Earth Bet 6

January 21, 2011 (05:30 AM) \ Cloudy

Brockton Bay, Dockworkers Union Office

Prefab Dining Hall

Rada hummed as she prepared the kitchen, making sure all the pans and utensils were ready once the ingredients came. Though she didn't like waking up so early in the morning, she had to as she had lost to Ifrit for Breakfast Duty. Thankfully, Sonya got roped into the night shift so she was able to wake up on time.

One of the PRT Troopers, a Private Ramierez, poked his head into the kitchen. "Hey Gummy, Dragon's here!"

The Ursus Defender smiled, following him outside. She almost had a problem as the kitchen had run out of supplies last night. Thankfully, that Dragon lady called in, saying she was delivering groceries for them. "Heya Dragon lady!" she greeted, stopping before the mechanical dragon that landed in the parking lot. It looked like one of those dragons in Anna's books, though it was the size of a car. "Thanks for doing the grocery run for us!"

A strobe light came out of the side, lighting up to create Dragon's holographic avatar. "You're welcome. Apologies for that, by the way. The chief-director ordered me to send in some prefabs immediately, so I wasn't able to fill up the pantry to full capacity yesterday."

Rada waved her off. "You already gave us a house," she answered, watching one of her side panels to retract. Out came some small boxes, no doubt filled with food stuff. "You're a true hero, really."

Dragon chuckled, as Sonya and a trooper came to help with the boxes. "Well, it's part of the job description."

"What're you cooking, Rada?" Sonya asked, picking up one of the heavier boxes.

"Eggs and toast," she replied, picking up the box with the label 'breakfast'. "I'll let Hibiscus and Ifrit tackle the fancy ones for lunch. Mind helping Private Jones with the others?"

She walked back to the dining hall, leaving the others to tackle the boxes. Upon reaching the kitchen, she immediately opened it and began preparing everyone's breakfast. "Mind if I join you?" Dragon asked, appearing on the screen on the fridge.

"Go ahead!" the Defender answered, bringing out two cartons of eggs. "I'm used to talking to people when cooking."

"Oh?" Rada nodded, breaking two eggs into a bowl. "Do you work as a cook back in Terra?"

"More or less," she broke another two eggs in it before mixing them. "Part of my contract with RI means I have to do some shifts in the cafeteria."

"What's Rhodes Island like? From what Rosa told us yesterday, you live in a...landship?"

Gummy nodded as she turned the stove on, making sure the heat wasn't fully turned up. "Probably one of the smallest landships in existence. I overheard from Savage - fellow operator - they got it dirt cheap from Rim Billton."

She noticed Dragon frowning while she placed some bread into the oven. "Rhodes Island must be extremely powerful and rich if they were able to acquire one."

"You got it!" she grinned, mixing the eggs together and putting a dash of salt in it. Satisfied with the heat of the pan, pouring some oil into it. "It might be smaller compared to other landships, but hey, it's home!"

Rada poured the first batch of scrambled eggs when she heard the door slide open. "Good morning!" she greeted, turning. "I'll have the eggs-"

The defender froze, staring at an equally frozen Zoya standing at the doorway. "O-oh, uh, Zoya."

The Ursus caster glanced between Dragon and her. "I can-um, leave-"

"Oh, I was just asking some questions about your company." Dragon replied, not noticing the tension. "The eggs are about to be cooked anyway."

"Right, eggs." Rada muttered, spinning around to check on her cooking. "Feel free to stay, Zoya."

She heard her shuffling towards the counter as she mixed the eggs. "Good morning, I'm Dragon," Dragon introduced herself while Rada pulled out the toasts from the oven.

"Absinthe," Zoya muttered, ignoring Rada as she placed a plate of toasts before her. "Caster Operator."

"You use Originium Arts, correct?" the Tinker asked as Rada transferred the scrambled eggs into a plate.

Zoya nodded. "Thanks Rada," she muttered, giving the defender a quick nod.

Rada smiled, happy for the progress. "You're welcome, Zoya!"

