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Helena Wells has "disappeared" with the Astrolabe ([info]ismellapples) wrote in [info]wariscoming,
@ 2012-06-19 01:27:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:bruce banner/hulk, helena g. wells

Who: Bruce and Helena
What: What happens when two scientists walk into a lab? The contents of this thread, obviously! :P
When: Afternoon of June 19th
Where: The lab at Stark Industries!
Warnings: Sciencey things in which Anne will be abusing google and wikipedia in order to write. Anything else is TBA.



It was more than invigorating that Helena was able to make cavorite again. She knew the complex was safe, knew that it was protected. But what about evils such as the Autons? What if things the wards and magic didn't protect against tried attacking the complex? Helena was one to have multiple lines of defense for herself, and she was going to protect Emily with everything she had. That was the initial spark that led to her thinking of making her anti-gravity generator again. Oh she'd all ready taken apart some of the wall and ceiling in Emily's room to get a good idea of the schematics and wiring she'd be dealing with. She'd drawn up some blueprints for when she got to that stage of things. But first thing was first, she needed cavorite. And thankfully Tony had given her the funds necessary to make this happen.

She'd spent the weekend gathering the materials she needed. She even started a sample batch on Sunday when Claudia had been there. The sample had mostly been for testing the equipment and seeing what adjustments she needed to make. The sample batch was still in the cooling phase, as it would be for a few more days, but Helena checked on it nonetheless. So far it looked as she remembered it should. And the consistency of the metal mixture looked to be correct as well. So she would proceed to start with making a larger batch. After all, she was expecting Doctor Banner, or Bruce rather, to join her today. She wanted to show him the whole process. She'd arrived in the lab some time earlier that morning and was collecting the various metals and materials she needed, setting their containers on one table. After everything was laid out, she began with preparing the equipment she would need.

As she did so, there was a bit of a giddy smile on her face. She did so love sharing scientific ideas, and she also loved boasting her skills. Hopefully Bruce would enjoy what she would show him, though she was fairly certain he would. Glancing at the clock as she continued making preparations, she did wonder just when he would be along. Even if it wouldn't be for a while, she had other things she could do in the lab to occupy herself. After all, this was a playground to her so she couldn't resist playing in it.


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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-19 06:36 am UTC (link)
Bruce had been busy working in his slowly rising lab. Somethings had been ordered, and some things had been built from scratch. Bruce was very good at that. Already, he was using his facilities to perform small batch jobs for local companies, to create a fund increase. This allowed him to buy more equipment, and refit the warehouse yet more.

This morning had dawned early on him already working and he had eagerly headed out to prepare and go see Helena and her production. Her mind was fascinating, reaching levels he had seen and heard few people ever reach. He definitely wanted to work with her and to see her work on equations and solutions, and his mind was rapt to see her process today.

He wore what he called his science harness, a vest that held multiple small tools and things he had picked up, along with a full suite of sensors, from sound to barometer, to energy and life sign readings. It was his intention to full record and understand how her invention worked!

He found his way to her lab, grinning as he passed through the various security and doors, until he found her. "Helena! Sorry I am late! I've been keeping odd hours." He smiled as he surveyed the room and her.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-19 07:15 am UTC (link)
After the equipment was all in place, Helena rolled up the sleeves of her blouse so they were above her elbows. She went over to her bag and pulled out a hair clip which she used to pull her ebony hair back into a haphazard bun, some shorter tendrils of hair framing her well-structured face. She then moved to where she had her notebook lying open and picked up her pencil. She leaned on her elbows, busying herself with reading over the notes and equations she'd made on Sunday when making the sample batch. She made a few notes in the margins and muttered to herself as she did so, glancing at the materials beside her on the table.

When she heard Bruce, she immediately stood up straight and set her pencil down. "It is all right! I just finished making preparations, so you are precisely on time as it stands." She smiled warmly at him. Unable to help herself as it was her nature, Helena slid her gaze up and down Bruce. While most might think she was judging looks, looks really didn't mean anything to her. It was the mind that truly got her attention, and Bruce had the kind of mind that would grab her attention. She walked over to him and extended her hand in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you in the flesh, Bruce. I daresay I have been looking forward to this encounter."

Helena had a contagious smile, one that could light up a room and make her ebony eyes glimmer, just as they were currently. She probably looked like a schoolgirl from the elation she felt over this situation, but she could not help it. Aside from the inventions she'd built since she'd been in this world, she hadn't embarked upon a project of this sort since she'd originally made the cavorite back in the 1880s.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-19 09:13 pm UTC (link)
He smiled and advanced on her, her smile making his own widen. He shook her hand and looked around, enjoying this place. Seeing a lab so high tech and put together, made him grin and feel a shot of jealousy. But his own would be up and running soon enough. he knew that.

She was a pretty woman, and even in her greeting, her voice and her mind were cultured and apparent. She was smart, and beyond smart, and he felt a kinship with her. He nodded to her and felt his cheeks redden. "No more so than I. I am very happy to meet you, and very happy to see you at work. You've managed to impress me quite thoroughly on the net." Simple truth, not meant as flattery.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-19 11:52 pm UTC (link)
If Helena were to be honest, this lab wasn't her own, it still belonged to Tony. She was simply borrowing it for the time being. She'd prefer having her own lab, or at least a room in her own house where she could perform such things. But she didn't have her house here, so she would make this lab hers however she could while she was using it. Working on other people's generosity was not new to her, she'd done so practically her entire life before she'd been Bronzed. First her father for encouraging her to learn what she wanted, then her various lovers and friends sharing their knowledge with her.

