18059/Science and Giant Guns

Science and Giant Guns
Date of Scene:	25 May 2024
Location:	Hank's Lab
Synopsis:	A follow up on the visit of a certain Asgardian Thunder God leads to the discussion of additional dire concerns.
Cast of Characters:	Bishop, Henry McCoy, Forge, Piotr Rasputin

---

Bishop has posed:
A closed and locked metallic box marked with SHIELD iconography and various hazard warning notations has been left in a safe storage bin within Hank's lab.

At least Bishop -presumed- it was safe when he dropped it off based on other specimens and materials present but he's also hardly a mad scientist so there's really no telling what's safe or what isn't safe in this lab. Hank does like his explosions after all.

The security report he left was fairly detailed as well. One doesn't get a visit from an Avenger who is also the norse God of Thunder and simply sweep it under the rug and be casual about it after all...but despite his usual throughouness, Bishop decides a follow up visit is necessary...and there's other news as well.

So, the metal doors to the lab slide open and the large man steps in, expression its usual overly serious, dour look as is typical of the security enforcer commander.

"Henry? Are you here?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
"One moment!" called Hank as he looked up from whatever was engrossing him. Whatever it was, it must have been interesting as he was masked, gloved, and gowned. Whatever he was poking at wasn't visible from where Bishop stood. "I'm in the middle of a delicate matter. Give me a few to extricate myself from this and I'll be right with you." he said

Forge has posed:
    Forge isn't particularly busy, and was just headed to drop by to see how Hank was doing, perhaps talk some about the recent Sentinel problems. When he sees Bishop beating him to the door, though, he knows things are likely afoot. Since he was headed that way anyway, he follows along, giving a nod to the man as he nears, "Bishop. I hope you've been well. Hullo, Hank!" he calls out so that the other scientist will know he's present.

Bishop has posed:
"Take your time Henry."

Yes, please. No more accidental explosions.

As the inventor arrives, Bishop turns and nods his head respectfully and then steps aside to give him easier access into the room. "Forge." It's a brusque greeting as typical of Bishop but by now everyone here can read him well enough to know that it's a friendly one.

In fact, Bishop's eyes seem to light with some sort of dawning inspiration of his own as he sees the man. There is indeed clearly something on his mind.

"I was just following up on the package I dropped off. The one THor brought here the other day." he calls out towards Henry. "...But I have other news as well. It might interst the both of you actually so your arrival is well timed Forge."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank, of course, had an artificial assistant to remove his gloves without a risk of contamination. It didn't take long for him to remove the mask and the gown was crumpled and tossed into an obvious BIOHAZARD. THIS MEANS NO TOUCHY! bin. "Now then. What can I do you for?" he said as he bounded over towards Forge and Bishop were waiting patiently.

Forge has posed:
    Forge gives Bishop a smile in return for his brief greeting, and waits for Beast to join him. "What's this package from Thor? Not every day we see Asgardians around here." he can't help but be somewhat curious about what's going on. But the other thing is interesting too.

    "I do aim to be timely in all things. Well. Except my technology. I like to think I'm a bit ahead of the game there." he says with a chuckle, bragging just a little, as he reflexively flexes his sleek cybernetic hand. "Do share your news though."

Bishop has posed:
"Indeed you are." responds Bishop with the vaguest hint of a smile there. Looks like he's got a sense of humor after all.

He then nods his head towards both men and steps aside to better be able to address them boht at once. Beast's not exactly a svelte figure after all.

"To answer both of you at once, yes, I was just following up regarding that visit. I explained in my report but nothing beats an actual face to face discussion and there's other matters as well. Too many, actually but.."

He shakes his head, frowning abit and then continues, "Thor came by to inform us regarding ...I suppose what he described as demonic slugs, summoned by a rogue group of sorcerers, as best as I can tell. He had thought the matter dealt with but recently came across more of them. These creatures can attach themselves to others and control them. He knows this sort of thing isn't normally something we get involved in but it must be widespread enough to make him concerned so he's been reaching out to various factions to warn them. He brought a sample of one of the creatures in hopes we could examine its remains and see if we could glean anything."

Bishop folds his arms, "GIven our experiences with magic coupled with our local genius level geneticists...I didn't see any harm in his request. Especially given the courtesy of him giving us a warning."

Forge has posed:
    "Well. Genetics isn't exactly my specialty, but I can take a look at them." Forge says. Of course, he /is/ an expert sorcerer as well, but no one really talks about that, now do they? Least of all him. This is no exception. He'd rather not think about demonic anything, but he'll take a look at this sample, if it means saving people.

