11731/Computer Love

Computer Love
Date of Scene:	06 July 2020
Location:	Computer Lab - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Jeremy and Shannon go dancing together. On MineCraft.
Cast of Characters:	SpyderByte, Nightingale

SpyderByte has posed:
Sitting in the computer lab is Jeremy, hunched over one of the terminals All around him, the screens flicker and flash as multiple windows are launching in and out. There is several camera angles as well and it appears he has created something of a 360 wrap around so he can view every angle of whatever it is that he is staring at. As his fingers type along the keys, he leans forward, glancing from one screen to the next. The soft voice of Siri can be heard through the speakers.

<< Third door on your left is the emergency exit. You have fifteen seconds to get there. Run! I'll set off an alarm down the hallway. It should distract them. You can do this. Police are enroute. I'm making sure all lights are green. GO! GO! GO! >>

On one screen a woman with a child can be seen, peeking out of a hallway. Soon, an alarm goes off. WOO WOO WOO WOO. She and the child makes a run for it, heading for the door the Jeremy pointed out.

On another screen, a man with a shotgun can be seen running down another hallway. As he moves out of sight, the screen flicks over to another camera. Jeremy is staring intently at the screen, followed by another drill of his fingers along the keys.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon slips into the computer lab to work on a little bit of music, her own laptop in tow. However, it seems that it's already occupied--and then some. Her brows furrow, hearing Siri's 'voice' call out instructions to someone unseen. A little tiptoeing, a quick sneak peek at some of the screens tell her that Jeremy's doing what he does best. A smile curls the corners of her mouth upwards, and she remains silent, a witness and not a distraction, as he acts as a hero in one of the only ways he is comfortable in at present.

SpyderByte has posed:
So focused, Jeremy doesn't even realize Shannon is in the room as his fingers continue to type. Screens flick here and there, new camera angles. Cops are pulling up outside the building now which appears to be a rather large industrial office. Now that the camera is focused on the woman, she looks to be in bad shape. Bruised face, bleeding along her lip. The girl is mostly unharmed but distraught and trying not to cry.

Soon as the door to the emergency exit opens, there is a flash of blue and a unnamed Super shows up in some type of silver and blue spandex with a pair of goggles over his face.

<< Mister Jackson is on the fifth floor, second hallway. He's all yours, Zipline. >>

The Hero looks down at his watch, giving a shake of his head before he is out with a blur, passing the woman as she runs head first into the officers that are rushing the building.

Another camera shows the action, of a blue blur pouring around the corner and tackling the man with the shotgun, disarming him quickly as if he was hit by a sonic boom. As Zipline goes about handcuffing the man, the young computer nerd lets out a shaky sigh of relief, leaning backwards in the chair.

As the screens go black, he covers his hands over his face, letting out a hard sob as he slumps down and to the side, his body trembling from the disconnect of a million signals and the adrenaline that pours through his veins.

Nightingale has posed:
Thinking for a moment that Jeremy is near to tears, Shannon pulls out a tissue from her little brown leather bag, and holds it out to him with a soft rustle. "You okay?" she asks, her voice barely above a murmur. She knew how it was coming down from the tail end of a mission. And indeed, in his own way, Jeremy had been doing just that. He had been on a mission--by the looks of it, a successful one. She smiles a bit at him, just staying there, and peering at the now-empty screens. "Looks like you did well there."

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a wet snuff from Jeremy as he peeks out from between his trembling fingers at her. He's definitely crying. Reaching out, he takes the tissue and rubs it along his eyes.

<< Took me a week to find them. He hurt her and her daughter. He killed her husband and was holding her there. It took me too long. >>

He lets out a slow breath, knuckling at his eyes once as he tries not to have a 'complete' breakdown.

