Timelined after Five-Banana Snow
<Hope> Power was definitely something Hope wanted back on as soon as possible. She had dragged Shinobi to the generator, and situated herself where they could both work on the power issue and still see her cute boyfriend. "Well, I still can't find the problem," she told him, examining it.
<Shinobi> "Um... wouldn't make more sense for that wire to go there, if the thing needs to be better grounded?" He wasn't too sure what he was looking at, but it seemed to make sense.
<Hope> "Not a bad idea." She picked up the pliers and started working on the rewiring. "How'd you get so smart?"
<Shinobi> It was probably best not to remind her he'd spent too much time around evil geniuses. "Lucky guess?" He looked up at her with a smirk and slid the rolling chair a little closer.
<Hope> She paused long enough to smile and flick a bit of his hair before going back to her work. "There has to be a more efficient way to generate power."
<Shinobi> "I told you," he laughed. "Fusion. Get that to work and you'll be richer than your dad."
<Hope> "Don't think that's something I can build on my own," she laughed, wondering why she wasn't drinking any scotch. She dismissed the though, having to squint as it was to work with the wires.
<Shinobi> "I'm sure he has some nuclear material laying around here somewhere." Shinobi sat up and pretended to look around the room with a speculative expression. He still hadn't been in here very much, and he was more than a little curious.
<Hope> "Yeah if he wanted a trip to Guantanamo Bay..." Hope laughed, but shrugged off his search in favor of her own work.
<Shinobi> That gave him a moment of pause. "Kind of surprised that wasn't where I was..." Uncomfortable, he got up and started looking around the room, investigating a tray of circuitry.
<Shaw> Those two had been busily doing something for far too long, and Sebastian had to investigate, listening in as he started up the stairs.
<Hope> "We should make snow ice cream," Hope changed the subject quickly. "That's something I haven't done in years!" She took his hand in her own when he got close enough.
<Shinobi> The change of subject was as subtle as a heart attack, and he paused to look at their hands and smiled slightly. "Yeah, okay. I've never had that."
<Hope> "What?! Oh babe. We are so fixing that. Just as soon as we fix this." She kept his hand, hoping she hadn't set off another trigger.
<Shaw> Sebastian reached the doorway of his work room and watched them inside. They were working on the grid bypass, apparently.
<Shinobi> He realized what she was doing and swallowed, squeezing her hand in return and sitting back down.
<Hope> "Peppermint. We'll have to find a way to make it peppermint." She spoke absentmindedly, keeping his hand until she absolutely needed it again. "There... Now what?"
<Shaw> Interesting. Sebastian was somewhat surprised they hadn't noticed him, and even more by the exchange he'd just heard and seen. "You two are busy."
<Shinobi> "Chocolate peppermint," he amended. Once he had his hand back, he rubbed his face, shaking it off and leaning in to look at the generator.
<Hope> "I don't know how- hey Dad." She grinned over at Sebastian. "We're totally making snow ice cream later."
<Shinobi> He quirked an eyebrow at Hope. Dad?
<Shaw> Sebastian wasn't used to it either yet, though he managed a smile. "Are you?"
<Hope> Missing Shinobi's reaction, she nodded at Sebastian. "If we can get the power back on."
<Shaw> "What exactly are you doing?" He couldn't help but notice she was rewiring things, so he entered the room and circled the device.
<Hope> "Fixing it," she explained, like it was obvious.
<Shinobi> His father's sudden proximity only pushed him closer to Hope.
<Shaw> "Fixing it how?" He drew out the final word and dropped into a crouch beside Shinobi.
<Hope> Hope walked him through the changes they had made already. This should totally count for her senior project. Couldn't she use that relationship for something useful? "It's still not working."
<Shaw> "Well, there's much trial and error involved in such work, as you well know." He reached in front of his faux son to trace a wire.
<Hope> "Always..." She watched Sebastian's fingers, her mind racing ahead to find the solution before he did. There definitely had to be a better way to generate power. She'd have to find it.
<Shinobi> Sebastian was getting closer and Hope was engrossed, so he attempted to roll his chair back to escape this weird engineering moment.
<Hope> Hope caught that movement out of the corner of her eye. It brought her back to her own thoughts from her project based one. Remembering that Shinobi hated the telepathy talk around him, Hope opted to actually speak to Sebastian. "I need to tell you something." She never stopped her examination as she told him this news.
