News of Psyche's abduction is not released to the media for a variety of reasons. The fact that she was replaced for her plea in juvenile court was another complication. Her probation was set to begin, which thankfully did not include the monitoring drone. A copy of the transcript was provided to her, so she could review what her doppelganger had pled to and the sentence she'd received. In a city like Halcyon, being replaced by a double wasn't the most unusual of circumstances, so she'd be allowed a "do-over" if she wanted to bring it to the court's attention. Or, if she chose, she could simply ride out the sentence as handed down by the court.
Her Mother, on the other hand, needed some explaining...
---------------------
The androidians were put in storage at Alliance Headquarters. A hearing to determine their fate will be set at a later date, though already various lines are being drawn by media commentators.
---------------------
Praetoria gets a pep talk from her uncle, who reminds her that her great-uncle Optic Man back in the early fifties had laser vision. He dug out some old news reels that showed the hero in action. Unfortunately, he nearly drowned during the Oceanic saga and retired shortly thereafter. He passed away in the mid-eighties.
The Judge encourages Kayla to spend some time practicing with her newfound powers.
---------------------
The Dawkins Research Institute offers Scorch a genetic stabilization serum that should help reduce the effect of her powers on her own genetic structure. A modified version of an old attempt at depowering genetic-based metahumans, the serum would be a temporary measure to lock down her current form until she learns to master her powers herself.
---------------------
Silver Shield takes Frostbite on a "leadership retreat" where she subjects him to a number of drills and brutal practices so that he can, in her words, "finally step up and take charge of the team like you should."
When the grueling retreat is finally over and he's back at Blockbuster base, he spots a small, folded note in the Rhino. It reads, "Hey, Cold Stuff. I owe you your cut, so meet me at Le Beaujolais on Saturday. 9 pm sharp. Don't leave me in the cold. --S"
---------------------
Hoshiko speaks with Whippoorwill after Shin's urging. The two exchange a few words and then part, with neither of them looking especially reconciled. Hoshiko returns to the Campus shortly thereafter.
Whippoorwill takes the opportunity of the relative quiet time to train Horizon further, and take him out on some patrols.
----------------------
The Alliance and Heralds take whatever information Isaiah can provide about the Chrono Wraith. Silver Shield develops some temporal sensors and has the various team members install them throughout the city, hoping to detect the strange being's activity.
Kayla takes her Uncles encouragement to heart. She heads to her room and puts on the wristband containing...apparently, her entire wardrobe. She scrolls through the options curiously, somewhat excited at the functionality, before pressing the quick select button for her hero costume. The nanotech quickly crawled across her skin, which kind of tickled, and in a matter of moments had configured into her new suit so well that they couldn’t be differentiated from actual fabric or polymer.
She curiously chose a different outfit just to see, and the nanites shifted color and moved to change into denim shorts and a tank top. ”Huh. Neat,” she says to herself. She then hits the quick change central button and in a quick flurry they shift back to her hero costume. Nodding in satisfaction, she heads to the training room.
Once there, she selects “Ranged Combat Training: Maximum Difficultly” before stepping forward...
She takes a breath before spacing her feet to brace herself as a hologram of a cityscape appears, and moments later the blue sky darkens as a “portal” opens up and demonic figures descend into the city. Kayla’s eyes turn gold and short beams of energy start lashing out from them, obliterating one after another.
She kept this up for several minutes, with the sheer volume and size of the demons getting greater and greater. A sheen of sweat was forming on her as she lost herself in the exercise, and for a few minutes she forgot she was in a training session and felt like she was back in Tartarus, fighting to save her parents.
She focused on one massive demonic figure and unleashed her blast at full force! she cried out as she let loose a long sustained beam at it for several seconds! Suddenly, she felt herself relax and her eyes stopped glowing as she slumped to her knees. The hologram faded and standing at the door was a frightened looking Sarah at the controls and Uncle Judge beside Int he doorway, his hand on his temple.
Kayla looked around and could see that the force of her blasts had wrecked the reinforced training room. It was clear her final blast had almost totally bypassed the armor plating around it!
Rory gets back from the retreat on Friday afternoon and finds the note in the rhino, he gives a quick look around the area then heads inside. Pulling his phone from his desk drawer, Silver Shield insisted he leave it behind, Rory checks for messages, which there were none. Everyone knew he was leaving town for a bit so it wasn't surprising but still he's bummed out a little bit. After unwinding for a bit he shoots his teammates a message, "Back in town, anyone up for going out on patrol tonight?"
