4284/Any sufficiently advanced technology...

Any sufficiently advanced technology...
Date of Scene:	02 December 2020
Location:	Pym's Mobile Lab
Synopsis:	A visit to the Multiverse gives Hank a moment of peace.
Cast of Characters:	Hank Pym, Wanda Maximoff

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Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym was not a pleasant person for the most part. Some people, the ones he loved or respected could get past that arrogant outer shell. As a colleague anonymously explained, "Dr. Pym is a mother flower... but he has a big heart." True, if you did something to interest him, or flatter him or were just charming in the face of his fearful Pymmetry (attributed to another colleague), he could be quite charming. Mostly the key to dealing with Hank was to realize he did have feelings, and they ran quite deep. He just had a habit of saying what he thought, not what he was feeling.

One would normally consider Wanda Maximoff one of the people who's native charm placed her firmly on Hank's good list.

The call goes out to Edwin Jarvis. The phone fairly vibrating with Hank's yells. The faithful major domo endures. He knows brilliant people are seldom happy. Mr. Stark is a rare exception. He goes to Wanda's room and tells her Doctor Pym requires her to come to the lab with all speed please. That was cleaning it up considerably. Hank was giving Jarvis a heck of a Holiday bonus.

He was also getting some soup in his lap.

Pym is not having a good day. Stalking between several monitors the scientist does a crazy size changing dance, going from eight feet to nearly half that before he grabs a counter to steady himself.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda is just one of those people who has learned that being alone with one's thoughts isn't a bad thing. It allows for some grounding time, some self-reflection, and moments of clarity; usually best done over a pint of ice cream, however. Or with one's twin. That still counts as being alone, doesn't it?

Sadly, Pietro isn't immediately around, but that ice cream is, and when JARVIS does interrupt her moment of aloneness, half of the container of 'Rocky Road' is gone. Her head cants up, and it's a light, Eastern European lilt that answers, "Is he alright?"

She honestly doesn't expect an answer, nor does she wait for one. The ice cream is set to the side with a subtlely red-glowing hand; in her room, ice cream never melts, and the spoon is set in the middle like Excalibur. There's a touch of geis on there- 'Whosover ever shall remove this spoon from the ice cream..' before she simply seems to pop out of existance--

--and arrive at the lab of Dr Pym. (She truly sort of //does// pop out of existance, but that is something for a later time, really!) She's dressed down, though layered, her ensemble ending with boots, with the main color coordinating with 'red'. Her hair is down, covering her shoulders, a touch mussy in that today was a 'day off', as it were.

Again, the question is asked, with it now tinged with a touch of concern. This is a man of genius, and like most of them, there is a touch of 'other' about him. One that is handled... properly. Kindly.

"Are you alright, Doctor?"

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym is a good eight feet tall at the moment, only unstable molecules preserving his dignity as he turns to Wanda and steps towards her. It takes three steps to close the distance but he's his normal height when he stands before her. "I am very far from all right! I am experiencing a major ****ing malfunction in some very important equipment and my monitors that seem to be showing Cassandra Lang's life story. I NEED this data! Are you doing anything to cause this?" He waves at Cassie blowing out candles on a birthday cake. When he turns back, he realizes he's looking up at Wanda. "I... ow. Ow. Ow!" He stops yelling and sinks into a squatting position on the floor holding his head. "Ow."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
This, this she didn't expect, and Wanda rocks back on her heels, figuratively, in the face of the large, medium and small physicist, though outwardly, she looks a touch perplexed. Her gaze flickers towards the monitors showing Cassie, and there's a brief smile set into place to watch the little girl with her cake. That little girl..

Back to the matter at hand, there's a quick negative that forms upon her lips, coupled with a quick headshake, topped with that quizzical, confused mien. "No, I am not in habit of.." and she gestures at the feed. "I can see you are having problem, though." Her English is actually better than her brother's, mostly, but it still holds the lilt and cadence of her home countries. Her head side-tilts as she considers, but that is interrupted by the exclamation of pain by the man now before her.

She, too, crouches, reaching out with lightly gloved hands to the man's wrists to look into his eyes. They say they're the windows to the soul, right?

"Doctor?"

