4425/A Prize Winner

A Prize Winner
Date of Scene:	17 December 2020
Location:	Sub Basement Three
Synopsis:	Alyx starts some enhancements to the Gravity Gloves and Peter drops by bearing gifts.
Cast of Characters:	Alyx Vance, Peter Parker

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Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx Vance is currently human uno in the sub-basement today -- she's managed to claim a small workspace in the cavern, where electronic components and tools have been laid out. One of her Gravity Gloves is floating in mid-air, suspended between two black posts sitting on the surface of the workbench. Intermittently, Alyx blows away the plumes of smoke that spike from the electronics of the gloves each time she makes a new solder joint.

    "Thank you, Issac," Alyx says, not looking up as one of the many flying drones drops off a hot cup of coffee. The drone beeps an enthusiastic reply and putters off. They're not all used to being thanked.

Peter Parker has posed:
There is a quiet "ping" as the elevator opens, and another lab tech comes in.

Peter Parker, his baggy clothes covered by one of the KordCo lab coats, walks in with a large red "hot bag" usually carried by food-delivery types. He raps lightly on a nearby wall, then says clearly, "Uhm...hello, Miss Vance?"

Peter Parker. A few things are said about him. "Gifted" was one. "Unqualified" was another. "Nepotism," "Headhunted," and a few others. Apparently he was still working here in spite of attendance issues.

Then again, he *IS* a superhero who jumps into battle with the likes of Doc Ock, Vulture, and the Lizard, so apparently he can be forgiven a few tardies...

Alyx Vance has posed:
    The ding of the elevator earns an immediate sigh from Alyx. The robots didn't use the elevator, so that could mean just one other person. But the voice was not the one she was expecting. Alyx blinks her eyes a couple of times and slots the soldering iron into its holder.

    "Over here, Peter!" she calls out, bringing her hand up to smooth out her hair -- some strands had fallen from her headband while she was working. The voice was unmodulated, so she knew it was Peter and not Spider-Man.

    Once she hears the rapping on the wall, Alyx spins her stool around so she can face Peter. "Alyx," she reminds, her brow rising as she does. "What brings you down here to the fallout shelter? Worried that I'm turning the robots against you?" She gives one of the drones a look, which replies with a beep. Alyx's eyes shift back to Peter, who gets a wry smile.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter held up the red "hot bag." "Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt AND the commemorative plate. Oddly enough, it was part of the reason I broke up with my girlfriend at the time."

He placed the bag on the nearest table. "Beware of geeks bearing grifts, Alyx. Seriously, my Aunt heard about my new co-worker and wanted me to bring two lunches, plus dessert." He paused. "Uhm, you don't have any food allergies, do you?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Well, I'm not doing that," Alyx clarifies, in case her sense of humor wasn't compatible with Earth. "...Though, I wouldn't mind looking into turning them against Ted." When Peter sets down the red bag, her eyes linger on it for a moment before they trace a path back up to Peter Parker.

    "Oh, she did?" Alyx jabs, a smile lingering as she does. "...That's very thoughtful. Of your aunt." She shrugs her shoulders at the thought of a food allergy. "No idea." With that decided, Alyx pushes off with her feet so the stool can roll her over to Peter and the bag. "What did your aunt pack for us?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins. "Everything a growing boy needs, as she often puts it."

He opens the bag, then takes out three food containers, two microwave-safe bowls, and actual metal cutlery.
He opens the first one, which is revealed to be a rich beef stew, with carrots, potatoes, celery, and chunks of chuck roast. "Aunt May loves her crock pot. Had it for 50 years."
Then the second - cole slaw with cabbage, carrots, and a few others.
Then the third, a wide one that turns out to hold a pie tin. "Aunt May's award-winning lattice apple pie. Seriously, she got it for Best Pastry from the New York Chamber of Commerce for 2016. Keeps the plaque on the kitchen wall."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx lowers her face towards the open container of stew and takes a sniff. She looks up at Pete and nods her head, grinning a little as she does. The coleslaw is given a curious look and then the award-winning pie comes out. Alyx looks up at Peter again and grins. "Well, tell your aunt thank you," she says.

    Alyx takes the beef stew container and pushes off with her feet. The stool, with her on it, rolls towards the kitchenette area that has the microwave. "What did you say to your aunt, anyway?" she calls over. "To make her want to pack up a lunch."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "I told her I had a new co-worker, that's she's probably smarter than I am, and then she told me I was delusional but should give her a proper welcome, anyway."
He arranges the two empty bowls and drops in a soup spoon in each. Then he adds a fork, as well. Because it's Aunt May's beef stew.

"I didn't tell her anything more than that because your business is your own. She has seen her share of wierd stuff in the last year, regarding me."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Huh..." Alyx replies, nodding her head at that. "Well, I don't think it's a contest because...." She stops right there and focuses her attention, instead, on getting the microwave to heat the stew. Beep beep beep. Wrrrrr.

