CAPED CRUSADER.

Erik was at a disadvantage here, being practically surrounded by super-geniuses with what amounted to flight medic training. Ask him to operate a Yas'ur or perform an air-sea rescue and he was your dude. How to literally cure a disease? Not so much, but he spoke up nonetheless once a silence presented itself. “OK, so we need to figure out how the virus is constructed. We can use your lab to isolate its genetic sequence and determine its resistance to T4 and T8 cells.“ Yeah, he read Wikipedia, so what, "but we need someone to extract a viral sample. I’ll go, I’m not useful here.” He eyeballed Peter and Jean and Bruce and all the other probable-PhDs pointedly. The entire time this had gone on he’d been alert and watchful-he’d received generic hostage negotiation training in the past; but it really just boiled down to comply and survive. He’d been ready to act at a moment’s notice, but he wasn’t in the habit of playing hero, especially if it meant other people got punished for his misgivings. Now, he could take action.

“It sounds like you’re plenty useful.” Bruce returned. Still, he had no reason to argue. Someone had to get a sample and truthfully, it didn’t matter who did it as long as someone was up to the potentially dangerous task. “Pause for one second, though, we need to be on the same page. There are people in there that might mess up the results. Anyone that’s injured or has any kind of uh, serum. That won’t work for everyone.” The injuries might have meant that other things were not only going on but many were given other medications to either dull that pain or to keep way other infections. It would skew the results. “We need someone who isn’t powered.”

He then continued on to add, “And, you need to be careful. We don’t know how contagious this virus is. Which means take as many precautions as you can.”

More specifically, so he can reach Bruce. [ @gcthambat ]

“I half expected you to march in and tell me to shake this off.” He says into the radio with a weak chuckle, ignoring the fatigue and the fever have already set in. “How’s the team doing over there?”

Bruce had continued to push the people currently working in the lab within the Wayne Manor. For the most part, he supervised, gave a few extra opinions where he could but he knew a lot of the people currently in his lab also had far more experience and knowledge than he did. His ego could survive that. He had spoken to someone in the medical bay where people were quarantined hours prior and kept the radio on him in case there were updates.

The voice he heard, though, caused his muscles to tense as he quickly brought the radio closer to hear more clearly. “If only it were that simple.” Bruce released the button to listen to what else Dick had to say before he offered a progress report. “Everyone’s working as hard as they can. I need you to try to keep everyone over there going.” In short, he wanted Dick to remain alert because if he was actively doing something, it meant he was alive and that was all Bruce wanted. “What are your symptoms?”

loki has only the most basic and passing knowledge when it comes to midgardian biology and chemistry.  ask her about pop culture, magic, stories, or nearly anything else, and she’ll likely be able to give you an answer.  she feels almost lost with the task she’s been given, with helping to find a cure - not that she’ll ever actually say that out loud.  “if something can be done with magic, i’m your goddess,” she says.  “but from the looks of it, i doubt that will work.”  not to mention, loki isn’t the most powerful magic user around.

Bruce understood the discomfort that Loki seemed to face. Not everyone he’d gathered was trained in medicine or science. But, even so, that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be able to help. Bruce thought on his feet, though, and came back with, “Any chance you could build a magic barrier? I have no idea if we were followed and if we were, the last thing we need is another fight or for anyone in this room, yourself included, to be infected.” 

Upon arrival, he marveled at the mansion. Sure he was around Tony’s towers and compounds, but an entire mansion was something else entirely. Once inside and navigated to the right place, he looked around to gauge what he had to work with while rubbing his hands together in thought. 

“I have several ideas, but I think we need to analyze the samples I obtained first to see what kind of specimen we’re dealing with. Then I could isolate it and develop an antidote.”

“Before you do anything, get over to that cabinet, make sure you’re wearing what’s in there.” He gestured toward a large cabinet that he’d unlocked that had various types of safety equipment in there. “Don’t open any samples until everyone is ready.” He added. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in this person or in anyone else in the room but the moment anyone became contaminated, their hope for a treatment dwindled. There were people that were dying and he certainly wasn’t the type to cut corners on something of this magnitude. 

“Check in with Peter, he said he had a PhD in BioChem. There’s another doctor, Pam Isley, she can probably help you analyze to make it more efficient. We’re working on a very tight time crunch so take all of the resources and people you need and don’t be shy, I can help as well.”

Bruce hadn’t really tried hard when he’d brought back the team of people that he’d mostly selected. Mainly, he’d divided people evenly and if people had switched teams or a few others were mixed in, he didn’t really care. But, he was glad to hear that the person he currently spoke with might have actually had an understanding of what was currently most useful. “Okay. That’s good, that’s actually great.” He replied somewhat mindlessly as he moved toward one end of the lab and began to pull out safety equipment to hand over to Peter. They were working with something potentially fatal and the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to fall sick. “Erik, that one, over there, he’s going to get a sample. Bruce Banner also has samples of some sort, work with both of them and I think between the three, that should be good. There’s also that woman over there, Pamela Isley, she’s beyond cold but she knows a lot about diseases, poisons, and the like. I’ll stick around while I try to get in touch with the sick bay.”

barbara understood that more than anyone; wanting to take a breather from the chaos. “fair enough,” offering a small smile before sipping on her champagne as she raised one eyebrow at bruce, “not the worst thing i have endured, let’s put it that away. i haven’t attended a gala since i was a teenager with my dad.”

