962/After-Action Reports - Like A Scientific Publication, With Questions

After-Action Reports - Like A Scientific Publication, With Questions
Date of Scene:	03 April 2020
Location:	Lobby - Four Freedoms Plaza
Synopsis:	Daniel comes to Valeria for an after action report on the Mole Man and leaves with a tour of the ongoing science experiments.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Hastings, Valeria Richards

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Daniel Hastings has posed:
    The Mole Man and his Minions had been driven off. That was the easy part. Coordinating the clean up, getting witness statements, and doing the bureaucracy that comes along with being the 'official' on the ground.. that took time. Time enough for the various vigilantes to flee and for Valeria to fly up to the hangar bay built into the side of Four Freedoms. Daniel watched as the hovercar soared up into the air and began to slip into the side of the building.. at which time he excused himself from the officer on scene and disappeared.

    Daniel reappeared standing off to the side within the hangar bay tapping away on a largish phone or a small tablet. Whatever he was doing, he finishes it and tucks the device away in his jacket before adjusting his tie and waiting for Valeria to settle the hovercar, his wavey hair dancing in the wash of the vehicle.

Valeria Richards has posed:
That's the best part about a hovercar in New York City - you can always find parking. It doesn't take long for Valeria to get things in order there before she's coming back out to see what's been done and meet with the teleporting, light-shifting agent.

There's something to be said for public legacy heroes. They're much less likely to run away from the authorities.

In short order, she's coming back to the agent with a smile, offering over a hand. "Sorry to make you wait. I just can't, you know. Leave it out and running unattended. Who did you say you were with again?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel doesn't seem to mind having to produce his credentials again. Flip - Badge - Daniel Hastings, Agent of SHIELD. Pocket badge. Then he takes her hand and gives it a solid shake. He's not superstrong and he does try to be polite so while it's a firm hand he's not offering any sort of pseudo-masculine dominance play. "Thank you for the short order briefing on the Mole Man. I'll be sure to read up on his exploits when I get back to the office. I'm afraid it's been a lot of homework for me on the last few decades. On account of a temporal displacement." Which might explain his general gentlemanly demeanor. "I took a moment to check up on the tower's occupants. I.. presume.. you are Miss Valeria Richards?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Temporal displacement?" Valeria visibly perks at that. Science! Her father is famously absent-minded and distractable, but it seems she's inherited enough of her mother to not get //completely// sidetracked. "I'd like to hear about that," she grins, then nods to his question.

"Valeria Richards, that's me. Mom and Dad are out right now, like I told the Mole Man, but since they were out, they probably can't answer most of your questions anyhow." Her smile slips crooked as she shrugs, leading the way over to a table and some chairs. "Did this whole thing catch you on your day off, or were you on business?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel chuckles, "I'm afraid that's classified, Miss Richards." Still, he looks amused by her enthusiasm. "Not that I could tell you precisely what happened in any respect. The device that caused it has not been examined thoroughly nor is the power that it interacted with it to cause the distortion." He muses a moment. "I'll have a chat with my superiors though. I, for one, would like answers." He dips his chin then takes a step back to a more social distance from the handshake as he looks about.

    "To be fair, I don't know that I get days off." Daniel offers, "Being displaced eighty years means that one has a lot of catching up to do. Culturally anyway. Most of the technologies I've come across are intuitive and.. primitive.. compared to my extra-galactic experience." A beat. "Some of your father's work notwithstanding." A wink.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Extra-//galactic//?" Valeria's brows rise as she sits down, crossing her arms over her chest to keep from fidgeting with curiosity. So many questions! So much to learn! "Are you sure it's classified? We've got pretty high clearance for...figuring things out." More accurately, //Reed// has been called on for several highly sensitive subjects, but sharing is caring, right?

"I mean, I get it though. There's always a lot of adjust to. And change toward the future being generally exponential, going backwards gets more and more complicated every day." Dig. Dig. "Intuitive design is a big thing though. I usually help Dad with that part. Technology doesn't help as many as it could if most people can't understand it."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "I probably shouldn't have said that." Daniel laughs, shaking his head. "I do absolutely agree though. Since the invention of electricity, our innovations have been on a rather staggering curve. Of course.. we still rely on fossil fuels.. which I can't for the life of me fathom aside from rich people wanting to stay rich.. which I can't abide." He takes a deep breath then sighs. "Too many people have given their lives to just causes for some.." But then he lifts his palm. "Forgive me. I should keep my opinions to myself.. at least in a formal environment. Now if you wanted to talk over tea sometime? That's different." He dips his chin.

