maskormenace

We don't talk much, Network. I should be blogging more. After all, they gave us these comms for a reason. They want us to chat.

I've been thinking a lot about names lately. They tell more about your parents than they do about you. I never asked mine about my name, but I think "Robert" means that my dad won that particular argument so I got a name that would look good on a business card. Robert J. Baldwin, attorney at law. If my mother won, I'd probably be Dakota or Jaden or something else offbeat.

There's always that one kid in every class, though, who gets saddled with a name so awful that you have to think the parents are outright sadistic. Crazy consonant clusters, random zs, silent letters all crammed into one word, sometimes with a "helpful" apostrophe to sort it all out. Is it unique? Is it traditional? Does anyone stop to think if it's fair to give a kid a name that they won't be able to spell until they're in high school?

Codenames aren't much better. Everyone assumes that you pick them yourself, but I didn't pick mine. It just stuck. I think it's that way with a lot of people. No one sits down and thinks "I need a cool moniker if I'm going to fight crime!" ... well, maybe some people do, but I don't think names like "Marvel Boy" took a whole lot of though, especially since there was already a Marvel Girl.

Thoughts? Complaints? I know, really deep stuff getting talked about here. Take your time. Incidentally, if you do have a crazy first name by New England standards, I found something that belongs to you, but, since I can't figure out how to say your name to save my life, it's on you.

[Individually privated to Peter Parker, Valeria Richards, Kate Bishop]

So if I strip a file of some of its content, can you still find out anything about it? You being yourself or a more experienced hacker. Because I'm not sharing it as is.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ No ID printed.

Hold the phone. ]

Aquaman?

[ When did he get here? ]

[ Well... This isn't strange at all. ]

Yes? Do we know each other?

It's Power Girl.

[ Ringing a bell or... ]

[ There's a moment of silence as he tries to piece together how that sounds familiar.

It eventually clicks. ]

There have been reports of you. Superman and Batman worked with you and a woman named Huntress. It's nice to finally meet you.

Huntress? [ That throws her off. ] No, that's not right.

[ Could he be from Wally's world? Hearing the name Huntress tugs her heart strings. ]

We're... well, supposed to know each other. You and I have met before. [ Also she tried to make out with him, but let's actually not get into that. ] In my world.

[ In her world. It's not a strange idea to him, considering recent events. The report from Batman and Superman seemed to suggest those two were from a different universe than their own, and here... well, who knew what the case could be. ]

I'm sorry to say that's not the case in my world. Aside from the forces of Darkseid, the only other people from another universe I've met before coming here were the members of the Crime Syndicate.

Darkseid?

[ The recognition is there, although it's laced with wariness. ]

I thought one was bad enough.

Luckily, we've managed to keep him at bay from Earth.

[ He takes a moment to consider his next words. ]

So we've met before on your world. I'm hoping we got along?

We're not close, but we're allies.

[ It's not a lie; after her Atlantean origins were revealed to be untrue, any connection she felt toward Arthur vanished. ]

You do your thing in the ocean and I do mine... around the place.

Like Superman. [ He sounds amused, at least. ]

Well, we could always get to know each other better here. I've only seen one or two familiar faces, but it looks I'm an odd man out, here- being from a different universe.

He's my cousin, actually. Also kind of complicated.

You're not the only one. There's a few from different universes. Most of them are teenagers who we know as adults where I'm from.

[ A pause, as he considers that. So Superman has family out there. ]

The multiverse is turning into a more colorful place than I could have thought of. We'll have to catch up on more of the differences. If more of us are going to end up here, we may need to have ways of sorting that out.

You don't even know the half of it.

Sounds good. I know it's got to be a lot to take in, so whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be there. You can contact me on this device.

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