201/Any Questions NOT About The Hulk

Any Questions NOT About The Hulk
Date of Scene:	29 February 2020
Location:	Empire State University lecture hall
Synopsis:	Bruce Banner's talk on gamma radiation at ESU draws Kitty Pryde as an audience member
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Bruce Banner

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
The talk was published on the Empire State University physics department web site. The February Physics Symposium would host Dr. Bruce Banner giving a talk on Cascading Gamma Radiation Reactions Under Extreme High Pressure/Temperature Conditions.

To the science folks, it was likely to be an interesting talk on how gamma radiation might function under conditions such as were present at the Big Bang. To non-science folks? Hey, that's the guy who turns into the Hulk!

Kitty Pryde gets there early, sort of guessing it might be a big turnout. She slips into a seat well in advance to wait for the talk. And she proved prescient, the hall quickly fills up until every seat is taken in the small amphitheater-like lecture hall, and people are standing three and four deep along the back wall up at the top of the stairs.

The lights go down and Kitty pulls out her tablet, using a dark motif so it isn't contributing a lot of brightness to the room, ready to take notes. Not a lot of other people seem as in to the science part. There are quite a few people who look like they are the kind who follow superheroes more than physics. And a couple of them even have bags of goods in hand or at their feet. Probably hope to get them signed afterwards by the Avenger.

Bruce Banner has posed:
    Dr. Banner was expecting a large turnout. He wasn't disappointed...

    That is to say, he wasn't disappointed in the fact that he knew what to expect and was proven right. He was disappointed, however, that what seemed like the overwhelming majority of people here did not come to hear him speak on gamma radiation. Still, Bruce clung tightly to hope... if there was even one mind in the room that found gamma radiation nearly as interesting as he did, then he would give the speech.

    He still hadn't gotten used to the celebrity status. I mean, when people saw the Avengers saving the world not too long ago, they didn't see him - they saw the Hulk. Granted, most everyone understands the the Hulk and Banner are in essence the same person...

    But Bruce was never the one treated like the hero. He was generally treated like the hero's chauffeur. Not that he necessarily wanted the spotlight, but he had hoped to be at least somewhat appreciated and respected more for being an incredible mind as opposed to just being the carrier of the Big Green Guy.

    He steps forward onto the center of the stage after a brief and rather undramatic introduction. Mutters and hushed chants of the Hulk start to litter the audience as he steps out, but he is at least given the customary applause as he is introduced his way is made to the podium.

    A brief tap is given to the microphone to insure it was still functioning.

    "I, uh... er...." He pauses, looking around a bit sheepishly as he bends down to adjust the mic so that it fits his height and posture more closely. "Uhm, yeah. Hi. I am Dr. Banner." He gives a brief, awkward sort of wave.

    "Before we begin, I'd like to ask that... if at all possible.... please keep the applause and raucous cheering down. I'd, uh... rather try to keep things calm and collected here, right?" As he says this, there are more than a few audible groans of displeasure. Yeah. It would seem people had come more for a chance at meeting the Hulk than to hear a speech. A couple of people had even begun getting up to leave.

    "So... lets start off with the basics. What is gamma radiation?" He pauses a bit, briefly looking over his shoulder as an overhead projector starts to display a presentation behind him. "Gamma radiation is, in the simplest way to describe it, a sort of.... penetrating electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Along with the groans, there were at least a couple of soft chuckles. One came from Kitty. Probably a couple of the professors who are part of hosting the talk as well.

Kitty settles into listening. She doesn't take notes on the early parts, but it isn't too long before Dr. Banner is breaking into areas that she does find note worthy. She jots things down with a stylus, and on a number of occasions picks up her tablet to snap a picture of some of the presentation being projected up onto the large screen behind Bruce.

At one point a pair of people sitting close to Kitty start talking to each other quietly. Not seeming to care about the physics part, they start joking back and forth, entertaining each other. Kitty sits up and turns around to look at them. "Excuse me," she whispers. "Trying to listen, thanks." She turns back around, one of the boys doing a somewhat snotty mime of what she said, but they quiet down at least.

Bruce Banner has posed:
    The talk continues. It was a rather informative bit.