Praetoria: Hey. I could stand to get out of the Tower for a bit. But how's your sister? Everybody is kind of leaving me in the dark too. Including my family...
There’s a pause, then:
Soooooooo, y r u wanting to get out of the house? Things bad at base?
While you're chatting away with Rory, you get a text from Angel. "Your date's set up with Tiv Krueger this Saturday. I've got you both center court seats for the Halcyon Flyers playoff game. Mr. Krueger will be taking care of dinner. Have fun!"
Shin flew next to his mentor in formation as they looked over the streets below. Well, he was mostly counting on Whippoorwill for her vision, as even with the correction of his visor, his eyesight wasn't good at picking out people from a thousand feet up. It was nice to get some more training under his belt. Their power sets might have been radically different, but the tactics and strategy lessons were valuable tools he tucked away.
It was when they stopped to take a brief break, landing on one of the high rises with a great view of the cityscape, that he felt like talking about some of the other issues plaguing him.
"I wanted to kill the Professor."
It was something he hadn't admitted out loud until right then. Even though he regretted the feeling, felt awful about it, he had still thought it. It scared him because of who Shin Akebono was in this time. So Whippoorwill deserved to know about such terrible thoughts.
"I didn't know who he was. Didn't have a face to put to him. But when we realized that someone had taken Psyche and replaced her, I was terrified of what happened to her. So many people have tried to kidnap her since we've known each other. It has to stop, and I thought for a second, maybe the only way to stop that is to leave a clear warning to what happens if people try it."
His voice cracked slightly, holding his hands in front of him as he continued. "Is this how it starts? I just think of the clear cut solutions in my anger, but then push them aside because I'm horrified I would even think of them. Then I linger on them a little more every time it happens, until I finally stop feeling bad for thinking of these things?"
He inhaled slowly, mostly to calm himself and stop tears from being blinked out of his eyes. "I just want her to be safe. I want her to be able to live how she wants to live, without people coming after her because of what she can do. How do I do that without becoming a monster?"
Kayla had slipped out and flown out of the Tower late that night, still a little upset at herself over the Danger Room Debacle. Also, she wasn't sure why Psyche was giving her the cold shoulder, but she ultimately decided that if that's how the telepath wanted to be, then fine!
Mid flight she tapped the Quick Change button on her wristband, and her clothes shifted into her costume. She hovered high up in the night sky well out of sight as she waited for Rory, taking the opportunity to get used to her new senses a bit more. Or at least try...
Whippoorwill is quiet for a while. She looks at Shin with her arms folded, a stern expression on her face. The wind, blowing strong high on the top of the building where they were, sends her hair in waves and ruffles the feathers along her wings.
"Shin," she begins, her expression hard, "how it starts, where it begins, is you trying to assert control over places where you have no right."
She steps close and puts her hands on his shoulders. "You want her safe. That's laudable. But you can't make her safe. Her safety is not your responsibility. Thinking that it is, will make you want to control her. Where she goes, what she does, who she's allowed to be with. To send 'messages' to people who you imagine may want to harm her."
Whippoorwill's gaze becomes more intense as she looks into his eyes. "Do you see? That's how you become a monster."
Mattie returned to Blockbuster following her appointment at The Dawkins Research Institute to find the base empty for once. Clutching the briefcase-sized chrome box she'd been given at the institute, she first went to the bases small kitchen and grabbed a soda and a packet of chips before heading back to her room, hoping that she wasn't disturbed.
Carefully shutting and locking her door, Mattie made her way over to her bed, turing sideways and sitting on it cross-legged with the case in front of her. For several minutes, she stared at the box, the chip packet lying untouched next to her as she thought about what the Doctor had said - that the serum should stabilise her genetics and prevent any new mutations, for a while at least. It hadn't seemed like a tough call at first - the chance to stop turning into some kind of monster every time she got in a fight was not something she was going to pass up if she could help it - but the doctor had talked about,... side effects.
First, he'd told her that it wouldn't reverse the whatever mutations were affecting her when she took it. That one hadn't seemed like a big deal - she wasn't manifesting any major changes at the moment - just darker than normal irises and some changes to her physique - slightly longer legs, more toned muscles, along with slightly enhanced strength, agility and reflexes. There were people who would, literally, kill for those. No, what gave her pause was what he'd said next - that if she stopped taking it, the mutations might come back worse than before. That and that he thought it might become less potent over time as her immune system learnt to combat the retrovirus that they were using as a vector. She hadn't understood the details, but the idea that she'd probably have to start injecting it more often than the once-a-week she had been instructed to start with was,... worrying. But,... she couldn't keep changing like this. She just couldn't!
