2019-12-22 - Test results that result in more questions!

Summary:

Hank gives Kamala and Lydia a massive info dump post running some tests on Ms Marvel's DNA

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Sun Dec 22 06:41:34 2019
Location: NYC - University of New York - Conference Room 1B

Related Logs

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Theme Song

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kamala-khanlydia-dietrichhank-mccoy

Hank has been studying the samples and data he took from Kamala, and some other interesting things he learned from another project he was researching proved to have some overlap. Excited, he sends a text to both Lydia and Kamala since they're both involved and clearly friends. True to his word he also shared his calendar with Kamala, which might have geeked her out a bit. He's STILL surprised she wanted an autograph, surprised and flattered.

Regardless, the text is a simple one:

Have test results and info. Meet at the fountain at Washington Street Park @ 7:30PM, will relocate after. - HM

He actually arrives at the meet about twenty minutes early and is content to wait if he needs to. He DID set the time, not their fault if he arrives too soon.


We'll be there ASAP!

Kamala was out with Lydia when the text came in, and she decided to cut the evening short for now so that they could get the results. Though admittedly. "I could have just asked him if it was okay to wait until tomorrow." Kamala admits as they approach the fountains in Washington Park. Her hand is settled into Lydia's, nervously twining and squeezing her fingers as she frets. "I didn't want to cancel our date.. I just.. I guess I was excited." she admits quietly.


"Hey, stop worrying," Lydia says soothingly. "I mean, I don't mind cutting our date short for this. It's exciting news! Also, don't fret about what Hank is going to find. At the end of the day, as long as it isn't, you know, cancerous or anything you'll be fine." She squeezes the hand in hers reassuringly. "I'll love you regardless of whatever strange alien DNA you might have."


When he sees the young couple approaching, Hank stands to his full five-eleven, and offers a smile. "Good evening, Miss Dietrich, Miss Khan." He approaches and then motions for them to follow him, and leads the way to his distinctive car 'Bessy', a '78 Ford Grenada, heavily modified by the man. It is deep blue, with silver trim, and clearly lovingly tended.

"If you're both comfy with a ride, I have a spot we can talk in privacy."


"You love me?" Kamala's brown eyes go wide at Lydia's confession. Apparently the L word is something that had been teased at, but that's the first time it's been said like that. She draws in her breath, and was about to respond to Lydia when Hank approaches and she gives the green girl's hand an affectionate squeeze. Tabling this discussion for now.

Moving to follow after Hank, she glances over to Lydia and her smile is nervous, but positiviely warm as she walks closer to the mutant girl.


Lydia bumps shoulders with Kamala, "Of course I do, silly." She turns to Hank, "I took the subway, so as long as you don't mind driving me home when we're done I'm good for a ride." With that she lets herself and Kamala be led to where the car is parked and takes the back seat, urging her girlfriend to come with her so they can be together while they ride.


"Oh, of course I don't mind, Miss Dietrich." The girl seemed more comfy with the formal, so he goes with that. Hank tries to be accommodating. For a big scary dude he's rather a softie, like a ginormous stuffed bear won at a carnival.

Regardless, once the girls are seated, he looks at them in the rear view mirror. "Belts, please." Safety first!

The drive is a pretty short one, he's rented a conference room at NYU, even though they were by Columbia. Once they're inside he takes out a small pyramid shaped device, sets it down and then presses the top, which then lights up. There's a sort of weird pressure to the inner ears. "White noise and communications scrambler, afraid our phones are down, but I wanted to be sure we were private."


Tugged to the backseat, Kamala settles down with Lydia, buckling up to enjoy the ride over. And after they're settled, she leans over and quietly responds to Lydia. "I love you too." she responds finally. But she's going to behave for now as they arrive at the conference room and she looks around as she feels the pop in her ears and she lets out a breath. "Is it that bad?" she asks in confusion, wringing her hands.


"Oh! I didn't realize we were going to NYU. We're within walking distance to my apartment so you don't have to worry about taking me home." She looks over at Kamala hopefully, "You can come over when we're done, too. I'll take you home before your parents get mad."

The privacy effects that are in place in the conference room isn't lost on Lydia. She's felt this kind of thing before at the academy. Whatever it is that Hank wants to tell them, it's pretty darn important. "Not necessarily," she tells Kamala. "Just… important. Our ears only." Well. This is an unexpected turn of events.


Hank doesn't seem to hear the quiet declaration of love, even if he did he wouldn't so there's that. Along the way he grins to the girls. "What sort of music do you like? I was considering some Disturbed." Okay, really, Hank likes heavy metal? That might surprise. "Of course I also like Vivaldi, or RUSH, and Fallout Boy is nearly always a good time." Apparently he likes a pretty wide range of things, once they pick something he turns it on, and the sound system produces audio that is CLEARLY not stock.

A firm nod to what Lydia says. "Not bad, just important and not something I'd want others to overhear."

He gathers his thoughts a moment, and then nods. "So…your physiology shows signs of having been genetically modified, by means unknown. Also, I found traces of a substance in your cell structure that might be of extra-terrestrial origin, it has been called 'Terrigen'. You're not a mutant, that much is certain. The genetic modifications look to be inherited, so it could be from long ago, and the Terrigen seems to be a catalyst, or a mutagen. Unfortunately I could not run tests on /it/, the sample size I extracted was too small." A smile then. "That said, another case I was working on ALSO involves Terrigen, and I got a larger amount of the stuff to analyze. Anyway, the cloud at your party? It was likely lightly infused with Terrigen, stronger doses would have killed those who got sick when you first gained your powers."