    "In my experience, there's little that Magic can do that science can't, for less of a price." he mutters, half to himself, even that more talking about Magic than he usually does in a year. "How large are these.. demon slugs?" he asks, curious all the same about the mechanism of control they might exert.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Ah, the demon slug. I was just running a sample through an analyzer, looking at spectral lines, DNA - if there is any - and as many chemical markers as I could think of." he said. "Also, I am reminded to schedule a refresher with Doctor Blake." he mused to himself. "I have many Ph.Ds but a MD is something I, believe it or not, lack. Who has time for medical school, anyway?" he asked, but the subtext was "Would they even allow an obvious mutant through med school?". "I am no friend to the mystic arts, although I cannot argue their efficacy." he said. He was, at one point, team-mates with a Norse God and a witch. Multiple witches, if memory served. "I prefer science as my framework to explore the beauty of reality."

Bishop has posed:
"I'm not sure of their potential but I did some digging into news reports. Some people reported being attacked by ones the size of small dogs. Thor intervened along with some others."

He quiets as he hears hank and nods his head, "I think that' you're doing what you can is signifigant in and of itself and would be appreciated. I'm not certain exactly how much help we can be but, as I said to Thor, more cooperation between these disparate groups is only good. If we were more on the same page then....well.."

His voice trails off at the end. He doesn't want to go digging up buried issues or re-opening old wounds per se..but..

"Well, needless to say a more united front on important matters would change more things. Either way.. We have the Sentinel issue to be worried about as well as the Mutant Liberation Front...but there's a third matter that' scome to my attention. This I have not reported on yet. LOrna came through with news about this when I was resetting her security access. I wanted to ask about the slugs but I feel this may draw your attention more. Both of you."

He quiets and then says, "It involves The Purifiers....and.." he looks at FOrge as he says, "Ahead of the curve tech."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank cleared his throat. "As much as people like to forget or don't bother reading personnel jackets, I'm an inactive Avenger as much as I am a current X-Man." he said. "Plus, Thor is a colleague and I like to keep those bonds strong." he added. "Now then, Forge, may I impose on your intuitive genius to improve our sampling and analysis tools for handling the arcane side of biology?"

Forge has posed:
    Forge is curious about the demon slugs, and hearing them described as 'the size of dogs' certainly piques the man's interest. "Fascinating. I wonder if a resonance field.. Or maybe a novel radiation.." he is already falling into the sea of possibilities that a new problem, such as slugs that are the size of dogs and can take control of people, poses.

    Few things could stop him now that he is thinking of this new problem, his mind skimming through possibilities, options, until it runs up short, drawn back to the real world by a few simple words. Purifiers. Ahead of the curve tech. His own words coming back to haunt him. As controlled and calm as Forge normally stays, he grows quiet and his eyes grow sharp, as his jaw tightens.

    "And here I was just thinking how nice it was to not have my stolen tech showing up in Sentinel hands. Of course it would show up in another's possession. I do hope you have more details to share than a vague warning." he says, his right hand, again, flexing reflexively, tightening this time in the same way as his jaw, before he takes a breath, and both jaw and hand relax slightly. "Best to get it all out quickly, if they've gotten nullifier tech or some of my weapons again." he says. It won't be the first time that antimutant forces have gotten their hands on his gear, usually from some government program that shouldn't ever have had it in the first place. That's the problem with selling to the government. You never know where your tech will end up. But, for all the flaws, Forge did develope a lot of his technology with the intent of making the United States more safe, and developing weapons and systems for the government was a part of that.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Now hear me out--"

The colossal Russian approaches the doorway at a careful angle, so as not to bump anything. It's not the first time descriptive text might describe Piotr as more agile than a man of his bearing has any business being. Also, light footed-- at least when he's not in big adventuring boots, in big metal adventuring mode. "-- You have seen those Bug-A-Salt cannons, yes? We could upscale."

It's a joke, whether Colossus knows it or not; and he does. Still, he does a remarkable, deadpan, ignorant peasant delivery. Then he folds his arms and squares up to the impromptu convention; he may not be a mind on the levels of any of these mutants, per se... but if he's going to learn to kick a thing's ass, it happens right here.

Bishop has posed:
Henry is given a slight smirk as he re-affirms his connection to The Avengers. In truth, Beast was right, Bishop hadn't considered that connection but yet and still ended up as pegging the good Doctor as the one to come to with the sample.

He turns to Forge to begin to respond but then the titanic russian has entered the room in armored form. Usually he's able to see eye to eye with the towering Russian. Not right now!

"Piotr. Just in time! Funny, Paige mentioned salt as well."

He snaps back to more dire news though as he looks to Forge, "And ---I'm sorry Forge. I didn't mean to imply the tech was -yours- but ..it -is- tech that is far ahead of the curve."

