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[evilgrows]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, DR. ROBOTNIK. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 905.77.247.37 *** DOCTORROBOTNIK has joined 905.77.247.37 <DOCTORROBOTNIK> You've reached Doctor Robotnik. Leave only one message, and I'll get back to you if I find it necessary.

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<DoctorRobotnik>

[evilgrows]

Based on current work, give me an hour.

[And so, an hour later, he shows up at the Arcade precisely on time.]

[sciencesquid]

[Very impressive time management! Thankfully, Otto made sure to get there early. He's already sitting at one of the booths, a couple of rolled up blueprints taking up part of the table. He raises a hand in a curt greeting.]

Doctor. I'm glad you could make it.

[evilgrows]

Might as well take a "break."

[He slides into the other side of the booth, leaning back all casually, eyes drawn to the blueprints.]

So! What fun activities are we planning today?

[sciencesquid]

[He's glad Robotnik seems excited. That bodes well for the project. Before he unveils any plans, though, he'll have to explain it.]

A while ago, I had a conversation with Elias about a physical, mobile form. Something that will allow him to move across the peninsula, beyond the boundaries of this Arcade. Remote controlled, of course, so that his own self will still be safe if it's destroyed. [Elias was pretty firm on that option too. The kid's not a fool.] It'd be equipped with cameras, microphones, the whole deal to allow for efficient exploration of the vessel's surroundings. And while my original suggestion was a robotic body, perhaps something like the mannequins in the mall, Elias himself would prefer something closer to a drone. Now, I know a fair deal about artificial intelligence and neurotechnology, so I could set up the interface to allow for Elias's direct control. But drones? Well, those are your expertise, I believe.

[evilgrows]

Ohohoho. The kid's got taste.

[Not that he'd say no to constructing a more humanoid body, but drones are such an efficient and elegant solution. He might be biased.]

You've come to the right guy, obviously. While I'll lament the local technical incapability of doing whatever I want til the cows come home, I've been working on some stuff.

[He grins, and gestures towards the blueprints.]

So what are we working with?

[sciencesquid]

[Otto's gaze strays towards the blueprints too, and he unfolds one of them. It's a whole lot of detailed mechanical and programming info for what's essentially just a small box.]

What I've been working on up until now has been the interface that will connect Elias to the drone in question. Something tuned into his network, ready to accept any commands given and translate them to action, while also taking information from accessories like the camera and sending it back to Elias as comprehensive data. This is the brains of the operation, so to speak. Most of it is technology taken from the laptops, which are already tied into Elias's network by default.

[Otto's job with Liewen labs really paid of big time. He hasn't exactly told Noa what he's been taking these spare parts for, and he does feel bad about it, but the laptops are being given away for free anyway. It's the knowledge of how things work that's the true boon of working at the labs.]

Now. The body is where things get difficult, because as you said... The local technology falls short. I have some connections with Haftesal, but their advancements hit certain limits too. An alternative source for parts is Oscorp. While it focuses mostly on bio chemics, there is one old project that might be repurposed to aid our little venture. [Otto reaches for a different blueprint and spreads it out for Robotnik to see. It shows off the design for the Green Goblin's old glider. It's capable of horizontal and vertical motion, so Otto figured it might be helpful somehow.] The full thing isn't here, but because it was originally built in Oscorp, some of the spare parts are accounted for. As I said, I don't know all too much about drones, but if there's anything mentioned in here that you think might serve a purpose, I'll see if I can find it.

[evilgrows]

I see, I see.

[He nods as he looks the first blueprint over, taking in all the information. Oh, this project is probably one of the most interesting ones he's had to work on in all his time here already and he hasn't even seen everything.

When the second blueprint comes out, he gives it as much attention to the first, nodding as he considers the possibilities. This? Potentially doable.]

The more parts the merrier, whether we end up using them or not. I can see this being worth checking out. Especially here. [He reaches out to tap a few of the more esoteric-looking parts on the blueprint.]

Now, I do have a couple of little cheats here and there in regards to construction. Thanks to my alliance with our little pal here, [he says, gesturing at the surrounding area,] I have some hands-free methods of getting stuff together. It's not going to make things perfect, but we might have a little more wiggle room. It's not a matter of if we can do it, but when.

[sciencesquid]

[He experiences a surge of relief over the fact that Robotnik seems optimistic about their chances, especially that the old glider parts might still serve a purpose. This way, traces of the Goblin can still be reworked to something good. Whatever these 'cheats' are sounds like a great bonus on top of all that.]

That's a relief to hear, Doctor. There's no true deadline, of course, but one never knows when either of us might suddenly be taken to the Sea of Stars. Though I'm sure I could trust you to finish the project in my absence, should it come to that.

[evilgrows]

Of course, of course. I do have other work to do, but, well, I do find it a lot easier to make time for particularly interesting projects.

[And how better to further utilize the resources he has access to via Elias than to assist him in mutually beneficial ways?]

I haven't disappeared yet, and I don't intend to any time soon, unless it's to get the hell out of here to somewhere I actually want to go, [he says with a laugh.] This'll get done one way or another.