Sighing, Mattie had flipped open the case and studied the gun-shaped syringe and five vials nestled within protective foam inside. Drawing a deep breath, she'd reached forward, decision made. The syringe was easy to operate. All she'd had to do was load the vial and it was ready. Pressing the cold metal against her arm as she'd been shown, she held her breath and pulled the trigger, feeling the sharp needle shoot forward and pierce her skin...
For a moment she felt,.. nothing and then,.... then she felt it. Like a warm glow beginning where she'd injected herself and then spreading, spreading through her body like a gentle caress which grew more and more intense. As the warmth spread through her, she let herself fall backward onto her pillows, welcoming the feeling as it seeped into her very core...........
Shin stared up at his mentor's face. Studying her emotions. Wondering if the version of himself that had lived to this age had ever received a lecture like this one. Could he turn out differently because of this?
"...I'm glad that you understand. I don't think that the team would understand if I told them any of this," Shin told Whip, a mirthless smile creeping up on his face. "The more Isaiah tries to explain himself, the more I realize just how much different his views are from anyone. Rory and Kayla and Mattie keep rushing in without checking corners, and Kylie..." He grimaced. "She already has a world on her shoulders. I don't want to place my problems there too. I want to share her burden," He explained.
Shin's thoughts broadcast themselves out where Kylie could pick them up.
Do you want to go out tonight? I found out that my old favorite movie theatre is still around - they show 'classic' films, but they look new to me. I think we both deserve some 'us' time.
Isaiah explained the Chrono Wraith as best he could. He also advocated for good treatment for the androidians, but still left the ultimate decision of what to do with them up to the locals.
Afterward, he found himself at a bit of a loss. The rest of the team were off on various excursions, and would probably do better without being bothered, at least for a time. He'd be there if anyone called, of course, or if it looked like anyone might be getting kidnapped again. But in the meantime, what to do? Well, there had been that one thing...
Idly, Isaiah and Inquiry began scanning and searching for the piece of themselves that had been stolen by that one phasing super. It would be annoying picking it out among the mess of Halcyon City, but it had been a part of him, which left sympathetic tracking at least. Or maybe someone would really mess up and post it on the internet. Never underestimate the potential foolishness of people.
When she spotted Rory arrive, she shifted her clothes back to mundane. Since they were looking for muggers, she decided to wear something that would make her look like good bait. A pair of denim shorts, sandals, and a white tank top. She pulled her hair up and tucked it into a ball cap.
She waited until he was in an out of sight clearing before she quickly floated down and landed beside him. ”Hey,” she mumbled as she stepped his way.
"Hey, looks like it's just us tonight. Figured we'd just walk around and see what happens." Rory says, "so how are things going?" As the pair walk through the park Rory keeps a keen eye out for trouble.
Kayla nods when he says it was just them. She was honestly glad for that fact. When he asked her how things were, she shrugged and said "Well, I seem to have lost total control of my powers since I absorbed all the extra that Dread siphoned from me. I've got new ones I've never had before. And I almost destroyed the "Indestructible" Guardian Training Center. Oh, not to mention that seems like everyone on the team is giving me the cold shoulder. So...average I guess."
She glances over at him and asks "How about you and the others? Nobody has really reached out to talk with me and when I have tried, I haven't gotten any reply. Is this everyone's way of them telling me that I'm too much of a liability to the Sentinels?"
Shin stared up at his mentor's face. Studying her emotions. Wondering if the version of himself that had lived to this age had ever received a lecture like this one. Could he turn out differently because of this?
"...I'm glad that you understand. I don't think that the team would understand if I told them any of this," Shin told Whip, a mirthless smile creeping up on his face. "The more Isaiah tries to explain himself, the more I realize just how much different his views are from anyone. Rory and Kayla and Mattie keep rushing in without checking corners, and Kylie..." He grimaced. "She already has a world on her shoulders. I don't want to place my problems there too. I want to share her burden," He explained.
Whippoorwill takes a step back, her demeanor becoming less severe. "She's going through a lot. There's a big difference between controlling and helping. I want you to help. She's dealing with so much raw power and ability that I fear she doesn't think she needs help, though. But you have to keep offering. Hopefully, she'll accept. And let her decide how you help. Got it?"
Sorry I bailed on you like that. You doing okay?