Even though it was not meant as flattery, Helena couldn't help but smile as though it was. "Have I? Then I must truly have your expectations high for today's venture, do I not?" Brushing some of the loose tendrils of hair behind an ear she glanced over at the furnace she had her sample batch in before looking back at Bruce. "You have piqued my interest as well. It has been a long since I have been able to speak with another scientist in such a manner." Despite the fact she'd been in the modern world for about a year, a little longer than that all together, Helena was still a proper Victorian woman in the way she handled herself. Well, not that she'd ever behaved as a Victorian woman was expected to back then, except in the instances when she'd had to, but that was beside the point. She had manners and a way of speaking and doing things that were still deeply entrenched within the 19th Century. But manners did get one far, just like flattery and intelligence did.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 03:57 am UTC (link)
Bruce smiled as he watched her and nodded, listening. "Aye, you have. And they are. But I know science can be odd." He grinned at her, eyes on her as he watched her closely.

"I'm glad to be of service, Helena. It's not everyday I find someone who can think like you do." He spoke warmly. He was impressed by her.

"How have preparations for the experiment gone?" He was most curious to see it and the process. He wanted to know all about it.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-20 04:51 am UTC (link)
"Then I do believe we are in wonderous company, Bruce," she said with a warm smile. And, of course, she couldn't help but like the praise. As if her ego needed any further inflation than it currently had, but anything to take her mind off of the stress and Moriarty wanting to do horrible things to her. And what better way to distract herself than be in the company of a fellow genius scientist? "Thank you, and it is not every day I meet someone who completely understands when I talk science to such a degree."

At the question of the experiments, Helena smiled a bit. "So far so good. I started a sample batch of cavorite on Sunday. It was mostly for my testing the modern equipment than anything else." She moved over to the furnace she had the mixture in where it needed to get to the temperature of 60 degree Fahrenheit. "It needs a few more days before it is properly cavorite. But I am ready to make a full batch of cavorite. Which is what you can help me with today." She turned to him with a smile that only another scientist could ever fully understand. She moved back to where she had the equipment and various materials she needed for the cavorite. "Now, all of these need to be melted down so they can be mixed together. Though the measurements have to be absolutely precise. Otherwise once it turns into cavorite, it has the potential to blow the roof off of this lab." Helena glanced up at the ceiling, then at Bruce with a slightly sheepish smile. "I did that once. Scared the daylight out of myself and the other staff at the time. Luckily no one was hurt."

Grabbing her notebook, she held it out for Bruce to look over, pointing out the measurements for each material that needed to be melted. "These are the specific measurements that need to be melted down. The notes in the margins are not connected to the measurements. I tend to jot things things down whenever they occur to me." Some of the notes were equations for how much pressure the cavorite would end up exerting on the properties around it. She knew the size of the measure of cavorite she needed in order to effectively make her anti-gravity generator again, but she could not help going through the same steps she had done so long ago. The rest of the notes mostly had to do with when she got to installing the generator in Emily's room and measurements and so forth.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 05:35 am UTC (link)
He smiled to her. Bruce liked good and open minds, and he tended to award what he felt was true praise to them. She had earned it. "I will gladly listen to you recite formulas all day long, Helena."

Bruce listened even more raptly as she spoke of the work. He followed her, watching and listening, wanting to know everything, his sensors recording all. He nodded. "I await watching and helping with every part of me." His smile was excited, anticipatory, and hopeful. A new science, a new experience! Bravo!

He followed her once again and he nodded as he watched her. "A few explosions are to be expected when one is exploring scientific boundaries." He spoke with assurance there.

Her words, her actions, her morality, which shone in both, impressed him, and he waited for a chance to help. This science, this was what he lived for. To help others via science. To make a difference and make it right.

He took the notebook, his eyes devouring the words therein, taking them in and trying to lay them out in his mind. Her wording and calculations were precise, but her wording in the margins were intriguing. He lost track of his place for several moments while reading them.

"You have a find hand for recording data." His sensors scanned every inch of the papers he viewed, for later referral.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-20 06:05 am UTC (link)
"That sounds much like a proposal, Bruce. Do be careful because I am capable of reciting formulas all day long." She smirked a bit playfully. After all, she was flirtatious by nature, and nothing got her going faster than good scientific discussion. In fact, there had been several occasions in her past when she used scientific debate as foreplay.

But Helena would keep things professional and friendly, not crossing the line unless Bruce gave inclinations to wanting to cross the line. It was simply thrilling to be able to talk to someone like this. Yes, she'd spent many hours talking with Claudia about inventions and technology, but when Helena crossed into talking scientific specifics, she tended to lose Claudia. Oh Claudia tried to follow along, but she would get lost eventually. The same went with Myka. So in those cases Helena either ended up talking to glazed looks or talking in terms they would understand. Bruce, however, had a mind similar to her own. It was geared towards science as hers was.

