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[h3]Tuesday, September 21st, 18:00[/h3]
[B][i]Space club's club room…[/i][/b]

In hindsight, joining this club in particular has been a mistake. The students attending it were fine, that was not the problem. The problem was the Synthezoid overseeing and his insistence on wireless conversation, that did not make Victoria squirm any less with its length. To top it all off, [i]star wars[/i] were on screen, which Vicky never really liked. Too much space magic, not enough technobabble for her tastes. Thus, she was all too happy when it was over.

After they said goodbye, they filed out of the room and Vicky hurtied to catch up with Leah. So far, she felt like the teamwork among their team was a bit lacking. She wanted to change that, but even as far back as their first framework outing, she didn't want to do that by pointing out any flaws so as not to come over as more arrogant than Diana. Thus, she settled on making something for the team as a first step. Now she just needed a quality check on her idea. [color=00ffff]"Leah, wait! I was wondering if you are free for a bit? I have some project ideas, and I could use a second opinion by someone with a tactically and tech oriented head on their shoulders to give me a sanity check and pick which to go with."[/color]
 
Yeah. This was boring as shit. Leah expected there to be more actual space-related things like building ion thrusters or an actual spacecraft like the [i]Kree ship[/i] that was just left laying around. If a Star Wars movie was the best they could do then maybe Leah’s time would be better spent with April and Sabine. She stood up and nearly got out the door before Vicky got her attention. 

[color=ff9a4f]”Okay, sure. Sanity check. Let’s hear it.”[/color] All the other space people had left already, so it was just them. Leah sat down again.

Good, attention gained. Maybe now some fun could happen. [color=00ffff]"Hear it? Sure, I could tell you. Oooor we could go down to my workshop, fire up the ol' holo projector and have a look at it. Your pick."[/color] She leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. If Leah was as nerdy as Vicky hoped, there would only be one choice really. [color=00ffff]"I did tell you I have a workshop here with just about every tool you could need to build pretty much what you want within reason, unlike some lame club that watches vintage sci-fi, right?"[/color] Now that she thought of it, she probably didn't.

[color=ff9a4f]”Mm. No, I don’t think you did. But that works. Place is boring as hell anyway.”[/color] If Vicky had expected a more enthusiastic response then she might be disappointed. But that wasn’t necessarily a [i]no[/i] from Leah. Besides, she was about as good with numbers as good could get, and building things involved numbers. What could go wrong?

[color=ff9a4f]”So where is it?”[/color]

[color=00ffff]"I gotta get out of this suit, meet me by the main staircase on the ground level, we go from there."[/color] Victoria pointed in the general vicinity on instinct, and after getting an acknowledgement left to change.

When Leah saw her next, Vicky would be wearing long work pants, a size too small tattered white t-shirt with black hand prints on the sides, a pair of safety goggles in one hand and a heavy duty brown apron in the other. When they arrived to the workshop, Leah would see it would be an otherwise unassuming door in the line of many others, save for the safety stickers covering it:

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IrIpJS7.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/zXffpD2.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/2CSDtCE.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/XJkdTbQ.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/oT2SJ3h.png[/img][/center]

The only other difference was a heavier lock. [color=00ffff]"Behold my work, yee mighty, and despair."[/color] Vicky grinned as she handed Leah one set of goggles and walked in.

[B][i]Vicky's workshop…[/i][/b]

[i][color=00ffff]Good to be home.[/color][/i] She thought, the dorm not exactly inviting to her nowadays. She set the apron on the workbench to their left for now. On the side opposite the door, Leah could see posters of Warmachine, Ironheart and the Champions. To the left would be the workbench, with a selection of 3D printers and a smaller 6 axis CNC center. To the close right a table with two seats and a beefy looking computer setup, above which was a board with what seemed like data concerning their classmates and how they fought. And to the far right was a monster of a vault, which was easy to guess to contain Vicky's suit. [color=00ffff]"Make yourself at home."[/color] She nodded towards the seats as she flipped the circuit breakers on and fired up the computer.

Leah took the goggles. But she didn’t put them on right away. She’d likely shred them if she did. Walking inside, the place looked like something Zarina and Ed would’ve dreamed about. This was a lot of shit, and some of it wasn’t completely familiar to Leah. But this checked out considering what Leah heard before now. She was a little impressed that this was all here, and surprised she didn’t know about it- Leah was usually at AA longer than anyone else, not going anywhere for the summers.

She looked around and did, in fact, make herself at home. She walked over and fell into a chair not far from the beefy computer. She noted there were a few familiar names above it. [color=ff9a4f]”Taking notes?”[/color]

[color=00ffff]"You don't?"[/color] Vicky asked as she sat beside Leah, [color=00ffff]"One never knows when one of us might go rogue. Now is a prime time to find out how to neutralize them in that case as a last resort. Preferably, I would spot any red flags and correct them before then. And who knows, might be of use in the blasted contest. I hope you guys are taking notes on me, you are my failsafe plan if I ever go nuts, get mind controlled and whatnot."[/color] She shrugged, passing over her SHIELD level spookiness as if it was normal. If Leah looked, she would actually see a rather favorable assessment of herself. Her girlfriends though… ouch.

