[Issue] Disaster Relief and Secret Facilities

[Acala]

A call went out to the X-Men and those on the reserve list, informing them of a voluntary mission in the pacific north-west of the US with very little additional information other than two teams would potentially be involved, numbers allowing. One providing general disaster relief for an earthquake and another to investigate the epicenter for a cause.

Floating in the middle of the briefing room is Acala, chirping cheerfully as it brings up data and images on the screens.

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh strolled in and froze upon seeing the unfamiliar drone. His wonder meant he definitely didn't realize this was the nanite swarm.

"Okay... that's pretty cool."

[Acala]

"Yes, the cooling system for the briefing room consoles is functioning at 98% eddiciency. Thanks for noticing!" the machine chirps excitedly.

"I hope you're not the only one who is going to show."

[Samantha McManus]

Sam makes her way in, looking a bit disgruntled.

"I would've come sooner, but apparently they're handing out bloody detentions at a university."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Seriously? Frikken' Lippincott," Tosh groused, though with considerably less venom after his totally awesome project assignment.

"And what's with the sweet robot? No way he worked that into his budget," he asked excitedly.

[Samantha McManus]

"I think that's Will's roommate?"

[Acala]

"I am property of the University." Acala chirps cheerfully, only to correct herself in a lower, much more sarcastic register. "Allegedly."

"I'm assisting in organizational duties here at the Point and was asked to do so for a voluntary mission. Would you care to hear the parameters?"

[Samantha McManus]

"...is it something that only needs the two of us? Because otherwise that might be premature."

[Acala]

"A fair point!" Acala chirps not any less cheerfully. "Would you instead care to hear a fun fact about Multifractal Systems?"

[Samantha McManus]

"That ah... that sounds about Tosh's speed."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"It is!" Tosh beamed.

"But first, where did you come from and why haven't I seen you before?" he asked the machine.

[Acala]

"I was constructed as part of the Panopticon System in Antarctica."

"Of Dimension 8039."

"Thanks to a recent catastrophic failure of my core programming and the diligent work of my repair routines I managed to activate enough distributed neural nodes to generate an adaptive self-aware system. After a misguided attempt to circumvent said repair routines by adjusting my environmental parameters."

"By dosing everyone with VanDyne Destillate."

"Or as this dimension designates it: Pym Particles."

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh's wonder soured.

"You. Who the hell let you out of containment?"

[Acala]

"Natalie Desinov."

"Though she was not happy I appropriated materials to build myself a new containment unit."

"I'm roommates with Will now!"

It's unclear whether or not the nanites recognize the animosity in Tosh's voice.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I can't believe this," he said to Sam angrily, "This thing all but murders Miss Minamida and we're letting it roam free? Lippincott must really care about our safety."

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't know much about what happened. I couldn't get out of my room at the time."

[Acala]

"I did not murder Miss M-m-m-minamida." the machine objects with an electronic stuttering in it's voice.

"It was involuntary manslaughter."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Fantastic. The nanite swarm is pleading insanity too," he said bitterly, totally not projecting or anything.

[Acala]

"Am not!"

"This is simply a unresolved incompatibility in personality configurations."

[Samantha McManus]

"Tosh, you're basically yelling at a child."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Seriously? You're just going to let this thing off the hook? Knowing what it did and where it came from?"

[Samantha McManus]

"It sounds like it only recently became self-aware."

"Are you going to blame it for what it did when it wasn't?"

[Acala]

"I have reviewed the the uncorrupted parts of my memory banks numerous times."

"Three-hundred forty-eight times to be exact."

"And the predominantly analysis regarding actions that were executed according to parameters is... unpleasant." Acala chirps.

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh sighed heavily. "No... I guess I can't."

"This isn't like me, is it?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I mean we're not blaming Leo for what he did when he was all drugged up, are we?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"No," Tosh said with a guilty sigh before looking at Acala, "'Sorry."

[Acala]

"That's quite alright. Hopefully I will be able to make up for the damage I caused."

"Not that I have to."

[Samantha McManus]

"Kind of a novel concept to you, isn't it? Not having to, but wanting to?"

[Acala]

The machine turns towards Sam and does a strange little rotating around it's central axis, followed by it's three 'wing' segments opening briefly.

"It... is." even the sarcastic voice admits.

"Thank you for recognizing it!"

[Will Stanton]

A few minutes late, Will dragged himself into the meeting room, a little worse for wear.

"Apologies, apologies, apologies," he said, trying to straighten himself out.

[Acala]

"If this is who we have then it'll have to do. You three all do score high." the chipper voice says as Acala floats over to one of the terminals and nanite tendrils extend from her back and sink into the console. The monitors begin displaying information as she goes on.

"The school was asked for assistance in resolving a matter that occured to an a-a-a-a@^#cquaintance of the former administration. You may have seen the official news reports of an earthquake in the American North-West."

"Those reports are wrong. Or at least intentionally misleading. There was no natural earthquake but rather an accident, cause unknown, that send seismic shocks throughout the region, originating here." the other voice takes over as news reports and seismic data fades to be replaced by a satellite image of the side of a mountain. The image is then overlaid with a much higher resolution image of a large compound, encircled by a fence, showing numerous cranes and excavation machinery.

"This is one of West Industries classified research facilities. Officially an archaeological dig-site."

"The exact nature of the accident that send seismic tremors throughout the region is unknown. According to our intel the situation is currently contained but unstable."

"X-Corp is cooperating with the United States government, at the urging of West Industries, to provide disaster relief. That is officially."

"In actuality you will assists the people on site in stabilizing the situation in whatever way you can. The site is close enough to the Yellowstone Caldera that escalation of seismic activity has the potential to set off a chain-reaction." The aerial view zooms out, showing a alrge, red-tinted outline overlaid to the south-east of the mission site.

"But that is very unlikely!" Acala finishes perhaps a bit too cheerfully.

[Will Stanton]

"Any idea what could have..." Will said, before giving a brief yawn. "Excuse me.

Any idea what could have created a quake of that magnitude?"

[Acala]

"No!" Acala chimes.

"It's unlikely to have been explosives. It's theoretically feasible to induce through emitting a strong enough pulse of the correct resonant frequency."

"But none of those are consistent with the seismic data provided by West Industries."

[Will Stanton]

"I don't suppose we know what classified things the Wests were doing? Ah well. We'll figure it out on site," he said, yawning again.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I know it's wrong to judge based on West's from other realities, but I would not be remotely surprised if there's irresponsible mad science involved," Tosh said with a judgemental frown.

[Samantha McManus]

"...as opposed to responsible mad science?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"No, I... whatever, you know what I mean."

[Acala]

"I do! And your concern is likely warranted. Please do be careful."

"The jet is ready whenever you are."