10104/A Mysterious Transmission: Message Received

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
A Mysterious Transmission: Message Received
Date of Scene: 19 November 2019
Location: Shannon's Room (East Halls), Xavier's School
Synopsis: Mr. Green (J'onn) is finally able to respond to Shannon's message from a couple weeks prior, and she shares what information she has on the matter of the mysterious transmission. The possibility of League involvement exists, though is as yet uncertain.
Cast of Characters: Nightingale, Martian Manhunter




Nightingale has posed:
     It had been a few good days since Shannon had sent that message out into the aether to Mr. Green. There had been no word back, and as sensitive as the matter at hand was, she was reluctant to send out such a message again. But there were other considerations of the season at hand, more pleasant distractions to be had, though the matter of the mysterious transmission was always at the back of her mind these days. But, for the time being, she is sitting at her sewing machine, scraps of colorful fabric scattered everywhere, the machine humming happily away as she works on her next Christmas present. She's in her baggy gray tank top, red tartan sweatpants, and goofy Old English Sheepdog slippers, her hair tied back to keep it out of her face while sewing.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn has been, in the later days, in quite a multitasking hurry, dealing with things both on Earth, in space, and on Mars. So now, finally at the mansion again, he moves through the corridors heading for Shannon's room, in order to address the message that she sent him some days ago. As familiar as he now is with the human world, sometimes time still flows in a different way for him, whose life is and has been definitely longer, so perhaps a few days are short enough of a time in his mind?
It is in the shape of John Green the science teacher, wearing his busyness suit and the usual gentle expression, that he stops in front of Shannon's door, knocking twice "Shannon, are you in?"

Nightingale has posed:
     The knock at her door comes as something of a surprise to Shannon; there were precious few who visited her here. The happy humming and clicking of her sewing machine comes to a halt, and she gets up to answer the door. She has bits of colorful thread and fabric clinging to her clothes, but hey--hazards of a homemade Christmas season! Opening the door, she is a little startled to see the form of Mr. Green--though perhaps somewhat relieved as well. "Come in! I wasn't sure if my message had ever gotten through to you!"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn waits patiently out the door, sensing Shannon's movements on the other side and finally seeing her as the door opens. "have you been arguing with a tailor, recently, and still carrying the signs of the battle?" he asks at first, waiting till she allows him entrance before moving into the room, closing the door behind him. "I did, sorry for the late answer... I wasn't on Earth" he simply admits "so, what happens?" he asks, glancing briefly around and moving towards the bed's edge to take a seat

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles lightly as she closes the door, and moves around to her bedside table where her phone rests. "No, not this time. I've been sewing a lot of Christmas presents, though. Never expected to find the need to create for so many in so short a time. It's a problem that isn't a problem, if that makes sense?"

Her expression and her voice grow more somber as she picks up her phone, however, bordering on distinctly upset and troubled. "It should be noted before I show you this that since that message was sent to you there have also been further developments, but I'll show you this initial recording first, and then we can go on from there?"

She swipes through to a recording on her phone; it's the old radio in the foyer, long dead but somehow come to life, and transmitting a message that sounds as if it ought to be coming from a science fiction novel.

     Begin Transmission

Hello,

My name is Doctor Mohammad Scott, and I am a researcher within the AIM Site-13 Temporal Studies division. The date is 13 November, 1989.

Myself and my team were abandoned within Site-13 during a recent catastrophic event, the full details of which we do not know.

We are currently surrounded by hostile entities and other hazardous anomalies. Of the original thirty members of my team, only twelve remain.

To any AIM operatives listening on this channel, we are asking for assistance. Our supplies are dangerously low, as is our ammunition. Without aid, it is unlikely that we will last more than another month.

The transmission is wired by dead man's switch to myself, and will be played on a continuous loop until such time that I die.

Please help us. Thank you."


This is followed by a burst of static that has order to it - almost like a puzzle that's been put together wrong. That must be the encrypted information he spoke of. This is followed by a simple "Transmission repeats." and then the broadcast starts again...

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn glances at Shannon "buying them is not an option?" he asks, turning his gaze on the phone afterwards and just nodding, ready to listen.
His face remains neutral whilst the transmission plays out, and he waits till it finishes playing before asking "when did you get the transmission?" he asks, at first. "well, what other developments did you have?" he adds, and his brain activates, memorizing and replaying the message in his head.
Now, the disadvantages of having a computerlike brain are surely many, the advantages though is an enormous processing power, and such processing power now is working on the last, encrypted part of the message, trying to make sense of it by fragmenting each part and trying to reassemble it in several ways, almost as if breaking the puzzle assembled wrong and trying to reassemble it right.

Nightingale has posed:
     "The initial transmission was almost two weeks ago. I was the first to witness it, and took the recording you just saw. Triage... you may know him as Christopher Muse... Bean, and Alek all also witnessed it. It may or may not be relevant, we're not sure, but there was an aurora happening at the time. I sent out messages to both you and Captain Rogers the following evening, after a great deal of thought. His response was very swift, and he took the matter rather seriously. He was given a copy of the decoded data and as far as we know at this time, has taken it to SHIELD. I'd begun to wonder if or when the message would ever reach you."

