Brave New World (Alton, Closed)

He asked the man to wait in the house above while he undid some of the locks, passcodes and whatnot of the Lab. He was warned before entering that Reinhard had an unliving companion that stayed in the the laboratory, and when they entered down the hidden stairs, he appeared to be laying on a slab playing dead. "Sun Cheng, no need to pretend. Alton here is a fellow Scientist." It stirred at his urging, sitting up to reveal the reanimated body of a middle-aged Chinese man.

The lab was fairly large, possibly twice as large as the house above, if not more so. Tools lined every wall and were scattered around the various tables with half-finished projects on them. There appeared to be some sort of machine throne of sorts against the far wall with a number of connections trailing away from it. They lay inert at the moment, as did most things, Including a Jacob's Ladder and Tesla Coil. Bunsen burners, assorted glass vials, even what appeared from the scorch marks to be a platform simply for placing things to burn for whatever reason. It was an impressive assortment of...whatever it all was, and it spoke of a Scientist active in his pursuits.

He allowed his cloaking device to fall, as a horizontal line of electricity traveled down his form, revealing the same outfit with metal face and hands. A pair of copper colored goggles with red lenses sat on his head that were not visible in his cloaked guise. "Welcome to my humble abode, I suppose. I hope it's not less than you were expecting."

As he goes down the stairs Alton pulls out a small box of breath strips and pops one. His eyes glaze over slightly as he introduces himself to Sun Cheng, the lysergic acid shifting his perspectives to the middle umbra so he may discern if he's shaking hands with a Familiar or a Vampire.

Taking in the surroundings he nods with approval. "Not at all. Quite appropriate for a personal lab. I have one like it at home, smaller I must admit. Though I tend to overcompensate with our chantry laboratory."

There is no discernible presence around the animated body in the spirit world, nor any easily detectable signs of vampirism. From what can currently be assessed, it is simply a corpse that has managed or been made to move independently.

"Oh, were I to have enough free Scientists to form a chantry. There's only one other member of our Tradition in the area, at least to my knowledge, and he's found a chantry with a Verbena, a Cultist, and a Hermetic. I may just have to invite the local computer jockeys to form together with me. Who are the members of this Cabal of yours?"

"Four people sounds more like a cabal than a chantry. The cabal side of FusionFactor is composed of my two sons, The Fusion Kid a Virtual Adept, Malefactor a VA who's joining the Sons of Ether, Spiro a Euthanatos, Alita another VA, and Dustin Bader a Cultist."

He continues to browse the various items.

(Note: Dustin Bader has Fame x5 and is a basketball player for I believe the mavericks.)

Reinhard looks a little flabergasted at that interesting bit of information. "You've had two sons who've Awoken? Astounding!"

He corrects himself. "Well, the Chantry's just the place for them to work their 'craft', is it not? But you're right, my true interest is in forming a Scientifically-minded Cabal, and that's what I meant to say that the other Son had formed with those other Awakened. All of the Cabal's in the area have their own Chantry. I'm sure my house and lab would make a fine Chantry for those I'd gather under my banner."

With a weak smile and a bit of sadness in his eyes, "They're adopted."

"Sadly I do not get the credit for their awakening. What you call Chantry I simply recognize as what the other traditions refer to as a Sanctum. For a true chantry you need multiple cabals working together. Usually for a specific goal, be it research, mutual defense, exploration."

He paces around the throne examining it as he goes.

The throne, as it were, seemed more like a staging system one might use to connect to any number of additional systems or networks. There were few monitors around, and none seemed exactly like a PC for internet purposes, so it's certainly possible that this is the method by which he connects himself to the Mage communication networks.

There's a similar sadness in his own eyes. It's not hard to guess that Reinhard wasn't in the business of having children of his own anymore, unless they were built. "Well, that's still something to celebrate. I have an adopted daughter of my own, Noelle. She's not awoken, I suppose you could refer to her as a consor or acolyte, but she's taken to my particular brand of Science rather quickly. Come, see some of our work."

He walks towards one of the corners of the lab where a rather large Orrery had been constructed. The largest of planets seemed to be about the size of a bowling ball, and all of them seemed to be actual miniature recreations of the planets in Earth's solar system, complete with self-contained atmospheric conditions within the clear shells that had been constructed around them.

"This was her inspiration, I merely helped. But it certainly goes a long way towards showing the excitement and wonder for Science that she has, doesn't it? She's a sweet girl."