    "I don't know, Peter, you seem pretty smart," Alyx replies, instead of continuing her original thought. She pushes off with her feet, again, and wheels back to where Peter's waiting. "What happened last year?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sits down and looks thoughtful.

"Jeez, where to start? Okay...got my dream job. LOST my dream job because I made promises I couldn't keep, acted like an ass. Dated Supergirl. Then we broke up because one of her rogue's gallery sent homicidal toys to my house. We still meet from time to time, hang out a bit."
Another pause. "Got caught by Wonder Woman after crashing into her embassy's brick wall. Learned a lot of ninjutsu from a fox-human-hybrid ninja. Met a rock-and-roll goddess. Started up a relationship with a childhood sweetheart...and the 12,000-year-old barbarian-woman-warrior sharing her headspace. Had to say goodbye when she got a plum gig in Hollywood. She's going to be a great actress."

Alyx Vance has posed:
"Huh..." Alyx replies simply. "All in a year, then..." She gives him a look that might even suggest she's impressed. "You keep busy." When the microphone dings, she pushes off to glide away from Pete. "If you're ever in the market for another ex-girlfriend, let me know, Peter Parker," she shouts from the kitchenette, grinning a bit as she does. Alyx grabs the container using a potholder from the kitchenette and then...pushes off again to return with the stew. She sets it down next to the red bag.

    "She's going to be an actress?" Alyx asks, her eyebrows lowering a little. "Do you know where? Is she..." She clears her throat, approaching the subject gently. "...Herself?" The word 'actress' has a different meaning on Mojo World. Alyx sounds concerned.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks after a moment. "Oh...it's not as bad as MojoWorld. Maybe...half as bad. And it's kinda her cover identity. She's an agent of SHIELD. In any case, if any producer tried to make her do something she didn't want to do, she'd just...cleave him in twain, actually. Warrior women in scale-mail bikinis like to cleave in twain a lot. She'll be fine. It's HOLLYWOOD I'm worried for."

Then something clicks and he looks to Alyx. "...wait, what?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx reaches out to take one of the forks, not even waiting to be offered one. "Well...Some actresses are part of it. They know what's going on," she explains, poking the fork into the food. "...Some don't. Memory wipes are the standard procedure..." Her words come with some sadness. She was a very accomplished actress.

    "So... is she still herself or... erased?" She still doesn't get it.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter shakes his head. "No, she wasn't replaced. If anything, think of her...sharing her head with the barbarienne. Like a one-bedroom apartment with two people living in it. They share, but the one who was there first runs the show, so no worries there."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx shakes her head. "No, not that. I just mean... On her show," Alyx replies softly. "...Is it her -- and her passenger -- or... did they cancel her? Erase her." She brings a forkful of the stew up to her lips and takes a bite. After chewing it, thoughtfully, Alyx shrugs her shoulders.

    "I've been erased nine times, as far as I can tell," Alyx admits, sharing that trauma with the Friendly Neighborhood Peter Parker.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter tilts his head. What kind of horrorshow did this "Mojo" run?

"No...no, they don't erase anything. She plays a role. She acts, he reads lines, she makes people believe she's gthe character, but after that, she walks off the stage and she's just...her." He pauses. "I hope I'm explaining it correctly."

Alyx Vance has posed:
Alyx looks down at her fork and shrugs her shoulders. "If you say so, Pete," she replies before sticking the fork back into her mouth and using her teeth to pluck the food from it. While chewing, Alyx tilts her own head to the side. "But that doesn't sound like any actress I've ever heard of."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, then serves himself some stew. "Well...the world you came from seems to have a DRASTICALLY different concept of the word 'actor.' Sounds close to 'meat puppet.'"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Hey, watch it. I was one of those 'meat puppets'..." Alyx reminds, grinning up at Peter. Her smile fades and her eyes lower to the stew. She plucks some, again, with her fork and looks around at the lab. "I gotta say, thank you again for setting me up with Ted," she says. "This lab is great. Much better than I could've scrapped together on my own."