"That they are, though it wasn't so much an explosion as it was the pressure the cavorite exerted on the air above it was far greater than I had originally calculated. It is a highly potent metal, so just be ware of that." Helena chuckled a bit, remembering back to that time. She'd only been eighteen years old then, but her lover at the time had allowed her to dabble in his lab when she wanted.

Helena watched as Bruce read over her notes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She knew that look on his face well. It was without a doubt the same one she had currently. That thirst for knowledge with a touch of child-like elation at a new project.

"Oh thank you. I am of the mind that everything should be recorded. The smallest and seemingly unimportant detail can be the difference between a failed experiment and a successful one." She smiled warmly at him. "Now if you would like, you may begin helping melt down some of these metals. As you well know some of them take longer to melt down than others."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 06:49 am UTC (link)
His lips quirked into a smirk as she spoke. "What sounds like might be, when one is dealing with math and with science, it is always best to check the equations methodically, carefully, with hands on approaches, making sure to test each and every possibility to know whether one's hypothesis is true..." Bruce, too, had used science talk as a foreplay method, but only once an the opportunity to flirt with it was entirely too good to give up.


He enjoyed science almost more than he enjoyed anything else. It made him perk up, wake up, and pay attention, almost anywhere and anytime.

He listened to her words, and he nodded. "It sounds fascinating. I like the potential of it, but would rather read all your notes on it before attempting it myself." Then he smiled and nodded, eyes bright as he turned to her and extended her notebook back.

"I am at your service. I would absolutely like to help with that." He moved to her side to look at what she had set up. He knew most modern scientific equipment by use and feel, and he was sure he could help.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-20 07:06 am UTC (link)
Oh Hellfire, Bruce was flirting back with science. Helena was most certainly a goner now. And at least when it came to this type of flirting, she knew when she was in danger of falling for someone. Though at least this time around, her heart firmly belonged to someone else, but that didn't stop her from developing crushes or pursuing anything physical, as long as it was mutual of course. "And if one hypothesis is proven false, then one must start over with a new hypothesis and revisit the equations methodically, carefully and with even more of a hands on approach. Making slight adjustments to all along the way." There was a playful glint in her eyes, suggesting she could keep this up all day as well.

"Oh yes, I very much advise you reading all my notes before attempting this yourself. And even then I strongly advise proceeding with caution. Cavorite can be quite the little devil to deal with." Which then suddenly reminded her of the other part of the generator, the part that would contain the cavorite and its effects until a switch would be flipped. And she did just so happen to have parts on the other side of the lab for that. It kept her busy when waiting for metal to melt and so forth.

"Brilliant!" She grinned, turning to the materials she'd gathered. She grabbed a few of the containers, clearly marked with what the contents were, and slid them over to Bruce. "If you could melt those down individually, I will begin working on these. The mixing comes after all of them are properly melted. And then the true fun part begins." She smirked a bit mysteriously as she took a few of the remaining containers. "I am certain you are curious how I can contain the cavorite's anti-gravity effects once it is finished."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 06:03 pm UTC (link)
Her words only drove his smirk harder and faster and he raised an eyebrow with that smirk and nodded to her words. He had a half-crush on her already, truthfully, and he wished he could be more. He knew, however, that he could not. The Other Guy lurked, ready to destroy any chance at that sort of happiness.

Even so, his eyes lit as he nodded, stepping close to start melting metal, eyes flicking from her to it and back. "One should always use the utmost care, making sure one's fingers are li8mber as one carefully manipulates the elemental essentials of each formula. One must be sure to tweak them with purposeful distinction and utilize the exactitude neccesary to penetrate each problem and each action with a building result."

His hands were busy as he spoke, and his voice had taken on a soft, low quality as he continued. Of old, multitasking was Bruce's utmost skill. And here and now as he melted metals and spoke to her, flirting, soft voice speaking, he utilized it to the most excellent end.

"When one approaches a hypothetical situation the second time, and the third, each advance must be further into the problem, pressing in, then retreating to see the results, and proceeding faster only when one is sure of one's success. One must watch for signs of the right course, in the accumulation of water, the movement of molecular reaction, and the dilation of such orifices as are presently being stimulated by scientific actions, in order to make sure one is proceeding at just the right rate, just the right way." His eyes flicked to hers again.

"After all, one does not want to approach the wrong such way in, and find one has mis-stepped, and found a path that is not only not open, but not available, and could cause the entire experiment to shut down."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-20 08:01 pm UTC (link)
Now Helena had of course expected the good scientific talk. What she hadn't expected was that there would be flirting through the scientific talk. God, she could all ready feel her heart beating faster in her chest. If they hadn't just met for the first time in person, she might just take a more overt approach to this. But for now, she was going to enjoy this flirting through science.

Helena also began to melt down the metals she'd taken, listening to Bruce. There was a part of her that was all ready just wanting to take him right there in the lab, but she was restraining herself. "Limber fingers are indeed the best tool to have when conducting experiments. Limber fingers and steady hands to carefully handle each and every element of the experiment without worry."

That tone of voice. If her heart wasn't all ready property of someone else, she would just offer it to Bruce on a silver platter right then and there. It had been so very long since someone spoke her language in such a way. And she was savoring each and every moment of this. Bruce was not the only one good at multitasking. Helena was currently doing the same, melting the metals and other materials needed down and glancing at Bruce, meeting his eyes every so often.

