one ( video )
[ the video clicks on with a flash of something bright and red and orange before it clears and there's a blonde-haired girl wearing a black bodysuit and looking very worried and confused. she's speaking, muttering to herself: ]
Is this on -- I think so... I can see myself, but I don't know if it's even pla -- Oh. Oh. I can see the like, little red -- oh god, that means they can --
[ she cuts herself off and yelps a little before putting a hand to her chest, taking slow deep breaths, furrowing her brows and trying to calm down. she's wigged out and she's scared and she wants out. ]
Oh my god. I -- uhm. [ gulp ] Hi. My name is Liz Allan. Lizzie, I guess. I'm -- I'm new. I have -- [ she counts on her fingers ] -- four questions.
One. Is this... like, computer thing fireproof? Two. Are we --- are we really, seriously on a turtle? I guess I saw since no one actually told me, but... There are no turtles that like, grow this big. Otherwise it'd be all over the news on something.
Three, has anyone seen -- er... two of my friends? Jea -- Karen Grant [ she still doesn't know which to refer to her as ] and Derek Morgan? Please let them know I'm here. [ not that Jean won't figure out herself if she's here too ]
And finally, this... has to be a dream, right? A hallucination? Because this is so crazy and unreal that it can't --
[ and the feed cuts ]
Is this on -- I think so... I can see myself, but I don't know if it's even pla -- Oh. Oh. I can see the like, little red -- oh god, that means they can --
[ she cuts herself off and yelps a little before putting a hand to her chest, taking slow deep breaths, furrowing her brows and trying to calm down. she's wigged out and she's scared and she wants out. ]
Oh my god. I -- uhm. [ gulp ] Hi. My name is Liz Allan. Lizzie, I guess. I'm -- I'm new. I have -- [ she counts on her fingers ] -- four questions.
One. Is this... like, computer thing fireproof? Two. Are we --- are we really, seriously on a turtle? I guess I saw since no one actually told me, but... There are no turtles that like, grow this big. Otherwise it'd be all over the news on something.
Three, has anyone seen -- er... two of my friends? Jea -- Karen Grant [ she still doesn't know which to refer to her as ] and Derek Morgan? Please let them know I'm here. [ not that Jean won't figure out herself if she's here too ]
And finally, this... has to be a dream, right? A hallucination? Because this is so crazy and unreal that it can't --
[ and the feed cuts ]
[video]
And who says that you're not a superhero? Anyone can be a hero if they're given the chance. Maybe they see something they need in each of us.
[video]
[ she rubs her neck, frowning ]
I'm like, so not. I don't want to do that hero stuff, okay? [ what she does on ultimate x is different ]
[video]
Just because you don't want to be a hero doesn't mean you aren't one, you know? Being a hero is just about helping people and doing the right thing when it's not the easiest thing to do.
[video]
[ she sighs and shakes her head. this is giving her a headache. still, she manages to crack a smile ]
You sound like a fortune cookie.
[video]
[He's a little sheepish.] Sorry for the preaching, Pappy was always good for sayings like that. I picked up a few.
[video]
N-no, I don't mind! I -- [ she twirls her finger around a lock of her hair ] -- I think it's cute.
[video]
Hehe... [He scratches the back of his head with a smile.] Thanks. I'll be sure to pass the sentiment on to him, too. If he ever shows up.
[video]
[ a beat and she turns a little red ]
Oh -- oh, I'm Liz. I mean, I said that already, but like, you know.
[video]
[As if he wasn't being obvious enough about it.]
[video]
What's your superhero name then, huh? What do you like, do?
Re: [video]
[Not everyone = Toro and Bucky.]
Back in the day they used to call me the "Flaming Kid," but I'm a little old for that now.
[video]
"The FLaming Kid"?
[video]
[And then he snaps his fingers, letting a little flame dance over them open his hand to dissipate it.]
[video]
damn he's really old!!
there's a beat as she watches the fire thing and without saying a word, she raises her own hand and snaps her fingers, imitating the little fire ]
[video]
His eyes widen a bit and he is so excited.]
Criminy, I thought I saw some heat there earlier! I've never met a girl Torch before, you know.
[video]
I'm not -- I'm not like, Johnny or whatever. I'm -- [ she cuts herself off, shoulders rising to her ears and head sinking ]
[video]
Johnny? That Storm guy? No, no, I was talking about us, my partner and I. Pappy is the Human Torch where I'm from--there isn't even any Johnny Storms around. [That he knows of.]
I'm not like him either. I was born with my powers--well, some of them. I'm a Torch, he's a Torch, too, I guess, and so are you. Doesn't matter how you got your powers. What counts is setting yourself on fire to save the world. [He means the last bit as a joke.]
[video]
I'm called -- um -- Firestar.
[video]
Not sure how much secret identities matter here, but code names always sound cooler when you're having to plan things out, don't they?
[video]
Oh, yes, like, definitely! I mean, mine wasn't really for my secret identity. I didn't, like, have much of one after I got outted. [ as a mutant...!! she did it to herself but whatevaaaaa ]
[video]
[video]
And so he tried to shoot my brother, but he's a mutant. Like, you can't really hurt him, and everyone started freaking out. [ she takes a deep breath ] And so I flamed on to protect him and suddenly we were the bad guys, even though we did nothing wrong. Suddenly, everyone hated us.
[ :( ]
[video]
That's...terrible. They shouldn't have blamed you when you were just protecting yourselves. [Even though he knows it happens a lot more often than people think.] People used to talk about Pappy--Jim that way, too. But he sure showed them and now he's one of the biggest known heroes in the world. Didn't make that they were jerks right, but it made him really determined to show them up and prove how wrong they were.
I'm sorry that it doesn't look like times have changed that much.