    Alyx bites some of the stew from her fork and chews it. "...Ted's kind of a character, huh?" she tries, watching Peter's reaction to that.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter smiled. "Ted's not a bad guy. He's a little like me, truth be told. Only with more ambition. He's...he's a stand-up guy. When I got the job, he asked why I was late so often...so I told him I was Spider-Man. After that, he did a not to give me a fair amount of autonomy. As long as results came in, he turned a blind eye to my occasional late-to-work problems. I never cheated the guy, and I will always be thankful for that. Besides...Stark Industries already has a super-genius on the payroll, and he owns the company."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Yeah, he seems fine..." Alyx agrees, taking another bite of the stew. "...A little bit awkward..." She smirks and props her legs up on the table, crossing one over the other. "So," she begins, tilting her head to the side. "Wanna see what I've been working on?" she asks, a tinge of hopefulness in her tone.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins. "Sure. I'd love to see your work." He walks towards Alyx, bowl in hand, spooning stew into his mouth. A growing boy with a high metabolism and a VERY active lifestyle.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Great," Alyx chimes before pushing off with her feet, again, leaving her legs extended out in front of her as her stool rolls back to her work area. The Gravity Glove is still floating in mid air. Alyx thrusts her hand into it, allowing the electronics to cover the back of her fingerless gloves.

    "Check this out...So... You already know that they work like /this/..." Alyx flicks her hand in the air. A lightbulb just sitting on the workbench flicks into the air and into Alyx's waiting hand.

    "Alright, fine, old news," Alyx points out. "But!..." She reaches out and screws the lightbulb into a connector wired up to the mains. Alyx flicks a switch on the workbench and the lightbulb illuminates.

    With that handled, Alyx flicks her hand out in a similar way as earlier, but... this time, there's a subtle flicker from the lightbulb -- just barely noticable. Her hand, however, is now holding a glowing green orb. Alyx gives it a toss towards Peter...

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter dodges the ball. Force of habit - balls of energy thrown at him are seldom benign. Even though the Spider-Sense only provides the barest of tingles, he is taking no chances.

He watches as the ball hits the floor, discharges with a slight "pop" and a flare of light.

"Well...that is interesting. What kind of energy is that?"

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx uses her feet to scoot her stool over to Peter and holds the modified glove up for his inspection. "Wildways," she answers simply, smiling a little. An energy type unique to Mojo World, so it's possible that Peter would not have heard it before, but Alyx doesn't know. She points at one of the components on the gloves.

    "This resonates at the same frequency as the Wildways.... And this rectifies whatever energy is used as the source... And this capacitor holds it until, well, it's more useful tossed."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, intrigued. He can see the concepts, but the way they are constructed and utilized...

"That's pretty novahot, Alyx. The output is small, but you're working off these gloves. This Wildways energy has some similarities to ball lightning, but the output is much reduced. It would be interesting to see if a ball of this energy could be suspended and analyzed."

He looks to Alyx. "This is very impressive, Alyx."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx raises her eyebrows and smirks. "Novahot?" she questions. Without much of a pause, she reaches out to unscrew the bulb. Hot hot hot. It's given a sudden toss onto the workbench before Alyx shakes off her hand. "So... Now that you've seen it in action... Watch this..." Alyx says, reaching out for another bulb. She screws it in and looks up at Peter. "Higher wattage..."

    With that settled, Alyx flicks her hand at the brighter bulb and captures another green ball. She holds it for a moment and then tosses it at the ground, now knowing that Peter'd just dodge it.

    This ball explodes in a similar way... But the effect is larger, as though it was proportional to the bulb's wattage.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins. "Like hot as a star going nova..."
He trails off and eyes Alyx as she apparently draws electrical power from the lightbulb and uses it to create a larger, more potent energy sphere. "Yeah. Wow. Okay, definite connection to electricity, or the capability to convert electrical to Wildways without noticeable drop in output..."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx grins, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not much... But I think I can follow this further and really even things up," Alyx adds with a grin. She reaches up to tuck an errant lock of hair back behind her ear. "...If she's going to ambush me with that dance magic, I'd like to be able to hit back a little harder. Or at least give her a reason to not use her magic..." Alyx removes the Gravity Glove from her hand and places it back in its mid-air gravity vice before turning the switch so the lightbulb powers off.

    "...I think I can convert other energy types, too. But, we'll see," Alyx adds, looking up at Peter with her green eyes. "We'll see."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, smiling thoughtfully. "I know she has a physical aspect to this magic. If it were possible to restrain her before she can use it, combined with any energy emitter that can counteract the energy she uses..."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "She dances," Alyx clarifies. That's the physical element. She takes a deep breath and lets it out with a smile. "I'm just thinking... If I can channel her energy when she dances... And use it against her, it might motivate her not to do it." She crosses one leg over the other shrugs. "...But..." Alyx pauses, thinking of what to say next.

    "I'm impressed that you're following along with all that," Alyx adds, trying to ride the line between stoking Peter's ego and not being condescending. She'll condescend to Ted when he gets in.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blushes slightly at that. "Well, these are hypotheses based purely on visual input. I'm just fortunate the processes are matching up so far. More observation and testing is mandatory, of course, but the initial ideas are encouraging. I'd like to see more of this. Maybe we might even be able to help you author a paper on it to recognize your work."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx grins a bit, seeing the warmth appearing on Peter's cheeks. She looks away for a moment, setting her eyes on the gloves hovering in empty space. "Well..." she begins. "...I think the best way to test something like that is in the field." Alyx grabs her fork and pokes it into the stew. "I think if I can find some stronger capacitors... I might be able to capture some really, really powerful energy..." She shrugs her shoulders and takes another bite.

