11490/Math is an Eternal Threat

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Math is an Eternal Threat
Date of Scene: 16 May 2020
Location: Study Hall - Xavier's School
Synopsis: Participants decide to investigate SpiderByte.
Cast of Characters: Iceman, Shadowcat, Nightingale, Pixie, Red




Iceman has posed:
Iceman is half-sitting in, half-sprawled-on an armchair flipping through a textbook, making notes for his summer-school classes.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's of the opinion doors are for normal folks. So she's just phasing in the most direct way to get to where she wants to go. She's got a pile of paperwork to do, too, and enough cofffee to float the mansion and grounds too. Dressed for summer, Kitty's got her blousse, shortss and flip flops on, and her hair tied back. Given all thats going on, now's a good time to pick up the slack on paperwork. Hambone's already got five demerits this week and it's only Saturday. Okay, Okay.

That's one per weekday.

Iceman has posed:
Iceman's left hand is idly icing up and de-icing as he works on curriculum notes, making a rhythmic cracking sound as it does so. Small flakes of shaved ice have piled up on the floor near his chair. He doesn't look up at Kitty's arrival, recognizing her heat patterns through long familiarity, but gives a casual friendly wave. "You know, that _still_ weirds me out, even after all this time."

Nightingale has posed:
     With all the shenanigans happening around the mansion lately, one would think that the study hall would be an ideal place to retreat and regroup. Hey, school's out for the summer, and nobody in their right mind would be in there when there were so many cooler (yes, insert pun here) things to be doing around the mansion, right? Right!

     Wrong!

     Dressed in her pale blue sundress, daisy flip-flops, and carrying her laptop bag with all her peripherals, Shannon slips into the study hall, humming a small bit of the latest melody to bubble up from somewhere within her soul. All notes fade, however, the moment she catches sight of Mr. Drake.

     Her nemesis for /months/.

     To be avoided at all costs.

     But to turn around and leave now would be supremely bad form. So there was no help for it. She simply levels a cool look at him, just nods once, and goes to find a seat on the other side of the room.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kity was...yeah, was gonna talk to Bobby. Something something watch your powers, something...then Shannon went all discount Emma Frost. Yeesh. Okay. Wht was that bout? Sheesh. Kitty watches Shannon for a moment and then looks to Bobby, palms raised.

"No idea" she offers, keeping an eye on Shannon out the corner of her eye. Looking over to Bobby again Kitty cracks a smile. "You know the school year's over, or are you cramming for next year and trying for a head start? Seems Miss Lance doesn't much care for you. WHat'd you do, give her 1000 quadratic equations on the chalk board for moulting in class?" she teases, with a wave to Shannon. "Hey, Shannon, drop by my office later? I should have Hambone out of there by then. Little bastard took it over so I'm here" she says and mentally adds a few hundred more demerits.

Iceman has posed:
Iceman looks up at Shannon's arrival with a pained and somewhat guilty expression. They've been kind of avoiding each other since their last conversation went south, and it has gotten a little ridiculous. Well, OK, a lot ridiculous. And, as the grownup involved, he supposes it's his job to make the first move to fix things.
    He hates being the grownup. But, whatcha gonna do? It's the price of surviving.
    He concentrates briefly, and an ice-sculpture forms on her desk... a snowman waving.?The room's temperature drops briefly, then returns to normal.
    He gives Kitty a grin and a shrug. "I'm tutoring remedial calc this summer, for a few students I really don't want to see repeat the class next year. My usual curriculum clearly didn't work for them last year, so... you know. Trying something new."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon is, at that moment, sliding her laptop free of its bag and is just about to set it on the desk. But it remains in her hands, poised above the little ice sculpture. For a moment, it looks as if her icy facade might melt. The corners of her mouth threaten to twitch upwards into a smile. But no, her expression remains the same.

     However, she does nudge the little snowman safely to the side, where he will not be squished by her laptop, nor will he be melted by heat coming from the fans as she works on her music.

     Well, at least it was something.

