tushanshu | 10° VIDEO

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[There's a pause before Johnny's face appears on the screen, bent over to press the buttons. Once he confirms that the screen is on, he straightens and makes sure he's in frame, wearing very basic clothes.]

Aw, Reed. You shouldn't have! It's a little small, but I admit, I like what you've done with the place.

[He waits a beat, as if Reed might actually respond.]

There are two obvious possibilities for why I'm here. One, the Emperor is a crazed fan who abducted me to find out if The Torch is really as hot as they say he is – I am, by the way – or, two, I'm actually dead, they're lying to me, and I have a motorcycle and a pile of women waiting for me somewhere.

[A split-second pause.] I'll tell you what. If it's the first option? You can come find me. If it's the second, let me know and I'll come find you. Until then? This Fire Sector is like home, sweet home.

Johnny out.

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[He doesn't want to be New Reed. :( That implies having to deal with this on a regular basis.]

No, listen, that doesn't-- I don't even know if that compound could do more than suppress a specific flare up. Testing it alone would probably get people killed.

[He actually brings one hand up to his head in pain.] Just leave it. There's other people you can actually hero here. I'm not someone to save.

[He's really, really not.]

We don't have to test it. We can hope it works until you have an incident and then see if it helped any.

I'm not trying to save you, Bruce. If what you say is true, I'm trying to save them.

[He's about to open his mouth to protest again, and more strongly this time. He can't help but feel that Johnny's insistence is arrogant, assuming that Bruce doesn't know his condition inside and out, that anything that would've worked he'd already be doing.

But then he says the one thing that Bruce is always trying to convince other people of.] I-- I know. [Suddenly he looks exhausted. His hand comes down, and he leans back in his seat.] That's what I'm trying to do. That's what I've always tried to do. No matter what it took.

So, just. Please. Believe me that I'm incurable. It's hard enough for me to believe myself. Right now, I'm trying to focus on... on learning how to coexist with him. Him, not it.

I don't expect to cure you. I want you to learn to control it no matter what. If you can't do that, well..

[A short pause, an implied philosophical and ethical dilemma that ends in an implied threat.]

There has to be some way to expedite the process or to help you along.

[If Bruce were the rolling eyes type, he'd be rolling his eyes. His huff of breath might imply that.] It doesn't matter if I can't. The other guy is unstoppable. I dropped four thousand feet from a helicopter and he didn't have a scratch. He's been in more explosions than--

You can't hurt him, not for long. I'd be a lot easier to contain if that weren't true. [He'd also have taken care of it himself a long time ago, put another bullet in his brain, but he doesn't say that.]

As for the process, it's... it's personal. I just met you. [All of Bruce's possible methods for resolving this involved some sort of psychoanalysis, or soul baring, or self-examination. He barely even lets the people he does trust in on that.]

[Johnny considers this. He follows Bruce's train of thought on the suicide, because it's about exactly where his mind went. Normally, there would still be the option of sending him away somewhere, but right now.. Well, this is Reed's strong suit, not his.]

Maybe we need to make it impersonal. Maybe that's the problem.

[He's just guessing now.]

[Bruce sent himself away, more or less. Even that hadn't worked.]

It's a big problem, but I don't know how to make it impersonal. I can't talk to him, it's not like-- like we have a phone line. [Sometimes he gets flashes of memory, but they're more horrific than helpful.]

And he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. There's maybe a five year old's level of cognition there. It's like he's never heard of direct objects.

Then maybe that's exactly what you need. I can talk to him for you.

What? No.

What are you going to say?

Whatever you tell me to. We could even try recording a message for it if you think it would help.

[Congrats, you got Bruce to literally facepalm. He speaks through his hand on his face, the sound muffled.]

He's not going to listen to me. He hates me. I hate him.

[The hand comes down.] I'm not sure he'd even stand still long enough to talk to. He'd probably take one look at you and go, puny bug.

Oh-kay. Then I'll tell him myself.

Hey, you don't know anything about me. Even if I can't hurt him, I can distract him and stay out of range long enough to have a chat. We just need to find a place where he can't get away from me..