[sciencesquid]

[Otto finds it very hard to take that statement about getting the hell out of here seriously. He doubts the intent to remain here has ever influenced the duration of one's stay, after all. Still, on a more lighthearted level, he gets what Robotnik is trying to say and smiles.]

With that attitude, Elias should have the finest vessel to serve his needs before long. [He starts rolling up the blueprints again.] What do you think? Can we include night vision cameras? Thermal, maybe? Or is that too advanced?

[evilgrows]

Oh, that's absolutely manageable, and frankly should just come standard. [He takes a small notebook and a pen out of a coat pocket and starts taking notes.] We should, of course, stuff this thing with as much tech as possible.

[He scribbles something down, then looks up.] And obviously we have to make sure it's upgradable. Can't let scientific advancements go by!

[sciencesquid]

[Manageable is great! While Otto does worry about fitting Elias with tech that could be used to harm people, he does also want enough in there for the Fourth to defend himself from any attacks, and defend his followers when the Usual Horrors wash over the peninsula again. Thermal vision provides more of a benefit than a con for that, as far as he can estimate.]

Oh yes. Any part should be taken out with ease and replaced, and any additional software will need update features. Though, with most of that running through Elias's mainframe, I expect additional software will be kept to a minimum. Even drivers could go through the mainframe itself to update themselves the next time Elias gains more power.

[evilgrows]

Of course, of course, [he says, continuing to write things down.] That's where the software's going to shine, I think. Having that level of power should make certain things trivial that might be a little harder if you're trying to come up with a standalone system.

[And the less guts required to run the thing, the more space there is for additional features. Oh, the kinds of things they can cram this drone with... he's pretty stoked.]

The space that'll free up!

[sciencesquid]

So long as the 'brain' [He pats a hand down on the blueprint of the small mainframe integration box] functions as a true brain and allows for growth while handling all the main tasks of the body, the amount of 'limbs' it could potentially control would be limitless in theory. However, that's only if the technology advances itself to keep up with the brain. If we add on so many weighty, outdated accessories the drone can no longer take flight, it'll lose its entire purpose. I expect it's best to start smaller, then keep pushing the boundaries when we're certain the construction can handle it.

[evilgrows]

Metaphorical as well as physical space, my fine acquaintance, metaphorical as well as physical space.

[He turns the notebook around to show off some of what he's been scribbling down. It's a lot of notes, plus a couple of quick drone designs.]

We just need to decide on the most important features and go from there.

[sciencesquid]

[Otto leans in closer to have a better look at the notebook, eyes narrowing into a light squint as he does so. Anything to do with the interfacing, he can decipher and understand. Some of the more technical drone-specific things, he can wager a guess about at most. It's impressive for certain.]

I'd say sight, sound and defense are the top priorities at this point. Speakers would be secondary, with a microphone as one of the first things to go in. If someone's approaching from behind, it needs to be heard. How far can we go with armor plating, do you think?

[evilgrows]

[He pulls the notebook back and flips to a new page so he can start scribbling some more stuff down.]

We're going to want to keep that part lightweight to keep the other features in, but I think some protection's viable. If we keep it stealthy enough, we won't have to worry enough about damage in the first place... but we'll still need to fit the weaponry.

[sciencesquid]

[Otto was just about to agree that the best defense is not being seen at all, but that last bit throws his train of thought straight off the rails. Weaponry hasn't been a priority at all in his mind. Rather, it's something to avoid if at all possible, with the focus on defense rather than offense. Though, some offensive measures are mainly there for defense, so he won't veto anything without details.]

What sort of weaponry did you have in mind?

[evilgrows]

Oh, whatever we can jam in there, really. The kid deserves to have something to play with.

[Look, most of his drones back home had at least some kind of combat ability, it's not like he's going to let the guns and everything go unless he absolutely has to.]

But I guess we should keep it a little small until he's ready for more.

[sciencesquid]

[That... is a very vague answer, and he's not sure he trusts it, but he's not about to press for more details. It's a bridge to watch out for when they get to it.]

Of course. Baby steps are best, since we'll need to carefully measure the abilities and limitations of the technology. [In other words, let's get this thing hooked up and airborne first, then worry about the finer details.] ... Then, I'll keep working on the interface for Elias, and you'll get started on the drone itself?

[evilgrows]

Absolutely. I'll get the body on this thing set up and then we'll figure out what to fill it up with.

[There are other projects, of course, there are always other projects, but this one's interesting enough that he'll probably get to working on it pretty soon.]

Let me know if the kid has any special requests.

[sciencesquid]

[Otto smiles. If nothing else, he expects this cooperation to be very efficient, which is always a bonus.]

I will. Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure the fruits of our combined labor will be something most revolutionary. [...] By this world's standards, in any case.

[evilgrows]

Revolutionary is just what I do. Just ask my former bosses!

[He laughs, because of course nobody can ask his former bosses. But they totally praised his work back in the day, however reluctantly.]

I'd still like to drag this place's standards up a little, so this might be a great place to start.