That was more of a side effect from them fiddling with things they don't understand. It seemed easier to teach them a lesson, and Shigaraki wanted to make use of it.
But that lab went out of use a while ago. It's not part of our projects.
[The tunnel they enter is just tall enough for a couple of people to fit comfortably without banging their shoulders or hitting their heads, an unnaturally neat aperture in the rock face. It doesn't look cut out, but rather like something simply pushed aside the rock as though it were in the way.
Once they get a little ways in, Billy will see why. Overhaul stops to strip his gloves and place his hands on both walls, and if he were to look behind him -- he would see the entire tunnel closing up as though it were never there, stopping just short of where they are. It's a pretty decent ways into the underside of the island by then.
Overhaul nods at him.]
A precaution. I doubt they'll find us either way, but it cuts down on more incidents.
[Then he turns and moves deeper into the underground. They'll eventually reach a metal-lined hall more like what you'd expect from an underground base, which also very eventually opens up into a bigger metal room that looks very much like a lab, though it also has what looks like a reception area with plants (real??) and a coffee table and couches.
There's tea set out, and there's Shigaraki as well.]
Bird monster's a fuckin' massive side effect there. Why'd you have samples there if you ain't using it?
[Billy doesn't completely believe the explanation, but there's not a lot he can do at the moment to prove it either way.
But damn, this stuff is higher tech than he assumed it'd be. Though in hindsight it makes sense that the secret base is somewhere hidden right inside the cliff faces.
He briefly nods to acknowledge Shigaraki before taking a seat.]
So. Lot to chew on here. If that creature ain't the project, what the fuck is it? And then what is?
[ Billy gets a wave back in greeting with a little more vigor than usual, even if Shigaraki is still the more casual of this terrible duo, not moving from his sprawl on the couch. His sneakers are up on the coffee table because no one ever taught him manners.
At least he's following the memo of wearing their best or something like it, which in Shigaraki's case means a tapered black shirt, black pants, and a red cape trimmed with white fur. Despite his chuuniness, it's easy to tell he's not a twink under all this edge. Weights are numbers too.]
It's called a Nomu. They're somethin' that one of my sponsors back home made for my Master. They belong to me now, and I don't need anymore of 'em. And even if I did, immature ones are really only good for fodder.
That machine's function is basically reconstruction, give it criteria by puttin' something in and it'll spit out somethin' related to it, or it'll try to anyway. You got a Nomu because you used someone from our world. If you used someone else, who knows what it would've spit out. You know what a gatcha is? Or RNG? Like that with a focus banner.
[ He won't explain if Billy doesn't know, smh. And for the other question, he just gestures to Overhaul. ]
[Is Overhaul immediately going to set upon the table with some alcohol wipes that mysteriously appear from below the tabletop once he takes a seat away from the other two, rather like a harried mother of four coming home after a long day at the shops? He absolutely is. It's a habitual motion, quick and efficient, but harried all the same.
That being done, he'll pour tea, because that's the other important part. Obviously. One cup for Shigaraki, one cup for Billy. Apparently, he's not going to bother taking his mask off even here, to drink or anything.
He sits back and immediately goes into shaking his head at Shigaraki's explanations. It's like watching a well-oiled machine with five mismatched spare parts somehow working smoothly.]
... Random Number Generator, is what he means. Our ability to interact with other worlds still isn't fully under control, for a lot of reasons, but that's part of the reason we have you all buying time. There's still some variables to test before we'll be ready to leave the island.
That's one of our projects. But you'd probably be more interested in a different one -- that's your reward. We're in the business of producing drugs that can cancel out superpowers. I've got plenty of past experience with it where we come from, but here we're working on something more robust and easier to scale, that would work on powers from different worlds. It would be completely useless to you if we didn't account for that, wouldn't it?
That's where you come in. We're ready for human trials.
[Billy takes his cup of tea as he listens to the explanation. He has no clue what the hell a 'gacha' or 'focus banner' is, but he can manage to parse a few things.]
So you're workin' on being able to teleport shite in and out of here on the side.
[He's not particularly worried about that one as long as it doesn't become his specific problem. Besides, Billy is far more interested in the drug that can cancel out superpowers.
Oh, that's perfect. Without superpowers, what is Homelander but a pathetic manchild? Billy could just shoot him in the head if that works.]
