9182/Of Matters Space and Time

Of Matters Space and Time
Date of Scene:	20 December 2021
Location:	Reed's Labs - Four Freedom Plaza
Synopsis:	Jane and Reed plot Christmas antics... and space suits.
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Reed Richards

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Jane Foster has posed:
Days have a way of flying by when it comes closer to year end. Everyone wrapped up in holiday preparations or battening down the hatches for the new year make finding a good time for visiting, work appointments or meetings tough to match. Persistence could be key; Jane is not averse to dropping a line through official avenues or those within SHIELD to reach Reed. Not like he has been consumed by some level of excitement, surely, in the lab or with those interesting Interdimensional creatures.

One thing leads to another. Meeting times can be set up or directions given. Prolific activities or events won't halt her from making her way to Four Freedoms Plaza, firing off a few text messages to a dear friend starting with, <<You'll never believe where I am this morning!>> and a captioned snapshot of the grey sky breaking with hints of blue and the building rearing in the background. <<Tea this afternoon?>> Jemma's going to be mildly amused.

Since arriving empty-handed is entirely untoward, she brings along a bag of some finer brews from around the world, a bit of moon dust (why not?) in a pretty vial, and a pair of matching scarves for Sue and Valeria, printed with the Apollo XIV mission logo. Like you do.

Reed Richards has posed:
Old Man Richards is of course in the lab, but in something of a surprise for any but those who know him well, the lab is festooned with lights and decorations, some elegant glass pieces, mathematical sculptures of obscure concepts and fractal geometries, they are scientific and mathematical art. The others are childlike emblems of Christmas, Santa, reindeer, elves, yetis and their ilk. There are lights and ribbons, even a tree. Herbie whizzes about ablaze in red and green, more so than his usual operational parameters. Reed is of course fiddling with something impossibly complicated, his arms stretched wide managing controls has has customized to his own specifications and his head stretched to observe the phenomena at the closest possible vantage point, "fascinating, now if we oscillate the frequency 3hz higher, yes, yes, that better.
    He doesn't seem to notice Jane's arrival engrossed in his investigative efforts. Herbie of course make up for his creators faux pas, "Greetings Dr. Jane! Many returns of the season. Would you care for a festive holiday beverage? DR. RICHARDS, Jane is here."

Jane Foster has posed:
A delighted laugh will announce her, if quiet. Jane tends to be soft-spoken in such places, altogether aware how often an idea hinges on no external interruption or the startling presence of another's voice crossing the train tracks of thought. The proof of childhood spirit and holiday cheer might lighten her heart slightly, despite the weight carried even in that moment while a carved-off portion of her soul plunges to another corner of the world on a task told to none.

She waits until Reed distracts himself from the object of such interest, a spinning top of possibilities that probably defies any immediate identification. Such is the nature of dealing with him, and she is quite comfortable with that fact, all and all. Herbie's announcement brings a quick grin his way. "Dr. Richards, is this still a good time? I understand if you need me to pop out for now." Never one to turn down polite behaviour all the same, she murmurs to Herbie, "Only if it won't be a problem for Dr. Richards. Otherwise, I'll take a raincheck and drop this gift bag off. Feel free to scan it as needed."

Reed Richards has posed:
Herbie chirps happily and bobs in acknowledgement, as the literal train passes behind him, did I mention the train? Oh yes, the tracks wander their way through the impossibly complicated machines. The small engine chugs steadily around the room, emitting peppermint scented steam, followed by six cars and a caboose. Closer inspection reveals it is not an electrically powered replica but is an actual steam engine. "The packages were scanned as you walked through the lobby as were you, it is a necessary bit of security in these days. I have stored your files and compared them to previous visits, they will be maintained in my secure memory banks per HIPAA guidelines, and only accessed in case of extreme need."

    Reed frowns, "Herbie, please, Dr. Foster isn't due for at leas- Oh. Yes, please show her in. I am quite sorry. It's a temporal expander for a very particular client and friend, always something this time of year. Gets to the final stages and something is out of whack. It's quite a large scale operation and while most of it if of a more fae-tastical nature, in this modern world needs must, science makes the wheels turn. Anyway," Reed manages to stabilize his work enough to resume a presentable human simulation and moves to greet you, "Merry Christmas, Dr. Foster. It has been an age. How have you been?"

