Growth Industry (IC)

[Fox]

October 10th, 2011, early afternoon

The North End, unnamed building under renovations

As the sage once said with respect to real estate: location, location, location. Finding the right timing to start a technology company was easy enough with Doctor Archeville's recent, destructive actions; finding the right place was harder. Those actions had freed up a number of large buildings all across the city, of course - provided you didn't mind a little structural damage - but Mara had had a laundry list of requirements and preferences, and it had taken her quite a while to manage to find a place. The place. Her place.

The building was, really, fairly nondescript: it stood independent from its surrounding neighbors, relatively unadorned and several stories high, surrounded by enough machinery and workers to imply that it was in the late stages of being rebuilt from the frame out, coils of beyond-industrial-strength power lines and odd selections of pipes and tubing lying here and there awaiting their chance to be installed and hidden away when walls were put back together.

The construction was winding down for the day, aside from shadowy, machinery-like movement deep behind the sheets of plastic that covered areas where windows were or would soon be. Even still it didn't look like the sort of building a normal person would be inclined to just walk up to and enter - unless, of course, that person wasn't awfully normal, and happened to be expected.

[Electra]

Precisely ten minutes early for her appointment, Erin White approached the unprepossessing-looking building, pausing for a few moments to size it up from outside. She was once again wearing her only business-suit type outfit, clean and carefully ironed, even if it was a discount brand and not exactly tailored to fit her muscled frame. She had a manila folder with her references and resume tucked into the crook of her arm, though copies of everything had been sent on ahead. Well, she thought, looking at the building, you wanted different, and this is definitely different than ArcheTech.

Taking a deep breath and schooling her features to conceal any nervousness, Erin carefully negotiated her way around the construction detritus until she found the covered walkway that led to the front entrance. She pressed the buzzer and waited, glancing around as she did to try and spot the security details of the building itself.

[Fox]

Security, apparently, the building had - sort of. The sections of the walls still missing betrayed a subtle but surprisingly-reinforced outer structure, and there were half-complete holes here and there on ceilings or walls in the corners of the room past the doorway that looked like they could hold...well, something. Whatever it was wasn't installed, but from the cables dangling out of some of those mounts it looked like they'd require a lot more power than your average security camera.

Most of that was security of the future, though. Security of the now went walking by on four large, bug-like legs arching up to a heavy-duty joint and then back down to support a heavy steel body with a single spherical camera attached to the end of a jointed, retractable-looking 'neck'. As Erin pressed the buzzer it stopped, turning that volleyball-sized eye to look at her through the glass of the front doors. It paused there, like it was waiting for something, before coming to life again and ambling forward and reach out with a delicate grasper arm and pull the door open. As soon as she was inside it backed away, turning to look at a stairway toward the back of the lobby next to an elevator that was clearly out of service before ambling off to do whatever it had been sent to do in the first place.

[Electra]

Erin hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she was supposed to follow the strange-looking camera spider. It didn't look back to ensure she was following, though, and indeed seemed to have no further interest in her. Playing a hunch, she headed for the stairs instead, keeping a close eye out as she headed up. She wondered idly if this were some kind of test, or if things were just a little weird here because the building wasn't finished yet. Either way, it was smart policy to keep both eyes open, especially if she wanted to figure out more about what was going on.

She trusted Jill, who'd given her the line on the job, but there was nothing to be found online about Mara Hallomen or her new company. It probably wasn't a front for supervillainy. Erin really hoped it wasn't. She'd already had to give up one excellent job because of supervillainy, two would probably look really questionable on her already scant resume.

[Fox]

Mara Hallomen was wearing a simple grey suit, looking a little out of place amongst the plastic and heavy wiring; was a apparently busy giving directions to a pair of those same spiders, one of which easily dwarfed her 5'5" frame, and both of which were staring at her with the intelligence and dignity one usually associated with cattle. They noticed Erin before their creator did, though, lifting their single eyes up to look over the engineer's shoulder at the new arrival and finally tipping Mara off that her interviewee had arrived.

She blinked, glancing over her shoulder, and waved the drones off to their work. "Early," she observed, sounding tired and business-like. "Good. Not necessary, of course - not that mean to employees - but good sign. Good sign you showed up, too, I suppose."

