Avalon (CVnU Enterprise/Location)

???

@hawkshade:

"'Tis a favor that I am even entertaining you here now the way you stormed in with no notice,"La Reina retorted. Still, it was an interesting thought. Antonia had worked on a lot of specialised equipment for anticipated conflicts with the Court of Arcani and other metas, but she hesitated. Tethered by some apparently humane element, Caliburn was (and remained) underutilized compared to its full potential. This Richard sought to change that. Dick. How appropriate.

But she liked the thought of it. Of progress, of utilizing that potential, even at the risk of starting an unprecedented new age arms race. She stepped outside the building and held the door for him. "And, to be clear, you wish to purchase the conglomerate itself, not simply Caliburn the subsidiary? If your interest is purely in the weapons, Caliburn alone would make a much cheaper purchase while still allowing you to achieve your goals. To be sure..."

@cutthroatbitch:

"Oh? Well consider that another thing I want to change. Not every conversation will require two focus groups and a reservation before it even takes place."

Richard didn't hold back. He just let his words flow. "And yes. I want to buy it all. I don't want to buy a little piece here and there. I want to offer the full service. Mutant and metahuman biotagging data for chemical and biological weaponry, man-portable anti-meta weapons for armed forces, less-lethal restraining devices for law enforcement and technopath resistant electronic data storage and communications. Undesirable mutant surveillance packages Just for starters. Every element of society is affected by metas and that means every element of society is a market."

@hawkshade: "Ah, puede pensar despues de todo!" She maintained her light and jovial demeanor but mentally she catalogued everything he said. Things to consider. Bitcoin Boy would be one to keep an eye on, deal or no deal. "You are right about that. The potential exists within virtually everything, but the metahuman phenomenon is unique."A CEO? Hard to see, but Doña might have liked to have him on payroll. Stories suggested Quintus was impulsive, and she took to him well enough.

She sat cross-legged on a bench near the entrance and thought, and it occurred to her. There were very few other questions she could think to ask. None that would serve to ask in the official capacity of a "business meeting," anyway. And it occurred to her that she somehow cared even less for the business than he did. It was never the purpose for her creation and it held almost none of her interest. She had only gotten so used to wearing Valencia's face that she forgot it wasn't her true self.

Then the offer became tempting. Shed the baggage (most of it at least), no loose ends, and not only could she explore her true self; she could disappear whenever she wanted, and act with impunity on the world.

"Very well. Aside from that, a few other things. One - Magitek is not for sale. This is non-negotiable, however if you are to acquire the company this exclusion will save you money. Two is a question. What would you make of Ambrose Foods in this event? Say...you acquire the conglomerate and all available subsidiaries. Ambrose Foods does not align--at least directly--with the aims you have stated. Not only this but it is only moderately profitable, heavily reliant on donations, among other things. Not only that but the acting head Ms. Aensland personally pours funds from her family's fortune in order to finance humanitarian missions, supplying and maintenance of sources, et cetera et cetera. Often in the aftermath of frequent metahuman incidents domestic and abroad. You see where I am going with this? I would like to protect my friend's pet project so if that mission does not interest you then I think it best we get it out right now."

@cutthroatbitch:

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are we done with the verbal sparring already?"

"Fine-- and no, I have no interest in Ambrose Foods. Not if it relies on donations instead of profits. So; what do you ask for all of Avalon with the exception of Magitek and Ambrose Foods?"

@hawkshade: She catalogued his words behind behaviour, motivation, and personal fault just the way Antonia would have, and let out an overdrawn yawn. "Perdóname, niño. I assumed you'd like to run the race before shooting your feet. Hmm...Accounting for subtractions for the crown jewels, in conjunction with the shark measuring...I would ask nine billion, eight hundred million dollars. And sixty-six cents."

@cutthroatbitch:

Almost ten billion dollars. It wouldn't completely wipe him out but it would be close. He didn't hesitate. What was money compared to Grimmwald's soul?

"Deal." He said and extended his hand for a handshake.

As the Sun's Shadow Shifts

Freedom is initially scarier than constraint. Nothing to resist, nothing to hold you back. It dares you with a question: “What do you want to do?” as opposed to “What do you have to do?"

Moments passed before she responded, verbally or through action. She thought about it, expression blank for those, thus far the longest few seconds of a life that would be infinitely longer. She would retain the building in which she was spawned, Magitek would become its own entity, and all essential personnel who knew anything about her true self would remain as they were. Yet, as right as it felt, something felt...wrong. As though in selling, Anastasia would be relinquishing part of her legacy—that which she inherited from Antonia Dain, and the Knightfalls before her, and Anthony Stark before them.

