destinystrings | The Science Research Institute [Semi-Closed, see note]

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The Science Research Institute [Semi-Closed, see note]

Who: Anyone who Ideo recommended go work with the Wise Men.
Where: Gemini's Molecular Anomalies Gnosis Institute
Summary: After Ideo recommends a few people to go work with the Wise Men, they get to see the strange inner workings of their research. Good times and perhaps science is had by all.
Warnings: SCIENCE
Note: You can still go get a job by talking to Ideo or replying to the Job Posting. (OOC - you can also always talk to me and arrange it.)

The building had no markings or a fancy sign. For all intent and purposes it looked like an unmarked building in a row of similar brethren. Most civilians would pass by without knowing anything was particularly unique about it. After all, the best place for hiding was right in plain view. Two-sided windows which mean you couldn't quite see what was inside, the building itself rose about six stories high and had a single door, located on the front.

Once inside, there was a man waited behind a desk, blocking the pathway leading to what looked like a metallic door. The desk itself was without fanfare or much attention either; just a single computer, a small potted plant, a small stash of paper that looked like it was never used and a ground-line telephone that was almost laughable in the age of COMP systems. He was dressed in a suit; as with most typical Japanese businessmen. The strange black bumps on the ceiling were undoubtedly hiding cameras, making it impossible to know what they were looking at.

Once someone got in, he looked up at them, his face perfectly neutral, voice gruff and demanding an answer as soon as possible.

"Name?"

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It was making sure you were who you were, Minako. Otherwise that might have been rather painful for you.

The door stands before her ominously. There's the faint sound of something humming behind it, but otherwise, it's eerily quiet. The man goes back to his desk, Persona disappearing as he continues to pretend to be occupied but is actually watching her and waiting to see what she'll do.

Last chance to step back, Minako.

> Enter Door?

Yes
Yes
> Yes

She's already in the building, why would she suddenly turn back now? It's not like this is the room before a boss fight in a RPG!

She boldly ~~accepts~~ opens the door and steps inside.

~~Wow someone hijacked the selection prompts.~~

The door opens to reveal...another small, white-walled corridor ending with a large metal elevator flanked by two men that are looking more like Japanese SWAT members than scientists, covered in guns and gear.

Once she gets close enough, they indicate for her to get in.The inside is unusually large, but before she can press any buttons, a voice speaks up.

"Subject Identity Confirmed. Welcome to M.A.G.I. Minako Arisato." the voice was distorted and robotic. "Please. For your Safety. We ask that you. Hold on. To the Metallic Bars located on the edge of the Elevator. Decent begins in three seconds."

The door closes behind her.

"Three. Two. One...Decent begins now."

Hopefully she had held on, because suddenly the transport sounds off a small ding and begins to plummet for a hundred levels in the span of ten seconds.

Edited 2012-11-06 04:42 (UTC)

To be honest... this kind of excessive security is really not that surprising, knowing that Mr. Kirijo is one of the higher-ups. The guys in the combat gear give off the same intimidating aura as his subordinates back home had... well, with more guns.

Minako ignores the men and steps directly into the elevator. If she doesn't listen to the recorded voice's suggestion immediately, she definitely does as soon as the 'elevator' begins to plummet. She ends up flattened against the wall, clinging to the metal railing with both hands.

"Floor 101. Main Floor. Please hold. Still. For your scan. For Weapons. Thank you."

It was perhaps a little overkill, but once that was preformed, the elevator wished her a nice day and opened the doors.

..and another desk, but this time a woman and she seems a lot more cheerful than those before her. She stands up, walks over and bows slightly.

"Miss Arisato! My name is Suzuki Momoi and on behalf of the Wise Men, I welcome you into the M.A.G.I. Research department. If you are ready to begin, we can start the tour, and I will explain your duties at the same time?"

Edited 2012-11-06 06:39 (UTC)

More like a lot overkill. Minako only hears about half of what the woman says because she's still trying to recover from that trip.

"Ah... yeah! Let's start the tour..." Did that recording really mean they are a hundred floors underground... is it even possible to build a basement down that far?!

Don't worry, she'll get used to that in time.

Probably.

