612/Social Distortion, or

Social Distortion, or
Date of Scene:	25 May 2017
Location:	Metropolis
Synopsis:	Suzanne and Iron Fist investigate the strange broadcast distortions happening in Metropolis.
Cast of Characters:	Brainiac 5, Sister Reinhardt, Iron Fist

---

Brainiac 5 has posed:
When you investigate the signal, it becomes apparent that while it's got no set time, it's occuring regularly, and on a loop. Over audio, it takes the form of a tone -- three repeated notes, then a variating pattern, almost musical, followed by white noise. On the screen, it's geometric patterning, always the same. It occurs in a loop, over the course of roughly an hour, and then it stops.

The interesting thing is that the signal is stronger in some places, than in others. So that leaves one options. Either decipher the signal, or locate the source...

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    In Suzanne's case, she decides to investigate. Why? Because it keeps interfereing with her cell phone signal...and she can't have that. So....anywhere she finds were her phone gets static....she starts to investigate. In the meantime, she does try to decipher the signal.

"mmmf....really do hope it isn't anything hostile...."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Being an AV expert, you're able to, with a little effort and maybe some of your more elaborate gear, fine-tune the signal somewhat. It's definately a musical tone, and what you thought was white noise is actually speech -- just... in a language you've never heard. Unless you speak Interlac.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    Suzanne just...looks at her phone. "Ooookay. That's definitely something new to me." She then sighs, and heads out of her apartment. "Lets find the source." She says as she heads on out into Metropolis and......just walks about....following the signal. Thankfully, she has a car that she can use to track the signal.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The signal gets stronger, as you head toward Hamstead. Eventually, it's downright legible to whatever widget you're using, parked outside of a boarded up storefront that closed down last year. Checking in back, one of the pieces of plywood that was nailed over the door has been pried free and then subtly placed so as not to arouse suspicion.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    Suzanne looks about and tilts her head at the plywood. "Well....good a time as any." She says as she moves her hand under the plywood, and moves it so the thing hits the ground flatly. She tilts her head as she peeks inside....using the flashlight function of her phone to look around. "Hello?" She says looking about....mostly in the light of her phone....

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The storefront is quiet, but in the old apartment above, there's a glimmer of light.

It's a computer. ...A computer somebody cobbled together out of eight computer monitors and a bunch of junked old desktops... and a DirecTV dish pried off the side of a house. It's running the signal, and standing in front of it is a skinny man with a ball cap pulled down over his face and a ratty jacket.

After a moment, he kills the signal, and then says something in that strange, alien language.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    Suzanne clicks her tongue and looks at her phone as he speaks. "Welp...you're speaking the same language that's on my phone." She says turning her phone off and putting it away. "Sadly, I don't understand you at all. And I really don't know if you can understand me."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
That makes the young man's shoulders jerk, and he's suddenly on his feet, and turning. His eyes are wide--and as he moves, something around him crackles. He seems... disoriented. "Laaaaaaaaaaaaag." He says, his voice slurred, and slow.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "That is.....definitely not something I expected." She says as she walks forward and.....sits him down so he doesn't hurthimself. "Can you understand me? That's....kind of a priority here.""

Brainiac 5 has posed:
There is that same strange, static crackle over the young man as he sits down. He can't quite seem to focus on her. "Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime." He says. He shakes his head. "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegion."

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "at least he's somewhat understandable now." She says as she moves to take off the guy's hat. "Come on, hun. You need to focus a little bit here." She says lightly smacking him on the cheek."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The hat comes off, revealing a tangle of blond hair, and when you move to smack him, your hand... stops. It didn't hit anything hard, but something definately seized it in midair. But whatever did seems to be drawing power from something else, because there's a hiss of static, and the young man staring at you is suddenly organic green, with glittering cybernetics embedded in his forehead and on his cheeks. And he looks absolutely exhausted.

And really, really grumpy.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "That got through." Suzanne says softly. "All right........I have no idea who you are, but I really don't know how to communicate with you yet. Do you have a translator, or something to we can understand each other?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
That makes the young man squint again. And finally he says, "Tiiiiiiiiiiiiime. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag. Leeeeeeeeeeeegion, Helllllllllllllllp." Whatever's holding back Suzanne's hand lets go, and the induced image overlay reasserts itself.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Okay, you can understand me." She says before sitting down. "All right, I can try to help, but I don't know anything about time lag....or a Legion." She says with a soft breath before she looks at the guy's glittering cybernetics, then to the computers. "What are you trying to do?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Callllllll. Legionnnnnnnnnn--" The young man's head jerks to the side. "Neeeeeeeeeeeeed. Tooooooooooooools. Llllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag--" He seems to be getting agitated, and is starting to get to his feet.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "There.....is no legion here." She says as she starts to get up. "Not that I know of. and what tools are you looking for?""

