“...with the Act’s return to the Senate and the final votes rolling in, it is expected that the Pandora Act will be on the desk of the president and sighis evening. Local govers are already taking the new rules into sideration and implementing their oroaches to enf the federal act. Although the accord with the Pandora ittee and the creation of guilds is of he historic creation of a ype of criminal enha has swept the legal field,” The woman on the car radio said.
“The act of itting a crime whilst utilizing or otherwise being from abilities or resources with an in in the Pandora I will be sidered ‘viliny’ and e with additional sequences based on the crime,” The woman tinued, “What is raising eyebrows is the implication that using one's abilities is not a crime, only abusing them, to discuss this iail we have legal correspo-”
The radio cut out and Da-som let out a deep breath, reag up thten his tie. He looked out the window of his vehicle and up at the facility. It was a rge regur building spread out over several acres. There was some evidence of the previous tenants here and there, but it had been otherwise refashioned into its current state with a coat of white paint and a gleaming sign on the side that said ‘ASTA’. He picked up the envelope on his passenger seat and stared at it for several seds before exhaling.
“It’s just an interview,” He chuckled to himself and got out of the car, making his way through the lot to the front doors and passing through security. He had to pause a moment to appreciate how heavily armed the men at the doors were; automatic ons strapped across their chests with ASTA decals on the side. The implication was clear, these ons were loaded with anti-monster munitions, an ordinary human being didn’t stand a ce. He swallowed as they passed him through the metal detector before they stopped him in front of what looked like a crystal ball.
“What’s this?” He asked, looking up at the grim faced man.
“Ability check,” The man grunted, “Proprietary, it’s beied here before wide release.”
Da-som choked, “You check for abilities?” He asked, wide eyed.
“Yessir,” The man nodded, “Mister Carter desighe new system with the help of Miss ovna’s ability, no idea how it works. Just put your hand on the ball.”
Da-som looked down at the ball and nodded, pg his hand on it. It glowed faintly for a moment befoing dim and gray. The security guard nodded and took a guest badge out of a small box and ha to Da-som. “Wele to ASTA Labs, Doctor.”
Da-som clipped the badge to his pel as the guard reached for the microphone on his chest, “I’ll let Miss ovna know you’re-”
He was cut off as the elevator doors opened ahead of them in the wide open lobby. He took a moment to appreciate the ss hanging from the ceiliing future heroes like Firestorm and Lifesaver. Below them, walking quickly past a few couches and the front desk was her than Sonya ovna herself. She brandished a bright smile and spread her arms open in a warm wele, “I’ve got it from here, Adam, thank you! Doctor Choi Da-som! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” She crowed, hurrying to pull him into a hug.
He returhe hug with a look of surprise, “Miss ovna! I wasn’t expeg you to e down a me, it’s an honor.”
She pulled bad snorted out a ugh, “Oh hush! We go back don’t we? You looked after me after the Pandora I, I hardly treat someone like you like any uy,” She chuckled and cpped her hands on his shoulders.
He flushed a little, “It wasn’t anything special,” He murmured before holding out the envelope she’d sent him a ferior.
She looked down at it and raised an eyebrow, “Yht the letter with you?” She chuckled and snatched it out of his hand, “You’re funny!” She ughed and turned away, turning around. He followed her with his eyes and spotted the young woman who had apparently disappeared from his hospital around the same time Sonya had met him. He blinked as she gave him a curt nod. Sonya handed her the letter, “Get rid of this if you don’t mind, Marta.”
The woman, Marta, ined her head and took it from Sonya before walking away. Da-som raised a fused hand, “Uh… the interview though?”
Sonya gnced over her shoulder, “I don’t think that’s necessary do you? Your experience speaks for itself, right?”
Da-som lowered his hand, “Well-well yes, I suppose.”
“Great! You’re hired, moving on!” Sonya chirped and started walking towards the elevatain, humming a tuhat sounded suspiciously like the theme song of a certaihat could jump tall buildings in a single bound.
Before he could process it, Marta was o him, “You’ll get used to it,” Marta said and gave him a kind smile, “She’s always like this.”
“...always?”
–
After showing a very disoriented Da-som around the boratory level for a little while, Sonya made her way back to the main office. She was satisfied, for now, and if he did well with what she had pnned she’d reward him with what he wanted most. She didn’t have to tell him that yet, though. She reached into her pocket and rahumb over the drive taining Amos’ ss of her optierves and prosthetics. She hadn’t fotten how enthusiastic he’d been about the prospeproving lives with the teology, but her goal was getting ahead of the curb as far as pandora-based pharmaceuticals were ed and staying there.
It’s not his speciality, but he knows how to run a b and learn quickly from what I’ve mao gather from his background, he’ll do fine, She thought to herself as she rouhe er and froze.
Standing outside the entrao the main office of her b was a raven-haired beauty in a suit coat and skirt, a guest badge clipped to her pel. Sonya’s eyes focused for a moment and she spotted the pin of the Pandora ittee ad her coat as well. Sonya was about to check her name and awakening status when the woman turned her head and adjusted her gsses, Sonya clicked her tongue. Damrong, be strong, be-
An instant ter she was leaning against the wall he door with a smile on her face. The woman turned and nearly jumped out of her skin, “Ah! Oh good grief,” The woman gasped, clutg at her chest. Sonya raised an eyebrow and g the woman’s name in her HUD.
“Hi, Car, right? From the Pandora ittee?” She said pyfully aended a hand.
The woman took it, Analyze.
Car cleared her throat and brushed her hair back, “Ahem, yes, and you’re Sonya ovna. Your eyes are as good as they say.”
“I’ve heard worse pick-up lines,” Sonya quipped.
“What?” The woman blurted.
