Summary:Hank has some 'Hellkitty Kibble' in need of a proper trial. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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«Backdated Scene: 5/24/2020»
In the wake of the 'Nuzzle Storm Incident' in which Domino was afflicted and affected by the foul smelling smoke from Hank's first attempt at food for the Hellkitty, Hank has been studying the dark brown sludge that resulted from his experimental artificial molecule that went 'boom'.
After a full day of study, Hank, his fur currently bright neon pink, has been working non-stop in his lab replacing bio-filters with full isolation filters, not content with that he's also sealed off a section hermetically for the next try if he does so. Regardless, his analysis seems to be promising, and so he reaches out to Domino via the communications network at the reasonably nice hour of about 11AM. «Domino, Beast here, do you have a few moments to come to my lab? I would like to see if the experimental kibble-goo that resulted from the experiment yesterday is viable.»
*
The response is both quick to arrive and as direct as the tip of a hunting knife: OMW.
With the weather finally climbing out of the winter blues Neena isn't feeling quite so pressing of a need for the jacket layer of her thermal layers. It's been replaced with a lighter weight black leather biker jacket which goes right along with the seemingly brand new BMW branded sport bike she's been zipping around on lately.
It's perhaps the most 'Domino' she's felt since returning from the Abyss.
Of course there's still the usual battery of security checks, the anklet which she can't remove, the Karl at her side, and gods know how many electronic surveillance measures -all focused on her- from the moment she gets within .338 Lapua range of the RESCUE campus.
Part of her hates it. The other part almost takes it as a badge of pride.
Down in the labs the door opens and the oilslick-black albino starts to march right on in when she stops short at the second step and STARES at Hank McCoy. Without a word she holds up a single index finger, spins about on her heel, steps back out into the hall and LAUGHS LIKE MAD.
*
Eyes of yellow narrow at the pause, the raised finger, and the about face. Hank sighs very faintly as he hears the laughter outside, it is not like he had super senses or anything after all…oh, wait, he DOES have super senses! The goo has been secured in the hermetically sealed portion of the lab, and even inside there it is sealed in an airtight container that looks quite serious.
When Domino gets over her laughter, probably the first spate of many to come, Hank simply waits for her to return so they can things underway and see if the mayhem and chaos was actually worth it. Honestly, he has no clue if what he made will do the trick or not, still, he's hopeful. The molecule has proven stable in the wake of the explosion. It /scans/ like the model he built, but…magic. Alternate universe physics.
There's some pretty serious variables in play!
*
Karl isn't sure whether to look amused or sympathetic in this situation. He tries his best to remain neutral through the exchange.
When Neena rolls back around the corner she's still dabbing at her eyes. "You know… When I asked for your help I didn't expect you to turn into a hellspawn, yourself. You look like the Pinky demon from Doom." Then more to herself though not all THAT quiet she rolls her head back and lilts "Ooohmygod this is the best birthday gift ever."
A quick *sniff* to pull herself together and she's once again stepping forward as half-gloved hands slap together once. "Alright Puff McCoy, whatcha got for me?"
*
Hank just sort of -looks- at Karl, one brow raised, but when the man doesn't chime in he relaxes and offers a fractional nod of thanks. "Thank goodness it didn't turn me more red or magenta, then I would probably vaguely resemble Gossamer from Bugs Bunny, so there's that." He quirks a brow at the Hellbino, and then nods. "Happy birthday?" And then a thought occurs, and he shuffles off to another part of the lab, and takes out a small wooden box. "Actually, I was going to give these to you later rather than sooner, but as it is your birthday…" He offers the box.
Once Domino opens it she's find a pair of karambits nested in foam cutouts inside. Each is made of…ceramic? One is matte black, the other is matte white, their positioning reminiscent of Ying & Yang. Each blade's blood runnel is the other blade's color, and there's some fairly pretty etching at the cross pieces. "Boron Carbide - highly erosion and wear resistant, about as hard as a diamond, and holds an edge about a hundred times longer than the best steels."
Regardless, when she asks what he's got for her, he motions towards the sealed lab. "In there, if you please. Also, just in case, I'm going to put you in restraints. I have /no/ idea how you'll react to the stuff I made, the Kibble-Goo."
*
Neena's about to completely dismiss the whole 'happy birthday' thing until Hank mentions having something else for her. "Today keeps getting better" she quietly remarks before taking the offered box and taking a look.
As it turns out there's something else in this lab for her to stare at.