[color=00ffff]"Anyhows, project stuff!"[/color] She logged in and plugged the MFG from her Powerglove into a slot at the table, a cyan hologram appeared over it. [color=00ffff]"I've been wanting to build something for the team that might be useful."[/color] She explained, [color=00ffff]"And hopefully gel us a bit closer in the process…"[/color] she added a bit dejectedly, [color=00ffff]"I've got a few ideas but I don't know which would be most useful. First thing I came up was communications."[/color]

The holo shifted, showing a design of a small head piece akin to sports headphones, with the bridge over the rear of the head rather than the top, with a transparent display on an extendable boom to serve in a HUD function. [color=00ffff]"Could be used to communicate and forward mission relevant data. We could also code in like a voice activated safety function. You know, summon the rest of us to your location if you get into a pickle. I would keep it disconnected from our phones and encrypted, never know when an Edward is going to try and hack an open system. Thoughts?"[/color]

Leah stared at the hologram of the headpiece. [color=ff9a4f]”Makes sense. And Zari or him could fool with these and put whatever they want on them for their own reasons. Probably to make using their powers easier. Something like that. I wouldn’t need shit like that, but have you ever tried sandblasting one of these things?”[/color] She asked, pointing to the hologram. [color=ff9a4f]”One time I got trapped under a bunch of shit too heavy for me to lift- And I could throw a horse like a football- and I just ripped out a piece of my hand and cut it all into chunks. Zarina’s girlfriend, Andy, fought me with foam swords at the carnival and her sword just [i]dissolved[/i] in my hair. So there’s something you’d need to work around.”[/color]

[color=00ffff]"Yeah I've been meaning to ask about that, do you let it grow like that on purpose or do you just destroy scissors? Because I think there oughta be a tool here good enough if you want a haircut."[/color] Victoria offered, looking over her shoulder to the tool shelf.

[color=ff9a4f]”Both. It’s like scales for me, someone tries to punch me or shoot me with something when my back is turned they risk turning their hands to bloody dust. And scissors don’t really agree with me either. If I need to, I’m strong enough I can just tear the whole thing out, and my skin is different so it won’t hurt. I could saw through Tony Stark’s toughest suit with a fistful of this stuff. Makes people a lot less willing to swing on me when I’m basically a human cactus.”[/color]

[color=00ffff]"Hm… Ever thought about weaving it into like a whip or something?... Questions for later. Yeah I can see how that might be a problem for you. It also isn't exactly stealthy… I could do a throat mic and a smaller earpiece, but battery becomes an issue. Okay, next idea."[/color] She swiped over and the image changed, displaying Vicky's suit and focusing on the back. [color=00ffff]"Recon drone. Could be helpful in a nasty area like a town where armored stuff famously goes to die if unsupported. Could give us an advanced lay of the land, look behind corners and stuff, without me having to do it and removing my guns from the squad."[/color] She brought up.

[color=ff9a4f]”Yeah, you had something like that in the fight. Might’ve been useful when Ed was on a power trip. That seems pretty reasonable. And I guess you could maybe wire them so the cameras can transmit a feed to all the head pieces. Or some central location if no one’s in the field just yet. Depends on what you’re looking for though, doesn’t it? Some omega mutant goes invisible, you can’t just use a regular high priced camera to find them. Or something under the ground… You’d need seismic tech to sound out something a hundred feet below. Like a sonar but through rocks instead of water.”[/color] 

[color=00ffff]"I was thinking just recon - track targets from high above, and the like. Remove the fog of war, so to say, if you play strategy games  Of course, I would want it to be patched up to all of us somehow, the exercise being for this to be usable to the entire team. I would serve only as a carrier and power station. Maybe data processing, now that I think about it. You are right with plain optics."[/color] She nodded, gesturing in the hologram and displaying a folder browser, pulling out a file and dropping it to the drone model. Now the drone design also had a thermal camera. [color=00ffff]"That should help with the visual spectrum, smoke grenades and stuff. Once the targets are identified, I can then highlight them on the feed and give us wallhacks. Then you and Diana can apply some indirect fire, and I could punch through."[/color] She nodded approvingly. [color=00ffff]"Anything else comes to mind?"[/color]

Leah leaned back and thought for a second… Not about the chair her hair was possibly about to shred, but things they needed.

[color=ff9a4f]”Diana needs a damn crossbow, probably. Not a bow, a crossbow. Something that holds an arrow while she has a free hand. Actually that’s just me complaining, nevermind… If we’re going with the headpiece tech thing… Some way to identify types of geologic matter would be pretty useful for me. Rocks behave differently. Some flake like glass and some are like concrete but I can’t tell which is which just by lifting them into the air. I usually figure it out when they break or by how they feel if I touch them.”[/color] Leah was a bit of a geologist, surprisingly. Shockingly, even.