    In a lot of ways, having Bruce Banner be the key speaker on the effects of Gamma Rays was both logical and ironic at the same time. Gamma radiation, as Dr. Banner points out several times, is the most dangeron form of ionizing radiation currently known to man. Exposure to it, in a best case scenario, can lead to irreperable cell damage. In a worse case scenario? Nearly instant death.

    The irony in this is that the Hulk was born of gamma radiation. Banner seemed to be an anomaly in this, to say the least - and is definitely nothing to aspire to when one is dealing with gamma rays. He should be dead, something he also points out in this presentation - but for some reason, the cells in his body didn't get shredded by the radiation. Rather, they absorbed it.

    At the end of the speech and the presentation, Bruce gives a brief pause to collect himself. He knew where this was going to eventually go, despite how uneventfully the speech went.

    "Uh. So.... uh... any questions?"

    He is briefly taken aback as nearly EVERY hand in the auditorium shoots upwards. He gives a weak, sheepish chuckle as he takes his glasses off, picking up a small cloth from the podium and looking down at his glasses as he begins to wipe them.

    "Any questions that are -NOT- about the Hulk?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Around the lecture auditorium, one hand after another is lowered, most with with sighs or disappointed looks. Though after the mass hand-lowering has finished, a young woman who looks in her late teens still has her hand up. Brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a deep blue sweater and blue jeans, with some slim boots visible sticking out of the cuffs.

When she sees her raised hand has the attention of Doctor Banner, and probably many of the people, she raises her voice to ask, "I was curious about what you said about the impact of the Coulomb barrier being lessened in high energy states. I was wondering if you could point to any reading on the subject that might help enlighten me on the subject?"

The two guys who had been noisy, sitting behind her, roll their eyes. "Geeks," one of them whispers to the other, getting a return nod back. Kitty doesn't pay them any mind, her attention on Dr. Banner. So is that of a few of the other small number of people there to hear the physics, some of them ready to jot down the information.

The ESU professor who hosted the seminar moves down to the edge of the stage, ready, when Bruce is finished, to come up and do the usual thank you to him. It looks like he has a golden apple to give Bruce as well as a thank you momento.

Bruce Banner has posed:
    Banner's grin, although weak and definitely a bit sheepish at the prospect of getting a legitimate question about science, is nevertheless genuine. He continues wiping his glasses for a moment before putting them back on.

    "Uh, yeah. To be honest, I have done a lot of my research on the subject firsthand. But one book does come to mind...." He shuffles a bit at the podium as he gives a brief pause to collect his thoughts.

    "The title is a bit... wordy, as are most reading materials like this. Try finding yourself a copy of 'Heavy Ion Collisions at Energies Near the Coulomb Barrier, 1990'. It basically covers the proceedings of a workshop back in 1990. It may not have the exact information you are looking for... and it is rather technical as far as reading goes, but I think you might find some useful tidbits there."

    Numerous people start to jot down the name of this 'book'. After a few minutes, a couple more hands are raised, but after a couple more questions Banner gives weak smile and a wave. He steps away from the podium as the hosting professor comes forth to present him the golden apple and give him a brief exit speech. One of which Banner did not stick around for, having found his way backstage to make his leave from the symposium.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The young woman gives Bruce Banner a warm, grateful smile. "Thank you, Doctor Banner," she says as she jots down the title and then falls silent to let him handle any other questions.

After the talk ends, people jump up, moving quickly to the stairs to go down towards the stage. Kitty watches them rush to line up. One person has a Captain America shield he apparently wants Bruce to sign. She sighs and gives a little shake of her head.

It takes them a little while to realize Bruce has already flown the coop, as it where. Kitty rises and slips her tablet into her bag and edges past them. "Pardon me. Excuse me," she says as she has to work to get to the top of the stairs.

Kitty exits the lecture hall then, turning and walking along the hallway outside. She makes a turn, the hallway sloping down towards an exit to a parking lot. She didn't drive herself but knows it's a shortcut over to the subway, which will get her back to somewhere she can catch a ride back to Westchester. The hallway descends, as it turns out down to about the same level as the stage was within the lecture hall on the other side of the wall. The back stage exit lets out into the same hallway down there.