Many would probably lose their jobs and she saw little she could do to mitigate that.

No. Not relinquished. Metamorphosis. Like all things, the company - and the legacy within it - only transforms. In a way, the constant transformation is the legacy. It progresses and takes new shape. And anyone who did well enough to secure and maintain placement in a company like ours - especially when she took over - shouldn't have trouble finding something new, even if he replaces them with his own.

No. I can help those who need it. At least those who've worked this building. I've got all the time in the world for it. And Aeon can help.

She thought of Dain's would-be approval, or lack thereof, of her actions. How would she have handled the situation? How would she have reacted if she saw?

It didn't matter. Antonia was gone and she left next to nothing in the way of guidance. Anastasia walked the earth for less than half a decade and she was already a billionaire, about to become an even more wealthy woman, with enough to set her up for several more lifetimes; enough to do whatever she wanted, without all the baggage of perception and expectation. With the freedom to make her own way and find out who she was. It was time for Valencia to disappear, at least until the next time she was needed.

A frigid chill set in her heart and ran out through her bones. She rose, looked him in the eye, and gripped his hand firmly. Saying, with a wistful smile, "As the sun's shadow shifts, so there is no permanence on earth. Documentation will be drawn for your signing. Until then, it's been a pleasure. We'll have to meet again sometime. I feel like there's much more fun to be had. Hasta la vista!"

Then she turned and disappeared inside the crowd entering the building.

🕸🕸 Magitek 🕸🕸

To Ancient Greece, Ares was synonymous with war, a figure to whom soldiers and generals prayed before conquest. And to the modern world, Avalon was synonymous with science and innovation, a giant from whom breakthroughs and advancement was expected. And few gave that sentiment credence than Genaro Navas - brilliant scientist by day, and masked crime-fighter by night.

The scarlet glow of his laboratory bounced from wall to wall, ever-present in Genaro's chosen work environment. Though as he stood with his eyes glued to the pale light of a monitor, fingers drumming against the table as he examined the final simulation for a synthetic brain - Genaro's Nano-Mind project, in other words - the door creaked open to pierce the red hue with outside light. It was Sue, a bespectacled engineer, and close friend of Genaro's.

"Hey Gen", she nodded, "How's the project coming along? It's our lunch break by the way".

"Exceptionally well, I'd say", like his eyes, Genaro's smile trafficked in mystery, "I shall be out soon", as though he were more enigma than man.

"Fair enough. How'd you do it though?", Sue asked, arms folded and eyebrow raised, "I mean, it's still a simulation but how'd you simulate a successful model for a synthetic brain with all the headaches involved with consciousness?".

"Well, how much time do you have?", Genaro countered.

"Our lunch break's an hour, so I'll say I'll have a solid ten minutes once you're done", she teased.

"Classy", he smiled, nodding at the door. Sue strode out, and Genaro followed closely.

Surrendering to her peaking curiosity, Sue continued, "So, the synthetic brain. How'd you work your way around the consciousness dilemma. If consciousness is a purely classical computation, then free will doesn't exist. But if it has a quantum entanglement component, then it's impossible to copy, the same entanglements can't ever be recreated".

"I found that while the quantum entanglement component is critical to consciousness, the entangled particles are inside the neurons. None of the connective materials needed for neuron to neuron communication are critical", Genaro paused.

"So long as the message gets through", Sue smiled, eyes glinting in approval.

"Exactly", Genaro resumed, "The rest was elementary. You know, nanomachines wrapping each neuron in a small shell and attaching a radio transmitter and receiver. Tuning each shell to a different micro-frequency and setting the receivers to listen on the frequencies of each neuron's original neighbors. Keeping the neurons in a nutritional bath. Containment in a jar of some kind to prevent the neurons from moving too far apart. And to reduce interference, neurons only accept signals that are crypto-signed by a known neuron".

"And so, Genaro Navas spearheads the breakthrough that'll have all the billionaires excited by the prospect of their consciousness living forever in synthetic brains once their bodies grow old. I'd say that's classy", Sue teased, taking a right and strolling into the Magitek cafeteria, "What'll you have Gen?".

"I heard the shrimp is good", Genaro answered.

"Ugh.. seafood".

"Your taste buds will mature one day, Sue".