328/Dr. Wily's Research Cubicle

Dr. Wily's Research Cubicle
Date of Scene:	02 August 2014
Location:	The Citadel - Research Facilities
Synopsis:	Upon hearing about Wily, Ferham goes to visit him in Research.
Cast of Characters:	516, 529

---

Ferham (516) has posed:
     The dark holds. Ferham had been down here once before when she had visited Jinx, but not too many more times than that, due to how out of the way and sorta eerie it was down here. She HAD however heard of a roboticist opening up a laboratory in the research area however, but she was quite surprised at who the scientist himself was. Dr. Wily. THE Dr. Wily, as in the legendary mad scientist who had tried to take over the world, about... 8, 9 times historically? There were reports of more attempts, however unsubstantiated. She just HAD to come and see just what type of person this was, and if he was even really what he was cracked up to be.

     Of course, the research building happens to be an office-like environment with people testing and running all sorts of new technologies and weapons, so it proves to be a hazardous and random sort of place, Ferham likely having to step over and duck under various bits of machinery or rays on the way in. Until she arrived at where she thought the doctor might be stationed. At a cubicle, no less.

     "Dr. Wily, I presume?" she almost cracked a smile at that, her hands on her hips.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    Standing inside the cubicle stands perhaps the quintessential mad scientist. Wild hair, lab coat, occasionally chuckling to himself - it could be any of the Citadel's researchers, in truth. But of course it's not.

    He doesn't even turn around to answer. Instead, Dr. Wily continues to focus on the cluttered desk before him, sifting through various bits of gadgetry. "What do you want? I don't have any appointments right now. (... should have told them they need to book in advance...)" It seems perhaps the doctor hadn't been bluffing when he said he was busy, though exactly what he's doing is difficult to discern. Making a jumble of things seems like the only fair answer.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Ferham crosses her arms as she stood aside the opening to the cubicle, careful not to knock anything aside as she was in her armor. She tended to wear it around the Citadel, especially in areas like this since it wasn't exactly... safe. Due to whatever they had running around the place, it was genuinely a bit dangerous in here.

     "I was told THE Dr. Wily was stationed down here in the research center," Ferham said, as if she was disbelieving what she was seeing. She must have been thinking 'what the christ! is THIS really him??' or the like. She cringed a little as she looked over at the jumble of devices he was tinkering with, as if she was looking at someone's remains down there on his work area. Was he really working on ROBOTS in this cramped and messy area??

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Mhm. You heard right." Wily picks up what almost seems like a piece of scrap metal, and looks it over before setting it down at a far corner of the desk, and moves on to another. "And he's got work he wants to get finished before the next pile of scrap comes in!"

    Wily picks up a screwdriver, and for a moment it looks as though he's actually going to put parts together to make something. Instead, however, he turns suddenly to face the intruder in his cubicle. "So either HURRY UP and hand over whatever you need FIXED get OU-- hrm!? What?" A furious scowl melts almost instantly into an expression of... surprise? Intrigue? ... a hint of sinister inspiration?

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Ferham eyed him as he handled that piece of scrap metal. Maybe it was a piece of some robot he created, like a part of a boot or chestpiece. Ferham however looked up with surprise when the doctor turned and suddenly had this strange look in his eye. It was a little eerie to be honest. It was like those old cartoons where one character was starving and starting to imagine his bestest buddy as a walking fried chicken or pizza, or the like.

     "Err, I didn't need anything fixed exactly, at least not right now. I'm Ferham, ally of the confederacy, I'm a Reploid," Fer perhaps had a little tingle up her spine, as if she was a fowl who unwittingly just walked into the shop of Raoul, poultry butcherer extraordinaire. Except it wasn't exactly on those terms, moreso with mechanical or technical matters. Maybe a chop happy mechanic spying a rather expensive car?

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Reploid, eh...?" Wily eyes his visitor up and down. In other circumstances it could be mistaken for a leer, but here and now... "Hmm. Components look a bit familiar, but... yes, yes that makes sense." He seems to almost be talking to himself.