    "As to intuitive design and the masses.. I envy the likes of Stark and your father and Pym and others who've managed to turn their expertise towards industry that is helping the masses. I'm an Agent out of.. necessity? I'm a scientist by choice." Daniel profers a wry look and a shrug of his shoulders.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Is that how you got-" Valeria stops herself, smile turning sheepish. "Sorry. Mom says it's a bad habit. But you've got work to do as an agent, and I should let you do it. What do you need to know?" she asks, dropping her arms and clasping her hands in front of herself on the table. "I think you caught everything I did. At least, I wasn't out there for very long before I saw you, and then you were in the car. Which is //another// thing I'd really like to know more about," she adds, already distracted by another scientific mystery.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Your enthusiasm is infectious, Miss Richards." Daniel replies with a smile. "But yes. I did. I managed to get what I needed except perhaps the identities of the metahumans that assisted in the conflict. I thought I would run interference with the locals and let you to that. If you would be so kind? Not that SHIELD is looking to charge anyone. That's not what we're about. Now.. recruitment? That might be something else."

    Letting that sink in a moment, Daniel walks over to her hovercar and runs a hand along it.. following its shape.. but without actually touching it. "I have the ability to fold space." He reveals ever so casually. "It is how I focused the light. How I displaced the mole man from his feet. How I arrived in your hangar." Though one supposes he could have used a secret SHIELD security hacking device to bypass the elevator locks.. but then you'd likely have beaten him to the hangar.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria tilts her head for a moment, working through just how that functions, then nods once. "Interesting. Those are all very creative ways to use something that sounds straightforward." She seems pleased by that, like it's a puzzle she can continue to work at for a bit. It manages to keep the other part from sinking in for a moment longer.

"Uh, wait, identities?" she asks, brows rising once more. "Sorry, I didn't really ask. I didn't even talk to most of them," she admits. "The girls and the magnet guy flew off before I could even say thanks for the help. I talked to the arrow guy. He seemed nice. Arsenal, he said."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "I say fold space.. manipulate it.. shape it.. perceive distance as relative to one point from another." Daniel muses. "It's all.. well let's just say that I do not look at a three dimensional existence the way I used to." He looks back to her from his introspection and smiles, "I'm sure that I could utilize my talent to much greater effect but then part of me fears it. As well one should. The human mind.. resilient as it is.. has a hard time grappling with the infinite." Whatever that means.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Especially if you're not sure how it works," Valeria agrees. "You could end up doing something you don't know how to undo. That's usually about when things get messy." There are so many reasons that the Fantastic Four take up fifty stories of this building.

"Or when you end up time-displaced," she guesses with a sidelong glance. Oh yeah. She's not the giving up sort.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    There's a soft laugh. "No doubt." Daniel agrees though his eyes look askance of her at the temporal displacement. "And so then one wonders.. at what point does a device ostensibly manipulating the fringes of Einsteinian theories or, perhaps, even subverting them.. when damaged.. fail to avoid the pitfall of dilated time relative to space warped to a degree to allow interstellar distances to be traversed. Does then space rivert violently with the subsequent span of time spinning to an instantaneous duration? This is where I need to determine how the device I was using.. works. But it's broken. So.." He shrugs.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Broken's just a temporary state," Valeria says easily, a small smile curving. "Just because something's broken doesn't mean it can't be fixed. It just makes fixing it a little more interesting."

She gives him a long look, then pushes a hand through her hair, letting out a breath. "If it's not too top secret, you can always bring it here. I can let the front desk know we're expecting it. I don't know if //Dad// will have time to look at it, but I can."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "We'll see. I know Mister Stark has already shown an interest on the matter and he's already gotten clearances for various 'topics' within SHIELD." Daniel muses. "Though I could always file a claim under salvage rights." He laughs. "Assuming I was willing to be fired over it. Either way, right now, the world is too busy fighting itself over metahuman rights and reeling from an extradimensional assault. If we were to reveal to society at large that it wasn't just one foe out in the galaxy eyeballing our planet but say.. a few hundred? The average person would become the mob in short order."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I don't know. People always say that, but..." Valeria pauses, looking out toward the horizon with a shrug. "For every extradimensional villain giving us the eye, there are a hundred thousand amazing new things to discover. I think maybe if we focused more on the wonder of things and less on the things people are afraid of, people would be more excited than afraid. But."