"I'm glad to hear it!" she says, walking before her, before pointing to a lab coat on a hook. It already has her portrait on a card with her DOB and status as a persona user. "The card was made for you this morning. Please wear it around your neck and make sure you don't lose it! Losing a card could be extremely dangerous to the facility as a whole. The lab coat can be worn over your normal clothing. While you won't be experimenting yourself, you will be assisting others."

As they go forward, the lighting dims more, and there are many paths that lead to open windowed rooms where scientists are busy working on various projects. Sometimes Minako can see Persona users fighting each other, attached to a machine that measure their brainwaves and body temperature. Others seem to be examining samples under microscopes.

"There are three main branches, with most of the larger labs and silos located in the lower levels; Research, Development and Weaponry. From what I understand, you are from the same world as Mr. Takeba?"

Minako takes the card, and puts it around her neck as instructed. Then she puts on the lab coat and follows Suzuki. As they pass each window, she glances inside, taking in the scene and guessing at what they might be researching inside.

"That's right... I went to school with his daughter." Though who knows if she already knows that or not... The people working here seem to know all kinds of things, some of which they really shouldn't. Like her birthday.

She laughs at that comment, albeit trying to be polite and controlled at the same time.

"Yes, so I have heard..." She coughs, and continues to walk as they went deeper into the facility. "From what I understand...I almost wish to apologize ahead of time if you run into him later and he starts to question you about her, considering she was just a child before he arrived here. Mister Kirijo, on the other hand, comes from your brother's world. At least that is what we have determined from cross-checking files and data information."

She looks around before leading them to a pathway on the left. The rooms seem to be getting more military in nature, and they pass a sign above them state as much; Upper Weaponry Chemical Laboratory 1 A-F. Mannequins equipped with various suits are being targeted by Persona users, as other scientists jolt down results.

"Do you have any questions so far, Miss Arisato?"

To be honest, she expected that already, going off of what she'd heard from Yukari herself.

"No, not yet..." Although the extra military nature of what they are passing has got her interested. 'Weaponry Chemical laboratory' doesn't exactly sound pleasant.

Probably about as pleasant as the military men that were starting to line up the rooms as they walk further in. It is hard to judge anything about them; they are dressed from head to toe in military uniform like the two guards upstairs and had pairs of sunglasses despite the low light.

By now, some of the rooms have no windows to the outside world, and they pass by a scientist with a small Pixie (also dressed in a similar white outfit) on her shoulder, who gives Suzuki a wave before swapping her card at a door and going in. The light above goes green and the sound of a metallic system unlocking can be heard.

While Minako can't see inside, the door looks about as thick as you'd find a safe, and closes automatically once the duo are in, as the light above turns to red again.

The place almost feels like an ant colony, really.

"You're much quieter than I expected," Suzuki admits, pushing her glasses from the bridge of her nose. "The first time I arrived here, I couldn't stop asking about everything around me."

"Right now, it's hard to pick where to start. I've never been in a facility like this before." She'd never actually physically visited the Kirijo labs, after all.

"I can understand that," she nods, smiling to herself more than to Minako. "Normally recruitment isn't done in this way. The M.A.G.I. officials pass through government records and school test results, offering recruitment to those who pass qualifications. We heard rumors, of course, but..." she trails off. "Everything is restricted, but once you get used to the atmosphere, well I wouldn't want to be working anywhere else! I was hired half a year ago. The facility has grown tremendously the past months, especially after the Seven arrived." She leans a little closer. "And just between you and me, I had always been a huge fan of Ian Fleming's James Bond books, so having Q arriving here in the flesh was...terribly exciting!"

Please excuse her, she was having a fangirl moment. Coughing again, she resumed walking at a normal speed.

More military men and large doors. Still they went on, from section 1-E to section 1-F.

"Each of the Wise Men is responsible for one of the main branches. Mister Eiichiro Takeba is head of Research, Mister Takeharu Kirijo heads Development and Weaponry is under the care of--"

She stops as they arrive at the end of a corridor, in front of another metallic door.

"--oh, I apologize. I forget how faster walking goes on when you're talking so much. They always tell me I talk to much...Well, I suppose you'll be meeting with him right now anyway..." she stands next to her, indicating a machine next to the door. "Please slide your card to get in, and I will see you later today." With another quick bow, she turns and leaves Minako.