    After another few moments of intense scrutiny, he finally looks away for the moment, to run a thumb along the side of the screwdriver and... speak into it? "Junk Man! Pick up the scraps at the office, I have other things to tend to." And then, the screwdriver is set down, attention is returned to the reploid, and, "Lucky you. I think an appointment just opened up. I'm sure I can find... something... to do with you." And without another glance, he sets off, leaving the cubicle and heading for a hallway - perhaps a bit quicker than a man of his age should be moving.

    Outside, there's a flash of lightning and an ominous rumble of thunder. There's probably someone on staff to handle that.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Why yes, they were the predecessor to the androids built by Dr. Light... and yourself if history has led us to believe," Ferham almost sounded as if she was a bit skeptical there. "Uhh..." Ferham raised a hand as if to say something there, but lowered it as he seemed to be speaking into a... screwdriver. Uh oh. Was this man bonkers or actually who or what he said he was? Maybe this was a Dr. Wily from a version of her earth with Schizophrenia? It could be for all she knew.

     She did however try to follow the man out and down the hall, at least so that he didn't get into anything that could be well... dangerous. She had no idea if he was even running with a full deck. "Uhm... Doctor...? Doctor??" her boots thudded as she hurried after him, one of her wings accidentally knocking over a paper soda cup that someone had precariously perched on the top of their cubicle, curses issuing forth as it spilled down on some electronics underneath.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Yes... that makes sense. Thought that looked a bit like Light's work if he put a few more decades in." Wily still seems to be talking more to himself than anyone else as he walks through the hallways. He does spare a glance back to be sure that he's being followed, though, as he deftly... wanders through the hallways? He doesn't seem to be moving with entirely the same sense of purpose that someone who knows just where they're going might have. At a few intersections, he stops for a moment and mutters to himself.

    "Just a little further. Not sure why I even bother with the cubicle at all... aha!" At last, after what seems like it had to be nearly a mile of hallways and stairs, the mad scientist stops at a door. Not just any door, mind - there's a W logo hastily scrawled onto it, and the doorknob seems to have been replaced with a skull-shaped ornament. It is, however, otherwise unmarked - no nameplate, no room number, nothing to indicate it's anything but an old unused door to nowhere. "Well, then. Shall we go in?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Well, I'm glad the design was kept consistent, so we ARE from the same world and all that," Ferham replied, though she was moving at somewhat of a jog to keep up with the old man. Who knew he could move so fast! She almost worried he was trying to run to get something on the sly, or the like, or... well she wasn't sure what was going on now, exactly. Though she was a bit curious as to why he seemed to stop before picking a new direction.

     "Sigh... you don't know where you're going, do you?" she said, half to herself. She even loses sight of him once or twice, but catches a glimpse of a white fluttering labcoat as it disappears around a corner and hurries in it's direction. "Huh... is this some kind of space you uh, repurposed for yourself?" she recognized the logo from historical documents, though she had to frown as it seemed to be drawn on the door in what looked like magic marker, maybe a Sharpie?

     "Uhh, sure doctor," at least if only so he didn't accidentally set off some kind of explosion in the building, and or hurt himself.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "They gave me a cubicle. What was I going to do with THAT? So I just... helped myself to one of the vacant labs. Welcome--" Here, Wily opens wide the door, revealing a space behind it that seems ad odds with the rest of the building so far.

    The room is large - to the human eye, the far wall is nearly imperceptible in the distance. Heavy cables run haphazardly across the floor, connecting to banks of computers, metal pods with readouts, the odd half-built robot body, and other machines of indeterminate purpose. Various workbenches dot the room, each loaded up with components. Busters, disembodied arms and legs, pieces of half-assembled armor, and... miners' helmets? There are even large bins of scrap metal, looking much like the pieces Wily had been sorting through at the cubicle. Off in a corner, there's even a large combat vehicle with a skull motif design - a prototype Wily Machine?