She stops herself, looking over with another of those crooked smiles. "I'm kind of an optimist like that. Every problem has a solution and there are a million worlds out there to explore."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel tilts his head as he looks at her. "I wish there were more people like you in the world, Miss Richardson. I.. feel like maybe we should find a place to sit down if you wanted to continue speaking?" He chuckles and looks around the hangar. "I'm not on duty and I have to admit that I lost my pretzel." He glances down to the yellow spot on his shirt. "I admit that I don't often have the opportunity to speak to someone on an intellectual level. Most of my compatriots are more.. visceral.. beings."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria laughs, smile easy. "We've got some of those around here, too," she grins. "You should see Uncle Ben and Uncle Johnny get into it. But some problems need those kinds of solutions too," she winks, stepping away from the hangar and toward the elevators down. "We've probably got some snacks downstairs if you want," she invites, holding the button.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Ahh yes. The proverbial hot head and.. well.." Daniel gestures casually as if to say he gets the idea but doesn't want to be rude with name calling. Stepping into the elevator, he turns to face the doors out of reflex and lets his hands rest before him. "How many floors are in this building anyway?" He asks as a matter of conversation. "I can't imagine growing up and calling a skyscraper home. I grew up in a borough of Toronto. Small house. Small yard. My father had a very precise ear and so worked for a piano manufacturer. He was better than any device they'd come up with so his job was secure." As he looks to Valeria, his expression turns thoughtful. "It makes me wonder.. was it a gift.. did he have others that he kept hidden so that we wouldn't bear a stigma. It was an odd time in history to be sure. I was off to Oxford and finished my degree just before the war truly kicked off and England was under seige."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"One hundred floors," Valeria recites comfortably. "We use about fifty of them. I mean, we don't //live// in fifty of them," she adds quickly, sheepish. "A lot of that is lab and research space. And some of it's a buffer zone of sorts. The Mole Man might come from below, but there are plenty of bad guys who fly."

It's a short ride to the living area, where the doors open with a soft ding. "We tried...not being us...for a little when I was younger. But it wasn't any safer when it came down to it. At least here we can have that buffer zone and the resources to do something about it if someone comes looking for us. It sounds like your dad had perfect pitch though," she says, smile flickering as she backs out of the elevator and toward a clean, modern kitchen. "Not uncommon. Not common either, but not necessarily due to some sort of ability either."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Well yes. That much was clear. I only tender suspicions because I was recently.. diagnosed? If you could say that. As having the genome markers for homo superior. I have to get it from someone, yes? Though it could well be that I am the first in my line to develop same." As Daniel steps out into the living area, he looks around. "Very nice. The view, of course, is fantastic." His steps gravitate towards the windows where he proceeds to look out over Manhattan a moment before looking back to Valeria. "For that matter it could have come from my mother. Either way, I was into Oxford when most were in secondary school. Scholarships were helpful." And so he steps towards the kitchen where she went.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Val's lips twitch at the adjective. "Fantastic," she sgrees. "I believe the gene can be recessive too," she adds as she opens up the refigerator to stare into it. She might be a genius, but she's still a teenager. Staring blankly into the fridge is hard-wired in the DNA.

"There could've been generations on both sides where it could have showed up and never did. Either way though, it's just another...inclination you get from your genes," she grins over her shoulder and around the door. "It's what you do with it that makes the difference. According to Mom and Dad I'm a totally normal human," she shrugs.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "I cannot disagree with you there. Quite a few normal blokes were willing to sacrifice their lives to fight against a foe that was more villainous than anything I've seen yet. Though.. well.. world domination tends to be the aim doesn't it." There's a momentary frown then he looks back to her. "I'm afraid when it comes to biochemistry I've a passing familiarity. My field is primarily astrophysics and mathematics. I never showed any sort of sign of.. such things.. growing up. Aside from surprising my parents at the science fair. Which.. if I recall what I've read about your family.. you've managed to do. And that's no mean feat." He leans on the kitchen island. "What I'm trying to say is that.. whatever mutation or affectation of experiment.. infuses a being with abilities beyond the mortal ken.. they are still human. So your statement would seem to be axiomatic."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Fair enough," Valeria agrees, finally emerging from the fridge with a bowl of mixed fruits and melon balls. "Fruit?" she offers. "I mean, if you want to eat healthy. There's yogurt too. Otherwise it's probably flaming hot cheetos, which...I'm not sure I can actually recommend."