     To Kitty, she just shrugs a little, ruffling her wings. "No, not cramming. Just had a song idea keeping me up all night, figured I'd drag myself out of my dorm for a change of scenery to work on it. But you're right, I should probably get a head start on bio for the next term." Her lips are set in a bit of a thin line, and her voice drops a notch in volume. "My family may not have abandoned me, but I can't go home for the summer, either. Not a very mutant-friendly area."

     Summer break? What was that?

Iceman has posed:
Iceman tries to remember where Shannon is from, but draws a blank. He frowns. Teachers were supposed to remember that sort of thing... Professor Xavier always did. Granted, telepathy probably helps with that, but still. "That sucks," he commiserates. "We'll try to make Xavier's a more pleasant alternative. Any plans for the summer?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "If I use my image inducer, I might be able to manage a brief visit home, but staying there for the summer wouldn't work too well." Shannon shrugs, and just tilts her head slightly to one side. "Guess I'll just kind of miss those quirky local events that happen back in Waterford, ya know? Those goofy little things you grow up with that just sort of /make/ things, you know? But yeah, definitely mutant-unfriendly. Especially when that Sentinel factory that got shut down early last fall happened to be one town over."

     Yeah. Not too much reason to go back and stay put.

     Plans for the summer, though? She chews her lower lip briefly, and shrugs again. "Hoping that I can get in touch with miss Grey and make sure it's okay if Doctor Banner continues being my mentor. Other than that, just work on music, maybe get a leg up on the next term... then there's learning to handle my Vespa, and prep for the license tests there."

     She peers over at Kitty, pinching the bridge of her nose. Great. What had she done to get called to her office now?

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty returns the peer."You didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to catch up with you, and yes, up in New England" Kitty nods to the mention of the Sentinel factory. Looking over them all, Kitty looks relaxed and at ease. Which is good for all concerned. Kitty settles back in her chair, lazily scratching away at paperwork. Okay, top Kitty tip.

Bring ice cream for paperwork.

Iceman has posed:
Iceman nods agreement. "Yeah, best to avoid Sentinels when you can. Still, sucks to be barred from home."    He himself hadn't really been back home for any length of time since he'd been outed as a mutant, but it was different for him... the Professor had edited everyone's memories, so he _could_ visit, or even move back. The problem was, _he_ still remembered the way everyone had freaked out, even people he'd considered good friends. It had left a bad taste in his mouth.
    "How about you, Kitty... any big plans?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's not like my family doesn't love and support me," Shannon offers, trying to clarify. "That's what landed me up here in the first place. At least a short visit's possible, but pretty much for all intents and purposes, this is home now." She runs her fingers through her hair, and just falls silent for several long moments. "Guess we could plan a cookout for everyone, maybe make it potluck...?"

     Still, she does a verbal tap-dance around whatever it is that had put a figurative wall of ice up, avoiding the topic entirely. That would have to be addressed another time.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty cants her head. "Nothing much, just help out around here and fill in at Stark if they want me. Truth be told, I enjoy here too much to give it up" Kitty offers with a smile. "I could go home but why, when my family's all here?" she asks with a look over the room and nods. "I mean, all of you guys are my family" she says looking glad. Watching them all more, Kitty nods.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn wasn't all that keen on studying, especially since she'd recently graduated from highschool and was taking a short break before starting g college. Plus it's Spring break isn't it? Of course, with the lockdown and all, thanks in part to herself, Megan still wasn't going anywhere and was stuck in this....Place.

So she is here, wandering around the study hall, listening to an audio book of King Arthur legends for obvious reasons to those who know her, perhaps. Oh yeah, and she still has those creepy bat wings. And claws. And many mutants still give her a wide berth even though rumour has it that the evil influence over her was recently expunged thanks to the combined efforts of Jean and Betsy..

Well mostly, anyway. She still seems a far cry from her old, chipper self.

Iceman has posed:
Iceman waves to the batwinged student, or ex-student. "Hey Megan, join the party! We're thinking about organizing a cookout for the folks staying for the summer... you want in? I make a mean trifle."

