07 - video

[winn]

Who: Winn Schott + you = awesome
Broadcast: yup!
Action: Tourist!
When: now!

[ the feed opens with a profile view of a sleeping winn. on his face, you can see an elaborate sharpie painted mustache (courtesy of opal) and from the ceiling right above him hangs a plastic flamingo in a coat and plastic sunglasses (courtesy of cisco).

to anyone who's been by to see him lately, it's a very familiar scene. but seconds into it something that hasn't happened in about two weeks begins to take place - movement. with a soft groan, winn reaches a sluggish hand to his face, shielding his eyes from the light. the hand then seems to decide that scratching above his upper lip is better use of its time and skills. slowly, his eyes blink open, struggling to adjust, to focus.

and then they do. on that flamingo.

he yelps, jumping up in bed, tearing the flamingo off its strings and throws it across the room, where he proceeds to stare at an off frame army of (four) flamingos. rubbing at his temples he mutters just loudly enough to be captured on film ] So Cisco's still here...

[ that seems to remind him of something, and with a sharp move his still sleepy mind can't seem to properly cope with, grabs at the communicator and misses. next attempt brings it into his hand and you finally get a close up of that glorious mustache.

he frowns into the camera ]

Of course it's rolling... [ his voice is raw, lips chapped, and he clears his throat in an attempt to bring back his usual volume ] Hi - Fleeters - if we're still calling ourselves that - Winn Schott here, back to the world of the conscious - if you recognize me check in and tell me how long I've been out - Kitty - you better still be here. [ because unless you call him within the next 10 seconds he's calling you as soon as he cuts this feed and if you're not there he will freak. he rubs at his painted mustache again, not quite realizing what's bothering him, and with a small tired smile fumbles to shut the broadcast off. ]

Comments

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[mucked]

I understand that we do too, back home. Just not in '47. [ a beat. ] Well. None that you'd want to meet.

[ ...speaking of celebrity gossip. ]

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[winn]

[ quirking a brow ]

Should I ask? [ okay but which celebrity has superpowers is actually interesting gossip to him, though. also which ones are aliens. ]

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[mucked]

Possibly. The science is fascinating, after all. [ ... ] Would you like to ask?

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[winn]

I'm officially asking.

[ ... ]

We can skip the triplicate forms though, right.

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[mucked]

One of Hollywood's dearest darlings managed to find herself in possession of a modest sum of a rare element. Hypothetically transdimensional, and thoroughly destructive. It made her stronger -- more resistant to pain, certainly. And my current working theory is that it allowed her to perhaps absorb living matter in some fashion. Pure negative energy, always consuming.

Can't say for certain. I wasn't about to let her lay hands on my long enough to test it out.

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[winn]

That's...terrifying.

[ and also fascinating, but he probably shouldn't say that part, right? ] What rare element?

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[mucked]

It was discovered during the testing of some nuclear devices -- and the scientists who discovered it took to calling it zero matter. I've seen the original test footage. Horrifying stuff. Currently, we're finding its properties a little difficult to adequately catalogue.

Our first tip-off was when Los Angeles's Echo Lake froze to a solid ice cube in the middle of a heat wave.

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[winn]

[ so basically what she's saying is that it's the kryptonian of elements. ]

How much of it took to do that?

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[mucked]

Hard to say. The sample got there because it was trapped inside the body of a young woman. It had been dumped there.

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[winn]

[ he's not sure what he should be horrified about first - that it would fit inside a woman, or what happened to said woman. ]

And I thought we had our work cut out for us.

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[mucked]

Yes, well -- luckily for the good guys, we've got one of the scientists who worked up the schematics for zero matter's containment chamber while it was still being studied by a company called Isodyne. Isodyne, I should point out, is owned by the husband of the aforementioned leading lady.

[ and because there's at least a grudging respect for whitney frost buried somewhere in her disdain, peggy adds: ] Turns out she's been the brains behind their scientific advances all along. Oh so multitalented.

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[winn]

[ luckily for the good guys someone managed to work up a containment chamber at all. that sounds like it could be very tricky. ]

Gotta love it when your superpowered adversary is also brilliant. Some people are just greedy.

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[mucked]

Yes. Well -- she could probably do without the madness. [ ... ] Although that may have been the Zero Matter's fault.

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[winn]

Madness is the kinda thing everyone could do without.

[ and if she's paying attention, there's a hint of something there. he'll never be able to talk about people going crazy evil without feeling the loss of his father. ] Did anyone figure a cure?

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[mucked]

We're working on it. I'm afraid we got a little -- sidelined. [ a huff. ] Things are still very much in progress, back home.

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[winn]

[ he nods, he definitely knows what that's like. ]

I'm sure you'll get it.

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[mucked]

I must do. [ a flicker of a smile -- sardonic, but not unhappy. ] After all, I have it on good authority that my world doesn't end with being swapped up in Zero Matter.

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[winn]

Well there you go.

[ he smiles ]

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[mucked]

-- Another unexpected silver lining to meeting people some seventy years in your future.

[ among others. ]

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[winn]

...yeah, it's gotta be nice knowing for a fact you don't accidentally blow the planet up or something.

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[mucked]

Oh. I assure you -- I've still managed to muck things up. [ ... ] But it's nice to know it never gets that bad.

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[winn]

Who doesn't?

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[mucked]

Your commiseration is kind, Winn. [ ... ] It's just as well I don't feel like explaining the circumstances, because I'm fairly certain you'd revoke it if you knew.

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[winn]

Trust me, I make my fair share of epic screw ups.

[ just last week he almost got one of his best friends killed by acting like an irresponsible immature nerd, so. ]

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[mucked]

Then perhaps it's just as well we won't be swapping notes. Safeguard both our dignities.