2020-04-05 - Backdated: 3/23/2020 - Transform!

Summary:

Hisako asks her friend and mentor's aid with a new costume.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Sun Apr 5 06:04:46 2020
Location: Cafeteria

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

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hisako-ichikihank-mccoy

.~{:--------------:}~.


It has been a busy day, and after his 'shift', Hank took a brief nap, two hours, and is up now and in the cafeteria eating, a bit guiltily, some Twinkies. Comfort food, and one of his /favorite/ snacks, so bad for him. That he is washing them down with hot chocolate is probably not helping! Still, healing factor, and the man works out a LOT, it isn't like he's in ill health or getting chubby.

In hand is a thick volume, The Collected Sherlock Holmes, a leather bound edition. Reading glasses perched on his nose, he's wearing medical scrubs, but not gloved or masked.


"Revving up, winding down, or just taking a much-needed break?"

The good-natured, even light-hearted question comes from Hisako as she approaches Hank's table, carrying her own tray. She's not hitting the sweets, though; instead, her tray bears a bowl of soup, a dish of salad, and a couple of whole-grain rolls. "They don't skimp on feeding their employees here, do they?" Hisako adds as she comes to a halt across from Hank.

And then, just because she apparently hadn't asked *enough* questions in a row yet: "Mind some company?"


"Revving up after a nap, still working on Ava's upgrades, things are going well." Hank folds the book closed on the table and tucks away his glasses, then smiles as Hisako moves across from him.

She might notice his smile is a bit less 'revealing', only a brief flash of his new dentition offered. "They certainly don't, RESCUE takes Wellness very seriously, I had a bit of a time getting Twinkies, I'll have you know." This followed by a chuff of laughter.

And no, never enough questions. He waves graciously to the seat she's by. "Please, join me, I have some time before I'm due back at the Wellspring."


Hisako smiles, nodding in a mix of agreement and acknowledgement, and sits down across from her teacher/mentor. "Ava being …" She smiles ruefully, "Feels like I'm almost meeting too many people to keep track of."


"Ah, forgive me, Ava is Posse, the security chief." Hank explains. "It is a bit much, this is a fairly large organization, it will take time to get all the names, don't fuss. At least most people wear name badges, mm?" A grin to his former student, and current friend. He looks to the girl. "How are you holding up, Hisako-Chan? That visit with young miss Lindstrom in the hospital must have bene hard."


Hisako purses her lips briefly as she stirs her soup, "Have I met her face-to-face yet, or …" She thinks back to her first day - the explosion, the nanomachine incident, meeting Neena who was *clearly* distrusted and both of the top scientists. Was the security chief there? Too many faces - and at the time, she didn't really know any of them well enough to start memorizing.

Hank's other question is a more recent memory, though. "It was better than an average Danger Room session," she replies, half-instinctively lowering her voice as she refers to the Institute. "I was worried that I'd say the wrong thing, make Kelli close up and pull away instead of opening to us. We pulled it off, though … I think we helped give her the first good night's sleep she'd had since - since the attack."


"You may not have met her, she was the voice on the command net when dealing with the nanoswarm. Posse is what she generally goes by, so if you meet her, that's likely how she'll introduce herself." Hank mrrs thoughtfully, then takes out his tablet, and pulls up a pic of Ava, both in armor and out, so she'll know her. "There you go. Cyborg, both legs, an arm, an eye…she was badly damaged in the Ukraine, hit by an EMP, were in process repairing her and upgrading her gear in the mean time."

The hand that pushed the tablet moves then to claim one of Hisako's squeezing gently, offering support. "That had to be very difficult, well done, Hisako-Chan, that little girl /needs/ to know that life isn't just pain and terror and horror." A firmer squeeze, and he reclaims the hand. "You did very well indeed if you got her to open up and helped her rest."


"'Badly damaged' is an understatement," Hisako says with a wince as she looks the images over. "She was already a cyborg before that, I'm guessing … what happened? Was that the incident that people had a grudge against Domino about, or something?"

The hand-squeeze is accepted and returned, although Hisako - in her unarmored state - doesn't have to worry about doing any significant damage to even Hank's little finger, let alone his hand as a whole. It reminds her, too, of their first meeting - when Hisako was still tiny, barely into puberty and almost that new to her mutant powers as well; Hank's hands could engulf hers back then, and now it seems like they could again.

Such are the mysteries and wonders of passing time. When the clasp is released, Hisako gathers up a spoonful of her soup. "It's why I worked to join the team … oh." She smiles sheepishly. "Speaking of that. Remember how I gawked at your clothes transforming?"