What about the jail? Do they have some super prison here?

No. No jail. Nowhere with people within miles. And you should be more worried about getting away from him.

--Not that I'm agreeing to this. [He's really not. But. He does have to try something, doesn't he? Cautiously, he asks,] Why don't you tell me what you can do?

Fine. There's probably some abandoned place away from everyone. I can go check it out today. And don't you worry about me getting away from him. [A beat] Unless he has some kind of super speed.

[Yeah, you are, Bruce. Just accept it already.] Why don't I show you instead?

[Let him keep his stubborn delusions for a little while longer...]

If I meet you, you're not going to do something stupid like try to provoke me, are you? [he asks suspiciously. His trust issues, let me show you them.] --And no, no super speed, but he does throw things. Like cars. And he can jump.

[A beat.] If we do this, we can use one of the desolate areas with the abandoned villages. If.

Not if you're serious about not wanting me to provoke you. Today, we can go for a walk, chat, and you can see what I do. Then, maybe in a few days, we can test out our theories. Maybe we can even talk some more between then if it helps your feelings. [A grin.]

[In regards to the throwing of cars, he shrugs completely nonchalantly.] I can fly.

[And that's that.] When you decide it's the right choice, we'll find the most desolate place on the turtle.

I'm completely serious. Don't... provoke me. [He rubs at the bridge of his nose, clearly asking himself why he's agreeing to any part of this. It's against his better judgement, but everyone keeps telling him to take more risks.] This really isn't about my feelings. I'm trying to make sure no one gets hurt.

Don't get complacent. He regularly takes out helicopters. Without trying. Just because you're in the air doesn't mean you're safe.

We'll see, [is all he says to that. This is Bruce, so it's going to take him a lot longer than a few days to go into this-- he has a lot of scenarios to consider first-- but he doesn't say anything, not wanting to argue over it.]

Then I won't provoke you. [The reply is immediate and sincere.]

I didn't say I'm safe because I'm in the air. I'm safe because I'm on fire, fast, and in the air. Big difference. [Obviously.]

Okay. Good. [He'll just accept that, because for all his faults, he really does seem like he's trying to be a superhero. ~~lol, trying. Bruce is so generous.~~]

You're not safe at all, [he stresses.] You need to understand that if we're going to do anything, you need to treat me like-- like a bomb whose timer you can't see. And when the bomb goes off, it's the last thing from safe.

If you can't believe that, then I'm not going anywhere.

Have I mentioned that bombs don't really hurt me all that much? [Because he flies and is immune to fire, so it's really just the initial blast.] Look, I know you think you're the most dangerous thing that's ever existed and I respect that, I do. But I know what I can do.

I'll play it safe, if that's what you want, but you don't have to worry so much.

..Man, your blood pressure must be through the roof.

[Wow, Johnny, just try to be more insulting to the issue that's completely destroyed Bruce's life. He's trying so hard not to be affronted here, and Johnny's making it difficult.]

Is anything I'm saying getting through to you at all? [He's pretty openly exasperated.] I've had the entire force of the U.S. military trying to take me in for years, and they haven't even come close to succeeding.

Just, pick somewhere to meet up so I can see what you can do for myself. Then I'll decide. [He shakes his head.] And my blood pressure is fine, for the record. It has to be.

Hey, you don't believe me about what I can do. How is my not believing you any different?

[A beat.]

I won't put other peoples' lives in danger. [And he means that, without question.] But it should be my choice if I want to take the risk with you. If I do something stupid and I get hurt? Then it's my fault, not yours. So it should be my choice, not yours.

Meet me on the outskirts of the fire sector, by the abandoned diner.

I believe you, [he says pointedly.] I just don't believe that you're invincible. And I'm not conveniently absolved of responsibility because you went into it willingly.

But I am convinced that you won't put someone else in danger. Good enough for me.

Abandoned diner, one hour.

[And he's switching the comm off to go meet him out there without another word.]

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encrypted 60% -- also I've decided this is his Johnny icon

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encrypted 60% -- a perfect summary tbh

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