8507/This Hand of Mine Glows...

This Hand of Mine Glows...
Date of Scene:	25 July 2019
Location:	X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Doug and Scott talk about Doug being shot, and the Hook drug.
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Cyclops

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Cypher has posed:
The Danger Room:

"First test." Doug says, to the digital camera currently suspended on a floating drone. "Electrical stimulation. We'll begin with a low voltage and then gradually increase it to test the hand's response."

He gestures to a holographic device, which is currently generating a mild electrical pulse. He's in the lower half of a black and yellow X-Men workout uniform, stripped to the waist.

His right arm has been replaced with smooth, shiny black techno-organic matter, inlaid with golden yellow circuitry, which merges seamlessly into the muscle, flesh, and bone of his shoulder.

He extends his fingers into the electrical arc, and then mutters, "Hm. That's... nice. Relaxing. Like sticking my hand into warm water."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott checks the readout on the panel outside the Danger Room then lets himself in. He is in time to see Doug's first test. He watches with arms crossed, then walks closer.

"Morning, Doug. Good to see you up," Scott says as he comes over.

Cypher has posed:
"Good to be awake." Doug says, as the voltage slightly increases. "My new arm appears to be very good at handling electrical discharge. This makes sense, as Warlock was able to draw energy directly from electrical power sources." He winces. "However, increasing voltage does eventually begin to cause discomfort." His fingers twitch, and then he withdraws them. "It's interesting to experience sensation from inside them machine."

"As you can see, I'm not entirely unchanged after the experience. When I was a boy, I brushed off the thought of contracting Transmode from Warlock. Then I was terrified of it. Now?"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott tilts his head and frowns a bit.

"That's very clinical. I'm sure you will get me a full report on any changes in your capacities. But that is not very important right now. Where are /you/ at?" Scott asks appraisingly.

Cypher has posed:
"You can review this footage at your leisure, I'll be making it available."

"Well I'm trying to maintain a certain amount of detachment from the whole thing, but Scott... the *motherfuckers shot me*."

Cyclops has posed:
"Yes, they did," Scott says somberly. "Without mercy, decency or guilt."

Scott exhales. "You're not supposed to be detached from it, Doug. Something horrible and unfair happened to you. You shouldn't be detached."

Cypher has posed:
"I tried explaining it to the others. Whatever is pushing these men, it's *terrifying*. It's so frightening that the thought of violent reprisal from a group of mutants scared them LESS than whoever their supplier is."

He shakes his head. "They're not a priority. Stopping the flow of Hook at the source is the priority. Then I intend to pay these men a visit. I've already got their entire lives mined. I'm into their phones. I know things about them they don't know. They can't sneeze without me knowing it, and once they contact their suppliers, I'll have them too."

Cyclops has posed:
"Doug," Scott says as gently as he's able. "This is how they live. Every day. It's not a world you've had to deal with or encounter, but this really is just how they are. They kill people for resisting them. They kill each other over slights and territory and money. There is nothing special behind what drove them to kill you, other than you defied them. This is why normal people are so scared of gangs and why what you did was so courageous. Integrity costs though, as you found out."

"Hook is a problem. Drugs are always a problem. But what happened to you? That's just normal life. Tragic, unfair, normal life."

Cypher has posed:
Doug tilts his head and glances up to Scott, and says, "You think I don't understand that those men are hard-bitten killers? Their lives are ruled by desperation, greed, and fear? No, I understood that from the start, just like I knew my choices were that I was going to let them deal, or they were going to kill me."

"You mistake my intentions. When you're ruled by fear, it becomes a question of what you fear more. The others can't see into a man like I can. Quite honestly, not taking the hint the first time shows me that not only are they greedy and desperate, they're also stupid. Picking a fight with a group of mutants is like bringing a rock to a gunfight, and people with even a lick of sense would know that."

"You don't need to admonish me, I'm not going to go haring off like the Punisher. But I am going to remind them that there are consequences for the things we choose to do. It's all a matter of picking a language people understand."