    "-- to Wily Labs!" The doctor sweeps his arm expansively as he speaks, as if inviting his 'guest' to take it all in. "Now, let's have a look at the future of robotics, hmm?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Woah..." Ferham was not doing a bad imitation of Keanu Reeves here, no she was genuinely surprised at the sprawling and advanced laboratory that the doctor had set up here. 'Advanced' was a quaint way of putting it, as a lot of the actual parts and equipment here seemed to be cruder and more simplistic versions of machines she'd known from her own time period and world. It was like comparing the old electronics and wires and adaptors and things from decades previous, with newer, sleeker, more compact versions. She had to step inside, finding herself wandering about, poking here and there at disembodied arm cannons, parts of last century Mets (metool, mettaur, mettall, take your pick on the spelling) and the ever prominent skull emblem design was everywhere.

     "It's like looking through a museum, but it's not," Ferham peered over at the doctor, somewhat quickly as she was addressed, having just been worried not seconds ago whether the man was off his rocker and needed to be restrained or something. Worse things had happened around the confed facilities, to be sure. "Well, your future perhaps, but it's my past," she replied, but not with an air of superiority, exactly, she was more sober and honest with her tone, and not just because she was worried about infuriating.

     "Okay, so you're for real, I wasn't sure if you were actually capable of this or not," she admitted with a lower, bit more humble tone.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Hehehehah!" It's not Wily's usual maniacal cackle - it's more a laugh of smug self-satisfaction. "If it were at home, I imagine it WOULD be a museum... when I was done with it anyway. I'm sure a few of my fortresses ended up that way - they'd want to preserve my legacy, after everything I accomplished!" The poor fellow... he seems to think at some point he's actually going to win, and be remembered for taking over the world, rather than just becoming a near-forgotten footnote.

    As they stroll through the lab, Wily takes a moment to poke at various components as they're passed. Checking for a crack here, adjusting a wire there... more inspecting than tinkering, a hint that his attention isn't really there.

    "Oh, I'm capable of much more than this... and with your help, I can achieve even more! Come, have a seat. I'd like to have a look at your components, and see which of my theories were correct..." It's not exactly a demand, but he's not exactly asking either as he gestures to a metal seat with various wires and displays attached to it. It's more the tone of someone who doesn't expect this to be a choice. At least there's a lovely view of a met dispenser, churning out a few varieties of the round little robots?

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Well you have accomplished a lot, lets put it that way," Ferham didn't seem to want to tell him much more about her world's history at the moment, however she was not omniscient at all of all the weird facts. Well, at least he was able to put his skills to doing something constructive now. Constructing seems to be what he was concentrating on all alone in here by himself, and he wans't JUST bonkers apparently, but bonkers with technical aptitude. It was a more terrifying combination than either of the two traits by themselves, really.

     "Huh, you just want to have a look around? Well, alright..." HI FERHAM, WELCOME TO BAD IDEA #592! However, she doesn't seem to want to just ignore or turn him down from this exactly, hell, maybe he'd even wind up helping her out if she ever got into bad trouble and needed repairs, maybe? She sighed and with a shrug had herself a seat in that metal chair, daintily crossing her legs.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    Classic horror movie mistakes, number 17: Never let the mad scientist get you onto a table or into a seat. However, for right now... "We'll have to set up a time for a thorough examination. I'm sure I can learn a lor from how you're put together, but--" Wily walks around the chair, grabbing wires and cables, and attaching them to various spot - some to nearby terminals, some to ports on the chair itself, and a few to Ferham's chairbound form. Though perhaps 'bound' isn't a good word to use - while it seems like exactly the sort of seat to have armrests with restraints, none are evident at the moment. Small favors, perhaps? "-- right now, I think a few scans will do."

    With the machinery set up, Wily moves about from terminal to terminal. A soft hum starts to emanate from the chair as diagnostic tools warm up and begin their work. "This is going to take a few minutes. Don't worry, it shouldn't interfere with your systems too much." Finally, with everything else seemingly set up, the last step is... a funnel-style headpiece? Nope, nothing sinister about that at all! "So, while we wait. Did the mini fusion sources catch on, or is the world of tomorrow going solar again?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Sure doc, whatever you want," Ferham sounded like she was sort of humoring the old guy, at least for the moment. She knew he was dangerous, and hadn't gotten much of an angle on his personality yet to figure out how volatile or untrustworthy he could possibly be. So she continued to sit there with the cables attached to various spots on her armor (and by proxy into her systems) not looking terribly enthused, but she wasn't complaining either. "This is... pretty invasive for a model like me, I am not even sure if all these connections are compatible--" she went wide-eyed as she realized that they were in fact interfacing with her, and while they weren't exactly causing her discomfort, they were a good bit distracting.