[color=00ffff]"I'm not about to tell anyone how to do their gimmick."[/color] Vicky said, raising both hands in a surrender gesture, [color=00ffff]"I'm probably high enough on Diana's shit list already. Although between the two of us, forget a crossbow, she needs a sniper rifle."[/color] Thinking over what Leah proposed, she shifted from the hologram to the screen and started typing. After a little while, she looked at the search results. [color=00ffff]"This should work. Write a search macro to correlate your position with available geologic data, and bam, no need to scan. I don't think we could fit a spectrometer in a handbag if we tried anyway. However…"[/color] she flipped the hologram back to the headpiece, eyes ticking between it and Leah for a second.

Getting up, she reached for a storage case and opened it, pulling out wires and strings of various materials.[color=00ffff] "Know of anything that does survive your hair, or shall we find out?"[/color]

[color=ff9a4f]”I’ve never had trouble sawing through anything… I cut someone’s arm off once by balling up some hair in my fist and punching him.”[/color] He grew it back two days later because he had a bio lab in his basement. [color=ff9a4f]”…Too much information. I guess we’ll have to find out. What do you have in there?”[/color]

While the answer to what materials Vicky had available was 'yes', to her growing befuddlement, nothing she had was holding up. Titanium? Laughable. Tungsten carbide? Try again. Teflon coating? Not slippery enough for Leah's hair not to bite anyway. Short of pestering Hope to source some more Adamantium, Vicky was running out of ideas. To the point where she was gazing at the hologram, idly wondering if she should dump the headpiece idea and go with a smartwatch instead. But she was not there yet. [color=00ffff]"Okay, different approach. Your skin can hold out against it, obviously. Not a viable material of course, you're built like a brick shithouse, I don't think we [i]could[/i] take a skin graft if we wanted to. But! That's not the only part of you that survives contact with it on a regular basis."[/color] She moved closer, looking over Leah's shoulder. [color=00ffff]"Can I have a lock of that hair, Rapunzel?"[/color] She pointed to where Leah's hair was ending, which was somewhere by her knees.

Leah looked at Vicky, pondering the unspoken thought process there for a second. [color=ff9a4f]”Sure,”[/color] she said, gathering up the hair and shredding off a whole two inches at the end. Now Vicky had plenty to do… Whatever the hell she was about to do. [color=ff9a4f]”Now just what’s the plan?”[/color]

Taking the strands with utmost care and making damn sure they did not slip one bit in between her fingers, Vicky laid them out on the benchtop and straightened them out - as much as Leah’s curls would do that. She then picked up a can and a tube from the storage box, mixing a spoonful of a two part resin, before coating the previously scratched titanium wire in it. Then she took it, laid it over the hair strands at an angle, and started rolling, taking care to cover every bit of the metal. With the wire wrapped in the hair, she waited for the resin to harden before handing the resulting composite to Leah for testing. [color=00ffff]“As I said, it’s not just your skin that is resistant to your hair. Your hair itself is too, or it would turn itself into powder.”[/color] In theory, both the metal wire and the glue on it should now be completely covered by said hair, which should resist being sawed. In theory. [color=00ffff]“Moment of truth?”[/color]

Leah didn’t fully understand what the hell Vicky was doing with all the shit… Though her hair did always have a way of surviving damn near everything short of burning. [color=ff9a4f]”Hmm. Okay. Let’s try that.”[/color] Leah grabbed another chunk of her hair while it was still fixed to her head and held it up, attempting to cut through Vicky’s hair-resin-titanium thing…. With no success.

Vicky was watching the attempt with excitement. Of course, because they figured out how to make Leah’s headpiece last, but also because of the implications. When the stop watch ticked over what was the time to saw through the most resisting material so far and there was not a dent on the surface of the experiment, at least what could be easily seen, Victoria whistled. [color=00ffff]“Okay. As a member of a family of [i]some[/i]  scientific renown, I have worked with materials that are near mythical. Vibranium, adamantium, I’ve seen it all, and they are impressive and expensive. The expensive part is because they don’t exactly grow on trees. Heads. Whatever. It’s too early to celebrate before we can do some longevity testing, but… Whatever’s in your hair, it’s causing it to have cutting power damn near that of antarctic vibranium. Anti-metal, if you know it by that name. Only, you know, yours will cut metal, bone, glass, whatever.

You could make a killing by going to the hairdresser once in a while. And if you figure out what is causing this and replicate it, well… Is Scrooge McDuck’s vault a real estate you’d like to live in? And also have a massive target on your back.”[/color] she frowned, promptly logging into her security system, stopping it and deleting the last 30 minutes of the footage. [color=00ffff]“With that in mind, I think we can safely conclude that we have a way to make your headset last, at least for a little while. I could try to do some fatigue testing and such, but I’d probably break my equipment on this stuff sooner or later. I would honestly suggest calling up my mom if you want to do something with this. After getting a good lawyer to make sure Hank doesn’t butt in and screw you out of your money. Or I’ll take this secret to my grave, so you don’t have to look over your shoulders for mercenaries, literally hired to get your scalp.”[/color] she summarized their discovery.

