ax_main | Simon, TJ, and Gilmore

Simon and Gilmore had some issues turning the power-suppression collars into something that can help mutants at risk from their abilities. TJ generously offers to be their test subject.

Simon grimaced slightly as he gently fit the collar around TJ's throat, careful not to let it pinch any of the fine tufts of fur as he did so. "I apologize that we couldn't use something more humane. We're still having issues altering the technology to suit our needs. Our tests inside of an electric field went very well - but when you try to shift that concept to something more...mobile, we've discovered that the electric charge must have access to the brainstem, and we can't very well go around asking someone to wear a helmet."

Indeed, he and Gilmore had settled on a less obtrusive collar than the one used by the Right, but it still had a ways to go before it was something that a mutant may want to wear in public. And that, unfortunately, was just the tip of the iceberg. They were still having power-generation issues, as well as the fact that Simon was still struggling to discover exactly how the field affected the brain, cutting off access to a mutant's powers. At least now that they had the collar, he could monitor changes in the body himself.

"It's ugly," Shaun Gilmore clarified, with a tone of annoyed disdain that you couldn't just hear, you could practically taste. "He's very kindly saying it's ugly." Gilmore didn't create things that were ugly. It offended his very nature to have to look at the device that Simon was handling and know that he had put the thing together. The device worked -- of course it did -- but it still clenched his stomach to look at it. He focused on the readouts on his tablet instead, a frown on his brow and an unattractive tightness to his mouth.

Focusing on the aesthetics of the problem was, Gilmore knew in his heart, a way to distract himself from the real fear that twisted his gut in knots. While he hadn't expected this work to be a breeze, it was proving far more difficult and problematic than he had expected. What was worse, Shaun knew that they had a... timeline. He didn't like to think about the word deadline. Not when the real reason for his urgency and dedication to this project hovered relentlessly at the back of his mind. He was spending most of his free time on this work, making infinitesimal progress, and every day he felt like he was steadily failing the person he loved. This did not do wonders for Gilmore's disposition.

"Trust me, boys, this is a vast improvement on the last one they put me in," TJ assured them both, flashing fangs in a bright grin. "A lot less clunky." The lack of torture, head-shaving, and having to stand the rants of Mojo also helped. She caught Gilmore's gaze. "What about that panic button?"

Gilmore glanced up just in time, and almost twitched a smile. He hadn't forgotten. "Bring your right hand up just under your ear," he answered, miming the same movement since it would be impossible for TJ to see the spot once the device was actually on. "There is an actual button, but you can smack it anywhere in that general vicinity and it will interrupt the current and unlock." Panic, after all, was not a feeling that led to precise manual dexterity. If one wanted out, one wanted out fast.

"And, of course, I'll be right here," Simon told her. "Monitoring your vitals, so if I feel your anxiety start to rise, I'll release it myself."

"Don't," TJ requested with a small smile, as she felt along the collar for that button. Okay, here. Good. "I'd rather decide if I can deal with my anxiety." Honestly, as long as the thing didn't affect her physical appearance, she'd be fine. And if it did, she'd just hit the button herself.

That was TJ for you -- independent, confident, positive, and challenging assumptions you didn't even know you'd made. A momentarily fond expression fluttered over Gilmore's face before he was distracted by his purpose once again. His readouts were ready and the collar fit, all that remained was to power it up and let Simon monitor TJ while she tried to do her thing. "Ready when you two are," Gilmore noted, giving Simon a nod.

Simon finished getting the collar in place, checking the small nodes on the back of TJ's neck, then he moved around to stand in front of TJ, his hands out. "However you would like to touch me... I don't like to presume everyone's preferences."

"Ready for me?" TJ asked as she held her hands out. More of a warning coached in a rhetoric question, as she then put them in Simon's. She was glad he'd already read her; there wouldn't be any surprises in store for him. Her yellow eyes flicked over to Gilmore, tail swinging restlessly behind her. "I'm good to go, boss."

