Fox

"Don't have a doctorate," she absent-mindedly replied, tilting her head at the sample. interesting - must have been an accident - no can't have been look at - almost elegant - slapdash - you little bugs are fascinating After a long couple of minutes, the little lights behind her eyes died out and Dragonfly stood up straight, rubbing the back of her neck. "I...it's...interesting. The design work involved is...mm." rambling "Mm. Sorry. Just...it...so many ideas...." rambling! "Sorry. Sorry. Good news: stable. Safe. Won't eat you alive, won't overpopulate, won't let foreign cells run...what's the phrase. Amok." She waved a hand. "Somewhat tamper-resistant. Difficult to tell without -" don't say 'autopsy' - don't say 'autopsy' "- ...investigation I'm not equipped for, but from the behavior and design I suspect they tap into your nervous system. Explains the need for screens - specific stimulus for a specific task...mm. Regardless. Likely difficult to control consciously. Maybe not impossible...not sure. But safe otherwise."

"An apotheosis," Dragonfly scowled, her right gauntlet whirring and building a charge, "that you will never see or touch again." The blade formed starting about an inch away from her closed fist: a long, straight, smooth-edged sword of twisted, blue-tinted space. When it moved there was a short afterimage, like reality was trying to rearrange itself when the edge had passed. She almost regretted not being the fast-witted quipping type - she was sure this situation would be great for a line of some kind. She had to make do with running up into close range and swiping her new (and newly-field-tested) toy right through Motley's chest. Though it didn't - in fact, at this setting, couldn't - cut skin, where it touched a jagged, distorted pattern was left along the surface of what now passed for his flesh.

Melee time! Because...uh, why not. Also, not having Precise Shot kinda sucks in situations like this. Mental note: buy that at the end of the month. Attack Roll vs. Motley (Blade) (1d20 + 8=26) Pretty sure that hits. DC23 Toughness save (nonlethal - horray !), and it has Penetrating 8 (if that matters).

Go-go Gadget Datalink. OOC post of the roll for the records! This, fortunately, IS her area (darn biology ) and she'll just go ahead and take 20. That's a Computers 'roll' of 36, at 100x speed.

Dragonfly was, at least, fast and efficient - being stuck with a big needle wasn't very pleasant (as she well knew) and she tried to keep it short. should probably say something comforting - not the motherly type - not sure what I could possibly- ah - that should be enough The syringe now containing a (slightly more than) generous sample, she muttered something uncomfortable about how there were some bandages in the kit she'd just been rooting through, emptying the blood into a beaker and...just staring at it, intently, little lights dancing behind her eyes.

Dragonfly tilted her head, pulling a large black case out from under the table and pulling it open. "Manifestation of physical, unattached objects would have been curious. Very interesting...please tell me if it ever happens. Don't have a guitar here, unfortunately. Violin, double bass. Would prefer to keep them safe. Very old. Expensive." She finally found what she was looking for, turning back towards her guests holding a large syringe. "Roll up your sleeve and hold still," she ordered, in the cold, detached tone of voice usually reserved for mad scientists and crazed doctors. "Will only take a moment."

Location and contributors were less interesting than the project itself, though Dragonfly had to admit that was probably her own fault. She wasn't a civil engineer and she lacked the skills (and people-oriented attention span) for organizing groups; she had, however, been using her skills to solve 'novel' challenges since she was barely old enough to put pencil to paper. She'd left talk of who was and who wasn't involved and where and how to the others, and was scribbling away on a large pad of drafting paper she'd pulled - literally - out of nowhere, sketching out the skeleton of some kind of build-and-repair drone. construction - literal-minded - careful supervision necessary - materials? - too many engines to build in too little time - hauling capacity up vertical walls problematic - spider inspiration reference pictures - mm - could always just-- Blinking, Dragonfly glanced up at the new arrival, catching back up on the current happenings as others made their introductions; Liebniz's tomfoolery earned him a flat look of disapproval, for all the good it did hidden behind her visor. She shook her head, sighing and turning back to her designs. "Should take Professor up on his offer. That one," she corrected herself, pointing her pencil at Quill without looking up, "not that one," this time at Liebniz. The pencil went back down to its work, scribbling numbers down in the margins. "Could help. Or learn something. Depending." librarians tend toward higher intelligence - common sense not to be confused with IQ - can't do worse than some have already