Bringing the fruit over to the counter, she sets it down in the middle and pulls out a couple of forks. "I don't have the mutant gene, at least," she clarifies, smile crooked. "But considering the genetics of it all plus birth complications, I'm mostly lucky to be alive. Besides, I keep telling Mom and Dad that smarts count as a superpower."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Fruit seems to work for him as Daniel gives a game sort of nod. "Fruit is outstanding. As I implied, I was walkabout for a few years and frankly there are things that the human GI track was never meant to consume. Simple joys like fruit? Are much the godsend." He smiles and accepts the fork provided to him. He listens with attention, concern coming to his face at the mention of complications but he doesn't address it. It's personal. Her last though causes him to smile broadly. "I would have to agree with you, Miss Richardson. Without a keen intellect, a resolved will and the hope for a brighter future.. well.. man would not well have harness fire let alone built a nimble flying device." Likely meaning her 'car'. "My greatest claim to fame is aiding in the development of radar.. which.. as a lab assistant.. I think I was mentioned in the appendix of the paper despite the fact that I built the ruddy device." Alas for credit where it's due. "Still. It meant a lot to the blokes fighting the war so I could throw a tantrum or.. just be glad we defeated the Nazis."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"//Those// nazis," Valeria says, wrinkling her nose with a grimace. "Unfortunately the whole idealogical construct kind of refuses to die. But it's a little less popular. Among certain circles. Mostly. That sounded a lot less idealistic, didn't it?" she laughs suddenly, shaking her head as she spears a watermelon ball with her fork.

"Hey, even in the appendix, you can say you're published," she winks before taking a bite. "I mean, if you wanted to keep going after science instead of being a SHIELD agent. What's that like?" she asks, head tilting curiously. "Seems like it would be restrictive."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "It's not unlike being in Her Majesty's Navy truth be told." Daniel observes. "Orders. Chain of command. Odd hours. Missions of danger and humanitarian alike. Situational authority.. as I tried to excercise but then villainous sorts aren't like to respond to that.. still. one has to try." There's a soft laugh. "But yes. It is. Still.." He spears a melon ball and looks at it as though it were a sphere set in a solar model. "they are on the cutting edge of technology. In a lot of respects. Mostly, though, they are users of.. not creators. There is an R&D division.. that's where I'm officially assigned.. but engineering isn't my forte. I'd love to collaborate with Doctor Foster, for instance. Or.. just.. have a lab and a telescope.. and try to recreate a galaxy map from the datachips I took from the ship."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I'm sure they do some great stuff," Valeria agrees. "Just how much of that makes it out to the rest of the world where it can be useful to more people..." She trails off, lifting a hand and wiggling it from side to side. I can definitely see where it's the intersection of military and science, though."

"Even SHIELD likes to keep the smart people safe in the labs, don't they?" she asks, though she seems to be musing to herself as much as asking a question. "Hmph."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel chews on the melon while she talks. "That is rather the point isn't it? Am I truly a military man? Do I believe that the 'mission' of defending Earth is best served through SHIELD? Creating a silo of information. Keeping certain advancements hidden? Or do I believe in the free enterprise of the mind and the open sharing of ideas so that the entirety of mankind can prosper." His tone of voice suggests that he leans towards the latter. "But yes.. the lab agents tend to stay in the lab. If only because they don't have time to master the arts of espionage, hand to hand combat and the like." His work floats in his fingers until he finds a strawberry. "I gather your parents do not like the idea of you.. getting into conflicts such as the one on the street earlier." More rhetorical than question.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Got it in one, my time-travelling scientist friend," Valeria grins, rueful. "Personally, I think it's more than a little bit hypocritical considering they ended up with superpowers by going on an unauthorized space flight. Besides, it's not like there aren't work-arounds if you really want them. There are plenty of people out being heroes who don't have any actual powers. I mean, Tony Stark is the obvious example, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing he can build that we can't."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Well.. there is his power dynamo that is trademarked." Daniel replies with amusement in his eyes. "So you'll have to come up with another means of powering said supersuit. Articulatable armor has been around for a thousand years so that won't be an issue." Is he encouraging her? Never! "But I should clarify, I don't consider myself a time traveller. That implies I did it on purpose or can do it again. I merely can defy the equations of physics where d happens to be a part of the equation." He chuckles. "For instance gravity.. well.. I obey it.. mostly.. ish.. if only so my inner ear doesn't make me puke. It's a careful balance."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Energy's hardly an issue," Valeria waves a hand dismissively. "There are only about a billion different ways to power things. The aesthetic could use some work though," she winks as she picks another piece of fruit out of the bowl.