Bruce Banner has posed:
    Having already made his "exit" a few minutes prior, Banner was naturally already in the hallway. He was positioned near the door to the parking lot. One hand had the door slightly propped open - enough just so that he can peer outside briefly.

    A deep, exacerbated sigh escapes him as he lets the door shut. He fidgets a bit before looking down at his hand. He turns it over so he can read the display on the miniature-tablet style watch fastened about his wrist. He gives a slight tap to it, flipping through some of the apps and displays until finding the one he was looking for. Once there, he just stares at it.

    A deep breath. Another. He hasn't yet noticed Kitty in the hallway with him. Another deep breath.

    He opens the door again, this time he opens it enough to begin to pass through it and out into the parking lot - somewhat littered with a smattering of people who had left the symposium and were on their way to their cars.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The sounds of the young woman's boots start to echo lightly off the tiled floors and the walls as Kitty draws near to the doorway. She quickens her step just slightly as she sees Bruce Banner stepping through it, reaching it before it has had time to swing very far closed, and stepping through herself.

She keeps her voice down to avoid drawing attention to the man who seemed to want to sneak out and avoid the crowd. "Dr. Banner? I just wanted to say thank you for the information. It was a very enlightening talk. I studied under Hank McCoy. I know he was sorry he couldn't make the talk, but would wish me to pass on his hello," she says.

The young woman gives Bruce a warm smile then, willing to let him skeedaddle on off if he wishes, though if he otherwise stops to talk, she stops as well to listen.

Bruce Banner has posed:
    Bruce gives a short jolt upright, although it is a subtle thing given her efforts at not being alarming. He looks quietly about, as if expecting someone else to come around the corner, or a group to come approaching from the parking lot. One satisfied that she seems to have been the only one who noticed him, he gives a brief nod.

    "Oh. Yeah... uh. No problem. Just glad to help point an inquisitive mind in the right direction." He gives somewhat of a dorky smile. He wasn't the most social of creatures obviously - living a life of research and solitude can do that to a person.

    "Ah, yeah. Hank. How is he? Honestly I am not surprised he couldn't make the talk - what with recent events I am sure he has more important stuff to deal with than to hear me ramble on about.... gamma rays." He gives a weak chuckle.

    A hand extends towards her. "I, er... I didn't catch your name?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty gives Bruce soft smile, and manages to keep any emotions about recent events from showing too openly in her own expression. "Well he's told me how much esteem he holds your work in, so I'm sure he's kicking himself for not making it," she says.

Kitty shifts her bag over to her other shoulder and puts her hand in Bruce's to shake it. "Kitty Pryde," she tells him. "I've been focusing on Computer Engineering of late, but Hank gave us a good foundation in the physical sciences. I'm a bit of an omnivore when it comes to learning, actually. Physics is an interest as well," she admits. "I don't know if I can handle another degree right now though, taking some time off from school," she says. The young woman looks in her late teens. A young coed definitely, so talk about another degree might be unexpected.

"You mentioned your own research," she says, and hesitating as if not sure she should ask what she's about to, or not. "After I've had a chance to read the other reference, if you're ever... I don't know, bored? I could offer to buy you a sandwich somewhere if you felt like discussing it? I'd welcome the opportunity, sir."

Bruce Banner has posed:
    "Well, I suppose I could hardly say no to that." He gives a bit of a self-conscious grin, eyes casting downwards briefly as he fumbles a bit more with his watch.

    He casts a glance around once more, making sure that still noone else has taken notice of them. "I, uh... I can't help but feel like maybe I should be buying -you- the sandwich. Or something...." He looks back up to her, that grin still tugging at his facial features. "It's... it's not often I am questioned for my scientific acumen anymore. People just wanna know how smashy the Hulk can get. Sadly, science isn't cool to everyone."

    A dramatic, almost-fake sigh follows.

    "Anyway, Miss Pryde. I should... get going. Hey... if you're friends with Hank, maybe I will see you around sometime?" With a brief wave, he turns to head off without waiting for a response... seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere.