FIC: More Than God (1/4)
Title: More Than God (1/4)
Author: Daemonikk
Summary: Based on nanomites's prompt (#1 of 27) "Everything is for sale."
Rating: M15 for this chapter, ramps up extraordinarily fast after this.
Notes: This is a big one, guys, so I'm hacking it inexpertly into chunks (shall we say, 4? 4 is a good number) to save your eyes.
It had been a triumphant day for science overall, Rex thought to himself as he preened slightly. He had finally perfected the bio-armor nanomite upgrading. The petrifold regression had posed quite a puzzle, but he had managed to iron out the problem, and with a remarkably small margin of error. Indeed, the project had only lost twelve test subjects. Still, he mused to himself, it was clearly a justified application of murder. He smiled to himself, straightening his coat and organising his report papers. McCullen was on his way to hear the good news, and he was very proud of this presentation, perhaps his best in months of frustrating roadblocks and red herrings.
The doors slid apart with a barely-audible hydraulic hiss, and McCullen himself fairly sauntered into the shining white lab. “Speak of the devil,” Rex said playfully, spreading his hands and gesturing to McCullen with a graceful twist. McCullen smiled brightly, bowing deeply at the waist, snapping back upright with a slight bounce. Rex couldn't help but smile; it was rare for McCullen to be in such a clear bout of good spirits.
“And so he appears. I hear you have a new wonder completed for me, Doctor?” McCullen set his briefcase down on an empty bench beside him, a sleek and tasteful number in monogrammed black leather. He leaned almost rakishly next to it; ankles crossed just so, to show off his gleaming wingtips, his jacket off, the thumb of his left hand in the low side pocket of his vest.
For a brief moment, Rex forgot what he was doing, fumbling with his papers as he stared. How lean McCullen was, a fact often hidden under his suit jackets. The light grey vest cleaved to him, perfectly tailored and contrasting nicely with the navy-blue silk shirt, the double-breasted vest cut flattering him from the chest down to his appealingly narrow hips. Shaking himself mentally, Rex tore his eyes away from the marvellously well-tailored crotch, composing himself with a small cough. He nodded curtly, and tried to ignore the grey hooded eyes that regarded him with curious warmth, despite the lack of blinking. He straightened somewhat and began his presentation.
To his credit, McCullen appeared at least vitally attentive, if not always entirely understanding all of the jargon of the scientific method. Detailed annotations on the precise algorithms used in the coding drew slightly blank stares, but Rex knew McCullen was anything but dull, and now and then displayed his sharp intellect in his questions.
“So, this armor,” he said, cocking his head a little towards the papers Rex held, “how does it stand up against standard military ordnance? I suppose I would be correct in assuming that it wouldn't, say, stop a sniper bullet at point-blank range, due to the biomechanical structure.”
Rex smiled, pleased. “A correct assumption, and a fine question. Standard firearms have a variable result. For example, it can stop a small-calibre bullet such as pistol ammo with barely a dent, at a distance greater than fifteen metres. Any closer, and the possibility of damage increases exponentially.”
Ducking smoothly under a nanomite injector unit, Rex crossed to the largest computer display screen. A few gentle taps and strokes of the screen brought up a more detailed synopsis of the results, along with a detailed graph and a series of video clips from the testing stages. McCullen appeared captivated momentarily by Rex's black latex-clad fingers dancing over the screen, but turned attentively to the videos as they were played for him.
“As you can see,” Rex said, bringing up an animated demonstrational cross-section and beginning to finish up, “the bio-armor operates under a compression-and-expansion recoil system, hardening on the outer and innermost layers, allowing the gel-like central layers to act as shock absorbers using the physical properties of non-Newtonian fluids. The impact of a bullet solidifies the central layers at the strike point, helping to cushion and reject the path of the bullet. From great distances, bullets are completely harmless; from close up... Well, it slows the bullets significantly, limiting the damage done. Although, if additional protection were worn over the bio-armor, I am confident that the danger would be lessened even more.”
McCullen grinned widely, standing beside him with his arms crossed casually in front. “You certainly have no need to worry about me ever doubting your genius, Doctor. This is truly splendid work. You should be very proud of yourself; I can assure you, I am.”
“You are very kind, Sir,” Rex rasped, but secretly his chest swelled with something like delight.
McCullen turned his head to face him, his smile softened somewhat with what appeared to be genuine warmth. “It is no kindness to speak the truth. But tell me, do we have this market-ready? Will this be possible to sell openly?”
“It may not get past the open market for a few years. There will be nations calling for their own medical tests, reports, committee lobbying, ethics commissions, the usual sort of thing.” Rex smirked, tilting his head to look at McCullen conspiratorially. “But this is still the world, with all its many clever channels. Everything is for sale.”
McCullen smiled slyly, seemed to regard him with something like challenge. “Perhaps it is...”
He walked slowly around Rex, smiling secretively as he passed, holding Rex's eyes just a moment longer than was necessary, walking just a little too close. Rex heard him chuckle lowly just behind him, and turned to watch him go to his briefcase. He opened it, keeping its contents hidden from Rex's view as he took something from within and pocketed it. Staring into Rex's eyes again, that soft, quiet smile and those piercing eyes locked on him in a way that reminded Rex of a cat.
