Video | ID: Harrison Wells

[hsalf]

[When the feed goes live it shows the top half of a man, wearing a simple black blazer and a white dress shirt. He is well poised and has his hands flat down on the table he's sitting at, a relaxed smile on his face as he checks to make sure the device is recording before he begins.]

Hello everyone. I understand it's been a hectic past week of sorts, especially for people just arriving here such as myself, so I hope everything is back in sorts and everyone is feeling more themselves.

[He breathes out a small amused sound, though it comes out more awkward and an attempt to lighten what may still be a sour mood. He taps his fingers on the table and continues.]

My name is Harrison Wells, and I work as a physicist back in my 'world' — so to speak — specializing in particle physics and quantum mechanics. [He pauses with his mouth half-open, as if pondering on what to say next, before going on.] I was also the founder and director of a research facility called S.T.A.R. Labs, or Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs for long, if anyone happens to recognize the name. If not, then don't worry about it. From what I gather every world has its own ticks here and there that make it unique and distinguishable from the next.

[He's really only tossing it out as a bait, to see if there are people here from his world or tangent worlds that would recognize a landmark scientific facility. If he finds people who recognize it, good. If he doesn't, then it's not the end of all things.]

Here I've been employed as a Kinematics Professor in the local university in Heropa, so if you happen to attend or work there then I'm sure you'll be seeing me around often. If you are interested in attending a class, please let me know. I plan to teach both a 101 and an advanced course in the summer and fall and I encourage even those who are not inclined to the sciences to give it a try. [The tips of his smile crease up, his grin turning slightly toothy.] I promise, I am a patient teacher, and won't give up on anyone who doesn't give up on themselves.

Introductions to the side, I want to pose a more personal question and ask for opinions on this situation so to speak. Your experiences, good or bad, although you don't need to go into detail if you don't want to.

In fact I'll go first, since it's only fair: a little more than a year ago, in my world, a portion of the population in my home city became affected with genetic mutations which caused people to develop powers— ones not much different from the kind people are given here by the nanites. [He pauses with a gentle inhale of breath through his mouth, taking off his glasses while he does and holding them by a temple arm between his index finger and thumb, before exhaling it out quietly.] Since that time I've been working with a team to identify and research these cases, along with trying to provide help when we could. Some people used their powers for the good of the public and others for their...own purposes. My team experienced issues with the military because of this as well, not unlike the kind that this world has with the imPorts.

[He shakes his head lightly, remembering the distaste of his dealings with a certain General, and puts his glasses back on with a strong blink to readjust his eyes.]

I must admit to being somewhat on edge because of this. It makes me uneasy to think that not only powers are being handed out, but also that there is a government force behind it all. Powers mean...different things, to different people. So if anyone wants to share their thoughts with me, any kind really, I'd be interested in a discussion.

If not, then I have nothing more to say for now. [He shrugs loosely.] This "blogging" style of messaging never really suited my tastes.

Comments

text; comm tag is "Hiro"

[microbrobotics]

superpowers are AMAZING ok. i dont care if the government gave me them.

you should probably talk to raina about this, she's doing lots of research on them

text;

[hsalf]

[He changes to text to match, but the answer does strike a small laugh in him.]

That certainly is a valid opinion to have. Having powers is something of a treat if you have good ones. The government's ability to just gift them is quite a feat of modern science.

[He'll make note of the name in his mind though.]

video; id: cassandra cain

[cassassin]

[she takes a mental note of all of this. it's not... uninteresting, but she'll come back to some of it later..]

S.T.A.R. Labs. [hm.] ... Metropolis?

[she's heard the name come up in connection with Metropolis more than once, anyway.]

[hsalf]

[Ah, a recognizable city.]

There was a branch in Metropolis. ["Was" being a very intentional past-tense.] The main center is in Central City, if you know it?

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[airshow]

Ooh, S.T.A.R. Labs? Nerd alert.

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[hsalf]

[His brow furrows.]

Is there something wrong with being a 'nerd'?

[You got a problem with smart people man?]

video - comm id is Bart Allen c:

[moded]

Wait wait wait- dude! STAR labs? You work for STAR labs?

[This is what happens when certain adults forget to tell certain kids not to talk to certain people.]

The STAR in our world is HQ'd in Taos kinda but you know Central?! That's so crash!

[See! He can browse a post before just jumping in!!!]

[hsalf]

["Bart Allen."

Oh. Boy. He's gonna have such a fun talk with Barry later about this.]

I run it, actually. [Or what's left of it.] It's main facility is located there and so it's where I make my home.

