maskormenacelogs | Get a good job with more pay

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Get a good job with more pay

WHO: Tony Stark and Winry Rockbell
WHERE: In DeChima -- obviously at Starktech
WHEN: Uhhh backdated to Monday!
WHAT: Talking about jobs!
WARNINGS: None for now

Starktech was a small, not quite dingey building in DeChima, VA, but it was a small, unassuming building. The sign in the front labeled it for what it was, but it was a small, unassuming sign. None of the usual flair or pop that Tony Stark applied to most things. Here, he was one genius among many. Here, he had to show his strengths, and push forward with a startup that was going to blow the rest ouf of the water, if he wanted to hit the highest point he could. But that was the trouble, and the other trouble was going to be getting the right kinds of employees.

Which meant he was reviewing and hiring carefully, but also trying to think creatively. Who could push Starktech itself further? Who could bring the next "big product" out to the public? Who was going to be able to produce work which would help him hit the point he needed. With money came power and influence, and with that they could start to make a change. Imports couldn't do anything, if they weren't exactly going to be seen as real boons to the world around them, but Tony Stark was a pragmatist at all times.

Which was why he was waiting for his next appointment, a young lady who was supposed to be good with some kind of prostetic, and that was going to be interesting, and he was hoping it would be helpful as well.

When she got there, the secretary would lead her to his office -- or rather, she'd stand up, and open the door behind her, to let Winry in, and Tony was waiting, leaning back in his chair, holding a pen between two fingers, while he worked over another engineering issue, although he wasn't using paper.

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Winry had brought things from Florida for Tony to look at - Edward's leg, since he didn't need it or the port any more, plus schematics for an arm - Ed's again, but with modifications she'd made recently. She would've dragged Ed along, too, to show off a working model, but he refused.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark." She smiled politely as she entered the room, a traveling case slung over one shoulder, and a carrying case for the rolled up blueprints in her hand.

He was surprised, honestly, that she'd brought so much to an interview. Most people brought a copy of their resume, maybe a small portfolio of photos of their work -- the more tech savvy brought a usb drive, to which Tony could appreciate. He did enjoy it, when people didn't patronize his tech prowess as a CEO. He already had the resume pulled up, normally.

This time he didn't. He smiled pleasantly, and reached across the desk to shake her hand.

"Nice to see you. Winry, was it?" he paused, looking over her luggage. "Going somewhere after this?"

"Just back to Heropa," Winry said brightly as she shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you in person, sir. And, yes, Winry!"

She set down the traveling case, the care in which she did so implying the weight and importance of it, leaning the blueprint roll against it. "I've never had a job interview before. I've been an apprentice, back home, unofficially to my grandmother, who started my training when I was a little girl, and officially to the Garfiel Atelier shop, in Rush Valley, Amestris. I've also picked up some training in the Briggs Mountain area."

As she spoke, Winry opened up the traveling case, pulling out the port anchor first, and setting it on Mr. Stark's desk. The port by itself is pretty unimpressive, a round cap that would fit over an upper thigh, with a plug coming out of the center of it and a couple of anchor latches. A thin seam ran around the inside of the cup, the way to pry open the port to get at the electronics inside.

"I'm pretty sure none of that means anything to you, sir, because it's my world." Winry removed the leg from inside the case, setting it down next to the port. "I hope these will convince you I know what I'm talking about." Opening the blueprint case, she pulled out the rolls of schematics, unfurling them over the desk.

The words didn't mean anything to him, it was true, but other than shifting things off his desk, and nodding along with her words, he didn't say that. He was nothing, if not polite to imports, especially when they shared parts of their worlds with him. Not because he thought it was right, or because it made them feel validated -- but because he needed to know everything he could.

People were important, they kept things going, and keeping people satisfied was a part of that. Knowing where they came from, and where they'd been -- how people were adapting and changing to the world around them. It was always new, and it was always a struggle -- learning the ins and outs of a world entirely.

He examined the items on the desk, curious, but the schematics were what he was really interested in. Picking apart technology took time, but reviewing schematics was a quick scan, mockups constructed in his brain moments later, and then it was visualized, and he'd know how it worked. Interesting, at the very least.

"They're interesting. This is the...automail?" he asked, tapping the paper, with the titling on it. "Prosthetic?"

"Mm! Those are the plans for a complete arm, shoulder to fingertip." Ed's arm. "Our automail is built from stainless steel, at least for the exterior plates and the support. The hydraulics and wiring are something else; I like to use gold wiring because of the conductivity."

