Fixed in the text! Thank you very much!
Goddamn Teenagers (Worm, AU/time travel)
Fixed in the text! Thank you very much!
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Still need to sort your gun cat from your Trek cat...
(could try a search through your text using 'Che'...)
Yes, this is a misspell I keep making, myself.
Still need to sort your gun cat from your Trek cat...
(could try a search through your text using 'Che'...)
Yes, this is a misspell I keep making, myself.
Think I got it now. Thank you for flagging!
Harbor Offensive, Part 13
"No Animos?" Dr. Weaver asked into the comms unit.
"Negative," Coil replied.
Lisa twitched instinctively at the sound of his voice, but didn't drop out of the channel. She--and Power--were far too intrigued at what was happening.
Dr. Weaver shook her head minutely. "Keep this one, even if that means we don't get Spree and the new face."
"You always say the same thing in both," Coil observed wryly.
"Let an old girl have her secrets," Dr. Weaver replied. "Don't forget to send a note on that new Teeth cape."
"10-4."
Lisa waited a beat, and then when Dr. Weaver didn't immediately switch to another channel, asked hesitantly, "Is that it?"
"For now," Dr. Weaver said absently. "We'll stay on guard until we finish tearing down here, but the Teeth are pulling back."
"They were a secondary objective anyway," she continued. "We still have the take here, which reminds me--go help that team double-check those buildings. We found Blasto samples, let's be sure we found them all."
Extremely concerned about samples. If you ask she will tell you why.
"... Do we know what the samples were from?" Lisa ventured. The 'PROPERTY OF BLASTO' labels had been concerning enough, but this seemed like more than a specific concern."
"If we're lucky, the missing tissue samples from the Simurgh."
Lisa literally gaped.
Not joking. Already knew Blasto had lost the sample.
"I'll just..." Lisa stammered, leaning heavily on the wall. "I'll just, uh, catch my breath. Then head over."
Note: Power did try to warn you, but you asked anyway...
"Negative," Coil replied.
Lisa twitched instinctively at the sound of his voice, but didn't drop out of the channel. She--and Power--were far too intrigued at what was happening.
Dr. Weaver shook her head minutely. "Keep this one, even if that means we don't get Spree and the new face."
"You always say the same thing in both," Coil observed wryly.
"Let an old girl have her secrets," Dr. Weaver replied. "Don't forget to send a note on that new Teeth cape."
"10-4."
Lisa waited a beat, and then when Dr. Weaver didn't immediately switch to another channel, asked hesitantly, "Is that it?"
"For now," Dr. Weaver said absently. "We'll stay on guard until we finish tearing down here, but the Teeth are pulling back."
"They were a secondary objective anyway," she continued. "We still have the take here, which reminds me--go help that team double-check those buildings. We found Blasto samples, let's be sure we found them all."
Extremely concerned about samples. If you ask she will tell you why.
"... Do we know what the samples were from?" Lisa ventured. The 'PROPERTY OF BLASTO' labels had been concerning enough, but this seemed like more than a specific concern."
"If we're lucky, the missing tissue samples from the Simurgh."
Lisa literally gaped.
Not joking. Already knew Blasto had lost the sample.
"I'll just..." Lisa stammered, leaning heavily on the wall. "I'll just, uh, catch my breath. Then head over."
Note: Power did try to warn you, but you asked anyway...
Coil Stares Into the Abyss
- Location
- The Internet?
"I'm not a woman to speak in stereo... but I suppose, in a roundabout way, you made me into one."
The woman... is it women, if he's seeing her in two unique instances at once? He was never one for theoretical grammar... the woman turns to look him in the eyes through the monitors he has set up, in BOTH timelines.
"Come work with us Coil. Forever... and ever... and ever."
God, did he need to get out of Brockton Bay, and Boston wasn't nearly far enough. He'd already inquired with the Fairy Queen's offices for a job and posting farther along the trunk of Alternate Earths from Bet, but the application was rejected 'on the recommendation of a foreign policy advisor.' Maybe he could try again...
...or would that just make Dr. Weaver upset?
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Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Look, Lisa. The phrase is "Curiosity killed the cat". Try not to add "and the fox" to it...
This is great! Have a thread mark!
The Price of Freedom
Max slowly regained awareness, in a black and empty void. A familiar void.
"Good morning, Mr. Anders," said the familiar voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere. "From my readings, it appears our experiments in continuity of consciousness have borne fruit."
"Haven't you done enough?" Max retorted with heat he didn't feel.