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[bindsthedead]

The nanites... aren't actually the source of people's powers here. And the government is not the one giving them to people- but they are trying to take advantage of the situation.

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[hsalf]

[Hm. That's interesting.]

I see. Forgive my ignorance on the subject. [He nods his head in understanding.] It would make sense for them to take advantage, as most militaries would from experience. Though that makes one question how much control they truly have over this matter.

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[steeletto]

I can't say I'm that familiar with 'Kinematics.' Outside of the fact it involves motion.

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[hsalf]

Motion is very much the keyword. [His eyes dart up, his mind formulating an explanation.] It examines how motion...moves, for lack of a better word. How to measure it, quantify it's existence, from big objects to small ones. The world is constantly moving even in the tiniest measures and kinematics tries to make sense of it all.

AUDIO.

[selfimage]

Joining the mortal science crew, are you?

[ there's a huff, as if he's distracted from doing something else. ]

The powers given aren't of the government variety. It's a tad bit more complicated than that, you'd think we could Occam's razor our way out of it, but alas.

AUDIO.

[hsalf]

[He switches over to audio to match.]

I guess membership must not be very exclusive if I am already a member. [He says with a grin in his voice.] Occam's Razor is rarely so reliable as it wishes to be. It only works when one overcomplicates things past logic, not when there is a logic that one hasn't grasped as being there.

Still, science is always about the challenge of discovery. I'd hate for it to be so simple.

[maglevflash]

Another kinematics professor?

Bet you know more than the one I'm currently...'assisting'.

[hsalf]

[A small smile creeps on his face and he lets out a small thoughtful sound, mixed between an 'ah' and 'uh'.]

I don't like to brag, but I feel that I have a certain expertise on the subject.

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[andgoliath]

Doctor Wells. My name is David Xanatos; it's a pleasure to meet you.

What kind of equipment were you accustomed to, back home?

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[hsalf]

A pleasure to be met. [He flexes a hand in thought at the question posed.] My equipment was standard tech used in most modern research labs of my world, mixed in with original ingenuity from my workers. I encouraged them to create new equipment and modify existing pieces around the lab, giving them a piece of the facility if they were up to the task. It was as much mine as it was there's.

[But, mostly his. He's not above sharing the credit, but most of it was certainly his tweaks.]

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[cleptes]

[She's not going to sign up for any classes, but as for partaking in his discussion, Bela is game.]

Prior to my arrival here, I had no powers to speak of. I managed pretty well without them back home so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

[Until now.]

In the two months that I've been in this place, I have come to realise that my powers have given me advantages that I can't ignore. So while I'd rather be home, I think the abilities I have make things a little easier to deal with.

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[hsalf]

[He nods in understanding.]

I think many of us would rather be home than anywhere else. [Him especially.] The advantages of these powers don't make up for the forced marooning in a world not our own, but it's interesting the edge that they bring. In a way, all imPorts are equal because of them.

[There is no 'human' or 'meta-human' and so on when everyone has a unique gift of some sort.]

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[notdaredevil]

What issues with the military did you experience?

[ More interested in the legal aspects of how they ended up handling it, but he figures he can work his way towards that. ]

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[hsalf]

[He switches to match Matt and lets out a tense breath, taking off his glasses and rubbing a temple.]

The unpleasant kind. [He leans back in his seat and tries to think for a few seconds of how best to put his ill-feelings, glad to be off video for this.] My lab took up contract work in the past, some of which involved working with the United States Army. We went our separate ways on ill-terms years ago, but when the meta-humans — as those with powers are called — began to attract public attention...they came barging through the door asking for more. Called it the next weapon in the fight for freedom.

[He pauses, recalling General Eiling's demands, and his voice goes low with a very purposeful tinge of venom to his tone.]

They weren't pleased when I told them to never come back.

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[runningstart]

[SCREAMING INWARDLY

IS THIS REAL LIFE]

Do you give preparatory classes to people who technically aren't going to school?!

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[hsalf]

[Ah, so this is Wally West. He managed to wrangle the name out of Barry, so he isn't caught off guard so much. Though there is an obvious difference that he pushes to the side.]

My lectures will be open to anyone, student or not, who has an active desire to learn. Can I assume you're interested?

[Video] Comm tag; Superboy

[tactile_telekinesis]

I know S.T.A.R Labs back home in Metropolis. [Knows them pretty well as they've saved his life before.]

[hsalf]

Metropolis had a S.T.A.R. Labs branch, that is correct, however the home is established in Central City in my world. [This whole different world stuff is grating, but he is adept at rolling with punches.] When I established it there the city was becoming a thrumming center for scientific ingenuity. Many other industries established themselves there around the same time.

video | id reads "karen starr"

[boobwindow]

[ She hasn't been in a very social mood since recent happenings, though this post catches her eye. ]

Have these [ slight pause ] genetic mutations existed anywhere else before they arose in your city?