[color=ff9a4f]”Alright, slow down a minute. I’m pretty well aware that I’ve got some weird shit in my hair but I’m not sure I want people paying me to chop pieces of it off. Something about that just feels weird,”[/color] she started up on that rather quick. [color=ff9a4f]”I’ve got some sort of freaky supermaterial coming out of my head, I prefer to tell people it's basically sandpaper and not much else. The cause is a mutant thing. I was born like this, it’s just some weird genetic product of having super strength.”[/color]

[color=00ffff]“Silence it is.”[/color] Victoria nodded, doing the zip the lip emote over her face. [color=00ffff]“Although I would lie if I said I was not curious as hell. But… Stop me at any time If I am getting too personal. Have you thought about what happened to you in the Framework?”[/color] she asked quietly, aware that it might be a sore subject, but it was also one that needed to be handled. Leah going wild on a mission was a hulk-level disaster in the waiting, and Victoria would prefer to be ready for it. Her intel board might need an update for that.

[color=ff9a4f]”Yeah. But… Don’t have a damn clue.”[/color] Leah shrugged, [color=ff9a4f]”All I know is that Zarina stabbed me in the spine, and suddenly my skin feels like it's being burned off my bones. And then everything else under it too. I stood up and everything felt [i]wrong.”[/i][/color] Well, “wrong” was subjective in that context. It felt like waking up for the first time in years, but to Leah, it sucked.

[color=ff9a4f]”Your guess is as good as mine. Unless I’ve got some other mutant power I don’t know about.”[/color]

[color=00ffff]”Could be the case.”[/color] Victoria slowly nodded. [color=00ffff]“Did you try visiting nurse Annie about it? Even an X-ray of your back might shed some light on it.”[/color] she suggested, before getting an idea of her own. She grabbed one of the magnets off of her intel board and ran it over Leah’s back, wondering whether it would stick. In her head, she was already reassessing her intel on Leah as well. [i][color=00ffff]Hmm. Durability on par or exceeding Asgardians, but from what I know, she lived her whole life on Earth. Not bloody likely for a doctor to get a needle that she could be vaccinated with. Consider biological attack vector if neutralization is required.[/color][/i]

[color=ff9a4f]”Nah. I don’t really go… Go there…”[/color] Leah didn’t fuck with medical people who might stick needles in her skin… Another thing she was weird about thanks to Dear Old Dad. The magnet got a weird look out of her. [color=ff9a4f]”If there is something metal in there it’s gonna grab that magnet and shred it against my hair, you kn-”[/color] 

[i]Thump.[/i]

The magnet did, in fact, stick. It was now stuck against Leah’s lower back. And it was flaking like fragile obsidian.

[color=ff9a4f]”What… In the [i]fuck.”[/i][/color]

Vicky’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. [color=00ffff]”I… don’t know. Ever had a spinal injury that required bone screws? Perhaps one you may not even be aware of? That would be the most likely explanation.”[/color] Victoria tried to temper her excitement over unlocking the mystery that was the girl in front of her and stayed on the ground with explanations. [color=00ffff]“Is it the same spot where Zari hit you?”[/color]

[color=ff9a4f]”That’s… Exactly where she got me. I’ve had plenty of crippling injuries but I never needed screws.”[/color] There wasn’t a single bone she had that hadn’t been broken once or twice, including her skull. [color=ff9a4f]”If I had screws in my spine then I think I’d feel those knocked loose after getting stabbed… I felt something zap me instead. Not a nervous jolt either, a [i]shock.”[/i][/color]

Now she felt creeped out. [i]What the fuck did you do to me, Imperator?[/i]

[color=00ffff]“Right, we’re going to get you X-rayed. Come on, on your feet, no talking back.”[/color] she pointed at Leah before she could respond. [color=00ffff]“A shock might suggest an active implant. Want me to speculate on what it could be, or do you just want to find out?”[/color] she asked. Herself, she would probably want to get facts as quickly as she could, rather than stress over what-ifs and might-bes, so she would keep quiet if Leah was of the same mind.

[color=ff9a4f]”Hold it- Implant for [i]what?[/i] Yeah, speculate. This sounds like you’re talking crazy. Why would I have something like that fused to my spine? For what purpose?”[/color] It wasn’t crazy, Leah was just uncomfortable about being put under the proverbial knife and microscope. [color=ff9a4f]”Now you’re stressing me out, Vick.”[/color]

Pulling up the other chair, Vicky sat on it in reverse, resting her arms on the backrest. [color=00ffff]”As far as stressing over it goes, I don’t think you need to. By what you are saying, you took abuse that would have killed most people outright and it wasn’t until you got hit by for what for all intents and purposes is a fucking [i]holy sword[/i] that someone managed to even damage… whatever it is. You might live the rest of your life without that ever happening again.”[/color] she started with hopefully some good news, [color=00ffff]“That said, next time we are in the framework, when you’re not physically in danger in the real world, I would like to test if directed, blunt trauma could cause the same. You. Me. One punch. As hard as I can. Even better, Kodiak or Hulkling, if we can rope them into it, they have a much meaner punch than even the two of us. That would give us a baseline on when we could expect that… power… to activate, and what level of damage you would need to defend your back from.”