He pauses to lean against a sturdy desk, bracing his hands against it while continuing, "The infomration comes from Lorna but I confirmed it through various reports. There was an attack by a group of extremists at book signing at a meta-friendly store called The Twisted Helix. They came in wearing some sort of armored suits and wielding guns that had some sort of adaptive technology applied to them. To hear Loran describe it it was like...nothing I've heard of and I've heard of alot."

He frowns, recalling what vidoe footage he was able to pull up, "According to Polaris either the guns or the armor itself provided some sort of means to adapt to whatever was thrown at them and throw anything they needed to counter what was tossed their way. The Blob was hit by some sort of suffocating goo. Exodus was hit with some sort of psychic virus. Emma was there and she was shot with some sort of drill tipped projectiles intent on getting through her diamond skin."

Bishop folds his arms now, "It almost -sounds- like Sentinel tech but in a firearm form? Not even Super Adapoid technology is so compressed and mass produced so I ruled both of those options out. THey were highly trained and were chanting 'Purity justifies our Hate'.."

His eyes narrow, "Sounds like The Purifiers to me. I believe Emma Frost was able to obtain a sample of the tech and Genosha might have some as well...

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank smiled at Piotr and in flawless Muscovite Russian greeted the big man. "Hello, and welcome to my lab!" he told him. Then, two his other compatriots, he switched languages back to English. "Not to be the Cassandra in the room but have we validated that known power-armor users haven't had a technology leak or are deliberately arming this filth?" he asked. "Stark, Doom, the US Government, any number of independent or semi-independent agents all could potentially be the source of this new-to-us technology." he pointed out. "And Forge, I'd love to sit down and discuss more our analysis capabilities for non-sorcerers." he joked with a smile. "Could prove handy."

"If Miss Frost has access to the technology, so might the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. They're traditionally not sigh about ultra-tech sales." he pointed out.

Forge has posed:
    Forge breathes out as he hears the clarification. Not Nullification. Not the old nightmare of things tht he now isn't sure he would make again, ending up in the hands of those who wish to eradicate all those he holds dear. Just a different nightmare.

    But Piotr draws a smile from him, and a nod of his head, "Piotr, it's good to see you." he says, before drawing his attention back to the unwelcome news.

    "That sounds.. unfortunate. Sentinel tech in compressed form. I wonder if it's connected to the current Sentinel attacks, or if we've got two instances of advanced tech. Occam would say that it's likely the simplest of the two, but I hesitate to attribute that much coordination between our enemies without some connecting evidence. And the Sentinels we have seen have been... adaptive, yes, but not quite like that. If they were, the last raid I took part in would have gone differently."

    "If the government is arming anti mutant groups, I'd have heard something. I still have a few friends in high places. I'll check with them after, but I doubt they're behind it."

    The unspoken 'this time' hangs in the air.

    "We should discuss a rational bounding for analysis of non rational materials at some point, yes. Mister Reed and yourself should be capable of analysis of most irrational beings, if you start with a proper framework." he says with a chuckle.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"<Doctor. Good to see you again, we need your jovial optimism as much as your mind at a time like this.>*" Piotr is a strange case of a late-in-life learner of English. That strange case is thanks to Charles Xavier's remarkable psi-talent. The colossal X-Man doesn't waste a chance to converse, however briefly, in his native tongue regardless of his English fluency. "And your skills, as well, Forge-- whatever this portends, it is not good."

A mastery of the obvious, THAT Colossus can bring to this table. Sometimes it's just good to turn to a common page as foundation. As alluded to, the steely Russkie IS one of the team's foremost kickers of asses. After all, he's also been the Worfed of the story enough to adapt not only his physical prowess, but battlefield clarity as well. Icy blue eyes fix on Bishop as the equally large Russian frowns a big, deep frown.

"Direct engagements in numbers no fewer than a pair, with priority given to target swapping and teamwork chaos, yes?"

(*<Translated from the Russian>) -ed.

Bishop has posed:
" I wasn't able to get clear footage of the attempted defense that was mounted but if the tech could disable the likes of The Blob and Exodus..that's...concerning." says Bishop as he looks to Colossus. "But they had the element of a surprise. But I agree with you - assuming the adaptive technology wasn't automated but even then some sort of steadily rotating assault could work but we don't know enough yet."

He rubs his jaw, frowning again, "The list of possibilities is significant. I do agree with you Henry, but, based on what was described I believe that a single organization seems unlikely. Even with what we're dealing with at present regarding the Sentinels seems under this in tech level. As technology advances it becomes smaller and more compact, no? Something like this seems unlikely to be Sentinel tech on its own but that doesn't completely rule it out. Same with something derived from Starktech. The nearest examples we know of are all unique pieces of work or too large to be effectively mass produced. If it -is- Sentinel tech it'd be far beyond anything we've seen and represent a signifigant leap forward...plus it was wielded by fanatics who targetted a book signing. No statement of intent. No message or warning. Just in and out."