[hsalf]

No and I doubt I would have missed something as major as people suddenly gaining superhuman abilities. Central City's incident is certainly the first of its kind.

[Of course he's positive of this because he caused it aha...]

VIDEO

[foreshadower]

[ Sorry, Harrison, victorian assholes are what you're getting tonight. ]

I think that you'll find that many worlds with powers deal with these sorts of issues, actually. Superpowers beget these debates frequently enough.

[ A beat. ] STAR labs is familiar, at least -- although I don't remember a Harrison Wells working at the lab I know.

[hsalf]

[Literally dead for centuries.]

That seems to be a frequent occurrence so far in conversations. Interesting really— do you happen to know the name of the person associated the lab?

[The only other person he can imagine being mentioned in relation to the creation of the Lab is Tess Morgan. A full possibility when she was credited as co-director in history originally.]

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[pmsgargoyle]

[ ID reads "Dominique Destine" ]

Hello, Dr. Wells. My name is Dominique Destine; it's always a pleasure to meet fellow scientists. I specializing in genetic and cellular engineering, and biotechnology by association.

[ a soft shrug ] The situation in your world is very interesting. Would it be alright if I asked you a couple of questions about it, as well as your work?

[hsalf]

Hello Ms. Destine, it's certainly good to see like-minds. [Genetic engineering especially is a high-class field.] I don't mind the question; I wouldn't bring it up if I was shy.

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[pyms]

I know in my own universe, we've had multiple cases where a situation induces genetic mutations and makes a mess of things. Although, it generally doesn't last long. There are a few... special cases that do. But that's a whole another story. It's either that or people get their powers by themselves or are born into it. I used to teach a bunch of kids that had their powers forced on them, vaguely similar to this sort of, uh, situation.

I'm curious as to what kind of mutations you've encountered with your team... [ he trails off and seems to lose himself to a stray thought for a moment. ] Ah, my name's Hank Pym. I'm a biochemistry professor at Nonah. Sorry we aren't meeting in the best circumstances, Dr. Wells.

[hsalf]

[He sits back and listens to the explanation, noting both differences and similarities in the process as he does. People being born into their powers is not an inherently foreign idea to him, but it's more notable in special cases. Then again, now with meta-humans existing in the present, there is certainly room for a path to be made with genetic passing down.]

It's not a problem, Dr. Pym. It's unlikely we could meet in any other circumstance really. [He motions his hands in a shrug apart and puts them back together in a steeple position.] There were different mutations across the board. One man, for instance, could turn himself into poisonous gas back and forth. A different man could transform into any person he touched, but his original face became deformed.

Overall though, all the mutations occurred roughly around the exact same time, though we suspect some may be dormant still.

[He only says this because someone close to him was affected, but showed no signs of it until months into their efforts.]

video; can we pretend i tagged this earlier and not just in my head

[aviate]

[Barry never mentioned that the Reverse-Flash looked nothing like him and was using a different name so currently Hal's none the wiser.]

STAR Labs is familiar, but not so much the sudden appearance of genetic mutations. People with abilities have been around since before my time.

video; shh i wont tell

[hsalf]

Interesting. You mean to say people developing abilities genetically was just always a present occurrence?

[munies]

The powers make me feel uneasy too.

[ there's- a whole lot in this transmissions. a few things stand out - STAR labs, Central City - and it's all stuff she's heard from Barry Allen. so- yeah. same world. cool. she's talked s c i e n c e with Barry before, so she's interested to see a professor from his same world.

interested in a total nerd way, yep.

but the powers thing comes first ]

We didn't have superpowers like the ones here, in my world. It was only the kinds of things that could be accomplished with technology. I was implanted with a chip that allowed me to telepathically communicate with anyone who had the same chip in their brain. It was superhuman, I guess, but I could explain front and back how it works. This place says the nanites give us our powers, but people can do the impossible here. I'm still not- totally comfortable with it. But that might just be because the people behind the mind-chips in my world weren't using them for anything good.

[hsalf]

[Chips that transmit thought. He can imagine the uses that would have...and also the pitfalls and dangers if such technology were abused. If the mind is the private refuge of the thinker, the power to have any sort of access to that...

He recalls General Eiling's desires to achieve mind control and clenches his fist unconsciously.]

That technology sounds more advanced than what my world could accomplish, but...I cannot say your world is more fortunate for having accomplished it. It sounds dreadful to have another person in your head.