"Mm. Good idea. Not as good as the real thing, less likely to hurt him." Dragonfly dug around under a table for her medical kit, the screen pulling up youtube and running down the list until it found something appropriate - just a guy, his guitar, and tasty, tasty music. Her sound system was surprisingly good, and she had to stop herself from pausing and miming a chord or two. love a new spin on a classic - priorities - play later tonight - entertain the neighborhood cats

"Mm," Dragonfly hmmed, nodding at Silhouette's words. "Good - that's a good consideration. I cannot be sure without taking the nanites apart - or spending half a year studying biology - but I suspect the nanites control the cells, and the cells let you change shape. But this implies that you have a lot of these cells and nanites...more than the VCR could give you. Replicating...mm. Probably no small part of you is technically Grue, now. Or Grue-like. Diff - it's difficult to tell. I could try to talk to the nanotechnology in you but that's...risky. I'd rather not." Ejecting the tape and powering down her odd little power device, she tapped the now-inert VCR with a screwdriver. "SHADOW, not 'DARKNAZI'. Suspect I was right - this must be from...mm. Almost the dawn of the VCR. 70s, 80s? Can't - I can't speculate as to why your friend had it in her basement. Stockpile, trophies, saferoom...she was just a collector, for all I know. Or a packrat." She glanced around the shelves and tables of her workshop, grimacing a little. would understand that last one

"Silhouette's correct," Dragonfly noted, pulling away from the lens to frown at the screen. "Technically a 'hand probe'. Went through a lot of mannequins. Mostly kindling now, but good to re-use some old parts. Anyway." She leaned back against a workbench, looking up at the screen, which had settled on displaying an extremely zoomed-in look at whatever the hand had come away with. "Broken piece isn't broken - designed as a pressure-sensitive injection system of unknown volume, implying voluntary test sub--" She paused, glancing at blank looks. right - simpler - collect thoughts "....sorry. Will - I will try to speak like a normal person." for given value of 'normal' "The 'broken piece' isn't...actually broken," she started, talking a bit slower and apparently concentrating on using simple, proper sentences. "It's a...needle. Someone - in this case, you - is supposed to put their finger in there and touch it; it then injects you with what I can only assume is that." She gestured at the image on the screen. "Making several assumptions, haven't - I haven't had the time to properly look at the sample. I'd have to take it apart to be sure. Maybe consult with a couple...mm. On the left there is a nanite - nanobot. A very small machine. Simple and specialized on its own, smarter in groups. On the right is a cell...not human. Probably...mm. Not my area. Probably a Grue cell...would explain the shapeshifting. Grue or something like them." One or two of the little screens lit up with stock pictures of Grue, one of whom was in the middle of changing shape.

"Maybe...thought I heard...mm. Very quiet. Hard to tell." Dragonfly gestured to Silhouette while she poked around her shelves for something. "Should listen to her. Mass concerns, biological strain...too many variables." where is - know I kept it for fitting - should be around here somewhere Finally she came up with, of all things, a mannequin's hand (which looked suspiciously like it had been violently sliced off the rest of the arm). It was a matter of moments to use it as a sampling device, and only a few moments after that to carefully put the hand, palm-up, under an obscene contraption of lenses and cameras. She peered into one of the eyepieces, finally remembering she had other people less than fifteen feet away. "Happen to hurt yourself on the 'broken piece' at some point? Bad enough to draw blood?"

Skill rolls! Knowledge (Life Sciences) (1d20 + 6=11) Nnnnno. She has, at minimum, one (possibly her full two) HP left. Let's use one. Knowledge (Life Sciences) REROLL (1d20.minroll(11) + 6=22) Better! That's just within the given range Dr. A gave me when I asked in chat what the DC would be like to identify Grue cells. I don't trust you, dice. Taking 10 on her Knowledge (Technology) roll, for a 26, which ought to be plenty. Comics bleed nanotech. Sometimes literally!

For flavor (more! More possibly unnecessary OOC posts!) Dragonfly's either using Datalink to sweep the VCR for responding technology, or stunting some sort of Detect Technology off her Datalink power. It amounts to the same thing.

