3834/Science Time with Dr. Banner

Science Time with Dr. Banner
Date of Scene:	16 October 2020
Location:	A high school science lab in Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Kamala Khan seeks advice from Dr. Banner
Cast of Characters:	Bruce Banner, Kamala Khan

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Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce hadn't thought this was a particularly good idea. He's still got the mindset of a fugitive, even if that's not really the way things are anymore. He's still far, far too aware of teh danger he might present, of the damage he could do. But then he knows he shouldn't think about that too much and he takes a Xanax and he tries to get on with the day.

"So, uh...some of you probably know who I am. My name's Dr. Bruce Banner. I was...er, am...a physicist. My specialties are radiation and nuclear physics, but I can still make a mean lever if you put me up to it," he says, trying to be joking and then clearing his throat. "Um, yes, well, I mean...what I mean to say is, we're going to try to do a little simple q and a with some of you guys who are in the gifted program and are considering a career in science."

Kamala Khan has posed:
Kamala's been floating around the school all day, in between bouts of trying to shrink into the smallest corner possible to avoid this very special presentation. But it's not like she can actually skip class to avoid this! And so she's just sitting quietly, trying not to draw attention.

But someone's got to ask the questions for the Q and A, and well... she -is- curious, and so she raises one hand, voice practically cracking, "I... ah... hi! Kamala Khan! I was wondering... uhhh... if a hypothetical person was exposed to... like... a cloud? And this unknown cloud had like... side effects, how long would those normally last? And uhh.. negative ones would show up right away, riiiiiight?"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner sits on the edge of a stool, shifting around a few times until he can manufacture a faint resemblance of ease. He's never really at ease, of course, but the pretense of it tends to make other people feel more at home.

"I, ah, well, that isn't really in the domain of physics, necessarily, but it would likely depend on both the contents of the cloud and the nature of the effects. The degree of exposure to whatever catalyst is causing these effects. In the body, I would presume. We seem to be at a...zenith point in the rise of mutagenic substances. The human genetic code has never been so prone to...rearranging."

Kamala Khan has posed:
Kamala chews her lower lip pensively, brow furrowing, frowning slightly, "I... oh... so like, hypothetically, if that big crazy cloud in Jersey a few months ago caused some craziness, and that craziness was like... stable but still kinda crazy, it'd be like... equalized or something right? Like probably pretty stable? Like, if someone was exposed to it and passed out in it, they wouldn't like... explode a few months later or anything? Or they'd at least probably -feel- like they would explode beforehand, right?"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner furrows his brow, "Metabolic changes would likely have set in by that point. An illness created by it might blossom over time, but symptoms would likely show. Not many things have a gestation period that long and most forms of radiation sickness or infection would manifest by then," he says.

"Do you...have a specific example, maybe, or can you be precise about some of the symptoms? I do know a little something about...mutating due to external exposure."

Kamala Khan has posed:
Kamala coughs and sputters a bit, mouth hanging open for a moment, "Oh, uhh... ah... no! It was just... uhhh, some stuff I saw on the internet! I was totally going to do a science fair thing about it."

There's another long pause before her eyes dart around, "Uhhh, hypothetical! Not like, a practical display! I'm not going to make a super.. cloud thing! Promise!" She clears her throat, "But maybe I could write some stuff up! I uhh... was kinda busy this last week and couldn't really do a lot of writing for this!"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner nods, "That's fine, of course. I can provide my e-mail address if you'd like to ask any more questions. THat goes for any of you, really," he says. He does make note that he'll need to see Kamala later, to follow up on that peculiar odd line of questioning. He's not Batman, by any means, but he IS a genius so connecting some dots isn't entirely beyond his capacity.

Another one of the kids asks some questions about particle accelerators, another wants to try and fan a rivalry with Bruce and Reed Richards ('I have nothing but respect for Dr. Richards. He's an amazing scientist, not to mention a hero and philanthropist. The world needs more Reed Richards in it.") and he answers another question about how he uses unstable molecules to keep his pants on when he's green.

Kamala Khan has posed:
Kamala nods and stammers, "I... ah... uh yeah! Of course! Totally wow!!" She scampers up to jot it down in her notebook, practically vibrating through the floor

It's pretty clear Kamala's way too preoccupied to listen to the other questions, as she's absorbed in scribbling, jotting, and writing down like a fiend.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner lets the other kids finish and the visit is over, but, as the other kids shuffle out, Bruce calls Kamala over to the desk, "Hey, I just wanted to follow up. Is there something you need to talk about? Maybe something the regular teachers don't understand?" he asks. "I looked over your records, along with the other kids, before this class today and I have to say, you're very impressive. I hate to think of your potential being endangered by something..." he says, then tries to find the right word. "supery?" he says, wincing at his own phrasing.

Kamala Khan has posed:
Kamala squeaks softly and chews her lower lip, glancing around with that classic 'I'm a teeanger who is -totally- into something supery but doesn't want to let it slip' shiftiness. She nods her head slowly and murmurs out, "I... yeah, it's uhhh... about a friiiiiiend... riiiiight?" Her eyebrows perk hiiiiigh... like maybe a little higher than they should be able to. "I'll email you! I mean, it's not that pressing really, right? And you've gotta go and I need to get to classes!"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner nods, "Fair enough. I will try to remember to check my e-mail. I can be a little forgetful about such things. So don't panic if I don't respond too quickly. AS you said, I have a...busy schedule," he says. He was supervising the installation of new radiation shielding in the lab this afternoon. Could never have enough of that stuff. "And don't worry. I can be...discreet. I know what it's like to have secrets."