5721/Astral Flux: And then what

Astral Flux: And then what
Date of Scene:	05 November 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Flash, Spider-Woman (Drew)
Tinyplot:	Astral Flux

---

Flash has posed:
    "I don't mean to drag you back through an awful experience, but you're one of the few people that's actually had a bunch of interaction with this guy," Flash is saying, while they share some delicious Mexican food at a semi-private picnic table. The empanadas are still warm that Flash brought. Of course they are: he was quick. "If you had to guess, with your gut, what is the end game, do you think?" he asks Jessica. Flash is dressed in his hero attire to some extent: half-helmed mask, and his red suit under a jacket and pants, boots. When one has to guard an identity but doesn't need to be spotted from a mile away right now either.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica pauses, chewing thoughtfully as she considers the implications of recent events. She, too, is half-in, half-out of costume, with a black leather jacket over crimson bodysuit bearing delicate gold webbing beneath. Jeans and black boots cover the rest. Her hair is blowing carelessly in the afternoon breeze.

I feel like someone is trying to throw the world into chaos, to be honest," she finally replies. "Pit the telepaths against everyone else. Set up distrust, put everyone to fighting one another and watching their own back so they don't see the bigger picture." She sets down her empanada and sighs. "Is it melodramatic that my mind goes straight to world domination? Watching it burn?"

Flash has posed:
    "I feel like there would have been easier ways to have world domination if you can mind control whoever you want," Flash answers, resting his forearms on the table while he eats. He is putting the food away, too, it's no joke. But he chews fast when necessary, so he's never talking through his food. It's probably a little funny to watch: and if he's stared at he'll slow down. A little.

    "I've been going over the evidence," Flash says, moving his hand across to indicate different points. He sounds structured and trained: whatever Flash does has something to do with detective work, by the way he's organizing it. "But it's that 'motive' that I'm having trouble with. What is he getting? Why this strange slow crawl of torture? What does he get from the world going the way it's going?" Flash asks. "Pitting people against supers, if that's part of it, seems really backwards, if he's powered himself. I mean, you'd think he'd go the god route, like the Asgardian in New York a few years ago, if it were about that."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica is used to Flash's eating habits. The food that seems to be swallowed before anyone normal could have even chewed. The pepperoni disappearing off a whole pizza in the blink of an eye. (She hasn't forgotten.) It scarcely makes her bat an eye.

"I don't know, I feel like there's something I'm missing. Like there's some grand gamemaster out there who's got some really spiffy endgame in mind and he's holding it close to the vest, and watching everyone else scramble to figure it out. Do you ever feel that way?"

Flash has posed:
    "Well, if there is, I am not a fan," Flash says with a quick laugh. It's not funny, though. "But maybe you're on to something with that. Maybe it's a game to him. If he's some kind of ancient demon, it's not about control, maybe. To something like that, it'd be the fun of it?" Flash guesses. He offers her a cup of dip for her empanada, and sips his soda pop with a straw-sucking noise. "With your experience, was it that? Sadistic? Or efficient?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Sadistic. Always sadistic," Jessica replies without a second thought. "It was about control, but it was more than that. Wanting to watch me fear. Wanting me to squirm. And when I stood up to it...wanting me to die." She breathes a laugh, too. "He could have just killed me. No, he wanted to watch me kill myself. If that isn't sadistic, I don't know what is." She dips her empanada and takes another bite. "God these are SO good. Where did you find these?? If you tell me Mexico, I'm forcing you to take me with you next time. One way or another."

Flash has posed:
    "It's Mexico, and I can take you," Flash says, cheery as usual, though the rest of the conversation is so much darker, comparatively. "Well, let's expand what you said about you. What if he sees the world that way?" Flash asks. He turns pale. "Could have killed it, maybe. But watching it kill itself. Power play. Certain villains fall into categories. If you can figure out their needs, you can anticipate, catch up, or get ahead. I like to get ahead." Flash of the hyperspeed has to, of course. "Then he's watching the world fear. Until it stands up to him. Then...?" Flash plays with his straw and gives her an uncomfortable look.

    "Let's talk to our teams, sound this off of them. I'll talk to the Justice League. Can you get any news your team might have?" Flash suggests.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
With a shudder, Jess goes quiet with Flash's observation. If whoever this is could do that with her, he could do it with the whole world. What then, Flash is asking, when the world stands up to him? "Endgame," she replies, simply and solemnly.