Brainiac 5 has posed:
That makes the young man shake his head. "FIiiiiiiiiiix, laaaaaaaaaag!" He gestures to the computers, "Nooooooooooogoooood--traaaaaaaaaaaash--" Then he grabs his hair. "Myyyyyyyyyyyyytoools--"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "Well.....whatever you're trying to do....I don't think these computers even come close to the technology that your cybernetics have." She says softly as she sits in front of the computers, and starting to attempt to access them. Seems she's a little familiar with these computers."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
There seems to be a delay of variable time between you saying something and him registering it, but when this one goes through, the man rolls his eyes, and says, "NOooooooooooooooooo." He gestures. "Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunk--!" And then he looks frustrated again. "Tiiiiiiiiime. Jummmmmmmmp. Laaaaaaaaaaaaag!"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Time Jump? No wonder you're lagging." Suzanne says softly as she taps at the computer. "I don't know what to tell you hun.....but you're in the year 2025."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The strange signal, if traced, is coming from a boarded up store and apartment in Hamstead.

Upstairs, a skinny, youngish man and Suzanne are having a... uh. Discussion.

"Cannnnnnnn'tfiiixnotools!" He shakes his head. "Laaaaaaaaaag. He taps the metal leads on his forehead, and then shakes his head. "Neeeeeeeeedtoooooooollllstoolstools--"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Well...You sure it's the lag inside of your cybernetics? And...for that matter...what tools do you need?" Suzanne seems completely dumbfounded on how to help him.

Iron Fist has posed:
The signal happened to come in while Danny was in town on business. Rand Enterprises has a telecommunications holding in the area and the disturbance caused some alarm during his meeting. It was traced to a point nearby and, feeling both bored and curious, Danny decided to personally pay the site a visit.

Now outside the point of origin, Danny hears the 'conversation' even out on the street and becomes concerned. Even though the place is boarded up, he walks to the boarded doors and pounds his fist on them.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Suddenly, the befuddled, skinny man turns--his brow furrows, and he gives a somewhat aggrieved look at Suzanne. "Cannnnnnnnnnt." He suddenly turns, and goes rummaging through his device... before he pulls out a... it's a ring. A chunky gold ring, with an L and a comet on it. He puts it on his finger, and he says, "Noooooooooooooo--"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "I'm at a loss. I have no idea how to help you." Suzanne jumps at the pounding on the boards....and she sighs. "Don't go anywhere." She says before she wanders outside....to find Iron Fist. "uhm....if you're here because of the shouting, there's mostly nothing wrong. Except this dude inside." She says before gesturing for Iron FIst to follow her....and she goes back to the side of Brainiac 5.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny blinks when the door opens. He was worried he would have to find his own way inside the building and possibly ruin his suit in the process, something he would then have to explain to his business partners who are probably tired of such things. Instead, something more reasonable presents itself.

"Hi, actually it's not the shouting," he tells Suzanne, stepping inside after her. "Something here is messing with television signals and it's causing them a lot of undue...stress." Better not to mention money, he thinks. "What's going on?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The young man inside has a shock of spiky blond hair that needs a good washing, and he seems agitated. He spies Danny, and gives Suzanne a dirty look, but his movements are slow, as if he's out of sync tracking what's going on around him. "Laaaaaaaaaag. Signalllllllllll. Legionnnnnnnnn--" Then he shakes his head. "Need toooooools. Laaaaaaaaag!"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Yeah....that's part of what brought me here. Was able to track the signal using my phone, but I'm at a loss on how to help him. He keeps mentioning a signal, a Legion, Tools, and Time jump, or something like that. He's also complaining of Lag, which I can't help him with. But this guy is sporting some rather hi tech cybernetics in his head....." Suzanne explains on the way up to Querl.....and spies the dirty look. "Hey....when you're stumped....you try to find help. Luckily, help came to us."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
It is worth noting, this looks like an ordinary, if disheveled, possibly homeless young man, with no sign of obvious cybernetics anywhere.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny hears Suzanne out and nods all the while, but it doesn't seem like any of it is triggering something helpful in the young man. When he reaches Querl, he eyes him closely and says, "Hi, I'm Danny. I hear you're having a problem of some kind?"

While he waits for an answer, his gaze strafes the room, looking for anything that might be a source of disruption. Querl himself doesn't immediately connect to that.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Whatever was causing the signal, it seems to be disabled. It looks like whatever device was rigged up with these cobbled up computers, a component is missing. He did pull that ring out and put it on... "Nnneeeeeedtooools. Timelagoutofsyyynnnc. Fassstslow--" He shakes his head.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt gestures towards Querl and sighs. "I ask him what tools he needs, and he repeats that. This 'Legion' Seems to be really important to him, but....that's all I can get out of him." She then sighs. "I'm Suzanne Reinhardt, by the way." She holds out her hand to Iron Fist.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny nods and reaches to shake the woman's hand. He offers her a smile, but it's brief and a little weary. "Nice to meet you. I'm Danny Rand."

He doesn't wait to see if the name rings a bell for the woman, but instead drops her hand and walks over to the makeshift device. He leans in to scrutinize the system. After a moment, he glances to Querl, then over to Suzanne.

