Maximum Resistance - SOC102 Social Media's Impact on Society

SOC102 Social Media's Impact on Society
 
Another day at Millennium City University, or so I thought.
 
I was working in the physics lab, looking at the data from experiments run over the weekend. That’s when the power went out. It didn’t come back on immediately, and the emergency power systems didn’t kick in, so best to go outside and see what was going on. I didn’t hear any unusual radio chatter but the building along with all the science gear can really interfere with my reception.
 
I got outside and as expected, there were students and staff milling about outside. At first, nothing really seemed too out of sorts, until I started sensing the low frequency, but couldn’t get a fix on its location. Figuring that was my cue, I stepped further out of sight and concentrated for a couple moments, my normal clothes almost disintegrating to be replaced by the black and blue suit. Once the suit was in place, I flipped the mental switch, and I could feel the power ripple through me as the force field came into existence.
 
My timing was impeccable, or I was lucky, I’m fine either way, as it was that moment that a giant pile of technological pieces, office chairs, stair railings, basically anything with metallic components, came bursting out of the ground next to me. It looked like a giant tech-junk robot with some sort of power field around it. I could hear the nearby screams of people as they started to run for cover. I teleported from my secluded location to the roof of the building across the way, putting me up closer to its head.
 
Apparently, my new friend was not alone, as blaster fire shot past the metallic monstrosity and past me on the rooftop. Couldn’t really make out who was doing the shooting as they were still in the hole made by the entity’s sudden eruption from the ground. I waved at it to try and get its attention and keep it away from innocents in the area. This seemed to work, and I was able to get its attention and ask who it was. It replied with information about me, information that under most circumstances shouldn’t have been determinable about my public identity considering I was in full gear, demonstrating that it knew who I was. It then replied that it was Algorithm.
 
Around this time, Viper agents emerged from the hole and fired up at scrap colossus, none of the shots landing on him or myself. It was at this time I took note of others in the area. A woman in blue and red with a cape flew in and flew rapidly by a couple of the Viper agents, apparently knocking them unconscious. Another, more feral looking woman, flew down from the rooftop opposite me, attempting to attack the other two Viper agents, unsuccessfully, before landing on the building I was on. I didn’t recognize either of these people, but they seemed to have a problem with Viper as well. I’m okay with that.
 
Again, I spoke to Algorithm and said I would help him, and hit the viper agents with a system shock, paralyzing all of them, but more notably the two that were still conscious. Algorithm then grabbed me from the rooftop, and strode out to the parking lot, causing the bystanders to continue fleeing the area. I spotted Runeforce and Sandcrab at this time, both of whom were in or near the parking lot, but my attention was mostly focused on our new friend. Algorithm began looking around at the people fleeing or watching from the parking lot, then started mentioning details about people, as if he was going over their social media information. I teleported from his grip to his shoulder and told him there was someone I wanted him to meet. It was now that I noticed Socrates had been conspicuously silent, even when addressed over comms. The giant began asking to know where Socrates was, and seemed to be getting more agitated when I told him I didn’t know where Socrates was located. Not wanting to be close to something this large in an agitated state, I teleported back to the rooftop. After a period where Algorithms cacophony of voices were mentioning all sorts of information about people, Algorithm then went on to pick up Runeforce and Sandcrab, and asking them, in a more forceful manner, where Socrates was. Not satisfied with the answers, Algorithm threw Sandcrab at me, hitting me square and knocking me back, but I still stayed on my feet, Sandcrab conscious on the ground nearby. Algorithm became increasingly more insistent on knowing where or going to Socrates.
 
I tried to garble Algorithms senses but getting recently knocked around appears to have impacted my aim, and the blinding flash of light and sound was off target. Apparently, Algorithm saw it coming, and moved Runeforce, who he still had a hold of, into the area blinding and deafening him in the process. Sandcrab had re-engaged Algorithm as well, grabbing the entity by the arms and chest, but this did not stop Algorithm from moving towards a huge television screen, which did not have power previously. Upon contact with the screen, the power field holding this amalgam of things together collapsed, causing the construct to literally fall to pieces.
 
We hurriedly gathered up pieces of Algorithm’s body we thought would be useful, along with items from within the lab as well as Wildthing’s unconscious body, and took them all back to Homestead for recuperation and study of what we found.