"It is, and yes she was." A cyborg. "Mm…Domino double dipped - took two contracts, one with RESCUE and one with another outside party, and it led to lost lives and a lot of problems. Still, if she /hadn't/, the problem would have been just as bad and possibly worse. On the whole I /think/ her intentions to do better are sincere, still, be wary is my advice." Poor Hellbino.

Hank smiles at her ease with his massive mitts, always massive. Oh yes, hand engulfing is one of Hank's specialties!

He laughs at the change of topics, and then nods. "Mm hm, I take it you hadn't seen a morphic costume like it before?"


"No," Hisako replies immediately, then corrects herself almost as quickly, "Yes, sort of. Just - not in reality."

Her soup's going to get cold; she stops to eat some of it, explaining between mouthfuls (and occasional bites of one of her rolls), "You've seen that TV show - the Rangers stuff. Live-action, heroes in spandex with face-hiding helmets, machines combine into a giant robot when the monster gets huge? You know that's originally Japanese?"


Hank laughs warmly, deep bass rumbling, and some chuffing sounds that are new. "Yes. I am familiar with such things, I love them. The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, Ultraman, Spectraman, and others…though the original Japanese versions are much more fun in some ways, translation never being particularly accurate, especially with the older things…oh, Kamen Riders too, those were fun."

Okay, is that brain breaking? That Hank is into such things? It might be a little bit of a surprise.


Hisako raises her eyebrows at that. Maybe she shouldn't be *too* surprised that Hank knows not only the American versions, but more than a little about the Japanese source material. "My dad was a *huge* fan of the classic tokusatsu shows," she admits. "And he got me into them too, he said they were a bigger achievement than any of the anime that came out while I was growing up. And I think sometimes, he's right; it took some real work - effort, as well as inspiration - to make shows look that good on a television budget. Even when they were just good 'for the time,' they still hold up nicely …"

She pauses, reining herself in and reassembling her normal composure.

"Anyway. I'd love a transforming costume like that … it could be really handy, as well as cool."


A delighted laugh when he sees those quirked brows. "I admit I binge watched both versions of most of those shows just to compare and contrast." After all, he speaks Japanese better than a lot of the native born! "I think you have a solid argument there, and that your father might have been onto something. It is right and proper to recognize good work done, artistry even, though many might find the term inapropos for such 'low brow' entertainment." A snort of disdain. "Skill and Artistry are /my/ spin, let others scoff, it took both to do what they did, absolutely I concur, Hisako-Chan."

And then the wishful comment, and Hank's eyes /gleam/ with interest. "So…something like the outfits the Kamen Riders wore? Transforming by word and gesture. Shall I build one that responds to 'Henshin!'?" Yes, he's offering to make Hisako such a thing, and clearly delighted.


"That *was* kind of what I was thinking," Hisako admits, blushing sheepishly as she continues eating. "Even if Ultraman might be more - what's the expression? More my aesthetic? - I wouldn't mind a Rider-style henshin device … although I'm wondering about something else, too."

She sets her soup spoon down, starting to dig into her salad. "Are you as well-versed in ancient Japanese literature and lore as you are in more modern TV?"


Rich laughter, and those odd little chuffs between laughs, and then Hank nods. "A henshin device is well within the bounds of what I can do, Armor-Chan." He grins and then quirks a brow at the last question. "I think I might be, yes. I have a very good memory." Nearly perfect in fact. "And I am a voracious and very eclectic reader, so…what did you have in mind?"


"I don't know if I'd try to go for the medieval aesthetic," Hisako admits, "But there are two ancient heroines that I was … well, still am kind of fond of. Lady Tomoe always kind of inspired me … as did Lady Suzuka."

Two rather drastically different heroines, at that. Tomoe Gozen, a samurai's wife who earned no small amount of honor in battle for herself, and the celestial princess who was daughter of a heavenly demon king - yet both forces for good, at least for the most part.


Hank tucks away his tablet, and then dons and morphs his reading glasses into their visor form. "The HUD and such don't work in glasses form." He explains. A moment later a screen appears in the air, and he calls up a 3D model of Hisako in a simple one piece bodysuit. "Colors…red and white perhaps?" His ginormous fingers dance over invisible holo-keys, and there forms a sort of robe, though shorter, it has a robe aesthetic, and bamboo looking shoulder pads. The robe criss crossing and the waist gathered by a sash. Elegant gloves and boots, and a mask with demon horns covers the face, something akin to an oni mask, but leaving the mouth bare. "Something like this maybe?"