"I'm no expert but it looks incomplete. And he," a nod to Querl here, "sounds like he needs some rest...at least."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"NNnneeeedtooools. Neeeedalabbbbbbbbbbbblablab--" He stops stuttering, and puts his hands over his eyes, before the young man agrees, "Tirrrrrrrred. Laaagnosleepnononosleep--"

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "If you don't sleep, you're only going to make yourself worse." She says before looking to Danny. "I had a feeling it was incomplete. Unfortunately, most of what I know are sound systems, not satellite tranceivers." She says gesturing tot he direct tv dish.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny stares at Querl for a moment, then gives a single nod. "Right," he tells the room. "I don't know much about either of those things, but I know people who do." He pulls out a cell phone from an inside jacket pocket and glances to Suzanne.

"My company has a telecommunications holding nearby, so I'll get someone out here to take a look at it. In the meantime, We can get him over there to rest up. Maybe they'll have the tools you're looking for, too." This last part he directs to Querl, before dialing the number to make the call.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
That makes Querl put his hands in his hair. He looks like he's not entirely grasping what's going on, and he's obviously running on fumes and willpower. He shakes his head and drops to sit on the floor. "Leeeeegion."

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Hope they can help." Suzanne says to Danny before she looks to Querl. "I wonder if this 'legion' is connected to the Justice League or the Avengers." She says before leaning against the wall. She turns on her cell phone and it seems to reset itself. "Ah...there we go."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
That makes Querl lean forward. "JusticeLeague--Superrrrrrrrrrrman. Supergirrrrrrrrrrl. Leeeeeeeegion." Then he sits up again, and back. "Tired."

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny steps away from the two while he makes his phone call. It's brief, and though he sounds a little exhasperated as he talks, he comes back looking optimistic. A brief flicker of a smile, then, "OK, techs are on the way."

Danny glances to Querl, steps closer to him, and reaches a hand out. "You need superheroes, huh? How about we get you somewhere else to relax and I'll get on that."

Turning to Suzanne, he adds, "I have a car parked out front."

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "One second Danny." Suzanne says as she brings out her phone, and shows Querl her Wallpaper. It's a selfie of herself and......superman. She points to Superman. "Recognize him?""

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl nods, and points. "Yes! Superman! Legion--" Then he shakes his head. "Lost. Myfaultneedtofind--cantthink, thinking...Brainiac!" He grits his teeth.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt places her hand on Querl's shoulder. "Calm down. That's why you need to rest." She then tilts her head to help Querl up. "Who is Brainiac?"

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny looks to his hand, then pulls it back when it isn't taken. His face displays more than a bit of confusion. Something about Querl is off to him. "I think I can get in touch with them," he tells Querl. Though he's not sure of it, he assumes someone will answer a call from the C.E.O. of Rand Enterprises.

As an aside to Suzanne, he says, "You've met Superman?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl gestures to himself. "Me. BrainiacFive, Legion. Timejumplag..." He shakes his head, and then strikes his palm into his forehead.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
This... causes his image inducer to fail, revealing his true appearance--organic green, with glittering cybernetics implanted in his head in the tri-circle shape of the Brainiacs.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
    "Well, I've never heard of Brainiac....let alone Brainiac Five." Suzanne then looks to Danny. "Couple of times. I got a selfie of me with him once, and it's been my wallpaper ever since. It's....the highlight of a life that I'd rather not talk about." She then smiles to Querl. 'Come on, hun. Lets see if we can get you some rest, and.....if Mister Rand here can help you, we'll see if he can help with your lag problem. First...rest." She then tilts her head at his appearance.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny offers Suzanne his first natural grin of the evening when she mentions another life. That's certainly something the young hero can understand. Then, Querl reveals his true form, and Danny is a bit taken aback.

"I don't know why I keep not expecting these things," he mutters. A little louder now, "Yes, I'll do my best to get you in touch with them, but just try and calm down and let's get out of here." He kneels next to Quell and centers himself, calling on a bit of his chi to create a more relaxing environment. "What do you think?" he asks, wondering if such a thing will even affect Brainiac 5.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The ambient chi does calm Querl down a bit, though he does seem disoriented. Still, he's pliable enough, and when the time comes to move him, he comes along without difficulty. He is plainly exhausted... but seems unable to sleep. Possibly due to the 'Time Lag' he keeps talking about.

Sister Reinhardt has posed:
Suzanne Reinhardt says, "I have no idea. I've never seen someone like this in my life." She says as she helps get brainiac to rest. "Think you and your friends can help him? I'll check in, but I don't think I can help too much, unless I can figure out what this language he was speaking is, or the musical tones he was sending." She says holding up her phone. "yeah, I have it recorded on my phone. I'd probably have to use a synthesizer to mimic it." She then ponders. "he seemed to recognize Superman. If you can help Brainiac Five, I'll go and talk to Superman about him.""

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny helps Querl to his feet and starts to lead him out of the building and to his car. "I can keep him safe until you make contact with Superman." Of that, Danny is sure. Whether it's here or back in New York City, he'll keep watch over Brainiac 5. As he moves, he keeps up the chi aura around them. "Hopefully he'll know more about our friend here."