5667/Meddling Kids and Loose Threads

Meddling Kids and Loose Threads
Date of Scene:	21 March 2021
Location:	Daily Planet Building - New Troy
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Carol Danvers, Terry O'Neil

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Carol Danvers has posed:
Terry once upon a time in his earl intern days at the planet got a huge interview with Captain Marvel's return front and center to the public limelight.

Lots of other things happened around then as well involving Meddlers, Alien Birds, and more.

Still the contact that comes up with the text is pretty clear as to who it is, not like he probably lost Carol's number.

<O'niel. If you could be so kind as to meet me on the roof of the Planet that would be appreciated.>

Carol continues to do other things on her phone after firing off that text, sitting on the edge of the Daily Planet's roof with no fear of falling off. She is dressed like a civilian though, jeans, band shirt, flight jacket, and ball cap. The cap does have the SHIELD logo on it though.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The waiting time is nowhere near as long as it would have otherwise taken. A Rabbit Hole opens up and Vorpal steps through. He's not in his 'hero chucks' but in a white short-sleeved button-up shirt and slacks, pretty close to what he wears at the Planet in his human form. There's no hint that his uniform might be under his clothes, but it probably is. Except the shin guards... those are probably stored under his desk.

"Captain M, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asks. There are two coffee mugs in his hands, and he offers one to her, "Lois's trademark, guaranteed to make you hit lightspeed on fumes alone."

A lot of things have changed since Terry last spoke with Carol- now that he was pubblic with his identity, and the first superhero to publicly work for one such publication, he didn't have much of a need to hide who he was.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol glances back when the Rabbit Hole opens, almost like she can sense it's arrival. She watches Terry approach and then reaches to accept one of the coffee mugs.

"I always wondered what kept Ms. Lane going so strong in so many ridiculous situations." she inhales lightly smelling the coffee before taking a sip. "That is strong... not that I have a lot of problems hitting lightspeed though."

There is another sip.

"So how are you enjoying being public with no secret identity?" which can't possibly be why she asked Terry to come talk to her.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire raises an eyebrow, "Well, it simplifies a lot of things. It also complicates others- but you already know how that goes. Personally, I like it more- I feel I am completely honest when I write instead of trying to thread the needle between protecting my identity and reporting on the story... but just to be square," he takes a sip from his cup, "When I interviewed you, I didn't have my powers yet. I didn't get those until..."

He frowns, and then smirks, "The first of April. It's... kind of fitting."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Well that is good to know I suppose. I wasn't really worried about it one way or another. I work with a lotr of spies with SHIELD." a shrug. "The Avengers are pretty much an open book, but a good deal of the League have secret Identities. The X-men well they are a whooole thing." she waves the mug slowly before taking another sip with a chuckle. "So no the idea of you interviewing me while having powers and being a secret hero didn't bug me Terry... even if turns out that wasn't the case."

She peers across Metropolis. "So how are the Titans holding up. I saw the reports on the various doppleganger issues that were handed over for back shipment to the other dimension."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"We got hit with four Doppelgangers. One of them almost killed Gar- we thought he had, actually... but fortunately we were wrong. There was a me running around, a Nadia but she was called 'Hope', and Wonder Girl's doppel did a whole bunch of damage..." he exhales, "But fortunately that's over with."

The cat glances at Carol and adds "How about you? Did you have to duke it out with your doppelganger somewhere above the earth's atmosphere, or across the galaxy? SHIELD certainly wanted info from us but they are always rather stingy in giving some back," he grins.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"SHIELD went into pretty crazy levels of security and lockdown. Can't say it was totally effective though at stopping problems from still popping up... we do employ some of the absolutely most talented and stubborn people on earth so yeah. Got a bit messy."

There is a thoughtful noise. "That explains the really strange tweets from Beast Boy I suppose. Vaguely threatening carnivore stuff... was odd. I can only imagine how difficult the Wonder Girl dopple was too deal with. I'm glad none of you died Terry."

"As for dopple Captain Marvels... thankfully no. The conditions not just on earth but the Kree bullshit that was also necessary for me being me... wasn't very present there. Also due to the timing as far as I can tell my dopple never joined the airforce because the world was already scewed up. I'm sure she was stubborn and may even be around over there.. but she never had a chance to get this.." her non-coffee-holding hand waves and a spark of cosmic energy cascades over her fingertips. "Which ... frankly thank god. The amount of devastation from that sort of fight here... " a light shudder. "So we got lucky I guess."

She looks back to Terry though. "So. Just those four dopples amongst your friends?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Right, a doppel with your powers would be a major headache. I'm thankful that Supergirl took care of her doppel..." the Cheshire cat takes another sip, a longer one this time. "I still remember when you just carried my car like it was nothing. It got totaled in the Warzoon nonsense, though." Such is the life of anyone living in the Metropolis area.

"Hmm? Yeah, only those four hostile doppels among our friends. We've been lucky. We could have gotten a Nightwing or Robin doppel, someone who was /actually/ good at infiltrating. Gar's doppel tried to infiltrate but he just didn't have the covert skills to pull it off."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Part of me wonders if the dopples for those two would be good at infiltrating or even alive. They really seem to be remarkable people but a lot of what drives the whole Batclan is training and dedication. Would that have even existed in the right combination for them to show up here able to pull off that sort of infiltration. Big question really."

She looks over at Terry then sets the empty mug down. Yeah, she is no stranger to coffee and fast.

