The entire room is equipped with stainless steel counters and pristine white surfaces that gleam as if recently cleaned; the counter space is dotted with several microscopes and various beakers not currently in use. A small cooling unit in the corner and a few locked cabinets dominate the far end of the room.
Hank is in attendance currently at one of the microscopes and a small set of capped vials rest in a test tube display rack. A stereo on the far side of the room is softly playing Beethoven's fifth.
*
Alex is in his standard X-Men suit: yellow and blue, with his suite unique of the collection in that it has the large circle focuser on his chest, and silvery conduits running all throughout to channel the plasma that Havok releases from his body. An ingenius design, all courtesy of one Hank McCoy. Before the suit, Alex had serious control issues. He comes striding in and looks around, and the moment he sees Hank he grins and walks over towards him, "Hey, Beast."
A hand is lifted, and everything about it is friendly, though if the man likes his mutant handle being used is another question entirely. Alex tends to use and encourage people to use them. He's been said to identify more as Havok then Alex— that is, until a year ago when his thought-dead brother showed up.
"I've been thinking, maybe we can modify my suit. I have *finally* worked out control enough to not need it, but I found the suit helped me… *learn* how to control. And I want to expand what I can do. Got time to talk about it?"
*
Hank turns away from the microscrope with his glasses pushed up onto his forehead, he squints a moment, "Alex." There is a genial nod as he reached up to adjust his specs and get them sitting properly on his nose. He gives a short sidelong glance back at the vials but he picks up the test tube rack without hesitation as he said, "Of course." With all sincerity.
Hank breezed off to one of the locked shelves and balanced the test tube rack easily in one palm as he opened the cabinet. Storing it, he called over his shoulder, "I can always make time, what sort of modifications…" He trailed off, walking back over briskly with his lab coat flaring behind him.
*
That's about when another figure walks into the lab, this one with a crisp demeanor and his hands in his pockets. "Hank, Alex, good afternoon." Xavier greets them both. He has a question as well, but he holds off a moment while Alex's own query is being addressed.
*
"Okay, so." Alex nods his head firmly, "The normal plasma channels draw the energy here, — well obviously you know that." Alex grins, and 'here' is gestured as before his chest, "That's fine and good, but I would like to see if we can engineer some secondary channels, along my arms. I figure the blasts would be weaker, but I might be able to focus them with more precision, and when I learn to mimic what the suit does with natural control, I might be able to maintain multiple directed plasma beams. I think probably we'll need some sort of switch at first until I can learn to direct the plasma current to the different channels, but I think it might work?" He's not quite the kind of scientist who can manage to design and build his own suit, but that doesn't mean he's ignorant of the science involved.
Then the Professor comes in, and Alex turns and gives the man a respectful nod: the young man has a little problem with authority, but rarely has Xavier actually triggered those issues, even if he is unquestionably the boss. "Professor."
*
Hank gives a patient little nod as Alex waved at his chest, reaching thoughtfully into his pocket for a small penlight as he gestured toward speaker's arm that he might extend them. Nodding thoughtfully, "We can certainly do that… you're right the blasts would be weaker."
Hank studies the suit for a moment, resting the pen against his chin as he half crossed his arms, "But if can we figure out how much the pathways can handle-" He points with his pen light at the elbows, "Here, and.. I.. calculate how many joules of energy those clusters of wires can take. Soon as you're sure you can adhere to those specifications, the hand blasters are easy enough to install on the palms." Nod. Click, goes the penlight.
*
After a beat Hank looks over Alex shoulder, "Oh! Professor, how are you?"
*
The nod is returned to Alex, Xavier crossing over with tilted head to peer over Hank's shoulder before the resident super-genius notices his presence. He smiles a little and says, "I'm doing very well, thank you, Hank. I had a question as well, in a moment. Multiple beams, Alex? An ambitious challenge; I'm pleased to see you working on new ways to master your ability."
*
"Sometimes flexibility is what wins a challenge, Professor, Beast." Again with the codename. Alex is serious about his mutant-first philosophy there. He looks to Xavier then more directly, "I expect it'll take awhile to learn, but is this place but a sanctuary for our people to find their best selves? The reach of their potential?" The 'our people' is important: on a certain level, Alex has separated himself from humanity as a whole, at least intellectually.
Alex looks to Hank then and nods quickly, "Yeah, there's less channels so I expect weaker, but frankly, the plasma blasts are strong enough I'm not worried about it. In fact, I expect to use the narrower channels along the arms to do non-lethal attacks primarily: it's *difficult* to scale back the blasts along the primary channels. It can be done, but its harder. But! Yeah, man, that sounds great. Thanks. You're a gem, Beast. I don't know WHAT we would do around here without you."
*
Hank simply offers a lopsided grin and a very light passing blush to the compliments, "I'd expect a lot more cold soldering and applied mathematics would be on the agenda." Hank retorts, in regards to the duties they'd be picking up he if weren't around. He laughs softly though and takes a half step away to grab his clipboard off the nearby counter. "I'll start crunching the numbers tonight." He agreed as he made a note and then turned his attention to Xavier.
"What brings you to the Lab, Charles?"
