maskormenace | Video.

[ For such a chatty guy, Poe doesn't seem to post to the network all that much. And today? He looks decidedly less than chatty.

He's standing on what seems to be the tarmac of a military airfield, dressed very purposefully and carefully in his full Air Force formal uniform, the double bars on his epaulettes marking his rank as Captain. He isn't usually a man for pointless theatrics. (Pointless stunts is another thing altogether, but this doesn't seem to be about that either.) Clearly, the uniform and the setting have a point.

So he gets right down to it. ]

As you may have heard by now, the State Department has declared a national state of emergency thanks to the mess that's going on, and looks like it's getting worse, fast.

I've been asked to talk to all of you on behalf of the brass, here.

While the military has been - uh - less than enthusiastic about hiring imPorts as a whole, and we're still barred from active duty, they've decided to open up recruitment during the current crisis. Just not exactly for the Army.

Essentially, they're looking for super-powered personnel who are equipped to help handle all the damn weirdness that's going on. They're putting together Emergency Response teams, debriefing and giving a little training, then sending them out into the wild. Mandate is to suppress and contain inter-dimensional anomalies and try to stop the things from spreading.

I know a lot of you have mixed feelings about the Military on this world. Trust me, they've got mixed feelings about you, too. But as long as we're living on this planet, we're sharing it, and if everything is going tits up, then it's going to happen to all of us. We may as well work together.

Anyone already on super-powered teams is probably better off staying where they're at - though I can help coordinate you with Government efforts, if you're interested.

Anyone looking to sign up as Emergency Responders should know that only Registered imPorts can apply. Sorry folks, I didn't make that rule, I'm only here to repeat it.

[ He clearly looks a little uncomfortable, though what exactly about the circumstances or what he's saying is making him feel that way is unclear. ]

Regardless of what you think about any of this - for all intents and purposes, and however long you've been here: this place is our home. I don't really care how you figure out to protect it or who you do it with, but we all need to stand together before everything falls apart.

[ He stares at the camera a few more seconds, and then the screen goes black. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No where close. Far as I can tell, Earth doesn't even exist in my galaxy. But I think most imPorts here are from a version of it, anyway.

And it sounds like yours isn't far off, if you've already got superheroes.

The multiverse thing... well. Think you're going to be basically on the same page as the rest of us. None of us totally know what we're dealing with, here, because it never seems to stay the same.

I'm sure it's nothing that can't be handled with a little teamwork. After all, we're all EOs here, aren't we?

That’s the spirit.

[ u h ]

What’s an EO?

Ah...

[ Of course. The terminology is different here. ]

ExtraOrdinary. It's the popular term for the superpowered population in my world.

Huh, nice. I like that term more than “super hero” for sure.

So you have a lot of experience with powers, then, I’m guessing?

Oh, yes. I studied EOs even before I became one.

No kidding.

So it's not just a natural born thing where you're from?

[ He's used to Jedi, and as far as he knew, you either were one or you weren't. ]

How do you even study that sort of thing?

I began as a medical student specializing in neurology. These were the early days, when people weren't sure whether EOs existed at all. Through some ill-advised personal experimentation, I managed to trigger my transformation and prove my hypothesis.

There may be a genetic aspect to it, but the pool of potential subjects is too small for a formal study. We are extremely rare.

Oh, damn. That all sounds way above my pay grade.

But considering how often the anomalies seem to have psychological and physical effects on imPorts - probably a really good thing to have someone with a background in neurology on our side.

I would love to study imPorts and begin developing a treatment plan for situations just like those, though I imagine such an undertaking would be met with suspicion. I've skimmed the network archives already and found that similar endeavors have been unpopular with most of us.

I know Dr. Chilton did a little work on it, but he ported out a little while ago, unfortunately. I don't know what happened to his hospital.

But, yeah. Unfortunately a lot of us have come from places where people have messed with our heads, often in a bad way. It's a hard sell. It really depends on how invasive the treatment would be.

Oh, yes, the fear is completely reasonable. But I wouldn't want to conduct any study without oversight from trusted members of the community.

Damn. It's a real shame you missed him, then.

Our community has been... a little fractured, lately. We used to have ambassadors and stuff but it's hard to keep a structure like that when people can disappear at any time.

Don't know who else you'd ask.

... Just not Doctor Crane. Guy creeps me the hell out, to be honest with you.

I hate to gossip, but out of professional interest, what exactly is it that gives you reservations about Dr. Crane?

[ Poe doesn't hate to gossip, but he does hate to do it publicly. So he switches to private. ]

I've just had a couple conversations with the guy that really made my skin crawl. Can't say I've ever actually caught him doing something bad, but when you end up having an argument with a guy about altruism and he claims it all comes from greed?

Kind of hard not to second guess his motivations.

Let's just say we have a lot of differing opinions on what redemption actually is.

A difference of ethics, then? I'm not sure how it works where he comes from, but in my world, we take a vow as healers to treat any patient we have the ability to care for, regardless of whether we would judge that person to be deserving of life.

Do you believe his cynicism would lead him to harm a patient?

I wouldn't trust him with anyone I cared about, let's put it that way.

I'm not saying he shouldn't treat people. But there's a hell of a difference between treating people and then telling me that no one does a single damn good thing if they don't think they're going to benefit from it.

I've seen way too many people die for the sake of everyone else to put up with that sort of thing.

You know?

It's nothing I could make a formal complaint over. He just...

Creeps me out.

Understandable. It's a disturbing viewpoint and it's a frankly absurd one to hold for anyone who's studied even remedial behavioral science. Altruism is coded into human biology. The desire to value the community's needs over the personal cost to an individual is one of humanity's greatest natural traits.

To maintain that altruism is solely a calculated move despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary is not only ignorant but indicative of an antisocial personality. If that's the case here, then you're... right to be a creeped out by him. He's confessing that he feels no empathy.

Yeah, right?

[ Damn, does he feel relieved to have validation on this point. ]

Yeah, that's exactly what it felt like he was doing. Talking about himself and pretending that extended to everyone else.

But yeah, that's why I can't recommend working with him. I'm sure there are other doctors around, though.

Danger, maybe. She's pretty great.

Sorry - Did you say her name is Danger?

Video.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

-> private

-> private

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject