Improving Cerebro

[balancingminds]

Charles has spent most of the day in the room at the top of the building or in the little office that was found for him, but now its time to find Hank.

His visit to Milliways provided some ideas and he wants to see what might be possible. He also needs to provide Hank with some of Erik's background and try to find a way to ease the tensions between them.

The first place he looks is Hank's lab, which is a beautiful space and he spots the newest volume of one of the journals he follows. His notes on Cerebro are set down as he sighs at the article, there's still much work to do.

Comments

[balancingminds]

"Yes, that's a decent way to think of it

's not perfect but then Charles always has a difficult time talking about his mutation.

[no_more_hiding]

"I wonder if perhaps there is a problem with the alignment between your mind's brainwave frequency and Cerebro? Or it could be between Cerebro and the atmosphere," Hank speculates. "Or it could even be a sort of cacophony between all the other minds."

[balancingminds]

"Erik mentioned the relays, which I'm afraid I don't understand. Let me get him and he can explain what he sensed. I was able to manage the minds once I was used to it, there was just some time to adjust,"

He knows Erik's not far away and carefully sends out a mental message.

Erik, will you come to Hank's lab to speak to him?

[no_more_hiding]

"Wait, you've already been here with him?" Hank says a bit tersely. He knows it's foolish to feel possessive of Cerebro since it's a CIA asset but it's still his invention. "I hope you did try and run it on yourself without proper supervision?"

That could be very bad as there is so much to the machine.

[markedformore]

Summoned as if a pet. Erik lifts his head away from the research he's been adding to the file on Shaw, taking his time in order to join Charles and Hank, hands in his pockets as he wanders inside and shoots them both an expectant look. "Yes?"

[balancingminds]

Charles rubs his head, this is not the time for his headache to return, "No, We just ran it without me in it. I have no wish for that sort of headache again. The best way to see what Erik could sense was for him to feel Cerebro," As Erik arrives, he smiled but tired predominates. "Thank you. Sorry for he direct means but I didn't want to miss the chance for all of us to talk now."

[no_more_hiding]

Hank offers Erik a professional nod as he removes a panel to check the most sensitive parts of Cerebro. Hank's has had to work with many professors and older students who didn't like him and he's used to working around them; he can do the same with Erik.

All seems good with Cerebro, so he replaces the panel and moves to another to check the fuses. "Are we going to talk theoretically today or try an actual test?"

[markedformore]

Erik crosses his arms tighter over his torso as he lingers at the edges. His disdain for the procedures of this machine have not changed, but he knows that attempting to change Charles' mind is akin to asking a river to change directions -- near impossible. "I'm willing to tell you what I can sense," he says. "If that is enough."

[balancingminds]

"Let's start there and then can do a small scale test if needed,"

This is better from both of them than Charles was hoping for.

[no_more_hiding]

"That will be an immense help. All I want is for Cerebro to be a tool for Charles, nothing more."

[markedformore]

"Yes, and all that Schmidt wanted was to find out what made me tick," Erik replies calmly, but he makes a gesture with his fingers as if to coax Hank onwards. "Charles, I do hope you know what you're doing."

[balancingminds]

"I do as this is something that helps me do more. It does enhance my telepathy. There's a sensation that's rather overwhelming like the first went to New York as a child. Many minds and I must find myself and then I can proceed. Though my senses and observation only extend to what I experience, we need all of our knowledge to improve Cerebro. Hank, turn Cerebro on and Erik, relay what you sense. I won't go in until we understand a bit more,"

It's a deferment to how he knows Cerebro bothers Erik but he does hope to soon go back into that place of many minds.

[no_more_hiding]

"Okay," Hank says starting the primary power up sequence, the fuses all having been good. "We'll have full power in a few minutes. Should we start with an active status of half intensity to begin?"

He can't help the thrill of excitement that passes through him despite Erik offhandedly comparing him to this Schmidt. Hank guesses he was a Nazi Erik knew but he is not going to rise to the bait.

[markedformore]

"Half the intensity," Erik says, rather sharply. Yes, he might not be the one who's attached to the contraption, but he still has strong feelings regarding this experiment. "Ease him into it, for god's sake."

[balancingminds]

Charles is adjusting his positioning and centering himself,

"That should work quite well. Closer to the first smaller test than the larger one."

[no_more_hiding]

"You know what, why don't we take even smaller steps. Rather than half why don't we go with ten levels, starting with one. That way we can pinpoint much more carefully when things start becoming uncomfortable. If you have the time that is?"

[markedformore]

Erik prefers that. It's not an ideal solution (as it still means Charles is to be hooked up to the infernal device), but it's one that he can stop. "It's acceptable," Erik says, from his end. "That way we can tell if something is harming Charles."

[balancingminds]

"It makes it easy to see if something's wrong and I'm not that far away while I'm in it. Just elsewhere because I have to focus on not losing myself,"

Doing that is part of dealing with his ability but he knows it sounds rather dangerous.

[no_more_hiding]

"Is that normal or something you've only encountered with Cerebro?" Hank asks concerned. This is uncharted territory for him and he'd like to not lose his compass and only successful test subject. Not to mention the only other mutants he's found.

[markedformore]

Erik watches Charles curiously, expecting the answer. He hasn't been able to ask this himself, but he wants to know. "Answer him," he demands. "How often has this been happening?"

[balancingminds]

"No, Cerebro just changes the scale. Its one of the risks of being a telepath, getting too connected to minds. I had to learn when I was younger ways to center myself and find myself. Its nothing to worry about, just how I work,"

Charles is trying to be reassuring but its one of the stranger aspects of his mutation.

[no_more_hiding]

"So it's a sense of scale rather than something new?" Hank says taking mental notes. "Everything is warmed up. We can begin whenever you are ready."

[markedformore]

Erik's jaw clicks as he holds it tighter together, not wanting to go forward with these tests, but aware that nothing he would say was going to change the fact that Hank and Charles wanted to do this.

[balancingminds]

Erik's tension is quite palpable to Charles, but he's done all he can think of to help. Later he'll try and find more, because they need Cerebro.

He looks over at Erik and smiles before nodding to Hank, "Let's see how we can make this work better."

[no_more_hiding]

Hank has been studying Erik as they've talked and has decided Erik likes to control things, situations, conversations, machines and experiments. Granted his access to Erik for this observation has been minute but Hank is pretty sure he is right. In fact, he decides that perhaps this will go better if Erik has some measure of control over the proceedings.

"Mr. Lehnshir, I wonder if you would tell me what the fields feel like at each stage before we connect Charles. I am theorizing that we might be able to catch the...discord that is causing Charles' discomfort this way. Would you be willing to try this?" He tone is completely polite and respectful; a student to a teacher with no hint of sarcasm.