"Here we go, then." Gilmore didn't know what else to tell her. Thank you came to mind, quite fervently, but I'm sorry rushed up close behind. He had experienced the total nullification of his mutant senses when the dampening field went haywire during his manipulations of the original collar. It felt like suddenly losing his sense of touch. It felt awful. It felt impossible to believe that this terrible numbing sensation could somehow save Nolan's life.

Gilmore kept his attention focused down on the tablet, and tapped the controls that would bring the collar, and the nullification field, online. Although he was ninety-nine percent certain that the field wouldn't change any of TJ's visible mutations, he didn't want to watch what might happen if he was wrong.

Simon could immediately sense the field engage, his focus entirely on the shift in neurons and neurotransmitters as it did. Fortunately, he felt no physical changes in his charge, but there were changes, especially in dampening the flashes of light and energy in her thalamus. And that, he realized, was the key. The thalamus must serve as the relay station for mutant abilities. Affect that, and signals couldn't reach the rest of the cortex.

TJ's gaze moved to her hands immediately, although she was pretty sure she would feel any physical changes if they happened - her entire physiology was mutant. Still, it was a relief to see the blue fur stick around, and her hands remain their usual three-fingered selves. She batted her tail behind her, just because she could, and only then tried to reach for that interdimensional energy that was always at her fingertips. "Yeah, it's working," she confirmed with a moue. "But hey, I still look awesome."

"Of course you do," Gilmore agreed, carefully monitoring the energy levels and other indicators that the collar was sending back to the tablet. So far, every dial and slider was green and working within normal, safe parameters. He briefly wondered if this was what people looked like to Simon's abilities. Probably not. Simon was a genius; he definitely had a genius-level visualization technique too. "I can see the field fluctuates at irregular intervals. I think that's you trying to use your abilities. Hm... Simon, will it throw you off if we have TJ try her wall-climbing and see what happens?"

"Literally or figuratively?" Simon asked, a small smirk on his lips. "If she is careful, I can keep a hand on her as we move over to the wall."

"Careful, definitely not my middle name," TJ replied easily. She took a leaf out of Vex's book and winked at Simon. "But I'll try real hard for you."

She pulled one of her hands out of his, so they could easily walk over to the wall hand in hand. She didn't need to do actual wall-climbing to know whether it still worked. She put her free hand flat on the wall and tried to get the usual purchase. "Yeah, that's still on," she confirmed after her hand adhered to the wall the usual way.

"Interesting," Gilmore hummed, starting to warm a little more to the device he'd previously seen as a mild success at best. TJ play-flirting with Simon was also interesting, even though it required Gilmore to look up from his screen to see how Simon would react.

Simon cleared his throat, a little color appearing on his cheeks as he tried to ignore the hint of physical attraction he'd seen in her. He knew it was nothing more than an aesthetic appreciation, but even so, he wasn't used to people looking his direction. "The atomic bonding between cells that occurs on the surface of her hands and feet are likely more a feature of her anatomy than something she can use on command."

"Yeah, she always could climb walls," TJ agreed lightly, and gave them one of her sharp grins. "Imagine what baby proofing must have been like."

Gilmore finally smiled honestly, breathing a little laugh. "I'm sure you were the most adorable of tiny terrors, learning to crawl vertically. Itty-bitty tail and all. Shall we try one of the bolts next?"

"Just try to aim away from the expensive lab equipment," Simon cautioned.

TJ's tail pointed at Gilmore when he called her an adorable tiny terror, as if to say, you know it. "That's what I was trying before," TJ let them know, even as she tried to reach for her hex bolt energy again. In vain. It wasn't a good feeling, but it wasn't her first time being depowered, and it likely wouldn't be her last.

Distractedly, Gilmore nodded, adding markers at certain points in the readout to indicate where attempts had been made. "You are a glorious research assistant, TJ. Simon, is everything all right, physically speaking?"