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym experiences a series of shudders. Then he slowly looks up, his eyes are intense and pained. He forces himself to stand and looks up at Wanda, one hand still holding the counter. "... Lang. He is going to get me killed yet." Hank stabs at some buttons, shutting down the monitors. A silver bracelet is visible on his wrist with intricate wiring across its surface. He glares at the device. Then he puts his hands in Wanda's.

"My powers are causing some very bad complications for me. I was researching a cure, some particularly rare Pym particles to stabilize me, using this bracelet... which is becoming less effective. I get seizures, uncontrolled size changes... for now. This was a series of electronic glitches resulting in a cascade failure." Hank looks up at Wanda for a long moment. Then he's looking at Wanda.

"You're a lovely person. I shouldn't have yelled but... I experience a lot of pain and lash out. No excuse. I apologize. I usually hide here when my mood swings around to this point. I should be all right for a while. It feels like the bends, while falling inward."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda listens intently, her gaze holding a certain intensity to it as if she hangs on every word he says, weighing it, balancing it with the universe. That last bit, she does, literally. She's still in that crouch, holding there as if she could spend the rest of her life in that position if that's what was required, but thankfully, it is not. "Perhaps it was not from outside," Lang. "Perhaps it was from inside?"

The witch looks about the room, and the way the monitors still play until they're shut down physically by the good doctor before he settles his hands in hers. Hers are warm through the light fabric, delicately structured. "Seizure is electronic glitch of brain." And a cascade failure isn't.. good.

"Pain is not good. I am not doctor, but you should not be having such pain." Wanda doesn't even speak to the yelling. It's not taken personally, nor was the brief accusation that this all could have been her fault due to magic. It happens.

"I know how it feels to bend inwards. Is good description, really." Her tones are soft, but not demeaningly so. "Let me see bracelet, please?" Brows rise to echo the request. "I may be able to help?"

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym smirks a little. "First please call me Hank. As to seeing a doctor... I am the doctor in this matter. Sadly I am also the person who used and abused Pym particles the longest. So I'm left to cure myself and worry about signs of 'Pymdrome' in others who use them. The problem is my nerves shrink or grow, causing seizures. This bracelet... is a tap into the Microverse, gathering the proper particles I need. Oh, okay here take a look. Be careful, it's dodgy enough..." He holds out the bracelet.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Hank, then." There's a smile that accompanies the word as she tries it on for size. Wanda is one to give a person their due respect until either asked to do otherwise, or.. well, respect isn't deserved. She's still in position to support the doctor, and his explanation doesn't appear to sit very well with her, the frown on her face showing a hint of her displeasure.

"Perhaps Dr. Strange can help? He is doctor and very intelligent in ways of.." well, magic. "If I can understand, he will too." And she does actually //get// it, even if there is very little grasp of the concept of those particles. She knows how magic can ravage a body and soul, and to her? This is very much like it.

"Let me see," but before she does receive it, she removes her gloves and shoves them rather indelicately into a pocket of her jacket before taking the intricately wired bracelet in hand. A hissed breath is pulled, and while she has both contact with him and that bracelet, reality around them shimmers and shifts, a soft explosion sounding and signalling the change.. as if they were forcibly pushed through a tear in the (a?) continuum.

The first signal to Wanda that they weren't 'in Kansas anymore' was the distinct change in scenery. There, they were on the edge of a savannah, trees sparsely populating on the expanse. Obviously not Earth, however, as it had a /feel/ of otherworldliness, as if the two suns weren't a hint of that. Or the blue grass... the red dirt under-boot.. and off in the distance, a small gathering of large-looking creatures.

'Dodgy enough'.

"I see," is offered as dry, droll understatement. Wanda is a touch distracted, her eyes widening as she makes the attempt to work out where they are, (she already knows the //how// of it), and why. Immediately after, she's checking on Hank, making sure he's 1., with her, and 2. okay.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym looks around and shakes his head to clear it. "How did you... you must have inverted the intrinsic field... Yes Microverse, clouds that are molecules, stars in a benzene ring. We didn't even pass through the vacuum barrier, which is good as you do not have a respirator, and mine wasn't on. Ahhh... this feels good though. Once we pass through the barrier, we can't shrunk any further, so everything in me matches in scale. It feels good. I just can't exile myself here. I have a daughter. But a respite is nice. May I hug you in thanks?" He gets up and dusts himself off.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The 'why' of it, now, is confirmed, and Wanda studies him just to double-check. Not as pale, his features have moved from stress and strain to relaxed, with no rigors of flashes of pain creasing it. She's standing still, even if soon after, she's looking around slowly. There's nothing that lights up for her, and as such, she doesn't look 'on edge', as in finding a threat after assessment. Now?

