astrophysics mingle finale ( open )

[interspatial]

Who: FINAL ASTROPHYSICS "MINGLE"
Where: Astrophysics lab, fourth floor, room 052.
When: Saturday, May 20
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's time to say goodbye...
The Story:
Jane pulls down the whiteboard of projects and warnings and updates first. Delicately, gently, as if she might just be packing up to move elsewhere later.

And then she stands in the middle of it, in the middle of the mess she bears the weight of. The silence presses against her with the sort of liminal feeling that the whole of Wonderland boasts. That thing that makes them prone to settling, makes them all comfortable even when paranoia pecks-pecks-pecks away from behind the mirrors.

There is no denying her part in this thing, no claiming her own values of research in defense of the experiments of others. You don't build a place and abandon it, and then expect your intentions to remain. Glass shatters, and then more. Papers pepper the air before floating back downward, too serene. It wasn't long ago she and Darcy had unleashed their petty anger on the place...

And then she feels it, the same inkling of self she gets when she's out in the forest for those few fleeting moments when they're both tired and it underestimates her. Tinged with potential and the possibility of something she's forsaken for more than a year now. Not doing is what lead to this. It's time to do. To unmake.

Wonderland is opposites and not-quites. It is everything and nothing, and any scientist knows that all nothing is expansive by nature.

So they consume and consume, and leave nothing of research or experiment behind. The whiteboard remains, haphazardly wiped away to leave a simple message carefully written across the ghosts of old project listings and bickering:

THE LAB IS INDEFINITELY CLOSED.

Comments

[tobelieve]

( Helena didn't blame Jane anymore, didn't believe that she was the culprit but she also knew that the woman was key to something. Some answers, or perhaps even some form of help.

She hasn't been back to the lab in the weeks since she'd arrived, taking the woman's advice and exploring Wonderland for herself. It had given her some clarity, or another perspective, but nothing that could be of much use. She needed a partner for that, and there was a bright woman whom could possibly enlighten her more at the very least.

She just doesn't expect to see the place closed down, or what will be closed once Jane has left. Helena didn't know what had been in the lab before but now everything was gone, minus the whiteboard and the woman herself. There was a frown, arms folded as Helena leans on the door frame )

If I didn't know better I'd say this looked like a guilty conscience.

( She doesn't know better, not really, but she's making a comment about their first encounter. Helena at least knows that Jane didn't do this, so in that respect there's no reason for her to flee -- no guilt. An empty lab though... )

[interspatial]

[ it's not the speaking that startles jane, but the speaker. it feels like ages now that helena had found herself pulled away from something very important and placed it atop jane's shoulders. she hadn't felt guilt then, and she considers it now.

dr. foster smiles tightly. ]

Guilt only makes things worse. This is... [ she sighs. ] Damage control, I guess.

[tobelieve]

( Don't you start making her suspicious after she was wanting to believe you, Jane. If she were more familiar with her she might joke, because of her arrival, that it was already too late for damage control, but instead her question is in earnest curiosity (and maybe a little concern) )

Damage control for what?

( Although Helena did hear the message about the experiments she hasn't connected that this is the same place, or even considered that Jane might have been involved )

[interspatial]

Enabling bad science.

[ bad science is the best descriptor she has to encompass all of this. it could've been different, it could've-- well. she could've made sure it didn't happen here, in a research facility. ]

This started as a place to let people explore Wonderland together. I let it get out of hand.

[tobelieve]

Did you? Unless you had a part in what happened I doubt you're responsible.

( Not everything is her fault, and given that Helena tries to be blameless in things she is responsible for she doesn't think this is Jane's fault. Or should be )

Someone else should clean up the mess.

[interspatial]

My lab.

[ the words come out harsh, a little louder than before. the last person to absolve jane of her part in hurting people stands in front of helena, hands on her hips. tired, but adamant. ]

My mess. I am sorry if you came here looking for information, or a way to be helpful. You'll have to look elsewhere, now.

[tobelieve]

I actually came looking for you.

( Which is far more interesting than whatever had happened in here. She doesn't really know anything about Jane's involvement in this mess, and she doesn't actually care that much either )

After where our last conversation left off.

[interspatial]

Right, yeah. Uhm-- how do you feel about coffee?

