chuju | making a difference

making a difference

atom smasher + quake

"It's about making a difference. About saving people's lives."
"Being different can mean making a difference."

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it's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierce (♫)

[ This whole alien monolith thing is really getting old. Seriously universe, just find a new schtick already. Surely, there have to be other more creative ways to mess with her, but no, it's just the same old thing over and over and over again. But instead of being sent across space or through time, or even just having her nightmares made into reality, Daisy Johnson has been sent to an alternate universe.

It took a while for her to accept it. Days of searching for signs of SHIELD or her friends after she'd woken up in a random midwestern cornfield, winning another laptop in a bet in a bar in order to hack into government databases — every effort led to the same conclusion: she's on her own here.

But her friends would come to find her, she kept telling herself. Her family wouldn't leave her in this universe that isn't hers, where she's a genetic freak of epic proportions who a dozen governments would love to lock up and study in some lab. It's just a matter of time...

That was three months ago. For three months, she's been in this world, searching out any unusual event or artifact that might be the clue she needs. It seems so much longer sometimes when there are days with no possible way of avoiding just how alone she is. How lonely. Constantly traveling to track down the latest lead that inevitably fails to pan out, she hasn't given herself the chance to make friends or any other kind of emotional tie and it's finally starting to truly wear on her.

When she isn't trying to find her way back to her team, she stays busy by donning her Quake persona again, because what else is she supposed to do with her time if not protect the innocent? The benefit of traveling so much is that so far no one's been able to pin her down, though this world doesn't seem too interested in outing its superheroes — they're all masked and secretive here, which is just fine by her. This world's NYC has proven to be more of the same; she's been here three weeks now and there's been more than enough crime to keep her occupied.

Of course, she's not the only one spending her nights fighting for justice. A run-in between her and one of this world's resident protectors seems inevitable, and though she's not exactly eager for it, she doesn't dread it either. What's the worst that could happen?

Heading down a side street toward where she'd parked the van that serves as home, Daisy rubs a gauntlet-covered hand over her neck, trying to ease some of the tightness there. She'd gotten a beating that night while taking out a group of thugs and all she wants is an entire pot of coffee before starting a few hours of research — just like every other night in recent memory. ]

Edited 2023-05-30 05:11 (UTC)

[ The mission is as straight-forward as it can get; track down the metahuman known only as Quake, determine her threat level, and obtain any other "useful" information— whatever that means. Carter doesn't give Al any other instructions, let alone answer any of his follow-up questions. Do what you can do, and report back to me. It's not exactly the strangest request, but it does leave Al to speculate on the reasons why this mission was assigned to him, and why Quake in particular.

As far as he knows — thanks to local news outlets, and random amateur clips popping up online — Quake is one of the good guys. She goes out of her way to protect those that can't protect themselves, while simultaneously disabling the offender(s) and leaving them to their fate with local law enforcement. Potential recruitment comes to mind as he makes his way back to his quarters, packing the few things he arrived with for the short journey back home to NYC. Which also happens to be the last place she was spotted only hours ago.

( Even if he somehow fails to get any information, it'll be nice to back in his own city, and most importantly, his own bed. )

He's done the solo thing before— once. Un. Uno. One. It wasn't exactly his proudest moment, but in the end, the mercenaries were caught, and he landed his first gig with the Justice Society of America. The very superhero team that he's looked up to since he was a kid. And let's be honest here, this mission is decidedly less dangerous than the first.

When Al finally lands in one of Carter's private jets, he's fully suited up, mask tucked into his belt, and an earpiece giving him the coordinates of Quake's last known whereabouts. Coordinates, of all things, like he has any idea how to use that information. At the very least, he's smart enough to take to the internet in the hopes that someone might've spotted her, and yet— never mind. All things in his own time.

Al makes his way through back alley's, sticking to the cover of shadow to avoid detection. Easier said than done when he's about half the size of his max, stumbling and crushing random objects that he finds himself apologizing to for no apparent reason. But once he's in the vicinity, he shrinks back down to continue his search in the less menacing form. If one can call him menacing while sporting a red and blue suit.

Surprisingly, it doesn't take long to cross her path, taking notice of her gauntlets first. Al stops in his tracks, and holds up a hand in a partial wave, ] Hi— [ Unsurprisingly, he suddenly doesn't know how to broach the subject of why he's really here... without... actually...

He'll figure it out. ]

[ When the suited individual comes into view and catches her attention with his little wave and that sorry excuse for a greeting, Daisy can't help but think of Spider-Man. She's never met the kid (but of course SHIELD knows who's under the mask), so it must be the red and blue, but she just can't shake the mental connection as she takes in the new arrival. Her van's just down the street, close enough that she could make a run for it if needed, but there's something about him that tells her she won't need it. Maybe it's the tone of his voice, that hint of uncertainty, or the way he's standing, his body language the exact opposite of threatening.