"Interesting wording, four hostile dopples." she looks up at the sky. "So you trust the non-hostile one then?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"That depends on which one we're talkin' about!" Vorpal says, opening a Rabbit Hole into the break room and grabs the coffee pot. Right in front of Elsie, who does the art reviews. "Hey, Elsie! Just a sec..." he pours himself a refresher, tops off the Captain if she wants it, and then places the pot back. "All yours!" he closes the Rabbit Hole before Elsie can lean in and see who he's talking to.

"I know Harley's double is some sort of freedom fighter back on the other world. Which kind of proves something I've always suspected about her, you know?" Sip.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Well to be fair, I'm not at all talking about any of the dopples whom may have good intentions who stayed on the other side. TGhoguh honestly not completely surprised Harley Quinn's dopple might be a freedom fighter."

She accepts the topped off coffee "Poor Elsie." then sips it with a shake of her head. "Your coworkers must love you." bit of sarcasm there.

"No I'm talking about a meddlesome one who seems to not be a threat but is loitering here on our earth due to concerns."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Pfff, they love me. Every Wednesday I bring a large sheet of Tiramisu- mom's recipe. They'll forgive me a lot for that." He glances over the Captain and smirks "Come by sometime on Tuesday and you'll get a taste, then you'll understand. I used to have a parkour instructor who used to accept payment in Tiramisu."

His green eyes pause on Carol for a second, and he blinks for a few seconds. "You've met her, then? Like, she actually spoke to you? Are you /sure/ it's not Colette just playing a very bad prank on you?"

It was within the realm of the possible.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"I mean.. that isn't out of the realm of possibility. That said yes I met her on the moon. She was camping in a Russian spybase and specifically lured me out to talk to her."

Another glance at the sky.

"I am pretty certain that it wasn't just Colette. Though she operated a bit like her. I also didn't get the feeling she was crazy or dangerous. She at least posed no danger to me. She does seem desperate to make sure the one we know is a good person though and not a threat... which I guess could be paranoia."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You met her on the moon. Jesus, do you know how weird our lives are?" Vorpal says, in the understatement of the year. He leans against one of the ventilation units.

"Yeah. I've met her. She's actually given us a hand a couple of times, most recently we infiltrated a place where Doppels had been operating... but she is pretty different. She's skittish from having grown up in that nightmare world, and she's very invested in making sure this world is rid of their threat. And... yes, she's wary of her Here version, but I imagine that's second nature from that paranoid world. I reassured her that our Colette is fine. I almost want to invite her to stay here- you know, a better world- but she's adamant about going back to help. Which is... commendable."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"She claims she was and is part of the resistance on that side. That she has a duty to help make that world better. As you say commendable."

She sighs. "She handed over a pile of dossiers on people from that world who made it here and blended in. The intel was very solid and useful for rounding up several fugitives to be sent back over to the other side. Which does make me think her intentions are good, but it could be all part of a long game to be honest." a head shake and another coffee sip.

"How has she helped all of you and do you have any idea why she is so skittish about her this world self?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Likewise, she's provided intel, and... well, let's just say that she has provided some information that I already know, and has asked me not to divulge because it's not my secret to do so. And she's right about that. As far as things go, I trust her... there's one thing about the Doppels- and it is that they can't really resist being driven by that murderous drive. Lois' doppel genuinely wanted to start a new life, but she couldn't resist the desire to get rid of her other self..." he raises an eyebrow, "So we got her sent to Themyscira. I think that was a good compromise, she's in good hands after all. Long term cons isn't something that's likely to come from these people. Life over there seems to be of the Nasty, Brutal and Short variety, which favors brutality over the more phlegmatic approach."

Vorpal takes a sip from his coffee. "You knooow... not to change topics, but the anniversary of Kian crash-landing on Earth happened not too long ago. I don't know if you've seen him recently but he might appreciate you coming around. He really has done a very good job of settling in."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Dopple-lette though has excellent mind shielding and I imagine the influence wasn't universal. Guess we will see if she proves to be telling the truth and wanting to help or if she is playing a long con. Let me know if anything happens that makes you suspicious Terry."

She allows for the change in topic and then nods. "I can do that, it has been months since I swung by the tower and checked up on all your kids." yeah she knows several of the Titans aren't quite kids, but frankly pretty much all of them feel like Kids to Carol.

"Glad Ki'an is doing well though.. I will stop by and visit you all."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Please do! We'll make a pizza party of it. We get it by the wholesale because when you have Bart, Wally, Caitlin and Gar under the same roof, that's a thing you do or else nobody gets to eat."

Beep Beep. He takes a phone out of his pants and hehs, "Lois. She's wondering if I went off to save the day or if I'm skipping on work. I think that means I should get back to working on my copy or I'll have to stay overtime. But do drop by the tower- the last time you were there ,I was lost in a pocket dimension." He pauses.

"Man, those three months /sucked./"

Carol Danvers has posed:
"I can definitely relate to being lost in space Terry." she shifts up to her feet, drinks the last of the coffee before handing the mug back to him now.

"I will admit, I was pretty positive you all were dead. The scans the Lanterns and Nova Corps did backed up my own scans.... there wasn't much hope. So I am glad we were all wrong about it."

She waves lightly. "Tell Lois hi for me and expect me to swing by for pizza then."

With that the Avenger steps off the edge of the building and is wrapped in a flash of golden cosmic energy. The civilian clothes transforming into her suit as their base matter is just reconfigured .... and she is off with a blaze of light.