So that's what it is--well, if we could get a whole vat of somethin' like that in the water supply where I'm from, world'll be a much better place. Even the playing field a touch.
So I take it you need a test run for it. I wanna make sure you ain't just sellin' snake oil to me anyway, so win-win in my book.
[ Shigaraki of course, does not move his feet off the table, instead throwing Overhaul a smirk. But then he does, if only to grab the tea, holding it with way more care than you'd expect. ]
Heroes without their powers are nothing. Worse than nothing, but that's what makes it so funny.
[That's said almost offhand, a gravelly hiss through the auspices of the bird mask, but there's something to it. Darker and stronger than the tea itself, if but for a moment; the offering is an Earl Grey, because apparently some things come standard when you're entertaining the British. Fragrant, with the tickle of spices in the back of the nose and lingering on the tongue. It's good tea. There's milk and sugar in little trays to the side like they belong there.
It's a very strange gathering, in the gloom of machines like behemoths in the background, the clinking of cups.
Overhaul doesn't harp on about the table, since he's back in rhythm now, rolling out his words smoothly.]
With the time limits we have, we might not have enough for a town's worth of water supply, but a building or a smaller area? Yeah. We can do that. This one can be ingested, and we're testing other means of administering it. If you can't get close to your target, the potency won't matter.
[He reaches into his pocket and then slides something across the table, a small nondescript box that looks like it might contain a pen or something. It's sturdy, and opens to reveal a vial. Similar to what Billy's been getting until now from the kittybots, just with something to be dosed instead of extracted.]
We'll try one dose this week. You're the one on the ground, you pick the target. It'll take about a day to really get the effects going, but they'll be plenty noticeable. This one is to test side-effects in humans rather than targeting powers specifically, but it'll be fine-tuned in a few batches.
[A wicked grin spreads to Billy's face at Shigaraki's words. Yeah, he made the right call with pouncing onto an opportunity with these people.]
Couldn't agree more, mate. It's like rippin' the wings off a fly--all the poor bastard can do is shiver and piss itself.
[The slight bitter flavor of Earl Grey blends well with the malicious zeal he's feeling thinking about it.]
Gettin' a bit ahead of myself on that--there's one specific cunt that's my top priority for a dose of this little beauty. Long as I can get it in him, any other supe's just a nice bonus.
[He observes the vial, noting that it doesn't look particularly conspicuous. It'd be easy to just slip it into one of the glasses at the bar at the right opportunity.]
Final product's gotta be strong--you ever try this kinda shite on a nigh-invulnerable bastard?
[ Now really is the time for dark laughter, given that Shigaraki lets his own bubble forth, as deep and dark as the tea. He lets it settle along with all the memories that accompany it, along with all the thoughts he has of the present, interweaving together.
Again, he'll leave the specifics to Overhaul, but before he does: ]
One more thing. Pick whoever you want, but Ibuki or Moravia if that's who they are today, is off limits. Got it?
[Overhaul's gaze flickers from Billy's glee on over to Shigaraki's little moment, impassive behind his mask but sharp and intent. There's both interest and disdain there, just as there always is with his glances, but the subject is up in the air.]
... If you'll indulge him.
[Or he might just be back to being the harried mother of four, who knows at this point. Maybe he could have done with some tea, but his gaze hasn't once strayed to the teapot.
Instead, he gives Shigaraki a nod -- fully acknowledging the request -- before getting back to the matter at hand.]
Staying focused is fine, but I meant what I said -- if your enemy is nigh-invulnerable, then getting near him will be the first hurdle. Spread your net wider, and that will be less of a problem. But you'll likely only have one shot.
That said, I can guarantee the strength of the drug once perfected. Our tests at home have been conducted on all kinds of quirks -- power users, that is, at all levels of skill and society. What we need here is to understand the effects on powers not seen at home.
Do you have a detailed list of powers for the superhuman you're after?
[Billy's eyebrows lower in curiosity, not expecting that sort of exception. Leave it to the strange shapeshifter to have a strange relationship with the administration.]
Fine, I'll keep the sauce away from your little pal.
[He takes a small sip of tea.]
Can manage the particulars once I get me hands on the material. Been waitin' too long to off this monster to fuck it up.
He's a near-invulnerable man with superhuman strength and speed, along with flyin' and shooting heat lasers from his eyes.
Indulge me? If he doesn't indulge me I'll indulge myself.