The young woman straightened her jacket and turned around, tilting her head. "Sorry. About the building, I mean - was hoping to have it done before now, but the Gorgon was...bad timing. Hard to get anything done during disasters. Probably best that way. Still, delays - will be much more impressive when it's done. Modern. ....cleaner. No construction drones. Hard workers, not very smart. Strong AI didn't seem right for laborers...."

She paused again, glancing off at where the ones she'd been talking to had gone before turning her attention back to Erin. "Mmh! Sorry. Mara - I am, I mean. Welcome."

[Electra]

Erin was a little surprised that Mara Hallomen didn't seem much older than she was herself, but she rallied quickly. With the friends she had, a lot of things that might have seemed very strange were almost routine anymore. "I hope I didn't disturb you," she said, stepping further into the room. "I can wait if you're busy. My friend Jill said that your company is coming along very fast. Are you really using robots to do all the building?" That last question just popped out, but it was such a strange and interesting idea, Erin couldn't resist.

[Fox]

"Mmh. No," Mara replied, glancing off in the direction the drones had gone again. "Both questions, I mean. Not that busy - not going to make you wait regardless. Doesn't seem...responsible?" She wasn't quite sure that was the word she wanted, but she was pretty sure that sitting there trying to figure out what word she did want wasn't a good use of interview time. think about it later "Using robots for a lot of the work - dangerous work, heavy lifting, high-voltage power lines - but not all of it. Not very....dexterous. No substitute for human work. Good for speed, though - can do simple jobs quickly, efficiently. Bothers some of the human workers, though - try to use them more after hours."

She shrugged, used to what people thought of her giant, steel-plated laborers. "Company's nearly done, yes. Building needs to be finished - soon, not as incomplete as it looks, needs final installations, finishing touches, some....work in the lower basements. Rest is done, minus a final name. Contracts lined up, already. Trying to get the rest of the hiring done before then. Which is why you're here, I think."

[Electra]

"Oh, ah, yes," Erin said quickly. "I'm Erin White, I talked to you in email, about the security position?" She shifted to hold the manila folder in both hands. "I've got my resume and references here, if you'd like the hard copies. I know there isn't much there, but I've had a lot of training, and I'm very good." She struggled not to betray any particular discomfort about that last bit; even without most of her powers she still had the training and the experience. It should certainly be enough to do security work well, so it wasn't even a lie. "And I can start whenever you need me to."

[Fox]

"Mmh. Will probably need that when I have a file cabinet to keep it in. Don't think those are here yet. In storage. Experience...."

She had to admit, really, it was kind of appropriate - the young woman with not much in her resume applying for a job with the young woman whose company barely existed. symmetry? - pattern or coincidence - assume coincidence The soon-to-be company owner tilted her head to the side, eyeing Erin up and down as she mentally played back the research she'd done. not sure what interviews do - seemed like the appropriate thing? - screw convention - practical questions "Doctor Stratos comes through that window shooting lightning," she said, out of nowhere, pointing without looking at one of the few windows that actually had glass already. They were only on the second floor, but the lobby had been awfully tall and whatever this floor was designed to be, it had pretty high ceilings itself - they were easily on the equivalent of a third or fourth floor, the window overlooking other buildings and, in the distance, the river. "What do you do?"

[Electra]

Erin had time for a quick moment of self-annoyance when she remembered she should've introduced herself as Keeley, the name she'd applied under, but it was replaced by the technical problem almost immediately. "Depends on what kind of systems you've got here," she said thoughtfully. "Stratos rarely works alone, so if he's coming in shooting lighting and starting trouble, I think he's probably being a distraction for someone else. I'd want to lock down the building and isolate this section, so that he can't get anywhere else easily, and anyone trying to infiltrate will have a harder time. If you have blockers to protect your sensitive electronics from overloading, that would be good to get up and running too. And then I would engage personally until he breaks off or is incapacitated."

[Fox]

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."

[Electra]

Erin closed her eyes for a moment, visualizing the layout in her head. Just like an Advanced Tactics problem, she reminded herself. That had been one of the classes she'd actually done pretty well in. Opening her eyes, she looked back at Mara. "Maestro's a jobber, he's not much of a threat unless he's left alone too long. I send out a call over whatever comm I have available for everyone to put on ear protection. Plug up my own ears, and deal with Hiroshima Shadow first. That pretty much depends on the equipment I have to work with, since he's not solid and a physical hit isn't going to stop him. You need specialized energy weapons or mental or psychological attacks. Evacuate the floor he's on, lock down all the equipment so he can't get at whatever he's come for. If nothing else was available, I would probably call in backup. Hiroshima Shadow's a potentially lethal threat and he's crazy, so there's not a lot of time to do things that don't work. Once Shadow is taken care of, go and mop up the Maestro with a quick stunning blow to the skull and send him back to jail."

