|
  |
Noh-Varr called and left a message for Johnny that he'd be coming by. He wasn't specific on the time but was willing to wait. He's only been at the Baxter Building a few times but he's rather memorable and there's no question about whether to call up to see if Johnny is available.
Johnny calls down to approve access, and Noh-Varr is escorted up — not to the floow where Johnny lives, but to the top floor of the building itself. It opens up to the mechanical lab and shop. In the corner is the Fantasticar, along the wheels are all the tools and equipment one could want to make almost anything, including mills for grinding steel into parts and more sophisticated systems. In another corner in a brightly lit area is a motorcycle, though very little of its engine is wher engine goes. In fact, the engine is being methodically taken apart and cleaned. Johnny is in a pair of jeans and a tank top that's smudged with grease here or there. He looks up when the elevator opens, "Noh-Varr." he greets.
"Johnny." Noh-Varr returns. His first time on this floor, he looks around curiously and walks over to inspect this and that. "Upgrading your motorcycle?" As his wandering brings him close to the Fantasticar, he moves closer to inspect it more thoroughly.
"Just routine maintenance. Keeps the skills going— breaking down the engine, cleaning it thoroughly, putting it back together— ensures it runs at peak optimization. I find it comforting to do, keeps my hands busy while I'm thinking about other things." Johnny rises, grabs a towel from nearby and wipes his hands down as he approaches Noh-Varr, laying the towel over his shoulder, "This was a collaboration between Reed and I." He nods to the vehicle, grinning, "Admittedly more Reed then myself, but I have my touches on some of it."
"It flies?" Noh-Varr asks. That would explain the lack of wheels unless they're somewhere underneath it. "What propulsion system do you use? What powers it? I didn't think you had anything close to antigravity yet."
"It flies." Johnny nods in agreement, tilting his head to regard Noh oddly, "You do realize that we do have a wide range of aircraft without having antigravity, don't you? There are high powered electric-powered fans that provide lift and a pair of jet turbines that provide thrust. As for what powers it… it's a generator-battery combination of Reed's design."
"And they have very large, very obvious propellers or turbine engines. And this does not." Noh-Varr points out. "Much smaller. I wouldn't have guessed they'd provide enough lift by themselves. Did I mention solar technology when we talked last? It seems like it would fit well with your Foundation."
"I'm passingly aware of the state of photovoltaic cells; I've read Daniel's book. The technology is in its infancy." Johnny heads over to a fridge at the side of the room, tugging it open and pulling out an imported german beer, "Want a beer?" he asks, then continues, "Anyways, I'm not sure if Reed is interested in the field at the moment or not. He's a genius, but what he invents isn't like planned, laid out from A to B and on to Z. He inventions and tech development is a mix of need and inspiration."
"It might be in its infancy but you could get it walking instead of crawling." Noh-varr suggests. "At the very least, it would provide a good supplement for your regular power supply." Following Johnny over toward the fridge, he nods. "Sure."
"My understanding is, best case scenario, we are a LOT of development away before solar cells have the efficiency to provide a reasonable return of energy, so I doubt that." But then he shakes his head, "Anyways, that's Reed's department." Johnny says, more firmly this time, even as he snatches a bottle opener and pulls off the cap before handing the beer over, "I don't do development or even development planning. I'm a mechanical engineer by training, I do things with moving parts and engines." He shrugs, "And I don't really even do that for the Foundation, except for rare special cases like that." He nods to the Fantasticar, "I drive." He twists the cap off his beer and takes a long swig.
Noh-Varr nods. "All right. And speaking of the Foundation, do they own this building or does Reed? I'm assuming since you have taken over the upper floors that one or the other does."
"The Foundation owns the building— well, everything, though Reed and the Four own the Foundation. So the distinction between the two is largely just a legal fiction. Its simply easier to have everything under the Foundation's umbrella." Johnny explains, leaning against a wall, crossing his legs, "Partly, its so the goals and work can outlive the principles. Why?"