“As far as the purpose goes? The electric shock is leading me to the idea of an implant. Sort of like a pacemaker. As for its purpose? Well, you got stabbed and went super saiyan. I would say a ‘power damper’ that got damaged by the sword would fit the observed results. I could be wrong though. It might as well be an amplifier that reacted to your injury, although given that you have sustained major injuries before and nothing happened, that seems less likely. Or it could be completely unrelated. But, if it is and it is powered by electricity, well… Pacemakers need to be recharged once in a while. You might also be running the risk of the power running out, and if it is a damper, then we need to figure out if it will need a recharge and how to do that, so that you can keep being your small version.”[/color] she hypothesized. [color=00ffff]“Only way to be sure is to go have a look. An X-ray, or better yet CAT scan is noninvasive, and unlike Magnetic Resonance it shouldn’t tear the thing out of you. You just have to lie down for a while, and we’ll know a lot more in a few minutes. I don’t need to be there if you don’t want me to, go with whomever you feel you’d like by your side, but my two cents? Get it done, sooner rather than later. Last time it happened in a controlled environment. Next time it happens, someone might get hurt if you’re not ready for it.”[/color] Vicky explained at length.

[color=ff9a4f]”Fuck. Okay. Fine, shit. If it’s damping my powers then something tells me I need this shit gone. That’s fucking dumb, I don’t need that on me. That- That’s like putting training wheels on a motorcycle.”[/color] Leah was just a [i]little[/i] antsy about this whole thing, but she felt that Vicky was intelligent enough to figure out some way around this. It went against her better judgment to reach out like this, but if what Agatha said was true, then she needed more than just two people she could trust one day. [color=ff9a4f]”I don’t say this to anyone much, but I need your help with this. If it’s holding me back, while still being damageable, then I need that thing gone and I need to know why it’s there in the first place. I learned there’s something I can do that I don’t know [i]how[/i] to do, and only can when that thing’s busted. And you sound like you’re better equipped for this than me… So… Yeah.”[/color]

Shit. This was one of those situations where Victoria knew she should do something, but wasn’t sure what. [color=00ffff][i]Uuuuh, what do I do? Fuck, is this when one gets physical to bring solace to the other? Is a hug appropriate? Is it too much? Aaaaaaa![/i][/color] she fretted in her mind, before taking a breath and getting up, choosing to gently lay a hand on Leah’s shoulder. [color=00ffff]“Hey. We’ll get to the bottom of this. We picked up on it quickly, we have a working theory of what it might be and a plan on what to do next. It will be fine.”[/color] she said, trying to sound reassuring despite being uncertain whether she was doing the right thing.

[color=00ffff]”As for wanting it gone - It might also be keeping your powers low just enough for you to… well, still look human. Nothing wrong with being an absolute unit of course, but you also mentioned it hurt [i]everywhere[/i]. I wouldn’t think you’d want that as a permanent state of existence? Regardless. We won’t be any wiser talking about it. To the infirmary?”[/color]

[color=ff9a4f]”Yeah. Infirmary.”[/color]

[B][i]School infirmary…[/i][/b]

Nodding, Victoria shut the 'shop down and ushered Leah out before she could change her mind. In a couple of minutes, they were by the infirmary and Vicky was knocking at the door. [Color=00ffff]"Nurse Annie? If you have the time, could you help us with a thing, please?"[/color]

The door soon opened and the nurse looked them over, not finding anything immediately wrong with them. "We'll see. What is the 'thing'?"

Victoria gave the nurse a short recap of what they found, and seeing the picture, the nurse agreed to help and let Leah in. When Vicky made to move as well, she found a hand in her face, blocking her. "Nu-uh, grease monkey. Do you think I disinfect this place for fun? [B]If[/b] miss Jordan wants you in attendance, you're going to go change first. I'll be first asking some general questions and doing standard physical, you have a few minutes." She said uncompromisingly, before turning to ask Leah: "Should she bother?"

[color=ff9a4f]”She’s fine. Let her. I’ll wait for you to get back here before then, Vick.”[/color] Leah and Vicky weren’t particularly close, but Vicky was the one who helped her discover there was some weird metal thing in her spine and was the one with the most common sense out of her new “team.” 

Besides, Leah had a tendency to avoid this part of the school like the plague unless she broke a bone or something.

A few minutes later, Victoria was back. Annie managed to get Leah’s blood pressure and temperature in the meantime, and shook her head in dismay when she blunted a needle against her forearm trying to draw a blood sample. “Any other pains, discomfort and the like around the affected area, such as reduced range of motion?” she asked, “If not, please go change over there.” she told Leah, handing her a hospital gown and pointing to a changing screen in the corner of the room. She then turned to Vicky: “You were saying the object is metal?”