"Each time the hypothetical situation is revisited, more attention to the details is needed. Sometimes one needs to inspect each aspect up close, sometimes inspecting from a distance. But what is most important is that each and every part is treated with the utmost care and attentiveness. Taking it slowly and carefully is best, that way nothing is overlooked and there is less of a chance for things to suddenly take a left hand turn and lead the entire experiment into disaster. Astute attentiveness is often the difference between success and disaster." She glanced at him.

"And being attentive is a trait every good scientist should have. That way nothing is ever lost or missed. Everything will always stay on course with a guiding hand always there to ensure it stays so."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 08:27 pm UTC (link)
Working with the instrumentation, watching the metal slowly heat, and glancing at her to keep his eyes meeting hers. Her eyes which seemed to stab into him and drag him along. Her eyes, which made him want to draw her to him, clear off a counter, and make love to her, her on top so he could watch those eyes...

"With care, and with diligent attention, one can elicit the proper response of every element, bringing each into line, slowly, gently, easing each desired outcome toward the making of a whole that finally becomes a result both explosive and positive, and full of promise for future experiments." He slipped the controls to heat each metal in turn, carefully guiding them so no one element would get to hot, his hands deft, careful, and large yet nimble.

"It is with a forthright purpose, and with strong actions, carefully maneuvering the correct implements into place to explore the nethers of the elements so desired, and with absolute confidence, if one is careful, one is patient, and one is willing to lay one's self to humble lengths, one can bring forth a positive end that makes one able to deliver the best possible product."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-20 09:29 pm UTC (link)
At the rate this was going, Helena wasn't so sure Bruce would make it out of this lab unmolested. Truly, this was going to test her complete and utter resolve. The real question was if she had any resolve at all. Given the fact Irene had more or less unleashed a monster within her on the subject of sex, Helena didn't exactly exert resolve on the matter. That voice of his could talk her into pretty much anything right now...

Watching his hands operate the controls for the heat, Helena licked her lips slightly. There were definitely some impure thoughts of where exactly Bruce should put those hands of his. "Given the right amount of care, any element can be manipulated and made into what one wishes it to be. No element is truly finite. If treated properly, it can be molded and fused and fashioned into something completely new, something unheard of. And when such an explosive and positive result is reached, one is presented with the birth something new and wholly their own." Her own long, elegant fingers manipulated the heat controls expertly, making sure all was just as she wished it to be. She almost seemed like a concert pianist caressing the keys of a marvelous Steinway.

"As much as strong actions help guide things along, it is also a gentle touch that adds to it. Sometimes it is moreso the gentle touch that finally coaxes the element to become what is desired of it. It does not take much to deliver the best product when one is properly astute and equipped. Conducting an experiment is much like making love. Every element and aspect need to be tended in just the right way or all progress is futile." All right so she hadn't exactly meant to slip the overt allusion in there, but there it was. She was incredibly curious as to how Bruce would react to it, and she watched him with those dark eyes of hers so full of curiosity, and perhaps a sprinkle of lust.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-20 09:46 pm UTC (link)
His eyes flicked to her and her and and he shivered as he adjusted temperature and pressure and the first element came out of the direct heat and slid toward the mixing area. Her wording caught his attention and he turned his eyes to hers, with a glint of lust and warmth in them. Had she truly? She had...

"When one is considering such a chance, one should always be sure to approach the subject carefully, and to give the subject of such an attempt careful consideration, and careful resolve. With respect for the danger of any experiment, and even the endeavor of making love, one can create a situation where success if guaranteed, and the containment of any explosion becomes a pleasure, not a pain. Properly placed, and timed, such a chance should be taken and taken strongly."

His words were softer, and his eyes on hers, even as his hands operated as if completely independently. Quickly, he compensated for temperatures and for the speed at which things were heating and he turned to her, one moment in time, hands free to gesture and spread before him.

"If one is willing to supplicate one's self, one can hope to achieve almost anything, even the possibility of such a thing as making love to a beautiful, almost seemingly untouchable woman. As with any experiment, it mostly requires willingness to speak, to act, and to do so with respect, fervor, and intent that is very clear."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 12:03 am UTC (link)
Again thoughts of taking Bruce right then and there on the table became prominent within her mind. Just as long as he continued to talk in that tone of voice. Despite being an alpha female, she would do pretty much anything he told her to right then. How was she going to get through this endeavor if she all ready felt as though she were going to burst from the heat she felt within her?

"There is more than one way to assure the success of the experiment, but regardless of the path taken, each move must be careful, well placed and well executed. As with the act of making love, the best results are always yielded when given patience and persistence. For everything can then be an altogether pleasurable outcome. And should that favorable explosion commence, it would be a successful experiment. But should the experiment fail somewhere along the way, there is another path to try, another set of tools to use."

Helena seriously wondered if his voice could turn her on anymore. As it grew softer it only drew her in all the more. And the way his hands moved to adjust the temperatures was simply delicious to see. She drew in a silent, deep breath, trying to keep herself under control.

