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“You’ve used it before though. Any one in Penrose that I would know of or any products you could show?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask. She was rather wanting to see this Artifact herself; it was probably a marvel to see and even more so to witness functioning. Sad that she might have to destroy the thing.

Nykannis looked a bit taken aback. [color=DarkMagenta]“Are you NUTS?”[/color] she asked incredulously. [color=DarkMagenta]“In case you haven’t noticed, Penrose is a fucking disaster area! There’s no way in hell I’d risk sending any of my creations to that dump! And besides,”[/color] she added, calming considerably. [color=DarkMagenta]“It would take a whole [i]squad[/i] from Phase One to equal even a single average power-level magical, and like I’ve said, Phase Two isn’t ready just yet. As it is now, there’s just The Prototype, and [i]she[/i] NEVER leaves the lab.”[/color]

Penny would lean back in her chair as she considered that. On the one hand it meant that the artifact was either weaker then she was fearing or that Nykannis was having a lot more trouble with it then expected. On the other hand it sounded a lot like the mad scientist was breeding and enslaving people in her attempts to understand the thing.

What was the right thing to do in this instance?

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Would I be able to meet her?”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would ask looking at Nykannis [color=9e0039][u][b]“Before I agree to help, would I be able to meet your Prototype? So I can get a better grasp on what you are asking of me.”[/b][/u][/color]

Nykannis was silent for a moment, before giving voice to an exasperated sigh. [color=DarkMagenta]“That… Would be [i]EXTREMELY[/i] difficult to arrange. And why would meeting her make any difference?”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Well”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would rub the back of her neck sheepishly [color=9e0039][u][b]“It would be proof for one. I don’t mean to be rude, but all I have so far is your word about anything we’ve talked about and no real way to verify any of it.”[/b][/u][/color] She would shrug a little at that statement.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I want to believe you, and I don’t think you have lied to me, but the Mint has attacked me and they assassinated the last person to hold the title of Queen of Penrose.”[/b][/u][/color] She would go on to explain. [color=9e0039][u][b]“So as much as I am interested in your work, which I am, it just isn’t a good idea for my long term survival to simply take your word for it. At least not without some proof.”[/b][/u][/color] All of which was true, which also made it the best diversion. Since she did lie in part with her first statement. She knew that Nykannis was telling the truth, it was in part why the entire situation was as harrowing as it was.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Two, you offered me a product. One I have to invest into to fully get. Investing sight unseen is just bad business. You have a viable, from the sounds of it, prototype. Proof of concept, that shows that you are able to follow through on your claim.”[/b][/u][/color] It also gives Penny other opportunities, should she have a need for them. As well as more information on Nykannis.

[color=DarkMagenta]“So, you want proof of my incomparable super scientific genius, do you?”[/color] Nykannis asked with a wry grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“Well, I’m ALWAYS happy to provide that, although I don’t think showing you The Prototype is gonna be all that effective in providing the kind of proof you’re looking for. I mean, how would you even know I used The Artifact to create her? Instead, why don’t I use it make you a little something, free of charge? You mentioned being concerned for your safety,”[/color] the mad scientist continued. [color=DarkMagenta]“As laughable an idea as that is for someone of [i]your[/i] power-level… Sooo, how about a bodyguard? Or, better yet, a body[i]double?[/i] She, or he, can be anything you want. I will warn you, however, that if you want to have complete control over the creation process, then the amount of Cosmic Omniversal Infusion Noospheric Synthesizers that can be employed will be slightly reduced. But if complete control isn’t needed, we can go with one of the other creation paths. Anyway, would that serve as sufficient proof that what I’m telling you is accurate?”[/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Does it have to be a person?”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would ask after a moment of contemplation. She really didn’t want to end up owning anyone after all. [color=9e0039][u][b]“As a bodyguard or body double really won’t help. My worry isn’t about any conflicts I get into, it is laughable from that perspective. Displacement is my main concern.”[/b][/u][/color] That and people getting any insight into how her internal systems worked. She didn’t know what flaws they would find, and didn’t want to give them a chance to find something she had overlooked.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Overcity shift for example. Or unwilling teleportation. No one wants to get into a fight with me, but that isn’t the only way to get me out of the way.”[/b][/u][/color] She would give a sorta ‘what can you do’ shrug. She was just glad it had already been pointed out to her, it gave her a chance to take care of it now. [color=9e0039][u][b]“And would I be able to watch as you make it?”[/b][/u][/color] She would add [color=9e0039][u][b]“As you just bringing me something would fall into the same situation as me going to see the Prototype.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“So, let me get this straight,”[/color] Nykannis deadpanned. [color=DarkMagenta]“You don’t actually care about seeing if The Artifact really works the way I say it does, you just want me to make you a device? An absolute transphasic omnidimensional anchor that’ll negate any and all attempts at displacing you from your current location, wherever that might be?”[/color] She paused a moment before grinning maniacally. [color=DarkMagenta]“Nyahahaha! I could do that in my sleep! But if you wanna watch me make the thing, (and honestly, who wouldn’t?), I think that can be arranged. Turns out I’ll be making a short trip to Penrose in the somewhat near future to deliver a little something to another client, so I’ll just drop by a location of your choosing afterwards and whip your little gizmo up for ya on the spot. But I’ll tell ya right now,”[/color] she added pointedly. [color=DarkMagenta]“I expect this place to be safe from all of Penrose’s seemingly omnipresent insanity.”[/color]