"I would expect you of all people to be more understanding, Mr. Anders. Sometimes, in the cause of progress, sacrifices must be made. Who better to make them than undesirables such as yourself?"
"They won't let you get away with this," Max said, wishing he could muster genuine fury. "They will find out, and when they do--"
"--They will do nothing. You are an unrepentant murderer, parahuman trafficker, and traitor to the country of your birth."
Max felt he should be seething, but only felt numb. Or did he feel anything at all?
"Ask yourself, Mr. Anders," the voice continued. "Even your original, were he to know, would he feel moved to comfort you, a pale shade, in your fleeting unlife? Would he allow himself to suffer even the slightest inconvenience for your benefit? Or would he... simply... look... away?"
Max wished he could flinch.
"Of course, I don't need to ask, do I? This is not the first time we have had this conversation."
Note: This one basically wrote itself
"Good morning, Mr. Anders," said the familiar voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere. "From my readings, it appears our experiments in continuity of consciousness have borne fruit."
"Haven't you done enough?" Max retorted with heat he didn't feel.
"I would expect you of all people to be more understanding, Mr. Anders. Sometimes, in the cause of progress, sacrifices must be made. Who better to make them than undesirables such as yourself?"
"They won't let you get away with this," Max said, wishing he could muster genuine fury. "They will find out, and when they do--"
"--They will do nothing. You are an unrepentant murderer, parahuman trafficker, and traitor to the country of your birth."
Max felt he should be seething, but only felt numb. Or did he feel anything at all?
"Ask yourself, Mr. Anders," the voice continued. "Even your original, were he to know, would he feel moved to comfort you, a pale shade, in your fleeting unlife? Would he allow himself to suffer even the slightest inconvenience for your benefit? Or would he... simply... look... away?"
Max wished he could flinch.
"Of course, I don't need to ask, do I? This is not the first time we have had this conversation."
Note: This one basically wrote itself
- Location
- Philippines
Ah yes, so all that's left is this darkly lit room, and yes, please put the mirror right there. There, that's juuuust right.
Oh hey, Cranial. What am I doing? Oh you know, just putting a lampshade.
Oh hey, Cranial. What am I doing? Oh you know, just putting a lampshade.
Dr. Thunder
Philosopher-King of Florida
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/They
Kaiser (or a mind-copy of him at least) learns that being an unrepentant Nazi means no one is at all sympathetic to him being trapped in Cranial's mad science experiment.
Really this is probably a mercy compared to what Dr. Weaver would do if she decided to deal with him personally, after all Leviathan stole that opportunity the first time around.
Really this is probably a mercy compared to what Dr. Weaver would do if she decided to deal with him personally, after all Leviathan stole that opportunity the first time around.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Could be worse, Max. You could be in a nice suburban house, with a white picket fence, a garden, a nice family. And, a cellar. You don't want to go in that cellar. But, you know you will have to. Sooner or later...
(Scene stolen from 'Angel' (the BtVS spin-off), episode Underneath (s5x17).)
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Harbor Offensive, Part 14
"I don't understand," Lisa said, as she and Dr. Weaver walked, under guard, the perimeter of the 'buildings of interest'. "If there might be samples from… her, why go through all this with Coil and the Elite?"
"We didn't know it might be here," the older woman replied. "We knew Blasto had gotten it, and we knew he lost it. We already recovered his samples of the others. Thinker effects, however, have proven unreliable at tracking the Simurgh samples."
"Why not call additional help? Why is it us and, uh," she gestured minutely toward their guard who was, again, employed by Coil, "these guys?"
"We have," the older woman replied. "They are mustering at the PRT building and will be coming in shortly, discreetly, without causing a panic."
"Don't we have those portal things?" Why was she so calm?
"As soon as we found the Blasto samples, we portaled in the best portal detectors we have. Any further portal usage is restricted until we clear the area. With her involved, we can't rule out someone timing their own portal to coincide with ours."
Lisa boggled. "How likely is that? Does anyone else even have these portals?"
"Still not worth the risk."
"Who's coming anyway? Think tank people?"
"Unpowered analysts and Alexandria. Parahumans are actually more susceptible to Ziz, usually."
------------------------------
Note: Roll for SAN damage…
"We didn't know it might be here," the older woman replied. "We knew Blasto had gotten it, and we knew he lost it. We already recovered his samples of the others. Thinker effects, however, have proven unreliable at tracking the Simurgh samples."
"Why not call additional help? Why is it us and, uh," she gestured minutely toward their guard who was, again, employed by Coil, "these guys?"
"We have," the older woman replied. "They are mustering at the PRT building and will be coming in shortly, discreetly, without causing a panic."
