Fox

"Agreed, though batons - normal batons - might be good. For anyone with training," she quickly added, furrowing her brow a little. "More dangerous than they look. Sometimes useful to be able to hit things, physically - without shooting them. Would appreciate blueprints - can't hurt. Might be able to scale down for in-company use. Weaker metal, probably. Strong, still, but not that strong. Not necessary for anyone else. ....Harrier, maybe. Imagine he has his own tools."

Mara hmmed and mmhed and made careful inspection of the bat, looking at it from different angles and carefully collapsing/expending the weapon with her eyes closed to feel out how it moved. She seemed...oddly impressed, and a little reluctant to hand it back. "Very impressed," she admitted, tilting her head. "Skilled. Trevor, I mean. Very. Have a lot of respect for solid engineering. Don't have to be able to build entropy drives that power buildings to make something very well - simple, strong, uncomplicated. Reliable. Probably would have been tempted to put power source in handle, myself - allow for taser-like use. But understand why you wouldn't - balance, durability, reliability."

"Probably. Clever design. Imagine it's very durable...would have to be. But mechanically collapsible...imagine it must be made out of--no, joints would fail. Interesting!" Mara was stuck for a moment as her mind did what it always did, spinning out ideas and improvements and redesigns...none of which were quite satisfactory, as they weren't quite in the spirit of the weapon in the first place. could take it apart - no, bad idea - probably wouldn't let me anyway - I wouldn't let me - will have to see if I can recreate later - get data on approximate user strength for testing? - can't hurt to have a spare - curious "Am...impressed," she admitted, a little grudgingly. "Simple, but effective, assuming it meets durability requirements. Unique, too. Important. Leaves impression. On more than just heads."

Dragonfly frowned at the bottle, trying to tune out the languages she couldn't understand in favor of the science she could. Or, at least, hopefully would. aggressive - interesting - detects it's 'unleashed'? - normal reaction to being outside the gland? - reaction to artificial removal? - curious [bg=#555555]"Disconcerting,"[/bg] she muttered, tilting her head and watching the nanites struggle against the gravity bottle. [bg=#555555]"Shouldn't be able to do that. Unexpected, at least; more motive - mobile - than calculated. Should be okay. I think. We'll want to watch it carefully, though. Bottle shutting down or breaking open would be...bad."[/bg]

"Ah - yes. Will not work on weapons for customers here, or things we suspect will be weaponized, for any reason. But employees can arm themselves. Security especially - tasers, bats. Guns. Would prefer non-lethal force, of course...could see about designing non-lethal ammunition for company use only. Interesting design requirements. Ideally same dimensions and rough weight as standard bullets, but without--" She stopped short, quirking an eyebrow. "Bat?"

"And a PR risk," Mara pointed out - literally, with a casual finger. "Would have to be careful he didn't...drone...while here, or near here. But true, would be useful to have, should shield for exotic energies regardless - Terminus or not. Shields...maybe. Usually very careful about shields. Too easy to repurpose specially-designed, higher-power ones." She snapped her fingers. "Mmh. Forgot. Worth noting that this company consults. Doesn't create much from scratch. Won't sell my own original work - refuse to. And no weapon contracts, ever, for any reason; have full permission to take anyone who argues that and throw them into street. Preferably from first-story doors or windows, though. Reputation to maintain."

That certainly put the serious back on Mara's face, and she hunkered down a little, mulling that over. "Have...met him, yes," she said, biting her lip. "Assuming there aren't many non-homicidal Omegadrones in the city. Big and intimidating, certainly. Don't know much about his personality, but willing to interview." She blinked as her brain switched tracks again. "Would probably need to invest in better shielding for sensitive labs. Terminus energy is unpredictable."

"Mmh. Agree, actually - bullets, I mean. Predictable, too. Straight line, consistent mass. Acid - worst of them all. Takes a very long time to repair acid damage. Eats at plating. Hurts and inconvenient." It took a moment for her to snap herself out of memory-induced scowling, especially on the heels of being distracted by skirting around the whole father issue, but her brain caught up eventually. "Security - yes. Will want to know more about him before...phrase...'signing off', but probably not a good idea to second-guess ideas of newly-hired head of security. Hired you for a reason - your area, am open to suggestions for personnel."

Mara actually squirmed for a moment as her pride in being rational fought tooth and nail with her general dislike of sharing the larger portions of her life story, and the tapping of her finger against the lip of the spool could have been used to check a Swiss clock for accuracy. tell...the important parts? "......possible risk of attack or kidnapping," she admitted, reluctantly. "Unlikely in near future. Cautious. Won't like me establishing myself. Would probably not happen here anyway - too defended, too many people - and can't predict method. Not that direct. He'd hire somebody, could be anybody." "Worth noting," the engineer quickly added, pulling the neck of her shirt and jacket aside to expose the heavy steel choker that rested at the base of her neck, "never 'unarmed'. Would probably prefer you didn't take many bullets for me, though. But...thank you."