Shadowcat has posed:
"Did you just use cookout and trifle in the same sentence?" Kitty asks with a look from Bobby to Shannon, as if silently asking if she heard it too. "I mean....I mean, okay, but...you can't very well put a trifle on a grill" she says, though knowing just who said it, he probably could make cooking a trifle work. Somehow. Some way.

Kitty? Not so much. She's more liable to phase through the grill by accident though. Still, she's interested by a cookout option. If Shannon and Gwendolyn are there, everyone will get treated great.

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's not so farfetched, Kitty," Shannon offers. "If one grills the cake part of the trifle just long enough to toast the outside a little bit, it'd add a nice depth of flavor to the finished dessert." Trust the resident healer-in-training--who seems to spend as much time in the kitchen as in the medbay--to think of that one!

     While she does smile over at Megan, she also respects her need for space, simply waving over at her fellow flier. "Hey there, Pixie. How are you feeling?" Mmhmm. She knew what was up, and she wasn't squawking!

Iceman has posed:
Iceman chuckles. "Right. Besides, you don't have to cook _everything_ at a cookout. I mean, there'll be drinks, if nothing else. But..." he looks thoughtful. "A grilled trifle would be interesting, though. You could grill some of the fruit, though. Like... grilled pineapple, at least. And apple. But the best part of trifle is the whipped cream." He pauses, and adds as an afterthought "We don't grill that. It'd be messy."

Shadowcat has posed:
"See. This is why" Kitty says patiently, "This is why I'm not a cook, this is why you are all better at me than cooking. And I'm the guidance counselor" she nods as she looks to Bobby then Shannon. "Well, I'm surrounded by chefs, and hey Megan, you okay?" she asks. Kitty's worried about Megan, but...but.....

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nearly doesn't hear people calling out to her. She's so lost in her own little fantastical world of round tables and evil fairies and..Oh hey, Shannon's saving to her, and there are some other people talking. She pulls out her earbuds and blinks, still in a daze.

"...Huh? Ohh...Hii.." she smiles faintly at people but hesitates before coming over. Bobby is eyed a bit warily, clearly they did not part on the best of terms last time but she's not one to hold grudges, "Oh, umm Mister Drake, hi, haven't seen you in a long time." she bites her lip, shifting nervously, "Umm sure, that sounds fun.." she manages a faint smile before eyes slide towards Shannon, and her smile seems..Sadder for a moment as she regards her, for some reason.

Megan quickly looks away, focusing on a Kitty. "So, what's this about a barbecue? umm what's a trifle even? That like a truffle?" as for how she's feeling, she just shrugs and smiles, though there is still faint sadness and sheer exhaustion behind that smile. "Umm..Better since Ms. Grey and Ms. Braddock helped me."

Iceman has posed:
"A trifle is like a truffle, except more I and less you," Bobby observes, straightfaced. Not that he's dismissing Megan's trauma, but, well, this is _Bobby_. Making jokes out of serious situations is basically his trademark.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon rolls her eyes a little bit, and facepalms at Mr. Drake's description of a trifle. "A trifle's a dish usually made of cake and pudding layered in a tall dish, sometimes with fresh fruit or other elements added." She looks about to open her mouth again, when...

     ...in her little brown leather bag, her phone begins to do its buzzing dance. Her brows arch as she opens the little pouch and withdraws her phone to check it out. "The heck..?" She taps out a quick reply, her brows drawn together as she considers what to do. This was damn mysterious, but what to do about it?

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty can't help but hide a giggle behind her hand. "That! she says with a nod looking over to Shannon then Megan with a look and a raised eyebrow at Shannon, then Megan and finally Iceman.

"I think you've got a career in food?" Kitty offers to Shannon, not glancing away from Bobby....not yet at least.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn oohs, "Like a sweet cake that you fry?" she actually giggles, seeming to loosen up a bit at Bobby's antics. "I mean, can you even fry something like that? But it does sound yummy. I think a roof top barbecue would be the best." she glances back at Shannon, raising a brow. "Um, everything okay, Shan?"

