6361/Fireworks in the Park

Fireworks in the Park
Date of Scene:	03 February 2019
Location:	Pelham Bay Park. Located in the Bronx near where the East River meets Long Island sound.
Synopsis:	Samantha was out practicing her laser blasts (pewpew) when first Vision and then Janet stage a very friendly intervention.
Cast of Characters:	Nyx, Vision, Wasp (van Dyne)

---

Nyx has posed:
Pelham Bay Park.

Located in the Bronx near where the East River meets Long Island sound. It is surprising more residents in Metro New York City aren't aware of it. It is by far New York City's largest park clocking in three times the size of central park with riding trials, gold courses, beaches, and a federal protected nature preserve. The closest one gets to the wild in a metro of 20.3 million people.

There are also densely wooded stretches. Which Samantha, Bronx Native, teenager, and recently made host to some unbelievably advanced alien technology, thought would be excellent place to practice without hurting anyone or being caught. It has already been established she is no evil genius and definitely has no idea how easy she is at being in fact caught.

Right now she is in a densely wooded portion of the park carefully working on her aim with those, she wants to think lasers, that she managed to fire when Wonder Woman scared the crap out of her before she was subsequently kidnapped by Domino. She has setup logs deep in the forest and is trying to hit them with the beams from her hands right now. Really focused on the task at hand and not paying enough attention to her surroundings.

From the sky or to advanced sensory equipment is it certainly not lasers, and it is not unnoticable. When someone is essentially firing actual particle beam weaponry in a non-hypothetical fashion the resulting searing beams of light easily zap through the wooded area and also set off sensors. Pretty sure satellites in orbit watching New York could see the flashes even if the trees from the sides keep them from park rangers.

Vision has posed:
Vision had left the tower to get 'fresh air'. Which is in itself a mysnoymer. Vision does not need to breath to function. He just wanted to be out and observe the world from on high before he decided what he was going to do for the evening to practice his 'humanity'. The crimson, gold, and green synthezoid was quietly listening to dozens of police conversations for anything that might need his attention.

That is before JARVIS chirps an alert to him. <<Vision, satellites have detected a power surge in Pelham Park.>> Turning his attention to where he sees the flashes rising from, the android is already starting to run a scan on the spectrum of various energies to detect what it is. <<Place a call on the lower priority Avengers comms. Let them know that I will be responding.>>

Once that is settled, Vision turns his attention towards the woods below, and he starts to descend at a rapid rate - though as he gets closer to where the blasts are originating from, he slows so that he may ascertain the situation before reacting to it.

Nyx has posed:
Sensors would show it most certainly is not lasers going off in the dead dark of the forested section of the park. It seems to be a high-energy beam of subatomic particles disrupting those logs atomic structure. The disruption in the atoms of air is what is causing those brilliant flashes and making it look like a more traditional energy beam weapon like a laser. Which is also certainly much more feasible under current technologies outside things like mad scientists, aliens, mutants, and the like.

Samantha looks like a very ordinary young woman in her late teens. She has punky hair. Is wearing a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Probably weighs about 105 lbs soaking wet and is pretty short at 5'4". Which makes it all the more impressive when she hurks a stump partially sticking out of the ground, pulling it fully from the ground and rolling it over to be her next target to practice with. That thing probably weighs an easy five hundred pounds, but then you account for the roots that were snapped like paper and the math gets fuzzier.

Backed away from the stump Samantha takes a deep breath and holds her right palm out towards the rock, in a very traditional iron man gesture. "Come on. Aim." is muttered and then archs of white energy roil around the teenagers arm and lance out through the air and slice the stump in half. One moment dead tree. The next part exploded tree bits and two halves flying apart. "Ah crap" as she shields her eyes from splinters.

Vision has posed:
There's a pause as Vision observes Samantha from a distance for several moments. That is until she fires off that impressive blast and splinters the tree and foilage. There's a frown of thought, before he approaches.

"I have found that it is a matter of willpower, and not just command. When Tony was first training with the Mark II suit, he had tried to force his hand many times, and it turned out that the whole time, it was that it was needed to be treated as an extension of himself." he offers to her, prepared to phase into a completely intangible state should she turn and fire on him in surprise.