Heading over he inspects the system carefully. "Magnificent. If only I could get my own son's to agree on scientific principles with me. " A smile creeps across his face. "The closest to this I can get is building my youngest son's car with him. The eldest has views that still need to be corrected before he's ready to present his doctoral thesis." He shrugs.

Looking over to the other man, "Have you ever been out there?" He gestures towards the model.

The "flesh" of his robotic face is just as expressive as a human's as a deep look of sadness and regret breaks his features. "I have, I have. We all have regrets, yes? I used to work with the Royal Ethernautical Society. I spent some time as an Adventurer, traveling the globe and the realms beyond, but I found my true passion in the stars. Sadly I was growing weak, infirm, and it always seemed like the Technocracy was right on my tail. So I built this body you see before you, and transferred my consciousness."

He finds a pair of chairs, both looking constructed to handle the additional weight of a mechanized body, and gestures to the man to join him in taking a seat.

"Sadly, well, the process wasn't perfect. I've...I've forgotten a great deal of my Scientific knowledge, Alton. I suppose it's a bit of a blessing I haven't forgotten everything, or lost my enlightened mind, but I'm no more knowledgeable than a Researcher now. And that's after a bit of work. Can you imagine? Having the planets at your fingertips and being reduced to this? It was Noelle who encouraged me to leave my home and reconnect with the world at large. But Reinhard von Luftwitz is a name synonymous with foolhardy Science."

Shock, Sadness and a tinge of horror more directed internally than towards Reinhard all cross Alton's face as he listens. "Sometimes an avatar carries with it the memories of it's past. Yes. I can definitely imagine what that's like. I try to look at it as a second chance. Maybe this time we will be better than we were in the past, don't you think Dr. von Luftwitz?" The younger man manages to bring a hopeful smile to the surface.

The words adopted daughter distinctly reached the young girl's ears as she rounded the corner. They were swiftly followed by consort and sweet girl. Cheeks burning hotly Noelle slid back so that the two men couldn't hear her. She gripped tightly to the tools of her trade and considered backing away entirely. It was tempting to run to the safety of her room and consider the things that she'd heard but the conversation continued and she found herself eager to listen.

She leaned forward just a bit knowing that it was wrong to eavesdrop but finding a burning desire to hear what her mentor had to say. Her breath caught when he spoke about his loss and the way that she had affected him. So focused was she on the two scientists that she didn't notice the mummy.

It must have been the beating of her heart that kept her from noticing the footsteps of the lumbering monstrosity. The dead hand that fell heavily on her shoulder caught her entirely by surprise. A terrified and embarrassed squeak left her lips and she dodged forward straight into the room. Noelle looked to be in her mid to late teens. She had reddish colored hair that was currently in french braid pigtails. Dressed in a long black skirt and a green tanktop, the slight figure of the teenager was quite obvious. In her arms was a sketchbook and a bag of various items. As she moved further into the lab her bare feet made little noise on the ground.

"How is it that he moves so silently?!" she implored of her caretaker. Realizing that retreat was no longer an option she moved further into the room. Her sketchbook and knickknacks were placed on a work table. The pale of her cheeks were burning bright red and she couldn't quite meet either man's eyes.

It's possible Alton had heard of him. His exploits were the talk of the symposiums at one point. Particularly after the body swap, and not for good reasons. He nods his head gratefully at his kind words. "Yes, I suppose that's a distinct possibility. I'll find myself very fortunate to celebrate my Ninety-ninth birthday this year, and if I have anything to say about it, I'll see my hundredth. You'll have to give me an address for the invitation."


When the girl stepped out from her hiding spot, he turned to her with an amused but authoritative look. "Speak of the devil. Perhaps I should say the same of you. No need to concern yourself since our initial meeting of my old colleague. He's harmless once he knows who's friend, and who's foe.You're safe with him standing guard over my home. Now come out here and meet another colleague of mine. Noelle, this is Dr. Alton De Haven. His Father was a Son of Ether as well."

"I'll leave you one of my cards." He turns towards the doorway the girl is hiding in, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her caretaker's words made her blush even more. "I didn't mean to be so quiet," she protested while obeying. Her arms free, she moved across the room so that she was standing next to and a little behind Reinhard. Her hand reached out for his. The girl didn't seem to care or be bothered by the coldness and inhumanity of the appendage she grasped.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you." The girl was soft spoken and shy as she got closer to the man. There was something in the way she pressed close to Reinhard that suggested she both looked up to him but wanted a very different relationship than the stated father-daughter relationship that existed. Strangers were not something that the girl knew how to deal with well and her eyes remained slightly lowered as she spoke.

