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## Premise

As the trouble with Wellspring City proves to run deeper than any of the team could have guessed, Nikola is moved to call on the most direct link they have with the city--the reason they moved to the city in the first place. Overwhelmed, unsure how closely they want to rely on their new friends, and aware that they are all in over their heads, Nikola is looking for answers. It remains to be seen if it's in the right place.

## Cast

* Nikola N. Change (Authorticity)
* Quartz Q. Change (Zen)

## Plot Summary

It's the night of Fixing News and Stress Testing, and Nikola decides to call their mom, Quartz Change. Nikola asks how things are at the farm, and Quartz says things are about the same as when Nikola left, even though Nikola points out it's been months since then. Nikola asks about their ma and mother, who are doing okay, and whether Quartz is staying at home. When Quartz sidesteps the question, Nikola sidesteps her attempt to ask how he's doing. Quartz asks how they're getting along with their grandparents, and when Nikola says it's better than home was, Quartz apologizes for the situation getting that bad. Nikola tries to convince Quartz to tell him the truth about what's going on, saying she taught him that family takes care of each other and he wants to help her, but Quartz says there are some things he can't help with, and Nikola hangs up.

Nikola calls back a minute later and says Quartz doesn't get to decide whether or not Nikola can help after making the issue his business by saying the money was for him. Quartz apologizes and says Nikola is allowed to have a reaction and she doesn't have a say in it. Nikola says if Quartz won't talk about the money, they'll move on, and asks why she never talked about growing up in Wellspring City. Quartz says it's because Wellspring City isn't a good place, which is also why she didn't want Nikola living there. Nikola agrees with that, and says Wellspring City is very different from home, which Quartz agrees with. Nikola asks if Quartz ever noticed weird stuff happening in Wellspring City when she lived there, and Quartz asks what kind of weird stuff he means, correctly intuiting that Nikola called because he got involved in the weird stuff and needs information. Quartz says it's not safe to discuss these kinds of things in Wellspring City, and when Nikola sarcastically asks if his phone is tapped, Quartz says she wouldn't put it past the mayor, but this conversation should be safe enough and it's public discussion that's more dangerous.

Nikola uses the chance to bring up Endsville and how strange it is that Wellspring City was built next to it, then asks for specifics, and Quartz agrees to answer some questions, though she says some things may have changed since she lived there. Nikola asks about "creatures", and when Quartz asks for clarification, asks if Quartz knows anything about the term "Catalyst-V". Quartz says she's never heard of it, successfully feigning ignorance. Nikola tries to move on to asking about the mayor, but Quartz pushes back, asking what Catalyst-V is and where Nikola heard the term. Nikola says he's heard the term a few times, and that he feels there are important forces at work that need to be brought to light. Quartz asks if Nikola has to be the one to bring it to light, and asks if Nikola is sure they're the first person to try to bring things to light, and what might have happened to those who tried before. Nikola asks if anyone has tried before, and Quartz says she doesn't know, but that the mayor wouldn't stand by and let someone put him in a bad light. Nikola says their mother raised them to stand up for the little guys, and Quartz says she doesn't want to see them get hurt, and that some of the forces at play in Wellspring City would hurt them if given a reason. Nikola says he doesn't want to see Quartz get hurt either, but he can't and won't sit back and do nothing. Nikola says he was lucky to grow up with the parents he did, and that he hates Wellspring City and isn't going to let the city keep making its residents miserable. Quartz asks them to be careful, and Nikola asks her for any information that would keep them alive as they do this.

Quartz advises that Nikola needs to keep his distance from Mayor Bronson as best as he can, that his vision for the city cannot be swayed and he won't hesitate to do what he thinks is necessary to upkeep that. Nikola agrees, but says there might be a problem, because they made friends with his daughter and they have already run into him once, but they will not stop being friends with Brittney. Nikola asks why Mayor Bronson still remembers Quartz even though he hasn't seen her for decades. Quartz says that she was pretty much a personal assistant to Mayor Bronson while working for him, and had a lot of contact with the man during those few months, probably more contact than he's had with all other interns over the past 10 years. Nikola asks if Quartz knows any secrets about him, but she says she wasn't involved in anything important. Nikola asks what the mayor's greatest weakness is, and Quartz says he's disproportionately upset by anything that threatens his public image, and that he would lose his head and prioritize correcting his image above all other goals. Quartz warns Nikola against getting close to the mayor, and Nikola says they don't want to, and that they will be careful and not pick a fight until they're sure they can win it, but they also want to protect the people they care about in the city.

Nikola changes the topic to Endsville, asking what's up with it. Quartz says it's better that they leave it alone, but Nikola presses for more info, and Quartz gives the same basic information about the city that's usually passed around. Quartz confirms that Endsville fell before her time, and in fact before Wellspring City was built at all. Nikola questions the decision to build a new city next to a destroyed one, and Quartz says she doesn't understand it either, that maybe it was because the fall of Endsville left a need in the area unmet. Nikola says Endsville isn't completely abandoned, and Quartz asks how he would know about that, which Nikola refuses to answer. Quartz says her warnings about not going to Endsville come from her own experience, and that she doesn't want Nikola repeating her mistakes, which Nikola says is hard to accept when Quartz won't give him any specific answers, and that he wouldn't have called if the information wasn't important. Quartz says that if answering questions will stop Nikola seeking out the answers himself, they'll give him some answers. Nikola punches the air in celebration, almost knocking Sentry out of their lap.

Nikola asks why Quartz went to Endsville and what she found there. Quartz answers that, as Nikola has no doubt found out, Wellspring City is oppressive, and she wanted a way to work out and express her anger without risking retribution from the mayor. She went to Endsville to let off steam and break things, and it seemed like a normal abandoned city at first, but says there are still remainders of the city's inhabitants in the form of mutants. Quartz warns that a lot of the mutants in Endsville are dangerous, and Nikola asks if all mutants are dangerous animals, which Quartz disagrees with, saying that not all mutants are dangerous animals but those are the ones Nikola would most likely run into. Nikola asks if Quartz stayed out of Endsville after finding out about the mutants, and Quartz says she didn't. Nikola asks if Quartz knows how the mutants got there, and she says that as far as she knows, they've been there as long as Endsville was Endsville. Nikola asks if his mother is a mutant, and Quartz says not as far as she's aware. Nikola asks Quartz not to tell his mother that he asked that, but he saw a mutant that looked a lot like her.

Nikola wants to bring up Catalyst-V again, figuring that if Quartz was hanging out in Endsville she must know something about it. Instead, they ask if Quartz went to Endsville with anyone else, and she says that other people went to Endsville but she went alone. Nikola says he might call back at another time, and asks again if Quartz ever heard of Catalyst-V. She affirms that she hasn't, and tells Nikola to get some rest. Quartz says it was good to hear from Nikola, and Nikola says it was good to talk to her, and he hopes she'll decide to let their family back in soon. Quartz sidesteps that, and says Nikola should call her whenever they feel like it. The call ends.

Nikola curls up against Sentry, makes a note to call the team together to talk about what happened during Stress Testing, and then cries it out.

## Notes

Verl joked in the spectator chat that this was an "FPMess"

Nikola is cuddling with Sentry while making the call