<< It took me so long to string all the events together, to track from tower to tower, to jump every camera, to secure every back door so not to be traced. To find his phone amongst millions of signals. He ordered a pizza. I found him because he ordered a pizza. >>

The soft, sweet voice of Siri may be soothing and comforting, but the tone of the words is anything but. He's distraught.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly, moving in for a gentle, light hug about Jeremy's shoulders, her wings folding in as well to encase him in a soft cocoon of safety. "I wish there was something that could make a loss like that easier. But there isn't." For as long as he'll let her, she is willing to hold the distraught teen through the tears, letting him cry on her shoulder if he wishes. "It's not possible to save everyone, no matter how much we want to. It's a lesson I had to learn the hard way, too, back in the beginning of this past September."

Her voice trails off, her eyes closing as if to ward off the memories. "You might even find the footage of it out there, I don't know."

SpyderByte has posed:
As he leans into her, Jeremy lets out another loud sniff, propping his chin on her shoulder.

<>

As he leans back, he takes in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. He looks so sullen and exhausted in his face. Reaching out, he brushes his fingertips along her cheek, tucking some of her blonde hair back behind her ear to move it away, then drops his hand.

<< I'm trying to get faster at this so that I can help Supergirl out. She invited me to the Junior Justice League. A chance to be a real hero and to use my skills to help her and the team out remotely. If I can get faster at this, we can save more lives. >>

Nightingale has posed:
     "There will always be only so much you can do," Shannon begins, smiling a bit as he brushes the hair away from her face. Finally releasing him from the hug, she pulls one of the other chairs over to join him, setting down her laptop bag.

     "September 2, 2027. It was maybe only my second or third time out in the field. Mutant rights rally that went south and got ugly, fast." Her lips are pressed into a thin line, her pale azure eyes closing as she takes in a deep breath. "Kid got shot in the back by a Sentinel. Found out later his name was Daniel. The call to tend the wounded went out, but he was already gone before he even hit the ground. There was nothing I could do, but it still felt like failure then, and it's a difficult feeling to shake even now."

     By now, even she's shaking. But she's also forcing herself to take deep breaths, in a bid to retain some measure of calm. "Everyone I spoke to since that day reminded me of the same thing. Sam reminded me that sometimes things like that happen and it can't always be prevented. Logan told me that sometimes we're lucky to save one in five. Just focus on the one and not the five. Captain Rogers had a lot to say on that day, but among those things was that we have to find a way to keep going, because if we don't, how many others will die instead?"

     She lifts her chin in an up-nod towards the screens, and smiles lightly. "I'm sorry you weren't able to save the husband. But you were able to save the mother and child, and now they have a chance at a good life, because of your actions, and those of your team."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I never would have saved the husband. I found out about this after he died. Jealous ex wanted his old wife back. Wanted his daughter back. So he killed him in the middle of the night and took them. There was no leads that law enforcement could follow up on. So I have spent a lot of free time trying to piece everything together. It's so hard. I have to find every camera. Every signal. Tie it together. It's like if you take a knot of a thousand strings and throw it at a cat. It's hard to untangle it all at once. Just need to tug and tug and tug and hope something comes loose. >>

Jeremy leans back as well once she lets go of him. He lets out a soft breath, glancing down at his hands as he wrings them together.

<< The Sentinels are scary. I believe you though. I don't need to pull up the cameras to review that. I don't want to see a kid get killed. I've seen a lot through the eyes of the lens already and it makes me sick. When I am working, I try and turn my emotions off. Become synthetic. Just focus on the job. >>

Reaching out, he brushes his hand along a keyboard, lighting the screen back up. He lets out a sigh.

<< I don't know if I want to be a hero. No costumes. Nothing like that. But when someone like SuperGirl comes to you. To me, that's different. That's an A-list hero asking you for help. And, she's genuine. She made me believe in myself. I'm just scared to disappoint her, or the team, or screw up and someone gets hurt. >>

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's difficult, but... becoming synthetic isn't always possible, or truthfully, even desirable. I found myself doing just that and... it scared me. I would be very, very calm out there. And the calm just never turned off. It was difficult to feel again. To remind myself of just what it was all for." Shannon smiles faintly as she peers over at him. "I see you going through a little of what I was, and... it was rough... /is/ rough for me. If I can help someone through the same thing, then it's all worth it."