Victoria nodded. [color=00ffff]“Magnet clung to her back, so it probably isn’t all that deep, or at least some part of it. From what we know it is located somewhere around the L2 and L3 vertebrae. It may be electronic in nature, maybe an implant, we’re not entirely certain. That’s… about as much as we know.”[/color]

Annie nodded. “CAT it is, then. Miss Jordan, when you are done, please lie here.” she pointed to the tunnel of the tomograph.

[color=ff9a4f]”Right.”[/color] Leah sat down on the tomato graph and then laid flat down. 

The scan revealed that there was indeed something attached to Leah’s insides. At the lower half of her spine, the CAT revealed a small, rectangular shape no larger than a person’s fist. Not unlike a cellphone, but with a circular shape near the bottom. Like a pacemaker layered over a brick. Along the circle’s edges were smaller circles like spokes on a wheel, which seemed to blur slightly in the CAT scan’s image. It did not remotely resemble any sort of medical device that went inside a person. 

The strange blur seemed to creep up and down the nearest parts of Leah’s spine, like the image was being distorted. Though it was still clearly visible, this wasn’t something that should be happening. Annie and Vicky would still be able to clearly discern the shape of the foreign object.

“You may join us, miss Jordan. We’re done there.” Annie called out to Leah. When she got to them, the nurse opened the model on the computer’s screen and stared at it for a minute, before asking: “...What are we looking at?”

[color=00ffff]“I… have no clue.”[/color] Victoria had to admit. [color=00ffff]“I didn’t expect whatever it is to be that large, how is it not impacting your movement? Maybe it’s flexible…”[/color] she thought out loud.

“Well, the metal seems to be distorting the image. We’re not likely to get a better look from the outside, and given that I broke the needle on you, I don’t think I have the tools to get a look from the inside even if you wanted to.” Annie scrunched up her nose thinking.

Leah came back over and fixed her hair so it wouldn’t brush against anything. She stared at the image on the screen like it was a fucking unicorn.

[color=ff9a4f]”What in the god damn fuck is [i]that?”[/i][/color] It was a slightly rhetorical response obviously it was the thing on her spine, but she didn’t recognize it. [color=ff9a4f]”I have no memory of this thing whatsoever. I’ve never even seen this thing be-“[/color] [i][b]Wait.[/b][/i]

She knew those shapes. Leah had seen them before in other things built by a man she was once experimented on extensively. Her hands gripped the edges of the desk the computer sat on. Leah damn near burned a hole through the screen with the death glare that crept up on her face… The death glare that was also full of disgust. Her skin felt like it was crawling now.

Leah tried to speak, but her voice wouldn’t work for some reason. Eventually she found the words.

[color=ff9a4f]”…I want this thing gone. I don’t care if you have to rip me open with fucking adamantium. That thing is not supposed to [i]be there.”[/i][/color] She practically growled out the words, trying to resist the urge to split the entire building in half.

[color=00ffff]“Hey.”[/color] Vicky tried to console her, putting her arm around Leah’s shoulders. [i][color=00ffff]Well, there goes that suit.[/color][/i] she hissed in her mind as she felt the wool catch on the hair. [color=00ffff]“I get that this is… not great… But it’s not actively hurting you and we still don’t know what it does, heck, we don’t even know how it works. If you have any idea who built it, or anything else, it might help make heads or tails of this, before we do something rash.”[/color] she cautioned.

[color=ff9a4f]”My fucking lunatic dad built that damn thing. I recognize it- He always built a bunch of stupid shit and tested it on me/ I didn’t even fucking know that put it inside me. Fucking Tony Stark couldn’t build shit like what he did.”[/color] Leah only ever brought up the existence of her dad around Sabine or April, and now she was talking about him like she actually had one. Her hands would be shaking if they weren’t flat against the desk.

[color=ff9a4f]”I know how he built things, he understands that shit the way a person understands breathing. Evil bastard had a whole lab of this shit in our basement. If- [i]FUCK!”[/i][/color] She really, [i]really[/i] wanted to punch something right now. Leah hated feeling vulnerable like this.

The nurse was getting lost in the conversation. “Girls. Obviously I can not be of much more help. I can not operate as a nurse, and even if I could: No. I agree with Miss van Dyne, not until we know that would be safe for you. And as I said, I wouldn’t have the tools anyway. Xavier’s school might, if you want to place a call. They deal with mutant cases on a regular basis. Now, unless you have something more you need of me, I would please kindly ask you to leave, you are disturbing patients in recovery.” she said, in a kind tone, but sternly.

[color=00ffff]”Of course. We’ll let you know if we need something else. Thank you for your time.”[/color] Victoria thanked the nurse, and placed a hand on Leah’s, noticing the death grip on the desk. This was not good. Leah was one of the more promising heroes in the making, and this looked like a thing that could tip her over to an anti-hero mindset, if not a downright villain. [color=00ffff]“Come, Leah. Please? I promise I will do what I can to help you with this. Let’s get back to the workshop, we can plan there in peace.”[/color] she pleaded with her, but had a different reason for going to the secluded area.