The witch exhales with a breath and holds up the bracelet to the twin-suns sunlight to study its obvious physical nature. A lopsided smile creases her face as Hank begins to chatter, his explanations lost as the science and physics ramp up. In the face of all that comes her response, "Is magic." She, too, could get into the why, wherefores, and howtos, or rather... she couldn't. It simply is, and her manipulation of such forces is becoming more and more of a second nature to her. "I would not bring you to place to suffocate. Promise." With that, Wanda adds a light-humored 'X' across her heart before she hands the bracelet back as he gains his feet.

"Yes," she smiles, and is ready for an 'incoming' hug. Then? She gestures with a lightly sweeping action towards the grass, and holds a small copse of trees. "Come with me. We sit."

Wanda strikes out for a large tree that looks promising in that there is a great deal of shade to be had. It's not far, and as she walks, her tones are thoughtfully conversational. "I will try and explain as I understand. You can tell me if makes sense."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym hugs Wanda before he sits. "You have no idea how good it feels to hug a woman and not worry about growing and smushing her or shrinking and smacking your head on her... head." Yeah head. Sure. "There were a few times with Nadia where there was a question of who would adopt whom. Hmmm. All right, obviously I believe in magic, though I don't understand it. But f you tweaked this bracelet through some cantrip or what have you, then I should be able to see the effects it had on the bracelet's circuitry and produce a similar effect. I hope. I know recording Stephen calling on the Hairy Hosts of Shoggoth won't cause them to appear. But hmmmm..." A magnifier monocle is screwed into one eye, a multitool is produced and he examines the circuitry.

"You picked out a nice spot Ms. Maximoff. Well done. I wound up orbiting a micro blackhole on my last visit. It was... humbling."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Wanda, please."

The walk isn't too far, and the red dust settles on her boots as they walk, taking a rest under the tree. She crosses her ankles gracefully before sitting down in a crosslegged seat, and her hands lie across her lap comfortably. She laughs at the relief at the hug, and nods, her tones dry and humored, "I can only imagine." She wouldn't allow something like that to literally blow up in her face, in their faces. There's a brief shake of her head and it dips slightly, "Never forget who is parent. All children need parents." No matter how old.

Now, though?

Wanda untangles her legs and sets her feet before her, knees partially bent in a quick, soft exhale.

"It would not be cantrip. I would change nature of band and power it holds. It would be to keep seizure away until you find cause for them." A lift of her hand has her tucking red hair behind an ear as she considers her words, putting magical constructs into spoken word can be hard. "I think your machines are responding to your head. When you have seizure, your lab reacts. Or," and Wanda hadn't thought of it before, "perhaps lab is causing your seizure? There is some spill?" Either way, like a witch and her sources are inextricably linked, why shouldn't a scientist and his lab also be so? "So," and she holds her hand out for the bracelet again, "I will not break. I will change. Make so you have peace to find answer?"

There needs to be an explanation, however, as to how she reached her conclusion, and Wanda's voice lowers in the telling of her story. "When I could not handle magic, it would spill from me. I felt like insides were out, and when I would pull magic, it felt as if I could not contain all. It was then that I had help, but not before bad things happened to people around me." Her tones are a touch on the sad side, the loss is still very real, or rather, the weight of what she'd done. "When I saw you, it reminded me of me, then. Your science is part of you. Your research. You said to me that you are doctor to those who suffer. I say to you again you need doctor because you suffer."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym smiles looking at the bracelet. "The cause... I have a line on that cause. A very strong candidate. See... I have bipolar disorder. I was taking meds carefully to keep from having mood swings, since I had a daughter. Annnnd I discovered the damned meds were messing up my control over the Pym particles, doing this. Now this poses the question did the meds cause it directly or accelerate the process? Probably accelerate it. I had problems before I was diagnosed BPD. There's your soul sickness though. Now... like I said this bracelet is supposed to find the Pym Particles my body needs. As soon as it beeps, it's full. This area is a good source for them... law of attraction perhaps? I need them, they're here, so we are drawn here. See I know a little magic. About as much as you know particle physics... probably less. This was really convenient. I need to set up a beacon to come back here. Maybe I'll pack a lunch and make it an outing."