Dragonfly waved a hand, shaking her head. "SHADOW. All capitals. Don't know them that well; nazi roots, want to take over the world...I think. Don't do much business here. Cause trouble sometimes. Saw the symbol a long time ago, was consu---not important." The young woman immediately clammed up, and was glad when the topic changed. "Tentacle monster? Don't think I heard that story." Keeping half an ear on the conversation, Dragonfly turned back to the VCR and frowned at it, lights once again dancing behind her eyes. what do you have in there - VCR - standard interface - input output - nothing interesting in main body - assumed there'd be a- She frowned, leaning over to peer at the add-on. can hear you little things - what in the world are you

Dragonfly's edits! Following her Vignette, she's revealed a complication: some powerful depressants (emphasis 'powerful'; alcohol, for instance, not being strong enough) and the occasional compound like Zombie Powder can start to regress her to happy-little-worker-bee status while she's under the effects, with somewhat lower doses of the same making her neurotic as she feels her mind start to slip backwards. I don't expect it to come up much, but figured it was worth adding in case she ever ended up in the hospital or something. 5pp to spend. One of those is devoted to The Lab, and is so noted in her Equipment. The other four all get dumped into her gauntlets. That's five device points to spend; three of them are used to finally, finally buy Ablative off her Force Field. One of the two remaining points is used to put Turnabout on her teleport (seems like a nice thing to have). The other is used to buy an AP on her spacial array: she now has a second damage power, a melee-range 'blade' of warped space that's especially effective against heavily-armored enemies. No mighty, though - the blade is more physics than physical, and doesn't benefit from extra strength being put behind it. (Not that it'd do her much good.) The save is the same as her original Blast, but has been noted in her DC Block. [b][u]Characters Name:[/u][/b] Dragonfly [b][u]Power Level:[/u][/b] 8 (128/128) [b][u]Trade-Offs:[/u][/b] +2 Defense / -2 Toughness [b][u]Unspent PP:[/u][/b] 0 [b][u]Gold Status:[/u][/b] 23/30 [b][u]In Brief:[/u][/b] Bitter young genius out to apply her mind on [i]her[/i] terms, and no one else's. [b][u]Alternate Identity:[/u][/b] Mara Hallomen [b][u]Identity:[/u][/b] Secret [b][u]Birthplace:[/u][/b] France (dual citizen, French/American) [b][u]Occupation:[/u][/b] inventor; full-time hero [b][u]Affiliations:[/u][/b] Ironclad [b][u]Family:[/u][/b] Alexander 'Hollow Man' Hallomen (father) [b][u]Age:[/u][/b] 18 (born December 1991) [b][u]Gender:[/u][/b] female [b][u]Ethnicity:[/u][/b] Caucasian [b][u]Height:[/u][/b] 5'4" [b][u]Weight:[/u][/b] "I can build death rays, you know." [b][u]Eyes:[/u][/b] dark blue [b][u]Hair:[/u][/b] dirty blonde [b][u]Description:[/u][/b] On the short side, slim and modestly proportioned but not exactly muscular, Mara tends to take just enough care of herself to maintain her shape and stay alive, but not much else. She nearly always looks a little strung-out, hair disheveled and eyes tired, like she doesn't sleep well (which she doesn't) or spends long stretches distracted by some project or idea to the neglect of all else (which she does). Her clothing is simple, practical, and subdued in color (shades of gray and black being popular, dark reds, blues, and purples being runners-up). Very often what she's wearing hasn't been washed recently. Makeup is practically a foreign concept. When out fighting crime her outfit is a little more clean and constant: slim black pants, a short grey jacket with a stylized black dragonfly on the back, and her devices - currently a pair of large, heavy-looking high-tech gauntlets, a high-tech flexible chestpiece and belt, and a large headset which covers both ears and has a translucent blue visor over her upper face. She prefers boots with a little bit of heel to them – they're not very practical, but she's self-conscious about her height (especially when confronting criminals or working with your standard 6' bombshell heroine). [b][u]Power Descriptions:[/u][/b] When Dragonfly's Datalink is active small lights 'dance' behind her eyes; this effect is not very bright, but is highly piercing (being subtly noticeable even under her visor, which obscures most of her features). Failed attempts to penetrate her Mental Immunity are met with psychic 'static', resistance, and unintelligible echoes of her multiple running thoughts. Her technology-based spacial effects typically manifest as shifting, churning distortions or fragmented space. Some effects are tinted the same distinct neon blue her gauntlets emit at the seams and glasswork when charged. [b][u]History:[/u][/b] In certain parts of the underworld you don't buy or sell weapons without knowing the name Hallomen. Word is that for the right price he can get you anything: designer drugs like Max or Zoom, the very latest in illegal technology, and even, once in a rare while – if you can afford it – gadgets from caught supervillains that got 'lost' on their way to the incinerators or science labs. From the back alleys to high-class black market auctions, he supplies whole armies if the price is right and by luck, bribes, and exceptional planning he never seems to get caught; those who've dealt with him