"Since I have no report of a missing Iron Man armor or any other missing technology of this type, I will have to assume that this is something you came across, or have created on your own?" comes the gentle question. "And do not be afraid. I am Vision."

Nyx has posed:
The squeek of alarm is certainly not villainous or even heroic. It is a strangled noise of panic from a young woman as she hears someone talking a bit above her and lowering down into view like that. Samantha nearly trips and falls, which is also becoming a trend as she steps back in alarm and looks up, eyes widening.

To be fair the Vision is a pretty famous Avenger and superhero. The sight of him and all kind of drowns out the words of encouragement about aiming. "I .. uh... " Sam holds her hands up in the classic hold on position, then realizes that is how she almost shot Wonder Woman the other day and also how that may be taken to look like an attack. "Woah" hands dropping "I.. I didn't steal nothing!" well okay not true, she did rob an ATM or four entirely unsuccessfully a couple weeks ago and got pretty much no money. So partial true. One and a half pinnochios perhaps.

The closer inspection though of Sam hands when they were up revealed pink skin, no gauntlets or bracers visible under her hoodie. Either it is another device or something else entirely. The energy output needed though is extreme.

Also worth noting Samantha looks like she might try to bolt for it at any moment. Her balancing shifting as she looks away briefly into the woods and back to you. Panicky.

Vision has posed:
Becoming solid, Vision settles onto the ground. "I mean you no harm." he offers to her as his eyes scan over the woman. "Your pulse and blood pressure are elevated. I did not mean to frighten you." The tone he uses is calm and polite, a certain neutrality to it.

"I did not accuse you of stealing anything. I am merely curious as to what it was that caused the blasts you were making. Are you a mutant? If you are, I know of several outreach programs that can assist you. If not - perhaps I may be of some assistance?" he asks her, eyes studying her as he opens his hands, splaying them to the sides as not to appear to be threatening. "You have only recently come across your powers, I am to assume?"

"When I was first brought on line, I was fully aware of my abilities, but I know that it can be surprising to suddenly find yourself with something you may see as a blessing or a curse."

Nyx has posed:
Many things are elevated. Pulse. Blood Pressure. Tightly encrypted narrow mesh network in a protocol never encountered before. Lots of things.

"Um." and Sam blinks and swallows just staring at him. "The crazy chick who kidnapped me seemed to think I was a mutant. Pretty sure she is wrong but I am definitely not an expert on this sort of thing." she takes a step back and nearly trips again over a it of foliage. Super Agility or Reflexes are definitely not what is going on here. Which is unfortunate.

"I don't know I just.. " Samantha gestures with her hands but not in the blast gesture "Want them to shoot and they shoot, I didn't mean to shoot at anyone." referencing the whole slicing through the bank and apartment building when Wonder Woman confronted her. Not that she provides any sort of useful context. "I .. thought I should try to practice and get a handle on this thing. I'm not hurting anyone out here."

Still ready to run but calming down a wee bit. Sam isn't even looking to the sky for reinforcements or trouble, which someone trained definitely would be. Teams are powerful for a reason after all.

Vision has posed:
Already, Vision's mind is trying to decipher the information rolling across his neural matrix that he picks up. While he may be an Omniglot - when it comes to a new contact, there is something exciting about the initial contact that gives the android a pause to /savor/ it before his attention returns to the woman.

"I believe you. Do you have a name?" he asks her curiously. He takes only a couple of steps, to be fully in the clearing - making no move to rush Samantha or attack her. "Can you tell me how you came across your new abilities?" he asks curiously. "I am sensing an intelligence I have not made contact with before."

Nyx has posed:
"Uh..." clearly Samantha is quickly trying to come up with some sort of cool codename. I mean if she gives The Vision her real name then he will be able to find her house. Right. If the ATMs are tied in then they can arrest her or have a SWAT Team break down her parents door. Lots of furious thinking before she blurts out "You can call me Nyx." not entirely sure where that came from. Because her teachers could attest Samantha never paid attention in history and didn't take AP Literature.