He gets a slightly wistful look. "My daughter... she was raised by a Russian conspiracy to be an assassin and then put to work back engineering my technology. She... shes sixteen and told me to get used to sharing her, she's going off to see everything. I don't know what to say to that. She comes back to sleep, to eat, to recharge. I've helped her a little but she's better at all this than I am. Those... sons of mothers robbed me of her mom, and of Nadia's childhood. When we met she was already a beautiful independent young hero. She rescued me. So I let her go. Shit she's probably learning more from Janet at this point. I mean she calls herself Waspette. Not Ant-Girl. If I try to hang onto her I lose her for sure. Is it wrong to want to be needed, for protection, advice? They say let kids make their own mistakes but, last time that resulted in her being recaptured. She... this is the only context I will say this in... she isn't as good as she thinks she is. I'm sorry... you have your share of family problems with Magneto."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda shakes her head quickly, the gesture a decided negation. "I do not believe such, but.." and she hands the bracelet back without it being modified by her. Instead, she offers, "I will make something for you instead. You are charged and it is not right." It's hard for her to put things into words, all that she sees, she hears.. and the explanations are all well and good, but to her? She could be wrong, and no doubt she is, but it all doesn't feel right. Not to explain everything she sees.

The personal story, then, comes out. Of course she knows Nadia, has spoken with her a couple of times, but never anything quite so.. poignant and soul revealing. Wanda reaches out a hand to touch the good doctor on the arm, her head tilting so she can see his face, the concern and a different kind of pain etching on his face in the wistfullness. "It is not wrong. I am sorry she is not more for you. Perhaps she cannot be and will one day learn? Much has been taken away, and slowly, it may return."

A breath of air escapes the witch when Hank refers to her own 'family issues'. "When it all comes down, I know who I can call." Her brother. The one solid anchor she's had in her tempestous sea. "I am lucky."

Wanda gains her feet, and dusting off her clothes, she looks around once more at the savannah all around them, dotted by trees. The animals that had been off in the distance are gone. "I will remember here and can bring anything back you wish. Perhaps one day, we will walk and discover who lives here." Not a bad idea, right? Just the two of them walking around alone in a Multiverse world? What could possibly go wrong? "But I would like to go back to begin making you something to help."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym gets up and smiles at Wanda. "I would like to explore here with you. Anytime. I can show you some of my magic perhaps. We can continue to amaze each other. Well I have my bracelet. I certainly won't turn down your help. Maybe when we get back I can return your kindness. Take you for coffee, or dinner or even some ice cream? I know a nice dessert cafe in lower Manhattan... if you want. This was a bad day... I'm actually a good listener too. If you want to talk. All these powers we have... we push the Universe around and forget that it pushes us back. Science and magic both experience equal and opposite reactions."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Then we will do so," and it's set, as far as Wanda is concerned. "I will find this world again." She's certain of that, truthfully.

Now, she reaches out her hand to take his, intimating that she's not going to leave him behind. "I am bad talker, however." She has her own demons, and her own bouts of mental health. Unfortunately, she's not quite as attuned to it all as Hank claims he is for himself. "When I am not feeling right, I go to my room." She hides. "If I do not, bad things will happen." Then again, even if she does run to ground as it were, there's the possibility that 'issues' may happen regardless.

"Ready?"

This time, Wanda doesn't need the bracelet or anything else in order to set them aright. Her hand rises to form a circle, the red display of magic causing her hands, both of them, to glow; though there is no heat. Perhaps just the subtle tingle of power, but once the portal opens, Wanda is stepping through, making sure that Hank knows to follow.

And on the other side? The lab. Just as it was left.