jokingly call him the “Hollow Man†(through rarely to his face) in honor of how the police raid into his storehouses and labs to find empty – 'hollow' – rooms. What customers only very rarely know is where most of the new and custom items came from. Hallomen is a cold and ruthless man but a man none the less, and around the turn of the 20th century had a short tryst with a villainess and frequent buyer. He was completely uninterested in the child she bore (what use did he have for a wailing, disgusting baby?) until several years later, when he got word that the child was displaying superhuman traits – signs of high intelligence (for a child of that age) and her mother's ability to control computers by thought alone. Now and only now was the girl useful to him and when the mother died (something he calmly claims he had nothing to do with, of course) she fell into his care. Little Mara Hallomen indeed was predicted to be brilliant when she grew older but that simply wouldn't be enough (or soon enough) for the Hollow Man – no, anything good can be made better. He invested considerable resources into her 'education', and so it was that young Mara grew up all but alone in a barely-staffed lab, under a constant regimen of 'vitamins' and 'medicine', supplied with a never-ending stream of knowledge and information, her only human contact a rare visit from her father, a scant few researchers or guards, and the occasional empath or psychic paid to enhance her mind in ways science could not. Even this was cold comfort, however: anyone who set foot in the building was under strict orders not to talk to Mara unless absolutely necessary so she could concentrate on her real purpose: designing new and improved tools of crime. From death rays to personal teleporters to battlesuits, she made them all. Old-school and cutting-edge, energy to gravity to good old bullets, she designed a veritable panoply and Hallomen made money hand over fist. Kept docile, driven, and borderline insane as an intended side-effect of her constant 'health treatments', the only thing her father could never have predicted was the net effect it was taking on her mind: redundant and parallel in some places, warped and enhanced in others, bit by bit her brain was growing resistant to outside influence. The older she got the more treatment she underwent and the more treatment she underwent the more resistant she became; the more resistant she became the more disquieting her life seemed. Finally, near her 18th birthday, she was resting in what passed for her private room when a lone dragonfly wandered its way through the barred window and caught her eye. To anyone else it wouldn't even have been a remarkable specimen of a dragonfly, but to her the darting little bug was the most beautiful thing in the world: free. Then and there she made up her mind to be as free as the dragonfly was: to escape and feel the wind under her metaphorical wings. Less than a month later, the guards came to wake her and found the room empty, the majority of her research and designs completely destroyed, and a very large sum vanished from her father's own personal bank account. She's managed to stay a step ahead of her father and his goons ever since, figuring Freedom City and its relatively high hero count to be the perfect place to hide out…and test some new designs on her own terms. [b][u]Personality & Motivation:[/u][/b] Mara's more than a little bitter about not having had much of a childhood, and not amazingly socially skilled (which she typically deals with using snark and mistrust). When presented with a puzzle or new idea to build she's energized and almost manic as her brain kicks into gear to solve the task at hand. She's very intelligent and highly rational, but a combination of chronic bad sleep and frequent headaches (both side-effects of assorted substances that are even now still washing out of her system) can make her snide and irate. Given her life so far, she has a fairly intense dislike of criminals. She's softer at heart than she'd ever admit, having an especially strong drive to aid children, but by and large she's more driven by the victimizers than their victims. It's occurred to her that she could accomplish many of her goals by villainy (at the very least as the sort of villain who hunts other villains as often as they break the law), but believes heroism's just more rational – being strictly on the hero side of things provides more advantages than disadvantages...not to mention helps her sleep a little easier, particularly if she gets her own creations off the streets. [b][u]Powers & Tactics:[/u][/b] Mara dabbles in many areas of technology but most of her combat tech is based on spacial distortions, something she developed under her father's thumb but didn't work the kinks out of until she'd escaped. Her devices, her gauntlets especially, are built to warp and fold space to provide any number of effects. Her Datalink power she finds useful, but more for utility than combat; her mind's resistance to outside influence is something she tries to keep well-hidden as her ace in the hole against manipulation. When given half a chance she plans her battles quickly and efficiently, well aware that she relies on her devices and that those devices have limits. Against an obviously inferior foe she might be careless, but against anything or anyone challenging she is methodical and