Still the name is the Greek Goddess of Night. Born of Khaos (Air and Chaos). Mother of Thanatos (Death) and Erebus (Darkness)

"I.. it's complicated." is what Samantha says to the question "It.. I didn't steal anything... I found it."

When he mentions an intelligence he hasn't made contact for, well the mesh network activity accelerates and there are a flurry of various wireless protocol pings like a blizzard against Vision's firewalls. It is a bit .. aggressive and it is a good thing he has a lot of firewalls.

Vision has posed:
Vision frowns. "I do not believe that you have stolen it. But whatever it is.. it is very aggressive." Already feeling the assault on his neural pathways, the nanobots that make up Vision's defenses are already starting to react, trying to contain and track the alien intelligence. But not before he sends a priority message.

<<Any Avenger on duty, this is Vision. I require assistance with a newly powered individual at my location. Alien intelligence detected. Attempting to ascertain it's origin. She calls herself Nyx. Believe her to be a host. Possibly unwilling.>>

"Nyx. I need to you calm down. With your elevated state, this being - whatever it is, has shifted from being passive to malignant, and if it continues, I will need to take more powerful countermeasures."

Nyx has posed:
"I'm not doing anything..." the irony is that Samantha was calming down. She was having a tense but nonviolent talk with The Vision of all people in the woods. Her alarm is not what triggered it at all, upon any reflection it was his statement that he could detect the Hitch Hiker that Samantha doesn't even realize is there yet.

What does make Samantha less calm is the statement about potentially deploying more powerful counter measures when she was just talking. Also the talk about some being or intelligence is not like a nice cup of soothing tea with honey either.

The firewalls are effective, at this point, and the network goes very tight and almost silent. The feeling that it is lurking can't be really shaken though.

Vision has posed:
"I believe that the.. intelligence.. shares it's emotions with you." Vision responds. "And that at the moment, the pair of you are out of sync." Reaching up, he presses his hand against the side of his head. <Is this what a headache feels like?> he wonders to himself, surprised at the reaction, but his attention returns to the woman.

"Nyx. You said that was your name. I have someone in route that can help you with adjusting to your abilities. I did not mean to cause alarm, but it seems that whatever it is that you have bonded with..." he frowns as he tries to concentrate and repair the sectors that were temporarily knocked off line when the intelligence reached out to him.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Hi!" The smiling woman that joins the conversation came-- nearly literally-- out of nowhere. Vision alone might have tracked the Wasp's swift flight through the air behind Nyx and in the space of one stride she goes from insect-sized surveillance to her full...ish size of 5'4".

Janet's all smiles, wearing a midriff-baring yellow and black vest, black tights, and shoulder-length derby sleeves. "I'm Janet. I'm so sorry to just pop in," she says, with a mollifying eyeroll and a vaguely apologetic flick of her wrist. "I'm terribly nosy. How are you doing today?"

"Also--" she almost cuts off Nyx before the woman can respond. "I *love* the look, this whole--" she gestures up and down at Nyx's attire. "This just *screams* early postmodern to me, like, you are an *art* movement right here. I know a couple of counterculture fashion mods who'd *kill* for your look. Social media darling, riiiight here," she says, holding hands up in a square to frame out Nyx's face. "Have you done any modelling?"

It's not a superpower or anything. Just Janet's effervescent personality at work, trying to disarm the tension floating between Nyx and Vision.

Nyx has posed:
Samantha is exceptionally focused on Vision and that conversation. She was definitely not expecting someone. At least not someone so very quickly on the scene, though to be fair she has no idea when Vision called in the situation.

There is another startled noise of alarm when Janet starts talking and steps into view. The initial response is the noise. Startlement and she staggers sideways away from Janet right into a tree. Which makes an ominous crack but her back is now too the tree as Janet continues.

Sam opens and closes her mouth when she is cut off. Her eyes flick down to her rebellious attire and then back up to the The Wasp. Ms. van Dyne. "Uh.. um... modeling?" her voice is a little squeaky. This may be the most surreal night Samantha has had so far. That includes the talking Gorilla, Wonder Woman, and being kidnapped. Also the night of the meteor... .. .. Okay one of the most surreal in a string of absolute crazy that is now her life.

