Rick Bradbury (
waiting) wrote in
capeandcowllogs2013-02-19 09:46 pm
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Entry tags:
you see the signs but you can't read
WHO: Madison Jeffries, Hank McCoy, Rick Bradbury
WHERE: X-Club!!!
WHEN: January 31st, or thereabouts.
WARNINGS: Ethics???
SUMMARY: Bradbury has a question he needs an expert opinion on.
FORMAT: Quick.
[ he'd already picked a bottle of scotch -- nothing fancy, and no glasses, and he wondered if they'd end up drinking from beakers or something -- before calling madison to see if they were still going to meet up.
as it turned out, it seemed something had come up. actually, by madison's tone of voice, something that had gotten him incredibly pissed, but if bradbury thought anything unusual about it, he knew better than to comment. they'd agreed, instead, to meet the next day, which was why he was making his way over, bottle in hand. it was after office hours by now, but he had a feeling that x-club's members didn't keep much of a regular schedule anyway.
how much that had to do with the demands of the job and how much of it was just the kind of people they were, well, he wouldn't make any assumptions about that.
needless to say, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect, or if madison would be in the same mood he'd been in when they last spoke. it was why he was a little cautious when he knocked, holding the bottle of scotch like he might hit someone with it if he had to. ]
Anybody home?
WHERE: X-Club!!!
WHEN: January 31st, or thereabouts.
WARNINGS: Ethics???
SUMMARY: Bradbury has a question he needs an expert opinion on.
FORMAT: Quick.
[ he'd already picked a bottle of scotch -- nothing fancy, and no glasses, and he wondered if they'd end up drinking from beakers or something -- before calling madison to see if they were still going to meet up.
as it turned out, it seemed something had come up. actually, by madison's tone of voice, something that had gotten him incredibly pissed, but if bradbury thought anything unusual about it, he knew better than to comment. they'd agreed, instead, to meet the next day, which was why he was making his way over, bottle in hand. it was after office hours by now, but he had a feeling that x-club's members didn't keep much of a regular schedule anyway.
how much that had to do with the demands of the job and how much of it was just the kind of people they were, well, he wouldn't make any assumptions about that.
needless to say, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect, or if madison would be in the same mood he'd been in when they last spoke. it was why he was a little cautious when he knocked, holding the bottle of scotch like he might hit someone with it if he had to. ]
Anybody home?
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[He hops off his stool, making his way to the door. Not often that they get visitors this late. Is his tie straight?]
Ah, Rick! [He turns his attention to the bottle.] Pop on by for a nightcap?
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careful, he sets down his work and gives a little nod, stepping forward toward the door, behind beast. ]
Glad t'see you, man. [ he scratches his chin, scruff longer than usual despite his now-shorter hair. ] This is more about that q than leisure, yeah?
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he's always known where it was, but he's never been inside, and he's honestly trying really, really hard not to gawk at everything. ]
What the man said, doc. Ain't exactly just a social call. [ he nods at hank, then hefts up the bottle, offering it to him with a raised brow. ] Though I wouldn't mind having a drink, either, if you've got somewhere I can put this down.
[ rather than risk offense by putting it near whatever experiments they might have going, he just passes the bottle off to hank, shoving his hands into his pockets and shrugging. his expression seems to sober a little, looking more troubled, like he's thinking about how to phrase what comes next. ]
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There are mugs by the coffee maker, (and what's a lab without a coffee maker?) so that's where starts heading.]
Then we'll talk and drink, if the two aren't mutually exclusive.
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With―? My mugs? Fine.
[ but he turns to look back at him, decides to open his mouth to say something before him. then, changes his mind. with a gesture of his hands, three chairs pull up from nearby desks. taking a seat, he nods for bradbury to take one too.
he leans forward in his seat, and gives a little cough. ]
Whatever it is, y'don't gotta feel bad for just sayin' it.
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[ he settles into the seat offered, crossing his legs; his knee bounces up and down for a moment, a testament to sudden, inexplicable nervousness that he's quick to quash as soon as he recognizes it.
it's a hypothetical question. that's all there is to it. in a worst-case scenario, if things turn out for the worst... ]
Hypothetically speaking, what's the best way of stopping someone who says she's capable of altering reality? [ he asks, slowly. ]
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It's a very serious expression he's wearing when he hands Bradbury his mug.] Southwest Phoenicia?