"Equal and opposite reactions," she chuckles at the talk of puking. "Uncle Johnny should really puke more often. I'm pretty sure he was like that before the cosmic rays though."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Yes well.. whatever it is.. I will absolutely salute you if you avoid the trope of pink." Daniel plucks the leaves from the end of the strawberry then eats it whole. "As a case in point to what I mean.." He reaches beneath him and.. pulls the stool out from under himself. He doesn't go anywhere. He's still 'sitting'. "Up is a purely relational detail that is optional in my world. The trick, of course, is that I still have a human biology that prefers to digest things while oriented in opposition to gravitons."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"We're more of a blue family, really," Valeria laughs. "And more subtle than whole suits of armor. Usually. Besides, that whole thing is clunky. I think I'd go for something a little more flexible and less obvious. I wonder if the mutation might evolve," she muses, back on the topic of his powers. "Or in a subsequent generation. It sounds like it'd be useful not to be tied to that particular, physical means of perception."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Ah yes. Blue. Of course." Daniel can't help but chuckle as he's reminded of the Familial Four in their iconic outfits. "I've heard your unstable molecule suits are quite resilient. After that it's simply a matter of.. a harness perhaps? Antigravity boots? I'm sure your intellect could draft something fashionable." He winks then sobers as he pokes at a few blueberries. "The trick is.. that this ability may or may not be tied to my mutation. Whatever it has manifested to be. I.. had something of an accident. With a device. That imparted a portion of its power upon me as an imprint of sorts. That is highly classified so I sadly can't tell you more than that."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Ah, I see," Valeria nods. "So you've got something like what happened to my family on top of the mutation. Boy, your kids are going to be an even bigger mystery than I am," she laughs low, shaking her head. "The way the body adapts to foreign stimuli is fascinating. And diverse," she adds with a tilt of her head. "Even with us. The same stimulus on four people, with four completely different expressions. "And who knows? Maybe it's not done changing."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "The trouble with powers of cosmic scale is that when they strike the human genome.. it appears that our biology reacts in ways well beyond the scope of our prior experience." Daniel muses out loud. "As to my children.." He laughs. "I'll first have to find a lady of open mind and.. well.. I'd like to think there would be some manner of romance in my future. As much as I'd never read Jane Austin before.. I'd been told I simply /must/ watch Pride and Predjudice with.. that Knightly woman.. and it was quite good. Very British. Thankfully, I'm Canadian."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria laughs, shaking her head. "There are about a zillion versions of that one. The book's pretty good, though. And a quick read. Not much longer than watching any of the movies. It's fun, but I'm not sure I'd call it a romantic goalpost or anything. It's just very...representative of its time period. Though some things don't really change, so."

She pauses, picking a strawberry out of the bowl as she mulls it over. "They made one with zombies, you know," she adds belatedly. "//That// was an interesting twist."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Blink. Blinkblink. "I.. zombies? And it was still a romance movie? Or.. was it meant to be a comedy at that point?" Daniel is trying to wrap his head around it but shakes his head as if trying to dispell the images flashing through his brain. "It has a happy ending, I hope. I've seen enough death that I could do with a few comedies in my life." Either way, he pulls the stool back under his rump and relaxes back onto it. "What about you, hmm? Surely there's a gent in your life that your parents can disapprove of." It's what parents do.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Romance and action. Maybe a little bit of comedy, but more black comedy than laughter comedy," Valeria muses, picking out another piece of fruit. "It still had a happy-ish ending though. Mostly it was Pride and Prejudice with the addition of a zombie outbreak and with the slower parts interrupted by swordfighting zombies. So I can't say I was disappointed."