"Jeezus" comes breathed as a whisper.
Like magic Karl is right there behind her, looking over the albino's shoulder to Hank with a clear expression of 'are you SURE that was a good idea?'
Much like when she got hands on Posse's armory there's a bit of finger-twirling involved with the ring fixed to the end of the grips, soon leading to even further surprise at how well they fit her hands. Like..TOO well. Custom-fit. "Did you -scan my palms?-" she asks, surprised and -maybe- just slightly miffed.
Hank being Hank, the conversation is soon shifting toward SCIENCE! Neena's expression deadpans, flatly stating "That's a hell of a transition. Do I get a safeword this time?"
Karl gently suggests "Maybe it's time to put the toys back in the box, ma'am."
Only after a subtle eyeroll does she return the cerambits to the box and cover them up, offering the package over to Karl without bothering to look his way. "I'll be asking for those later."
"Only if you don't destroy the lab" Karl warns.
Peering back to Hank with hands falling upon hips, Dom asks "What on earth is 'Kibble-Goo,' anyway? I was kind of expecting more of a 'powered by batteries' sort of approach. You can't exactly dish a soul out onto a plate, I mean whatever it's been snacking on is something ..different."
*
"Scan them? Really? No, I just remembered their exact proportions." Is that worse, or better? Karl and Neena would have to decide. "The grip is comfortable then…the balance is good?" Hank seems pleased by her reaction. "I don't often make such things, but I figured you could use something like these."
A blink at the safeword question. "Well, no. Not until I'm sure there's no side effects." A shake of his head. "This is SCIENCE!, not a social event." He states rather primly, which is hilarious coming from the massive PINK fuzzball.
He grins toothily at Karl, appreciating the man.
"Kibble-Goo is what I made. My science-fu is strong, yes, but my biochem-fu is legendary. So, I came up with something which I hope you can ingest and that the house of N guest can absorb what it needs from, there's some points where your body and its seem to have achieved some congruency. This along with the biological alterations in your DNA and such means that he, she or it is in part physical in its manifestation and that the merging was on more than one level."
A firm nod. "So…I went with my strongest SCIENCE!, wanting to maximize the chances of success. Does that make sense?"
*
Blink. He -remembered their exact—
Holy shit.
"Yeah..yes..definitely..I can get some serious mileage out of them…" comes Neena's half-absent response.
A 'social' event? "Hit up a few underground clubs in your day?" she teases with a lopsided grin.
As Hank continues to explain his methodology Neena stands and watches with head lightly canted a few degrees off of true. It isn't until the second emphasis on the word 'science' that she snorts out a laugh and dips her head, partially covering her face with a hand. "I'm sorry, it's just..the whole pink thing..and the…" she aimlessly waves her other hand around. "I feel like I'm talking to a Muppet. If Beeker walks through the door I'm gonna lose my shit."
Breathe.
Compose.
"Yeah, that makes sense. I usually don't do this part in front of an audience" she declares while stepping toward the sealed lab. Off goes the jacket, hung up somewhere if convenient or tossed out of the way if not.
It took a little while for her to get here. The distractions of Hank's pink phase, the gift of shiny lethal blades, it distracted her. All good things, in truth. But when she finds herself inside of a smaller sealed lab with an empty chair complete with restraints open and waiting she stops dead in the doorway, the breath catching in the back of her throat as every muscle jumps into full tension.
Three quarters of a second. From the visual identification to the physical and mental reaction to her once again spinning about on a heel ready to plow through both Hank AND Karl to get out of there if that's what it takes.
*
"No, no such clubs." Hank says with a shake of his great, big, pink muppet head. "I have read about such, however." He smirks at her /look/ about the fact he remembered her hand. "We've shaken hands, Neena. My sense of touch is exceptionally acute, I can actually feel electronic vibrations through the floor." Which is cray-cray.
The man /is/ blushing a tiny bit however, his fur shading towards magenta, and a hint of cinnamon to his scent.
A flat look at the mention of Beeker. "It is neither time to put on make up nor dim the lights." Hell, with him quoting the song she might lose her shit anyway!
And the blades are not shiny, they're matte finished so they don't gleam. Hank stands in the doorway, moving him is about as likely as getting a refund from a street hawker.
Gently. "Neena…it is important. This is about your life, and I give you my word that I will not allow you to come to harm. This entity inside you may be helpful, but you really don't know its agenda. Now, I know you don't trust me, but you seem to trust Karl, so I'll give /him/ the key to your restraints, but please…sit…it is *important*."
