Test Subject 001 - Prologue

The Fixer leans back in his chair. The last couple of weeks have been a blur. Between all the routine upgrades he does to AGNI’s Counter-Tech weapons and his little side project, he has barely ventured outside in days. While Ms Abel’s Tech Support team proved efficient and had the set-up at the old docks ready to go, the facility had taken longer. He had been more or less camping in his office so he didn’t waste time on things like commutes. After the first couple of days, Ms Abel had the office redecorated to accommodate a living quarters adjacent to his office itself. He assured her it was just a temporary situation.

He suddenly noticed his phone was flashing a notification about a new message. It had come a while ago...

VG: So, what’s a girl gotta do to get some attention around here?
TF: Oops. I’m so sorry! I’ve been swamped with work here!
VG: You know that if you’re planning to take over the world, I’m going to have to stop you, right?
TF: Hmmm… now that you mention it, that might be a good distraction from all these numbers.
VG: You’re in the city?
TF: Yes?
VG: Get your ass to Devon Park in an hour. I’ll meet you by the bench facing the Plaza. Better not make me wait.
TF: But I’m in the middle of something!
VG: You’re definitely staring at some screen. Come get some sunshine. And don’t make me come find you!

He was pretty certain the office location was a well kept secret, but he didn’t want to take that chance. The last thing he wanted was Ms Abel bumping into Victory Girl or vice versa. As he pulled open the blinds, the sunlight was blinding. He blinked hard, looking outside. “Sigh, I better do what she says…”

The park in question was near an office complex so it was barely populated during that hour of the day. He had grabbed a newspaper along the way and presently, sat down at the designated bench. He was barely there a couple of minutes when an attractive blonde sat down beside him.

"Err… why do you look like a hooker?" Asked The Fixer trying to look as cool as possible.

"I… couldn’t find anything else," replied an embarrassed Victory Girl, "I’m on call right now. And by the way, why do you have a dead animal on your head?"

"It's a disguise? They’d be looking for a bald man…"

With a sigh, she exclaims, "I’m bored. Entertain me!"

Her sudden candour takes him by surprise and he lets out a laugh, only to notice that's she's being serious. He quickly quietens down when he realises she's not finished speaking. "I miss the thrill of the action. Over at Emergency Response, things are slowing down as we get more recruits. What have you been up to?"

He is unsure how to respond. It's not just that what he's working on is strictly confidential, it's the fact that it almost feels like they are having a casual conversation. He realises his litter inner monologue has only piqued her interest even further. He's no longer certain of their arrangement, so he quickly decides that for now, casual it is. "Err… crunching test result numbers," he finally replies.

"Ooh, what are you testing?"

"New… weapons?"

"Your whole Anti-Evolved Initiative? "

"Sigh. I call it Counter-Tech."

"Which poor soul are you testing them on?"

"Err… no one? It’s still lab trials."

Suddenly, her eyes are all aglow. Her response is almost without hesitation, "Do you need a test subject?"

"Are you volunteering?" he asks sceptically.

"Only if you promise to make it… interesting."

"And any reason why I would let my ‘arch nemesis’ see what’s going to be on the market soon?"

"I’ve seen most of your ‘Counter-Tech’ already. Tried on a few myself. Fun stuff. But as far as I can tell, the only ‘new’ thing you could do is improve efficiencies and maybe output. Hardly ground breaking stuff."

"You seem pretty confident for someone who agreed she was a slut the last time we met. And it does sound intriguing… so… I can run the tests on you?"

"Sure! Why not? So, what’s on the menu?"

"Well, firstly there’s the Counter-Tech weapons testing and then there’s the… erm… Counter-Tech restraints testing."

"How long were you planning on holding out on me?"

"The err… restraints tech is a new contract from a new client. I can’t tell you anything more though. NDAs and all."

"Since when does a villain care about NDAs?"

"Since it's my reputation on the line," replies The Fixer with a sigh. "Besides, you’ll need to sign an NDA too. And informed consent forms."

"You are joking, right?" she blurts out with the most surprised look on her face.

"No. I take my research protocol very seriously. If you’re in, I’ll send across the specs of all the tests, so you’re aware of the risks."

"Can’t you, you know, surprise me?"

He's lost in thought for a moment, before he speaks, "Hmmm… ok, I can arrange that. I’ll send you a vague list of possibilities, but only I’ll know the final test list."

"Now that sounds better! And the restraints thing. I hope you have ALL the things to keep me from, you know, thinking of escaping?"

Visibly offended, The Fixer replies, "Errr… what do you think I run? A porn shop? All items I develop and sell are for the sole stated purpose. As such, re-purposing them for any other purposes via additions or alterations voids the terms of service that we provide, meaning, you cannot call us to support your operations."

"Jeez, you sound just like a recited service contract," she replies, before switching over to her foxiest voice and batting her eyelashes, adding, "Can’t you make, an exception?"

Reluctantly, he finally gives in, "Fine. I’ll see what I can put together without altering my designs."

"Now you’re talking! So, when do I get to come in for testing!?"

"You’ll need to give me a couple of days to fix up a staging ground and prep the facility. I do have a question though.

"You know you don’t have to ask permission to ask a question, right?"

"Right. So I ran a test on the Tranq Dart you let me use on you last time. Turns out it was nothing more than some run-of-the-mill cocktail of sedatives and muscle relaxants mixed in with some fluorescent dye, which I'm guessing you threw in to make it look exotic. Now, I’m pretty certain that none of the components of that mix work on you and I have tested knockout darts before and I’m certain you weren’t faking the effects. What gives?

With her most sheepish smile, she replies, "Hehe, busted... Can’t a girl have her secrets?"

"Fine. I’ll let it slide for now. I’ll drop you a message when I’m ready."

"Oh! I have a request! Can you, you know, monologue a bit?"

"What!?"

"Monologue! You know, how the dastardly villains do? You did it a bit last time, but I want you to dial it up! Elaborate on the helplessness of my situation! Pledge to make me rue the day I chose to cross your path! Promise to make me suffer for some stupid mistake I made!"

"You... watch too much TV shows and films. No one does that, you know."

"And anime, don't forget anime. Well, all the more reason for you to do it! Don't tell me, as a villain, you've never wanted to try that out!"

"Fine, I'll admit it. I never actually use my tech on actual people or for actual crimes, so..."

"Say no more! It's decided then! Go prepare your villainous speeches, villain! And you better not take it easy on me or I will kick your ass!

"Err, speaking of kicking ass, could you take it easy on me? I don’t want you wrecking all my hard work... "

"So, you want me to dial it down?"

"If you could hold back, dial it down, yes please!"

"Hmmm… you are more observant than I give you credit for. Fine. Send me the details and I’ll be sure to keep it around your parameters."

"Thanks. Now, if that’s all…"

"Yes! Finally something to look forward to! Better not disappoint me Fixer!"

"Don’t worry, Victory Girl, by the time I’m done, you’ll be begging me to stop..."

***

Victory Girl - Test Subject 001 starts tomorrow over at Rob66 's blog, so don't forget to check it out

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Technical notes:
The series is rendered in 3delight, not iray like the picture above. I was having some difficulty with the garden looking off in 3delight, so I ended up clearing most of the scene and rendering it in iray with an HDRI for a background and lights. And I didn't bother changing the headlines on the newspaper prop I didn't have the patience to design a paper from scratch