Iceman has posed:
"Yeah, like that," Bobby agrees, distractedly. His attention is mostly taken up by Shannon's phone call, and her reaction to it. He nods at Kitty's question, watching the student with an air of concern.

Nightingale has posed:
     Great. Where to start. Shannon lets out a bit of a sigh. "Remember that trip to the coffee shop we had just recently, Kitty? Ever since, I've had text messages pop up from a source that leaves no trace, no return number, and only will identify themselves as 'Spyder Byte'. She looks between Kitty and Bobby. "I was hoping to talk to miss Grey about it. Especially since I've got a pretty strong hunch we may be dealing with a technopath. This is the sort of thing that Sam Morgan would and has done, but these messages are nothing like him. Oh, and did I mention the messages erase themselves?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty sits up more. "You mean everyone but us and that other guy in the corner with his computer lost their pictures? That visit? That's certainly..." she says and looks puzzled. "Okay, so" Kitty muses. "Messages that erase themseles, after a trip to a coffee shop? I'd put it on the only other person not to be affected once those snotty brats started taking you for a side show. They all lost their pictures, so..." Kitty offers, sound unsure. Why would a technopath be messing with Shannon's phone, of all things? Not the world's biggest target all things considereed...as Kitty runs a hand through her hair. "Okay, I can take a look if you like, just say the word, but I doubt I'll get anything if the messages delete themselves"

Resient technical Kit Kat in the mansion, yeah.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks at Shan, "Huh, some kinda computer hacker? Sounds like it's right up Bean's alley, wonder where he is lately?" she frowns, "Wonder if your phones got a virus or something?" oh wait, then there's Kitty. "Oh yeah, aren't you supposed to be a techno genius too?"

Iceman has posed:
Iceman leaves the technological stuff to other people, generally, but he's worried for Shannon. "So... I don't wanna make more of this than it is, Shan, but I'd suggest you stay in close touch with Institute security until it gets cleared up."

Red has posed:
Alice stretches a moment as she enters the study hall, eying along the gathered people for a few seconds before waving a moment to Megans and Shannon. "How is?" she asks as she approaches, pushing the left hand into the pocket of her jacket.

Nightingale has posed:
     "For once, we agree, Mr. Drake. It's been a few days and so far there's been no mention by this Spyder Byte of the school. Though there has been mention of pretty strong techno capabilities, very much like Bean's." Shannon glances over at Kitty, and shakes her head. "You wouldn't get anything, but you can try. Just don't lose the pictures of my family in there, m'kay? And yeah, I do suspect it's the one kid that was in the corner there with their computer, the only other one that didn't lose their pictures when those snooty preppies tried to make a sideshow of me."

     A deeper concern creases Shannon's brows, and she lets out a soft sigh. "But even more than the chances of him finding out about the school... I am actually very concerned for Spyder Byte themselves." She pauses before continuing. "Kitty, the kid that we're talking about, the one we suspect may be the technopath? On his way out of there with the rest of the others, I heard one of his fellow students threaten him with bodily harm. How can we find out for sure who this is, and just what kind of situation they're in? Because I mentioned to Spyder Byte not to let anyone break their arm, and they sure didn't make any moves to deny that might be them."

     She turns to glance at Alice as she comes in, and sighs. "Concerned, and with a problem on my hands that I think really needs some teacher help here."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles and waves to Alice, "Hii Alice!" she calls out cheerfully before focusing on Shannon again. "Yeah, Bobby's right, need to be careful, wouldn't want this Spider Byte to infiltrate the school and it's secrets, though I wonder what they're after if not that?" she blinks a bit at the whole arm breaking thing too. You may want to talk to Ms. Grey about that, maybe she can try and psychically find them or something..."