[pre]
From: ASTRA A-U-0
To: #Administrators
===EMERGENCY ACTION MESSAGE===
Requesting emergency condition 3 VEIL user access for personnel: Jordan, Leah
Reason: Personnel undergoing significant emotional event due to hidden past trauma.
Disclosing unit nature requested to gain additional trust to reveal more information.
Risk assessment: See attachment. Summary: Benefits outweigh risks.
APPROVE - REJECT
===EAM END===
[/pre]
With the message sent, Victoria hoped one of her admins would approve the request quickly enough. She didn't have to wait long.

[Pre]
From: ADMIN (H. v. D.)
To: ASTRA A-U-0
===EMERGENCY ACTION APPROVED===
[/PRE]
[color=ff9a4f]”...Yeah. Okay. Let’s go.”[/color]

[B][i]Back at the workshop…[/i][/b]

The return trip was spent in quiet. Victoria foregone the change of clothes, figuring out the jacket was already torn, so some grease on the pants didn't matter all that much. And she did not dare leave Leah in this state. [I][color=00ffff]And… Her [b]father[/b] did this to her?! And I assume all of the other abuse? The poor lass… I really have a good lot in life, don't I? More than decent family of my own… And being tasked to snap necks of people like the family of hers![/color][/i] she seethed internally.

When they arrived and Victoria made sure not a sound or sight would escape the workshop, she would stand in front of the vault, her back facing Leah for now. This… this was it, wasn't it? Time to lay it all out. Bare her secret to the world. Was she right? Could Leah be trusted? She noticed a tremble in her hand. [I][color=00ffff]This? This is what terrifies me? Not the idea of fighting a guy who could do [b]that[/b] to [b]her[/b], but the idea of saying you're not human, in a school full of mutants, inhumans, aliens and stars know what else? It's irrational, pull yourself together![/color][/i] she tried convincing herself. It did little good though. She supposed that emotions were an inseparable package, those that felt good and made sense had to come with the rest or not at all.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm down - Another imitation without meaning, she knew, and yet it seemed to usually help anyway - Victoria turned around to face Leah. [Color=00ffff]"First… I am so sorry… That your own father would do this… I have no polite words. He does not deserve to draw breath. If the time ever comes to face him, know I'll be there. Heck, I can raise waves over my channels to help us find him, if that is what you want to do."[/color] she started, meaning every word, even if she said it to hopefully give Leah some peace.

[Color=00ffff]"That said… It took a while for you to mention your… father… as much as he doesn't deserve to be called such. If we're going to get to the bottom of this-"[/color] she pointed towards Leah's back, [color=00ffff]"-I'm going to need to know. Everything. So… I think since I'm asking… It's only fair that [b]I go first."[/b][/color] She almost stammered, her fingernails digging into her palms. Why wouldn't her hands stop shaking?!

Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes. When she opened them, instead of green, two red orbs were staring back at Leah. 

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Mw8wIat.png[/img][/center]

[Color=00ffff]"I suppose reintroductions are in order. Hi, my name is Victoria Åshild Elise van Dyne, and I am an ASTRA. Autonomous Superhuman Termination and Regulation Automaton. I'm an android, designed to protect humanity from paranormal and extraterrestrial threats. Pleased to meet you!"[/color] she managed to force out somewhat quickly, before extending her hand for a handshake, hoping that would be taken instead of being garotted by diamond saw hair.

[color=ff9a4f]”You’re a [i]what?”[/i][/color]

Leah didn’t shake Vicky’s hand. Not because she just admitted to being a robot like Ultron or Vision- Were Synthe-whasits robots- or whatever, but because she was processing that information a little slower than she normally would due to… Everything. 

[color=ff9a4f]”…An android. To protect people from threats. Yeah, okay. That checks out. That’s the second most unusual thing I’ve learned today.”[/color] All things considered, Leah  didn’t really give a shit. There were worse things she could’ve said. Of course, she appreciated the difficult that she perceived Vicky to be dealing with right now, but it didn’t change her opinion of the girl.

[color=ff9a4f]”So I guess that’s why you’ve got all this then.”[/color] She gestured to the whole workshop, taking the news oddly well.

[Color=00ffff]"Well, no- I wouldn't dare mess with my system. This is just to repair the armor… And because making stuff is fun… And so I have a hidey hole from other people…"[/color] the killer robot shyly looked to the side with a bit of blush on her cheeks. She let the untaken hand fall loose along her body again, not quite certain where she stood now. [Color=00ffff]"So… Are we okay? I understand if you have concerns, but I didn't choose to hide this, and I do genuinely want to help you if you'd still let me…"[/color]

[color=ff9a4f]”You could’ve said a bunch of other different things and they might’ve been weirder than you being a robot. Given that we have people around here like Usagi, I get it. It’s fine. There’s weirder shit around here.”[/color] Okay… Time for [i]her[/i] baggage.