Rolling one of the schematics up, Winry pointed at an exploded diagram of an automail port. "The port is surgically implanted into the customer's body, and attached to the nervous system. That's the difficult part; it's very painful, because the customer must remain conscious throughout the attachment to make sure the nerves are threaded correctly."

"Huh," he said, a little fascinated. It was more that, than anything else, that really interested him. Prosthetics were a dime a dozen, of course. They could look more and more human, and even his world had their own showing of human-like prosthesis.

But to let people feel what they were feeling? That was something he could really look into. He leaned forward, his hands holding up his chin while he looked it over. This was where his interest really lie, and it was obvious, with the way he was pouring over it. "Tell me more about this part? I'm curious."

Winry was accustomed to the schematics, so she could read them upside-down or sideways if necessary. "Do you want to know more about the surgery or the port itself?" If she'd realized that Tony thought automail could 'feel', she'd be disappointed she'd have to correct him. Though pressure plates could be installed, it wasn't the same as sensation.

That's exactly what he thought, but technology could be adapted, too. He wasn't interested in just, plain, metal limbs, but using all of it in conjunction to make something new and better? Well, he'd be interested in that. "Both, actually, mostly the port. How does it work, what kind of feeling does it have?"

"Right now, we - Amestris, and any of the other countries - doesn't have the ability to make automail that translates touch." From the soft hiss Winry made, it was something she considered an issue to be resolved. "There are sensor pads in the fingers, if we make hands, and in the foot, so the user has some way to tell what's underfoot."

She took a breath. "The port. That's the hub of the automail. It is surgically attached to the body, which is why we use surgical stainless steel. Most people don't have a reaction to stainless steel. The nerve connections are the difficult part, and why a surgeon is needed."

Pointing at the exploded schematic, Winry tapped what looked like a fine mesh screen. "The nerves are sheathed in a conductor - gold is preferred, but some people can't afford it - and then threaded through this mesh. This allows the nerves to be connected into the port, and the prosthesis can be directed like a flesh limb. There is no delay in movement!

"There are problems with automail, of course. The metal used - it transmits temperatures directly to the body. It can cause frostbite in cold weather, and burns in hot weather. It weighs a lot, especially if weapons are added into the prosthesis. It takes about two years from surgery to actual proficiency in use." Winry smiled faintly. "There are a few automail prodigies who learned how to use their limbs faster, of course, but in general, it's a long process."

"Well then, it sounds like there are issues we need to resolve with these things, doesn't there?" he asked, looking them over with a slight tapping. "I think you'll find that the new materials we have in this day and age could improve the heavy metal. Plastics are extremely durable, or maybe an alloy. I know of a few that are rather light -- or if you want to stick with steel, there are ways to make it easier to lift."

Said the normal human who'd spent years wearing a metal suit. He could move in it just fine, but it was thanks to all of the hard work he'd put into making the suit move on its own, of course.

"Making it feel sounds like a real challenge, but a good one to take on. If you could make it actually feel, you'll probably be able to improve more of the features just by researching that alone."

"I was told about the possibility of some sort of alloys or other substances I could use instead of steel. I haven't had a chance to do any research yet." Winry's mouth tightened a bit. The experience in Colorado weighed heavily on her. "I would like to, though!"

She turned her attention to Tony. "Do you think there's a way to connect the nervous system without...as much pain?"

"It's very well possible," he offered, but he wasn't sure. To Tony Stark, anything was possible. "I think it's worth a shot, but the problem is that it's always...a little difficult to figure out what will happen, but with enough experimentation, I'm sure there's a way to diminish the pain," he offered.

Honestly, he'd had to augment his system with something before, and it hurt like hell. He'd ejected most of his internal organs, before he'd had to rebuild them, but even so, the benefit was worth it. "But if not, we'll make sure it's well worth it to go through that pain."

"Most automailers say it is worth the pain, to have the mobility. But I want to make it better. So it's more..." what was the term? "User friendly? I thought I'd be researching it for my journeyman project, a way to lighten the load automail puts on the body in some way!" Not just for Ed, but for Tetsuo back home, even if she never saw him again.

"Good, good. There's always room for improvement. Just because someone says that it's worth it doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to make it better," he offered, and that was the core of the Tony Stark philosophy. He strove to make everything better, to improve a design far beyond what it was supposed to do. Take things, and move it beyond where people thought they should go. A heart that should have died with the right tools could beat for years after it should have stopped.

