[Issue] Go West

[Madison West]

"I certainly fucking hope there's not more. And why would we --- Okay, you know what, fair, I can totally see it. But this was a pharmaceutical lab mining for some kind of fossilized crap from which to extract... classified components."

[Will Stanton]

"You're going to have to be more specific and less ominous than that."

[Madison West]

"I knew calling in the goody-goodies was a mistake." Madison groans and pulls something from the inside of her jacket and underhand-tosses it at Will. It looks like an epi-pen but with three prongs of syringes at the end. On the side it has a digital counter sitting at zero underneath a small label reading 'Experimental Mix #18 - MGH' along with a biohazard symbol and one that Will might not immediately recognize.

[Toshiro Narumi]

RockTosh stepped close for a look and said accusingly, "I thought MGH was illegal."

[Madison West]

"So's being a mutant in this country without being registered. What are you, a cop?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"What I am doesn't change that what you're company is doing is wrong," he said with righteous judgment.

[Will Stanton]

While the others were clashing with Madison, Will reached the chunk of the thingy down in the crater.

He knew now that it was probably no bueno, but his hand...his hand felt really good.

And so, he scooped it up and clutched it close to his chest. To, you know, protect it as he took it out of the crater.

[Madison West]

"How the fuck do you think I managed to stay on my feet for 48 hours straight and hold that thing at bay until your sorry asses showed up. Eat my entire ass, bug-boy."

[Toshiro Narumi]

His crystal eyes began to redden. "You wouldn't have needed to if you people weren't mining for ingredients for it!"

[Madison West]

"I mean obviously we recklessly disregarded all the warnings from the experts on subterranean rock monsters!"

"I am not getting paid enough for this shit. You got a problem, take it up with my mother."

[Toshiro Narumi]

With Madison backing off, Bug-Tosh's growing anger began to subside and his eyes faded back to white.

"I take it we're done here?" he asked coldly.

[Madison West]

"Sure, long as you leave that pile of rubble." she says, apparently having missed Will grabbing a piece.

A little chunk that just feels nice to hold. It's making him breathe easier, which at first seems stupid, seeing how he really doesn't have to, but then he realizes he's aware of his cells pulling in oxygen and pushing out carbon dioxide like itty-bitty lungs all responding to his conscious thought on a ridiculous level. Like the world's best Vick Vaporub.

[Will Stanton]

Will took a moment to just breathe with the chunk. New experiences were so rare...

...When he thought no one was looking, he pressed the chunk against his chest and let it sink deep inside. A good plan with no ill-effects!

[Acala]

Leaving what seems to be a large drug operation doesn't exactly feel great, but at least most of the facility does appear to be in shambles. And Will did manage to sneak a piece of evidence, even if it's currently sitting inside his chest, slowly dissolving into his cells. And as everyone climbs back into the Jet and Will let's himself fall into one of the seats her can feel a tingle along the parts of his body that are in contact with the ergonomic, but uncushioned seat. Dang robots being in charge of plane-design not considering comfort.

"The seismic readings have ceased entirely. Well done!" Acala chirps as the jet's engines fire up and begin lifting it into the air.

In his seat Will can feel the hum of the engine's vibrations and it's just kind of a nice, relaxing massage. Just shaking things nice and loose. Until he notices that he's not just slumped in the seat but his back is kind of stuck to the plastic of the seat like a piece of velcro to, well, the other bit of velcro. Shifting cells entangled with microscopic pores of the seat's material.

[Will Stanton]

This may be concerning for normal people, or people not under the influence of strange chemicals.

It was less concerning for Will. The hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of connections between him and the chair inflamed his senses. All of them -- he could feel the texture of the plastic, scraping microscopically along his back. He could taste the stitching on the seat, smell the chemical tinge of the faux-leather, see....ok, there wasn't enough light to see, but still. The sheer amount of information was practically overwhelming.

Will let himself sink in more, willfully further entangling himself with the seat, pressing back up against it, as his eyes fluttered.

[Samantha McManus]

"...we're going to have to get Will checked out after this, aren't we?"

[Will Stanton]

"Whazzat? You not feeling OK, Sam?" Will asked, clearly not paying full attention.

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh looked over at Will appraisingly.

"Yeah, he... shouldn't look high," he said, "Like, tripping balls high."

[Will Stanton]

"Whaaaat? Nah, nah, nah. I'm fine, you guys. Just fine," Will said, rolling his eyes at the Worrywarts.

[Acala]

"I am registering elevated vitals. I'm unclear of their biological significance in a shapeshifter of your capabilities."

"Although I am reasonably certain you should not be melting into the upholstery."

[Will Stanton]

"OK, A, I wouldn't trust vital signs from me as far as you could throw them. Which you can't. Because they're just electric beepity boops and not a baseball.

And two, you've got your things and I've got mine, and is that really so bad?"

[Samantha McManus]

"How hard did it hit you?"

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, not very hard at all."

A pause.

"OK, it stabbed me a couple dozen times, but, y'know. Just a Friday night at the fondue bar. Certainly not worse than it trying to plant a Sam and see what grows."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Stabbing you wouldn't make you act like you're stoned. Did anything unusual happen?"

Besides me turning into a golem.

[Will Stanton]

"Well, we fought a giant rock monster in a quarry. Does that count?" Will deadpanned.

[Samantha McManus]

"That thing was... it was like a set of mutant powers with nobody home."

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh turned to Sam with a look of equal parts perplexed and curious.

"What do you mean?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I mean I could... sense it. Like a spark of potential, but no person attached to it."

"I ah... sent it on, I think."

[Will Stanton]

"Like, sent it on sent it on? And if it was just mutant powers, where did you send it...to?" Will said, glad the conversation was no longer on him. Success!

[Samantha McManus]

"To what comes... you know, after."

[Will Stanton]

"But if wasn't a consciousness, and was just a set of powers...then..." Will said.

"OK, that might be getting a bit too metaphysical at that point."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Are you... sure it's gone entirely? It's a bit of a coincidence Will's acting loopy now."

[Will Stanton]

"Look, I don't have to sit here and listen to this.

I mean, I choose to, but I don't have to."

[Samantha McManus]

"We are in a moving aircraft."

[Will Stanton]

"Details," Will grumped.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"So..." he said, searching for a new topic, "I turned into a rock monster. That was... interesting."

[Will Stanton]

"Yes! Yes, see?. Interesting, not strange. That's the way to sell it," Will said, completely missing Tosh's major power development.

[Acala]

"Strange is interesting on account of being a deviation from the norm!" Acala helpfully supplies.

"Would you say you were under extreme duress when your new shape manifested?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I was about to be turned into ferret paste. So, yeah. It seems to be how my powers work."

[Acala]

"It's how many powers work. Cortisol and adrenaline are often linked to increased X-Gene activity."

"Although not nearly as significantly as MGH."