Hisako raises her eyebrows at the projected design, then frowns, leaning in for a closer look. "I was leaning towards my current colors," she admits. "The white and red is more gaudy than I was thinking … and, um. Maybe too Japan-themed for me." She gives Hank a sheepish look as she sits back down. "… and do you have to make it show off my butt?"

She takes a bite of her salad, which does nothing to hide the apologetic expression which follows the sheepish one. She really shouldn't be complaining about a prospective gift, but Hank *did* seem to want her appraisal of it, and if this is what she'd be wearing in public …


"I was basing it on the Kamen Rider style costumes and things I remembered from various anime designs, of course it doesn't have to be anything other than you suggest, Hisako-chan." Hank shifts the colors, that's easy, and he lengthens the robe in the back, adjusting it to more of a tunic, the bamboo elements removed entirely. The mask has the horns removed, and it takes on a sleeker, more 'high tech' appearance, the whole outfit does. The eyes are large, almond shaped with upwards curves to the ends, meeting at the middle, a dagger blade shaped continuation forming a 'nose'. There's not a lick of skin showing, The tunic-like top hangs to holo-Hisako's mid thighs, and the leggings and boots get reinforced with bracers at the arms, and greaves at the feet. All in all a VERY different look. "Hmmm…better? What would you have me change?"


"Hmmmmmmm …" Hisako looks over the revised design as she finishes chewing another bite of her salad. Then she nods, "That'd work, I think. How many forms can you program in? There might be times I'm better off with my face visible - maybe a less 'martial' look overall, more friendly if I'm trying to rescue people rather than just beat up whatever bad guys we're fighting. That could be the 'Suzuka' mode to this," she nods at the current holo, "'Tomoe' form. So to speak."


Hank smiles, then takes the holo image and demonstrates how to manipulate it, fingers grasping and pulling apart like taffy to enlarge it. Then a shove to move it towards Hisako and imparting a faint spin. "I can pre-program as many as you like, even a set of street clothes if you like, or more than one. For a unit this size - perhaps ten outfits in all?" He taps at the invisible holo-keys, and then the current version is stored, and he starts tweaking, the bracers and greaves vanishing, the helmet morphing into a cowl with the top open so her hair can flow out the top, and her face visible with a tinted visor covering the eyes. The basic design is otherwise unchanged, the colors the same.


Hisako nods as she sees the new changes. "That'd work for the main 'unmasked' form, yeah. And a variation that gets rid of the cowl and visor -" She lets out a brief laugh before adding, "Which pretty much *would* be my current uniform, I guess. I think this'll work."

She pauses to spoon up some soup, trying to finish it before it gets too cold. "Feels like I ought to do something to repay you for it, or would you just need me available to 'try it on' and make sure the templates fit my actual body?"


"Want a domino mask instead of visor? To 'preserve' your identity, of course." The third iteration of the suit removes the cowl and visor and then it splits, a second version identical save for the addition of a cute little domino mask that is patterned after Sakura petals. Because why not?

A snort, and a shake of his head. "Repay me? Whyever for? I /enjoy/ this sort of thing, it is a challenge to get the special effects just right to match your desired aesthetic. We can even program different body motions for each outfit, make Henshin key the change, but the motions determine which outfit is donned."

A firm nod. "And yes, once I fabricate the device, we'll need to make adjustments to make sure it fits, and I'll add a monitoring algorithm to track any changes to your form so it will self adjust?"


Hisako's lips twitch. "I've never gone for the domino mask thing," she admits. "Seems kind of silly. And … well, I've gone this long without usually hiding my face. There are people who'd recognize me as Armor if they meet me on the civilian side."

The question of how to control her 'forms' is a bit more complicated, and she thinks it over as she gets on with her soup and salad, breaking one of the rolls apart to munch on pieces of bread in between mouthfuls of the other two. "Nice to know I won't need to go through a complete refabrication if I put on any weight," she observes dryly. "But remember, I'm going to have to get used to these poses. Might be easier if I just go 'Henshin: Tomoe Mode' with the same kinesic trigger motion … I can think about that while you're building the gadget, right? We don't need to lock every detail down right now."


Hank pinches out the second version much like you would a candle, and then stretches the other to full size. "Right then." He saves the work files and then smiles, morphing the visor back to reading glasses, which are then…held. "Now all you need is a motorcycle to match." He quirks a brow in question.

"No, we don't have to do more than one 'pose' to trigger if you don't want to, the triggers can be changed, the device is programmable though you'll need me to do so, the coding is a bit…complicated. Even with a good UI."