Iceman has posed:
Iceman frowns thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose the place to start is by letting Kitty do her magic, then arranging a chat with the boy, see what his deal is. Maybe Jean or the Professor can schedule some Cerebro time, also, see if he pings the radar as a technopath... we can do a better job of both protecting him and reining him in if he's here than if he's out there."
    He pauses, then adds "Thanks for bringing this to us, Shan. It was the right thing to do." Which feels like a weirdly grownup thing to say and he kind of wants to start a snowball fight or something to relieve the tension, but represses the impulse.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods to both Mr. Drake and Megan, turning her phone over to Kitty. "Please, try and save the pictures of my family if you can?" Turning back to Mr. Drake, she nods. "I know miss Grey mentioned she's been running herself ragged with things around the school as they are at the moment. Feel bad dropping this in her lap, too, but I don't like the idea of doing nothing, if someone needs the help."

Wait. Had she actually heard something /positive/ from Mr. Drake, about something she did?

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's not falling out of her chair with shock. Not yet at least. Okay, the law of averages and all that, mind...

Kiddy nods to Shannon Alice then over to Bobby and Pixie as she is packing up her paperwork and looks pleased. "See, this is much, much better than paperwork" Kitty offers. Paperwork which she can do in her office. Se. Right now. Kitty's got bigger things on her mind. Like, say, what's up with Shan's phone anyway?

Red has posed:
Alice says, "Yea need a teacher, Shannon? Why not just someone older?" Alice asks with a slight chuckle, eying over Iceman. before nodding "Though yea got a teacher there. And see, he's on your side... Anyway, I was pondering to go to town, but then there is that curfew in place. I can't make Amazon deliver here for some reason. Something about 'not a valid address' or something, but I need some stuff for a project. So need something to do to take up my time.""

Iceman has posed:
Iceman pulls his phone out and texts Jean and Professor X, appraising them of the situation and potential use for Cerebro. When he's done he pockets the phone and looks over to Kitty, waiting to see what she finds.

Nightingale has posed:
     "I don't know if this helps," Shannon offers, nibbling her lower lip. "But during the coffee shop incident, the first message I received was advising me against a selfie with the preppie local students who were heckling us, to irk them. He mentioned that one of them was the daughter of the DA of Salem Center. So I think he may be a local, or at least in the area long enough to have a pretty good handle on local politics. Will that help narrow down the search?"

Shadowcat has posed:
"Yes" Kitty nods looking around. "I'll get a hold of my keyboard and work on this, and see what I find. You guys aren't meant to not do your own digging,but we all got our own strengths. Shannon's good at her stuff, I'm good at keyboard stuff, Pixie's good at her stuff. Point is. We're like a Scooby Doo gang. Only, you know, X-gene carriers and we don't pull bedsheeets off of folks. At least, it's not Halloween yet, right?" Kitty grins.

Red has posed:
"Scoobie gang? comeon, Scobie Doo is like kids stuff, and quite a lot of the films are sponsored by one or another. Like, who wrestles anyway?" Alice remarks, shaking her head. "Bar incident... you mean the one I was with you?"

Iceman has posed:
Iceman jumps when his phone pings and checks it, then nods. "I gotta go, guys, but keep me informed if anything changes. Shannon, stay safe, OK?" He gathers up his papers and rushes out of the room.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn had fallen quiet during the conversation, just nodding occasionally, pondering g what her strengths are. "Huh, sounds good, wouldn't want someone trying to hack into the school." she shrugs. "Bye, Bobby!" sge smiles a bit, at least Megs isn't quite as morose as when she first arrived to the study hall.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon opens her mouth to answer Mr. Drake, but then he's off and running. She shrugs, and shakes her head a little bit. "Going to have to talk to him later. It's... long overdue." He really had been nice, not at all the way she remembered that day. The little snowman ice sculpture on her desk.. actually listening to her and letting her know when she did something /right/ for once... who was this person, and what had they done with Bobby Drake?

Red has posed:
"Well, that's something. Though, what now? I am out of stuff to do, you are out of teachers to talk to... seems like we got to grab some DVDs or such."