crowd control

Masks: Heartland Justice, 2025-03-27

opening panels

Miles slowed down the marchers from Buckingham Fountain by placing barriers at super-speed
Miles took a barrier from the stationary protest cordon, and about a dozen protesters got through
Diego intimidated them back behind the cordon
Lizzy scouted ahead and got caught up in the crowd and took a hit
Miles came for her but got bogged down in the crowd
Clarke came to her rescue
Lizzy got free, and when embracing Diego, saw the Miles in the crowd and the Miles with them by the entrance to AEGIS HQ
but getting some hits in on a super revved up the crowd

the heroes tried to negotiate but they soon realized the crowd was too hyped up
Lizzy fired a camera arrow into a prime spot, putting protestors up on the big screen, and identifying when they or their loved ones were saved by
this livestream successfully shamed many protesters and took wind out of their sails

a handful of exoskeleton thugs moved forward through the crowd; it parted to let them through
they reached the line held by the heroes
the heroes refused to initiate a fight but took many hits, and risked themselves to protect each other and protestors
all of this was livestreamed too
the heroes prevailed
pressed by a hero, one thug admitted Julius Skum, SkumTech CEO and father of Leon/X, had given them the exoskeletons

the heroes feared there was an imposter Miles
Lizzy brokered peace between the group and the two Miles's, using a secret Miles had told her to prove there was not an imposter
there was a time traveler instead

the team supported and comforted each other
but when Storm, Miles's mom, came down, she was shocked to see two Miles's but then pulled them both in for a hug
but Miles₀ (future Miles, Sean's Miles) pushed her away in anger and said, "I don't need you anymore."
Storm was crushed