As a sprite or pixie or something, I can’t join Chrissy’s links. Excuse me, Synchronichrissy’s links. 404, super not found.
But I could definitely tell when they were active. Chrissy used two at once even in the midst of the biggest fights. (She’d been talking about trying to manage a third, but she said eavesdropping on all of the villains in an altercation was more selective than what she could manage right now; I was more worried about her being influenced by the villains in that third link).
One loop connected her to the crowds needing evacuation. There were still screams and chaos, but it was a lot less than in other attacks I’d responded to. This link let Chrissy project calm, hope, and directions to the nearest emergency doors and evac heroes. She used the link to strengthen the link: she could kind of perceive through the senses of everybody involved. That helped people avoid crumbling ceilings, structural damage, weak floors, fire hazards.
The other track was for heroes (those who could use it; apparently fae and some aliens were psychically dead?) and she used the civilians’ feedback to update the mental map she and the Muse used as mission control. Pyros could get to fire damage, strongbacks went to shore up walls, ‘porters, timetwisters, speedsters... from the air, it was art. Watching this attack become... like, a dance.
Some heroes still used talkies or comms or their own links, but the ability to dip into that open loop and start working in seamless unison was amazing. Apparently.
“Teebs, wildebeest moreau—”
“I see it, I see it.” I dropped height and increased speed. I didn’t like doing this trick, but the thing was gaining on a couple of people it separated from the herd. I liked when things had weapons. Busting weapons was good.
Busting kneecaps, when you’re the bullet? Less fun. Really messy. My dumb plastic helmet broke earlier during a similar trick, so I got blood all over my face this time. But the thing went down in a piteous, wordless howl (good; some of them were sapient; that was not happy).
The kids ran from it, or the blood-covered Thumbelina that winged past them, or maybe they just followed Chrissy’s link. But regardless, they went the right way toward a teleporter waiting for a group in the next alley.
And then they stopped. Staggered. And started drifting off, headed back toward some of the fighting.
“Chrissy?” Dead air. I darted down to pull one of the kids away from a weak spot in the road. I couldn’t see it, of course didn’t have the mental map from the Muse, but the coordinated crowds earlier parted around it like a school of fish. The kid flailed; she wasn’t about to move me, but her clothing tore. Well, hell. And even as I dragged her toward the 'porter, he seemed to be doing just as poorly: fewer people per ride, flickering away, only to return with everybody covered in dust like he and his civs just landed in a bad spot.
“Hey, what’s going on!” There were tear tracks cutting through the dirt on his face.
“I can’t—don’t, I’d been... it’s gone! They’re gone!”
I wondered what happened to a link that was suddenly severed in the middle of everything. From what Chrissy said previously, she let the effect fade over time so that nobody had a big sense of loss or disorientation. If she had the choice.
“Chrissy? Chrissy!” More dead air. “Muse?”
“TBD? I can’t talk right now. Chrissy’s uplinks crashed. There's a migraine nestling behind my eyes and I need to get everyone back on track."
“What happened to her?”
"Not my problem. No one hit her; I felt some—sucking sensation before the links fell. Maybe she stumbled across psychic quicksand.” A scoff; I blamed it on the mental trauma. “You should be fine. If you find her, get that consensus back.”
Scouting for one person in this redoubled chaos was definitely more my speed than trying to redirect people that could barely see me.
“Chrissy, it's Beatrice. Please answer. I’ll use your stupid codename if you answer.” Nothing.
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