At the question of a boy, she blushes, shaking her head. "Kind of hard to date, honestly. People get weird about the whole family, and then there's all the traveling and...Dad says I shouldn't ever pretend not to be smart because of a boy, but they get pretty spooked most of the time."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel ahhs faintly at the description of the movie as he finishes off his chosen blueberries. "Sounds like.. theater of the absurd. Which.. sometimes one can use a break from reality that way." He laughs then smiles at her blush. It's not a mocking smile but one of warmth. "Should I tell you then that I have never been on a single date in my life?" He leans in a little and gives her a somber nod. "It's true. When you're off to college at fifteen then suddenly there's a war on.. then it's research the T.. top secret thing.. and then kaboom congratulations my boy you're in the Andromeda Galaxy.." He straightens back up. "Thankfully, you get the skip the war bit and I think your father could rescue you if you ended up.. somewhere else." He gives a flippant gesture with his free hand. "So. Super smart you say. In this brave new world of ours that could mean a lot of things. Shock me." Is that a dare? No, it's a grape. He eats one.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Impressive," Valeria laughs. "I'll keep that in mind. Try not to experiment with anything too strange before- Oh, wait. That's my //entire// life." She props her chin up on one hand, seeming to at least relax a bit on the topic. "It's not the end of the world or anything. As I understand it, it's not that unusual even for people who live completely ordinary lives. All media to the contrary."

At the challenge, she arches a brow, smile crooked. "It's not like a switch you flip. It's just, you know. A thing. I'm really good at fixing things. But I do good work on equations, too. I help check Dad's work sometimes when he gets stuck. Pretty good at figuring out top secret things," she adds, teasing back.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Are you?" Daniel replies with a chuckle. "Let me know how that goes. I'll be terribly curious to see if you are able to single out just what precisely is my problem. And.. the side effects of same." Now, it would seem, he's intrigued as well.. but then its classified so he can hardly give more hints than he has. "I do get it, you know. The intellect that is. It infuriated my instructors. I wished that I had your family growing up. I know there are the trials of heroing but.. to have a place willing to foster creativity as this?" He looks about and sighs almost wistfully. "But. I'm probably keeping you."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria pauses at something he's said, head tilting. "You're kind of right," she says slowly. "Not just kind of. The educational system isn't really built for people who don't fit in the median range. And yeah, I'm lucky. But my dad wasn't. And there are lots of people who aren't. And we've got fifty floors here..."

Straightening up, she takes a few circular steps around, looking up as though imagining something. "I bet Dad would like that," she muses. "Someone would have to actually run things though. Huh."

Clearing her throat, she shakes her head and snaps out of it. "Keeping me?" she asks, curious. "How do you mean?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel looks a little confused at her mention of fifty floors. Not sure of its relevance. But he leaves that alone. Her internal monologue is going and so he sits quietly as she works it out. He is most certainly not a telepath. "Hmm? Oh! I mean to say that I'm sure you were interupted in doing something prior to Mole Man's arrival and so I don't want to keep you from.. whatever that was. Unless you weren't. In which case.. I can continue speaking.. for a time.. if you wanted that?" Damned interpersonal relationships. Even when you don't have one they're hard. "That is to say I'm not on duty and I've already filed my report save the name you provided which can be done as a supplemental." So many extra words.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Oh! That kind of keeping." Valeria laughs, coming back to the counter and shaking her head. "Sorry. Supersmart does not always mean super getting it. I'd say just ask Dad, but that's kind of his whole thing and he'd probably not even realize what you were asking him. Arsenal. That's the only name I got."

Strictly speaking, not true, but it seems less than ethical to give out even the first name she did get, since it was given in good faith.

"I wasn't really doing much. Tinkering. There's always about twenty experiments going in some stage here. If I'm being //completely// honest, maybe stewing a little about being left behind," she confesses.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel can't help but laugh as well. Smiling broadly, "I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that does that. What with the time difference in idioms, I sometimes feel as though I don't speak English anymore.. or French for that matter." The fork gets set down after the loss of a pineapple bit then he tilts his head with a sort of sly mischievous look on his face. "Are any of them classified?" She's not the only one who can be curious after all.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Oh yeah, loads of them," Valeria grins, grabbing the fruit bowl to put it back in the fridge after rescuing one last watermelon ball from its clutches. "They're all classified, actually. There's a very complex system of classification here," she continues, deliberately obtuse. Still, there's a glimmer of humor in her eyes that suggests she knows what he meant.

"Come on, I'll show you a few of the ones that probably won't blow up. It's time to check on a couple of them soon," she invites, heading for the elevator again. Because what's the good of science if you don't share it?

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Show him? "I thought you'd never ask." Daniel retorts with some amusement and eagerness as he slips off of the stool and onto his feet. "It would be rude to pry." Given his power set as described he could probably come and go throughout the tower as he pleased. Either way, he follows to the elevator and turns a curious eye to what floor she selects. "I do prefer experiments that don't blow up. I've been blown up once. It wasn't at all pleasant."