"I want an apartment here as part of our deal." Noh-Varr answers. "I'm sleeping in my ship at the moment but that's going to be cannibalized for materials to build a new one. So I need a place to live and yours was very nice. Much nicer than some others I've been in. Also, my ship doesn't have a phone."
"Done." Johnny nods without hesitation, "Furnished or unfurnished?" He pushes off the wall and heads over to a phone at a desk on the side wall, lifting the phone up and waiting, "Stupid question, you don't have stuff." He pauses, "Marjorie, allocate an apartment— furnished, one bedroom. Have the key brought up to the top floor. No name on the records, leave it listed as simply used and charge it to Foundation Account 53A. Include standard VIP amenities. Right now. Thanks." He turns and gives a nod to Noh-Varr, "The key will be up soon." He flashes the alien a grin.
Furnished? Noh-Varr's going to have to… Oh, good. He grins back once it's been decided. "My thanks. It occurred to me when I was speaking with Stark and arranged for a hangar and use of his tools and equipment as part of the deal we'd be coming to. And as I said to him, any advances we come to a deal over will stay strictly with you. There's enough to go around."
"Wait, you're making this deal with Stark as well?" Johnny frowns, hanging up and eyeing the phone as if reconsidering the deal itself, "We were not aware you were going to shop this deal around to our competitors as well. That you didn't mention that to us before doing so doesn't look exactly very good."
"I'm not 'shopping' anything. The Foundation will get the technological advances we come to an agreement over. Stark will get others that are different so there's no competition." Noh-Varr assures Johnny. "For the record though, it was a recent decision. Stark has production facilities that are better geared to building a spaceship than the Foundation does. And this way, I don't have to insist on a great deal of money from any one person which will let me be more flexible."
Johnny still does not look pleased, "You don't understand the meaning of competition if you think different technologies means there is no competition." He shakes his head, "You still should have told us before you made other agreements, we were under the impression we were entering a partnership. Besides, you don't know what production resources the Foundation has access to." There's a ding, and Johnny sets his beer aside and heads over towards the elevator, pressing a button and letting it slide open. A man is there with a key and a tag attached to it, which Johnny takes and walks back to Noh-Varr, offering it. "Seventeenth floor, apartment B."
"I don't see that it affects our partnership at all. You didn't say you wanted exclusive access to everything. Which would be impractical anyway, I think." Noh-Varr doesn't immediately take the key. "Are you certain?" he asks, nodding toward it.
"I also question your understanding of the english word 'partnership'." replies Johnny dryly, "At least when it comes to business deals." He snorts, and taps his foot, "Take your key. What's done is done. You have access to conceirge services; on the phone dial one to access them. They can get tickets, manage appointments, even send someone out to bring in food. Largely, help in whatever way they can."
"Tickets to what?" Noh-Varr asks, taking the key and slipping it into a pocket. "I'm not a businessman so there might be ramifications I'm not aware of. And learning a language from the dictionary does sometimes miss deeper meanings and implications."
"Entertainment events." Johnny shrugs, "Ask them what's showing, they'll tell you." He shakes his head, "Partnerships are agreements to advance mutual interests; as Stark's vision for the future is not always in line with ours, there's an inherant conflict of interest in attempting to be partners with both of us simultaneously. It doesn't mandate exclusivity or 'everything', but, for example, if you were to assist Stark with weapons technology, that would be directly counter to the Foundation's interests."
Noh-Varr shakes his head. "I won't be giving anyone weapons technology. In fact, Stark asked if I was planning to and approved when I told him I wasn't. If you would like to express other concerns, I'll be happy to listen to them. But I'm limiting technology advances to those which will, generally, improve things. Which isn't to say that there's anything unable to be used as or in a weapon."
"Improve is a very fuzzy word." Johnny shakes his head slowly, "But as I said, I'm not in charge of development or even planning."
"Life is fuzzy." Noh-Varr says with a shrug. "I preferred it when it wasn't. Well, that's in the past. Know of any good places to eat nearby?"
"That kind of question is exactly what the conceirge is for." Johnny chuckles softly, "They'll even go get it for you, but can also get you information if you want to go out. Make reservations if you need one."