Listening as she adjusted a few temperatures, took one of the completely melted substances off and slid it to be mixed, Helena was drawn in even further by his words. She turned to face him, her eyes locked onto his, a sensuous smirk on her lips. "No one is ever untouchable, it is merely a question of finding the correct way to capture their attention. Once that attention is grabbed, it is all but easy for that dashingly handsome, intelligent man to take the next step." Perhaps it was a challenge, to see just how Bruce would respond. After all, Helena did like to fully know what one was willing to do or say to keep her attention.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 06:32 am UTC (link)
It was her words that recalled himself to himself, and he realized that he might have been being slightly dishonest without meaning to. Damn his condition. He sighed inside and opened his mind as he spoke passionately, quietly, and looked at her.

"Some experiments are too dangerous to conduct, however, and can be discussed in words, in ways, and in means, but not in actions. Some experiments must only be theoretical, for the pursuit of their actualities opens up mortal dangers that any ethical scientist must then acknowledge and look at. Pursuing the quest for a way around those dangers is noteworthy and ongoing hope, but sometimes no manipulation or deviation can be allowed lest the attentions brought bring doom upon that which is seen and treasured and harm upon that which is most desired of all."

His voice was eloquent, his eyes spoke of sorrow and regret, and yet lust, and he looked away in the end, working the controls to maneuver what was there and mixing to the mixes she had pulled together, performing the magic of science when he could not possibly do the other magic he so wished to do. He longed to fuck her, to make love to her, across these lab tables, and yet... he could not, Or else the other guy would come out, and she would be dead, as simply as that. His back was bowed as he worked, and he felt a great weight upon it again, as he had for a very long time.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 05:35 pm UTC (link)
The meaning behind his words was easily seen by Helena. She didn't need to look in his eyes to know what it meant. Bruce must have carried through with a dangerous experiment at some point and had to suffer the consequences for it. The sorrow and regret she saw within his eyes spoke to that. Helena was extremely observant in such areas. After all, she had tried to bend the laws of time itself to save her daughter's life. And for a moment, her mind was taken to that day lost so long in the past. A note of sorrow entered her own eyes and she turned her attention to the mixture, a sad little smile on her lips.

"Some things are not meant to be experimented with by human hands, no matter what we may think. But there are times when one is too consumed with a need, too focused on the end goal to see that what they are doing is something no human being should ever do. Humans are not gods, no matter how intelligent we may become. We do not have dominion over time or space, and it is a foolish notion to think otherwise." Her voice was soft, but there was an underlying bitterness and pain to it. "The world is never as we think it should be."

The fact that the anniversary of her daughter's death was less than a month away was suddenly foremost in her mind, though she didn't want it to be. Not an hour passed where she didn't think of Christina, but right here and now, she couldn't afford to get emotional. Drawing in a silent breath and focusing on mixing the melted materials together, Helena forced her mind to turn back to science. Science was a safe topic. Cavorite was safe. Neither made her emotional.

"Now we are but one step closer to having cavorite. When this cools and solidifies, the air around it will become weightless. The amount we are making here will be enough to cover an entire room. Anything that is not firmly affixed to the floor or wall, and anyone not wearing magnetic shoes will be pinned to the ceiling when it is activated." A true smile returned to her face and she glanced at Bruce, the gleam of sorrow gone from her eyes almost as if it had never been there. Her voice regained it's strength and the bitterness and pain were gone from it. "It is a truly fascinating experience to have."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 07:53 pm UTC (link)
Bruce nodded as he stepped closer to peer at what she was doing, and breathed slowly, sadness still filling him, and shaking his head, with it's glint yet in his eye. "I can imagine. You have already shown me that what dangers are feared to be tread should be tread, and when one wishes to step back, they should step forward."

He looked at her and a different look came to his eye. "What do you know of radiation and mutation?" He spoke softly still, but he forced the sadness and the seductiveness out of his tone. Mostly.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 09:00 pm UTC (link)
Deftly and expertly, Helena mixed all the materials together, keeping a close eye on them as she listened to Bruce. Glancing up at Bruce she smiled. "If dangers were never tread and the step forward never taken, we would not be scientists and society would never evolve. Those of us with intelligence are able to take those risks, for there is no intelligence where there is no need of change."

Seeing the look in his eye change, Helena became intrigued by it, wanting to know what conjured it, though she would not pointedly ask unless he offered. Helena well knew what it was like to have things hidden within their soul that they did not wish others to inquire about unless they opened that door themselves. "I know very little of radiation. I heard of Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-Rays, but I was...otherwise occupied." And by otherwise occupied, she'd meant losing her sanity and ending up Bronzed for one hundred and ten years, but that was not a light subject. "As for mutation, do you mean genetic mutation? Genetics was still a fairly recent development as far as an applied science went in my day, but I did read what I could about it." And now her interest was piqued yet again and she looked at him with curiosity both as a human being wanting to get to know another human being, and as a scientist.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 09:14 pm UTC (link)
Bruce nodded, watching her actions and he deft fingers, which made him shiver. He breathed, low and slow, and smiled, letting himself calm. Calm, he must be. Damnit.

At her words, he nodded, stepping away, then back to her, thinking, then nodding and looking to her. "Radiation can effect the human genome, both long term causing normal mutation, and short term, causing a faster mutation. A sudden one. I was... exposed to high levels of gamma radiation, enough to..." He paused, then started again. "Enough to power this whole city for 100 years, including this lab, without strain or tapping the reserves."