“Perhaps the question is only one of price. Doctor.”
Author: Daemonikk
Summary: Based on nanomites's prompt (#1 of 27) "Everything is for sale."
Rating: M15 for this chapter, ramps up extraordinarily fast after this.
Notes: This is a big one, guys, so I'm hacking it inexpertly into chunks (shall we say, 4? 4 is a good number) to save your eyes.
It had been a triumphant day for science overall, Rex thought to himself as he preened slightly. He had finally perfected the bio-armor nanomite upgrading. The petrifold regression had posed quite a puzzle, but he had managed to iron out the problem, and with a remarkably small margin of error. Indeed, the project had only lost twelve test subjects. Still, he mused to himself, it was clearly a justified application of murder. He smiled to himself, straightening his coat and organising his report papers. McCullen was on his way to hear the good news, and he was very proud of this presentation, perhaps his best in months of frustrating roadblocks and red herrings.
The doors slid apart with a barely-audible hydraulic hiss, and McCullen himself fairly sauntered into the shining white lab. “Speak of the devil,” Rex said playfully, spreading his hands and gesturing to McCullen with a graceful twist. McCullen smiled brightly, bowing deeply at the waist, snapping back upright with a slight bounce. Rex couldn't help but smile; it was rare for McCullen to be in such a clear bout of good spirits.
“And so he appears. I hear you have a new wonder completed for me, Doctor?” McCullen set his briefcase down on an empty bench beside him, a sleek and tasteful number in monogrammed black leather. He leaned almost rakishly next to it; ankles crossed just so, to show off his gleaming wingtips, his jacket off, the thumb of his left hand in the low side pocket of his vest.
For a brief moment, Rex forgot what he was doing, fumbling with his papers as he stared. How lean McCullen was, a fact often hidden under his suit jackets. The light grey vest cleaved to him, perfectly tailored and contrasting nicely with the navy-blue silk shirt, the double-breasted vest cut flattering him from the chest down to his appealingly narrow hips. Shaking himself mentally, Rex tore his eyes away from the marvellously well-tailored crotch, composing himself with a small cough. He nodded curtly, and tried to ignore the grey hooded eyes that regarded him with curious warmth, despite the lack of blinking. He straightened somewhat and began his presentation.
To his credit, McCullen appeared at least vitally attentive, if not always entirely understanding all of the jargon of the scientific method. Detailed annotations on the precise algorithms used in the coding drew slightly blank stares, but Rex knew McCullen was anything but dull, and now and then displayed his sharp intellect in his questions.
“So, this armor,” he said, cocking his head a little towards the papers Rex held, “how does it stand up against standard military ordnance? I suppose I would be correct in assuming that it wouldn't, say, stop a sniper bullet at point-blank range, due to the biomechanical structure.”
Rex smiled, pleased. “A correct assumption, and a fine question. Standard firearms have a variable result. For example, it can stop a small-calibre bullet such as pistol ammo with barely a dent, at a distance greater than fifteen metres. Any closer, and the possibility of damage increases exponentially.”
Ducking smoothly under a nanomite injector unit, Rex crossed to the largest computer display screen. A few gentle taps and strokes of the screen brought up a more detailed synopsis of the results, along with a detailed graph and a series of video clips from the testing stages. McCullen appeared captivated momentarily by Rex's black latex-clad fingers dancing over the screen, but turned attentively to the videos as they were played for him.
“As you can see,” Rex said, bringing up an animated demonstrational cross-section and beginning to finish up, “the bio-armor operates under a compression-and-expansion recoil system, hardening on the outer and innermost layers, allowing the gel-like central layers to act as shock absorbers using the physical properties of non-Newtonian fluids. The impact of a bullet solidifies the central layers at the strike point, helping to cushion and reject the path of the bullet. From great distances, bullets are completely harmless; from close up... Well, it slows the bullets significantly, limiting the damage done. Although, if additional protection were worn over the bio-armor, I am confident that the danger would be lessened even more.”
McCullen grinned widely, standing beside him with his arms crossed casually in front. “You certainly have no need to worry about me ever doubting your genius, Doctor. This is truly splendid work. You should be very proud of yourself; I can assure you, I am.”
“You are very kind, Sir,” Rex rasped, but secretly his chest swelled with something like delight.
McCullen turned his head to face him, his smile softened somewhat with what appeared to be genuine warmth. “It is no kindness to speak the truth. But tell me, do we have this market-ready? Will this be possible to sell openly?”
“It may not get past the open market for a few years. There will be nations calling for their own medical tests, reports, committee lobbying, ethics commissions, the usual sort of thing.” Rex smirked, tilting his head to look at McCullen conspiratorially. “But this is still the world, with all its many clever channels. Everything is for sale.”
McCullen smiled slyly, seemed to regard him with something like challenge. “Perhaps it is...”
He walked slowly around Rex, smiling secretively as he passed, holding Rex's eyes just a moment longer than was necessary, walking just a little too close. Rex heard him chuckle lowly just behind him, and turned to watch him go to his briefcase. He opened it, keeping its contents hidden from Rex's view as he took something from within and pocketed it. Staring into Rex's eyes again, that soft, quiet smile and those piercing eyes locked on him in a way that reminded Rex of a cat.
“Perhaps the question is only one of price. Doctor.”