deliberate, striking when she'll have the upper hand and analyzing the situation for any advantage. [b][u]Complications:[/u][/b] [b]Enemy:[/b] The Hollow Man. When she left she dealt a huge (if sadly not crippling) blow to her father's business, not to mention the very large sum of money she took with her. He wants her back, preferably in good condition, though the longer he has to pretend that the key to his most popular items has vanished the more and more flexible he gets as long as she's alive and her head's in one piece. [b]Hatred:[/b] People taking advantage of children, anyone using the creations she thought up, and to a lesser extent organized crime or high-end weapons dealers. [b]Legacy:[/b] Against her best efforts, some of her creations are still being made here and there, and there are still quite a number of older designs floating around through the underworld. Anyone savvy enough, or connected enough, can link this (often quite lethal or empowering) technology to her. [b]Secret:[/b] Identity. [b]Side-Effects:[/b] Powerful depressants and some other compounds (like Zombie Powder) react badly with chemicals and conditioning still in Dragonfly's system; depending on the dosage used she'll range from being slightly neurotic (as her sense of identity fights the old conditioning) up to complete if temporary regression to a happy and disturbing little worker bee that almost mindlessly devours any technical projects put in front of her. [b]Visor:[/b] The visor device communicates most of its powers through Dragonfly's normal senses, and thus may be lost to the appropriate dazzle or similar sense-impairing attack (eg, all visual senses and Uncanny Dodge are lost when visually dazzled; radio signals cannot be 'heard' if deaf; etc). [b][u]Stats:[/u][/b] 0+4+0+12+2+2 = 20pp Str: 10 (+0) Dex: 14 (+2) Con: 10 (+0) Int: 22 (+6) Wis: 12 (+1) Cha: 12 (+1) [b][u]Combat:[/u][/b] 8+8 = 16pp Initiative: +6 Attack: +4, +8 Gauntlets Grapple: +5 Defense: +10/+4 (+4 Base, +6 Shield), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0 Base, -3 with Force Field [b][u]Saves:[/u][/b] 4+4+6 = 14pp Toughness: +0 Base, +6 with Force Field (+0 Con, +6 Force Field) Fortitude: +4 (+0 Con, +4) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +7 (+1 Wis, +6) [b][u]Skills:[/u][/b] 68r = 17pp Computers 10 (+16) Concentration 4 (+5) Craft (electronic) 9 (+15) Craft (mechanical) 9 (+15) Knowledge (physical sciences) 10 (+16) Knowledge (technology) 10 (+16) Languages 3 (English [native], French, Japanese, Russian) Notice 4 (+5) Perform (stringed instruments) 9 (+10) [b][u]Feats:[/u][/b] 14pp Ambidexterity Benefit (wealth) Eidetic Memory Equipment 4 (20ep) Fearless Inventor Luck Master Plan Online Research Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Notice) Speed of Thought [quote name="Equipment"]Masterwork Double Bass [1ep] Masterwork Violin [1ep] Multitool [1ep] The Lab (1pp contributed to [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4400]The Lab[/url]) [5ep] Warehouse HQ [12ep] [device][i]An outwardly-unremarkable warehouse tucked away in Greenbank, no local gangs or criminals seem to want to talk about it. Funny, that....[/i] Size/Medium Toughness/10 Concealed Computer Defense System Fire Prevention System Garage Laboratory Living Space Power System Security System Workshop[/device][/quote] [b][u]Powers:[/u][/b] 2+4+31+6+4 = 47pp [b]Datalink 2 ([/b]100ft, mental; mutation[b])[/b] [2pp] [b]Device 1 ([/b]Visor, 5dp; technology; [i]Flaws:[/i] Easy to Lose; [i]Feats:[/i] Restricted [Datalink][b])[/b] [4pp] [i]A blue, obscuring visor attached to two ear-covering mounts and covering much of the upper face. It requires the wearer to have Datalink to be used properly.[/i] [device][b]Super-Senses ([/b]Radio; Uncanny Dodge[b])[/b] [2dp] [b]Super-Senses ([/b]Visual; Analytical 2, Infravision[b])[/b] [3dp][/device] [b]Device 7 ([/b]Gauntlets, 35dp; technology; [i]Flaws:[/i] Hard to Lose; [i]Feats:[/i] Accurate 2, Restricted [Datalink][b])[/b] [31pp] [i]A pair of heavy, high-tech gauntlets capable of warping and folding space. They require the wearer to have Datalink to be used properly.[/i] [device][b]Spacial Array 8 ([/b]16pp array; spacial; [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 2[b])[/b] [18dp] [list] [b]Damage 8 ([/b]blast; [i]Extras:[/i] Range [Ranged][b])[/b] [16/16] [b]Damage 8 ([/b]spacial 'blade'; [i]Extras:[/i] Penetrating[b])[/b] [16/16] [b]Dimensional Pocket 7 ([/b]25,000lbs; [i]Feats:[/i] Progression 1[b])[/b], [b]Enhanced Feat ([/b]Quick Change[b])[/b] [15+1= 16/16][/list] [b]Protection 6 ([/b]spacial; [i]Extras:[/i] Force Field (+0); [i]Feats:[/i] Selective[b])[/b] [7dp] [b]Shield 6 ([/b]spacial[b])[/b] + [b]Enhanced Feat ([/b]Evasion[b])[/b] [6+1= 7dp] [b]Teleport 1 ([/b]100ft; spacial; [i]Feats:[/i] Turnabout[b])[/b] [3dp][/device] [b]Immunity 10 ([/b]Mental Effects; [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Half]; [i]Feats:[/i] Innate[b])[/b] [6pp] [b]Quickness 6 ([/b]x100; [i]Flaws:[/i] One Type [Mental]; [i]Feats:[/i] Innate[b])[/b] [4pp] [b][u]DC Block:[/u][/b] [code]Unarmed 15 DC/Toughness damage Blast, Blade 23 DC/Toughness damage Pocket 17 DC/Reflex trapped 17 DC/Will, -1 per save failed to escape (Dimensional Movement grants automatic escape) Costs: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saves (14) + Skills (17) + Feats (14) + Powers (47) - Drawbacks (0) = 128pp Edits done by Geez3r