Old memories surfaced and his look was both sorrow, horror, and old pain. "It changed me, releasing, if you will, my inner Hyde, and giving him a form all his own. A ten foot tall, over muscled, green form, one filled with superhuman strength and toughness, like a troll of old myths, or a giant of old stories. And as this... Hulk, I vented all the inner rage within me."

Again, his voice dropped as he fell back into science talk. "Now, when the body or the mind are exposed to the growing exponential of stress, of any kind, but especially anger, it triggers the genetic switch, and I change into the Hulk, a being who expresses the inner rage, pain, and less friendly aspects of my own personality, as a fresh and independent mentality." And he fell silent, looking her in the eyes with eyes that burned with intensity, and were touched with green.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 09:50 pm UTC (link)
As Bruce explained about radiation, Helena nodded in understanding. She was not familiar with the details of radiation, but she followed along easily. Upon hearing Bruce was exposed to such high levels of it, Helena's jaw fell open a bit in shock. She looked at him, impressed that he was alive and standing after such a thing. Nevermind she didn't exactly know what gamma radiation was, but she could read more about it later.

The Hyde reference was not lost on Helena, she had the book once before she'd fallen so far from herself. As she listened to Bruce explain his condition, she couldn't help but feel complete empathy for him. It was a difficult burden to carry, she could clearly deduce that from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes. However, despite the description of the Hulk, she was not afraid of the revelation. She wasn't horrified by it either. All that shown within her eyes was compassion and empathy. Even as she saw the touch of green to his eyes.

She gently set one of her hands over one of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I am sorry that you have such a burden on your shoulders. It must be very difficult to carry it, having to be careful all the time. I do not know what I can do, but if there is ever anything I can do to help you, just ask it and I will gladly do it." Her tone was gentle but true.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 10:01 pm UTC (link)
He smiled softly and turned his hand to squeeze hers back. "Thank you. As yet, I have never found even a clue to a cure, but the quest continues." He paused then smiled wryly, choosing to dare to be honest.

"I apologize if my flirting led you on at all, before. I enjoyed it, a great deal, and got so caught up in passing it back and forth with a mind I could see as equal that my own condition vanished from my mind, until the end. I did not mean to bring high... expectations. And, if it is any consolation, I expect a shower most cold will be necessary after this."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 10:56 pm UTC (link)
"You are welcome. And never stop searching. One never knows what there is to find until they break down locked doors or punch holes through walls to find what they are searching for." A sly smirk curved her lips.

"Do not worry, I didn't exactly help matters. But should you ever wish to pursue things, I am open to it." Was Helena disappointed? Perhaps a bit, but she also knew her love life was all ready extremely complicated as it stood with Irene and her crush on Svetlana, and her all ready developing crush on Bruce. Not to mention her heart belonged to Myka, but that was a completely different set of issues there.

Flipping the trendils of hair out of her face, she turned back to the mixture, inspecting it closely. "All right, I do believe everything is thoroughly mixed together. Now to put it in the other furnace. Believe me, you do not want two solidifying cavorite mixtures within the same furnace." She had almost made that mistake once. Luckily she'd caught it before either mixture had fully become cavorite. Picking up the container the mixture was in, she took it over to the other furnace, opened the door and slipped it inside. "Now it will take about a week before this properly becomes cavorite." Looking back up at Bruce after the furnace was closed.

"Are you ready to see what will contain the cavorite once it has solidified?" Helena arched her brows, the smirk still on her lips.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 11:00 pm UTC (link)
He nodded to her, and smiled, then turned to the work as well.

He followed her as she moved and he grinned as she slid the mixture in. He wished for more and yet... ah well.

His grin grew at her smirk, and he gave her a bow with a wink. "With sureness, milady, I await the fulfillment of our experimentation, with each breath and stroke, and touch, to see what will be yielded and what will be controlled, and what, in the end, will be unfolding, like petals before our grace."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-21 11:33 pm UTC (link)
It was at that precise moment that Helena realized Bruce shared several similarities to Christina's father. She blinked, slightly daunted by that, but she couldn't deny Bruce had the same scientific outlook and method of flirting. It would now just be immensely harder to resist the attraction she all ready felt herself having to him.

"Such a fine gentleman you are, Bruce. Though I am thoroughly enjoying this experiment so far. But I am still eager to see what shall be yielded from each stroke and breath we give to it." Helena's smirk widened. Of course she all ready knew the outcome of this, but she was more than eager to see Bruce's reaction to it. Leaving the counter to be straightened up later, Helena moved to the other part of the room, away from the heat of what they had just done.

"I regret to say that I do not have a finished product of this to show you, so you will have to settled for a half-finished one and seeing sketches of the finished product until this is finished." On a table there was what looked to be a half-built shell of some sort and various parts strewn on the tabletop. Helena was going to pull up a sketch for Bruce to look at when she realized it was in her notebook, which was back on the other side of the lab. "Oh bollocks, I'm getting absent-minded in my old age, apparently," she said with a laugh before quickly running over to retrieve the notebook and coming back, flipping a page or two in it. "Ah here, this is what it will look like when it's finished. "This specific one will be concealed within a contemporary lighting fixture on the ceiling in Emily's room."