Turning back to the stove, she let the pan cool down first. "Does that mean you have...Oripathy, correct?"

Both hitched their breath. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Uh, Dragon, please never assume a Caster is infected." Rada explained, eyeing Zoya. "It's kind of...disrespectful."

Her confusion morphed into terror. "Oh dear...I am so, so, sorry!" Dragon apologized, sounding truly regretful. "I didn't-"

Zoya waved her off, wincing. "It's fine Ms. Dragon." she replied, taking a bite from a toast. "This is the first time you've encountered...well, everything. Mistakes can be made."

Dragon's avatar gave them a sad look. "I still shouldn't have assumed." she insisted. "Armsmaster had shown me a passage from a book he got from Operator Chiave. It said that Caster could use their infection to power their arts."

"Ah…" Zoya nodded. "It's sort of true, depending on the level of control they have. Unfortunately, it can also increase someone's Oripathy. I've been told that it's reserved as a last option only."

Dragon scrunched up her face. "Oh dear, that sounds horrible." Rada nodded as she prepared another set of scrambled eggs. "If that's not always the case, how do you power your arts?"

Zoya brought out her revolver staff. "Us casters use various mediums. Mine is a revolver staff…"

"And Click uses that weird lighting staff of hers." Rada finished, keeping the conversation going. Making sure the pan was properly heated and oiled, she poured another set of scrambled eggs. "If I recall correctly, it can be anything as long as it can properly channel one's arts."

"I see…" Dragon was silent as Rada placed another batch of bread into the oven. "And Arts can be used for healing as well?"

"That's something I'm not really familiar with," Zoya shrugged, the door sliding open. "But one of the medics can."

"Morning everyone!" Hibiscus cheered, a big smile on her face. Behind her, Lava was following her at a more sedated pace. "Are those eggs and toast?"

"Morning Hibiscus, Lava!" Rada greeted, giving her fellow cook a wave. "You can share some with Zoya."

"Oh, hello Ms. Dragon!" the happy medic smiled at Dragon. "I didn't see you there."

"Thanks," Zoya whispered in Ursusian. "For earlier."

Rada waved her off, taking a quick moment to grab a toast. "Don't mention it, Zoya. What are friends for?"

To her great satisfaction, the private Caster gave her a small smile. 'Worth it!' the Ursus defender thought to herself, humming as she prepared more food.

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January 21, 2011 (09:20 AM) \ Cloudy

Brockton Bay, PRT Headquarters

Underground Parking Lot

"Welcome to PRT, ma'am." a woman in sleeveless military fatigues and a red, blue, and white bandana covering her face greeted them. "I'm Miss Militia, your guide for today."

Folinic smiled, shaking the woman's hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Militia. I'm Operator Folinic." she gestured to her companions. "These are Operators Hellagur and Beagle."

The Ursus general gave the cape a quick nod. "Hello!" Beagle waved, giving her signature smile.

Miss Militia looked amused as the elevator arrived. "How are you liking America - or Earth Bet, in general." she asked, everyone getting on it.

"I'm still surprised there are no mobile cities here." Hellagur admitted. "Given these Endbringers, I would have expected at least some."

"Is it true that there's a lot of guns here?" Beagle then added, looking curious. "The way Mr. Velocity explained, Earth Bet managed to create something similar to Originium bullets but cheaper."

Miss Militia nodded, the elevator reaching their floor. "I can show you some later," she offered as they stepped out. "My powers allow me to create and use any weapon I get my hands on."

In the corridor, Folinic noticed there were a bunch of suited men and women standing guard. Waiting by the door was a large, blonde woman in a suit. "I take it they're with the people I'm talking to?"

The cape nodded. "Given the situation, it has been advised that it was better to just start this off as a pharma company expanding in Brockton Bay." she explained. "The State Department and UN are here as witnesses given your interdimensional background."

Folinic sighed as they stepped into the room. "Great, you happen to know any corporate lawyers?"