“How is your father doing?” Bruce inquired. His relationship with the older male always wavered depending on what exactly he was doing. Regardless, he cared for him. “Well, the gala was made in support of first responders and the police officials in the area so I’m sure he appreciates you attending.”

If Bruce appeared changed after his death, it was because he was. The residual effects of Bane breaking his back certainly kept him grounded but it was his death that changed his outlook and it was his new ability to heal others that kept him there. “Not just that. History can teach you about yourself and how you’re responding to others.” He offered no other explanation, mainly because he wanted Jason to figure that out for himself. That was one part of his personality that didn’t depart when he died and came back. “You could always get back into it if you’re still interested.” He half-heartedly stated. He wasn’t sure that Jason was anything close to resembling the one that sat with him now. “The lesson could be that from what you persevere from, a strong version of you emerges.”

“King T’Challa.” His voice softened with a tone of surprise. “My apologies, I didn’t realize who I was speaking to.” He offered a genuine apology rather than try to add onto anything that the king had already said. Similarly to many who worked with and against T’Challa, he had files on the Black Panther and by extension, the current king. “I’m not surprised. You have how many degrees now? Your work on shadow physics is incredible.”

Bruce never really knew how Jason would react to most things. But, he wasn’t exactly surprised when he’d embraced this particular conversation either. “It’s also important. If you’re going to stay up to date on anything, it should be history.” That way mistakes won’t be repeated, something he still needed to learn himself. He could only hope he’d taught Jason enough that he would fare well in life when he was gone. It was probably only the attitude that worried Bruce. “The floods were also destructive but they persevered regardless. Two life lessons.”

“I think the first thing they’d do is tell you to put it back on.” Bruce guessed as he stepped closer to begin undoing the tight knot that the young man somehow successfully did. “I’ve seen places kick out people for not following the dress code. It’s dramatic, I know and I agree but it’s definitely an uncomfortable thing to witness all the same.” He began to fix the tie, his motions made it clear that he’d done this countless times before. When he finished, Bruce stepped back. “That any better?”

“That’s what they say.” He returned with a curt chuckle. Things had been a lot busier for him when he was younger. Healthier. Between taking in children and fighting crime on the streets of Gotham, he’d been through hell. He likely should’ve slowed down when Dick was younger but he couldn’t. Not at the time. “Yeah. That’s quite the outfit. Looks nice, though.” He paused for a beat before he added, “You didn’t bring your date over here because you knew I’d embarrass you with questions, huh? It’ll happen eventually, public venues are always best for that. I can’t say as much in public. Lost your chance.”

nothing about that sort of thing screamed barbara but she had been too many with being the daughter of the commissioner of the gotham police. taking a sip from her champagne flute, she could feel a presence behind her and knew who it was straight away, “i thought you would be out there mingling, not standing on the side lines.”

@gcthambat

“Even I need a moment to myself every once in a while.” He actually wasn’t the biggest fan of these sorts of things. They felt trivial, kind of pointless but he’d attended them so often that they were at least familiar. “Are you enjoying yourself, at least?”

“I didn’t know they taught anything like that besides Greek mythology.” Maybe now that Asgardians descended onto Earth, a curriculum on them would be enacted. Probably difficult to add and take away from Norse mythology to understand them, he figured. “Alfred’s always a far more superior choice with matters like that.” He replied somewhat fondly, as though he recalled something but spoke nothing of it. “Are you on duty tonight or did someone else drag you here?”

“Doctor, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” He knew far too well what a moment on Pamela Isley’s bad side meant. Not really looking to start any issues at someone else’s gala, he figured the least he could do was stay neutral with her. “It has to do with the annual flooding that would occur in the area, in the Nile. They felt as though their God did it so they could survive, they didn’t see destruction in the same way that we did.”

Here and there, Bruce saw several children that roamed around the museum with and without their parents. All of them were dressed up, clearly meant to be part of the attendance. “You know I could and I absolutely would.” He mused. Still, it wasn’t like he’d push the topic on Jason of all of the children he’d taken in. He was sure he had the strongest personality of them all. “He was the God that brought the flood to the Nile each year. I don’t know if you can see them from here but there are these little carvings still in the bottoms of the temple of lotuses mostly, but they’re meant to symbolize life after the flooding. Everything grows from the water.”

Bruce had just finished talking with a few other people and mostly had hoped for a moment of silence when he found himself with new company. His statement caused him to chuckle, though and then he glanced over at the young man. “Your tie is probably too tight.” He mostly assumed from the way he kept trying to adjust his collar. “Do you want me to fix it for you? I can’t change the dress code but I agree, formal wear is a little much to ask of the general public.”