He nods his head though, "Hopefully Emma Frost is smart enough to not risk everyone's ire by attempting to decipher this just for the Inner Circle. She claims to be an ally of the X-Men. I think we should get the sample from her and take a look ourselves...even if we may have to have Piotr knock on the door really hard to help 'encourage' her to let us in..."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank can't help it. He shouldn't, but he just can't help it. "If Piotr finds himself otherwise engaged, I believe we all know a young woman that can walk through walls..." he said with a smirk.

Forge has posed:
    Forge nods to Bishop and to Piotr with a small frown. "If it's that advanced, that tends to indicate an otherwise unknown actor. I wonder..." He frowns. "I should go ask some contacts some questions. Even if the government doesn't have the tech on display, they may be keeping tabs on the producers of it." he says with a sigh. "I'll be back to discuss demon slugs with you at some point, Hank. Try not to get to all the fun parts without me." he jokes, as he turns to head out of his lab and make some phone calls.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"In this we may share a common enemy strong enough to forget a lot of bad blood." It works both ways, really. If the Hellfire Club has information that they need in this endeavour? Well, then they need that information. Despite his rather unidirectional mutant power, violence is seldom Piotr's preference; Purifiers profoundly precluded.

"If she does NOT want use to know what she knows, or to know what we know-- that alone tells us a great deal of the wider implications and players involved, yes?" One could argue the outlook optimistic, naive, or shrewd. History will decide, with all such merits and demerits.

"I know in this... /I/ would not wish to be our enemy." It's all he really gives to Hank's little adjunct probing. Right now, it's enough.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"I am, unfortunately, not the fellow to try to squeeze information from the White Queen." he said, a touch regretfully. "Plus I have demon slug to analyze, Forge to consult about it, and I'm supposed to go out dancing soon. Let's face it, I'm swamped!" he said, in a near-uncannily-perfect adaptation from the Princess Bride. "Perhaps Jean might be a better choice, assuming that our time-displaced friend has not grown more adept at absorbing the broadcast spectrum of psi?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at Bishop.

Bishop has posed:
Bishop watches as Forge leaves out. He says nothing at first, simply thinking and listening to the others and then he turns to addresss Hank and Piotr,

"I think we can leverage Emma's connections to us in order to make sure she sees reason and is willing to cooperate. Like the big guy said...she probably doesn't want to make an enemy of us. There's a good chance she's unaware that we know what we know so approaching her about this should take her off guard. I think, especially, if we keep her involved so she feels like she's maintaining some stakes in it."

He does give a slight smirk though, "If so...we won't need to resort to...ah...subterfuge. No worries Hank. Leave it to us. We'll figure out who to approach Emma with as for me? Emma would be advised to stay out of my head, yes." He leans up from the desk finally. "I won't keep either of you. AH, by the way Hank..I did speak to AJ. He'll give you a blood sample but don't pressure him too much about it. He's got some past trauma related to that sort of thing, if you get my meaning. Keep an eye out for Paige as well."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Classic diplomacy to begin with. I am not sure who to suggest carry that torch, either. Maybe Scott, or Jean." Piotr agrees pensively, his gaze drifting to the specimen and the readouts the scientists had been working on.

"And if that doesn't work-- we devise our other means from there." Espionage, wars hot and cold, feuds great and small throughout history-- it's all just Other Means once Diplomacy breaks down.

"Just let me know where you need me, and I'll have our backs. Or fronts." Alas, this is not a foe which can be trounced through judicious application of a Main Tank. Even one forged of unique, organic osmium steel. Such is the sad struggle of our lives.

"Fighting for a cause, giving of oneself is different from being exploited as a tool." Piotr appends quietly; it's not disagreeing with Bishop, not really. It's the angle by which AJ might be comfortable with what is being asked, in his estimation.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Certes. I'll be as docile as a six foot blue hairy gorilla-like genius can possibly be. A model of decorum and discretion." he said with a small laugh. "And assuming the boy consents I'll keep you abreast of any developments." he said. He took patient confidentiality very seriously, Hank did. "Oh, and Piotr? It's good to see you again." he said. "If you'd like, perhaps a refresher Danger Room session to gauge our respective strengths, weaknesses, and things better left unsaid might be in order?" he offered.

Bishop has posed:
"I expressed to AJ that this is only to help him. His method of training isn't...always safe for him and we just want a better idea of his powers..."

He rubs his jaw at Henry's suggestion,

"I did a Danger Roomr room session with a few of them before. I wanted to give him some time given his physical weakness before trying something again but if he ends up not wanting to have his DNA looked at ...it might be the only way in the end. I'll think about it. In the meantime.."

Bishop nods to both and turns for the door, "I've got other things to catch up. See you fellas soon."