Okay? She had no idea how to even respond to it. She was fine, of course she was fine. I just can't keep letting my guard down. If I'd kept myself safe at the courthouse, the Professor never would have been able to grab me like that.
"You doing okay?"
She powered her phone off.
***
"Do you want to go out tonight? I found out that my old favorite movie theatre is still around - they show 'classic' films, but they look new to me. I think we both deserve some 'us' time."
She wasn't home. She'd been making the most of being able to leave without worrying about some drone's battery. Besides, she was ducking her mother's calls, the Taylors had kicked them out of the Tower, and her rooming-setup at Blockbuster hadn't gotten any less awkward since she and Mattie had officially broken up.
She stretched out a thin connection to him, responding quickly, if quietly, "Maybe later. I don't really need distracting right now, Shin."
A moment later she added, "Unless there was something there that You wanted to see."
...
Grumpily she turned her phone back on. I could just claim not to have been sure who was texting. I left my old phone in Hell, and it's not as though all my contacts are in this new one yet.
Why avoid talking to her though? Everything's fine. She didn't do anything wrong except laser her way through a school and collapse a building.
She still came to help you when you needed it.
Kayla: Sorry I bailed on you like that. You doing okay?
Seen by Kylie
Kylie: Yeah.
Kylie: I guess.
Kylie: Typing is so slow.
She stretched out her mind, questing for Kayla's and slipped in, briefly 'knocking' first before appearing in Kayla's mind's eye as an entirely human looking girl, draped in haute couture rather than webs.
"What's okay anyways?" -"Kylie?"- "I don't have my drone anymore. Once I turn 18 I won't have to worry about my record. The Professor's captured, and I'm free." -"Kylie?! Are you there?"- "If I don't tell anyone about the duplicate I don't have to go back to the courthouse. I didn't have to break anyone's mind." -"If you're fighting evil just tell me so I can pull it up on the news."- "No one even knows what happened to me. What's not okay?" -"Call me tonight then, Kylie. I'll be up late unless you should call earlier."-[/b]
"I guess it's different with her than dealing with Hoshiko," Shin admitted. "Thank you again for bringing her out. I know that she didn't get a chance to help, but I'm glad she came." He tapped his fingers on his thigh. "I want her to try to act like a hero. I think the next step is for her to try and talk to other heroes she's fought before. Try to be more familiar with them, and let them get to know her."
He knew he was changing the subject because he wanted to get away from the idea of becoming a controlling monster. What he was doing with Hoshiko, that wasn't trying to control her actions, was it? Had he forced her into this position? No, he had to prove that he was doing the right thing here.
"Who would you suggest she start asking for in particular?"
Shin's thoughts carried disappointment and a touch of loneliness. There's just some interesting films about samurai that looked cool. A filmmaker named Kurosawa directed them. Not sure if he's any good, but I wanted to find out.
His emotions became curious then. What are you up to, Kylie? Do you need any help?
Kayla looked at her phone, then sighed and said ”Oh..NOW she’s getting back with me...If I seem distracted it’s because Psyche’s in my head. Don’t think I’m ignoring you, okay?”
__________
::Slow down...you are coming through in a jumbled mess. I mean...how are you feeling? Do you need someone to talk to? Not that...:: whatever she was thinking she cut it off.
"No worries, the joyes of having a psychic on the team," he chuckles with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, "at least she is getting back to somebody."
In your room at Blockbuster Base, you notice a message light blinking on your computer console when you wake up. It's a message from Silver Shield.
When you decide to view it, Ms. Quinn appears on the screen. "Hello, Mattie. I've been getting updates from Dawkins while I'm here training Rory. So I'm aware of what you're going through, even if I can't be there with you. Security protocols, that sort of thing. I'd just be getting in the way anyway. So I'm making this video now, since I can pretend you're getting it while you're there at the Institute."
She sighs. "But you'll be getting this once you're done with the treatments. Let me know as soon as you're ready for visitors. What Dawkins has told me, you may opt for the stabilizer. Which I can understand.
"So, I've been doing some thinking, and if you want, I can design a suit for you. Something that can mimic your flight and flame powers, if you still want to, well, stay with the Sentinels. Of course, with your training and natural ability, there's no reason you can't contribute just as you are."
She pauses, giving a sympathetic look. "And there's no shame in walking away from this life. School's about to start back up, you can just focus on having a normal life. Whatever you decide, I'll be there for you, okay? I'm proud of you, Mattie."
”No...” Kayla says, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm, ”I can multitask. So...things rocky at base I take it?”