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[ no, his face doesn't match the dire nature of hank's ― he looks confused, mostly (it's awfully hard for him to keep track and stay focused on the external world, as he is now). sitting up a little more, he snatches a mug from his paws. ]
Whaddya mean by "stop"?
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I'm not really sure what I mean. [ he admits, finally. he tips his mug, watching the liquid slosh around in it, trying to tip it to see the design. ]
Keep her from doing anything crazier than taking over a country, I guess.
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It's funny how low the standards sink once you've already hit that point. I take it trying to talk to her hasn't gotten anywhere yet? [Or at least he hopes the discussion wouldn't have reached this point if that hadn't already been attempted.]
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with a chuckle: ]
I usedta be sorta dad-like, once. Y'try givin' her a credit card? Teenage girls love credit cards.
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Talking didn't really work out. The last time I heard from her, before any of this -- she said she'd think about it. Next thing you know -- [ he waves a hand, pauses to take a sip of his drink, and lets the warm burn slide down his throat before he continues. ]
-- next thing you know, she's on every fuckin' channel. [ his expression is faintly conflicted. ] Besides, the only person who had a shot at getting her to listen is gone.
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You came to us, hoping we might have a solution?
[He glanced Madison's way, hoping he might have some ideas to contribute here where Hank didn't.]
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We usedta fight gods in Alpha Flight. Great Beasts, yeah?
[ and he pauses as he's ready to continue ― shakes his head, ending on an entirely different note. ]
I might have a couple a' solutions, but the only ones I got on hand are by force. [ dismissively: ] That ain't what he needs.
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Yeah, I was kind of hoping you'd have something ... [ he trails off. he doesn't know, really, what he was hoping for. finally, slowly: ]
I'm not exactly the smartest cookie in the jar, you know? Sure, I picked up a few things while I was with the corps, but every solution I can think of just comes down to taking her out.
[ a weighty pause, before he adds, quietly: ]
And around here, that's just a temporary solution. [ because what's to stop her from coming back and doing it all over again? from someone else coming after her? he scrubs a hand through his hair, looking rueful. ]
Sorry. Didn't mean to dump that all on you. But yeah, I'm out of ideas, so I was hoping you'd have some.
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I don't think I need to say that wouldn't be an acceptable route. [He slumps, finally taking a swig of his scotch. It's hardly an easy question, or he'd have found some way of dealing with Quentin by now.]
If she were a student who was acting out, I'd say that you need to give them their space. Don't push them, but earn their trust to the point where they would listen to you.
Of course, none of my students have ever conquered an entire country when they've been acting out.
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[ tapping at his temple, where his hair turns white, he looks down into his cup. making a point in avoiding hank's gaze.
suddenly, the tonal notes in his voice drop: they go from light-heartedly distracted to avoidant, a little cold. ]
Y'really wanna stop a powerful being? Y'need t'rip part a' her away from herself. Physical body, powers, both. Lock her like that.
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he'd seen what jenny quantum looked like, how she spoke. she's not a child anymore.
some lizard part of bradbury's brain picks up on the shift in madison's tone, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise. ]
And she'd still be alive like that?
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It's not something we generally like doing. Bad history.
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About them gods? When I killed ― usin' the term loosely ― Tundra, god a', uh. Tundras? I didn't even touch his powers. Just hadta overpower him t'obliterate him, and I reckon his spirit got sent t'the dimension those fellers dwell in. Harmless, there.
[ he shrugs, mouth forming into a firm line. ]
Bad history or not, it works. Y'can either overwhelm and kill 'em or take away their powers. Or both.
[ under his breath: ]
Even the strongest mutants can't fight that.
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[ all he knows is that she's going to be hard to beat. ]
I can knock her powers out, if I can get close enough. [ he flexes his hand -- gloved, not just because of the weather, but because he never really trusts his control when his powers flare up. ] But after that...
