capeandcowl | 013 -- video; encrypted from reed richards

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013 -- video; encrypted from reed richards

[ well good evening everyone, it’s your friendly neighborhood spider-woman, accompanied by the human torch, both in costume, johnny wearing his fantastic four suit, and jess in her mask. game faces are on. this is a serious post, you guys. ]

Hey, so I guess you all noticed that Reed Richards just showed up. But he’s not the Reed you guys know, you should know that.

[ there’s a pause and johnny darts a glance at jess before he continues. ]

He’s not a good guy. He went really, really crazy and faked his own death and then blew up a lot buildings. And--

[ there’s little tendrils of flame licking up johnny’s body because he’s getting angry. this time when he looks over at jess, it’s for help. because shouting over the network isn’t going to convince anyone. be the level-headed one, jess.

she speaks up after a moment, her voice slow and careful, trying to be as calm as possible]

Reed Richards is a terrorist and a murderer. He’s a criminal. He’s currently wanted by SHIELD and the government, for destroying various buildings of importance, such as the Baxter building, Triskelion, Roxxon buildings, and various homes of innocent families, including his own. He has killed thousands of people because of this. He is a psychopath with no regard for human life, going so far to even destroy Asgard and creating an entire civilization dedicated to conquering human life and mind-controlling children for his own agenda.

He will manipulate you and lie to you to get what he wants. He’s pretending like he’s innocent -- like we’re the crazy ones, but I was there when he destroyed Roxxon. We were there when he attempted to ruin the Earth in the Negative Zone.

Reed Richards is a danger to everyone and should not be trusted.

[ there’s a pause. johnny’s still half on fire, expression considering before he shrugs. ]

Yeah, what she said.

[ and then he turns off the camera. ]

ooc | the red text is jessica drew! and reed will most likely hack this at some point because supergenius, but they tried!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No. [ he trembles, wide-eyed. ]

No. That's enough. I don't know where all of you get off on spouting all of these lies, but this has gone too far, too soon. And you―I don't even know you, Deputy Mayor.

Oh. Oh dear.

Well perhaps I should thank you for the opportunity to upgrade my encryptions, Mr. Richards. That's the silver lining, isn't it? The opportunity to improve. [A beat.] But no, Reed, you don't know me. And I don't think you should.

[Because the parallel of an unhinged genius pretending to be on the side of the angels hits home pretty hard.]

I was simply paying a debt.

As if Susan needs anything from you, or anyone else. She doesn't!

The only person she needs is me. And I don't know what your motivation is for even being involved with anything about her, but―It doesn't even matter! [ and he screeches, cords stretching in his throat: ] You're not a threat to me!

Wow. [Perhaps against better judgement, there's a smirk in his voice.] All right, come now, I'm willing to level with you, Reed. Let's face it: you don't have many people batting for you. What's the harm in neutrality?

Now. As one allegedly manipulative man to another? You really must refine your tactics. Belittlement is rarely the first stage of intimidation, you're practically asking your victim to get defensive. And that's so unnecessarily more difficult to crack.

[He is so helpful today. Or maybe he's just maneuvering.]

Falsehood, on that threat bit, by the way.

[ the tears are literally brimming. as if he's going to even acknowledge eddie's power, at this point. it's too late. ]

I'm not being manipulative. I'm trying to deal with people who were my friends backstabbing me and leaving me out to dry amid these―these false accusations! How could I even tear down the home of the gods? Make a civilization? Because I didn't. [ yet. so, that's true. ]

I'm no monster.

[He's pinching the bridge of his nose, considering the available data. Some of what Reed says is true, some is false. There's the issue of colliding timelines, of course, anyone who's lived in the City for more than a few months has had at least secondhand experience with the inconsistencies.]

You're not helping yourself, like this. With this display. People have been help accountable for what they are known to commit, but haven't yet -- and I'm sure you've realized that, haven't you? Sliding timelines, the implosion of the spacetime continuum in spatial regard to this universe among theoretically infinite universes. You can learn now from the actions you will commit.

No. No, that's not it. The fact is― [ he stumbles over his own words, stammering. ]

They should understand! They're scientists. An infinite spectrum of probabilities across the limited dimensions and they have me mistaken for another Reed, and they know! I've met a murderous version of myself and I've seen dozens of others! They could be mistaking me for any me. I don't deserve this. Any of this.

It's not a bad theory, really. To be quite honest, I'm not sure what their reasoning is, in denouncing your particular identity.

But I know mine.

I don't believe it. I don't believe you. [ now, emboldened: ] Until I see a dissection, that is.

Susan has no logical reason to believe you, outside of what accounts for near superstition. And I would have thought she'd be more mindful than that.

Superstition? Hardly. Amazing how a self-proclaimed scientist would neglect even the most elementary research so readily accessible at his communicative device. The conclusions of exceedingly repetitive and highly unbiased experiments have all yielded the exact same result, one that indicates a very logical casual relation between stimuli and effect. Susan, at least, as the mental capacity to examine the accessible data.

I called your theory not bad, but not perfect. You don't account for the one of the two crucial variables in the fourth dimension of spacetime -- that is to say, time. While it is entirely possible for you to be a Reed Richards from some other dimension, you ignore the more pertinent question of when, not merely where. Meaning, unless you can prove the when, the where is not a necessary falsehood. It's a shockingly amateur mistake.

Tell me, Reed, what scientist allows his frankly juvenile emotions to render his so-called logic senseless?

[ and he reed can feel his teeth grate, his fingers lengthen in response to that. it's annoying. he annoys him. people don't treat reed fucking richards like that. but, remembering his role: he blinks out a few tears. ]

Logic? [ he's so hurt, and weak. ] You think that this is a scientific review? There are some things it's not worth applying method to and―why am I even debating with you?

This is about my reputation and what little of friendships I have left, not your propensity for lying!

[Eddie grins in response, an open and gleeful grin. The kind that makes people want to punch his face. That kind of grin.]

I don't lie -- not directly. And no, but I do think I can help clarify matters. Believe it or not, Reed, I want to resolve this with you. Conflicts of this nature can, ah, expound in magnitude and I don't want that.

No, I don't want that in my city.

Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want a Peace Prize?

Because thank you for convincing me not to blast the City's skyline off the planet, because I was absolutely going to do that. Because, as everyone knows, I'm a terrorist and a mass-murder! It's in my nature!

You're doing that thing again, where you get highly emotional.

Well, excuse me. [ god, he really shouldn't be feeling so exhausted. ] I care about what everyone thinks about me. I feel!

And Susan isn't having the best day and I want Susan to be happy. I really do! I'd do anything!

[BEAT.]

Anything?

[ internally squinting. not sure if trick question or douchiness or both. ]

Well...

Specificity will help you, Mr. Richards.

[ past the tears, he can't help but be dismissive. ]

I don't have to prove my love to you.

Or your obsession, it seems.

[ an exhale, a shake of the head. ]

What do you think you're doing?

Offering you an opportunity. Can you claim that anyone else is dong the same for you?

[ the response is immediate. ]

No. I'm not interested.

All right, then, Mr. Richards. Suit yourself.

Doctor Richards, thanks.

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