"Rocky would be an upgrade. Well seeing as I sent out a group message about going on patrol, and you were the only to reply... I'd say things are going swimmingly," Rory says with an eye roll.
Kayla hangs her head and walks a moment in silence.
”It’s all my fault...”
She shut out the static from her mother's attempted contact and re-sent her thoughts in short, clipped bursts.
"What's 'okay' anyways? I don't have my drone anymore. Once I turn 18 I won't have to worry about my record. The Professor's captured, and I'm free.
"If I don't tell anyone about the duplicate, I don't have to go back to the courthouse. I didn't have to break anyone's mind. No one even knows what happened to me. What wouldn't be okay?"
Mindscape's relatively abstract, even if it still feels like her. Probably just part of whatever red flag she's ignoring now.
"'Not that' what, Kayla? Trust me, you won't hurt my feelings."
::I meant from being kidnapped. Both of us have been, thought you might wanna y’all about it. And it’s nothing:: she thinks back in response to Psyche’s pushing her to finish the other statement, ::Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.::
The dull tap of a mental shrug sounded through the expanse of Kayla's mind. "I didn't have to really hurt anyone, it was over quickly, and I'm not being hauled off for trying to save anyone. In the grand scheme of things, it's fine."
***
She went quiet for a little bit while she scraped a broader circle for a general sense of who Kurosawa was.
I guess I might as well...
...
"What if you went and I just rode along?
I don't feel much like 'going out.' It's not as though I'd eat any popcorn either."
Kylie can sense Kayla has a hint of embarrassment and still the underlying guilt and anger.
::Well...okay then. Glad you are okay.::
"...Do you need to talk, Kayla?"
Kayla’s mental voice and anger booms across the link to Kylie!
It immediately recoils and her guilt comes to the fore for lashing out. ::It’s fine. Sorry for that. I’ll be alright. I just...the team is crumbling apart and it’s my fault and I don’t know how to fix it.::
There was a sharp **fzzt** as Kylie cut the link, letting a corner of her mind rant and rave at a Kayla who couldn't hear her while she brought her phone back up to type.
"I don't even know how to engage with the idea that any temporary problems the team is having - and I should note that we just successfully took down a major villain despite them - are somehow yours alone to fix, or even your fault in the first place. But fine, here's my advice: Get some control over your emotions; stop pretending that no one else in the universe is capable of making a decision that matters; go to a specialist who can help you with these new powers, if it's your uncle, go to someone qualified afterwards, and try not to f+!& any teammates for a little while. That should probably be enough to help."
Kylie: Typing is so slow.
Kylie: I can't turn back time, but we can talk now.
Kylie: Are you okay?
Kylie: Why would you think any of this is all your fault anyways?
Kylie: That's insane.
Praetoria: It just is.
Praetoria: I’ll be fine...gonna patrol with Rory a while. If you really want to talk...we can talk later this weekend maybe.
_____________
She slips her phone into the back pocket of her shorts as she lets out a sigh. ”Sorry about that. Where were we?” she asks as she looks around the area.
I'd like it if you came with me physically. Hold hands with you. Kiss you. Call me old fashioned, but usually a date implies some physical affection.
But if you would rather stay in, I can see about bringing some movies to you instead. Your choice, as long as its something we've both never seen before.
"Wandering around aimlessly looking for baddies," Rory replies in a deadpan tone.
"Okay. Let's go to the theatre."
Kayla sat at her mirror, making sure her hair and make up were just right. She then stepped over to the full body mirror and cycled through a variety of outfits.
The classic little black dress? Too formal for a ball game.
A two piece red dress? Too suggestive. This is just a date for show.
This went on and on before she eventually settled on a pair of niceness sandals and some torn jeans that hugged her figure and a Halcyon Flyers t-shirt that she configured to be tied a couple inches above the waist of her jeans. She made sure her wristband was set to quick change to her supersuit, just in case there was a repeat of the memorable incident of the Fatal Four from back in 2004.
She picked up her phone and, seeing no messages, tucked it away with a sigh into her back pocket and grabbed her small wrist purse before making her way downstairs to where her date was supposed to be waiting...
You get an invitation to meet Silver Shield and Ordnance at the Railyards at noon.
The reality tear from the fight with the Scrubber and Apotheosis is still there, cordoned off by A.E.G.I.S. personnel and countless scientists.
Silver Shield greets you both, along with a couple of those scientists. "Glad you could come. We've finished the preliminary studies of the tear," the armored heroine says. "All indications point to this phenomenon being something like a passage into an alternate reality. It's not stable, like a bridge between our reality and another. Those, we've encountered before. This is... well harder to pin down."