"Don't we have those portal things?" Why was she so calm?
"As soon as we found the Blasto samples, we portaled in the best portal detectors we have. Any further portal usage is restricted until we clear the area. With her involved, we can't rule out someone timing their own portal to coincide with ours."
Lisa boggled. "How likely is that? Does anyone else even have these portals?"
"Still not worth the risk."
"Who's coming anyway? Think tank people?"
"Unpowered analysts and Alexandria. Parahumans are actually more susceptible to Ziz, usually."
------------------------------
Note: Roll for SAN damage…
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Mirriam Grave
The Bemused. The Amused. The Unstable.
- Location
- The edge of a point.
Huh. Weird trait to share with Broadcast and by extension Jack Slash.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Not really, it's probably the same mechanism - Ziz requests information from the Shard, which provides it.
Exactly this. Shards have no natural affinity for interpreting human neural patterns, which can vary considerable from person to person. It's much more energy efficient for the Simurgh to query another shard and piggyback on the other shard's custom API than it is for the Simurgh to do it all herself.
Balrog
not Durin's Bane
- Location
- The Mines of Moria
hmmm... (rolls d20) thats a 19.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Arguably, SAN damage is spiritual not mental? So, Amy's 'won't touch brains' doesn't apply???
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Meanwhile…, Part 6
Note: Same uptime continuity as the prior ones.
Ed: This will make more sense if you go re-read the prior uptime snippet first, where Defiant and Dragon talked to Lisa about her helping deal with a villain problem suspected to involve a former "Student" of the villain Teacher.
"They were right," Lisa said wryly. "This is cathartic."
She and Charlotte were back at the crummy apartment they had procured for the mission. Lisa sat at the battered old desk, while Charlotte carefully bandaged her hand.
"You said you were going for a walk," Charlotte said accusingly.
"I did," Lisa said. "Then I had an idea, and one thing led to another, and now the mission is finished! So we can go home, and Defiant can recall Tinker Face."
"Do I need to put you on a leash?" Charlotte snapped.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Whatever you threaten me with," Charlotte replied in her 'disappointed mom' voice, "won't be as bad as what the kids will do if I let you go off and get yourself killed."
She paused to cut the medical tape, before continuing. "Or Dr. Hebert, when she gets back."
Not Long Before
Lisa knocked on the door, firmly, and stepped back. She wore battered and ill-fitting jeans, with a matching windbreaker, clipboard and handgun, every inch an aging innkeeper of the post-apocalypse, entirely unremarkable this far from what passed for civilization.
"Hello?" The confused man said, opening the hotel room door. He was about Lisa's age, balding with glasses, and wearing expensive pajamas.
Lisa dropped the clipboard and punched him right in his stupid Student face. Before he could recover, she kicked in the door.
"ill oooo!" The man moaned from the floor, as he scrambled for his bag.
Lisa stomped on his hand and shot the fat bodyguard trying to get out of his chair. For good measure, she put rounds through the bed, and through the closet and bathroom doors.
"Clear!" Lisa shouted, out of habit.
"Uh," a young Warden said, awkwardly entering the room. "I thought we were just asking questions?"
"Your comms were compromised," Lisa replied, as she zip-tied the groaning men.
"Who are you, lady?"
Note: Alternate title: Lisa's Excellent (and Therapeutic) Adventure.
Ed: This will make more sense if you go re-read the prior uptime snippet first, where Defiant and Dragon talked to Lisa about her helping deal with a villain problem suspected to involve a former "Student" of the villain Teacher.
"They were right," Lisa said wryly. "This is cathartic."
She and Charlotte were back at the crummy apartment they had procured for the mission. Lisa sat at the battered old desk, while Charlotte carefully bandaged her hand.
"You said you were going for a walk," Charlotte said accusingly.
"I did," Lisa said. "Then I had an idea, and one thing led to another, and now the mission is finished! So we can go home, and Defiant can recall Tinker Face."
"Do I need to put you on a leash?" Charlotte snapped.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Whatever you threaten me with," Charlotte replied in her 'disappointed mom' voice, "won't be as bad as what the kids will do if I let you go off and get yourself killed."
She paused to cut the medical tape, before continuing. "Or Dr. Hebert, when she gets back."
Not Long Before
Lisa knocked on the door, firmly, and stepped back. She wore battered and ill-fitting jeans, with a matching windbreaker, clipboard and handgun, every inch an aging innkeeper of the post-apocalypse, entirely unremarkable this far from what passed for civilization.