"Tell you what, I can give you the opportunity and resources to try and improve on that."

"What do I have to do, sir?"

"Well, first off, you'd have to work for me. I don't give resources freely. Any upgrades would be in your name -- you always get credit -- but the patents themselves, for production, go to Starktech. No using the resources to get what you need and then drop --" he explained.

Tony Stark knew how to use a business. "Any breakthroughs, you get a good chunk of the profits, after the price for materials, distribution, advertisements, etc. We'll work out a percentage for each one individually, and of course, give me your all. That's all I ask."

Winry rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose I'd need to move here from Florida?"

After Colorado, and still not knowing whether she and her friends were actually dead back home, the idea of leaving them - and the dog Al just brought home for her - would mean a lot of decisions. She'd made friends in Florida, too.

"You could, or you could just commute. That's what I do every day," he offered.

Honestly, he didn't care where people lived, as long as they came to work. It helped that he could fly at Mach 8, but he figured not everyone could do that. But hey, they could still take the porters.

"Oh, I guess I could! That'd be great." She hesitated, another thought coming to mind. "What about my schooling? I'm supposed to start school soon."

From the expression on her face, she wasn't very sure about the schooling. "I, uh...haven't been in school since I was eleven. I...dropped out to take care of some friends, who got into some trouble."

"Then it sounds like it's the perfect time to start it back up, isn't it?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "If you need to go to school, go to school. We'll write this off as a work-study program, and I'll see if I can work with your school to get your days shortened so you can come work here, instead."

After all, helping kids with their school, employment, and furthering their technical expertise -- it was difficult to lose, in that sort of situation.

Winry gaped at him for a few seconds, then a huge smile spread across her face. "Thank you, Tony! That's a wonderful idea! I'll do it!" She stuck her hand over the desk.

It wasn't that he was surprised at the enthusiasm, but after a moment, he reached out, and shook her hand, mild smile on his face. He hadn't expected her to be so ready to sign on.

Then again, he was offering a decent deal, especially in R&D. "I was hoping you'd say that. When would you like to start? At the beginning of the school year?"

"The beginning of the school year would be fine." Winry was always enthusiastic about creating better automail, and this might lead to some amazing work and collaborations.

"Good, then that's what we'll plan on. You let me know if you have any trouble, or need any help, alright?" he asked, his voice pleasant.

One thing could be said about Tony Stark. He took care of his own.

"I will!"

She hesitated for a second, wondering if it was time to ask, then decided she'd better. "Is there a contract? Or will this be like an apprenticeship, where my payment is room, board, and knowledge?"

"Oh no, there will be a contract. You're definitely getting paid," he explained. "We'll make sure to get all of that written up and we'll go over it, and then you can sign it. I'll need to get things together, before we get it done," he explained, before standing, to lead her to the door. Not rushing, but certainly allowing her to feel like she could leave.

Not sure how she should consider this good fortune, Winry said, "I just need to make sure I understand, Tony. I can work for you, designing automail and working on the problems that I've shown you, with other people? And I can still stay in Heropa, and go to school, and..." Stay with Ed and Al? "Really?" Her excitement practically bubbled out of her.

"Yeah, really," he offered, giving her a smile. For him, most of it was nothing. Where she lived wasn't of consequence, school was important, and this was...an investment. He made investments, and young people were serious investments. He wouldn't be around forever, and brilliant people needed to be cultivated.

The fact that she was so shocked by the allowance was...surprising. Or maybe disheartening, to know that people hadn't done that for her so readily before. "I don't like unhappy employees."

"This is great! Thank you so much, Tony!" Winry spun around in her glee, stopping when she faced him again. "What do you want me to get started on? How many days a week do you want me here? How soon can I start?"

"Well, if you want to wait, we can start you off with school, or if you want, we can do it a little earlier," he offered. "And you can work as many as you want, but let's say at least three days a week to start. Weekends aren't required for the most part, so you'll have plenty of time for homework and doing all the other things teenagers need to do..." he paused, and shook his head. "Although if you want to, I won't stop you from working weekends."

"I'll need to give notice at the place where I'm working now, so I guess...I can start once school starts? Is that all right?"

She didn't exactly know what Tony meant by 'other things teenagers need to do'. Homework?

"That works perfectly fine with me," he offered, and reached out to shake her hand. "Just forward me an email with your school schedule, and we'll work things out from there, right?"

"Yes, sir, I will!" Shaking his hand, Winry beamed at him. "This is going to be great! I can't wait to get started!"

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