Summary:Reed investigates a specimen Johnny brought from the Negative Zone. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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So! Johnny apparently gave Reed something from the Negative Zone after the strange debacle on one of of the lower residential floors of the Baxter Building. And given that it appears to be an egg of some kind, it's probably why the whole thing happened in the first place. It had been inside a small specimen container, about the size of a regular human fist, and an odd silvery chrome color.
Susan peers at the container, her face distorting comically in her reflection as she gives it a cautiously curious once over, squinting a bit suspiciously. "Do we have any idea what this *is*?"
Reed of course took it to the lab immedietly to begin examineing the container. He currently some machines pointed at it, and is taking scans of the contents. "It looks to be an egg of some sort. I imagine that it's the reason that those negative energy beings attacked us." He glances briefly over at Johnny. "Was there a particular reason you decided to take this, Johnny?" He looks back to the readouts almost immedietly though, adjusting a few controls as he does.
"Um, duh for -you-." Johnny replies to Reed's question. "Why -else- would I take it? I just -knew- your big egghead self wouldn't leave without something to take back to the lab and nerd out over." Also he just needed an excuse to do something daring and exciting, as if being in another dimension alone isn't enough. Because really, it isn't. Not for Johnny.
Reed's scans would demonstrate that it does indeed contain a living creature similar to the ones that had attacked them earlier. In fact, its chrome surface starts to ripple strangely, like a liquid surface. Then it wiggles, and jumps a little bit. "Well what do you know, looks like it's hatching or something." Johnny observes, leaning over to peer at it.
Susan casts a slightly anxious glance back to Reed, then looks back to the container, where her reflection demonstrates her entire face briefly scrunching up as she takes a deeeeeep breath through her nose, and closes her eyes, sighing, "Johnny, I don't even know where to start." She turns her head to Johnny, "But it's in the *ballpark* of 'stealing offspring is wrong', and the concession stand of 'invading alternate dimensions to do it is… morally…" Susan shakes her head. "The metaphor breaks down. But you're in trouble." Susan frowns. "… *God*, I hope they weren't sentient."
Susan then looks to Johnny and back to the egg. "It's what? Oh geez…!"
Reed frowns briefly when it starts to move, then quickly carries the container a large, clear specimen containment device. He turns it on, and using the readings from earlier and now attempts to adjust the settings on the reinforcing containment field such that it won't be able to just phase through. If that's possibel. He grunts faintly at Susan's words in a way that seems agreeing, but is mostly focused on what he's doing. "While I'm happy to have a specimen to study, I also hope that these creatures aren't fully sentient. Not that it makes me happy any died all the same."
"Oh, they're definitely not sentient." Johnny insists. Of course, he's not exactly the best judge of that, either. He gives Sue an indignant stare. "Um, excuse me? Invading? You weren't -there-. They totally attacked me first. And there were like thousands of those things in there, they weren't gonna miss -one-." he says, rolling his eyes.
As Reed moves the egg to a more secure container, its starts to hop and jump and ripple more, and eventually, the outer shell seems to just dissolve, turning into a fluid material that appears to adhere to the skin of the creature that emerges like a perfectly-fitting suit of armor.
It does seem like a smaller version of the creatures they saw earlier, with claws and a long spiky tail, but it seems to lack wings. Squeaking, it tries to dash away, but only manages to smack into the containment field.
Susan throws her arms in the air and replies, "Johnny, they swarmed through a dimensional RIFT because they missed one! They- oooohhh…!" Mid exclamation, Susan is struck by the sight of the specimen… well 'hatching' doesn't quite work. Morphing?
Regardless, Susan presses her lips tightly together for a few moments, and then drops her head. "Oh no, it's a little cute." She mutters, and spends the next couple seconds trying to get ahold of herself.
Reed raises a brow and looks over at Johnny again. "Really. They seem to have." He looks back as the egg hatches, watching closely. "Fascinating." He watches the creature smack into the edge of the cointainment device, rubbign his chin with one hand. He absently reaches over and gives Susan a fond pat at the comment about it being cute, then says, "Well. I suppose we'll at least be able to get better information on these creatures before tracking down the ones that escaped… I can only hope they're not going to attack random people who HAVEN'T abducted one of their offspring. Hmmm. I should figure out what, if anything, these beings consume first…."