Mara was obviously a bit guarded about whatever it was that she might or might not have concerns about, but she at least looked more like someone who was cautiously aware of a calculated threat and less like someone seriously concerned with being whisked away in the middle of the night. She sat there, chewing on that for a moment, and giving things a rather serious, careful consideration. ".....nnnno. Don't think so; not right now, anyway. Will let you know if that changes."

"No. Yes - sort of," Mara waffled, gesturing vaguely with one hand and grimacing. "Dragonfly is associated with...big glass egg. I'm not. And...charity work, sort of. Refuse to get paid for it. But science is...expensive. Very expensive. Can keep costs down with visits to junkyards, generate my own power, recycle materials...but still have to pay money for things. Have to eat. Some things...not in junkyards. Need income, not willing to work for anybody else. Seemed like a good solution." "...plus," she added, grimacing again. "Don't like spotlight, but being known has...advantages. Connections, favors. Don't like attention, but does make it harder to do anything to me, if anybody finds out who I am. Too easy to make me disappear if I live alone in a warehouse in Greenbank."

Mara looked around the room, and sighed. Her hair had already escaped her ear, and she pulled it back again. "Yes. Gorgon cost me time. Probably won't have some of upper offices finished in time, but can do enough of the rest...actually already have a lot of it, just needs to be installed. Drones are doing last of structural work and heavy wiring this week while humans do more delicate things - glass, small wiring. Trying to get hiring and paperwork done while that happens. Will be...phrase...'cutting it close'. But will be glad to have it done, finally. Been working on it a long time."

"Don't care," Mara said, firmly. "Very good at what I do. Hire people very good at what they do. Experience is less important than talent, skill...and my ability to put trust in them. Did research - security group's pay will be above average, with very above average benefits. Probably hourly for most - lets them pick up extra hours when they need to - but salary for you, as their leader. Protects from having to leave for emergencies, anyway. Work won't be without risk, and compensation should reflect that. Also makes bribes less of a problem." She pulled some hair back behind an ear, frowning. "Company's just starting, but not in immediate danger. Can afford to pay people what they're worth, and intend to. Only fair."

"Mmh." Mara nodded, tapping a finger on the spool as she ran schedules through her head. "Alert is best. Rounded up to twenty for weekends - assumed nobody would want to work weekdays and weekends. Assumption - haven't worked security myself. Not sure what's standard. But flexibility there - advantage of owning the company myself. Nobody else to answer to. Can try things, see if they work, adjust as necessary. Science."

Mara shook her head, frowning. "Not sure. Have been thinking about that. Would only need relatively small team - building will have automated defenses, not expecting THAT much trouble, probably bad for morale to have armed guards by every doorway. But too low is risky - invites cat burglars and thieves along with break-ins. Teams of four, maybe, not including you. Five? Three shifts, weekends...twenty people total, maximum, maybe less. Keep it small, no unfamiliar faces. Not going to get robbed by 'I'm the new guy' ploys. Cliché. Would be very depressing."

Just a quick note for Jack - They don't really have stealth suits as such. Dragonfly whipped up a selective Concealment field, and she's using it. There's some fluff about people having bracers that make it easier for her suit to track and conceal them, but that was mostly for AA's benefit so he can strip people of concealment if he wants the plot to go that way. Victory's as concealed as anybody else, unless he asks Dragonfly to not conceal him or goes somewhere/does something that keeps her from exercising the selective feat on the power.

"Not sure," Mara answered, raising an eyebrow and trying (mostly failing) to keep her voice more dry than amused. "Should probably ask my new head of security. Not my area." "Would prefer it," she continued a little more seriously. "Part of security is intimidation. But wouldn't ask much, and company would provide whatever uniforms you wanted for you and rest of your people. Not going to make you buy special work clothes, and capable of designing - or having someone design - clothes to fit....unique requirements....given time. Rest of employees don't have a dress code, though, as long as it's practical for what they're working on - so really up to you and how you want to run things."

"Bike is good for dates," Mara agreed, looking awfully, if quietly, pleased at some memory or another. "Actually looking forward to that, too - part of this, all of this," she gestured at the room and its detritus, "is also affording an apartment here. Home is in Greenbank; private, quiet, safe enough - made it safe enough - but not somewhere I want people having to walk or take cabs to. Should probably think about building small teleporter network, come to think of it." She frowned, glancing more toward the center of the building and calculating how much power that would probably draw. "Make getting around easier. Pain to calibrate, but might be good for bad weather or days I don't want to ride to work. Might allow employee usage, too - useful? For you, I mean."