[ he takes another, larger swallow of his drink before he speaks again, blunt. ]
So basically, you're telling me there's no way this ends pretty. [ he's not disappointed. just resigned. ]
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[He refills his drink, turning his attention to Bradbury. It's plain on his face that he doesn't like anything about where this conversation is going.]
If not quite a god, she could still be something like it. The important thing with gods is their area of dominion, but how exactly they interact with it can change by the pantheon. Some simply command them, others are powered by the existence of them, and still more may physically personify them.
So, the question is, does she need the 21st Century, or does the 21st Century need her? Cut her off or kill her, there could be dire consequences for us all.
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Y'alright with potentially undoin' time and existence past Y2K?
[ he sniffs, disaffected (if he were younger, less fried, would he care more?). ]
I reckon endin' it's gonna be the easy part if y'go that route, morals and crap aside. Sorta the ramifications and endstuff that's gonna be tough.
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I think I'm more worried about how you both talk about gods like they're no big deal. Aren't scientists supposed to be atheists, or something?
[ he takes a drink, folding his hands in his lap. ]
I don't know anything about her. [ he sounds almost... wistful. ] All I know is that she's a pissed off little girl with daddy issues a mile long.
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[He rests his hand on his chin, expression sobering a bit.] I take it the father isn't available. [And it's probably too late to find someone to fill the position, too. That takes too much time.]
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[ he passes his gaze between hank and bradbury, leans forward. for a moment, he even looks like he's thinking. it's mostly all nasty flashbacks and bad memories he's sorting through, but they're something. ]
Look, I dunno. Y'need t'stop thinkin' about her as a little girl. When I was her age, I already quit school, left home and was doin' my own thing on the streets.
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He was here, but he got 'ported out. Besides, is a sixteen year old more likely to listen to her dad, or do the complete opposite?
[ it's becoming less of a consultation and more of a pity party, really. he hadn't had much hope in the first place. ]
Hell, she doesn't think she's a little girl. [ he's working through his second glass far faster than he should. ]
I don't think she ever really was. [ he shrugs, giving them both a wry grin. ] Doesn't seem like any of the kids around here ever really got a shot at enjoying it.
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[Hank still nurses his second glass. He doesn't even quite feel it yet, it can take a lot to get someone his size drunk.]
It's the actions that are the problem. Generally you want to give someone like her a safe environment to exercise this phase of her development, the opportunity to grow up into a better adjusted adult.
Many of them won't really be receptive to it, and it isn't really easy, either. None of it is easy.
What to do when it's gotten to this point, well, I don't really know.
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[ he feels like he should say something, some obligatory reassurance.
instead, pointedly: ]
Y'wanna nurture her? Y'hafta stop her a'fore that.
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[ bradbury stares at madison over the rim of his cup, eyes flicking to hank like he expects to hear the good doctor object. it's like having your own personal shoulder devil and angel, though he doesn't know which of them is which. he needs another drink; he needs to go back to the point where teenagers taking over countries wasn't his problem.
instead, he finishes his mug off before he speaks. ]
So you're saying the only way to get her to listen is to smack her down first.
[ it makes sense in a horrible, bad movie twist kind of way. after all, people lose their powers after they die-- it just doesn't have a consistent number. at the least, it could buy time.
time to talk her around, or maybe time for a better solution, even if he can't think of what that is. ]
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He puts his drink down on the table, maybe a little hard. Folding his arms in front of him.]
Honestly, I think that, if anything, will probably make her less likely to listen.
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[ mouth tilting into to a sharp frown, madison shakes his head. momentarily looking past bradbury entirely to stare daggers into beast, even. his leg begins to anxiously bounce, rolling the whiskey around its container. ]
S-sometimes y'gotta roll up your sleeves and stop people being destructive, even if y'care about them or if they don't really deserve it. Even if y'hafta hurt them. [ a little rudely: ] Maybe y'still don't get that, Hank. But I do.
[ he's not sure whether he continues to prove a point, or finally cover the topic just in case. the comparison doesn't even really work, anyway, so it's probably the latter. ]
It ain't a secret that I got some history with headstuff, and now's about the time where the cycle starts repeatin' itself. The next time I go over, y'got my complete and moral permission t'make it stop. Don't want this dilemma crap on my part.
