Various social media | Video

[qualityfriend]

Display Name: THE RESISTANCE
Profile Photo: A picture of Fantastic with a red circle with the line through it and dripping with blood for good measure
Notes: Terrorism though it's stopped

All your favorite social media sites have a new livestream posted to them at the same time. It starts by showing a group of hostages, bound gagged and terrified, then the camera turns around to show a woman in a face-covering spandex suit. Those who follow supervillain activity or Fantastic's exploits might recognize her as Flashstep, who has mostly been involved in attempted heists, using her teleportation powers to get past security and befuddle her non-powered opponents, but Fantastic has always stopped her.

She's usually been taunting and almost flirty in the past, but when she starts talking, her voice is unusually cold. She says that fun time is over, if the people are going to accept Fantastic, then they all deserve to die. She moves, leaving the building, a nondescript office, continuing to rant, as the wind picks up and suddenly Fantastic shows up, grabbing her before she can do anything. He wrenches the camera and a detonator out of her hands and, from what can be seen from the camera's new vantage point on the ground, roughs her up and puts her in handcuffs.

Then he picks up the camera and solemnly addresses it. He says that he understands people are upset, but that violence against innocents is unacceptable. He asks, almost pleadingly, that if anyone has a problem with him, they face him themselves and leave others out of it. With that, he turns off the camera.

Comments

[qualityfriend]

Let's hope.

[She leans against him. Damn, she's tired. What happened during her missing time?]

Almost there?

[robintohood]

Soon. Gotta park a little away from the safehouse just in case though. How're you feeling?

[qualityfriend]

[Very sarcastic:] Oh, great. Best I've ever felt.

[Then a sigh.] Seriously? Besides hurting for reasons I don't know, and all the bad head stuff around that, I feel- worn out.

[robintohood]

[There's a short pause as Jason tries to work something out in his head]

Maybe bad head stuff is exactly what it is, like someone's been trying to manipulate you.

[qualityfriend]

That's a classic supervillain move. I told you about Spellbinder, right? He hypnotized kids into stealing for him.

[robintohood]

Yeah. What happened to those kids he targeted? Was it like they blacked out too?

[qualityfriend]

They were confused when confronted. I think they had vague memories of what they did, saw some outlandish things.

[robintohood]

What'd they see?

[qualityfriend]

I think Chelsea thought she was in a jungle, and Jared's mom saw bugs.

[robintohood]

So they were powerful illusions to trick them into stealing. You didn't anything see like that today?

[qualityfriend]

I haven't seen anything like that at all. At least not that I can remember.

[robintohood]

[Soon afterwards he pulls over into an alleyway. Then he gives Dana the address to his Candy Lofts apartment, which is a few blocks away]

We can't be seen in there together while I'm like this. Wait for me outside my door. I'll be with you soon.

[qualityfriend]

Wha-? Oh, right. [She briefly covers her face with one hand, mimicking his mask.]

I'll be waiting. [She tries to teleport- and clutches her head instead of disappearing.] Owww...

[robintohood]

[With a straight face]

Might wanna walk.

[qualityfriend]

Guess so. It's like- I've overtaxed myself. Maybe that's something I do during blackout time.

[She heads off at as brisk a pace as she can manage. She does know exactly where she's going, after all.]

[robintohood]

[Once Dana starts walking, Jason drives off in a seemingly different direction.

Several minutes go by as Jason parks his motorcycle away, rooftop jump his way to Candy Lofts, climbs down the building and enters his apartment through a window. He then takes off his helmet and mask before checking the peep hole on his door to see if Dana is there]

[qualityfriend]

[She is. She's trying to look casual about it, but she's too tired and worried to really do a good job of that.]

[robintohood]

[Jason opens the door for Dana and steps aside to let her in]

Hey. Want me to get you anything?

[qualityfriend]

Answers. [Though she yawns.] Okay, maybe some coffee. And a snack.

[robintohood]

[Jason gestures Dana to the couch. There's a laptop there as well. He then walks over to the kitchen area to get coffee ready]

Have you heard of anyone else having weird blackouts or bruises they can't explain?

[qualityfriend]

No. But I haven't been socializing much. Or info gathering.

[robintohood]

There could be others. We got plenty of costumed villains after all.

[Jason pulls out a couple of granola bars from a cabinet]

If someone's manipulating you, it wouldn't make sense to just stick to one person.

[qualityfriend]

First we should find out where I've been going when I black out. [She rummages in her purse for the tracker.] Do you need this?

[robintohood]

Yup. Leave it by the laptop.

[After several minutes, the coffee's ready and Jason walks over with two mugs. He offers one of them to Dana, puts his own down and turns on his laptop]

This isn't exactly the level of resources I'm used to but we should learn something at least.

[qualityfriend]

[She takes the offered mug and has a gulp. It's still somewhat too hot, but the pain will help keep her awake and focused. Probably.]

I hope so. This has gone too far for too long.