"Mmh. Good idea. Should consider it." Mara chewed her lip for a moment, turning that one over. "Usually flying, for that, but can't guarantee I'll have the chance. Might be good to have some...subtle extras, just in case. Better than nothing. Would be good to talk to an expert. I'm good at...other things...." she gestured at a drone, which was lumbering down one of the hallways with a giant spool of cabling not unlike the one she was sitting on, "....but have less practice at subtle, concealed things. Not without noticeable science. Or things I really don't want getting stolen with the bike."

"Mmh. No," Mara replied, shaking her head and slumping a little. Business was over, and she seemed much more...relaxed; she was nearing the end of all these interviews and she still never liked it. "Haven't had time. Got some metal work done early this year, but then...upgrades for battlesuit, personal projects...starting the company, too. Very expensive, time and money. Had to watch both until it got going. Plan to devote time to it once business is going. Have some plans already. Street-legal - barely. Good challenge. Restricting."

Mara was, simultaneously, rather pleased that she'd gotten who she wanted for the job and a little distracted by the realization that she hadn't considered much beyond that. She tapped a finger against the spool she was still leaning back against, frowning. "Mmh. Not much here, yet - infrastructure, but construction drones are...mmh. Not great fighters. But intimidating, very hard to harm. Have hired temporary security for construction, anyway - will do until we have customer items here. Wiring on third floor, glass re-installation, cosmetic touches...will be doing mainframe myself, probably take two days....hardwire defenses, testing....Halloween. Not opening around Halloween. Asking for trouble...." She raised her head, still frowning. "November first? Will be done enough to work on customer projects then, still have some hiring to do, anyway. You have final say on security, too - will send you paperwork for applicants I don't dislike. Not much paperwork, though. Promise. Will have personnel files on secure computer system soon anyway. Not fond of bureaucracy. Can advance you pay - or signing bonus - if you need money before then."

Mara blinked, a little embarrassed herself. knew I should have mentioned it - had assumed - mmh - should not assume "Had...already assumed as much," she admitted, grimacing a bit. "Not...best for building security, but considering....mmh." She gestured, clearly not quite sure how to phrase what she wanted to phrase. "Caught between...would be ideal to have someone with experience and ability to defend from high threats like super-powered villains. Small market, and generally people already fighting them, without pay; wouldn't take someone away from that work. Am fine with...phrase...'extra curricular' activities for emergencies. Will some other security, building will have its own defenses. Would not blame you if worst happened and building was hit while you were away on more important things. Company isn't worth not stopping bad crime." There was a moment's hesitation before she added, "....and...not entirely unfamiliar with that myself. Bad emergency will probably leave building without its owner, too," she admitted, a little sheepily. "Reminds me: sub-basement...private lab. Not company-related, not known to other employees. Will show you how to get elevator to take you there, later, if you take the job. Shielded, well-hidden, but...should probably know it's there if you work here. Just in case."

That second-to-last bit actually got a...well, not a laugh, but an eyebrow and something like a wry, tired grin out of the corners of Mara's mouth. "Turn twenty in this year," she noted, dryly. "I do, I mean. Shorter than five and a half feet, female. Blonde. Starting a consulting company that already has lineup of several large contracts. Have been having to deal with respect problems a lot recently. Not that important to me in my employees - should be able to earn respect, if you're good for the job." That gave her pause, again, and she tilted her head. "And think you are. Self-aware - good quality. Not always good at it myself, good to have in people I pay to do things. Important. Job's yours, if you want it. Not sure how much was clear in e-mails - starting a company to do consulting and improvement on other businesses' projects. Make them better, fix problems they can't solve. Not joking about contracts - pulled some strings, called in favors. Business isn't going anywhere. But...causes other problems. Lots of science from lots of places under one roof. Very valuable. Will attract trouble - need security to match. Reliable, trustworthy, strong and skilled enough. That's you - on your own aside from normal security, or head of security. Your choice. Still flexible - more important to have you here than in what role, role's more important on your end than mine."

Crossing her arms, Mara didn't say much for a moment, turning the situation over in her head. probably better than I did when I fought Hiroshima - ugly - lucked out "....good," she finally said, nodding and entirely serious. "Simple, practical. Tactical thinking, considering people then equipment, prioritizing threats. Working outside your limits." "Last question, then. Maybe. Probably. Why shouldn't I hire you? Interviews always seem to be full of convincing me why I should. Convince me not to."

Mara leaned back against a spool of cable, tilting her head and listening as Erin strategized. good - tactical - responding to likely non-obvious threats - what else "Stratos defeated. Reports of Maestro on first floor - coming in through lobby - Hiroshima Shadow - coming in near roof. Mmh, layout -" She gestured around the room, giving a quick description of what would probably be where as she went. "- ground floor - some offices, janitors, lobby. Basement is storage, power, secure loading docks and bays for large projects. This floor, research and engineering labs, security center. Above, mostly more labs, computer center, more offices - my office, too. Building will have defenses - people, automatic non-lethal security system - but assume they won't stop powered villains for very long, if at all. Two normal elevators, two stairways, one large freight elevator."