This Is Not A Test [Audio; available only to people in After These Messages]

[unrecovered]

[Wash sounds oddly calm for having spent any amount of time in TV hell. He'd seen a few of his fellow Legionnaires in various shows alongside him; hopefully they've all survived up to this point. If they're all lucky, they all managed to find a way out of the studios like he did. He's worried about them, enough to reach out through the omnicomms (eerily silent with the main Legion World network still inaccessible) and check in.]

This is Agent Washington, codename Freelancer, of the Legion of Superheroes, sending a message on a secured frequency. [As secure as he can make it, at least; he'd feel a lot better with Cortana or Delta around, but right now he's just happy to be alive and have his equipment back in his hands.] If any other Legionnaires can hear this, please respond.

I've managed to get my equipment back and escape the TV studios with the help of the local resistance. They call themselves the Indies, and evidently they've been against this whole global TV thing since the beginning. They've also seen the piece of Metron's throne - evidently it's still disguised as a book page, and who uses paper anymore? The good news is, they know where it is. The bad news is, it involves going back in the studios for a retrieval mission, and I don't know about any of you, but I do not want another fifteen minutes of fame.

[He says, yelling into the void for all he knows. There has to be someone out there who can answer, right?]

I talked with the leader of the Indies, and evidently their world wasn't always like this. They made contact with something nasty years ago, and it took over the government, wrecked the planet with years of war, and pretty much drove everyone underground. It's also the thing running the whole murder television operation. It calls itself the Producer, and they think taking it out is the first step to returning their society to normal.

To be completely honest, I've had it up to here with homicidal cosmic entities, and the last thing I want to do is die in yet another dimension that isn't mine. As far as I'm concerned, getting the piece of Metron's throne and getting out of here is priority one.

But if we happen to topple a bullshit government and kill another Cthulu knockoff along the way, I wouldn't say no.

Comments

[unrecovered]

Sounds like a plan. Let me just stock up on tulip bulbs so we can have some heavy artillery.

[No, see, this is the bullshit teasing he thrives on. This is normal stuff, and damned if it doesn't make him feel better.]

Make sure you actually want the answer before you ask him - there is such a thing as too much information.

Oh, definitely the ridiculously powerful magical object disguised as the obsolete sheet of paper that will help save the universe at large. Taking out the Producer is just a bonus if we get to it.

[hallaifyouherd]

Your concern for my delicate sensibilities is admirable, oh masked stranger.

[ Good. Giving him shit makes her feel worlds better. ]

Any leads on where to start looking? I'd suggest moving in no fewer than a pair, if we can help it. We'll cover more ground, but have someone watching our backs should they catch up.

[unrecovered]

I thank you, my lady. 'Tis the least I can do for you in turn for your protection of my beloved princess.

[Gag him, holy shit.]

...if we happen to find whoever wrote that script, I'm punching them in the face.

[Fuck every single part of that show.]

We have a few leads, and the Indies are looking in to them. They have a few operatives who are high enough up to get behind closed doors without causing suspicion, so they're checking in on the likely locations. They should be in touch soon; we're waiting on their intel before we move.

Partners are a good plan - it's easier to hide a group of two than a group of six.

[hallaifyouherd]

You punch them in the face, I'll kick them in the kneecaps. Good times to be had by all.

[ You got the entirety of an outfit, Wash, don't you dare complain. ]

I was thinking the same thing. So we just make ourselves busy looking like we're prepping for another show until we get the word?

[unrecovered]

Sounds like a plan.

[He also had to fight with mostly useless projectile flowers, so. Fair trade, as far as he's concerned.]

Probably. The Indies have been infiltrating the studios for a while - we'll take our lead from them.

[hallaifyouherd]

If they're so well entrenched, they might stand a chance of overthrowing the Producer on their own. On the other hand, helping us might hinder their efforts, or at the very least bring them notice.

[ Not that it's changing the plan at all. Priorities are what they are. But she does feel a little guilty for the trouble this is going to cause for them, even as they set their sights on a larger goal.

That's the way war works, unfortunately. She's too familiar with it by now. Not many tears left to shed over it. ]

[unrecovered]

It could go either way - it's going to depend on where the page is and what we need to do in order to get it. If we have to overthrow the Producer entirely to get it, fine; if we can avoid that fight entirely, so much the better. The least we can do is try not to blow their cover completely.

[It sucks - the whole situation sucks - but there's only so much they can do about it. Priorities.]

[hallaifyouherd]

Exactly.

You said you'd made contact with their leader. Will all of us be hearing from him, or are we waiting for your signal on this?

[unrecovered]

I think they plan on disseminating the information to all of us. Once we get that, it's a matter of making a plan that we can pull off, and that we can live with.

[There's a good number of people here who won't be happy with just grabbing the page and running, and they're going to need everyone on board in order to get everyone back to Legion World safely.]

[hallaifyouherd]

That'll be the trick, won't it?

We'll speak more once we have the information we need to plan this out. I'm going to make myself look busy. Good luck.

[unrecovered]

It always is.

[It's like herding cats. Luckily, he's had some experience with that.]

Stay safe. I'll talk to you soon.