<Shaw> "Oh?" He glanced at Hope, then briefly at Shinobi. "You moved the ground wire."
<Hope> "Yeah but that's not it." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's... I don't know why or what happened... but I can't turn telepathy off."
<Shaw> Sebastian straightened up, his attention fully focused on Hope now. "You can't turn it off?"
<Shinobi> He considered rolling the chair further away, but instead moved closer to Hope, his knee bumping hers.
<Hope> "It's... different. Weird. Constantly there." She pressed her knee back against Shinobi's. At least one of her parents knew about mutations. Tony was useless.
<Shinobi> He rested his hand, palm up, on his knee, in quiet offer.
<Shaw> "It's my telepathy? Perhaps it's because we've all been here since before the storm? How long?" Sebastian noticed Shinobi's actions, but decided to ignore it.
<Hope> "Since before the storm. And it feels... different. I haven't tested it very much." She snatched up his hand, squeezing it tightly.
<Shaw> "Well." Sebastian sat back on his haunches and ran his tongue across his teeth in thought. "If I could, I would get out of your range, and that would likely solve this... situation."
<Hope> "I guess it'll be a great experiment once the snow stops," Hope smiled, relaxing.
<Shaw> "What is your range now, little Stark?" He took a moment to study their clasped hands, then met Hope's eyes.
<Shinobi> He squeezed her hand.
<Hope> She shrugged a bit, shifting uneasily at his gaze. "Three miles or so? Give or take." She tightened her hold on Shinobi, glad he was there.
<Shaw> "It's growing then." His attention returned to their hands, still resting on his faux son's knee. "Perhaps with more range you're retaining the powers with more... tenacity. Have you attempted to use any others?" Shinobi and Jessica were her closest options at the moment, or Sum in his temporary quarters just across the street.
<Hope> "Everything else is the same as it's always been," she shrugged. "I don't use Jess' power often. Yours I can still pick up and drop at will. David's at the same time. It's just that one power that doesn’t have an off switch. And it just feels different." She relaxed a little, looking over at Shinobi finally. "It could be a natural extension of my own. Or an absorption. Is there really any way to tell?"
<Shaw> "I doubt there is..." There was a reason she was telling him this in front of Shinobi. "Have you created a link to him?"
<Shinobi> He was somewhat offended that his father was speaking around him, but said nothing, tilting his chin up to meet Sebastian's eyes.
<Hope> "Now that I can still turn on and off," So that was a no. There was no guarantee that it would sustain anyway.
<Shaw> Sebastian smirked. That hadn't been quite what he'd meant, but there was no need to encourage them.
<Hope> "Just kind of thought you should know," she shrugged a bit.
<Shaw> "Thank you, love," he said with a more real smile. "The next time I'm out of range, we'll know more."
<Hope> She nodded, and smiled back over at him. "It'll be an experiment."
<Shinobi> "And if she has developed a secondary mutation, you can help her with it?"
<Shaw> Sebastian gave the young man a slow blink. "Of course. It's simple enough to manage, unless it's exceptionally strong telepathy, which I'm gathering it's not."
<Hope> "No. I didn't even really notice it at first." She had to admit that Shinobi's shields were getting stronger. That was good for him. She toyed with his fingers a bit, watching him and Sebastian. He still had no clue how this relationship worked. "Let's just hope Tony doesn't think it's cool to have a telepath on call at the White House."
<Shaw> He chuckled. "It's none of his business if you don't want it to be, little Stark." It was easy enough to determine who she had noticed it with, and his own fingers drummed once on the generator.
<Hope> She smiled at that. "May have to at some point... maybe." She smirked and picked up the pliers again. "Not that we could anyway with no power and no cell reception."
<Shinobi> He let go of her hand to let her work, rolling back a little more.
<Shaw> "Well, we could reach him if necessary, but since we're in no danger here, we may as well enjoy the... company." He smirked and looked back at the device.
<Hope> She smirked over at Sebastian, glancing back at Shinobi. She hooked his chair with her foot and pulled him closer. No way was he not going to be involved in this. "Unless you count bananas as a weapon."
<Shinobi> He found himself dragged back and planted his feet. "Only on that sandwich we talked about earlier, right?"