For a moment, she wonders if he's a fan. There might not be kids with posters of her on their walls in this universe (that she knows of), but she's seen more than a few mentions of herself on social media over the last few months. Dropping the name Quake in a handful of spots had helped the name catch on — she wasn't about to let the press gift her a new moniker when it'd taken her so long to get used to this one, and she'd been glad to see that no one seemed intent on tracking her down or uncovering her (lack of) identity. But maybe this person was the first—?

She dismisses the thought in the next second, her gut telling her this is something different. So, keeping her body language open, she turns to face him, props one hand on her hip, and gives him an expectant look. ]

Hi. [ And then, because she might as well just go ahead and give him an opening to cut to the chase: ] Who are you supposed to be?

[ At his core, Al is a fanboy. While the original JSA held the majority of his interest, he wasn't blind to other superheroes and vigilantes through the years. His childhood bedroom can attest to that, littered with posters, collectables, and any other merchandise he could get his hands on at the time. Hell, his current apartment proves that he hasn't grown out of that mindset— however, it's a little more subtle, as long as you don't go digging through closets and other storage spaces.

Don't get it wrong, though, he's not ashamed. Give him the chance, and he'll likely talk anyone's ear off about Hawkman, Dr. Fate, The Original Atom Smasher ( who just so happens to be his uncle ), Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash... honestly, the list could go on.

The point is... since Quake began making a name for herself, appearing all across the country, Al and the rest of the world took notice. In essence, it does give him an in. A way to complete his mission. It's kind of shady when you look too closely, but Al is none the wiser. All he knows is that the leader of the JSA is interested in her for one reason or another.

There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

His hand sort of just stays there, in the air, for a solid ten seconds. Like he doesn't really know what to do with himself. At the very least, the eyes of his mask are quite expressive, easily conveying his surprise. ] —Atom Smasher. [ He finally blurts out with a light shrug, idly shifting from one foot to the other. ] Or just Smasher. Some people call me that too.

Gotta say, I'm a huge fan.

[ Being a fan of superheroes is something Daisy understands all too well. As each new Avenger had appeared on the scene, she'd spent countless hours researching everything she could about the heroes. She'd even cosplayed outside Stark Tower with a whole crowd of other fangirls. (Once, it had been one time.) But then she'd become one of the heroes and learned just how hard that life can be. How lonely and dangerous... She envies the ones who can manage to hold onto that childlike wonder and secretly hopes that one day she might be able to get it back.

As the seconds tick by, she starts to wonder if her gut is wrong and this guy is an awkward fan just trying to figure out how to approach her. She's about to prod him a little more when he answers.

Smasher. Is he— No, he's definitely serious. It takes a whole lot of willpower for Daisy to hold back the laughter that threatens to bubble out of her. She really wants to make a Hulk joke (like, really really), and it's extremely unfair that no one in this universe would have any idea what she's talking about.

So this actually is a fanboy talk. That's fine. She can do this. ]

Thanks, Smasher. [ Okay, so she can't entirely hide her amusement at the name. It at least shouldn't come off as cruel or dismissive. ] I appreciate that. Is there something I can do for you?

[ The amusement in her tone doesn't phase him in the slightest, as far as he can tell, there's nothing to suggest that he should take offense. But if he had to hazard a guess, well, she is fairly new on the scene, and maybe she's not used to the attention. In all honesty, Al hasn't experienced a one-on-one encounter like this, but he's sure he'd probably react in a very similar fashion.

Or so he likes to think. There's a very real chance that his own excitement would overtake any subtleties he could try to muster. ]

Yeah, no— [ He rubs at the back of his neck, taking another step or two toward her. ] Have you... ever thought about teaming up with others, or...? [ Oh okay, he's just gonna... go straight for the sales pitch, is that what he's doing here? That tracks. He basically tried to recruit Teth-Adam... or rather, Black Adam, as he goes by now, apparently. ]

I mean, I get the whole solo thing. [ He doesn't, actually. Maybe if he had more practice under his belt— then again, he's the kind of guy that thrives on teamwork. ] Kinda. But it's nice having someone watch your back, you know?

[ It's pretty rare for Daisy to be really surprised by something these days. Between aliens and time travel and parallel worlds, there's just not much that catches her off guard anymore. But this? Yeah, she's surprised, and there's no keeping it off her face. ]

You know, that's honestly not where I thought this conversation was going... [ Her voice trails off for a moment, then she shakes her head with a frown. ] But okay, I'm with you now.

[ Sort of. Maybe. Is he asking her to team up with him or... Is he part of a team? She has a million questions, of course, but none of them are likely to lead her to give him a different answer. Teams aren't in the cards for her. Not here. Her team is back home waiting for her; she doesn't need to make connections here that will just be painful to leave later. Because she is leaving this universe, whatever it takes.

So she shrugs and apologizes with actual sincerity. ] Sorry, I'm not interested, but thanks for the invite.

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making a difference

relentless you survive —

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