*
Few times has Neena ever looked so conflicted. Coming clean with RESCUE after the Ukranian ordeal had been nothing compared to the present dilemma. Whether or not Hank knows any of the finer details of her past is irrelevant, what he can see and feel and -smell- from the freaked out albino is all the evidence he could need. The only item staving off her fight or flight response is the adorably hued plushie scientist barring her retreat.
A plushie scientist who had just given her -weapons.-
She could take him on if she had to. She's done it before.
It's not like the rest of RESCUE would let anything bad happen to her…
Her mouth closes, swallowing once before quietly saying "You keep the key."
Making eye contact with anyone is about as challenging as looking back at the awaiting chair. Every little step toward it further elevates those feelings in her and Hank will know it.
By the time she finally settles in both eyes are closed and she's making a serious attempt to meditate, muttering a distant "Do it."
*
Hank is truly glad that Neena didn't attack him, and fortunately Karl has her new cerambits, not her. That said, he really doesn't want to fight. This is SCIENCE!, not a brawl dammit! Watching her, scenting and seeing her distress, hell, her heart is pounding such that he can actually hear it…yeah, she's got some seriously f'ed up memories of being restrained before, possibly in a lab, LIKELY in a lab.
Surprised, he does keep the key, and once she clamps down on her fear and settles into the seat Hank secures the restraints with soft clicks, they fit snugly but not uncomfortably.
"Thank you." Hank says, quite sincerely.
A moment to open up the box, and then he takes out a plastic pouch and unseals it, only then producing a container full of some brownish sludge, though, it is a nice chocolate hue. Once he opens it, however, the scent is sulphur and strawberries, and OMG so yummy with the catnip essence he infused into it.
He takes out a essentially an oversized dropper, and fills it. "So…the cuffs also contain sensors, I'll be able to take some accurate readings on your reaction. If you're ready?" Once she indicates her assent, he will feed her that dropper full. The stuff is a curious blend of vile and yummy in equal measure. It /does/ feel like the other dimension in a lot of ways, and the Hellkitty might or might not crave it. A taste of 'home' as it were.
*
So far the albino is able to keep herself in check, but only just. Breathing exercises work for so many situations. A psychic would feel Neena falling backward into an endless void of darkness. Other than a slight but immediate flinch with the setting of the restraints she is a statue, a hunter lying on a rooftop for hours straight waiting for her perfect shot.
Though she's still a spring coiled so tight as to be hovering at the point of critical failure.
Dom's meditation attempt may also slow the hellcat's response time. Still, as the goo starts to get unsealed her nostrils flare slightly as the mix of 'familiar' and not starts to enter the sealed room.
When her eyes snap open any sign of Neena is gone. The shine is more apparent. The fangs are more apparent. Fingers curl and try to dig into the chair as a low growl comes forth. Soon after the pinned down form tries to spring forward with a deeper snarl, her eyes landing upon poor Karl who has wisely kept his distance yet remains in view.
The demon remembers Hank. They had hunted together. They had shared in blood. There is something too familiar about this moment…
If Hank braves bringing the dropper near there will be a moment where the hellcat relaxes, senses tuned to the peculiar object being brought forth. It's worthy of getting a few more cautious sniffs before her stare returns to Hank, a low rumble of warning coming from the back of her throat.
Not quite there yet, Doctor McCoy.
*
He watches her reactions, catalogs them in his head, and then Hank can actually see the shift over to the Hellkitty. "So. Hello, Kitty." He says in all seriousness. Not like he knows the things name!
They DID hunt together. There is a sort of deja vu to the moment, a vague once. He starts to bring the dropper closer, but the growl gives his pause, soft though it is.
"So, not quite right then." He muses. "Close though." He frowns thoughtfully. "Well, so be it. Back to the drawing board." He doesn't insist she try it, if the demonic critter don't like, that's enough for now. After all, he doesn't want to put Neena at risk. That's not the plan. What's really important is that he got to take readings of the transfer of control, the manifestation of the Hellkitty behind Neena's eyes. THAT info is literally priceless.
*
With the conversation largely reduced to being one-sided there's a whole lot of staring going on, hematite eyes locked onto Hank and frequently meeting his gaze head-on. Any familiarity between the two may be limited but it seems to be enough that she's not thrashing about or making any motions involving ripping his face off. Still, it's clear that it doesn't enjoy being stuck to a chair!