Reinhard's facial expressions betray the awkwardness he feels at the girl's close touch. He still walked as though the weight of age was upon him, he still spoke as if his voice were withered. Likely, such things were not a part of his thoughts for a long time. He continues the Scientific discussion for the sake of them all.

"As I said, it's my firm hope to recover much of my knowledge and work towards making a difference again. One of the places of interest I've never had the chance to visit is the Hollow Earth, so I'm hoping to mount an expedition in the near future, preferably some time in the next year. Have you ever been?"

"Um... Yes, actually. Not in a long time though. Every year it gets harder and harder to reach Agartha. I'm currently planning an expedition myself. I want my boys to see it before it's too late."

He turns to the young girl with the sudden realization that he may have been rude and not included her, "So what brings you into this sort of life?"

Talk of all of the wonders that these individuals had seen and done in their lives filled the girl's eyes with wonder. She moved from the side she was cowering against to stand in front of her mentor. Depending on how carefully he paid attention Reinhard might see the significance of such a thing. Noelle tended to be incredibly shy around strangers. Though she still clung to both of her caretaker's wrists, she was moving forward and raptly engaged with both the man and the conversation.

"I know all about Agartha! Saint Yves account was something I read when I was ten years old. Beasts, Men, and Gods followed quickly after. What did it look like? What were the beasts like? Is it true that there are dinosaurs to be found?" Reinhard had never seen her use so many words in front of a stranger before. When he asked her about herself she blushed a bit and looked shyly up to the man behind her.

"I umm..." She looked to the metal man to help her, uncertain of how to answer that question exactly.

There was a smile of appreciation that came when she moved. He had never wanted the horrors of this world to bind her to this place, or to his side. If anything, he wanted to foster within her an exploratory nature that would move her even closer towards a Scientific mindset. His smile turned into an amused metal-faced smirk when she started to recall the rumors of Agartha.

As for the reason for her presence, he took her cue to answer. "She's a curious young lady, and managed to see through my Camouflage Field Generator during a shopping trip. She managed to follow me back here. The rest, more or less, is history."

"As for your trip to Agartha, I do hope you wouldn't mind a few more capable hands. It would certainly help round out my bucket list."

"I would welcome the company. Currently I'm working on a more permanent connection to the city, thought that could take years to manage if possible. And yes, Ms. Noelle, Dinosaurs and beasts unimaginable. It was beautiful and I have missed it ever since."

Noelle held onto the wrists of her caretaker as the two men spoke. Her eyes lit up at Reinhard's suggestion and grew even wider when Alton responded favorably. She even took a few steps towards the new man. "Really? Can you tell me what they look like? Can you show me? I mean, like right now?" Every word was said with more and more excitement.

(Apologies, what started out as giving Reinhard a chance to post became me losing the scene.)

A faint smile crosses the man's face as her excitement becomes contagious. "My own memories have faded with age but they were truly magnificent. Behemoths reaching up into the tree tops. Silent predators only visible briefly though the dense brush. Showing you is a bit harder. The expeditions journals are all back at my lab."

(My bad. It got away from me too.)

Reinhard shook his head with a fatherly smile when she got excited and started requesting visuals. "If we're lucky, Noelle, Dr. De Haven won't forget us when it comes time for his next expedition. He has the experience and pre-planning that might help us get there significantly faster than I'd be able to arrange." He'd been to hell and back, but never to Agartha, and though he remained calm, there was a subtle pulse of excitement that remained with him as well.

Noelle held onto Reinhard's hands and slid forward even more. She was half using him to keep her upright while getting closer and closer to Alton. Each thing that he mentioned made her eyes widen even larger with interest. The young woman certainly seemed to have a taste for adventure. "I want to see. Can you bring them here? Can you go back to your lab?"

She was closely attuned to Reinhard and his needs. The feeling of excitement just egged her on. She turned to look back at him with almost pleading eyes. "Let's be more than lucky. Let's plan. Please Alton?" He was allowed inside so quickly mostly because of Reinhard's trust but also because the things he was talking about were things she was interested in. Her eyes met Alton's and she gave him a look that anyone would have difficulty saying no to."[/i][/color]

"Planning isn't nearly as fun as you may think. It is a matter of what equipment will be brought, who the expedition will be made up of. Without a determined entrance to Hollow Earth we cannot plan an exact route. So we either need to find or make one, and making one hasn't been easy."