“What?” Sonya asked, feigning fusion. She bloomed into a wide grin, “Sorry, Car, just having a little fun. e in! Do you prefer tea or coffee?” Sonya said and tapped the door to the office, a chime sounded and the doors opened with a hiss, sliding into the walls.
Car let out a nervous ugh and gnced up at the door, “Coffee is fihank you,” She said hesitantly, “You have very tight security here,” She added, “I don’t see any card readers.”
“Is that why the ittee sent you?” Sonya said absently as she walked ihe main office doors opened into a micro version of the lobby that she’d greeted Da-som in. Several couches lihe open space along with a desk in the rear that defended a pair of doors behind it. A pcard with the name ‘Marta Daphne’ adorhe desk along with a few photos of nature and one of Sonya and Marta at a club, smiling together.
Car turo her, “Well… yes, that’s part of it,” She said, “Though I think the ittee will be happy to hear about the lengths yoing to for security here. This boratory is important after all.”
The ittee thinks they just walk in and poke around, do they? She thought to herself.
Sonya only nodded with her hands behind her back as she walked to the doors behind the desk, they opened into a spartan office decorated only with a desk, chairs, and a few ultramodern ats including a ter and et in one er. Sonya walked over and turned on the coffee maker, p some grounds in before she gestured to one of the chairs across from her desk, “Please.”
Car sat down and Sonya settled into her own chair, “So you’ve iigated our security, anything else I do for you?” She said with aare.
Car tensed a little at the sudden ge in atmosphere from the flirty woman just a few moments ago, “I’ve bee here to advise you to disore details about the teologies you are developing here. These breakthroughs belong-”
You ’t be serious… Sonya held up a hand, “Let me stop you there before you say something embarrassing,” Sonya said calmly. She gestured between herself and Car, “This, the retionship between ASTA and the Pandora ittee, is a partnership. I am developing teology and ons for the heroes of the future and the nations of the world to defend themselves. I have even agreed to keep my prices down for the sake of humanity,” She began and fixed her with a hard look, “But a partnership is all it is. I am a businesswoman, Miss Mint, and I’ll hand over research results when it suits me, not the other way around.”
Car frowned, “Miss ovna, you ’t just put profits in front of the security of the human race!”
Sonya raised her eyebrows, “If the ittee didn’t want to pay for my products, they should have just said so,” She said, “What, did they look at the first bill and balk?”
Car’s face reddened, “Miss ovna…” She trailed off, starting to lean forward a little and lower her shoulders only to freeze when Sonya gave her a dark look.
“Don’t,” Sonya snapped, “Do that. It’s degrading.”
The woman’s shoulders slumped even further and she leaned back, “I-”
“I don’t know where the Chairman got it in his head that ASTA was a branch of the Pandora ittee, or that he could win me over with a horap, but he’s got bigger balls than I thought,” She said coldly, “This is a business with all the rights afforded su anization. Perhaps I o go to the Hague myself and make that point abundantly clear. Pressurio giving up proprietary information before we’ve even built a guild hall…”
She shook her head in disgust, “Get out while I still have some sembnce of respect for the ittee,” Car got to her feet, cowed and started to leave, “And Miss Mint!” Sonya called after her. The woman winced and looked over her shoulder, “If they decide to make you liaison here, ime I see you, show some fug self respect. Security will see you out.”
The doors shut with a hiss behind the woman as a pair of guards made their way into the office. Sonya got to her feet with a snarl and turo face the wall, a frown on her face. We haven’t even gotten started yet and those idiots are already greedy! She started to pace, Maybe I should have the chairman repced. She ched her fists and gowards the hidden panel in the wall that cealed her Ishtar e. No, dealing with him like that will be more trouble than it’s worth.
I o figure out what pany is pressuring them for my research materials, while I’m at it… She called Amos through her cyberic brain. “Amos, I need some information.”
“Get me a list of the stituent tries that voted in favor of Chairman Phaion to head of the Pandora ittee,” She grunted, pag bad forth.
“Withdraw support from them ahem the reason is that ASTA has s about a flict of i suspected in Chairman Phan’s leadership team. Keep it vague but make sure they know he pissed me off,” Sonya said darkly.
“He tried to use tits and ass to get me to give away your research,” She said, running her fingers along the wall and residering for the third time whether or not to pull out her helmet.
“Nobody fucks with my people,” Sonya growled, “But,” She sighed, “It’s better to hahis as Sonya than as Ishtar. I’ll put in a word saying that all is fiven after he capitutes and hopefully he’ll have learned his lesson,” She said, rubbiemples.
“Because that would cripple the Pandora ittee, if their first chairman is seen as corrupt right out the gate, no one is going to take it seriously going forward. I ’t have that. He o learn to behave himself,” Sonya expined with a sigh, “While you’re at it, I also want to know what pany he was hoping to give your research to, if you find that out.”
“Crush them into paste.”
–
Chairman Phan Trai strode back to his desk with a smile on his face. His son close behind him. He was the spitting image of himself when he was a younger man, and he couldn’t be more proud. He sat down at his desk a his hands on the surface, smilio ear at his precious offspring. “I’m sure we’ll be hearing good news soon,” Phan Trai said, “Are you hungry, son? I have a meal brought up.”
Phan Duong shook his head, “I’m fihank you, father. My powers keep me more than fed.”
The chairman ughed, “That must be se, eatiricity of all things. To think it’ll keep you young, too. How you tell?”
“I just ,” His son said with a grin, “Instinct. More importantly, I’m looking forward to breaking ground on the new research facility.”
“Phan Industries will be a rousing success with you at the helm, my boy, I have faith, now we just he good word from that woman I sent,” The chairman said, “Don’t worry, I’ve learned enough about that Sonya woman to know she has a weakness for pretty things,” He said as his phoarted t. He reached for it with a grin, “Speak of the devil!”