     She glances back at the screen, closing her eyes. "I know none of the A-listers will ever approach me like that because of the nature of my gift. It saves lives, but at a cost. They don't want to see me bear that cost, so... nobody will ever ask me like that. Sam did, the same night of the rally. He asked me to be on the student team here, the New Mutants. He took a chance on believing in me. But it is likely the only team I will ever be on."

     A deep sigh escapes her. "You have a chance I may never have, to make a real difference out there. Whether you believe it or not, you have already been a hero. You saved lives at the zoo, calling for help. You just saved that mother and child. And I have no idea how many others you've saved with your work. You may not be in a costume, but you are still very much a hero. Like Daniel was. He wasn't in a costume, but he stood up for what was right, just as you're doing." She pauses for a moment, allowing herself to catch her breath. "It's a lesson I struggle with every day, what it really means to be a hero. Doesn't take grand gestures or costumes. Just... sometimes a kind word at the right time, or something small. You've already done so much more."

SpyderByte has posed:
As he listens, a smile touches the corner of his lips. Jeremy leans back some in his chair bonelessly.

<< You should be one of the counselors here when you graduate. You're good at this. I feel a lot better. Maybe you should change your code name to Pep Talk. >>

Blowing some hair away from his eyes, he reaches up to push his black hair back behind him some. The roots are brown. Most likely needs another coating in some time.

<< So, what were you up to? Did you need to use the computer lab? >>

Nightingale has posed:
     "Just... trying to give what so many others have given to me." Shannon blushes, ducking her head. "I don't know about being a counselor here, but I do plan to stay on. And no, I'm keeping Nightingale. My #1 heroes gave that nickname to me and I aim to keep it." She does smile a little bit, though, nodding. Good, at least she'd hopefully made a difference, perhaps when it was needed the most.

     While she did see the roots of his hair were brown, Shannon says nothing about it. Honestly, it didn't look all that bad. It was just someone being themselves, instead of hiding. "I was just going to work on a little music, but that's one of those things I can do pretty much anywhere, on my laptop," she replies. There is a bit of mist in her eyes, though, despite the lightness of her voice. Her wings droop ever so slightly.

     "I can't help wondering what the world looks like to you sometimes, what all those bits you pluck out of the air must seem like to you. Oh, and by the way..." She chuckles faintly. "...I've made a point of having a bit of toast in the morning. At least the toaster need not be lonely."

SpyderByte has posed:
Looking around the room, Jeremy tilts his head a bit. << It's weird. Like.. I can see a thousand signals leaping around. Some brighter than others. I can just reach out and touch one and it speaks to me. For example your phone.>> He says pointing towards her pocket. <> He reaches out with his hand and strokes the air, then 'snaps' his fingers around it for a quick tug. Holding his palm up to him, his eyes move along it with a chuckle.

With a wiggle of his fingers, as if he was removing some dust from his fingertips, he shrugs his shoulders upwards. << I am sure the toaster really appreciates it. I see the toaster like the record player. Soon as cassettes came out, followed by CD's, the older devices just got forgot about. I just feel bad for them sometimes, especially the ones connected to the network. A toaster would just be a toaster until you connect it. Then it grows awareness. Kind of. Cache memory is just like our memory. It's a database of jobs. >>

There's a small giggle from Jeremy as he brushes his hair away from his face again. << If you want to work on your music, I can go if it's private. >>

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head a bit and smiles. "It's not private. Just an instrumental piece for now." She tilts her head, trying to think of what it must be like to see all those signals like motes of light floating around. "That must be maddening at times. How can you do it, manage all those signals and still stay sane? Please don't ever try to play down your gifts again. That's bloody impressive."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< It's not that impressive. It's like particles of air floating around just out the corner of my eye. When I turn my focus upon them, they become more apparent. But it doesn't bother me because of how my brain is built I guess. Being analytical and autistic at the same time. Everything is just .. like Tetris.. I guess. It's hard to explain how I manage it. Everything just falls into place. >>

Jeremy reaches up to rub at his nose a bit, lips twitching upwards into a bit of a grin.