Jane Foster has posed:
A train? That will earn a look over her shoulder, sparkling bright sepia eyes looking for the source. Her lips curve in a grin again. Unexpected to find that simplicity among complications, but why not? Engineering begins on the simplest precepts, after all. "Yes, but you might have a special sorting mechanism for various teas. I have long since learned from the likes of proper English tea drinkers they possess an order and law unto themselves."

God help those scanners trying to measure her, depending on what they look for. Certain information might be registering in explosive bursts, not the least being that certain attributes are entirely not right. Say, oh, a genetic code. A little like certain heroes, she's constructed of something else entirely than DNA -- more like a white-out on an X-ray, or a solar flare burning out the electronic and satellite arrays. It's a pitfall of the past several months.

"A temporal expander? As in stretching out seconds and minutes along the localised axis of space-time? Please tell me that's to earn a little more time to work or nap?" she asks, amused. "You have created a lovely space here. I can see why you might want to stay put, it's very cozy and charming." Shaking out her hair, she tucks a piece back. "I hope you and your family are doing well. I've been busy -- work never ends." Literally. Reaping isn't a thing one sets aside, regardless, and space keeps expanding.

"I had hoped to bring you an interesting concept, and ended up with several. But I think you'll find it at least entertaining."

Reed Richards has posed:
Old Man Richards smiles and nods, inspecting the teas with interest, he passes them with care to Herbie, pointing two to make for the current conversation. Herbie does flag this scan as vastly different from your last and collates it with similar readings for others. He also flags it low priority for conversational investigation.

    "Yes, just so. It is very similar to my own isolation chamber, but this is much more complicated. Larger and requires subtle integrations with the pre-existing timeframe, a sort of bubble of slow time that travels with the wearer. Thank you, it's a habit form when the children were younger one that I can't seem to shake now that they/re grown." Reed looks about wistfully, and shrugs. "We are yes, getting by with our usual fantastical problems, demons stalking out children, unchaperoned interstellar gallivanting and a pan-dimensional rogues gallery but such is the life we chose, when we became Fantastic." Reed shrugs, "I'm glad you are keeping busy but you really should make time for yourself, it can be hard when surrounded by the wonders of the universe but it is important to invest in yourself." Said the pot. "Interesting concepts are always entertaining, last week I found a star that was actually a giant fungal colony and... I think it may be sentient."

Jane Foster has posed:
A good oolong, a bright and sparkling citrus white, and a deliciously rich black shot by licks of caramel all feature in the selections, eclectic but most definitely quality. Jemma Simmons and Peggy Carter both keep exacting standards when it to their favourite beverage. "Merry Christmas to the Richardses. You must have quite a few plans over the next few weeks." She can do conversational and she can do high-tech conversational, the same worlds overlapping. "Interesting, what uses do you see for such a time suit? Putting yourself outside the general flow would probably allow for engagements with different particles at a greater point of ease, though that's bound to be a little different for each particle type or individual." Those bright thoughts hang in the air as Reed takes in the memories of past and present. "Demons and pan-dimensional rogues! All before breakfast, but here we are?" The smile she wears widens a little. "I do make time for myself, in fact. You'll find a vial of moon dust from one of the untouched craters that probably hasn't seen the sun since the Late Heavy Bombardment, for what uses you might put it to. The chemical compositions are always fascinating." Happy dust. "I'm idly working out the prospects for the synestia formation theory though I generally prefer to leave that to the planetary scientists. They get a bit irked when the astrophysicists linked up with cosmology step on their toes. A fungal star colony is... goodness, that's something and a half. How it manages to maintain its presence while a /star/?"

