[ Yeeeeah, his impression about the nature of Qubit's powers may not be correct, but Ben has nonetheless read his motives with like 95% accuracy there. His broken powers have slowed him down to an agonizing degree, and on top of that he can't get his signature invention to work, either - but it's not frightening so much as infuriating. The whole situation has been playing hob with all sorts of insecurities that he was supposed to be over by now. He's an adult, for God's sake!

So having a lead - something that might lend him some insight into why his shit doesn't work, or even help him fix it - really invigorates him. Sorry, Ben. ]

No, it definitely needs energy. That just means it's not getting it from you. Something on the other side, perhaps...?

[ He taps his fingers on the table, thinking. He's noticed that he and Ben are using slightly different definitions for the same terms - to Qubit, an "open" portal is extant, and a "closed" portal is not. Creating a portal incurs a huge energy cost, but maintaining one is considerably less expensive. ]

To me, it sounds more like your portal is constantly open, and what you're really controlling is whether it's passable. But that's only speculation. Maybe with a couple of tes-

[ Mid-word, Qubit suddenly breaks into a coughing fit, and it's close to ten full seconds before it subsides. Hey genius, maybe you shouldn't talk so much with a sore throat. ]