The tree Sam crashed into turning to face both of you creaks and then falls behind her with a loud crash. That was a big tree and she just bumped into it. "Sorry...." is murmured after the crash.

Vision has posed:
Stop. It is the first line that Vision has spoken now that he has gotten a taste of the foreign programming that is within Nyx. "She has an intelligence that is bonded with her. And I am sure now that it is only trying to protect it's host." And in a very parasitic way. "I am starting to understand a few basic words of the artifact within you. I believe that is what is it."

To Janet, Vision offers, "It is how Tony had to learn to work with the armors at first." he explains to her. "They are not communicating."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet squeaks and flickers into invisibility when the tree comes crashing down. It's a reflex action and she's back in a heartbeat, landing smoothly on her feet again. "Goodness! You're another strong one, huh?" she inquires, and pastes another ebullient smile across her face. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretty sure that thing was gonna come down soon anyway. These things happen!"

She keeps up that smooth line of conversation, flattering Nyx with her attention and focus. "But yes, darling, modelling! I don't know-- oh gosh, you don't know who I am," she says, smiling and rolling her eyes in faux exasperation. "I'm Janet van Dyne, of the vanDyne fashion house?" she says, putting fingertips to her yellow-painted sternum. "It's okay, couture fashion just isn't the headline grabber it used to be. We also do a line of street clothes though, you've probably got friends who have them-- you probably have some yourself! Macy's, Old Navy, the Gap, a few of those chain places carry them. Very stylish and honestly, I get soooo much flak about it from those prigs at Gevinchy, but-- like, what's the point of making clothes if you only hang them on stick figures? Catwalk modelling?" She makes a retching sound. "Don't you agree that we should have more models who are pretty, but look like *people*?"

Nyx has posed:
Well Samantha isn't panicking but she is pretty confused right now as she looks from Vision to Janet and back again full circle ending up on Janet as she keeps talking. "I.. um..." a glance at the fallen tree and back to the two. "I am strong.." she murmurs.

"I know who you are. I mean.. who doesn't. You are super famous. There are action figures and cereal... . I just.. modeling." there is a flicker of anger in her expression at the bit about her owning the street clothes. Cause she really doesn't. Well maybe from Old Navy. Still her clothes are pretty punky if self stylish. It is replaced by being asked a question that makes Sam blink "Uh.. yes?" because seriously it would be pretty nice if models looked like people in her opinion.

This conversation took such a right turn. "So... you two aren't here to arrest me?" calmer bit by bit. Janet may be confusing her but she isn't ramping up the flight response right now.

Vision has posed:
"I did not ever say that I was going to arrest you." Vision responds. But while Janet is keeping Samantha occupied, Vision has moved to start to try to re-establish contact with the intelligence that has taken residence within her, the android's head tilting as his eyes seem to go out of focus, his golden gem flickering slightly.

Who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose? he asks of the intelligence, trying to find more information. Without being too invasive.

But girl talk? That is totally Janet's gig.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Uh, excuse me? Arrest?" Janet leans back in an overdramatic expression of offense, one that looks totally insincere, and touches a fingertip to her sternum again. "Do I look like I'm wearing a badge? If you ever see me hauling around cuffs and in uniform, it'll be because I'm busting out of a cake. Which I haven't done since college!"

She laughs at her own joke-- who doens't love some self-deprecating humor?-- and includes Vision in her smile, because he's clearly a Cool Guy and a friend of Janet's-- even if he's just standing there weirdly communing with an alien intelligence that Janet (so far) has zero visual evidence of.

But he's not telling her to shut up, so she focuses back on Nyx. "Nono, sweetie, I'm not here to *arrest* anyone, or cause any problems, I'm just-- you know, let's sit, do you mind if we sit?" she asks, with that sort of unctious social command that comes from years of navigating the world of New York high society. She touches Nyx's arm with fingertips, her whole posture compelling yet unoffensive, tugging Nyx's sleeve towards a bench nearby with Perfectly Polite manners. "See, I knew we'd get along," she tells Nyx. "You know, I always like hearing about clothing from people on the street. We get so high and mighty in the design world and start doing silly things like putting lampshades on people and dressing them in non-clothing. What's more important to you, comfort and durability or style and economy?" she asks. "Oh, my goodness, I didn't even ask your name! So rude. What's your name? And then back to the question," she says, interjecting over her own chattering.

