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Evening at the Baxter Building is strangely insane today. Thanks to constant presence of reporters and cameras today, it's been incredibly noisy in and around the area. And overtime one of the Fantastic Four has left the building, questions seem to have followed. The hubbub on the street below means there is truly no peace to be found, even for those 34 floors up.
It also means no one just wants to spend time in the general living space to hear the phone ringing off the hook — or, worse — to answer it.
This doesn't negate the fact that people still need to eat. Taking two steps at a time, Sue trails up the steps to the lab with two plates of eggs in hand. She couldn't stomach dinner today, or the thought of it (of course, maybe that has something to do with the quality of her cooking rather than her now-natural nausea).
"Reed?" she peeks around the lab. "Joon?" The plates are both set on one of the tables. So much easier than holding them.
*
Reed is… towards the back a little, heads-together with… ah…. Jessica over a notebook. He picks his head up, though, when he hears Sue call out "Over here!" he announces, knowing that the lab has grown somewhat warren-like in recent weeks. Accomodating the visit from General Ross without letting the military get a look at half the things in the lab created some chaos that still hasn't been cleaned up yet.
"As for what he's up to with the young spider-clone? Well. "…the fabric can handle a design like that no problem," he assures her. "It just takes a little more care during the molecular customization process."
*
Jessica's head comes up at the same time Reed's does, and while he calls for Sue, her nose twitches. Are those… oh god, Sue made more eggs, didn't she. She puts on a smile to hide the wave of nausea she's hit with, pushing herself up to sit straighter. "Heyyyyyyy. We were just, y'know. Being giant nerds," she says brightly.
Then Reed's drawing her attention back to the drawings in her notebook and she nods, thoughtful. "And I won't have problems with all of this covered, right?" she asks, gesturing to her nose and mouth. "I mean. Spider-Girl's got that all open, but being covered just seems… I don't know. Smarter, I guess? Something."
*
Jessica earns an easy smile as she hangs form the ceiling. It's par the course these days. A smirk follows the assessment of the giant nerds and she hums uncertainly at the assessment. Her gaze shifts to eye the drawing. "Getting a suit, Jessica?" she asks as her eyebrows lift. She swallows hard and her gaze slides back to Reed, "You're not… working on anything…" her lips purse "…dangerous, I hope."
*
"Oh, no, no problem," Reed assures Jessica. "I know it's an unusual material but it's very breathable, especially since we can configure that portion of the mask for it. A little less density in the bindings, and you should barely notice a difference."
Sue's question draws a tilt of his head, a furrowed brow, and a slight frown. That's an unusual way to ask the question. "Ah… no, can't say I am," he replies. "Some theoretical meta physics, a better primary lens for the big reflecting telescope…" He gestures at Jessica, "And waiting for the molecular loom to turn out a fresh set of base fabric, of course." The 'blanks' that get customized down into new unstable molecule uniforms. "I really need to put together a mechanism for re-weaving replacements once we've got all the custom data," he murmurs, making a mental note to himself out loud. It is possible he has no idea what Sue's really asking about here.
*
"It seems like a good idea," Jessica replies to Sue, helplessly shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, this is all I've got that's mine, but you don't just go and do these things in jeans and a t-shirt. Then you're not 'Spider-Woman', you're… Jessica. And that is not an intimidating name." She makes a face. Really. She should think of a better one.
She remains where she is, though Sue does get a rather odd look at that remark. Dangerous? "What, do you guys blow up your lab on the regular?" she asks curiously, peering between them.
*
"…right," Sue replies ineloquently to Reed as her gaze moves towards the ceiling. She's going to have to consider and perhaps explain that further. A chuckle follows Jessica's assessment, "I can see how Jessica wouldn't really put terror into the hearts of people hurting others." Her smile remains for several beats until she shifts back to the notion of danger.
"I feel like you would've told me if it happened, but I don't exactly…" her eyes squint and she frowns. "I saw Jen the other day and invited her to join our efforts," she lifts a hand of apology, "I need all of you safe and really know the necessity of that." She emits a sigh. "But that's not… she's worried about Peter. And I'm sure I would know if it were a thing, but I just need to confirm because Jen seemed to think that he got , yet…" she pinches the bridge of her nose. "Did you make Peter a new suit?"
*
"It is frequently a possibility," Reed asides to Jessica, to answer her question. "We take precautions." He manages this while listening to Sue, however, and the confusion on his face deepens a little as she goes.
"Yes," he confirms. "He asked me for one. It's over there— I found an empty Macy's box to fold it up all neat in," he replies, thumbing in the appropriate direction. "If he takes much longer to swing by, I may have to put a bow on it. I probably should have asked for a better manner of contact, but I figured he'd come check in on it by now."
A pause, and a frown. "But from the way you ask, I don't think that is quite the answer expected."
*
All these names that Jessica doesn't know. Well, except for one, but there are millions of Peters in the world. It couldn't possibly be that one, could it? She just keeps her mouth shut and flicks her eyes between the pair as they talk, though the Macy's box does get a very curious look once Reed's pointed it out. Oh, the impulse to snoop. Stay put, kid. Not yours.
*
As Reed speaks Sue can feel her expression oscillating between relief and concern. "Not exactly," she offers back with a weak, and somewhat perplexed near-frown. "Jen mentioned that he got a new suit and it's strangely…" her hand teeters in the air uncertainly, "…alive." Her eyes squint. "I know how that sounds. But the way Jen described it, it separated into a shirt and pants when Peter no longer needed his uniform. And, he's been acting unusual."
Her jaw tightens considerably. "And along with that, he's acting odd. Apparently he was let go from work, and he is lying to," her eyes sweep towards Jessica uncertainly, "his aunt. And I got the impression he yelled at her." Her frown deepens. "I'm concerned. This all started after he was here. We have nothing experimental we should be concerned about, do we?"
