6408/Life in the medbay

Life in the medbay
Date of Scene:	01 June 2021
Location:	Labs - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Antidote to insomnia
Cast of Characters:	Irina-As17, Gwen Stacy

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Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 had spent most of her time since her breaking off with the organization that raised her inside the medbay, at first it was due to the effects of the neurotoxin leaving her weakened for a very long time, but slowly she regained her strength. She'd often give a few pointers as to locations or other forms of operation for the organization, but everything seemed to have fallen into a stillness, total silence from their side, which was a very dangerous sign. She spent most of her time reading random books, as was the case with her childhood, and sitting on her bed thoughtfully while hugging her knees. She was in such a position today, her brain working furiously to try and understand what had happened, what was their next move.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen wasn't the type to hand around the tower for that long. She lived in New York after all. And she had just gone through the last stretch of college for the year. Finals. Which meant she hadn't been as present as she perhaps would had wished. But now things were different and she could again return to the tower!

"What are you doing in bed when there's such a nice sun outside?" A window to the girl's room opens up and in climbs Ghost Spider, dressed in black and white, the recognizable pink rims on the mask and her hands glued to the walls like a spider as she slides over with a front cartwheel and lands on the ground.

"Been a little while, Irina. Have you been recovering well?" She questions, reaching up to take out her mask to reveal Gwen underneath, golden hair tumbling down her shoulders.

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 almost fell off the bed when the woman shows up from the window. "AGHghgh!" She exclaims, throwing a book out the window in response. Her reflexes and general agility had dropped so much it was depressing. It shows on her face right after her completely off-center throw, she looks at her hand briefly and sinks a little, a low exhale escaping her lips. She didn't look too great, as she had dark marks under her eyes, a large number of things kept her awake at night, most of her time was spent thinking furiously.

However, seeing Gwen makes her smile brightly and a bit of life comes back to her eyes. "It has! I'm glad to see you again. I've been well, they treat me really well here. I've been trying to help out as much as I can." She starts moving to physically greet Gwen, planting her feet on the ground and reaching for a cane nearby. She supports herself firmly on it before walking over like an old lady towards Gwen.

It didn't seem like she had recovered much from losing her tail, which massively affected her sense of balance, but it WAS something you could recover with the correct exercises, which she hadn't been doing. She approaches and tries to give Gwen a tight hug.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
The book does go very off-center indeed. Missing Gwen by a 'mile'! Which makes it so she also can't just catch it out of the air. But when the book starts it's fall out to the great beyond she shoots a web to capture it and reel it back in almost as if she was fishing. "Think you dropped this.." she says with a quirky smile, flipping the book on her hand to look at the title with an arched brow and continuing her approach to the bed, planting the book on the bedside drawer.

The young woman takes note of those dark eyes, the way Irina appears to be taking this new part of her life. "You haven't been sleeping much, have you?" but she does smile as Irina talks about having been helping. "So I have been told. You are slowly starting to become part of the family."

Watching the girl trying to walk with a cane does make some of Gwen's smile to falter. But she sets her jaw and her eyes flicker brightly, she reaching to give the girl that tight hug, bringing her into her arms. "You have been skipping your exercises." she notes.

Irina-As17 has posed:
The title read: Different types of cacti and their effect on desert habitats. It would've been a horrendously boring read for anyone, mostly. She just was used to reading these things since she was a kid, since she was ever given books by scientists, and books that wouldn't misdirect her sense of belief anywhere. So they all had to be scientific stuff.

Sort of sulks in the hug after the comment, she doesn't say anything but there's an almost palpable ball of discomfort that grows between them for a second. She leans forwards a bit, taking the weight off the cane and putting it more on Gwen. "I mean, what's the point, really..." Her tone changes completely, the layers of depression she had been keeping on a corner of her mind were clear now. She hadn't really had time to cope with it. Not mental time, at least.

"Going from what I was to what I am now is already like being crippled even if I'm at tip top shape, for a human. I'm not a genius scientist or some crazy fighting prodigy who's been training since they were a child. I can barely use a phone. Once this whole thing blows over I'll be...just..." She breaks off there, opting to stop to breathe in, and trying to calm her mind to find the right words, but it was clearly difficult. She swallows hard. "I really owe a lot to you guys, I'd have no chance of adapting to live in the real world without you."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Another glance to the book. Gwen looks tempted to let fate take over and get that book flying off the window again. She actually has to contain a shudder as she imagines the kind of reading it must be. But then again, she is a geneticist so it's not as if she can talk much about the kind of reading she does!

"What's the point in living life, you mean?" Gwen asks, noting those traces of depression sinking in. Apparently ones that have been growing for a time. The girl looks away a moment, perhaps blaming herself for not being more present here in the Tower to support Irina, letting out a breath.

"You will be free from the lie, no matter what." She tells Irina, "And that's more important than whatever they were giving you. It was not real, none of it." she presses a finger to the girl's chest, "You just need to realize you are more of a hero now than you were before, Irina. It takes courage to do what you did. To go against what was ingrained in you and choose the right path." a gentle smile and she helps Irina sit again. "That makes you more of a hero in my book than anything else."

