01 ☣ voice

[vaccination]

Bullshit is showing up here with everything on me but my comic books. All those Savage Starlight issues, gone. Just like that. Fuck you too, Initiative.

[A pause. Ellie's never really addressed a group of people. Technology is crazy. Okay, there was a point to this whole thing.]

... anyway, guess I just wanted to say thanks to the people that helped me out when I got here. I found who I was looking for, so. Didn't wanna leave anyone with a cliffhanger.

Comments

[vaccination]

[Good answer, Steph.]

Yeah, I'm there pretty regularly. [It's a good place to spend time when Tess and Joel are out being adults or whatever.]

[controlledvariable]

I tend to be there most days. I'll keep an eye out for you and you can do the same, and next time we're both there I'll teach you how to throw a batarang. If you're good at it, I might even let you use one of the exploding ones.

[Yeah, they explode.]

[vaccination]

[As a connoisseur of nail bombs and molotovs, Ellie is very, very, very interested.]

No fucking way. Seriously?

[controlledvariable]

I'm well-armed. [Non-fatally, mostly. Unless she actually like, stuck an explosive batarang in a person, but that's generally discouraged by Batman.] I've got other ones, too, but I probably shouldn't disclose that over the network.

[vaccination]

--right. Don't show all your cards on my behalf.

[controlledvariable]

I'll show in you person, unless you're a supervillain or something, in which case the deal's off.

[Steph pls.]

[vaccination]

Unless I'm one and I don't know it, I think I'm good. [She may not be a good person, in the grand scheme of things, but she's more of a survivor than a villain. That's what she and Joel have had to be.]

[controlledvariable]

Usually you know those sorts of things about yourself. Except for those "I'm doing it for the greater good!" types, but you don't strike me as megalomaniacal.

[Unlike say, Luthor.]

[vaccination]

[WELL... if humanity itself counts as the greater good... Ellie will just keep quiet about that.]

Just as planned?

[It's a joke.]

[controlledvariable]

[It gets a laugh.]

Man, I've really gotta stop falling for this sorta thing. No wonder I end up in so many death traps.

[Really, Stephanie.]

[vaccination]

They must not be very good ones. Someone's getting fired for that.

[controlledvariable]

Or maybe I'm just really good at getting outta them.

[Practice makes perfect?]

[vaccination]

Do tell. Definitely not for research purposes, of course.

[controlledvariable]

Oh, of course not.

[She doesn't believe that for a second!!!]

The trick is to learn how to dislocate your thumbs, and to always carry a hidden knife.

[wow that's not a bit morbid or anything.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie already does one of those things. Not too keen on learning how to do the other.]

Uh. Noted?

[controlledvariable]

[Steph huffs a laugh, but it's directed at herself.]

Sorry, my boss has always been a bit intense about this kinda thing.

[She's not sure if she's talking about Bruce or Babs. Maybe both.]

I'm actually not cool enough to get put in any death traps, everyone always wants to take the big name heroes hostage, you know?

[vaccination]

Is your boss a big name hero?

[Heroes with bosses. -2 cool points.]

[controlledvariable]

They kinda run the world.

[So she's talking about Babs.]

In a good way, I mean. Not like a creepy dictator way.

[vaccination]

In a heroic way.

[Sounds nice.]

[controlledvariable]

In a 'making sure everyone is safe' way. They help coordinate all the other heroes, so that we can do the most good.

[It's pretty obvious that she loves Babs a lot.]

[vaccination]

Are there a lot of you?

[controlledvariable]

Not enough, sometimes, but maybe that's just 'cause we're spread so thin. Or 'cause there are just as many villains as their are heroes.

[She doesn't have a definite count. Bruce would, but he's not here.]

We've got a few big teams, though, so I guess you could say there are a lot.

[vaccination]

That's pretty neat. We don't have superheroes at all, where I'm from. Don't think we ever did.

[controlledvariable]

It seems like most places don't. All the people here, and aside from my world, I've only heard of a few others where vigilantes and superheroes are a thing.

[She doesn't sound too worried about it, even though she wishes there were more.]

[vaccination]

How's it feel to be fictional?