<< He actually asked if you were my girlfriend. >> There's an amused light in his eyes. << What a doofus. >>

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles, and shrugs, her cheeks going very rosy, to say the least. She doesn't actually say anything about Snake Eyes' question of that afternoon, but leans over for a light shoulder-bump. Yes, her left shoulder.

"Tetris, huh? I love that game. Minecraft, too. Ever get into playing that one?" For the moment, music is forgotten. Her eyes dart about the room for a moment, as if trying to see the world as he sees it.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Yes, I've played Minecraft when I was younger, and Roblox. I used to make amazing worlds in Minecraft. >>

Jeremy leans over and taps along the keyboard, then pulls up the game from a folder on his desktop. As the game launches, he indeed shows off a beautiful world. It's /massive/. He could probably be a Minecraft interior decorator.

<>

As he takes his character on an adventure through the map, he uses a code to make the character fly. The world has a detailed sky filled with clouds, multiple tunnels below the ground in the form of a maze, and a completely working city with NPC's all moving about their perfect world at their jobs.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's jaw just drops, her eyes gone wide as she sees the magnificence of that world. "Holy shit. That's incredible." Somehow, she manages to put her jaw back together, and smiles, her eyes darting from creation to creation. "Wow. That is seriously impressive. I count myself lucky to build a survival cottage or two, maybe a few auto farms, but that's about it. You've got a fantastic eye for this, seriously."

SpyderByte has posed:
Nodding his head, Jeremy offers her a small smile. << It got easier when I got my powers. Everything just seemed to make sense and I was able to really construct what I wanted and how I saw it in my mind. It's gone through several changes over the years, but it's finally perfect. >>

Reaching out, he taps the screen, and a small character walks out of a General Store and starts to wave. It looks like him. A Minecraft version of him. Dressed in all black with a trench coat. A few text bubbles show up on the screen: << Hi Shannon! I'm inside the game! >>

And for real life Jeremy? He's just sitting there, frozen, with his fingers resting over the keyboard but not moving. His eyes look glazed over.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs softly, reaching over to touch the screen gingerly. "Okay, since you're the expert on the game, maybe you could tell me. Which is the worse mob--silverfish, baby zombies, or creepers?" All of the above have her wrinkling her nose, and snickering. It seems the two have found one heck of a common point, in such a simplistic game.

Games. The great equalizer the world over, in any day and age. On impulse, she takes out her laptop and boots it up, clicking into her own Minecraft world. "I got into this some when my powers manifested," she murmurs. On the screen is an angel-winged, blonde-haired Minecraft avatar. Behind her is a very rudimentary cottage, one room with an A-frame roof in cobblestone. There's an attempt at a brick chimney, using brick blocks, oak trapdoors, and a campfire, but the whole thing is very simplistic. There are attempts at an auto sugarcane farm in the background, one or two different designs as if she were testing each to see which was more effective. "In the game, it didn't matter if you're mutant or not. As long as you were there to play, nothing else mattered."

SpyderByte has posed:
The little digital version of Jeremy jumps and spins about as he goes about his day. He's practically prancing. A far cry from the real version who slouches and hides himself in the shadows. MineCraftJeremy, or, MCJ seems to know everyone in the neighborhood as he waves and greets those he passes by.

<< Creepers are still the worst. >>

Once Shannon opens her laptop and launches her own world, MCJ gives a running start along the screen. There is a green blur of motion, then he leaps from one screen to the other as he lands next to Shannon's avatar. Reaching to his back, he pulls forward a digital sword and holds it upwards. Doot-ta-Doo! It even has his own theme music when he draws it.

As he heads over to the cottage, he has that playful skip in his step, arms swaying at his side as if he was light as air. With his sword, he swings it forward and stabs the cottage. The chimney gives a shimmer and it takes shape, completing in shape and adding a hint of gold flare to it. At the tip, smoke begins to curl upwards in small digital puffs.