    "So, what do you call this, anyway?" she says, waggling her fork in the air.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks at the gloves once more, then back to Alyx. "Crock pot beef stew. Aunt May likes to slow-cook it for about eight hours. A lot of time, but when you can cut the beef with a spoon, you know it's good..."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    "Eight hours!" Alyx exclaims. Her green eyes linger on the fork for a moment before jamming it into the stew again. "Eight hours... " she mutters, softer this time. She takes another bite and hrms. "Well, it /is/ good...So maybe it's worth it," she decides with a shrug. "It's nice that you have someone who can do that for you," she comments.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sighs, then finishes the last of his stew. "She does it to take care of me. I reciprocate by paying the bills and upkeep of the house since my uncle died."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx mms, nodding her head at this. "...I'm sorry, Pete," she says, her voice lacking the usual snark. She sounds like she means it. She pokes at her stew a little bit with her fork. "...My mother," she replies, simply.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter recognizes that look immediately. He's worn it himself.

"...If you want to talk about it, I'm a pretty good listener. But if you don't, I won't coerce you or sly-talk you into it. I'll accept it either way."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx shrugs her shoulders. "...What's to say?" she replies casually. "I was four. It's fine, really..." She reaches a hand out to give Peter a gentle pat on his forearm, if he'd allow it, before sliding her stool to put some distance between them. "Tell your aunt 'thank you'..." Alyx reminds.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, then smiles slyly. "I think you should have dessert. You know, for the full experience."

He moves to open the pie container and lets the aromas of flaky crust, caramelized sugar, and granny apples from Australia waft over to Alyx's nostrils as he cuts two pieces - one for her, one for him.
He places her pie in front of her, grinning widely.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx grins, looking down at the pie. "...It smells delicious, Pete..." she mutters, scooting the stool closer to take the slice. She brings the stew fork into her mouth and drags it between her lips to give it a good clean, preparing it for the pie. She pokes it into the end and takes a bite of the award-winner.

    "Mmm..." she says(?) as she chews the pie. "...That /is/ good... Though, it's also the only apple pie I think I've ever tasted."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins, then replies, "Well, then you might as well start your benchmark at the high end." He begins eating his pie as well. "She has a secret ingredient, but she's never told me. And I've never asked. She also uses the same stove. She won't let me get it replaced because it works JUST the way she likes it."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx grins, looking down at what she's doing in order to scoop up another bite of the pie slice. While chewing it, she tilts her head to the side and blurts a question. "...Does she know?" she asks. "Your aunt. Does she know about Spider-Man?" She looks up at Peter, watching for his reaction with her green eyes.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter swallows, looking down at his pie. "No...at least, not yet. I started when I was 16...and I was worried she'd have a heart attack or ground me from doing any heroing until I was 30. And the longer it got...the bigger the lie got." He rubs his face. "I hate keeping it from her, but if I tell her and she can't handle it, there'll be nobody left but me..."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Hmmm. Alyx looks down from Peter to inspect the pie. "...So...What I'm hearing you say is that as long as she doesn't know you're Spider-Man, she'll keep sending pie...?" she suggests, grinning a bit as she looks up at Peter again. She's trying to lighten the mood and move them away from their dead relatives.

    "You know..." Alyx mutters, looking down again, this time at the floor. "You really ought to let me make this up to you, all this kindness..." she leads.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "You know, you already did. I may have helped with the opportunity, but you're the one who took it and made it yours. You did something with it. So...just keep working at it, make it work for yourself, and you can consider us square."

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx nods her head at that and shrugs her shoulders before popping the last of the pie into her mouth. "Fine," she says in between chews. "We're square, then." Alyx lowers her eyes to the empty plate before pushing off to wheel back to the kitchenette. The plate is left in the sink and Alyx scoots back to her workstation. "Anyway, tell your aunt I said thanks," she says.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, then packs up almost everything except for the rest of the pie. That he leaves on the counter.

"Keep it. Enjoy it. Think of it as an unofficial 'Welcome to Earth' gift."
He picks up the hot bag, waves, and then heads to the elevator, humming to himself as he steps inside and presses the button for his floor.

Alyx Vance has posed:
    Alyx stares down at the Gravity Glove floating in mid-air above her workstation. She rests her chin on her hand and elbow on the table, staring down at her work. When the elevator is heard closing, Alyx frowns a little and turns her head in that direction. "You're a real idiot, you know that, Parker!" she shouts before turning back to her project.