But Flash is methodic, and his reason is already talking her panic down. "Absolutely, I can do that. There are a lot of things we can talk about, things you may or may not know. But I think it'll lay out some design in this whole mess." She sighs as she finishes the delicious food that she cannot find here. Anywhere. Sad news, too. "I think maybe together, we can at very least get /your/ mind ahead of it. And that's half the battle, because then you can get the rest of us up to speed. So to speak."

Flash has posed:
    "Well, no. Endgame? Maybe not. I'm not saying the world would be a pleasant place, but he didn't outright kill. He made you kill yourself. If it gets to that point, that he has to torture might give us more time. I hope it doesn't come to that. I think if we move on him it has to be, ha ha, fast. Exacting. Usually telepaths can't catch me long enough to do anything to me, but I don't have any real way to fight something like this. But that's what teams are for: we can work together. He IS just one entity, isn't he?" Flash asks. "It isn't like these types of villains make friends."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"No, he doesn't make friends, he makes slaves," Jessica agrees. "And I hope you're right. I'm like you, I don't have any way to fight this, either, but I can hope that my healing factor has managed to restore my own shields, because..." she trails off. That's another story for another time. "Because I don't know how well healing factor deals with that sort of thing. It isn't physical, but it's damage all the same. And I can't run fast enough to escape it, if they find me. I desperately want to find out more about Aaron Grant, though. He's been to the other side and back. I have to feel like he has some sort of idea that even we can't see. I'd like to think he could help us, somehow. He's miserable right now, and he needs a chance for some sort of redemption, if I'm guessing..."

Flash has posed:
    "Aaron Grant?" Flash asks, a little blankly, but then she helps give him clues about who that is. But he's still unsure. "Which person is that, exactly?" he ends up asking. "That's not the one that attacked you while mind controlled, is it?" Flash questions. He has not been approaching this puzzle from the same direction as Jessica.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"No, he's one that SHIELD currently has in protective custody," Jess replies, her brow furrowed. "He was one of the puppets I told you about. But we got him out. Now, though, we have him locked down in telepath-proof rooms, so Big Bad can't get to him again. I'm afraid that letting him out at this point would just be a death sentence for him."

Flash has posed:
    "Oh, okay," Flash says, quick on the uptake. "Can you not just talk to him? Be a friend? It can't be the most pleasant experience as a telepath to be locked inside an anti-telepath box. I'm not sure I'd react well to an anti-speed box," Flash says thoughtfully. "But then again, this is newer for me, relatively, to be this way. Not a lifetime of it. ---Sorry, I went off topic there. What I mean is, visit him. Worst case, he doesn't help. Best case, he does?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"It's my intention, honestly. But I keep getting thwarted by security measures, and Agent BoBo the Murderous Asshole." She flushes slightly. "Sorry, pardon my language. Hopefully I'll be able to get some time to speak with Aaron on a more personal basis and see what, if anything, I can find out. He seems like he was left in the dark about a lot of things while he was being controlled."

Flash has posed:
    "I won't tell Superman or Captain America on you," Flash vows quietly with a lift of fingers in a 'scout's honor' gesture. He had paused eating, and resumes now. He's always up for eating, overall. A constant with Flash: the snacks. "Well, he was still in the enemy camp, even against his will. Maybe something will turn up. And if he knows you were there too, you might really learn a lot he doesn't even think is important."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"That's my hope," Jessica says, carefully cutting off the end of another empanada. They're just. So. Good. "I feel like there's more there, whether he's consciously hiding it, or just suppressing it. I'd love to find out what he knows. There may be clues to tactics, plans, even motives that lie beneath it all. Plus he seems like he's just drowning in SHIELD right now. If I can't get him out, maybe I can bring a little normalcy to him."

Flash has posed:
"Work at it," Flash suggests with a smile. "Just a little bit each day. Even if you don't get something important, I bet it will matter to /him/," he encourages. And checks the time. "Ack. I'm late. I'm sorry to have to wrap this up. I'm due somewhere else. The life of a hero," Flash grins.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Noo," Jessica chides. "You? Late?" She laughs and shakes her head. "Well thank you. For everything. I'll be in touch. YOU take care of yourself, ok? Be careful out there."