"Real hackers. I mean REAL hackers - Clarissa Shields, nice to meet you"
"I-"
A rambling reminder of why Alison hated defense contractors quickly cut her off as it went off on a long tangent regarding programmers. Alison gave a deep sigh and exchanged a glance with James. She was now definitely in unfamiliar waters. She had been expecting some sort of dusty university campus, with academics and the like. Not MIT barely legally sane savants going on tirades about coding. Though weirdly it did remind her of the people who worked in the cipher department. Lots of Shields in that place and thus lots of reasons she preferred to get their decoded results via email...
"Alison," Clarissa looked at the Rogue.
"Miss Shields" Alison acknowledged.
"I'm glad you're here - well, not really, I need Sirius - but it is nice to meet you. I trust you must be interesting if Sirius would bring you here. Perhaps we can have a proper chat under less pressing circumstances. But, it is quite the convenience that you are of the Rogue Class. If you would kindly follow me." Clarissa said curtly. Alison simply nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. She gave an apologetic shrug to James and followed after her.
Alison decided to play along for now. If they were this world's equivalent of the Skunk Works or Raytheon back home, overbearing personality or not, there might be some powerful tools at the end of all of this.
"I trust you know of The Thieves' Guild," she said as she led Alison down the hall. Again, Alison nodded.
"I've done some work for them, here and there." was her nonchalant response.
"My associate, Titus Hart is from the Guild. I've been letting him use one of my labs for a project that might help us get out of this siege problem with our lives - such an inconvenience. The siege, not Titus - but I do believe he has some toys lying around that someone of your caliber may be able to make use of. Perhaps you could take a look and see if any tickle your fancy. You may as well. No point in waiting for official patents to come through when extermination is on the horizon." Clarissa said as they walked. Each lab they passed was seemingly labeled with her name. She finally stopped at one and barged in without a second thought, Alison soon following in behind her.
In the lab was a lone man working away at what seemed to be a few projects. They regarded each other curtly.
"Hart."
"Shields,"
"We have a volunteer for field-testing some of your weapons." Titus looked at Alison and bowed his head slightly in greeting.
Wait what?
"I will leave her in your capable hands." Clarissa Shields finished before leaving as quickly as she had come, leaving Alison and Titus alone. Alison gave a sigh and a sympathetic smile to the man.
"Well, it seems I've been volunteered. I just came with a friend to check out the place, and now I'm here." Alison said with a shrug. She let her hands then rest on her hips as she continued. "Miss Shields tells me you with our Guild and have been cooking up some new gadgets that might be useful to us. So what kind of developments are we talking about here?"
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