#marvel taskforce open

The lab was a cluttered mess, lit by dim fluorescent bulbs that bathed everything in a sickly orange light. Erlenmeyer flasks, beakers, pens and yellowed notebook paper lay strewn across the floor, cracked, shattered, and torn. Anything in use was organized neatly in rows across several tables, their contents undisturbed.

In one corner, hunched over the sturdiest of the tables in the lab, was Hank. He murmured quietly as he wrote down new additions to his notes, glancing up to keep an eye on the ants trailing along and down the leg of the table. Blind they may be, but they were nothing if not curious.

“Cell structure begins to break down at seventy-thousand rads, significantly fewer than several parasitoid wasp species…” He mumbled something like sacrifice, followed closely by not very happy. Ants were notoriously sacrificial if he could convince them, and their numbers replenished within weeks. 

When finished, Hank shoved the notebook to the side and pulled towards him another set of notes. Most of his chicken scratch depicted detailed descriptions of anatomy, habits, and society-- things nobody but himself would find an interest in. But their anatomy and habits had been invaluable to his studies, and Hank couldn’t leave any detail forgotten.

Leaving the grounds of the institute was always a bit of an adventure. Be it for business or the occasional errand, something always seemed to happen when he left. Today was, of course, no different for Scott. He never left the grounds of home for leisure. Why would her? There was nothing beyond the walled grounds that he found remotely enjoyable enough to venture out for. The concern for his safety versus leisurely activities always leaned towards keeping him at the institute, unless business called for him. 

Today he was riding his motorcycle in to the city and parking it at a meter. He wanted to run in to the convenience store for some general every day items. His list had it laid in neat handwriting. Sugar, coffee, fresh milk, some cold medicine for a few of the students, and batteries for the remote control in his office. He frowned at someone else's handwriting at the bottom trying to get him to buy chocolate bars. “...Quire...” He huffed and shook his head.