"I can give you a list," the woman at the door replied in a dry tone. "Emily Piggot, PRT ENE Director."

"Operator Folinic," she offered her hand. "Temporary commanding officer of RI Combat Teams. With me are Operators Hellagur and Beagle."

Director Piggot shook her hand. "Our guests are waiting inside." Opening the door, their group entered into a plain-looking conference, with three people sitting on either side of the table and three unoccupied ones.

"This is State Secretary Hillary Clinton," she gestured to an older looking blonde besides a Higashian-looking man, mimus the horn. "Beside her is UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Folinic," Clinton greeted warmly. "I do hope you enjoy your stay here in America."

"As well Earth Bet, I hope." Ban added, chuckling. "Though Earth Bet has contacted parallel Earths before, this is the first time someone else contacted us instead."

The medic giggled, shaking both their hands. "And this is the first time the Terra Multiverse Theory was proven."

Piggot then gestured to the other man standing on the other side of the table. "This is Roy Christner, mayor of Brockton Bay."

"Nice to meet you sir," she greeted, shaking his hands as well. "I hope we haven't disrupted the peace here."

The mayor laughed. "Quite the opposite, actually!" he exclaimed. "The police report that the gangs have decided to lay low for the time being. A godsend, to be sure."

Folinic gave a small smile, unsure how to react. "Are we waiting for anyone else?"

Before anyone could answer, an Iberian-looking woman appeared in the seat besides the mayor. "Apologies for the delay," the woman said. "Chief-Director Costa-Brown."

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Folinic replied, giving her a warm smile. "Rosa said you were the one she met yesterday?"

Costa-Brown nodded. "Our discussion was...interesting, so to speak." she joked, making everyone chuckle. "A sharp operator, she is."

"One of the many perks of being an Imperial Noble," the medic snorted, everyone taking their seats. Her companions took the chairs near the walls while she sat opposite Piggot.

"Now that everyone's here, let us begin." Costa-Brown glanced at everyone. "With your permission, we will let Dragon record this meeting."

"Recording the second First Contact meeting between Earth Bet and Terra," the cape began after she nodded. "Present are State Secretary H. Clinton, UN Secretary General B. Moon, Mayor R. Christner, Director E. Piggot, and Chief-Director R. Costa-Brown, representatives of Earth Bet; and Operators Folinic, Hellagur, and Beagle of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals, representatives of Terra."

All eyes turned to Folinic. "Ms. Folinic," Costa-Brown began. "What are Rhodes Island's intentions for Earth Bet?"

The medic took a deep breath. "Outside of requesting help guarding the Device and finding a way back to Terra, none." she stated, lacing her fingers on the table.

Clinton picked up a piece of paper, skimming it through. "What about the various nations of Terra?"

"At the very least, they'd want to explore a world unaffected by Catastrophes." she replied after a moment. "I know for sure some companies would be interested in branching out here."

"Will the Device affect Brockton Bay?" Christner asked, leaning forward.

Folinic shrugged. "Our engineers and an affiliated mechanic are only sure it's sending all sorts of data somewhere. Other than that, we're clueless as you are."

"Armsmaster did report that the Device had various suits commonly found in exploratory vehicles." Piggot noted.

"The current theory we have is Rhine Labs managed to open a portal somewhere." she explained, recalling Closure's theory during breakfast. "They decided to teleport the Device to learn more about it."

"And since this is the first time Terra dabbled in interdimensional technology, they had no idea about potential consequences." Costa-Brown added.

Folinic nodded. "Truthfully, we were just told that it was supposed to stabilize Catastrophe. Other than that, we're lost as you are."

Clinton frowned. "Speaking of Catastrophes, do you think it might happen here?"

"Unfortunately, madam secretary, I have no idea." she confessed. "We barely understood them back in Terra."

"What about Oripathy?" Moon continued, checking another report. "Is there a chance of something like that happening here?"

Folinic shook her head, smiling. "I assure you, for Oripathy to happen, you'll need to have Originium first." she explained.