"Well, if we're being honest... I liked Harry Potter." This city really can bring all kinds of surprises, can't it?

When they stop, she smiles at the other woman. "It was nice meeting you, Momoi-san. Thanks for the tour! And, I don't think you talk too much."

But then there's nothing left to do but turn to the door, take a deep breath, and swipe to go inside.

The two armed men standing next to the door say nothing, and for a few tense seconds it looks like nothing will happen...until the light goes green on top of her and the door slowly opens, beckoning her inside.

Once Minako does go in, she will find that the office isn't exactly what you'd expect from an underground facility; apart from the desk in the centre, there are plants on the sides and lighting that makes it feel like you are on the surface. You could almost call it Zen and relaxing compared to all the testing going on in the other rooms.

To the left, there is a small lab with holographic readouts and what looks like a camera system into the other rooms as experimenting is going on. The third Wise Man is sitting at his desk, watching her closely.

"So we meet again, Miss Arisato."

"It's nice to meet you under better circumstances." Minako smiles politely at him, before glancing around at the office again. "You have a nice office, too. Very peaceful."

Sort of unlike all the guys with guns in the rest of this building....

"I'm a man of elegant simplicity," he explains, indicating a seat in front of the desk for her. "I must admit I did not expect your name when Hazama mentioned it on a list of possible candidates to work here." He pauses, and grins slightly. The type of grin that makes it hard to judge if he's mocking or not.

"Of course considering the other two Wise Men, I suppose it isn't that surprising."

"I'm not someone who likes to stand back and let everyone else do the tough jobs." To be honest, now that she's here and has seen the intensity of the facility, she wonders what she will be able to do. But that doesn't mean she's going to voice that, or be intimidated. No one knew every answer before they began a new task.

Her tone is light, but the look in her eyes is steady and serious. "We've been brought here for a reason. And since I've been involved as far as I'm concerned, it's related to what I was dealing with before this. I don't like leaving things unfinished, either."

She'd been dragged here from the Seal, interrupted from her task of saving almost seven billion people from themselves. That doesn't really scream 'free vacation' to her.

"So I've heard."

The reply is mysteriously vague. What Kandori might know about her is hard to gauge at this point; he doesn't give off any clues. However, considering who he works with and the subject matter involved, it's easy to assume that he has some knowledge of S.E.E.S. and the shadow testing conducted before. He idly spins the two baoding balls in his hands as he continues speaking. The tone is polite and businesslike.

"Well then Miss Arisato, what do you think you may gain from being employed with the M.A.G.I.?"

Edited (Too many "he knows" I hate myself and must change it.) 2012-11-07 11:41 (UTC)

She expects he knows about SEES. She would be more surprised if he somehow knew about the Seal, since that was after Mr. Kirijo's time.

"I want to understand more about the situation in the city. Especially after the effects of that scorpion invasion. You all have the resources to do that."

"And keep an eye on our activities, no doubt." He continues to spin the baoding in his hands, his expression unchanging.

"Regardless, a noble endeavor, and something we are all striving to do. I can tell you that so far no conclusive results have come forth regarding what happened exactly, or if it has a connection to what you called the...Dark Hour if I remember correctly?"

"It doesn't mean there isn't one, even if it's indirect." She's mostly thinking of what Theo has told her about Philemon. If that's true, and her crisis was just one example of the 'bet' being played out for humanity, him bringing this many Persona-users here did not bode well for anything. "It's similar enough it's not likely it's all coincidence."

"Of course not. So far does not mean it is completely ruled out."

He suddenly stopped his hands movements and looked directly at her.

"You have a theory, then? I'd expect as much, considering Kirijo mentioned you...well...your brother actually, being part of the SEES student group with the ability to operate during this Dark Hour."

"That's right.... Minato and I led the combat operations." From his words before he surely knows that this meant in two separate worlds, but she's not about to bring that up as a topic herself. Her family history is private information. "And :I have some ideas, but I wouldn't call it enough for a theory."

"Regardless." He went right back to spinning, looking like he was thinking about it as well. "Ideas have always shaped the course of history. Better it be ideas than rumors, after all..."

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greatseal - 2012-11-11 20:44 (UTC) - Expand

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