Dragonfly probably has (daughter of a villain who did business with other villains and all), but rolls will happen anyway. Dragonfly's home-field advantage is almost cheating, really. Datalink + Online Research + Computers skill = Gather Info roll of 26 if she takes 10. It's a publicly-known symbol she may or may not have already known, so that's probably far more than she needs. EDIT: Can't use Mental Quickness for Online Research! My bad. I have gained wisdom from learning this. Her search probably takes a minute or two, then.

"Hm...don't know a Ms. Light. Probably wouldn't. Several reasons to have a...stockpile...?" Dragonfly trailed off, glancing from SIlhouette down to the symbol on the table. no - couldn't be Turning her attention back up to the screens, little lights danced behind her eyes. Revenge of the Wolfguy shrank and moved over to claim one of the smaller secondary monitors; the main screen was dominated by the symbol, pages and pages of news stories and image searches zipping by in the background until she found what she was looking for. The symbol retreated to a corner to show the news clip - a pretty mundane story about some heroic exploits a few years ago. Mostly of interest was the center picture - a sorry-looking, scuffed-up agent in black with the symbol on his chest being led away by the police - and the headline: "SHADOW Foiled Again". Tilting her head, Dragonfly let the screen speak for itself for a moment. "....well. Interesting. Didn't know Nazis made VCRs."

no faith in science Dragonfly lightly coughed, pointing with a finger to trace the progress of the fever-ridden flesh's progress through the walls. "There....mostly. Possible delay between actual and apparent location. Position only, not as good as Slick's analysis...confined to thin lines. Old pipes?"