A grin. "MY costume does the same, weight goes up and down, it happens. I wasn't implying anything." A pause. "Unless…does my costume make me look fat?" He says with serious mien, and laughing yellow eyes.


"I'd need to learn to *ride* a motorcycle first," Hisako points out, finishing her soup. The reading glasses in the hologram get a curious look. "Hmm … so, having the cowl convert to glasses when I need to take it off, or put it back on? Hm. That'd be an interesting gimmick, sure. What would the main unit be, though? I don't usually wear glasses, so …"

She pauses, looking over the current designs. "I guess if we're doing the whole Kamen Rider aesthetic, it *should* be a belt unit. Or something. You could do a downplayed cherry-blossom motif on that, I don't think we're talking about a flying beetle or a fruit-themed padlock or anything silly like that." Hisako pauses again, giving Hank a wary look. "…. right?"


"Mmm…belt or wrist was my thought for the Henshin Device itself, the other designs are too…overt? And unless your heart is set on it, no fancy light shows, for the same reason." Hank grins. "As to the motorcycle…they're fun and fairly easy. I know Posse would be an /excellent/ instructor, Domino too I believe, is skilled. I'd suggest Ava though, Posse." A nod. "Or myself, I'm fair at it, though not as skilled as Ava."

A moment to tuck away his reading glasses. "The main device would be the belt unit, I wasn't planning on any ancillary objects, the way Unstable Molecules work they are tied to 'anchored' something in the real world, the belt unit or bracelet would be it. Which would you rather - belt like most of shows I've seen, or wrist like the Power Rangers?"


Now *that* would seem to be the hard question. Hisako falls silent again, finishing her salad and using chunks of her other roll to wipe residual soup out of the bowl, leaving as little food wasted as possible. On the one hand, a wrist gadget would *probably* be less obtrusive, something she could wear most of the time without drawing attention. On the other, it would almost have to be smaller - "almost" being the key word; if Hank can control *his* unstable molecules uniform through a pair of glasses, then Hisako's could probably pass just as easily for a wristwatch, or maybe even one of those personal heart-rate monitor smartwatches, or any kind of handy device that'd help deflect the question of why she's carrying/wearing it.

As for the belt option? Well … that may be traditional for the Kamen Riders, but it's not *universal*, either, from what she knows of the franchise. And while it'd be easier to 'protect,' it'd also be a little easier for an enemy to pick out.

Of course, with Hisako's mutant power being what it is, 'targeting the thing that her uniform's stabilized by' is kind of a moot point in the first place.

Decisions, decisions … "What's the smallest you could make it?" wonders the Japanese girl as she finishes eating.


Hank watches the girl mull it over, his former student, his friend. He rather enjoys how much she thinks about the options, how seriously she considers, and then he smiles at the question asked at the last. "About the size of two poker chips stacked together if you want three versions, each additional chip would add another 1-2 'presets' depending on how complex the outfits." He ponders a moment. "Perhaps a bit smaller, but not by much, and I'd have to cut corners, it would slow the transformation time significantly if any smaller." A firm nod. "Go with the two poker chip size, that's the smallest with the greatest speed and reliability. It would also need to be recharged overnight, or could store in a charging unit if you wanted, which cold also be wrist or belt or even bracer mounted."


Not that Hisako knows by heart how big a typical or average poker chip is. But that at least gives her something to work with. Hank's explanation about the charger provides some additional useful information. "I guess a larger unit would have a bigger charge?" she asks. "Or would you just integrate the charging unit into that, while the unstable molecule 'mechanism' itself would be embedded or attached somehow?"

Of course, if this is going to be a wrist-worn unit, she might be concerned about making sure it can *pass* for, say, a smartwatch or something. And while Hank is a wizard with advanced gadgetry, to be sure, even he probably has his limits about how tiny he can make electronics, even when improving on existing, established-in-public technology.

"Let me just bounce one other question off of you," Hisako says after a moment's further thought (and possibly Hank answering her preceding questions; she'd wait for him to finish if he does get started). "If you were in your unstable-molecules uniform, and somebody punched you in the visor hard enough to bust it, what would that do to your uniform? Would it just 'stabilize' in that form, would it revert or disintegrate … ?"


"Integrated charging system, yes…a larger unit would have it built in." Hank's enjoyment of this is pretty manifest. He loves doing stuff like this, creating things, making things…this complex process of fabrication is just the sort of thing he /loves/ to do. This is FUN. "The 'core' would be where the molecules are anchored, that would be a removable disc, the charger would wrap about it in the housing you chose. The disc would be what the costume, costumes would anchor to though."