[ That's pointedly at Overhaul, though confusingly it's paired with him sitting more like a normal person on the couch; because a split second later he's reaching over to tap one finger on the table, cracks spreading out nearly instantly. A few seconds later, the coffee table is now a nice coffee table shaped pile of ash. The decay snakes up one of the plants too, claiming it as a second victim, but he halts the spread there.
Sorry this probably means the tea pot is on the floor in pieces? As is the remaining tea in the pot. But this is part and parcel of negotiations with Shigaraki when he actually has a vested interest, as at least Overhaul knows.
Anyway he'll take a sip of tea, not really concerned with the rest of the conversation. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But that lab went out of use a while ago. It's not part of our projects.
[The tunnel they enter is just tall enough for a couple of people to fit comfortably without banging their shoulders or hitting their heads, an unnaturally neat aperture in the rock face. It doesn't look cut out, but rather like something simply pushed aside the rock as though it were in the way.
Once they get a little ways in, Billy will see why. Overhaul stops to strip his gloves and place his hands on both walls, and if he were to look behind him -- he would see the entire tunnel closing up as though it were never there, stopping just short of where they are. It's a pretty decent ways into the underside of the island by then.
Overhaul nods at him.]
A precaution. I doubt they'll find us either way, but it cuts down on more incidents.
[Then he turns and moves deeper into the underground. They'll eventually reach a metal-lined hall more like what you'd expect from an underground base, which also very eventually opens up into a bigger metal room that looks very much like a lab, though it also has what looks like a reception area with plants (real??) and a coffee table and couches.
There's tea set out, and there's Shigaraki as well.]
no subject
[Billy doesn't completely believe the explanation, but there's not a lot he can do at the moment to prove it either way.
But damn, this stuff is higher tech than he assumed it'd be. Though in hindsight it makes sense that the secret base is somewhere hidden right inside the cliff faces.
He briefly nods to acknowledge Shigaraki before taking a seat.]
So. Lot to chew on here. If that creature ain't the project, what the fuck is it? And then what is?
no subject
At least he's following the memo of wearing their best or something like it, which in Shigaraki's case means a tapered black shirt, black pants, and a red cape trimmed with white fur. Despite his chuuniness, it's easy to tell he's not a twink under all this edge. Weights are numbers too.]
It's called a Nomu. They're somethin' that one of my sponsors back home made for my Master. They belong to me now, and I don't need anymore of 'em. And even if I did, immature ones are really only good for fodder.
That machine's function is basically reconstruction, give it criteria by puttin' something in and it'll spit out somethin' related to it, or it'll try to anyway. You got a Nomu because you used someone from our world. If you used someone else, who knows what it would've spit out. You know what a gatcha is? Or RNG? Like that with a focus banner.
[ He won't explain if Billy doesn't know, smh. And for the other question, he just gestures to Overhaul. ]
no subject
[Is Overhaul immediately going to set upon the table with some alcohol wipes that mysteriously appear from below the tabletop once he takes a seat away from the other two, rather like a harried mother of four coming home after a long day at the shops? He absolutely is. It's a habitual motion, quick and efficient, but harried all the same.
That being done, he'll pour tea, because that's the other important part. Obviously. One cup for Shigaraki, one cup for Billy. Apparently, he's not going to bother taking his mask off even here, to drink or anything.
He sits back and immediately goes into shaking his head at Shigaraki's explanations. It's like watching a well-oiled machine with five mismatched spare parts somehow working smoothly.]
... Random Number Generator, is what he means. Our ability to interact with other worlds still isn't fully under control, for a lot of reasons, but that's part of the reason we have you all buying time. There's still some variables to test before we'll be ready to leave the island.
That's one of our projects. But you'd probably be more interested in a different one -- that's your reward. We're in the business of producing drugs that can cancel out superpowers. I've got plenty of past experience with it where we come from, but here we're working on something more robust and easier to scale, that would work on powers from different worlds. It would be completely useless to you if we didn't account for that, wouldn't it?
That's where you come in. We're ready for human trials.
no subject
So you're workin' on being able to teleport shite in and out of here on the side.
[He's not particularly worried about that one as long as it doesn't become his specific problem. Besides, Billy is far more interested in the drug that can cancel out superpowers.
Oh, that's perfect. Without superpowers, what is Homelander but a pathetic manchild? Billy could just shoot him in the head if that works.]
