Now entering Jack's Office

[heroantagonist]

[It's a long ride up in the elevator. The floors passing you by start to merge together into a jumbled blur, leaving the whole experience altogether surreal and boring.

Eventually though, it ends. Finally, you're deposited in a yellow hallway, rows upon rows of computers on business desks encased in large glass windows. A disc-shaped cleaning bot handles the long stretch of hallway you march down, rumbling incessantly as it passes. More potted plants. More Hyperion logos, getting worse by the second-

And then you enter Jack's office.

The man (the myth, the legend) himself is probably behind his desk. So why don't you drop in and say hi? Just be mindful of the rules...]

Comments

[gwenchman]

Hey, uh. Mr. Borderlands? It’s Gwenpool.

[ Gwen doesn’t want to jump in and dropkick Handsome Jack obviously. That seems like a fast-track to badtimes. ]

I have some questions! Mainly because I’m sort of going through eighty-seven different existential crises right now.

Sunday evening, after the intro

[nmc0204]

[ Once the general chaos of their first meeting with their extremely irritating host dies down, Ryoko slips away from the rest of the group and makes her way to the elevator as soon as it's available. There's purpose in her stride as she makes her way down the hallway and she doesn't miss a step before pushing the door open and just waltzing right in. ]

So? Are you here?

Monday, 11 AM

[duelingdialectics]

Knock knock. Can I come in?

And please don't hit me with the smartass "I don't know, CAN you" stuff, "can" is just as valid gramatically as "may" in this instance.

Week 1, Tuesday-ish

[oxygendestroyer]

[After he's gathered enough medical information about his fellow "classmates," Serizawa is eventually going to force himself to steel his nerves and enter the elevator. Clipboard, pencil, paper, labcoat. Full scientist ensemble.

He's not going to enjoy any of this.]

[heroantagonist]

[The office remains silent for a moment or two. With the soft humming of electricity coursing under Gwen's feet. Then-]

Yeah, yeah, be with you in a second.

[Jack (In the flesh... more or less) swivels back around in his chair, offering his undivided attention towards Gwen.]

Welcome, miss... Pool? I guess? You've got questions for me?

[heroantagonist]

One sec! Just over here, dusting the ol display case.

[Off to the left of Jack's desk is a small system of shelves built into the wall. Trinkets, odds and ends... a gun. Jack's over there, back turned.]

C'mon over, miss Shinonome.

[heroantagonist]

If you couldn't, I would've had that door welded shut ages ago. Still kinda considering it.

[There's no way to tell whether he's joking or not, but... Jack is here. Typing away on a monitor that he folds in half the moment Tyzias steps in.]

What'cha need, kiddo?

[heroantagonist]

[Serizawa isn't going to like this indeed.

It's a quiet affair. Up the elevator, to the top floor, across the hall and through the large doors into Jack's office. It's spacious enough in here that your voice could echo off the walls if you weren't careful - or maybe you just liked that.

Behind it all, hanging in the star-eyed abyss, is a moon. And it watches through the windows with a jagged scar of an eye.

Jack is here. Pacing off to the side, one hand up to his ear.]

Yeah, I know, but... Hang on. [He turns to fully regard the man.] Heeeey, there you are. Looking good, doc.

[oxygendestroyer]

[Honestly, he wasn't expecting to see him in person. And as much as he's trying to adapt to space, he's momentarily stunned by the sight through the window. Its... incredible.

But he regains his composure, merely nodding politely.]

If you are preoccupied, I can return another time.

[duelingdialectics]

I'm just kinda curious about the whole history of this place, if you don't mind me asking.

Not the space station. I can infer how it got built. But the thing is, structures like the one we're standing it right now don't exist in a vacuum.

[Beat.]

Okay, they do, but my point is that there has to be a reason for why it exists. Granted, that might just be because you wanted a place to board all of us during the whole training program shebang, but I really wonder... why this planet in particular?

Why are we orbiting around this par-ticular at least, eh, 50% habitable-looking planet, with the other 50% covered in some fuckoff huge scar that looks like some cosmic space asshole from the cover of a metal album slashed into it with a sword?

Hell, even if you want to be coy or you did just choose this planet on a whim, I'm still really curious about the history of the rock below us. Little gray cells, tingling, etc. Something about the giant, glowing purple scar the size of a fucking continent provokes scholar in me.