Okay, that's a lot of info, he lets the girls digest it.


"I'm still in the dorms, so there's no hurry home." Kamala responds to Lydia, giggling slightly. "I'm more of a pop girl myself." comes her explanation of what music that she may like. And then Hank is laying the information on her. When she's told she's not a mutant, she looks over at Lydia, and she's forlon, because she had a small hope that maybe that they would have that in common.

"…so.." she tries to digest information as fast as she can. "I'm not a mutant, but I have a mutant strand, that ws somehow modified, and that there was a trigger for it. And I breathed in the trigger. And it gave me powers." she lets out her breath and then she moves to sit down. Because she needs to sit down.

"Another case?"


Lydia listens as Hank explains, eyebrows knit into a small scowl. "That's…. that's weird." she says. "This leads to a couple of questions. Like. Is Terrigen naturally occurring, and if not who manufactured it?" She starts to look a bit nervous as she starts to verbally work things out. "Also, at higher doses it could kill people? Do we have to worry about it being used as a kind of terror attack?"


For the ride Hank will rock some pop music too, he really does have eclectic tastes, and his media server proves it!

"Definitely not a mutant, I'm sorry Miss Khan, to disappoint you." Which sentence referring to being a mutant is one he really never would have imagined speaking! "You have what appears to be artificial sequenced elements to your DNA, though I cannot conclusively prove this, there's little doubt in my mind that sometime in your past ancestry, possibly very long ago, something was specifically modified to react to the Terrigen."

Hank sighs a bit at this. "I wish I could be more certain." Hank definitely understands the need to sit, this IS a lot of info.

He nods then to Lydia. "Weird is apt, and terribly mysterious. Trust me when I say I am looking into it further. "The origins of Terrigen are unknown, it is rare, and there's a lot of controversy about it, most experts consider it to be naturally occurring but I doubt we'd need to worry about it being a terror weapon. The danger seems to be when unmodified persons, persons lacking the changes you have, Kamala, are exposed to sufficient quantities to activate the changes you went through. I am truly surprised there were no fatalities at your party."

And then he adds. "Oh, yes, another case. I consult with S.H.I.E.L.D. and have a number of cases I'm presently working on."


Being a mutant would have meant that she'd at least have others to lean on. What Hank is describing makes her feel even more alone, and she shrinks down just a little in reflex, actually becoming smaller. Kamala swallows after a moment and looks over at Lydia when she mentions the mist being weaponized. "I hope not…" she says quietly. "But if I can help.. I mean. If I could. Just you know. Not as Kamala. But Ms. Marvel could…"


Lydia scootches over to her girlfriend and wraps an arm around her and squeezes. "Don't worry. I'll help too. And besides," she grins, "You now have a cool origin story? Mutants are just kind of boring. You wake up one day and you're growing tentacles out of your forehead or something." She makes her ectoplasm coalesce into tentacles that come out of forehead and wiggle about as an example.


Seeing how the girl shrinks down when he gives her the news draws a sigh from Hank. "I am truly sorry, Miss Khan. Truly. However, you DO have friends, and you CAN count me among them, so if you need help or have questions, you can always call or text me." So see, not alone! How many people out there can just call Hank? She has to suspect that the list isn't a very long one. "Oh, how long ago exactly were you exposed? I need to see if we can use archived satellite imagery to track that cloud, and see if there were others exposed, remember, there are others who have had the same experience you did, others who survived the chrysalis." So there, another bunch of people, another group she's part of. "Some have called them 'New Humans'." Because the term 'Inhumans' is not in wide enough circulation that Hank has heard it.

He smiles at Lydia's attempts to offer comfort. "You have no idea how disturbing that is, Miss Dietrich."


Reaching up, Kamala gently swats at her girlfriend's 'tentacles'. Though apparently it did the trick to snap her out of it as she gives a resolute nod. "Okay. I will remember that. I want to help. It's what I do.. and I've had these powers for about three years now." she admits as she listens to what Hank is saying. "I have met one. She works as a stripper, I think she told me. And is being chased by aliens. Maybe the same aliens that made us." There's a frown at that. "Perhaps I should try to find her again."


Lydia makes the tentacles wiggle in front of Hank for a bit, giggling before letting them dissipate when Kamala bats at them. "I can help you with that," she offers to Kamala. "I mean. You're not even old enough to go to a strip bar. Hell. I'm barely old enough to go into a strip bar." The mere thought of it makes her blush intensely. "And I'd think that Doctor McCoy would die of embarrassment before ever setting foot into one."


"A stripper, chased by aliens…that's new." Hank knows the stripper ninja in question, he just doesn't know she's either of those things, they met at a music festival. "Just be careful, Miss Khan, Terrigen is never safe. I posit that secondary exposure for you could be problematic." A smile. "Ms Marvel is a credit to the metacommunity, you should be proud of your work. Regardless, I hope you find her, she sounds to be clued into details I lack."

He /does/ blush a bit at the the mention of him visiting a strip club. "Can't say I have ever done that." He admits. Rising, he deactivates the Shielding Pyramid. "Well, I think that's enough for now, I am going to work on more, but wanted to give you the salient info we've shared tonight. May I give you a lift anywhere, ladies?"


"I have her phone number. So no going to strip clubs." Kamala smirks slightly at Lydia and gives her a nudge. "We're going to walk to her apartment, I think." she says finally, rising to her feet, and waiting for Lydia before they head off.


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