Penny would roll her eyes a bit [color=9e0039][u][b]“Give me some credit. I may not be as smart as you, but I am good at figuring out Magic. Basics build into more complex things, seeing the basics at work will tell me the trajectory of capabilities. And I never said I wanted a device, I asked if it had to be a person. Because a drone familiar was more what I was thinking of.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Planar locking capability would be great, wormhole generation would be better”[/b][/u][/color] Penny had the math for teleportation matrices from Beacon’s HQ in the dead world she had visited, and Snoopy could get her the coordinates for anywhere they had been. All that was missing was some practical way to make use of that information.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Finding a location for this meet will be the hardest part”[/b][/u][/color] Penny agreed. [color=9e0039][u][b]“But I might have a place in mind if you are willing to help out a bit. Will even give you a chance to take a look at the Earthbastion, the super tank you mentioned.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“A drone, huh?”[/color] Nykannis raised an eyebrow, before her demeanor noticeably brightened. [color=DarkMagenta]“Those are even [i]more[/i] fun to make! And yeah, I can add in that extra functionality, no problem!”[/color]

Penny went on to agree about the difficulty of finding a safe meeting location in someplace like Penrose, but then mentioned a potential solution, although it would apparently require Nykannis’s assistance.

[color=DarkMagenta]“What kinda help did you have in mind?”[/color] the mad scientist asked dubiously, although the mention of the Earthbastion definitely piqued her interest.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I need help smuggling the Earthbastion into Penrose.”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would admit with a smirk. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I have ways to keep it hidden once I can get it there, the problem is getting it there. It’s currently sitting in a pocket dimension, but pulling it out of that dimension is loud.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I could go far out of Penrose to summon it, but I’m not sure how far I’d have to go to have it be safely unseen. Plus that takes a fair amount of time. So, I’d need either a S.E.P. field large enough to cover Penrose harbor for about a minute. Or a spot teleportation somewhere into the sea outside of Penrose. Either one would work.”[/b][/u][/color]

Nykannis’s mouth curled into a wicked grin after Penny had finished describing what she was planning, and what she would need to accomplish it. [color=DarkMagenta]“I can do you one better- How about both? I’ll covertly teleport the Earthbastion to the precise coordinates you specify, and I’ll even add a permanent S.E.P. field generator to it for good measure, with its own, internal zero-point power core, so it won’t drain your energy reserves one bit,”[/color] she added with an exceptionally smug smirk. [color=DarkMagenta]“As for compensation, I think a nice lengthy look at the Earthbastion itself would work quite nicely. That sound good?”[/color]

Penny would lean forward resting her chin in her hand seemingly contemplating the counter offer. She wasn't, she was calculating the best places to have the ship touchdown. Nykannis's offer was not one that the Monarch was going to pass up.

[color=9e0039][u][b]"Sounds like a deal to me"[/b][/u][/color] She would agree with a smile. [color=9e0039][u][b]"When would you like to have that look? And how quickly can you get the generator put together?"[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“[i]Excellent,[/i]”[/color] Nykannis replied, while gleefully rubbing her fingers together. [color=DarkMagenta]“And I can have the generator finished as soon as I get back to my lab. Such a minor project only takes a few minutes, but as for our meeting, I’d kinda like to schedule it to coincide with my other trip. As you’ve probably surmised, I’d rather not spend any more time in Penrose than I absolutely have to. So, yeah, I guess about week or so from now?”[/color]

Kate, who, up until now, had been content to quietly sip her hot cocoa, decided that this would be a good time to enter the conversation. [color=Red]“Mind if I tag along?”[/color] the photographer asked.  [color=Red]“I was planning to go with Nykannis to her other meeting anyway, and since I’m always up for checking out interesting things, I’d kinda like to see the Earthbastion first hand, myself.”[/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“That’s fine with me”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would agree with a nod [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ve no problems about you coming along as well.”[/b][/u][/color] She would add nodding to Kate. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I assume that we’ll meet up in the Overcity and I can give you the tour before you hook up the generator and teleport us into Penrose?”[/b][/u][/color] She would ask to see if the outline was good enough for now.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“We’ll also need to exchange contact information. I do live in Penrose after all. No promise that another Horror won’t try and breach into our plane later this week”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Sounds like a plan,”[/color] Nykannis would confirm. [color=DarkMagenta]“And I just sent you my contact info, along with Kate’s,”[/color] she added.

[color=Red]“And here’s my card, too,”[/color] Kate said as she handed Penny the glossy rectangle. [color=Red]“I always find that it’s good to have backups.”[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Contact info received”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say with a firm nod to Nykannis. [color=9e0039][u][b]”And good principle.”[/b][/u][/color] She would add taking the card from Kate. She also quarantined the info packet from the mad scientist. She would run some scans on it before cracking it open and actually looking over the contact info. She didn’t fully trust her after all.

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I’ll get these over to the Prime.”[/b][/u][/color] She would say as she stood up. [color=9e0039][u][b]“It’s been interesting. I’ll see you in a week, Nykannis, Kate.”[/b][/u][/color] And with that she would leave, making sure to close the door behind her as she left.

It wouldn’t be until that counterfeit was once more on the ground floor that one of the other counterfeits across the island building a new snow fort would let out a sigh of relief.