Johnny throws his hands up defensively as Sue continues to berate him in her typical Big Sister Syndrome way. "I -meant- that's what I -thought- at the time, okay! Geez! I didn't think they'd be smart enough to even notice, since the dang things were -everywhere-." he grumbles. "What's done is done, so can you like stop acting like I'm supposed to go back in time or something? Sheesh."
Indeed, the creature is kind of cute. Almost like a tiny wingless dragon. It shakes its head after smacking into that wall, and stares at up them with giant golden eyes. If Reed is continuing his scanning, he'll find that its body seems to be not liquid, solid, or vapor but some kind of odd amorphous material holding itself in a shape according to the organism's mental prowess.
Susan is still covering her face as she mumbles, "Ignoring the fact that you probably could… and that you *definitely shouldn't*…!" Susan drags her hands down her face, and sighs, "… I just want you to be a little more thoughtful, okay?" Susan regards the creature for several long seconds, and then inclines her head to Johnny again. "And a lot less reckless." She adds quickly, and then goes back to the creature.
Susan looks up to Reed and says, "Well, *that* would be a process." She laments, a bit of the Lab Assistant coming out in her. ""I'm not even sure how we'd get food to it, especially if we have to go down the list to find out it eats… micro-carbons or something." Is that a real thing? Let's say it's a real thing. Susan tilts her head and frowns. "… I almost hate to say it, but… maybe it'd be easiest to… take a look back in the Negative Zone and see what they're eating over there?"
Reed ignores the banter between the others, other than a small twitching of his lips. He tilts his head as he considers the creature. "It has an interesting biology. If such a word even applies to something like this." The final suggestion from Susan makes him glance her way, he frowns thoughtfully. "Hmm…" He looks at the creature again. "That is a possibility… though the risk of more crossing over is still present. We'd have to attempt to observe them withotu being seen." Which sounds like something Invisible Woman could do. But he can't help hesitating suggesting his wife traversing another dimension on her own, even if she is a highly seasoned explorer.
"Okay, -okay-." Johnny says, just to shut Susan up about this. Though of course telling him to be less reckless is like telling a dog not to get excited around guests or something.
He shrugs at the idea of observing them in the Negative Zone. "I didn't see them eating anything obvious the way things usually eat when I was there. Maybe they absorb electrical energy or something." Not that he knows anything about anything.
The young creature doesn't try getting out again, but sits back on its haunches and keeps watching them. Its body seems to start fluctuating, though—turning into an icy organic material, then a stone one, then a fiery one before going back to to that odd amorphous state.
Susan shoots Johnny a bit of a dirty side look for a second - apparently not a fan of the 'just shut up' brand of acquiescence - and then smirks a little as Reed ponders aloud. Crossing her arms she, says, "Well, you do have the world's leading expert in being Invisible on your side~" She teases… then averts her eyes. "Not that I want to go on a nature watch on Negative Zone for too long."
Suddenly, Susan leans forward, peering with wonder as the creature undergoes its rapid changes. "Oh wow!" She says, more impressed than alarmed, at first, and then cringes a little. "That's… probably bad. That's bad, right honey?"
Reed's eyes narrow as the bing starts to change between various elemental states. "Hmm… it seems to be able to alter its composition at will… I'll have to run more tests, but as a guess, It's possibly trying to adapt itself to the different physical laws outside of the Negative Zone. And yo might be right, Johnny. It could sustain itself by abosrbing energy oer something similar. I'll have to run some more tests…" He goes back to adjusting the machines and reading results, gradually shifting into that focused mood that usually leads to him spending far too long in the lab and becoming oblivious to things around him.
Johnny crouches over the containment field, staring at the creature as it stares back at him with those giant yellow eyes. "Aww, well…it -is- kinda cute. Wouldn't you agree? Maybe it likes us." he suggests.
As the Torch draws near, the creature suddenly turns into flaming plasma—not unlike Johnny's own fire form. "Ha, look at that!" he says, pointing in an amused fashion as he straightens up. Though at that it seems to shift into a being of pure electricity, like the forms the adults took before fleeing into electrical systems.
Susan looks back and forth between her husband - going down the well of scientific intrigue, possibly not to be heard from for weeks - and her little brother - entertained by his flaming new space pet and possible interdimensional criminal incident - … and sighs with a little smile. At least they're all having a good time.