     "Mini-f-fusion? Y-yeah, Reploids can't be supported under solar power alone, we m-mine E-crystals for power," she shook her head a little, only then realizing there was something coming down now over her head, which might have caused some alarm if she wasn't trying to keep up with the influx of requests for entry and other things.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    Before long, the displays around the chair begin to light up displaying first outlines, then, gradually, schematics, and even annotations and labels - though there seem to be a lot reading things like 'UNKNOWN' and '?????'. Wily scoots from one to the next, peering at each readout as information becomes available. "... interesting... I need to try that... I'll want to take a closer look at that system... ... oh." Suddenly, he seems to realize that a bit of reassurance may be in order - so far as he's been able to tell this is still a Three Laws design, but just in case... "It's fine. My tools are as universal as it gets, at least in the twenty-first century. Shouldn't hurt a thing. Surprised I didn't have to cobble together more adapters though."

    After a few adjustments, the brain cup is settled into place; it immediately begins to emit a ring of light, flickering in a multitude of colors and making a variety of ominous beeps and buzzes. When Wily speaks again, he does so from beside another monitor, one he hadn't visited before. "E-crystals? I'll have to collect some to study. Hah - maybe I'll be the one to invent your power supply! ... did they ever settle the string theory debate? -- wait, no. Don't tell me, it'd ruin the surprise."

    Suddenly, the doctor comes to a realization. Perhaps one of the first that anyone else might have made, but... well, who's to say for sure. "... wait a minute. That's... different. Hmph. Looks like somebody was lonely. They make a lot of robot women in the future, then?"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Indeed, his hardware and equipment would have a time trying to discipher just WHAT information he was getting back, however there would be some, not everything would have changed entirely from the way androids were setup internally and reploids... just most of it. Why rebuild the wheel when you still had a decent foundation, after all? He might find something quite different if he looked and searched into what exactly 'laws' or moral coding she might have though, it'd open a whole new can of worms.

     "A-as far as I know it was via constant refinement and upgrades on technology developed by Dr. Thomas Light, Dr. Mikhail Cossack, and you Dr. Albert Wily," Fer was stuttering less thanks to the intrusions in her systems. That Cossack, he had been the one to help the Megabuster grow into the X buster, after all. What X used was simply the megabuster mark... 14 at that point, was it? who was counting by now.

     "Are you referring to my design?" she was silent for a moment, before taking in a deep breath. "I blame a lonely technician myself, as for your question: there are more than a few," the gender disparity had slimmed a bit since Light and Wily's days, to be sure, but female Reploids were far more numerous now.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    During the conversation, such as it is, Wily simply stands by that last monitor, and seems to watch intently... what could be going on there? "Cossack... I have to admit, I'm surprised he made that much of a mark. (Toad Man. What was he even thinking?)" Beep beep... whirrr.

    "It's an interesting development, I suppose. Not sure why anyone would bother, but... hah. I suppose, give some people a few pinups and the chance to build a chassis, and..." Off in the background, a large robot with mismatched gray and orange parts clanks into the room, and drops a pile of scraps into a bin, and sets about tidying up bits and pieces of stray metal from the floor.

    "How about humans, then? Still around? Or did you lot decide to wipe them out? (Hmm. That almost looks like one of my designs!)"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "He's regarded as a founding father of modern robotics," Ferham nodded a little, trying to finally get her attention back on the outside world instead of what scurrying his systems were doing inside hers. "As with you, actually," she frowned a little as she heard what he said next. "Does my shape bother you doctor? should I wear a trench coat around you?" she might have popped a smirk there if it hadn't been for the influx of scanning and prying into her systems. "I'll have you know I'm an advanced New Model Reploid, we're built for speed and efficiency," also for comfort, apparently.