[Fox]

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."

[Electra]

The thought briefly crossed Erin's mind that she could give Hallomen a quick tap in the temple with her bat to answer the question in the quickest and least personally annoying way possible, but she doubted that was what her potential new boss had meant. Besides, she wanted to have one job that she didn't get by knocking her employer unconscious. "I don't have a lot of experience that shows on my resume," she said after an uncomfortable moment of thought. "If you wanted to pay more money, you could probably hire someone who has run security for a company before. I'm pretty young and I'm a woman, so I'll have to work harder to earn respect in the field of security than if you hired a burly guy. And I don't actually know very much about science or any technology more advanced than a car engine."

[Fox]

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."

[Electra]

Erin thought about that for a moment, not quite sure of what to say. Head of security sounded a lot better, it probably paid a bit more and she would rather give orders than take them from a stranger, but what if an emergency came up and she was needed in costume? Could she reveal her secret identity without giving Jill away to her... wait. As Erin studied Mara, she suddenly remembered a morning, seemingly a lifetime ago now, before any of the momentous and tumultuous events of the summer. Eve's brunch at her brother's place, Erin had bought a new skirt for the occasion, and Jill had brought her new girlfriend... Mara. Oh. With the brief acquaintance and her assumption that Ms. Hallomen would be quite a bit older, she'd never thought to make the connection.

Comprehension and brief embarrassment raced across Erin's face before she regained control of her expression. "Ah," she began, "I just remembered now where I've met you before, at my friend Eve's breakfast party. I should have remembered sooner. In that case, I guess you understand that I have to divide my time during certain kinds of emergencies. I'm good at teamwork and delegating, so if I had to go somewhere in costume, the company wouldn't be undefended or anything like that, but if you would rather have someone else running security, I totally understand that."

[Fox]

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."

[Electra]

Erin nodded, not too surprised now that she'd finally managed to connect the dots. It wouldn't have been totally weird to have one non-hero guest at Eve's party, but everything made much more sense this way. "It seems like in most crisis situations, the danger is either focused on places like this, or sort of ignores them entirely. We can work up plans and stuff for various scenarios where things might go wrong, in case we both have to go out for something. I'm guessing you already do a lot of work with automated systems anyway," she hazarded, glancing in the direction of the robots. "When do you want me to start?"

[Fox]

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."

[Electra]

"November first is fine," Erin said immediately, even as she juggled numbers in her head. November 1 meant rent would come due before the first paycheck, but she had enough money without touching Alex's stock or her own emergency stash if she was really careful and didn't do any driving. And at least she only needed to eat every other day, when pressed. She wasn't about to ask for an advance or a loan now, not when she'd just gotten hired for a position that involved a whole lot of responsibility and sound management. And when the job actually started and she got her first paycheck, she could actually take Trevor out to dinner for once, to celebrate.

"So did you ever build that bike you were talking about at Eve's party?" she asked, suddenly curious.

[Fox]

"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."

[Electra]

Erin leaned back against a clear space on a work table, careful not to bump anything scientific-looking. "My boyfriend Trevor, you talked to him at the brunch thing too, he knows a lot about bikes. He's got one he built from the ground up. I can do the maintenance on something like that, do basic grease-monkey stuff on most cars, but he's the one who knows what he's talking about. You could probably talk to him if you want to toss ideas around. A good bike is really versatile in a lot of, you know, extracurricular situations, if it's made right."

[Fox]

"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."

[Electra]

Erin shrugged, cracking a half-smile for the first time since coming into the interview. "Plus it's just fun to trick out a bike to do stuff," she pointed out. "Even if you don't need to use most of it very often, knowing that you could if you wanted to is cool. And, you know, bike's good for dates and stuff, riding together." She decided not to say too much about that, not knowing exactly how private Mara wanted to be with her social life. She didn't seem to be much like Jill, who had a joke for every occasion. Opposites sometimes attracted, she guessed. "Anyway, maybe after the company's up and running you guys can get in touch and talk shop."

[Fox]

"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."