Dragonfly started muttering something about security and isolated experiments, clearing a generous amount of space around the VCR and digging out a couple of oddball contraptions: one was a little stand supporting a sphere made of layers and layers of interlocking machinery, while the other looked like the guts of a wireless router, reconfigured and soldered with its wires hanging out. The former got the VCR plugged into it and received some fiddling as she muttered something about 80s power requirements; the latter got plugged into an adapter pulled off a shelf, which itself got plugged into the VCR's video output. Gently taking the tape off Creature's hands, she put it in the VCR...and hesitated, leaning down to take a better look. "Needle?" she asked, turning her head to look at the fish-man. "Possible explanation of delivery system...mm. Curious." Carefully avoiding that part of the machine, she put in the cassette and flipped a little switch on the sphere's base. Nothing happened. always - design unstable - locking up - better fix it before it rips local space Sighing, she gave the thing a good whack and it spun to life, little bits of steel and glass whirring and sliding in constant motion, a soft blue light shining between the cracks when they lined up just right. The VCR hummed to life, a couple LEDs on the circuit board lit up, and with the push of a button the main screen started playing Revenge of the Wolfguy in all its grainy glory.

Auto-20 on Dragonfly's Notice check (Mental Quickness, taking her .6 seconds) for a total roll of 25. Probably not necessary, but fun for the narrative. I'm assuming that something designed to be used as part of the unit isn't incredibly well-hidden; correct me if I'm wrong and I'll edit the post. The power device (a prototype for what powers Dragonfly's own gear) and the gutted wireless device I'm furiously handwaving as being things a workshop might have around...much less Dragonfly's workshop, where she has her oddball mix of hashed-together junk and fancier, heavy-steel-and-glass sort of creations.

OOC questions! Two of them. 1) How much is Dragonfly, as a meta-concern, allowed to know about the VCR? Obviously I know what it is and where it's from, I've read CF's sheet; is there anything Dragonfly could or (more importantly) could not possibly realize, for either plot concerns or just properties of the device I'm not aware of from looking at your sheet? 2) Presumably the device contains some manner of computery bits and/or nanites; would they respond to datalink if the thing was/was not plugged in?

"Mm. Interesting." Dragonfly grabbed a tool or two, dropping them into her rather large overall pockets as she approached the table and gave the VCR a careful look, bending down and gently turning the device around to inspect it from all possible angles. "Solid design. Complex...dated. Older workings. Don't make them like they used to...70s, 80s...wrong size, shape for a VCR that old." She leaned back, biting her lip. "Questions...where did you find this? Unusual happenings when it changed you? Magic unlikely in machinery, possible...mm. Maybe lightning, or injection, or energy transference or bio-field generator...."

She snorted, silently telling the security system to unlock the door as she reached for the handle and pulled it open, waving them inside. "Close the door behind you." The far end of the warehouse was largely empty, containing a covered object that could only be a motorcycle and a large area with chipped and distorted concrete...some kind of testing ground, most likely. The rest of the building was mostly built-in or freestanding tables and shelves, most surfaces cluttered with tools and all manner of devices in some state of being assembled or disassembled. It was to this end that Dragonfly walked, still wiping grease off her hands as she made her way to a double-sized, extremely solid and heavy-looking workbench. The large computer screens that took up part of the wall in the workshop switched to meaningless numbers and shifting images, seemingly of their own accord. When she talked it was over her shoulder. "Don't touch anything. Looked like a VCR? Can't be normal if you bring it to me." She tilted her head. "Or wouldn't be, afterwards."

Mara glanced up from some big machine or another at the knock, blinking as she was shaken out of her building-and-fixing-things-groove. A quick query to her computer brought up the image from the door camera, revealing Silhouette and...Abe Sapien? Grabbing her visor and putting it on, she snagged a grease rag on her way to the door, too, wiping off her hands but not bothering to do much about her overalls or old, machinery-stained t-shirt. When she was close enough to be heard she extended what was, for her, a fairly welcome greeting. "Hello Silhouette," she said through the closed and locked door, her voice calm and level. "If your companion is forcing you to lead him here, say so and warehouse defenses will act quickly."

An interesting and creepy mental picture. I like it. Force Field back to full strength, infravision up mostly as a shot in the dark (if you'll pardon the joke), on the off-chance the guy's behind or under something thin enough to not block his heat.