*
Xavier takes a moment to nod to Alex first, "It's a place for those who need it to find acceptance and, as you put it, be their best selves, yes… so that we can show the world that what is different need not always be uncontrolled and feared, in whatever form that might take." Charles replies. An agreement of sorts, but also a deliberate distinction from Alex's somewhat divisive statement. It's important to not forget that just because their lot in the world can be rough going at times, that they are after all still a part of it.
That said however Xavier turns to face Hank directly, a furrow to his brow as if his question might be pressing in it's own way, "I was wondering how straightforward it might be to adjust Cerebro to monitor brain activity without actually activating the amplification. I've something I need to test without it's usual aid, preferably by this weekend."
*
Alex is… in this one area, immune to reminders. He nods his head as if in agreement to Xavier, but his mind makes clear: that separation of /them/ verses /us/ is set firmly in line with him. From the time his adoptive parents utterly rejected him when his powers emerged, he has had this line. In nearly all ways, he follows Xavier's doctrine, but here, in this: they are they, and *we* are *us*. Even when Xavier says otherwise, Alex simply doesn't hear it. But Alex nods, regardless.
Havok turns his attention to Hank, and grins, "Yeah, a lot more soldering. Don't get me wrong, I can do some basic electronic work— but man, geophysics prepares me for a very broad field but it doesn't cover this suit of mine. Thanks. Let me know if we need any tests done."
And then Alex looks to Xavier, and he tilts his head, curious. He doesn't fully understand how Cerebro works, but he's interested. To say Alex is curious about the world is an understatement.
*
"Easily. Yes. It is just one big glectroencephalogram." Hank nodded but there was little pause before he went on, "You just want to track someone's brainwaves? Why, was there an injury?" Hank looks collected but concerned, his brow has drawn with a doctor's determination as he went on to ask, "If you were looking or make a rec-" Hank sounds as though he were about to go on but he catches himself and just turns bluntly to Xavier. Asking, "How can I help?" In between speaking to Xavier Hank was also writing things on the clipboard. He opens the clasp and takes off the top page, turning to Alex, "Here's a training schedule for later this month." Without missing a beat. "Let me know if it works for you. I took your classes into account."
*
The line in Alex's head is broadcast loud and clear, but Xavier just nods in return, letting it be for now. It's a wound deep running in Alex, and while Charles will continue to voice the paradigm of compassion when the topic arises in the hopes it will one day find purchase, only Alex can choose when or if he is ready for that.
"Thankfully no, nothing like that." Charles replies, one hand appearing from his pocket to make a dismissive wave. "There's an old trick I've not had much need for since Cerebro came along that I might need to dust off again soon; Moira is rather insistent on it being properly documented first, and she does I believe have a point."
*
Taking up the clipboard, Alex looks over it, nodding repeatedly as he does, "Yeah, I can make this work. Thanks, Beast." There's a quick grin from Alex as he says this, and he reaches out to give a soft sorta punch to Hank's shoulder. Its meant companionably. But more seriously, he looks over to Charles and nods: he at once doesn't really know that the Professor read him, but isn't concerned if he had. Alex expects to have no secrets before the world's foremost telepath— hell, he expects to have no secrets before Jean. He accepts this with a casual calmness that doesn't even venture towards thinking of being concerned.
"Old trick, Professor? I can't even pretend to understand how Cerebro works— that is totally beyond my field of expertise— but I thought amplification was the whole of its function. Got a new card up your sleeve?"
*
Hank's concerned expression begins to slowly cloud with a sort of mild distaste at not being told all the details, "Of course, Charles. I'll be prepared." Hank took a deep calming breath and his smiled again "For all your days be prepared, and meet them ever alike. When you are the anvil, bear - when you are the hammer, strike. Cerebro will be waiting for you and Moira."
-— New Activity ---
Hank blinks and looks back over and down at the friendly punch from Alex. "Amplification is the beauty of the design but the basis for the machine is rooted in measuring brain wave patterns." Hank explained with a conversational aside, going on to add, "The machine receives a lot of data output that the Professor translates rather naturally while it in use but which can offer us greater insight into out the mind work. Provided of course you know how to read all those squiggly lines."
*
Charles smiles a little at that sense of unconcern from Alex; even amongst other mutants it's a rare thing to have his particular power accepted unreservedly. He really can't blame those who are uneasy all considered, but the alternative is still rather novel.
"Thank you Hank. Markham would approve, I'm sure. I can stop by tomorrow for some specifics if you're busy just now." he needs to ask Moira before revealing what she's up to, though he's happy enough to talk to Hank about astral projection in either case.
*
There's a quick nod, and Alex offers a warm smile to them both, "Good then. I've got more training on my schedule today, so I'll see you both for dinner. I'll give you a hint: I intend to *fly*. I'm positive the energy output from the plasma stream can be converted into thrust… but first, the fine control of the hand-channels. One step at a time, we make our own future." A lift of a hand, and Alex then turns and makes his way out.
*
"He was man that understood duty.." Hank agreed beaming with delight even as he commented, "Yet, tomorrow is best I think, I did promise Alex here I'd spend my evening getting started on his rewire."
Hank laughs kindly at the mention of flight, "Anything is possible."