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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Jun 16, 2015 0:31:31 GMT
"I will be needing an escort for the lecture tomorrow evening." he instructed. It was hardly the first time he had made such a request of Mr. Price. Models and actresses were always eager to be seen on the arm of the billionaire for whatever tabloid buzz that garnered in this city. A blank check certainly did not hurt either. In desperate times an escort tended to suffice.
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Post by The Astronomer on Jun 16, 2015 1:13:53 GMT
Erwin pulled out his holodevice and began flipping through files. "There is... a Russian ballerina you might be interested in. She was present for the House of White Lace shooting, but otherwise has excellent recommendations."
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Jun 16, 2015 1:47:04 GMT
Chronos raised an eyebrow at the knowledge the woman was present at the House of White Lace shooting, more because he assumed she was an employee rather than a client. He supposed the ballet did not draw the same crowd as it had a century ago and they must do what they could to get by. The increasing lack of culture among the masses was something to be mourned. When the humans were gone and only the Starborn remained he swore it would not be so.
"Very well, Erwin, that will do. I have not had a chance to work on my Russian for some time."
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Post by The Astronomer on Jun 16, 2015 1:55:23 GMT
"I am told she speaks perfect English. For my part, I intend to bring Miss Groeneveld. Her father is the South African ambassador, and we've been seeing eachother regularly for yoga lessons. She seems rather keen to make your acquaintance, actually." Price was clearly unaware of the last night's incident.
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Jun 16, 2015 16:56:58 GMT
"Yes, we had a chance encounter in the office last night." Alexander replied, not mentioning that she had thrown Erwin under the bus to force that encounter. At least he knew Price was not compromised just yet. He would have to drop by R&D to take the necessary precautions. "She sounds like a useful friend to have. I suppose I will see you both at the lecture."
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Post by The Astronomer on Jun 16, 2015 19:32:58 GMT
"Yes, sir." He left to play King's Hand downstairs.
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Jun 16, 2015 20:24:15 GMT
As soon as Erwin left, Alexander had his secretary Samantha send up the head of Chronos R&D.
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Post by The Astronomer on Jun 16, 2015 21:18:40 GMT
In another timeline, Arthur Stapleton would be the man who discovered how to weaponize worm holes, and consider it 'good science'. Somewhere in his brain, those plans probably existed, but Chronos Consolidated had offered him a rather absurdly lucrative contract before Trustwell knew what sort of mind was wandering the halls of Ambrosia University.
Today, Stapleton spends all day in his office, writing nearly indecipherable engineering breakthroughs on pad, and reviewing proposals by subordinates with his other hand. While his current work remains just as morally dubious, at least Hong Kong still exists.
***
He arrived in Aexander's office, clearly not having showered in a few days. His hair sticks up and his beard is untamed. There are clearly food staims on his clothes. He stares at the painting of Saturn, like always.
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Jun 17, 2015 18:04:03 GMT
"How are you doing today, Arthur?" Alexander asked pleasantly, always treating the odd man with a level of respect of geniality that puzzled most of the executive board. This was likely because Chronos knew what the man was capable of from the unaltered timeline and a disgruntled mad scientist was a complication he did not wish to endure. "Left the lab at all this week?"
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Post by The Astronomer on Jun 22, 2015 18:23:01 GMT
"No. Someone solved world hunger again this week." His speech was very clear and concise, despite his appearance. "Two young chemists and I have discovered a means of converting tree bark into a more metabolically viable form of starch. It still tastes like you're eating tree, but you should be able to survive indefinitely on it without serious effects." Stapleton wrinkled his brow. "A hundred years ago, we'd be standing in line for our Nobel prizes. Now, they'll say we've come up with a license to gangrape Mother Gaia."
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Nov 1, 2015 7:02:38 GMT
(So the reason I called him in his kind of moot now, but I'll adapt.)
"Perhaps, but best for you to continue concerning yourself with creating. We will let marketing and PR concern themselves with selling the results to the public." he smirked at the comment about Mother Gaia, noting the irony as Stapleton stared at the painting of Saturn while discussing the gangrape of his mother. "Genius should not be shackled by the limitations of smaller minds."
"As I am sure you are aware, the directors of Biotech and Robotics are presenting their supersoldier proposals to me at the end of the week; artificial Starborn and cyborgs respectively. I was hoping for your honest opinion of the state of the projects before the proposal, so that I can make an informed decision." All of Chronos' decisions were informed, but the perspective of others was sometimes beneficial.
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Post by The Astronomer on Nov 1, 2015 18:28:46 GMT
"Mmm... artificial Starborn is a bust until we can access the Source. Jack Banner in Biotech thinks they have a way of hacking into it though. Imagine, if you will, you and I are both computers. Our servers are top-notch, we can run run everything from Betamax to Silver-Ray, and we can operate the most complex programming languages. However, we have no wireless connection. We cannot download upgrades. We are stuck in these obsolete bodies while one universe away, someone has cracked the genetic wi-fi. Evolution. As a programming language. However, our bodies are still primitive, so we can only produce the next version of humanity, not upgrade ourselves."
"Banner wants to hack the Source frequency. Either breed new Starborn or find a way to turn regular men and women into space gods." Stapleton shrugged. "It's a sound hypothesis, but meaningless if he can't get past the genetic firewalls. He wants your permission to start experimenting on live Starborn subjects. I say go for it, if you can keep it under wraps. I guarantee you they're already doing the same thing in Russia. As for Harvey Griswold's Robocop idea... Man wants to be the Steve Jobs of killer robots." He rolled his eyes. "But he knows what he's doing. The technology exists and we've been using powered armor and implants for decades, but we've never attempted anything so extreme as replacing a soldier's entire body."
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Nov 1, 2015 20:42:42 GMT
Alexander listened intently, steepling his fingers fingers as Stapleton gave his typical blunt matter-of-fact opinion regarding the work of his peers. Even with a superhuman intellect, it was impossible to be an expert in every field, but it at least allowed him to keep up with the concepts of a specialist.
"Does R&D have the necessary funding to pursue both ventures?" he inquired, wondering if it was not best to see which project first bore fruit. With the impending apocalyptic event, they had a finite time table after all. "Pursue the practical of the robotics while venturing into the theoretical of the Source."
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Post by The Astronomer on Nov 1, 2015 20:57:42 GMT
"We do not. It would be cheaper to clone George Washington. Probably easier too, if it was legal."
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Post by Alexander Chronos VI on Nov 2, 2015 19:41:38 GMT
"Then I will see which director has the more compelling presentation." he replied, considering his options. "I do not suppose you have an opinion regarding which is superior?"
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