Simon gave a short nod as he finally took his hand away from her. He would mention the discomfort he'd felt in her to Gilmore when they were alone, but that was likely due to the absence of her powers rather than the presence of the collar itself. "Nothing unexpected, though intriguing that the thalamus seems to be the gate to TJ's, if not all, mutant powers. Of course, I'd like to do more testing in that direction with other volunteers. It could help in research toward maladaptive disorders."

"You don't want me to try possessing Simon?" she asked Gilmore, tilting her head towards Simon. They'd already be touching for him to read her, and it wouldn't work, anyway. Still, she turned to him, "If it works, you'll be out for a while. But it shouldn't, right?"

"My dear, dazzling friend, I would like nothing more," Gilmore answered, sliding into a characteristic gush and a smile as if he hadn't forgotten to ask her to do that. As if he weren't tired as hell and constantly riding a low-grade fear that his work wouldn't be good enough to do anything for Nolan. "But if Simon disagrees, of course you can possess me."

Simon was reasonably certain that TJ couldn't possess him, but the suggestion still gave him pause. Being possessed wasn't the most appealing idea in the universe... however, he'd asked her to put on the collar and do something unappealing for him, so it wasn't as though Simon could balk at something similar. "If you'd like to try, go ahead."

"It won't work," she told Simon, resolutely, as if the force of her willpower might back up the collar. "But if it does, I'll get out straight away." And it was her turn to hold her hand out to him, waiting for him to choose to touch her.

"Right," he murmured, but reached out to take her hand. "For science."

TJ gave him a reassuring smile, then willed herself into him... to no avail. "Yep. Not working. You're good." She tried again, to give Gilmore more readings.

"This is brilliant, TJ. Beyond helpful. Having multiple results in the same test is going to tell us so much." Gilmore tapped at the tablet to ensure the data was saved for analysis by someone who better understood exactly what they were seeing. He just made the machines work. Someone else was going to have to understand why they did.

"How do you feel?" Gilmore touched his chest above his heart as he asked, a quick little pat to show that he didn't mean to ask how she was feeling physically.

"Meh," TJ very eloquently replied, with an accompanying shrug, as she let go of Simon's hand. "Being cut off from my powers isn't my favorite thing in the world, but it's happened before and it'll happen again, I'm sure. At least this time it's for a good cause, and the company's way better."

Simon reached up to gently begin removing the collar from her neck. "We do appreciate this. The more volunteers we have to monitor, the better we can make the technology."

"You were already a hero in my eyes, but now you're an extra hero," Gilmore noted, watching the careful way that Simon handled the removal with a touch of fondness. "I'd be interested in hearing about the previous de-powering instances sometime, if you ever feel like talking. All information helps in trying to narrow this down to just stopping the harmful effects of mutation."

"I'm not sure I could tell you much that would help," TJ answered, idly rubbing at her neck once the collar was off. She held a hand up, and a small hex bolt exploded just above it, with a faint smell of sulfur. "But I'm yours to interrogate, any time you want. Either of you," she added, in case Simon had questions too.

Simon glanced over at her as he moved to put the collar back in its case. "I'll admit, I've been a little curious about your...ah, otherworldly adventures."

Gilmore's posture relaxed a fraction once the collar was put away again. His love/hate relationship with the thing was complicated, at best, with 'hate' winning out over 'love' at the moment. "I'll try to construct some scientific-sounding questions instead of just straight up fan-boying about how totally cool you are," he said with a wry little smile.

TJ flashed Gilmore a grin. "Flattery will get you everywhere. Seriously, any time. Hit me up."

"Will do. Thank you," Gilmore said sincerely, despite the playful banter. What TJ had done for them already was both incredibly helpful and quite brave. "You're a hero in our books. We'll let you run outside and play before we pounce you for more data, all right?"

"Let me know if you need new tests, too," TJ stated, with a nod towards the collar, as she headed for the door. "Good luck with all that stuff."

"We'll let you know," Simon agreed, snapping the lid closed on the collar's container.