♻ 022 | audio

[tucky]

Hey, y'all. I been thinking about some stuff lately - about powers. I don't have any and I never did, except for Admiral powers and except for one time when I thought I had some of my own - but that's another story.

They're just kinda all over the place here, I noticed. Arthas had his, and he tried to kill the whole Barge. And I know wardens hurt people with their powers sometimes. I've seen it. And we got inmates who don't have any powers at all, but still hurt and kill people. It's like I was telling someone earlier - it ain't like the Barge is safe when inmates have powers, and dangerous when they don't. It's a lot more complicated than that.

I got two inmates I been talking to, Lourdes and Pietro - and they want their powers back 'cause they don't feel right and whole without 'em. And I don't blame 'em, if I'm gonna be real honest. I maybe would have, before I was a warden, but now I got a different perspective. We're letting parts of people be locked away, and how's anyone supposed to trust us if we do that and don't care?

But maybe it ain't right to just give 'em back without thinking about it, neither - 'cause some of the powers are dangerous, and all of us'd be affected if something happened. So we decided that since they don't got wardens of their own, we're gonna talk to the whole Barge about it and see if any of y'all got objections. Or-- or questions or concerns. Stuff like that.

Pietro's got super speed, and super senses so he can see things okay when he's using his super speed. Lourdes can control people's bodies, and their minds, and even the chemicals inside 'em. Now, that's a whole fucking lot - so she's mostly what I wanna talk about today, I guess. We got Iris and Jean and all those guys who can protect people from stuff like that, but it can still be dangerous. So we're asking you.

Everybody gets a say.

[filtered to Lourdes]

if you get em back i want to talk about how your gonna use em ok

[filtered to Barbara, Cain, Dillon, Eggsy, Iris, Jean, Letty, Lloyd, Lydia, Ricki, Roderick, Simon, Tig; dated to after the post has been up for a while]

I'm giving Lourdes her powers back - but only when she's in the Enclosure with me. Now, I don't think she's gonna hurt me - but if she does, I don't want any of y'all hurting her back, okay? I ain't saying no punishment, or no being mad. Just no torturing or murdering or nothing. Thanks.

Comments

[fridgetothefire]

[She laughs, but kindly.]

And various other organs. He was a piece of work, even by barge standards. And probably the most polite person I've met here. You see the difficulty.

Not fair, I know. But that's what you're up against, being reasonable.

[Private]

Tell me about the thing with Pietro.

[chillestrogue]

That little piece of excitement wasn't listed in his file?

So you're saying if I showed up here, stomped my feet and screamed, I'd have had an easier time getting what I want instead of asking for it. Good to know.

[Private]

Nothing exciting. Kid and me showed up here 'round the same time. He's a speedster, I told him speed isn't everything, he took offense. We agreed to match mine against his, but if he's getting his back first, I might need to think of something quicker.

[fridgetothefire]

He wasn't paired until after.

I'm saying, if you showed up and threw a tantrum, more people would take what you said afterward at face value, because obviously screaming is the sensible reaction to sudden magic space prison, and if don't have one, it means you're good at hiding what you really feel.

[So, like, yes, but it makes sense.]

[Private]

He's a little shit, isn't he?

[Exasperated but fond. She is so clearly his sister.]

I'm okay with him getting knocked down a few pegs, but I don't know you well enough to say yes and call it a day. Would you be willing to draw plans of it for me?

[chillestrogue]

So you don't get to know anything about an inmate for certain until they're paired.

Sounds...problematic.

Unless you knew the possibility of you getting dumped in a magic prison was already pretty high when it happened.

[Private]

[Cold looks a bit confused - he senses a family dynamic, as he might behave around his own sister, but he hasn't quite caught on to what he's reading in between Anya's words. For all he can tell, it might just be an affectionate warden sort of thing]

...I can do that.

He do something to you?

[fridgetothefire]

It is not a perfect system.

[She will cop to this.]

[Private]

He's my brother. Or....my brother from an alternate universe where I don't exist, but hey, details.

He hasn't done anything to me. But sooner or later he has to learn that having powers don't mean humans can be trifled with without consequences. I can't do it, because I'll be too bitter about it, and he'll take it too personally.

[So, she's willing to use him, but hey, she's upfront about it?]

[chillestrogue]

You'd think that information would be freely given on arrival. Even in regular, non-magic-space prison, it'd be a little strange not to have wardens know if an inmate had a tendency towards violence.

Or 'liver-eating.'

[Private]

[At Anya's explanation, Cold gives an amused, almost boyish grin. Oh yeah; this sounds like fun. And Anya seems like she's on the same level as him]

Can't have the metahumans think they can bully the lesser people of the world, can we?

I'll be gentle with your brother. I know how bratty upstart siblings can get.

[fridgetothefire]

Ah, but it's not a regular prison. You might not believe in the party line, but for those of us who do? There's some utility in inmates coming to a place where not everyone is judging them on what they did right off the bat.

It made a pretty big difference for me, anyway. Occasional cannibalism is an unfortunate trade-off.

[Private]

[She grins back, delighted that they understand each other so well.

Which doesn't mean she doesn't want to keep an eye on things and maybe put some nanites into the gun for a remote kill switch, because she likes him too much not to suspect he might be just as good as her at having multiple motives. Give them an inch and see where they run. Or something.]

I appreciate that. You want to talk it out in the my office or the labs?

[chillestrogue]

Except I am being judged right off the bat. I'm not trusted here, but none of you know what my crimes are. Even when I'm peaceful, that's suspicious.

Maybe I ought to have committed a few crimes here, so you all could get my M.O.

[He's only half kidding]

[Private]

Plans for the prototype are in the lab already. Where's your office?

[fridgetothefire]

Yes, but vaguely. Plausible deniability, or something.

On the one hand, things would be more settled, but on the other, you don't have the element of surprise if you need it later. Decisions, decisions.

[She isn't really kidding at all. She's just telling the truth playfully.]

[Private]

Seventh floor, right next to the art room.

[chillestrogue]

If I'm being suspected anyway, what kind of element of surprise do I really have?

[but he's smiling anyway]

[Private]

What time's good for you?

[fridgetothefire]

Still some. Depending on what your MO is.

[Private]

I promised my inmate something, I gotta take care of that now. Tomorrow after lunch sound good?

[Since the promise is a boatload of weed and she may be a bit hungover in the morning. Of course, this is going to have to be postponed when she gets cut to ribbons by a very human inmate, oops.]

[chillestrogue]

It's not really as clever as all this build-up suggests.

[Private]

Tomorrow after lunch sounds great.

[Damn it Anya. Cold is gonna be pissed about that]

[fridgetothefire]

I'm sure you'll manage to embellish.

[Anya has supervillain drama in her bones, Cold. She knows you're her people.]

[Private]

I look forward to it.

[Sorry bro. 8C She'll make it up to you sometime.]

[chillestrogue]

[such a shit-eating grin here]

[Private]

See you soon, Anya.

[She never introduced herself, but he reads the network posts religiously, starting to put names to faces]