Issue 1 Downtime

((open thread))

...but she was keeping a few things tucked away in some corner of the facilities. Where she spent most of her time and could often be heard giggling to herself in a way that made people passing by a bit uncomfortable.

But she wasn't allowed to lock the door. That's worth something, right?

Nina was sitting on a crate covered in biohazard stickers, working on her laptop. She looked vaguely excited about something.

Blaine, on the other hand, WAS authorized to have lap space. So, when he found a strange new person there, he was puzzled.

"Um, hello?"

"Hello!" Nina replies back cheerfully.

"I d...don't think I've seen you around yet. Are you a friend of ASHLIE's?"

"I'm a friend to all living creatures!" Nina says, "And quite a few rocks and minerals as well."

"Nina Madaraki."

"I'm not sure ASHLIE is technically living...

I'm Blaine..."

"Fascinating," Nina says. "How is that working out for you?"

"Um...what?" he said, looking at her strangely. "How is...being Blaine working out? Uh...fine...I guess?"

Her laptop beeps. Nina glances at it and hits a few keys before setting aside.

"I'm glad to hear it," Nina says. "I'm sure we will be very close friends. If you ever need any blood, please don't hesitate to ask. I make my own and I always have more than enough."

"B...bl....blood?" he said, going pale.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not a weirdo or anything," Nina says. "I synthesize blood in a purely scientific capacity."

"O..oh. So, you're, like, a biologist?"

Nina giggles, "Yes. That is one word for what I do."

"What about you? Are you anything?"

"Um...I guess? I'm an...XI student..." he said, nervously.

"You don't sound very certain about that," Nina says.

"What? N-n, no, I'm definitely a student. Y--you're not, yes?"

"No, I'm just a madwoman," Nina says with a giggle. "I used to be a student. It was a wonderful dream."

"Now I'm just a bunch of things I'm not! Student at the university. X-Woman. SHIELD Agent. AIM Scientist," Nina says, counting off fingers. "I'm no longer all sorts of things. I'm almost nothing at this point. And wouldn't that be a strange thing to be."

"W...well..." Blaine stammered, trying to come up with a response.

"I...I'm none of those things either, s...so it's not all bad?" he tried, lamely.

"You are so sweet," Nina says. She smiles brightly at the boy. "But don't worry. I'm happier this way. Most of those things weren't very nice."

"What are you doing in the labs?" Nina asks. "Do you work here? Or intern? Or steal things?"

Nina picks up a bag of birdseed, "You can steal this, if you would like."

"I..no? I don't...I mean, that is...I got permission! I promiseI'mnotbreakinganythingortouchinganythingIshouldn'tbe!"

"Why not? There's a lot of neat stuff to touch that you probably shouldn't," Nina says. "And I broke, like, three things before breakfast today. One of them involved crystals and lasers."

"...did you, uh, fix it?"

"What would be the point of breaking something if you just fix it?" Nina asks.

"So...you...don't get into trouble?" he said, confused, as if the thought hadn't occured to him before.

"I get into trouble all the time," Nina says. "But it's like I always say, you can't make an omelette without injecting yourself with a modified smallpox virus."

"...should I be talking to you?" he said, a little frightened.

"Of course! I can teach you all sorts of neat things," Nina says. "Plus, I'm super-friendly."

"Besides, you shouldn't worry so much. The school wouldn't let me be here if I was dangerous, right?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Blaine said, more relaxed.