Nyx has posed:
The intelligence is tightly coiled, a lot of the traffic silent. Lurking. Patient while Vision probes for contact. Then like a trap door spider the communication is back, digital hooks into the protocol and outreach. ~We Are~ and the probing begins more surgically once more ~We Are Nyx.~ less a blizzard now that it has a communication protocol the probe back. No less invasive as it seeks answers in return. ~We Are Learning~. The code base and language is very alien. Did it say learning? Consuming? Converting. How does one translate the concept. ~You Are Interesting.~ was that interesting or appetizing. Probably interesting right.

Samantha seems utterly oblivious to all that is going on in AI land. She actually cracks a small smile, nervous but genuine at Janet's joke about cakes. "Um.. oh okay..." she lets herself be led along through the underbrush and trees to one of the hiking trails. It isn't really close but it isn't too far either.

"Saa.... Nyx." mentally beating herself up because she almost told The Wasp her real name and not the code name she gave The Vision. So stupid Samantha. "I .. to be honest I mean I like clothes that look good with my .. um style." she sounds painfully over critical of herself "But it needs to be durable.. and cheap." oh god she just admitted she is poor to The Wasp. Maybe a lightning strike from Thor would be more comfortable then this for Samantha, there is a flush of a blush.

If nothing else though Janet is keeping Samantha really distracted and off balance with the niceness and patter.

Vision has posed:
I am Vision. You are Nyx. You are alien to this world. Vision's learning AI is kicking into overdrive, as it tries to learn and adjust to the new sensations - and that is really causing him more than a few problems at the moment.

In fact, Vision eventually has to break the contact. What was it that Janet said to him once. 'The pushy females are the worst!'

Having to take a seat on the shattered remains of a stump, the AI reaches up to rub at the side of his head as he tries to break the contact between himself and Nyx.

It's a terrible idea of a first date. Or even speed dating.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Saaanyx? That's a new one for me," Janet tells the woman, keeping that soothingly distracting line of idle banter going. "But I met a kid the other day who called herself The Beanpole so-- I mean, don't ask me *why*, she was like six three or six four, *tops*," Janet says. "But hey, who am I to judge? I run around in black and yellow stripes," she tells Nyx. Janet's shivering a little from the cold. Midriff tops: cute, but not very warm.

"Vee, how you doing, friendo?" she inquires of the synthetic life form. "You look like you've got an ice cream headache. Crisis averted yet, or should we call in the Pec Patrol?"

Janet leans sideways towards Nyx, speaking out the side of her mouth. "Feel free to knock another tree over, we'll get Captain America and T'challa out here to chop some firewood up for us or something," she tells Samantha, speaking with a faux conspiratorial tone.

Nyx has posed:
There is a bit of a scramble as Vision shakes free of the digital hooks and the intelligence curls in again silent and lurking.

"Nyx. Just Nyx." pause "Beanpole oh.. tall.. I well Nyx works. I haven't really put as much thought into any of this as I should have." Samantha frowns and then blinks Pec Patrol. Before she can ask what that might mean Janet is explaining and if Sam was blushing a bit before she is absolutely fricking blushing now at the thought of Captain America and Black Panther chopping wood. Okay she is definitely a teenage earth girl based on all visible reactions there.

It also reminds Samantha she is sitting with two Avengers "Holy shit." is what is muttered out loud as she just stares off into space for a moment. "Sorry" about cursing eyes widening.

Be cool Sam, be cool. What would you do if this was high school still. She slowly lifts her right hand and a small particle beam slices a tree near it's base. Causing it to crash in the woods. Eh.. Eh.. oh please someone find that funny.

Vision has posed:
<<No need for others. She has a powerful AI attached to her. I cannot converse with it further.>> Vision transmits to Janet on shortwave, before the AI starts to move shakily to his feet. His attention returns to Samantha and he offers, "Janet will be able to help you. That is what we want to do." he rumbles softly.