"Hello?" The confused man said, opening the hotel room door. He was about Lisa's age, balding with glasses, and wearing expensive pajamas.
Lisa dropped the clipboard and punched him right in his stupid Student face. Before he could recover, she kicked in the door.
"ill oooo!" The man moaned from the floor, as he scrambled for his bag.
Lisa stomped on his hand and shot the fat bodyguard trying to get out of his chair. For good measure, she put rounds through the bed, and through the closet and bathroom doors.
"Clear!" Lisa shouted, out of habit.
"Uh," a young Warden said, awkwardly entering the room. "I thought we were just asking questions?"
"Your comms were compromised," Lisa replied, as she zip-tied the groaning men.
"Who are you, lady?"
Note: Alternate title: Lisa's Excellent (and Therapeutic) Adventure.
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Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
OK, this makes a bit of sense, now. Establishing enough context can be a tricky thing to do...
In general, anything which messes-up Teacher's plans is likely a net improvement to the world...
Possibly actually mentioning Teacher, and a vague reference to the wrecked/damaged plan, would make the story clearer?
I'm also a bit unclear what the comment about Defiant (Colin Wallis) means...
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I've gone back and added a note. This one builds on the prior uptime interlude.
Dr. Thunder
Philosopher-King of Florida
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/They
And here we see Dr. Weaver's totally-not-wife demonstrate why Dr. Weaver terrified all of Downtime!Bet in like a month.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Possibly worth noting is that if you click on 'Sidestory' all the recent episodes are the 'Meanwhile' ones...
'Context' does tend to be one of the most tricky issues while reading stories... Someone just reading new author threadmarked posts to this thread, might for example, miss the initial note about this being 'uptime' Lisa, and be going "What? What?" because the most recent main story Threadmark is teenage Lisa...
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Harbor Offensive, Part 15
"Why Alexandria, then?"
"Her power's effect on her brain means we have a long line of extremely consistent M/S readings on her. We will know immediately if something is affecting her, thanks to the new monitoring gear."
"Uh… but what if Alexandria gets compromised? How will we deal with her?"
"Much more easily than for, say, Legend, Eidolon, or Valkyrie. We won't be bringing in a power nullifier until we have a better perimeter."
Lisa stopped and stared at the sky, mind racing. What was she missing, there had to be …
Oh.
"What about us?" She asked in a small voice, the pit of dread growing in her stomach.
"You're compromised or you aren't. You certainly won't be opening any sealed containers, that's for sure, and proximity to me might provide some protection, or at least prevent her from cheating."
"But what about you…?" Lisa asked. Rebecca Costa-Brown's stern visage flashed through her mind, no less intimidating now that Lisa knew about her dual identity and Cauldron, outlining 'contingencies' in case Dr. Weaver were compromised.
Dr. Weaver shrugged. "What about me? I'm not indispensable, I've made sure of that. Armstrong and Tagg have baseline scans for me, just like they do for you. If we're compromised, we'll be dealt with."
CONFLICT ENGINE WOULD NOT DARE!
Wish I had your confidence, buddy…
Note:
Weaver: I will die before I let Ziz return to my world.
Lisa: Howabout we find a solution that doesn't involve you dying? People would miss you, I, uh, Aisha would miss you.
"Her power's effect on her brain means we have a long line of extremely consistent M/S readings on her. We will know immediately if something is affecting her, thanks to the new monitoring gear."
"Uh… but what if Alexandria gets compromised? How will we deal with her?"
"Much more easily than for, say, Legend, Eidolon, or Valkyrie. We won't be bringing in a power nullifier until we have a better perimeter."
Lisa stopped and stared at the sky, mind racing. What was she missing, there had to be …
Oh.
"What about us?" She asked in a small voice, the pit of dread growing in her stomach.
"You're compromised or you aren't. You certainly won't be opening any sealed containers, that's for sure, and proximity to me might provide some protection, or at least prevent her from cheating."
"But what about you…?" Lisa asked. Rebecca Costa-Brown's stern visage flashed through her mind, no less intimidating now that Lisa knew about her dual identity and Cauldron, outlining 'contingencies' in case Dr. Weaver were compromised.
Dr. Weaver shrugged. "What about me? I'm not indispensable, I've made sure of that. Armstrong and Tagg have baseline scans for me, just like they do for you. If we're compromised, we'll be dealt with."
CONFLICT ENGINE WOULD NOT DARE!
Wish I had your confidence, buddy…
Note:
Weaver: I will die before I let Ziz return to my world.
Lisa: Howabout we find a solution that doesn't involve you dying? People would miss you, I, uh, Aisha would miss you.
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