One of the scientists pipes up. "It's like a CD changer, set on random." He looks at the Sentinels and appears uncertain. "You do know what a CD player is, don't you?"
Silver Shield gives the scientist an annoyed look. "We're planning on sending a probe through. I've asked you here because of your experiences with the alien entity and Apotheosis, since they're the reason this thing exists. We need to know more about it, whether it's a threat, and if so, how we shut it down."
Whippoorwill contacts the two of you.
"Professor Mecklenburg has woken up. He's... not well. Doctors give him about forty-eight hours, maybe a few more. He has asked to see Psyche.
"For the record, I think it's an exceedingly bad idea for you to see this man who kidnapped you and tried to reprogram you. But, I'm not going to make this call for you. Think about it. Talk about it. Let me know your decision."
What do you do???
The sleek, black limousine is waiting outside Praetor Tower for Kayla. The driver opens the door for her, allowing her to see Tiv Krueger sitting inside. He gives her a smile and scoots over, allowing her plenty of space inside the limo.
"Nice to meet you," he says, extending a hand for a shake. Tiv is handsome like his father, though his jawline is less angled and his hair a bit longer than the usual styles of his famous actor father. He's wearing casual denim, a tight shirt and a blazer. "Tivvus Krueger, but call me Tiv, please."
Kayla slides inside to a seat opposite him in the limo and shakes his hand gently. ”Hey. Nice to meet you. Call me Kayla,” she says as she brushes her hair back behind her ear.
She leaned back into the seat and looked around awkwardly a moment before saying ”So...what’s the plan?”
Isaiah and Inquiry arrived precisely on time. This was going to be intriguing, and definitely worth observing.
"Hmm, well, there's things I'm willing to tell, and some that I won't, depending on which questions you ask. Rifts like this... well, they can go either way. It might be incredibly useful. It might be incredibly dangerous. It might just be strange. Or all, or none. Depends a lot on what lies on the other sides. My people would consider it quite valuable... but we have the means of dealing with any potential unpleasantness in order to use only the beneficial aspects."
Shin had been enjoying Yojimbo when the call arrived. He was glad that Psyche had come with him, and he was also glad that she was here physically. Even if she couldn't eat, there was something that made him happy to just hold her hand while she observed how his brain handled both the spoken Japanese and the English subtitles (Which were in completely different syntax and not translated correctly that he could tell). He knew better than to ignore a call from Whippoorwill though, and he excused himself to go out where he wouldn't disturb the rest of the audience.
Psyche was privy to the call as well, being as open as he was to her right now. So she felt the surge of ugliness and hatred that boiled up inside of him at the mention of the professor. She felt the conflicted emotion of him feeling both glad that he wouldn't hurt her again and guilty that he felt joy from someone close to the end. They stirred up at the bottom, but he kept them from rising to the top.
...Do you want to go and see him? He asked her. It was ultimately up to her. Whippoorwill's lesson was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't tell her not to go. Trying to control her would make him lose her. But he hoped that she wouldn't give him this.
The pair of scientists seem affronted at Isaiah's implication that they don't have the means to deal with any "unpleasantness."
"Well, Mr. Isaiah, you'll see we've taken every precaution. We're not sending a probe fully into the breach, after all. Just enough to ascertain what alternate realities the rift is contacting."
"Right," Silver Shield says, stepping in to forestall any debate. "The presence of the reality tear suggests that Apotheosis wasn't so much as rewriting reality, but replacing it."
The scientist to her left adjusts his glasses. "If my hypothesis is correct, he was instinctively calling forth alternate realities rather than restructuring everything on a molecular level."
"And if that's right, then there was any number of breaches into other realities," Silver Shield adds. "That can make enemies."
"Wait... what? Wait - does that mean that there is an alternate universe where Horizon is a werewolf or man-beast, and I ride around in a transformer and Scorch is a dragon? Also if I kill my mes from another universe I become stronger like in that one movie?"
"I suspect the more urgent question might be; are any of those parallel realities upset that Apotheosis may well have been randomly kidnapping some of their residents to pull them here... and does that mean that the things and people that got replaced here were sent there, which might also have caused problems."
Isaiah shifted a bit, attempting to convey... nervousness, perhaps?
"I will volunteer that the Scrubber was at least using a much better tested and safer method of reality alteration. We don't need to worry about alternate-reality backlash on its end, at least; they were meant to clean up those kinds of problems, not cause them."