She wraps one arm around the girl's shoulders, sitting on the bed next to her. "Now, are you ready to get out of this stuffy room and face the world outside?" she asks. "Was thinking we should go take a walk. In the Spider way." she winks.

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 sits next to Gwen, she gives the girl a bittersweet smile, visibly in a state of deep grief but there was also a mixture of thankfulness that kept her from just bursting into tears. "Hearing you say that makes it feel more real, thank you. I know it was all a lie and all, but, it's really, really difficult to see your whole reality shattered in front of you like that, you know. It's kinda like being in the dark. I don't know if there's anything else I even want. That does make it super heroic like you said, and it's what's been driving me forwards."

She gives Gwen a pat on the back, appreciatively, offering some eager nods. "But. I got to be a Hero once. Just the one time. And I'll treasure that for all of my life, higher than anything, as hard as I can. But now there's still so much time ahead, time I'll spend wishing I could be out there, alongside you and the others. I just don't know how to transition from every fiber of my being, every corner of my mind, every thought and feeling being driven towards the purpose of being a hero, in the name of justice, saving the world, righteousness. To, well, this." She replies, having to suck in a bit of sniffling. "I thought I'd hate them so much I wouldn't be able to bear it if they ever betrayed me. But I just feel sad like my soul's been drained out of my body. Which I guess means going out owuld be perfect." She manages a genuine smile at the end.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Reality shattered in front of you? "I know." Gwen says, that tone very much as if she understood exactly what that is, "Just ..., don't give up. We live in a beautiful world, and besides you have some of the best minds here in the Tower. We can figure something out on how to help you. In fact, I do have some theories...."

Yet Gwen trails off when Irina continues on, smile remaining on her expression which turns into a delighted grin when Irina accepts going out. "Good!" a look to the cane. "And ditch that for now..." she gets up to her feet and puts in her best Dr. Emmett Brown's voice, "Because where we are going we won't need any canes..." both hands come up, putting her mask back on, along with the hood. She offers one hand to help Irina up, wrapping one arm around the girl and shoots a web out the window before slinging them both out into the sunny morning outside, the air coming in as a rush as they start a free dive before she shoots another web to keep them up.

"If we find their labs we may just be able to revert the process in you." She says, "Or at least get some of the formula they use and reverse engineer it."

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 smiled brightly as they swung through the air. This kind of exposition to super-related activities was really refreshing for her, it was truly blissful to feel a certain taste of empowerment again. She clings very tightly to Gwen as they fly through the air. "Oh, you did? I'm very interested in hearing your ideas." She replies, listening and thinking very hard about what Gwen said. She tries to use what little information she had been able to pick up from listening to the scientists talk about her experiments.

"You would probably have to salvage the splicing chamber they use. It was installed there and I don't think the schematics would be stored at the labs, because every time they had an issue they had to call for outside help, not sure where from. My data's definitely there though, plus a bunch of others."

She thinks very firmly about it. "Do you think you could really reverse engineer it from my data? I know what it is because they kept talking about it very excited to me. It's a genome compatibility table, so it basically lets you know if the person is compatible with that bit of DNA by comparing their own genetic data." It seemed she had absolutely random bits of scientific information from various sources lodged in her brain. "They said that when they told me they found a hundred percent one. When they told me I'd finally start being a true hero."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Yes. With you being part of their program for so long, and with how compatible you are it means you have *changed*. The serum they used helped of course but it inherently changed your body as you have been living with it since forever." Gwen theorizes just as they slingshot across skyscraper, high above in the air, using all that centripeda force to make an arch around it before she finds another building to send a web too. Below there's the usual buzz-buzz of people and cars moving about just like it's usual in Metropolis. But it all seems to far away from up here...

"Which means we mainly need to find a way to unlock it again and let your mutations return." Gwen continuing on the trip, heading downtown, over past iconic buildings in Metropolis like the Daily Planet, or even the Hall of Justice!

"That's the Hall of Justice. Home to some of the greatest heroes in this world." She informs the girl. But she doesn't stop there, instead continuing on until they reach a plaza. In the middle of it there's a statue of Superman. The one that had been broken and rebuilt. She lands there.

"But yes, data will be important. Or others similar to you so we can get some kind of basis to go on. Which means finding their base is important."

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 nods. "We have the location, just need to stage an organized assault, I don't think everyone knows what's going on." She looks over to the statue, her eyes glimmer a bit at the sight of such a magnificent depiction of Superman. "You know, they told me he was the greatest fool of them all. With power that could end all villany, wasted on a simpleton." She sighs as she says that, feeling disgusted. "Oh and about that, I think this might help. When I was really young they kept trying to do experiments but I kept resetting, as they say, to a normal state. It happened faster than they could handle, so they changed into using that serum method that I don't really know much about.