So that's what it is--well, if we could get a whole vat of somethin' like that in the water supply where I'm from, world'll be a much better place. Even the playing field a touch.
So I take it you need a test run for it. I wanna make sure you ain't just sellin' snake oil to me anyway, so win-win in my book.
no subject
[ Shigaraki of course, does not move his feet off the table, instead throwing Overhaul a smirk. But then he does, if only to grab the tea, holding it with way more care than you'd expect. ]
Heroes without their powers are nothing. Worse than nothing, but that's what makes it so funny.
no subject
[That's said almost offhand, a gravelly hiss through the auspices of the bird mask, but there's something to it. Darker and stronger than the tea itself, if but for a moment; the offering is an Earl Grey, because apparently some things come standard when you're entertaining the British. Fragrant, with the tickle of spices in the back of the nose and lingering on the tongue. It's good tea. There's milk and sugar in little trays to the side like they belong there.
It's a very strange gathering, in the gloom of machines like behemoths in the background, the clinking of cups.
Overhaul doesn't harp on about the table, since he's back in rhythm now, rolling out his words smoothly.]
With the time limits we have, we might not have enough for a town's worth of water supply, but a building or a smaller area? Yeah. We can do that. This one can be ingested, and we're testing other means of administering it. If you can't get close to your target, the potency won't matter.
[He reaches into his pocket and then slides something across the table, a small nondescript box that looks like it might contain a pen or something. It's sturdy, and opens to reveal a vial. Similar to what Billy's been getting until now from the kittybots, just with something to be dosed instead of extracted.]
We'll try one dose this week. You're the one on the ground, you pick the target. It'll take about a day to really get the effects going, but they'll be plenty noticeable. This one is to test side-effects in humans rather than targeting powers specifically, but it'll be fine-tuned in a few batches.
Any more questions?
no subject
Couldn't agree more, mate. It's like rippin' the wings off a fly--all the poor bastard can do is shiver and piss itself.
[The slight bitter flavor of Earl Grey blends well with the malicious zeal he's feeling thinking about it.]
Gettin' a bit ahead of myself on that--there's one specific cunt that's my top priority for a dose of this little beauty. Long as I can get it in him, any other supe's just a nice bonus.
[He observes the vial, noting that it doesn't look particularly conspicuous. It'd be easy to just slip it into one of the glasses at the bar at the right opportunity.]
Final product's gotta be strong--you ever try this kinda shite on a nigh-invulnerable bastard?
no subject
Again, he'll leave the specifics to Overhaul, but before he does: ]
One more thing. Pick whoever you want, but Ibuki or Moravia if that's who they are today, is off limits. Got it?
no subject
... If you'll indulge him.
[Or he might just be back to being the harried mother of four, who knows at this point. Maybe he could have done with some tea, but his gaze hasn't once strayed to the teapot.
Instead, he gives Shigaraki a nod -- fully acknowledging the request -- before getting back to the matter at hand.]
Staying focused is fine, but I meant what I said -- if your enemy is nigh-invulnerable, then getting near him will be the first hurdle. Spread your net wider, and that will be less of a problem. But you'll likely only have one shot.
That said, I can guarantee the strength of the drug once perfected. Our tests at home have been conducted on all kinds of quirks -- power users, that is, at all levels of skill and society. What we need here is to understand the effects on powers not seen at home.
Do you have a detailed list of powers for the superhuman you're after?
no subject
Fine, I'll keep the sauce away from your little pal.
[He takes a small sip of tea.]
Can manage the particulars once I get me hands on the material. Been waitin' too long to off this monster to fuck it up.
He's a near-invulnerable man with superhuman strength and speed, along with flyin' and shooting heat lasers from his eyes.
no subject
[ That's pointedly at Overhaul, though confusingly it's paired with him sitting more like a normal person on the couch; because a split second later he's reaching over to tap one finger on the table, cracks spreading out nearly instantly. A few seconds later, the coffee table is now a nice coffee table shaped pile of ash. The decay snakes up one of the plants too, claiming it as a second victim, but he halts the spread there.
Sorry this probably means the tea pot is on the floor in pieces? As is the remaining tea in the pot. But this is part and parcel of negotiations with Shigaraki when he actually has a vested interest, as at least Overhaul knows.
Anyway he'll take a sip of tea, not really concerned with the rest of the conversation. ]