Hank helps to clear the air by putting the goo back into containment. The air scrubbers help to remove the unnatural taint from the air in the sealed lab. While this all plays out something else occurs, the demonic entity starting to make some more unusual sounds. Almost as if it's talking to itself, including clicking and chattering of teeth.
The change back is more subtle. The razor's edge dulls with a gradual dipping of her head until a more normal pulse and breathing cycle can be picked up on. Seconds later Neena's voice returns in a softly spoken "I'm here."
Not only did he get a reading on her demonic regression, Hank can also get a reading on her return to the helm!
*
Hank takes great delight in collecting all the data, he'll study it intently. Oh, if only he'd thought to draw blood. "Actually…one second." He takes a sample of Neena's blood, and then unseals the goo again, taking a second sample when the Hellkitty is in control, assuming it takes over again. The results might give a clue or three after all.
Hopefully Neena won't be too put out by this, but it is for SCIENCE! and her well being after all.
Truly, Hank feels the kitty needs to be banished, but it isn't his call to make and it isn't personal.
Samples taken, he seals away the goo again. Once reverted back to Domino again, Hank waits to be sure it is her in charge, and only then does he unlock the restraints. "Well, good news and bad. Good in that I was able to take some important readings, bad that the goo wasn't quite to your houseguest's liking."
*
Wait, WHAT?
Neena's head snaps upright when Hank, -holder of the key,- tells her ONE SECOND. "Whoa, okay, not cool McCoy…" Thank the gods he's only coming at her with a syringe which is clearly empty but she's still not appreciating being stuck and drawn from while fettered.
Then he goes back for the goo.
"Wait..Hank what the fuck are you doing — Goddammit get that crap away from me!"
The previous transformation had been remarkably peaceful, all considered. Now Hank also gets to learn that the Hellcat -really- does not enjoy having to keep 'answering the door.' If she had wound up with cat ears because of this possession they would now be folded back as the critter bares fangs and hisses seething anger at the mutant Doctor.
He'll need to get a good hold of her arm to draw blood from it lest the wrong twitch result in a broken needle!
Unfortunately, if Hank's expecting a swift retreat back to Albino Prime he'll be disappointed, and he'll be waiting for a while! Both hellcat and the undetected owner of the body have a few things to work through, like talking the cat down from wanting to maul the Fuzzy Pink Thing for messing around with it again.
Eventually it's Neena back at the helm, looking a bit more ragged and out of breath. Hank gets to say his piece while she composes herself, but once he's done talking and all of the restraints are free?
That girl's got a REAL mean right hook. -Right to the face.-
Outside in the lab proper Karl's already got a finger on the comms button looking for a reason to make the call.
*
"Sorry, it occurred to me I should take samples of your blood to see a sort 'before and after' snapshot of your biochemistry - this could help me perfect your kibble-goo, or if need be, some sort of energy generator." Hank does look apologetic but he did explain. Once he has the second sample, and once he unlocks the restraints, he takes the hit to his face like a champ.
It is rather like punching a bag full of wet cement wearing a fur coat!
He nods once, he admits he deserved it. "Truly, I am sorry. I think you'll agree it is important, Neena. Forgive me."
*
"That was part of the arrangement for me getting to stay in control of myself," Neena pointedly explains while Getting The Hell Away from the chair. "It wanted a more visceral result. Now if we -ever- do this again you are going to tell me -exactly- what you intend to do -before- we proceed."
No more time is spared in the smaller section of the lab. She goes back out, grabs her jacket, preemptively tells Karl "I'm fine" then marches to the door with the REACT member ghosting her every step, still in possession of the cerambit box.
Dom's almost fully out of the room when she catches herself, head dipping forward with a slow breath out. "Thanks for the gift."
*
"Agreed, understood, and accepted. Truly, it was a serious lapse and for that I am truly sorry, Neena." Hank smiles. "Feel better for the right hook?" He asks solicitously.
Once she's out of the sealed section, Hank takes his samples off for analysis, detailed analysis the likes of which perhaps a handful - likely less - of people in the world could manage.
Fuzzy McPinkerson looks up at the thanks offered, and Hank smiles. "Happy birthday, Neena. I think they'll serve you well, oh…the black blade is for the left hand, just an FYI. Also, the slow blade penetrates the shield." So, he watched Dune a few times! Sue him later, right now he has SCIENCE! to do.
*