Helena didn't even realize Bruce wouldn't know who Emily was. The words just rolled off her tongue smoothly now. Of course the girl's presence still hurt her, reminded her of everything she had lost, but she had accepted her into her life. And Helena was all ready calling her her daughter, which spoke volumes to how much she cared for her.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-21 11:44 pm UTC (link)
Bruce followed along, listening and grinned when she darted back across the room. Somehow he definitely loved this working arrangement, and he could see himself doing this every day, tempting fate by staying entirely too close to her. Oh yes.

In fact as she came back and opened the notebook, he stepped close, his eyes dark and warm, and looked, only looking up at that name. "Emily?" He quirked an eyebrow.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-22 12:10 am UTC (link)
As Bruce asked about Emily, Helena had a moment of wondering just how to explain this. "Emily, my daughter. Sort of. It's a very long, very complicated story." Helena wondered where to even begin to explain this. Should she start at the very beginning of everything? Because truthfully, just explaining the Janus Coin wasn't even half of the story.

"In the world I come from, there is a place called the Warehouse. It is a sanctuary or museum, if you will, for artifacts. Though they are not your every day mundane kind of artifact from Antiquity. These artifacts all have extraordinary abilities. Many are destructive, some are helpful, but all of them are kept in the Warehouse once they are found by agents who work within the Warehouse. It is for the betterment of humanity that these things are kept in a safe place." Turning so her back was to the table, she leaned against it and crossed her arms across her chest. "I was an agent once, back in London. Back in a time when I held the highest optimism for the future. I had a daughter, Christina. She was my pride and joy, my everything." Keeping one arm crossed, her other hand lifted and slid inside her blouse, her elegant fingers wrapping around the locket she always wore close to her heart. "One summer, I'd arranged for Christina to stay with my cousin in Paris while I was working in London. She was murdered. I lost myself, my mind. It is a strange sense, to lose one's sanity over a period of years until finally I was a clear and present danger to those around me because I had grown reckless trying to find a way to bring my daughter back. I searched the Warehouse for an artifact to bring her back or to turn back time. Eventually I constructed a time machine and traveled to that day to save her only to fail. Eventually my recklessness caused the death of a fellow agent, and I asked to be Bronzed." She paused a moment, clear and present pain and sorrow within her dark eyes. "Bronzing is much like being cryogenically frozen, only one is encased within bronze. I went into the Bronzer in 1900 and remained there until I was debronzed in 2010. When Bronzed, you are immobile but fully conscious. For one hundred and ten years, my anger and fury and grief festered within me. Needless to say, I tried to use an artifact to bring about another ice age, effectively killing the population of the world. But Myka stopped me, and I was arrested."

She paused a moment to take a deep breath, still clutching the locket tightly in her hand. "The Regents decided to use an artifact on me, the Janus Coin. It stripped my body of my consciousness, imprinting it upon the Coin, and what was left behind became a woman named Emily Lake. Eventually through a series of events, a psychopath got ahold of both the Coin and Emily and put my consciousness back into my body. He needed me to open a lock for him because it had been designed by my teacher at the Warehouse. About a month or so ago, Pestilence, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, came to town and I had a case of dissociative identity disorder where Emily would take over sometimes. Because this was artifact-related, it didn't simply disappear when Pestilence was killed. The solution was a spell to pull Emily out of my body and give her another body. I don't know how they did it, but they found an eight month old baby girl who has just died, but put Emily within her and brought her back to life. So now Emily has a chance to live as I do. And she has, in effect, become my daughter."

She fell silent, a soft smile on her lips, but the sorrow and pain still hung within her eyes. She had omitted the part where she'd died between opening that lock and arriving here, but that wasn't relevant at the present moment.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-22 12:39 am UTC (link)
It was Bruce's turn to comfort her, and he chose to gently take one of her hands and squeeze it, eyes on hers. "Your compassion and your intelligence show how high you can rise, and even the best of us all can fall. "

He smiled softly at her. "You are an amazing scientist and an amazing woman, Helena, and no one, not in any world, could do better." he nodded.

Then he smirked. "With perception and with patience, we can stimulate even the darkest of times to make a joy of it, and we can encourage it slowly to bring out the brightest fierceness of data, and create a new moment, one with wonder, and entangled futures, where a new and a complete experiment will blossom."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-22 03:05 am UTC (link)
The comfort was most certainly welcome. It was never easy for her to talk about Christina and her subsequent fall from grace, from which she sometimes still felt like she was falling though she was trying so desperately to pull herself back up. She squeezed his hand in gratitude, smiling gently. At his compliments, her smile strengthened.

"Thank you, that is reassuring to hear, truthfully. Some days I am not so certain." Her ego was always firmly in tact, no matter what state of mind she was in. But she did question herself as a human being some days. Especially lately with Moriarty lurking in the background, ready to blow a hole in her life once more.

And then she managed to set her inner demons aside as his speech turned back to flirtatious, and she mirrored his smirk, finally letting go of her locket and letting her hand fall to her side. "Out of desperate times sometimes come the brightest of innovations. I like to think my time machine was such a product. Besides, one has to know the lowest of the low in order to know how high one can fly." Reaching back, she took the clip out of her hair, no longer needing to keep it from getting into what she was doing. She shook it out and brushed the fingers of both hands through it to straighten it out a bit.

