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Sylvia is home, homework done, practices done, planning on some reading, when Carolyn calls to her from downstairs, "Sylvia, company."

Not expecting anyone, and knowing momda knows Donnie and Kel, she heads down to see who's come to visit.  In the living room are a nice looking couple, pleasant faces with smiles.  Older then Carolyn and Mitzi but with healthy complextions.  He's a slight man with dark hair and eyes that smile even when his mouth isn't.  She's a light haired woman who looks more intense.  Momda is sitting with them, obviously waiting for Mitzi to bring in tea.  as Sylvia comes in the room the man stands and extends his hand, "Sylvia, nice to finally meet you.  I'm Doctor Banner, David Banner.  This is my wife, Betty."  The woman smiles and extends her hand as well.  "We were in town on business and thought that we'd come by for the interview."  He reaches in his jacket and hands Sylvia a printed page, "We got your email and I'd be delighted to give you an interview for the school paper."

The printed page is a copy of the email Sylvia sent the Avengers.

Carolyn: "Interview? What is it you're a doctor of?"
David: "High energy physics is my primary field."

It's about then that Mitzi comes in with tea.  She sets the service down and begins to pour.

Carolyn: "I'm still confused, you came all the way from New York you said?  For a school newspaper interview?"

Betty: "Actually no, I have some friends in the area and David is working with a collegue at the University of Chicago.  We thought we'd take a few extra days and take in the sites, I never really got my honeymoon.  David's work kept him busy."  Sylvia actually sees Banner blush some at his wife's comment.

David: "It was always something.  Sylvia contacted the foundation I work for in New York for an interview.  We were going to use one of those online chat things, but I thought since we'd be in town a face to face might be better.  Computers can be so impersonal."

Mitzi: "That's so true.  Carolyn, why don't you come help me with dinner and let Sylvia have a few minutes to talk to the Banner's."

Carolyn flashes Mitzi a look like she's not sure what's going on, a state she does not like to be in.  Then she smiles, "Of course.  We'll just be in the kitchen if you need us."

With that both women leave the room, leaving Sylvia and the Banner's to get aquainted.

When she's certain Carolyn and Mitzi have vanished into the kitchen, Sylvia looks at the e-mail, looks at the nice old couple, looks at the e-mail again.  They don't look like anyone she knows from the Avengers, and given everything else that's happened in the past few weeks, she's a little jumpy.  Whoever they are, they found her in her home, and that means Mom, Momda, Virginia, and Bell Jar the twenty-two-pound orange cat might be in danger.

If she looks a little wired, that's why.  "I wasn't expecting anyone to come see me.  It's been a while since I sent this."  She gestures, with as much adult panache as she can manage, toward the family room.  It's decorated like the rest of the house, a blend between Carolyn's taste for warm wood, stained glass, and other architectural detail and Mitzi's love of the eclectic.  Wheel-thrown pottery of no particular utility occupies shelf space alongside volumes of architectural digests and feminist literature, and the girls' kindergarten artwork has been framed and sealed for posterity, gold stars and all.

Betty: "Normally we don't get email like this either.  With all the things in the news lately, we wanted someone to come see you directly.  No one actually on the team is really all that qualified to intereact with teenagers, so we volunteered."

David: "If it's any help I used to be a super hero and have two children that are super heroes."

Betty: "Are you and your friends okay?  We read that a student had died and some others have been injured.  Is there anything we can do to help you out, you kind of took a chance by putting your name on that email.  I couldn't not come check up on you."

Sylvia can't keep all the skepticism off her face.  This guy?  Plaid shirt?  Corduroy blazer with the leather patches on the elbows?  Superhero?  Ri-ight.  And he's a particle physicist.  Everyone knows scientists are always evil.


Sylvia thinks.  "We seem to be all right.  I think one of my friends is seeing things, but the others seem to have their powers under control."  She frowns a little.  "There are strange things going on, though, stuff we can't account for.  One of us was possessed by this snake-spirit-thingie.  And we think someone cursed one of our friends to death.  And we're starting to worry which one of our classmates is going to lose his cool and go on a fifth-period rampage."  She pauses.  "It's not just a teenage thing, right?  I mean, I don't think we need help being teenagers.  We need help dealing with this craziness."

Betty: "Well, when you're twenty you'll wish you'd had help being a teenager.  Truth be told though, you really don't.  We can make a few phone calls, ask around.  These things tend to start out really wierd."

David puts a hand on Betty's.

David: "There is a scientific theory called The Convergence of Improbability Theory.  Basically it says that the chance of something crazy happening is slim, but if it does it increases the chances of other crazy things happening.  It happened in the Pacific North West back in the 80's and now it's happening here.  It's not completely out of the ordinary, but I know it's probably a lot to take in all at once."

Betty: "Also, you might consider that there is a reason your friends are all paranormal.  When it happened in Washington stae back int eh 80's it turned out that they were sort of needed.  You might think of it like destiny sort of."

Sylvia flinches.  "Destiny?  Destiny is a bad thing.  I mean, it is, right?  Destiny means that there's no help for this, that it isn't someone pouring mutagen in the mac-and-cheese.  How do you fix destiny?"

David: "Ah, Betty doesn't mean it like that.  Think of it like this.  You set wheels into motion, but the outcome wasn't predetermined.  That's what she means about your situation.  It's destiny for all the parts to be in the same place at the same time.  What those parts do is an act of free will.  In pinball the only time you know what the ball will do is when it's sitting still on the plnger before you hit it into play."

Mitzi comes out of the kitchen, "Wont be long.  You folks want to stay for dinner?"

David: "It smells great, but my doctor has me on this high protein diet so Betty and I were gonna hit a steak house in town.  Thanks for the offer though."

Mitzi has a look like she's heard the most bizzare tale ever told.  It takes a minute for her to smile, "Okay then.  About five more minutes honey."  she says to Sylvia as she leaves the room.

Betty: "So, we'll be in town a few days."  She hands a business card to Sylvia.  "Our hotel is on the back, our cell numbers, if you want to talk or any of your friends want to just call.  We'll check in with some local contacts and see if they know why so many things are happening all at once.  Is there a number we can reach you at, or should we just email you?"

Despite her initial misgivings, Sylvia thinks David and Betty might be nice folk after all.  They're probably just friends of friends of the Avengers or something like that, which means the Avengers themselves didn't have the time or inclination to look in on a bunch of kids in Oak Park.  Well, no matter.  The Usual Suspects (plus Cal) are getting a handle on things, and she thinks they've got a chance of becoming their own little supergroup--fighting for truth, justice, and a higher grade-point average--someday.

Besides, David and Betty already know where she lives.  What harm can a phone number be?  She rattles off the home phone and the newspaper-office phone.  "Hey, before you go, I have a question."  Her forehead rumples, and she ekes out something that's been eating at her for weeks now.  "You know how on TV, when you have a superhero, it's just the superhero and, like, a gajillion villains?  Is that the way it really is?  Is it just us and, like, a gajillion villains times five?"  She looks suddenly worried, anxious about what that means on a cosmic scale, and for the rest of their lives.

Betty looks at David, "You're the one with the degree in math."  she says with a smile.

David: "It seems that it's easier to use your powers for personal gain then to help others.  At least that's what statistics tell us.  The advantage is that having the moral fiber to use your powers to help others also seems to make you a stronger person.  Maybe it's some sort of cosmic balance."

[That feels like a good place to end the scene.  Can't think of anything meaningful to add.]