     "The data that was relayed, which Bean... you might know him as Samuel Morgan... and Alek decoded, turned out to be coordinates, codes, and a whole lot of other relevant information regarding AIM, that were relayed over an AM radio band. Similar bursts of contact have repeated every two days, for the span of about eighteen hours. Cannonball... you might know him as Samuel Guthrie... Mr. McCoy, and Kitty Pryde have also been working on this. I did try to contact Logan as well, but no word back."

     Her brows knit together and she closes her eyes tightly, shaking as she thinks back to the night some days past now, that had triggered many a nightmare. Her mental state is very agitated, and it takes her several moments before she can even speak again. "A few nights ago, miss Pryde, Bean, Triage, Mr. Parker, and myself were all in the computer lab when another transmission began. It... was very, very disturbing. This time it included visual images. Possibly real-time, we're not entirely certain of that. Those, I don't have access to in order to show you, you would need to approach miss Pryde for that." Just -how- disturbing is evidenced by the tear that rolls down the young woman's face. "I do know that Mr. McCoy's also working on the issue, and would highly suggest approaching him."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn listens again quietly to Shannon's words, drawing in a deep breath "shannon, I could access the images directly from your mind, if you allow me to..." he says, blinking twice in rapid succession "and this seems to be concerning indeed... I could, perhaps, see if the league can help with this as well, or at the very least pass the word up to the tower... I have a bit of influence, up there... But it'll ultimately be their decision so I can't promise anything"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon frowns slightly. "You could. But please, I would also insist that you seek out miss Pryde and get her point of view on this as well, and Mr. McCoy. They may or may not have more current information, I don't know yet. The images from that last transmisson... have left me with a few difficulties of my own. But those could be addressed later." It was pretty clear this girl was all business at the moment, as much as the youth in her was crying out.

Mention of the tower, and the League, has her inclining her head. "Whether or no anything could be done on their end, friendly pairs of eyes on this probably couldn't hurt. Please, though, please. Even if you do pass word along, do reach out to the ones here. Let's keep everyone already involved in the loop." A light little smile curls her lips upwards briefly. "Thank you so much..."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods slightly "what I intend is cooperation, not just stealing the case for ourselves... So yes, I do also intend to speak with miss Pryde and mister McCoy, as well as the others... Even if given my current schedule it may take a wile" he sighs, staring at the ceiling for a couple of seconds "you can, however, count on my assistance should you need it, not only as a teacher here and as a league member but, should you want it, Shannon, as a friend."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her hands and smiles a little bit. "I'm sure you wouldn't steal the case. I was stressing the cooperation part of it." Her smile fades quickly, and she flops down on the edge of the bed, any bravado she might have had fading away quickly. While the circles under her eyes might look as if they have been fading, they still linger, suggesting the impact this is having. "Thank you, on all counts. It's just... well, it's looking more and more like action will need to be taken, and soon. Friends here may well be putting their lives on the line, and I feel deeply responsible for it, for bringing this to their attention. I've tried to make the case for going with them, as have others of us who were first involved. Why should they have to do what we're not willing to ourselves?"

Among the mental images of the events of the past couple weeks is one of a man running for his life through the corridors of what looks to be a science facility, shooting at something behind him. One moment, he's fighting for his life, and the next--he's a pair of boots, as something just out of view takes a swipe at him, making short work of the stalwart defender. For a moment, one boot is left still kicking. The camera looks away, and when it is turned back on the original spot, the boots are gone. But, overarching all this, is a single bloodshot eye looking right at what must have been the camera recording the whole event, and words blinking balefully on a computer screen.

/WE SEE YOU/

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn tilts his head slightly "so you think not informing them would've been best? So that you and some of your friends could act alone, but with less experience?" he asks with the usual calm voice "because, if you bring a matter to someone more experienced you shouldn't feel responsible or sorry for them, you, if anything, made them a favor by including them and giving them the possibility to act..." he shifts his position a bit for a more comfortable one "all of us risk our lives, but we do it gladly cause we know it's for the world we live on... Don't feel responsible or sorry for that, Shannon, feel that perhaps, you've started the process of saving something, or someone... Focus on that."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head. "No. Not act alone. Act /with/ them. Acting alone would likely only put those survivors, and anyone who came after us, in even greater danger than if we simply went /with/ them. I may be young, but not quite /that/ foolish." She purses her lips and tries to banish those images from her mind; it is, however, a little more easily said than done. "And even knowing that this is creating an opportunity for those poor souls to be saved, yes, it doesn't remove the danger, and for putting friends... the ones I love... in danger, well, it doesn't entirely erase that sense of responsibility. It doesn't erase wanting to share in the risk with them, because we /are/ together, all of us here in this place."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn reaches out, not with his limbs but with his mind, towards Shannon. As gently as he can, he telepathically attempts to wrap a blanket over those memories, over the images that are troubling her mind, allowing her to find rest from them for a bit at least. "yet, perhaps, they're trying to protect you. And don't you think, with right cause considering the apparent gravity of the matter?" he asks "you're not putting them in danger, Shannon, you never did, and as good as you are you would never, intentionally..." he admits "they, we, just ry to make so that you and those like you are protected. Sometimes it may include, well, keeping you in the back lines but that never means, never, means, that you're not a part of the success that we hope to share..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "And I want to make sure that they come home in one piece, and not have to see my father on a professional basis." The gentle blanket of thought draped over Shannon's mind does offer a minor bit of surcease from the vicious cycle of raw terror, but does little to dull the urgency, the steely resolve that drives her now. "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try to go with them. The ultimate call is still up to them... but for everything all of them have done not only for me, but for who knows how many others here, how could I do any less?" Briefly, a mental image of Earth from space, from just a couple weeks ago, fills her mind, of hovering above the planet in sheer awe and wonder. "I can't help protect and save a world yet. But if there's even a chance of going with them to help even one person... then it would be worth it."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn inclines his head slightly "and, is going with them the only way you can see of helping them?" he asks "have you considered that, perhaps, if you were to go they could be worrying about you and so their skills could be reduced?" he offers that new angle now, though his voice remains gentle, his expression calm