<Shaw> Sebastian counted to ten.
<Hope> Hope laughed and nudged Shinobi a bit. "Right." She passed him the pliers.
<Shinobi> He took them, but gave her a slightly perplexed look.
<Shaw> "Right," he cut in, straightening up to find another chair and make himself at home in his own workshop.
<Hope> If you're going to help me, you need to learn with me. She told Shinobi, picking up a screwdriver.
<Shinobi> He nodded, pretending to study the generator, but generally watching her from the corner of his eye.
<Shaw> "Well then," Sebastian said, wheeling over a stool and making himself at home. "I was going to have a chat with Shinobi about something, but you might be interested in it as well, little Stark."
<Hope> "Hm?" Hope perked up. Information? "And what's that? Finally admitting your undying love for Tony?"
<Shaw> Sebastian gave Hope a level look, then rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "You'd have to ask him about that."
<Shinobi> He had heard this before, but he was half afraid to ask for an explanation. Once again, it boiled down to the fact his father was weird. "Yeah? About what?"
<Hope> Laughing, Hope flipped her hair back over her shoulder, out of her way, waiting for him to answer Shinobi.
<Shinobi> That flash of red from the corner of his eye caught his attention for a moment.
<Shaw> Sebastian smirked and cleared his throat. "It's about your ... prior conviction." He was pleased when that got Shinobi's wandering attention back on track.
<Hope> Why didn't he just throw a peanut at her and make it easier? Hope looked over at Shinobi, on alert again but trying to be relaxed about it. "What about it?"
<Shinobi> "What?" He swallowed harshly. Feeling fear rising, he found himself clenching the pliers, knuckles white.
<Shaw> "My attorneys have been working on your case. Of course, you were never charged for the... 2016 incident." He noticed the death grip the boy had on his tool and his gaze slid to Hope. "However, your domestic terrorism conviction for your association with Nur still stands, so your legal situation is... tenuous."
<Hope> Maybe she had underestimated that lack of a link. Hope touched his arm gently, reminding him that she was there and he'd be alright. "So what does that mean? What are our options?"
<Shinobi> He startled just a little at the touch, then gave her a slight smile. I'm okay.
<Shaw> "Well, frankly the only thing keeping you free at the moment is her father's benevolence." Sebastian watched them carefully, nodding meaningfully toward Hope.
<Hope> Just checking on you. Well that wasn't good news. Of all the things Tony didn't care about, who she dated wasn't one of those things. He was already pissed about the picture of them that had leaked. Oh, that meant something else. If she pissed off Tony he could ship Shinobi off out of spite. "Great."
<Shinobi> When the implications sank in, he found it difficult to breathe. Looking down, he pressed his lips together so Sebastian couldn't see his reaction. Of course. Of course.
<Hope> Just breathe. Hope rubbed his arm as she plotted. There had to be a way to use this to their advantage.
<Shaw> "This doesn't mean I'm simply going to send you back, of course." The boy was looking rather pale now, so he moved just a little closer. "They did lose you after all, and so that's an excellent argument that your conviction was problematic."
<Hope> Chris destroyed half of Alaska and Tony didn't bat an eye. Surely he would come around to Shinobi, if they could just get Tony to see how much the guy had changed. Nobody is taking you anywhere,
<Shaw> "You were essentially part of a show trial, since Nur was unavailable, so President Kelly could regain what little of his credibility remained after the Mutant Registration Act debacle." Sebastian looked directly at Hope. I'm trying to get his conviction overturned for the very same reason he was never charged for the assassination.
<Shinobi> He glanced up at his father, somewhat surprised he was making the effort. I don't want to go. It was embarrassing, but he'd been unable to stop the thought.
<Hope> She rested her head against his shoulder, caught between the two of them, but trying to comfort Shinobi. "President Kelly was a joke. Tony should have done a hell of a lot more to stop that." If he comes after him... so help me, she sent to Sebastian.
<Shinobi> "I can't even remember most of that trial," he said after a moment, staring at a wire on the generator.
<Shaw> Sebastian looked at Hope curiously. If who comes after him? "I quite agree, but his hands were tied at the time."
<Hope> "Can't Tony just... pardon him and save us all a lot of headache and work?" Hope ignored Sebastian's question, focused on this new idea. "I mean really." Really. That was a brilliant idea. How did they get that to happen?
<Shinobi> He carefully put the pliers down. "Why would he do that? He has more reason now to see me back in prison..." Which he suspected was part of Sebastian's plan.
<Shaw> Sebastian looked sharply at Shinobi, expression thoughtful. "Quite."
<Hope> Boys were frustrating. Hope sat up so she could better look between them. I'll work on Tony. "He would if we can present it just right. I think like him right? So we just have to figure out what reason to give him."
<Shaw> "You think like him to a certain extent, love, but not at all like him in other respects." Once again, he was looking at Shinobi. "But, yes, little Stark, I would appreciate your assistance in this matter."
<Shinobi> He needed to move, to get away, and he pulled away from Hope to get up.
<Hope> Hope let Shinobi go, watching him as he moved. "I'll talk to him." She looked back over to Sebastian. Or rather, she and Tony had though a lot alike, but something had changed on that trip to Alaska. She had seen Shinobi as a person for the first time. Maybe that's what Tony needed too. "Definitely will talk to him."
<Shaw> Sebastian gave Hope a nod, then watched Shinobi with interest.
<Hope> She gave Sebastian's arm a squeeze, standing up to try and move to Shinobi to comfort him.
<Shinobi> He could sense her behind him, and stiffened, raising a hand to his face to wipe it.
<Hope> She slid her arms around him from behind, pressing her face against his back.
<Shinobi> He closed his eyes, breath shuddering, and memorized her touch and how it felt to be cared for. Gently removing her hands, he gave one a squeeze, then let go and started for the stairs. "I'm sorry, Hope."
<Hope> Her hand reached and immediately was snapped back to her. She stared after him while she felt everything crash down around her. Again. She blinked a few times, licking her lips and giving Sebastian a glare as she went for the scotch. "I hope you're pleased with yourself."
<Shaw> "Well, that was rather more dramatic than warranted," he observed, watching Shinobi's departure, and followed Hope to his workshop scotch bottle.
<Hope> "You're so desperate to keep us apart. Well congratulations. Looks like you win." She filled the biggest glass she could find to the top with the scotch.
<Shaw> The immediate change wasn't lost on him. "Little Stark..."
<Hope> She shot him a look as she set the bottle down. "Don't." She went back to her seat, taking a long drink and refocusing on the task at hand. She couldn't be trapped in there. Not like this. Not with no outlet. Power had to be fixed. Now.
<Shaw> "I'm trying to protect you both." He snatched up the bottle.
<Hope> "And yet, you caused what you were so paranoid about. Good job." She took another long drink. "I have work to do."
<Shaw> "As hard as you might find it to believe, I don't want him to be incarcerated again. He has potential."
<Hope> "Maybe you should try telling him that." She snapped, twirling the screwdriver before putting it to use.
<Shaw> This was far more of a losing battle than he'd anticipated and he sighed.
<Hope> She picked up her cup and downed a good bit of the liquid. She wiped her face, hopefully before he could notice the wetness that had leaked out. She leaned in closer to her work, using her hair as a shield.
<Shaw> Her half-hearted attempt to hide her tears wasn't fooling him. "You won't lose him, not if we plot our game methodically and precisely," he said in a softer tone. "That was the message I meant to convey."
<Hope> "I already have." She set the screwdriver down in favor of the scotch. She nearly needed a refill.
<Shaw> "Have you now?"
<Hope> "You really don't know him at all, do you?" Hope asked, finally looking up at Sebastian.
<Shaw> Sebastian tilted his head, eyes narrowed to take in her face. "He's me, little Stark."
<Hope> "Just because he has half of your DNA, doesn't mean he is you." She stared back at him.
<Shaw> "No, but the other half is... potentially something worse."
<Hope> "Doesn't really matter now anyway." She took the bottle, refilling her cup.
<Shaw> Sebastian snatched the bottle back before she could get the lid off. "I know better than to believe this will deter you."
<Hope> She tugged on the bottle again. "You can't take everything from me."
<Shaw> "Well, that statement is quite as dramatic as his exit." He kept the bottle, deciding he had best go after the boy after all. "Focus on your work then, little Stark." With a nod, he left the workroom for the stairs.
<Hope> How was she supposed to engineer without scotch? "Ass." she muttered, going back to try. And cry.