*
The subtle shrug Reed gives Jessica probably says more than most such gestures would, given how much time she's been spending up here. Yes, that Peter, no, she shouldn't consider it a big deal. Well, maybe not until that bit of news towards the end.
Reed's eyebrow goes up, and he quite clearly takes a few moments to run a mental list before answering the question. "….nothing I'm aware of," he concludes. "I'd say our sample of Victor's toys, but we've boxed those and they were confirmed inactive. I haven't so much as pulled them out of storage for a closer look yet. So that seems unlikely. He hasn't visited that I'm aware of since the capsule crash, so none of the high-energy things we've done since are likely."
A pause, and his eyes slide towards Jessica. "At least— begging pardon, Jess— nothing that shouldn't be affecting at least one of us equally if it were the case."
He taps on the countertop. "I assume, based on the question, that's he's wearing something new, that he clearly didn't acquire from us."
*
Why is Sue looking at her while she's saying this? Jessica gives Reed a questioning look just in time to see that shrug, and the face that she makes as a result is… interesting. Her hands come up to massage her temples and she slowly straightens up, pacing off to the side so that she can very calmly walk down the wall and onto the floor.
The world's feeling upside-down enough without her being literally, you know, upside-down.
"Baaaaaaaack it up. This is — I — this is Peter Parker?" Jessica asks slowly, one eye squinted shut as she looks between them. "Who needs a suit. Has a suit. And he's acting w—" Wait. Suddenly, she looks torn between being horrified and outraged. "He yelled at Aunt May? THE WOMAN IS A SAINT."
*
Seo's head turns to watch Jessica. "I'm aware, Jessica," she replies softly. "Please…try to control your temper. Something has gone foul and we require resolution not anger," her cheeks puff out and she can feel her skin paling. Those eggs are noxious.
Back towards Reed, she nods. "I said that to Jen, and I explained to her that I felt that if you had designed Peter a suit that was somehow intelligent that I'd know about it." Her lips purse lightly. "But yes, it seems that he is wearing new suit, and seems to have given Jen the impression that he got it from us."
*
"…a suit that is somehow intelligent," Reed repeats. "A smart suit…" Gears turn a few revolution before he grabs hold of the wheel again, shakes his head. "No, you'd be wearing one if I had one." he drums on the bench surface again. "When he asked, I told him to consider it done. Obviously I didn't mean it *was* done, but if it's affecting his mental faculties…"
*
Jessica bites her tongue and folds her arms tightly across her chest. She's not glaring at Sue — she's just glaring, and Sue happens to be in her line of sight. At least briefly.
While Reed and Sue continue to try working this out, Jessica sets her jaw and starts across the lab. Towards the Macy's box. At this point, she has to sneak a peek inside.
*
Jessica's glare is met with a sharp lift of Sue's eyebrows and a very mom-unimpressed expression. Her jaw tightens. Her nostrils flare. Just no. But the expression shifts back to concern as Sue actually addresses Reed. "….right…" Sue nods again. "Well, and I'd assumed if you'd managed to uncover some amazing intelli-suit technology that you'd be really excited about it. So, at the very least, I'd assumed I would've heard of it that way." Her lips press together tightly. "Alright, I suppose we should probably talk to Peter — "
*
Reed nods, and pushes up out of his seat to quietly tag along behind Jessica. "No, not likely I'd keep something like that to myself," he agrees with a small smile. "If this suit is… intelligent, and affecting him in this fashion, it may be dangerous. And given the rest of what's going on, and what he was doing here last… I hesitate to suggest extraterrestrial origin, but it seems the season."
Why's he chasing along after Jessica? Well, it's not to stop her from looking, exactly. "If you'd like to see it," he notes. "Just don't let his taste in clothes affect yours."
*
Jessica casts a brief look over her shoulder towards Reed when she stops at the table, her hands already poised over the Macy's box. …oh, well, if he's not going to tell her not to look, then she is 100% going to look. "Why would his taste effect mine?" she asks wryly, looking down as she peels the cover off the box. "I mean, it's… oh."
She squints down at the neatly-folded suit sitting in the box, her lips twisting first to one side, then the other. Then she casts a look back towards the open notebook on the far workbench, with the drawings in it. She takes a slow, deep breath, then exhales to blow her hair out of her face, exasperated.
"…I don't know what I was expecting."
*
"I agree, in fact, we should probably try to address this sooner than later. I believe Jen already expressed concern, but from what I understand, Peter didn't listen." Sue's gaze turns towards the ceiling. "So I suppose we need to aim to have a conversation." Her chin lifts and her gaze remains trained on the ceiling.
"Get the suit you want, Jessica. Regardless of Peter's choices," a long pause follows the statement. "Well that's got to be a strange sentence for you. Sorry."
*
"Parallel development," Reed says in agreement with Jess's sentiment. "Not surprising, under the circumstances. I suspect it's going to be a while before you feel like it, but you are your own person. Think of it like… mmm…" He tries to think of a version of this that isn't worse. "…a cousin with an annoyingly similar taste in clothes? It will diverge over time in some ways and in others it won't, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't wear what you like now."
*
"Not the weirdest sentence I've heard this week," Jessica says wryly to Sue, waving the apology off as her eyes drift back down to Peter's suit. She does look troubled now, but is it any wonder, really?
She drums her fingertips against the lid before she pushes it closed again, briefly chewing on her lower lip. "…I need to look something up," Jessica says in a distracted-sounding tone, turning to head for the door. "Just, uh. If you call him, maybe don't mention me yet. Especially if he's acting weird."