"And since we have no known element, natural or otherwise, with similar composition, it'll likely never happen." Piggot ended. "Thank God for small mercies."

"What does Rhodes Island plan to do in the meantime?" Christner then asked, frowning. "As I understand, PRT wants this to be handled as a foreign company planning to enter the local market."

"We had a similar discussion last night, Mr. Mayor." Folinic answered. "As it is, we are operating under the hospitality of your government and the PRT. While it sounds fine and all, we all know it isn't sustainable."

Costa-Brown raised an eyebrow. "You have a plan to rectify that." she guessed.

The medic nodded. "While there might be differences, we were hoping to offer our medical knowledge and technology." she offered. "If that doesn't pan out, we also have defensive technologies such as riot suppression gears, portable emplacement equipment, and such."

That got everyone's attention. "I find that hard to believe." Christner frowned, his tone full of disbelief. "Aren't you a pharma company?"

"This is because of the stigma attached to Oripathy, I take it?" Piggot cut in, eyeing her.

"Indeed, director." Hellagur answered for her, sounding grim. "The discrimination on the Infected has created a deep rift between our people. I have seen mobs form for the sole reason of beating up someone with Oripathy."

Folinic didn't miss the looks of horror on their faces. "It is normal for clinics and organizations catering to the needs of the Infected to invest heavily in riot suppression gear." she sighed. "I can't tell how many times we've had to deploy our security teams just to protect our patients from suspicious mobs."

"Dear God…" Clinton muttered, looking at her with disbelief. "And no one's trying to stop this kind of practice?"

"Back to the riot suppression gear," the Chief-Director cut in. "Are they easily maintained?"

"We can show you." Hellagur offered, gesturing to Beagle. "Beagle is a Defender Operator and carries the standard kit."

"Piggot?" Costa-Brown asked, looking to the local director.

She glanced at her watch. "Miss Militia, you observe." she ordered. "Unfortunately, I still have my dialysis appointment soon."

Folinic blinked back. "Earth Bet still uses dialysis machines?"

Silence fell upon them. "How do you treat kidney injuries?" Christner asked, intrigued.

"We replace them with a cloned kidney or, if the patient isn't compatible with flashing cloning, we use a biomechanical kidney instead." she explained, frowning. "Don't you have those?"

Everyone stared at her. "Cloning is common practice in Terra?" Piggot growled, looking angered and...scared?

"Organ cloning," she corrected, unsure what was the issue. "Fully cloning a person, while possible, is illegal and can fail if the person is not clone-compatible."

"Clone-compatible?" Clinton repeated, leaning forward.

"You know how some bodies can accept donated organs and others don't?" she asked. When they nodded, she continued. "It's a similar thing: the part being cloned can be accepted by the original body. However, if the damage is extensive or there's some sort of defect, it'll be rejected."

"How long has this been common practice?"

Folinic laughed. "Give or take a century."

The rest of the table shared looks. "How soon can you present us with some of Terra's medical technology?" Costa-Brown asked, a calculating look on her face.

Folinic straightened, keeping herself calm even if she was excited. "Weedy and Closure would need to be consulted, as they're our engineers back in Terra." she explained. "I can, however, offer to show you our Medigel. It's an all-purpose medical salve combining an anaesthetic and clotting agent, used to seal and heal wounds."

"Piggot, start testing Terran medical technology immediately." Costa-Brown ordered.

To her surprise, Piggot herself looked excited. "I'll be first to volunteer if testing leads to promising results."

"I'll handle the paperwork," Christner added, grinning. He smiled at Folinic. "If things work out...Brockton Bay would be in your debt, ma'am."

Seeing her confused look, Clinton chuckled. "Folinic, the technologies you've mentioned are stuff of dreams for Earth Bet, only possible via TinkerTech. Since it's standard practice in Terra, your medical technology would no doubt improve the country's healthcare system!"

Realizing what she meant, Folinic smiled. "Ma'am, Rhodes Island has always been dedicated to providing the best medical solutions for any one in need." she replied. "We'd be honored to help."