In general she seems to have enjoyed the trip very much, many of the buildings were places that seemed out of reach for her before. "Though um." She suddenly speaks with a tone that was a mix of nervous and sad, she didn't want to disappoint Gwen. "I don't think they're going to return on their own. I know this because uh, I went through a lot. A. Lot. Of them. After they shrink back and disappear they never come back, serum or no serum, I had to be placed in the splicing chamber to get a new one."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Ah, so you know about him." Superman. Gwen looks up at the statue with a faint smile. "And I am sure he has been called worse." She letting out a soft laugh at how Irina describes what he was to her all these years. "But if there's one thing I have learned is that it's never about power. But what you do." she then turning to listen to what Irina says, considering it. Brows furrow as she considers it. "Mmmm, resetting..." that's new. But it makes her lift a finger.

"Ah, maybe that is the solution to figuring this whole thing though. Resetting is not normal at all. I mean, a subject can reject it but you speak as if you simply went back to your original state without any side effects." she murmurs.

"And were they different powers? Or normally always that of a racoon?" she asks as she helps Irina walk around a bit about the plaza.

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 giggles as she keeps staring up at the statue, she wonders how much effort it took to build it. "No, they used me to test a whole bunch of mutations. Hundreds of animals. They'd use the serum, let me reset, and try a new one. That kept going until they found the one that was the most compatible, I guess." She says calmly, thinking back of her years and years of experiments.

It makes her feel really strange. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about all of this. And I'm sure it's about what you do, but I think that's a bit out of touch with the simple, powerless people. What you can do depends on abilities, influence, power, and so on. That's why they told me the world needed an ultimate power to solve crime and villany for them."

"Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they wanted an army of super soldiers...or something even worse." She gets incredibly more serious, her brows furrowing, that one was going to keep her up at night for a while now. "I think we need to move soon. Something really bad might be about to happen."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"People have more power than they think." Gwen replies to Irina with a small shake of her head, for now the hood and mask remaining on as it's a public place. She still has a secret persona after all, "And so do you. It doesn't mean we should be content with what we are and what we have, and you are right in wanting to get that power back, it's what you have known all your life. And I can tell you I will do all I can to bring them back to you."

No promises though, she can't do those!

"Which means we will just have to crack into their base, bring you to the chamber and use it to give you those powers back. I will make sure to do my homework." which meant a few sleepless nights most likely getting Irina's mutation fully understood, along with how the serum worked. But ah well, she didn't mind those at all.

"We will move soon, Irina. As soon as the Titans are ready and we get a plan settled."

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 smiles at Gwen, giving her a light hug. "I am very, very sorry for all the trouble I've caused. None of this would have been possible if I had never helped them. And I'm eternally grateful to have such a great friend. I'll try to talk to the titans and explain the situation, see who's got time to help out and all. They're a busy bunch after all."

She does frown a bit though, looking at the ground. "I don't know what you mean, I don't really see any power in me. A smart scientist could have the power to cure a disease. A strong boxer could have the power to win a championship. But as someone who's even below an average person, I just don't see what I could do. It really only comes down to helping put this plan together, but afterwards I'm, well, I don't know what I'll be."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Bah, it's no trouble. Besides, you can always count on me, and the Titans, for help." Gwen replies, hands resting on her hips while she talks, eyes again straying up to the statue. "I am sure they will all rally to your cause. And if not I will kapow them." she mimics punching someone which .., doesn't really look that great. Gwen isn't the best of punchers where it comes to it.

"Well, I still dont know how to throw a punch, but it's the thought that matters." She says with a brief laugh. At Irina's frown she shakes her head though, turning to wrap one arm around her shoulders again. "Just because you can't see it yet it doesn't mean you don't have your power, or that you won't find it. A boxer wasn't born strong, nor is a smart scientist born with all the knowledge needed. It comes with hard work." see, there's a lesson there! "Which means from today forward we will be doing these walks out to work on your balance and your stamina again. You will need to have your energy when we go into that base." yes, she is saying Irina will be going with them.

"You will know who are you supposed to be when the time comes." she squeezes the girl's shoulder against her.

Irina-As17 has posed:
Irina-AS17 closes her eyes and leans against Gwen, a happy smile on her lips, she always felt much more confident about her future when the reassuring blonde was around. It calmed her head a great deal. "Alright. I'll do my best then so I can learn to run without a tail again." She figured she'd be doing a lot of that. "But really, I don't want you guys to risk yourselves for my sake. If it doesn't work out just leave it or break it or something, we can't let them have it either. Even if it costs me my powers, I don't want anyone else to get hurt." She says firmly, that's the decision she had made when she refused to go with the very intricate plan that had been set up using those explosives.

For the time being she seemed to be enjoying a peaceful time for once, being locked in that room with her thoughts was something harrowing. There were more layers of negativity, things she blamed herself for, resentment that had gone unsolved, it all kept her from resting. But right now, it seemed she actually slipped into a peaceful sleep thanks to the burden that had been lifted by Gwen's reassuring words, at least temporarily. More importantly, the girl had given her hope.