     "Humans are not instinct, why would they be? They made us to help them after all, we'd be doing a pretty poor job if we let them die out," for that she managed a bit of a smirk, then shook her head. "We didn't desire to exterminate humans, not from where I was from, we just wanted independence," she might have started to divulge personal history there, given the distraction she was under, ohoho.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Bother me? Hmph. Hardly, I just don't see the point. ... orrr... hm. Didn't. ... Light. Always trying to make them more human..." Wily finally tears himself away from his monitor for a minute to peek at the schematic screens, which appear to have stopped updating.

    "Alright, looks like that's all I'll get from the component scans. I'll still want a closer look at the parts, of course. We'll have to book an appointment for that." He moves over to the chair, and starts to unplug diagnostic wires... but the head dish is left in place. Nah, that's not anything to worry about.

    "I wonder just how fast you are, then. I built a robot once... actually, something like four times now, I think? I bet he'd give you a run for your money. ... actually... with a little modification, I bet I could... hmm."

    Returning to the final monitor, Wily apparently chooses this moment to utterly abandon millenia of human survival instinct in favor of one sentence. "You know, if you want to make me more comfortable with your form, next time you should consider wearing a mask."

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Correct, more human, in both form and mind, or heart or soul, whichever you prefer," Ferham still had the funnel object over her face, so she couldn't exactly see what he was peering at, just realized where he was due to the sound of the man's footsteps. "Appointment, huh? a doctor's appointment?" she said a little smarmily under the headset, which made her words sound a little muffled or hollow.

     "Let me guess, Quick Man, was that his name?" this might have been a good guess on her part, allowing him to disconnect most of the interface wires from her body. Of course, when the remark came about her wearing a mask, Ferham's eyes suddenly alighted with what might have been a mixture of surprise and fury. "What...? A mask...?" there would be the sound of metal clinking as she made a sudden movement to stand right up, however unfortunately forgetting the fact there was that funnel still covering her head--one of her clawed hands thrust out as if trying to reach for him.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Well... I suppose if you're so human, it WOULD be like... *hem*. Anyway. Yes, Quick Man. It would be fascinating to see how he compares to future models. For now, though..." It's about here that the horrible fallout from the mask comment strikes.

    One would like to think that Wily had a plan in mind. Did he expect the Three Laws to save him? Did he forget that this was not merely a robot, but a reploid with human - human female! - emotions and the reactions they would inspire? Or was it just a terrible mistake? Well... if the smirk that his data inspires is any indication, he was at least expecting something like this. Although perhaps... not so much, if the slightly worried widening of his eyes is any indication. "I-I think I'd... like to bring to mind one more of... of my creations you may be familiar with?" A troubled swallow... and another glance at the data? "Fl-flash Man? Do they talk about him? I wouldn't... I wouldn't try to attack me here, if I were you. You won't get very far! Ha ha ha! Ha! Haaaa..." And another swallow. Maybe Wily miscalculated a little here? (Or maybe he's bluffing, badly?)

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Ferham had indeed tried to lurch up from the chair, though forgetting the head funnel was there had proved to be a miscalculation on her part, as it was quite a decent little knock on the head--despite her helmet absorbing most of the shock, that is. That's what it was there for. "GAH--err... ooww..." a little whining could be heard underneath the funnel there at the moment, as she readjusted herself in the chair. After regaining her senses she'd turn in the direction of his voice, the taloned tips of her gloved fingers clicking as if anxious, or inticipation.

     Luckily for him she hadn't fully tried to rise up out of the chair since she'd just accidentally bonked her head, distracted by his comment. "Flash Man...? I know there's a Metal Man enlisted currently... don't know about him. And why would I try to attack you...?" she asked in a questioning tone, as if she didn't already know the answer. "You wouldn't do anything to hurt or insult me would you?" she asked, her voice becoming a bit more coy and sweet, though perhaps forcedly.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Tsk. One of my better designs, forgotten that easily...? Well. No matter."