Nightingale has posed:
     "I've also seen that staying on the back lines is equally as dangerous, and may well leave the worrying equally as much. Many of the things that plague my nightmares are of things that have happened right here in the mansion, not out on the front lines. Successes here, turned to failures, people I've helped save, dead in my hands. It can be equally dangerous here, for one with my gifts. Consider, though, that having a healer along could be the very thing that ensures they make it home. Okay, my training isn't perfect. And I'm pretty sure they've all had even more intense first aid training than I have. But if the one person who could be key is struck down, and they need a little more than first aid when they're the best chance of seeing matters through--and yes, I have encountered this before--then to have a healer could be a benefit." She sighs softly. "If you think that I haven't debated the wisdom of staying behind, you would be very wrong. There have already been times where the only thing that has stood between an innocent and death, has been these two hands." She looks down at her hands, curling and uncurling her fingers. "I hope Chris is back again in time, it would be even better if both of us could go, as well as Bean. Between the three of us, it could be additional benefit to any team that went. If it comes down to that."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods quietly, and keeps quiet for some seconds "I am not saying that you going is wrong, nor that you staying is wrong, Shannon... But, well, perhaps those in charge have some wisdom or insight that nor you nor I have?" he asks, tilting his head briefly "in any case, I'll see about speaking with Pryde and the others and see if you can't join them and why..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly. "Maybe they do, it's why we even brought this whole mess to them in the first place. Bean and I have already tried pleading our case to Mr. McCoy. If we're able to go, I'd insist Chris go with us as well as a safeguard, so no single one of us over-extends our abilities. As has unfortunately happened once or twice with mine. Even if they did come back stronger for it." She leans in for a hug, sighing lightly. "I've... also sought outside help through miss Pryde, in learning to deal with the aftermath of matters like this, because in the end, not one blessed thing is going to keep me from going out there, whether this time, or another."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn wraps his left arm around Shannon's shoulders, smiling at her and even trying to ruffle her hair "good, good. Glad there's at least a temporary line of action" he grins slightly "anyways, I'll speak with the others you told me and see what can be done, and send word of it to the tower... Maybe i'll just tell someone to come down to ask you questions! So you'll meet more leaguers" he winks then.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon bursts out laughing a little at that. "Bah, as if that'll ever happen. If they do need to, though, I'm willing to answer with whatever information I have at the time, of course." Her hair does wind up being ruffled, making it look as if she just woke up. The young woman goes a little cross-eyed as a bit of hair flops down over in between her eyes. "Temporary line of action...? And... thank you for passing word up. I'll touch base with the others and let them know about it, so any contact doesn't come as a rude surprise."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods slightly in aknowledgement, adjusting Shannon's hair again with a low chuckle "good, good... I am afraid I'll have to leave you soon, but you always know where to find me should you ever need anything... Right?" he asks, smiling at the girl

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and chuckles lightly, swiping at her own hair to try and straighten it out; it turns out to not be very effective. "Even if it's just oreos and a chat. I'm sorry that this time had to be so serious, but hopefully you understand the rather critical nature of the matter?"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods slightly again "I do understand, and I'm here to chat, eat oreos, but also to help you with serious things so I'm glad you got in touch for this as well..." he admits, stretching a bit before standing slowly up from the bed's edge

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods a little bit, and smiles, getting up for one more hug. "Thank you. And if or when you manage to get in touch with those at the tower, please convey thanks from me as well? Any allies helping would be welcome."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn wraps shannon in a hug, holding it for a couple of seconds or perhaps even more before releasing her "I will, shannon..." he says, with a smile. That said he turns, and starts advancing towards the door "meanwile, please be safe, and get some rest not for your body, but for your mind..." he says, walking straight towards the door and then, just for the love of a dramatic exit, straight through it, vanishing from sight by phasing through the solid object.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs and shakes her head at the somewhat dramatic exit, calling out. "Showoff!" But the tone in her voice suggests good-natured teasing and amusement, nothing more. She turns back to her previous task of working on holiday gifts for as many as she can, while thinking out what message to send to those already involved in recent events....