There are limits, especially when dealing with complexities like this, but a smart watch is often little more than a second access point slaved to a phone, /that/ he could manage pretty easily.

He laughs. "It would freeze it in whatever mode it was, I've had that happen already." He admits. "This is my second visor."


Hisako nods. "Then I think I'll go with a belt unit - something big enough to hold a charger, in case I'm in the field and away from whatever 'base station' I'd normally use, and big enough to offer some protection for the mechanism itself. If I need to be somewhere that the belt unit would stand out too much, maybe have a 'wristwatch' mount as a backup … Do you think that'd be too much?"


"Not at all, I'll make it so the Core can be ejected and moved to either device, simple enough. I can even make the wrist unit serve double duty as a smartphone interface - and backup Henshin Device. It won't be as fancy as some, you'll still need the phone, but it would work fine in either capacity." Hank smiles and nods. "I'll need a day or two to get it right and to fabricate the costumes we designed. Oh, did you want any fancy special effects for the transformation, the belt unit would allow for such, though the wrist would not."


Fancy special effects … Hisako stops to think about that a bit, too.

"I wouldn't plan on anything too big. The way your uniform 'materializes' is flashy enough, I think. As long as it's not going to leave me 'exposed' when my clothes change into my uniform, it should be good."


"Fair enough, and no…" A cough. "…nothing indecent, Hisako. Oh my stars and garters, NO. Strictly G-rated, I avow and affirm." Hank's actually a bit closer to black than blue at the moment, could..yes, he is in fact blushing at the thought. In truth he thinks of Hisako as someone to protect, he still remembers the pre-teen who first trained at the Institute. His friend and student.

"Trust me, nothing fancy." Well, nothing fancy for an outfit that appears out of thin air, phasing into this level of reality from another phase state, of course.


Hisako actually giggles at Hank's reaction, and waves a hand as she's trying to master her mirth and restrain it again. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean - I know you wouldn't do that to me on purpose, and you wouldn't do it 'accidentally' if you thought it was a serious risk. I think I know you better than that. I do apologize. - And with the customization options, if I wanted to add a 'flashy transformation' template, we could probably upgrade it later?" she adds.

Now, if the X-Men were publicly 'out' as a team of mutant superheroes? *That* might be a good reason to get flashy with the transformation into uniform.


Which only makes him flush a bit darker still, even as he laughs. "Well of COURSE I would not." Funny part? He's okay with nudity when he's doing medical stuff, doesn't even think about it then, but this is not that scenario. Even the thought of something PG like undies? EMBARRASSING for the man. So funny, really…so very Hank.

"Mm? Oh, certainly. We can. I can devise a more complex Henshin Device for that, should you wish it. The Core would be half again to two times as large depending on how flashy you wanted it to be."

The X-Men are not really very well known outside of certain circles, so the flashy version is not one that would serve any identifying purpose in most scenarios. Nope, it would have to be just for fun, or to better emulate the devices used in the shows it was inspired by.


"Half again as large," he says - and Hisako has to think in terms of poker chip sizes again. "Yeah, let's save the flashy henshin effects for a time and place when we know flashy is a particular asset," she says with a wry grin.

And then she gets to her feet, collecting her tray. "I'm not even sure what your sleep cycle is like now, but … don't overdo it, okay? You need to be sufficiently rested in case an emergency comes up, and rested enough in both mind and body that you don't let an emergency *happen* that you could have prevented," Hisako says, her tone serious. Not that the nanomachine outbreak on her first visit to RESCUE was the result of fatigue-induced stupidity or clumsiness - that guy from AIM was happy to claim responsibility, after all - but not all accidents can be conveniently blamed on deliberate malice.


"Very well, we'll plot that design when we come to it." Hank allows. Rising as she does, he cleans up his Twinkie wrappers, and and then if she permits he'll take her tray too. "I got it, go ahead. I give you my word I'll be retiring for the night very soon, Miss Ichiki." A wink so she knows he's teasing her, not using her formal name like he'd done in the past when, on those rare occasions he had to speak to Hisako a bit more sternly when in private, in school? ALWAYS 'Miss Ichiki', but not in some time.

He grips her shoulder briefly. "Thank you, though, for caring to mention it." Then, he disposes of his tray (and hers if she allows) before heading back to his quarters on campus, and spends a mere couple hours longer working on the design for the Henshin device. Not too late at all! For Hank.


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