[heroantagonist]

[It's true enough, to Serizawa's eyes, Handsome Jack is here.]

Nah, it's no big deal. Just typical CEO work, you kn-

[He pauses, turning slightly to follow the other man's gaze.]

...Oh. Yeah. That's Elpis. The moon for that pitiful little planet down there.

[oxygendestroyer]

I see. Then we're located... between the planet and the moon. [It makes a certain amount of sense. Probably. I don't know shit about gravity.]

An incredible view.

[heroantagonist]

Oh! Pfft. If you wanted a tour of the place I could've arranged something. But, I guess, if you want the lowdown...

[Points down.]

This here is Helios. It's the base of our operations here in Pandora's solar system - Pandora being that adorable little ball of mud, blood, and assorted organs you all can see our your windows. It's a former mining planet. Rich in resources, but also murder-hungry bastards. That's why Hyperion decided to take our business off the surface. It's cleaner that way.

Oh, that jagged scar blighting the surface? Yeah, don't worry too much about that. That's just the Eridium. And some other assorted weird alien crap. You wouldn't believe it by being up here, but there's actual people living on the surface of that rock.

Psychos and bandits, but... "people"? I guess?

[heroantagonist]

You like it? Yeah, it wasn't my idea to put it here, but it's nice, y'know? Gives us a easy view of the planet and the moon. Great for moonshots - that's when we fire supplies to the surface out of a giantass cannon. It's fun.

[oxygendestroyer]

That... seems... extravagant.

[Its the nicest word he can come up with at the moment.

Actually, wait, he's getting pulled off track and so am I.]

I have a few questions and requests for you.

[heroantagonist]

Hey, when you're a CEO, you'd understand a little something about corporate wars.

[Jack seems hardly fazed by it. In fact, he claps his hands together.]

Requests, huh? Now, I can't just send you home right now. Just putting that out there.

[oxygendestroyer]

[Doing his fucking best not to get sidetracked with the lackadaisical use of war as a phrase. Some 1950s speeches are just waiting to go off.

But he'll present a sheet of paper with various medical items he's listed on it. Adrenaline blockers. NM-C0204. Troll blood. Various other standard things. Its pretty obvious who they're for if Jack actually read the research, but he's not naming names to be safe.]

If there is any possibility of acquiring some additional equipment or individualized medicinal treatments such as these, I feel the need to ask.

[heroantagonist]

[There's something that's just so... quaint about how Jack says it. Casual. Nonchalant.

Uncaring.

With brow raising and falling several times, Jack skims the sheet. If he's surprised by any of this, anything at all, he does a remarkable job of not showing it.]

Mhm, yup. Yeah, I've got people for this sort of thing. You need medicines? I can provide those. Helios has got the best standard of living around here.

How much?

[oxygendestroyer]

[The name Helios catches his attention briefly. It confirms a theme with Hyperion he briefly suspected but didn't think would extend beyond basic "name sounds cool" thought.]

You yourself said the experiment should only last a few months. A dosage appropriate to that time frame should be efficient.

[heroantagonist]

[A nod. Slow. Thinking.]

When do you need it?

[oxygendestroyer]

[This... is going better than expected and that makes him nervous. He can feel his resolve weakening, trying to seem more agreeable rather than staying strong.]

By the end of the week, ideally.

[heroantagonist]

Hhhhuh. Yeah. Super. No, it's fine. I mean, troll blood? Might be a little tricky. Not impossible. Just doable.

[The moment stretches on, into a silent pause with no tension to hold it together.]

You'll get a drop within the end of the week. Is there anything else?

[oxygendestroyer]

[...huh. Okay. He nods warily, really not sure how to get a read on this one.]

...Well, I was checking on the medical information of everyone on the station. Providing any advice or expertise that I could. It only seemed reasonable to make the same offer to you as well.

[heroantagonist]

Ah, if that's it. [He nods, crossing his arms before him. Sleeves cuffed at the wrist.] You don't have to worry about me, doc. I'm Handsome friggin Jack; I'm fine. Got the best medical already. Actually just went in for a check-up.

[oxygendestroyer]

[He'll nod again to that.] I imagined so. You are clearly a man of many resources. Nonetheless, I had to offer.

[Didn't want ya to feel left out, Jacky.]