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his expression remains neutral, and he doesn't offer any comment, just waiting to see how hank will respond to what madison says. ]
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Worse still, it could be about their earlier argument about Cross. The mention of Madison's "headstuff" only punctuates Hank's worries about how far that one's going, what with his seeming resignation to its inevitability.
Hank can't drag that all out here. Not in front of Bradbury.]
You'll have to excuse me if I still don't think killing anything that presents a problem is viable or reasonable as a longterm solution.
Maybe you should get some sleep.
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expression falling back into his usual distance, he sits back to finish off his mug. setting it down on the ground. ]
Maybe I should.
[ turning to bradbury, he imploringly gestures at him. ]
The way I see it: Sufferin' is worse'n anythin' else. If y'feel like whatever y'do could save more people some pain, I reckon it justifies the means.
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whatever you could do. even bradbury isn't sure what exactly that is. he's just an ordinary guy who doesn't have crap aim with a gun; maybe he was a captain in the marines, once, but that hardly makes him feel qualified to make decisions like this. will killing jenny quantum save more lives? it probably would. but who gets to make that call? ]
Yeah, that's one way of looking at it. [ he frowns, though, looking genuinely troubled as he looks up. ] Honestly, though, I figure someone else would have tried to do something about it by now. I mean, what are superheroes for, right?
[ he laughs, a little weakly, then shakes his head. ] No disrespect -- I used to work with one. [ and now he technically worked for him. ]
Does she have a point? You think ImPorts should be using their powers to make the world better? [ whether people want it, or not. ]
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That said, I don't think the way she's trying is the best way to approach it, either.
[He turns his attention to Bradbury, but his face doesn't soften in the least. If it's time for closing arguments, he wants his point to be very clear.]
If you're going to do this, if you're set on shutting her down, don't lock yourself into one option. Make sure it's the best one, the right one. Don't do anything you'll regret unless you're absolutely sure it's necessary.
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simply: ]
Don't take your sweet time, either. Clock is more'n likely tickin' away.
[ widely indicating the lab with a sweep of his arm, he points a finger to him, then hank. ]
If y'want us t'make y'somethin', we oughta get it outta the way ASAP.
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Ain't exactly a "best" or "right" choice in this kinda thing, doc. Any way you go, it's all shit. [ his expression becomes firmer, though, a little more resolved, like he's settled something with himself. ] Whatever happens, I'm not gonna half-ass it. I'll make it count.
[ it's the only thing he can promise. turning to madison, now: ]
You've already done me a favor just hearin' me out. I can't really ask for more than that. [ still, he pauses. finally: ] I don't know what I'd even ask for, honestly. Something to keep her from doing something like this again's kind of a tall order, right? And nothing's that easy.
[ though something that could keep the spirit of the 21st century from manifesting her powers would come in handy in the future. no doubt about it. ]
Just... just try to figure out something better, if you can. [ please. ]
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Make sure it's what you have to do, if it's what you're doing.
[He says it, but already he feels like his words have been lost to the ether, like he hasn't been convincing at all. Why pull out his gun in polite company if he hadn't already made his decision?]
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You're a good guy, R. You're gonna be a good guy no matter how it ends.
[ this doesn't feel like a defeat or a victory, though he knows that the idea being considered certainly isn't hank's. the flow of numbers in his head from point a to point b in his head are strictly computational, right now. maybe it's a comfort that danger is silent, but he's felt oddly detached about this entire thing either way.
after all: it would just be one extra death one bradbury's hands, he thinks. now, it seems like nothing to him. ]
We should probably get a couple a' extra bottles.
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I've got two daughters, so this whole thing kind of -- [ he waves a hand distractedly, then shuts his eyes, leaning back in his chair. it messes him up, is what he means to say; it's why as much as he knows madison has a point about how jenny quantum really isn't a kid, he has a hard time not seeing her as one.
she could be the kind of girl his daughters grow up to be, minus the whole reality-altering thing. ]
I could go for a few more rounds, as long as I'm not keeping you from anything.
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Hank picks back up his mug and finishes it off quickly. He's suddenly not in the mood to be social.]
I think I'm done for the night, personally. [And with that he walks back down to the break area to clean out his mug.]