Nothing in life is truly ever explained. "Since we're talking space, then I have the easiest one for you. S.W.O.R.D. space suits may be on the horizon, especially with a proposal from several agents about how to expand a peaceful investigatory footing in LEO out to L1. Nothing on the scale of weaponizing space, but protective against radiation, foremost, with some minor augmentation for communications and life-support beyond what NASA has in the hopper. I've scoured the next-gen materials, and while they are good for a stationary orbit -- something like the ISS or a shuttle platform -- they still are based on conventional technology from the early aughts. I wonder if you have any thoughts in that direction. They've taken the request to Chief Carter; /I/ figured we could discuss it considering the wearers are going to be human and have different limitations from our resident superheroic population. What you and Captain Marvel can do, or even Captain Rogers, would be far and away above what your standard agent can. Nonetheless, they're being asked to guard the upper frontiers, and I'd would love to hear what we could consider. Flash-conversion weaves that distribute heat and offgas CO2, in particular, might be helpful. I swear, they've got scrubber tech that was relevant in /1974/. Some of the black box projects have turned up a few more interesting bits, but we'd be best keeping this in house, I imagine."

Reed Richards has posed:
Old Man Richards is always a fan of a rich black, with half and half and a plate of Sue's Christmas cookies artfully decorated trees and santas. All of which are brought on a tray into the conference room that Reed has lead you into as you've been talking. "Everyone has their own pursuits I'm afraid, but yes there are a lot of things to get to as the year wraps up." He chuckles, and drops the evasiveness for a moment, with a twinkly in his eye, "Toy delivery actually, elves and reindeer however magical only get so far in our modern age I'm afraid, time remains implacable to all but the most powerful mages and irascible scientists. It keeps me on the nice list." He smiles with child like glee at dust , taking the vial carefully and turning it watching the way it catches the light, "Fascinating, thank you." He take the gifts for the girls gracefully. He sighs, "They do get rather agitated especially when one brings home first hand knowledge that refutes their theories or demands a new direction, pedantic doesn't begin to do their mindset justice. Yes, the homeostasis is the really intriguing part, I think it uses plasma to contain the fusion at its core, which implies an impossibly dense substructure and even gravimetric manipulation, all of which suggest some semblance of intelligence. The probot watching the system has captured some discreet radio signals that almost resemble whale song and could be evidence of a developing language. Truly exceptional... " Reed head tils as the conversation changes and pulls up some rather detailed ideas and ddodles, enormous rail gun installations, clearly deisgned to be installed on moons or large asteroids and used to target capitol ships. "Well, I do have a few ideas. I can put together something, using some exotic materials, unstable molecules, vibranium, prometheum, Uru is any is available, even some small portion of adamantium. I am a bit of a stickler for rediation protection myself actually, were you looking for purely defensive measures or integrated offensive capability as well?" He chuckles, "Though Tony or Victor are actually more the experts when it comes to those possibilities. I can put together a suit that should provide protection on par with most space faring races by new year's, give me til MLK day and I can exceed most."

Jane Foster has posed:
Cookies? Had her at hello. Though Jane waves farewell to Herbie, she follows Reed out of the land of magical contraptions into something more familiar. "Stars being composed of particular elements isn't anything new, though defining our understanding for living materials and organisms that might function /as/ a star begins pressing into different levels on the Kardashev Scale. A Type II is already at the very reaches of our understanding, despite knowing of several of those civilizations. Shi'ar, Badoon, Kree, Kryptonians. It's hard to understand what they can fully do, at least when we haven't quite mastered moving into Type I yet." The gifted glimmer of those dark eyes remains a fierce fire behind her lashes.