Explaining this to the girls was one thing, but she didn’t know Vicky that well. [i]Fuck it.[/i]

[color=ff9a4f]”My dad’s a supervillain. He’s one of those S-lister, probably-an-omega kind of bastards who only care about getting paid and not dying. He raised me expecting me to do the exact same thing as him- He’s a mercenary. The earliest memories I have of him are trying to punch him, only to get sideswiped faster than I can blink… About a week before I wound up here, I tried to kill him. Why I did that’s a whole other thing itself, but as far as I was concerned, I [i]did[/i] kill him. And I thought so up until the start of this year when Agatha told me I’d have to try again and make sure he’s dead for good this time.”[/color]

She paused for a moment, and then continued. [color=ff9a4f]”Have you ever seen someone fly through the Sonoran desert straight to this general area on a building-sized rock, with nothing but the sun to tell where you’re going? Over the course of two days with no sleep? Wouldn’t recommend it.”[/color]

Blinking, Vicky’s eyes returned to green. [Color=00ffff]”Alright. He’s nasty, and tough, so if we stumble upon him, we need to watch ourselves. Good to know in the long run… not of much help letting us determine what the thing on your spine actually is.”[/color] she thought for a second, remembering the details of the CT scan. It wasn’t until she noted the mention of Agatha that she connected the dots. [Color=00ffff]“Did he dabble in magic? Could that be part of it? I have seen technology being disrupted by magic a while ago, when… Well, when I died.”[/color] she said, tugging on her collar.

[color=ff9a4f]”When you- I’m not touching that right now. As far as I know, he wasn’t a wizard. He’s a mutant. He does this thing where he can master any sort of skill or intellectual thing in an hour or two at max. He could learn to box like a god in half an hour and he’d physically change slightly to reflect that. Give him a little longer than he could do advanced calculus in his head in seconds. I don’t know if magic factors into that. Knowing him and how[i] batshit fucking crazy[/i] he was, it might. And that’s just with his powers… If he actually took time to study something then that’s two things he’s good at.”[/color]

[color=00ffff]”Well, the thing is, when I went to Aghata’s tent, she had some sort of defensive magic field up that disabled tech. I just offlined as soon as I got there. To me, that’s like a lobotomy. If I ever lose power, my personality will just be gone. Except, this time, when I woke up, I was all there, and a bunch of my code was in runes. I don’t know what Aghata did to me to keep my mind intact, I don’t even know if I came back the same as before, and she refused to tell me when I asked. But just before I went down… My optics suffered from the same artifacts as on your scan. I think we may be onto something here. The bad news… I know zilch about magic. We may need to get more help on this one.”[/color]

She then walked over closer, her voice going down to a whisper. [color=00ffff]”And… one more thing. A plea, really. If I ever go bad… Bury me. Under enough weight that I won’t be able to dig myself out, deep enough that I won’t get any sun, but shallow enough that I can not recharge by absorbing geothermal energy. And away from any power lines. You know what I am now. I’ll need you to be my failsafe, because you’re one of the people that checks all of the boxes. You can get rid of me rather easily, live long enough to do it, and now you know how. If the time ever comes, [b]don’t. Hesitate.[/b] I am telling you this now: I would rather revert to being a toddler and start over than to be another Ultron. Can I count on you?”[/color]

Leah was caught off guard for a second. [color=ff9a4f]”Vick, if I really do check all those boxes, then your robo-brain should be able to calculate that I can’t just bury someone alive like that. You’re not Imperator- You’re not my [i]dad[/i]. If you were then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. If you go down a bad path or something, then I’d rather just pull you back. That’s better than getting rid of someone who’s an honest-to-god hero, I think.”[/color]

Drawing a ragged breath, Vicky eventually nodded. [color=00ffff]”I… Okay. Thanks. Just… keep what I said in memory. Just in case. Now… you on good terms with Zarina or Madalynne? We’ll need a wizard to have a look at you.”[/color]

[color=ff9a4f]”I don’t really hang around either of them much but we’re alright. Agatha gave me a bag of magic runes, like your… Code apparently. I’ve been meaning to learn how they work. I guess now’s a good time. But it’s technology too, and Zari got it to do something, so… Well, I guess we’ll figure it out one way or another… Thanks, Vicky.”[/color] And she meant that, genuinely. 

[color=00ffff]”Don’t mention it. Like, I mean really. Not a word, to anyone. You know what I mean. I don’t think you would blabber, but Admins would probably have my head if I didn’t say it.”[/color] she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. [color=00ffff]“Now, off to bed with you or something. Magic gizmo will wait for another day after this many years. Get some sleep. You… look like you need it.”[/color] she smirked cheekily. After LEah left, all mirth vanished from her face. She picked up another piece of paper, stuck it to her board, and wrote another note on it.

[center][b][i]Imperator[/i][/b]
???[/center]