[ yes jane ask the lady who thought you kidnapped to coffee, that's for sure going to work... ]

[tobelieve]

( One day, Jane, you'll learn that being surprising is her way of life. Expected things are so boring )

I suppose it's what most normal people do with a conversation.

( And not hold people at gun point, even if one is more fun )

Should I let you finish here first?

[interspatial]

[ jane shakes her head-- this place is done. the relevant pieces are gone, and the writing's on the overdramatically worded whiteboard, so. ]

And if I don't get an Americano in me soon I might scratch the paper off the walls. [ she gestures toward the door, moving toward helena and it. ]

Have you been settling in OK? Pulled a gun on anyone else?

[ ...is that smile? shut up. ]

[tobelieve]

( There's a chuckle at that -- a little surprised, and a little cheeky. And her tone is very cheeky )

You were just a lucky lady.

( She turns with Jane, letting her lead them to the coffee )

I have found a few interesting things out. Did you know that people also believe in time travel?

( She's absolutely pretending to find that idea absurd, as she had with Wonderland, but if Jane called her on it, or the fact that her tone (purposefully) doesn't sound like she doesn't believe it, she'd fess up )

[interspatial]

[ her smirk widens at helena's willingness to roll (and one-up) her snark. she gives a mock-surprised gasp, hand touching her collarbone. ]

Time travel? What a fanciful notion. Magic closets, sure. Eleventh dimensional hyperspace, definitely. But time travel?

[ she hopes that her melodramatic tone does the job, but jane inherently does not like even risking the potential of alienating someone when it comes to science. she drops the tone a little, and her authentic curiosity peeks out behind it: ]

What year did you leave when you came here?

[tobelieve]

2010.

( With Jane not taking her bait she figures she'll play along, knowing it's the easiest way to find out information. She's had plenty of experience in pretending she doesn't know what she's talking about )

Eleventh dimension?

( Okay that part is completely new to her )

[interspatial]

[ she nods again as they make their way down the staircase, humming happily. ]

A supporting branch of string theory, and the Big Bang Theory. This is reductive, but it's the dimension where infinite universes exist. The multiverse.

[ she gestures around them with a quiet joy. wonderland's a world of bad, but she does like it here. even without the aether's influence. ]

What do you know about wormholes?

[tobelieve]

( Helena scrunches her face up. She's going to start showing her age soon )

I take it it doesn't have anything to do with worms.

[interspatial]

Well, that's not a terrible place to start. They resemble a tunnel, but behave more like a bridge. Through space and time?

[ does she have you back, granny? ]

[tobelieve]

( Ah, there it is. Helena gives a nod, following again and looking far less confused )

Allowing for people to travel through it. But how are they created?

[interspatial]

[ she hasn't had coffee yet, but jane's perking up by the minute. quietly, excitedly, her inner adrenaline junkie comes out: ]

By screwing around with black holes. What do you know about quantum entanglement?

[tobelieve]

( Considering that she's sort of known what wormholes were just without that name... )

Possibly under a different name.

( Or no name. Her science is very made up by her and nameless. It's legit, okay Jane )

[interspatial]

[ she grins again, and tries einstein's joke name before more clearly explaining. ]

Spooky action at a distance? Entanglement is when particles interact physically. Quantum entanglement is when that happens even though the particles are separated by any distance.

[ her hands move, twining her fingers together, and then opening apart and wiggling opposite each other. everyone likes a little show with their tell, right? ]

When you perform an action on one of them, it affects the other in a relative manner. Nearly instantaneously.

[tobelieve]

( Man, if she'd known this back when she was making her time machine... )

Hence why you're able to physically move a person through time rather than say just their consciousness.

( Doot doot what was that she dropping clues )

[interspatial]

[ ooh. jane turns to look at helena and has a near-miss on the way into the first-floor hallway. she hurries to apologize but it's a little empty given how quickly she wants to return to that interesting tidbit. ]

Their consciousness? That's ... a little spooky. Is that how you did it in your world?

[ is the jig up? ]

[tobelieve]

( She smiles as Jane latches on, pleased with her )

Twenty-two hours and nineteen minutes. That's how long it lasted.

[interspatial]

[ how much energy would something like that require? how could she choose a time and place and consciousness and-- ]

I have so many questions.

[tobelieve]

( Helena chuckles at that. This reminds her of someone... )

We might need to add lunch to this coffee.