    Wily taps at some controls for the first time since standing at the brain bowl monitor. Beep beep, tictictictic, beep, tictic... nothing seems to be happening, but how can anyone really be sure. Whatever he may have done, though, he still proceeds with caution, considering his next words carefully. "Of course I wouldn't. I certainly don't... have anything to gain from that, do I? We're all... colleagues here. I certainly wouldn't want to go... attacking a Confederate asset, I hear they don't like that."

    After a brief pause to let that sink in, Wily fiddles with the brain bowl controls one more time. After a moment, the flashing lights and whirring start to gradually slow, and eventually stop entirely.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Oh I recall the name," Ferham said again in a voice that sounded almost barely constrained with the annoyance she still felt from that remark. A mask? pfft, really. Either way, she was still managing to restrain herself in the anger department. Her face would look flushed however, and if she had the veins to swell on one temple there might be one there pulsing.

     Whatever his monitor was showing was that she definitely had wanted to get up, reach over (if she could, he'd been ten feet away wisely when he made the remark) and likely pick him up by his collar and shake him about. She was not quite murderous just over a remark, thankfully for him. Other bots might not have had the moral constraint. Her hands curled inward into fists, and made a sound as if she was cracking knuckles, but she remained still.

     "My dear doctor, why would I want to... physically assault you? it's not like I'd get up and go berserk like some kind of movie monster robot, now would I?" she was using that purposely sweet tone again.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    "Hahaha... no, of course you wouldn't. And I wouldn't, say... direct a lightning strike through that chair like some kind of movie mad scientist? I'm glad we understand each other." He wouldn't really, would he? Could he? Why would a robot analysis chair even be able to do that?

    "I must say, from what I've been able to tell from this little talk, your neural net must be... quite advanced. Amazing progress. I'm sure I can already make some improvements on my own designs without any further study, but as I've said..." A brief pause, to study his data just a little longer. "... anyway. The device has finished. I'll be back in a minute to disengage it - I wouldn't just try to yank it free, the interface is fussy - so if you'd just like to take a moment to relax?"

    With that, Wily wanders off, further into the depths of his lab. Consolidating data? Getting the logic probe? Just running and hiding? Whatever he's doing, he'd better have a very good reason.

Ferham (516) has posed:
     "Oh don't worry, I like having something covering my face, right doctor?" Ferham shot back muffled from the brain funnel, or bowl or whatever the doctor happened to be calling it, sounding as if she hadn't intended to forget that mask comment any time soon. Either way, she stayed put for the moment, not making any sudden movements. Actually she seemed to relax a little, leaning back in the hair as much as she could and crossing those voluptuous legs of hers, at least it made for an interesting sight with her on the metal chair, the big stupid funnel over her head notwithstanding.

     "Stupid human, saying things about MY face..." she grumbled as the man walked off, leavign her there to sort of cool off and stew a bit. "Why do I get myself into these things?" she had likely assisted the doctor a great deal with letting him examine her neural network though, no doubt her mighty positronic brain would give him some ideas.

Dr. Wily (529) has posed:
    Shortly afterward, Wily returns, a vaguely skeletal robot in tow. "There now. I hope you didn't think I was just going to leave you there." He walks over to the ring of monitors around the chair, and

    -discontinuity-

    Wily and the robot are gone, but the brain bowl has been removed as well. A video message is waiting on the monitor closest to the front of the chair.

    "Considering the circumstances, I felt it best to... let you show yourself out. I would like to thank you for giving me so much to study. Don't forget to book an appointment to come back soon - I think you'll be... very interested to see what I can do with this data. Heh, ha ha, hahahahaha! *thundercrash!*"

Ferham (516) has posed:
     Once Ferham realized what was going on she was already alone in the lab. Dr. Wily was definitely gone, as she couldn't sense any or hear any movement in the lab, besides whatever computers or machines might have still been running. "Like all the men in my life," Ferham sighed with a sarcastic tone, shrugging and pushing away the funnel apparatus that was still near her head perhaps as she got up from the chair with a bit of annoyance still. Well, she had brought him up to speed a little with the kind of technology that was out there, and she probably would try to hail him again just to see what he might do, but for now, it was back to work.