"Now, this crafty thing is my anti-gravity generator. It will be wired to a switch that can be thrown to turn the anti-gravity field on or off as one wishes. The genius of it is being able to contain the effects of the cavorite itself within this." Helena picked up the half finished invention and held it for Bruce to take and inspect as he wished. "The cavorite itself will sit here," she pointed out a hollowed-out spot inside it. "Basically the metals around it will generate a magnetic field when the switch is in the off position that will keep the cavorite from affecting everything." Truly, it was an extremely ingenious invention for having originally been developed in the 1880s.

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-22 06:53 am UTC (link)
Watching her smile, and let her hair down, letting her worries and sadness go to the back again, he breathed, and cursed his own stupidity, and his old arrogance once again. Oh, he should not even be here, damn him!

But he caught on her next words and hung on them. Ger design was fantastic. He carefully took the device, turning it all ways as his sensors examined it and recorded all, and he stared at it, then handed it back.

"Amazing. This is a fantastic invention, Helena." True admiration was in his tone. "How did you adjust for the planetary gravitation field, and the flux of magnetic fields such as those projected by the body?" His mind itched for more information.

She was more amazing the longer he knew her.

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-22 07:19 am UTC (link)
At least with the better mindset she'd been in the past couple days, it was easy for her to push her darker thoughts aside and focus on other things. She couldn't help but glow with pride as she watched Bruce inspect the generator. And the admiration he had in his voice when he finished inspecting it. She took it back and grinned a bit smugly.

"Now this metal isn't just regular metal. Because the cavorite is a mixture of various metals whose chemical make up are conducive to illicit weightlessness, I needed to find a blend of metals that could counter-act that when a current was run through it. As for the gravitation field, that was the real problem I encountered. Accounting for the human magnetic field wasn't that hard. Cavorite itself is extremely potent. It exerts a force of fourteen and a half pounds per square inch. Make the batch large enough and any human of any size will be yanked upwards under its effect. The planetary gravitational field was a different problem, especially with the worldwide effects from Krakatoa blowing in 1883 when I first started developing this idea. For that I garnered some help from a couple friends who were a geologist and a physicist. My strengths lie in biology, so consulting truly helped me in that."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-22 08:00 am UTC (link)
Bruce smiled as he listened. "It seems you have definitely through this through. I admire your design. Did you ever think of using a magnetic field itself to counteract and control the gravity, or was it always your intention to use a physical matrix."

He hmmed, looking at her designs and thinking. He wondered if his shield and teleport prototype ideas would work here...

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-22 08:17 am UTC (link)
"Thinking things through is the only way to go, especially when handling things of such a nature. I did briefly consider using a magnetic field itself, but when I was originally designing it, I had an easier time using a physical matrix. I was only 18 when I developed this. Perhaps some point in the future I will try a magnetic field to see how that works." She filed that away for future reference as something to work with, if she were to get the chance.

It was then that she suddenly remembered she was going to share the Tesla with him. "Oh yes! I was going to show you a Tesla!" Going over to her bag, she pulled out her Tesla out of it and brought it over to him to look over. It was a handheld weapon that looked to have a long, clear cylindrical light bulb for a barrel. On one side of it was a gauge that showed the charge level of the gun. On the other side was a device that was number 1 through 5. "I advice keeping your finger well away from the trigger at the current moment. The device numbered 1 through 5 are the intensity settings for the gun. The lower settings work like a stun gun, though it short circuits your short term memory, so you can lose several minutes of memory if you are struck by it. The higher settings are powerful enough to incinerate a human being. Generally agents only use the first two settings, but some occasions call for a more powerful setting. I also brought the extra parts for one if you'd like to see it get put together."

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[info]monsterdoc
2012-06-22 01:55 pm UTC (link)
"You have done remarkable things, Helena. Very remarkable." He smiled, admiring her. "It is with a great deal of admiration that I see the things your wit and your imagination and perseverance allowed you to construct, and I wish I had one whit of the strength of mind you do."

He perked up at her offer, and he examined the device as she held it, and told him off it. It seemed a very useful device, and a powerful one. She definitely had some interesting things in her lab.

"I would like that. I am intrigued to see how it works, and how it is made to fit together>" One side of his mouth rose. "I intend to view this discourse with utmost attention, and I wish to see how you manipulate each piece with fingers sleek and bold, to fit them into the spaces provided, one by one, slowly, making sure they fit, they are accepted, and can be used with speed and force needed."

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[info]ismellapples
2012-06-22 10:30 pm UTC (link)
"Oh I am fairly certain you have just as strength of mind as I do. Perhaps even moreso," she said with a smile. Inwardly, she knew she didn't have half the strength of mind she'd once had. Time had done its damage to her, and while she was trying to repair it, it was a very slow, very difficult process. Helena well knew she could still snap so easily when given the correct incentive.

A smirk curved her lips and she set the Tesla down on the table, then went and grabbed a box she had, then set it on the table. "I daresay you will be very pleased to watch my sleek and experienced fingers slide each and every piece into its proper place." With that, she started taking the parts out and began to expertly fit them together, treating each piece as though she were touching a lover. "I wish I could take credit for this design, but alas I cannot. This was designed by Nikola Tesla. Brilliant man, he was. Had the pleasure of meeting him." She smiled and flipped some hair from her face as she looked up at Bruce, gauging his response as her hands deftly worked on forging a new Tesla.

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