lung, meet rewind

[msrewind]

She gets the note just before lunch. She's in the PHQ in less than twenty minutes, then she knocks on Piggot's door politely.

Comments

[thinkering]

And the bot shows Rewind, hanging back safely, a projection inside her helmet of what she'd be seeing if she were in the copy suit; and bounces her body language to the copy suit.

[mxglam]

And Glam does their part in expecting that the copy will act like Rewind does, because of course it will. They also have access to several screens, most of them blanks, that are meant to become occupied by appropriate feeds when need be.

[msrewind]

Rewind arrives at the arranged meeting place (well, her copy does) in her suit. There are thugs waiting for her, all of them with covered faces and pretty well-armed.

"Get rid of the suit," one of them calls.

"But wh-" she offers some token resistance, and the thug points a gun at her and she says, "Alright, alright." The suit is gone, pretend-booped ten minutes into the past.

"Now we wait."

"For what?" Rewind asks.

"Ten minutes."

[thinkering]

The bots have a lot more trouble helping like this.

[mxglam]

But Glam of course fully expects them to still be able to do a whole lot with that copy that's still networked to them, and also fully expects it to act exactly like Rewind wants it to.

[thinkering]

And the copy "is" "an android", so the bots can at least still send Rewind visual data.

[mxglam]

No, it "isn't" "an android," it just is an android. Clearly. There's no doubt about it. Yup. Totally.

[msrewind]

"Where are my parents?" she asks.

"Alive."

"I asked where."

"You see them after we know you don't escape," another thug spits back, in a very heavy accent.

"How do I know they're alive?"

"You wait."

[thinkering]

What helpful thugs.

[msrewind]

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Wait," the thug repeats, sounding very pleased with himself.

[acanofworms]

"Wait," Armsmaster agrees, guessing the question's true recipients.

[msrewind]

"Hm," she says, and folds her arms, and glares.

[thinkering]

"Timing out your power's definitely not suggesting they were planning on this being a friendly exchange," mutters Lorica.

[msrewind]

She purses her lips.

[mxglam]

"You can talk now, your copy won't repeat what you say," Glam says, guessing from their view of Rewind's face inside the helmet.

[msrewind]

"It can't be friendly, if he's trying to recruit me he can't think I'd go willingly."

[thinkering]

"Yeah, but eventually he needs to give you some level of freedom to operate or you're no use to him. He has to have some plan for how to get you on his team."

[msrewind]

"Probably just to threaten my parents and get me to just do what he says. If he really believes I haven't told the heroes he might want to make me a secret agent or something."

[thinkering]

"Indefinite parent storage. Brilliant human resources management, Lung..."

[acanofworms]

"It will not do to underestimate him. It might be just what he wants us to do."

[msrewind]

"Fear of the unknown..."

[thinkering]

Lorica paces.

[acanofworms]

"Focus. Glam, can you conjure more eyes where they're not looking?"

[mxglam]

"I'd need Rewind to look somewhere that's not being watched so I can see it, but that might make them look."

[thinkering]

"Strategic bored eye-rolling?"