Nyx, humans are a fragile yet resilent race. You must learn to work with your host, or you will find yourself surprised. he offers through the link he shares with the alien's intelligence. "I think I need an aspirin." An odd thing for an android to say, but there it is.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet laughs in delight when Nyx blushes. "Aww, see, I knew you were gonna be no trouble," she reassures the girl with a beaming smile, and gives Nyx's arm an encouraging brush with her palm. "Anyone who'll drool over the boys with me can't be all ba--"

She breaks off when Nyx... cuts down a tree. She coughs once in the quiet after the crashing explosion. "Wow. Well, okay, now I've got an excuse to bring the boys down here," she says, after a beat, and pastes that 'everything's fiiiine' smile on again. "We'll do some civic work."

She flickers her eyes to Vision and nods almost imperceptibly. She can hear him just fine, but responding covertly isn't quite possible. "Listen, do you have somewhere you can stay tonight? I know a place, it's meta-human friendly. Clean, quiet, a friend runs it. Promise no more laser beams," she says quickly, leaning back at giving Nyx a wary look. "But I can call you a car and get you a hot meal and a warm, safe place to sleep tonight."

Nyx has posed:
Worth noting for those terribly good with sensors and mathematics like The Vision. The energy needed for those blasts is somewhere in the scale of a few nuclear reactors, whatever is going on the girl could power a chunk of New England.

The intelligence stays coiled and silent at the admonishment from Vision for a long time (for AI). ~Then It Will Advance.~

Samantha looks to Vision at his talk of helping and then back to Janet. Well crap it looks like she messed up and no one laughed about the tree thing. Damnit she thought that would be funny. I mean Janet did say knock over another tree. "Not shooting me is nice." in reference to Vision saying Janet would help and also thinking about Domino shooting her to be helpful.

There is a frantic lot of thinking and weighing risks and rewards. Both by Nyx and by Samantha really. If Sam says she has a place they might tail her back to her parents house. God knows she can't see if the Wasp is following her. Also Nyx is interested in getting closer to these Avengers. "Um. That could be nice..." the young woman finally says. "No more laser beams.. promise." at least she hopes. If anything jump scares her all bets are off.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet digs a smartphone out of a pocket cleverly concealed in her vest, and her thumb flickers over the screen. She shivers again, breath misting in the air. "Bill? Yeah, it's Janet. Thanks for picking up so late. Can you have a towncar sent over to--" she checks the address. "We're in the park, send a pickup to my GPS? Oh and bring a care package with you. Yes." She glances at Nyx. "Female, early 20s, about my height and ..." She moves the phone from her face and wrinkles her nose at Nyx. "What are you, a hundred and ten pounds?" she hazards.

She moves the phone back to position. "Hundred and ten pounds. We're taking her to Steve and Hannah's place and putting her up for a couple of nights. Thanks Bill, you're a peach. Take tomorrow off, okay?"

She hangs up the phone and hides it in her vest before rising. "Okay. Let's walk over to the street," she says to Nyx. "I'll take you over to the apartments and get you settled, and check on you in a few days. Okay?" She looks at Vision and smiles at him. "Thanks for everything, V. I think I can handle it from here, but I'll throw up a flare if I need you?" she offers. With that, she puts a sisterly shoulder around Nyx's arm and starts guiding her towards the streetlights at the edge of the park.

"Hey, how do you feel about tacos? I could *go* for some tacos."

Nyx has posed:
Janet is definitely distracting "Uh.. one hundred and six..." Sam murmurs confused and yeah Janet was close enough. Fashion mogul eye. Of course she hasn't really weighed herself since the meteor. She looks about 106/110 soaking wet but she is a lot more dense these days.

Today has been so strange. The capstone to a very strange couple of weeks for Sam. Right now she is walking with Janet van Dyne and just sort of tromps along with her. "I am pretty hungry." the young woman admits. "I could definitely go for Tacos and it isn't even Tuesday." trying for light humor once more.

Sam makes a note to drop her parents a text so they don't wonder where she is tomorrow, but this has to be safer than going home. Also she doesn't stop to think about advanced androids hacking phones either. Super Genius Tacitian Villain or anything this young woman is not. "Nice meeting you Vision."