"With all due respect, I don't think that SHIELD will be comfortable with Latverian technology. Tony could develop it, and no doubt we'll ask, but I haven't seen hide or hair of him in weeks. Reaching out to Pepper sometimes open the doors, but not often. She's nearly as busy. Though I would more than gladly set you free, the parameters on a civilian range would probably best be aimed at Chief Carter. It's her project and while SWORD falls under Abigail Brand, I don't think either of us wants to meet Brand or get on her 'busy now, what do you want?' side." Her temper's hotter than Doom's, after all. One of them can be rationalized with, the other throws fireballs. "I've had some conceptual developments on that front, though not much. Incorporating fewer rare metals, likely the better, if we have to share with international partners. But survivability until recovery is possible is key. That does sound thrilling, though. The second note would generally be in that vein, but simpler. I've a fellow agent with the unfortunate habit of ending up basically naked every time she manifests a power of an object she carries. It shreds her clothing and it's becoming hazardous along a few ways. Not the least might be arn arrest. Is there any chance I could ask what the budget is for incorporating a very basic outfit of unstable molecules? Jen's been fortunate to deal with it, though the shredding capacity of Ms. Pezzini's equipment shouldn't be underestimated. It needn't be anything that changes appearance or the like. A straight up pantsuit is about all she needs, but... yes, drafts are a /thing/ in the field."

Reed Richards has posed:
Old Man Richards barks out a laugh at the prospect of Shield using Latverian technology. Then coughs and sips tea to recuperate. he says quietly, "Ah, I hope all is well on that front. You want me to get creative?" Reed pulls out a tablet as you sip tea eat cookies and chat. He is processing ideas and following along. "That is problematic, I mean I can send over something basic but to fully accommodate her I would need to do a full body scan and run some tests on her abilities, see how she uses the powers in the field. In lieu of direct access I can use Fitz and Simmons data, they're both excellent researchers. Don't worry about the billing supplies for one person, I can role that into something for the team and honestly over time, the tac suits she shred would be more costly than this one or two. I don't usually do pant suits, I can try, though I may have to call in Susan or Edna for the actual design, which can be costly in its own space." Reed smiles, he doesn't get fashion but he understands and appreciates expertise. "Don't want her getting a draft in the field." Reed throws up a basic body suit design on the holo emitter in the center of the room, it's a full body, form fitting, "The style enables one to wear it under street clothes, the sheer forces resistance and tear resistance are high. It also has ballistic resistance akin to kevlar.

Jane Foster has posed:
"I'm leaving it between you and her, save that she doesn't feel comfortable asking anyone for help and tis the season for me to be inventive. Unfortunately, I build black holes, not garments able to resist being stabbed. The data provided from Ms. Simmons should be more than adequate. Let me ask if she'd be willing to drop by or if you need specifics, I can manage that?" Offers made with ease are fully aware of the bonds of hospitality and, in this case, Reed's generosity. No need to make him do more work than not. "Suit with pants, that's all. She isn't a skirt-wearing woman. I'm not suggesting a proper three set with a blouse or something, but Mrs. Richards would know much better about running about. I'm the practical sort, and appreciate someone who needs to look the part for their role. Ms. Pezzini's police along with the rest of us." 5r5rher laughter stays put for a moment, and she grins. "That looks lovely. She can turn about impervious to trouble in a flash, but it means losing everything else. So as far as I'm concerned, if we can give her the means to not worry about that, all's well. Thank you for considering it. I should also let you know -- privately, though this is on SHIELD's radar -- there appears to be evidence of alien activity that was claiming humanity during early modern period. Proof of bodies that seem to originate from prior to the settlement of the Americas, exporting them off world. The outcomes were ugly. If you have any records on the Badoon, I'd appreciate it. My own avenues are a bit slanted, and short of one showing up to talk, options there are limited."

Reed Richards has posed:
Old Man Richards seems mildly miffed at the notion you can't do both. "Honestly, whichever is most expeditious. As I said, Sue would be the resource to speak to about stylistic voncerns, I can provide the technical specifications and input the parameters into the printer based on an existing samples or with a general idea of what is desired. Sue does have several pant suits in the file that could be modified. Yes, skirts are not optimal for most field work." Reed doesn't even seem mildly wistful, the pure intellect.

    "That is concerning, the majority of my intelligence on the Badoon comes from the Invasion. Though I do remember that the X-Men faced them in the field. Thunderbird fell in that battle. They would be the experts in tactics. Though, the Badoon are allies and in many cases tools of the Dominators. Here are the communications, from that event with a tentative dictionary and translator based on context. There may be clues in their activities during that engagement."