<< Ta-Da! >>

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs and claps in the real world, while her avatar self just looks up in wonder at the new chimney. "One of these days we'll have to sit down and have a marathon Minecraft session, and see what wild and crazy stuff we come up with." She grins wide, making her avatar self jump up and down, and run circles around MCJ. "You tell me some of your favorite snacks and I'll make 'em for that day. Deal?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Little MCJ reaches out to snag MCS by the hand, then pulls her forward into a bit of a dance as he sways and spins with her. The room lights up with music, that of a proper waltz as all the computer's speakers start to rumble. MCS may just be an unwilling partner to this waltz and has no clue what to do, but MCJ at least puts on a bit of a show. His trench coat even flutters perfectly with each mechanical movement he makes.

<< If you want to, sure! I'm always in the mood to play with my world and even help yours out if you want it. >>

Nightingale has posed:
MCS is a bit awkward at first about dancing, even on the virtual end of things. But the music is hard to resist, with even both 8-bit, blocky-looking avatars moving with surprising grace. Hey, things like that would be very easy for a technopath, when it comes down to altering the code of the game enough to permit animations and fluttering clothing! But on either side of the screen, Shannon is smiling, and swaying in her seat in time with the music, to the classic 'Blue Danube'. "You've got really good taste in music there."

SpyderByte has posed:
<> The voice changes to a man's nose. English accent Siri. << Technically, you have the good taste. >>

The two avatars sway about, then MCJ dips the angel in his arms, pulling her back up slowly. It's actually adorable. Jeremy is actually smiling in genuine earnest for a change as he watches them twirl about the screen. He props his chin up in the palm of his hand, sighing out wistfully.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles as the two avatars twirl about the screen. She has difficulty controlling hers with the usual WASD controls and the space bar for jumping, but by some miracle she manages to keep up with the dance. The dip catches her off-guard, though, the maneuver earning her applause. Simple joys were sometimes the best ones. "Might have come from my playlist, but the final selection was still yours. Let's call that one 50/50 on good taste."

She grins a bit wider still, reaching for her phone and bringing up her playlist. Within a few seconds, a different tune springs forth from the phone. It's a livey, jazzy sort of tune, with hints of banjo strumming beneath a fantastic drum section, with brass instruments throughout, and one lead clarinet part weaving a melody throughout all. It sounds as if it would be right at home in, say, New Orleans. "How about that one?"

SpyderByte has posed:
<< You don't have to use the keyboard. I am making them dance. >> Jeremy chuckles as he gives her a lopsided grin. << This is how I appear on Supergirl's game console that she carries around for team meetings. I'm a little dancing avatar. Super happy. Totaly not fucked up. >> The words in English accent are so upbeat and chipper, even though his face falls just a bit.

The new song causes his smile to twitch back to life as he bobs his head a bit. He gives a wiggle of his fingers as the two avatars mix it up in a do-si-do. <>

Nightingale has posed:
"First off, you're not fucked up. What makes you say that you are?" Shannon frowns slightly in concern. Surely he couldn't mean being autistic? But her smile, too, lightens her expression once more as the two avatars twirl around in a lively country dance. "Naah. It's nothing that's anywhere near critical. I'll probably wind up sleeping on the idea. Sometiems if I do that, ideas will come to me in dreams. That's why I keep my laptop next to my bed, so I can work on those ideas before they fade."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I'm not as confident as my avatar. He's so happy and he can dance and he just looks to be so free. He's not broken like I am. I don't know how to be like that. Normal. Cool. >> Jeremy admits as he motions towards the screen. << And I know you're going to tell me that I'm cool in my own way and I shouldn't talk this way and blah blah blah. It doesn't change the way I internally feel, even if you try to boost my morale. It's something that I need to overcome in time as I gain confidence. >>

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, silent for several moments. "Well, you /are/ cool in your own way. And you're right. Things like that just take time and knowing someone gives two pins about you to overcome." She smiles some, looking towards the screen. "I've got some things of my own to overcome. Some may be an ongoing battle. But I know it's a fight I'm not fighting alone. Neither are you."

The winged teen's hand comes to rest gently on Jeremy's shoulder, and her wing comes around for a sort of hug, if he permits it. "If things like this bring you joy, then hold on to them. And who cares what others think?"

11731/Computer Love

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