01 § video

[definingfuture]

[So here's a guy smiling more than he should be. He looks downright cheerful about the whole alternate world between life and death bit, but looking cheerful is easier than people say it is. His expression is giving off the best "let's be friends" message that he's got.]

I think I hit my head. Which is kind of bad, because I can't afford to have hit my head right now. I was working on things.

Hey, anybody want to play a game? It's called "the last thing I remember". Anyone? I'll go first.

I was just about to finish a late night coffee and watching a fuzzy video with a fuzzy memory that probably means things are not going to end well very soon. The thing about that? If things were going to go bad this soon I would know about it. So that means I didn't just have an aneurysm that dropped my, uh, soul into this period fantasy. Is there a door? There has to be a door. Or maybe not. I admit soul transference isn't really my area.

[He pauses to let all of that settle before he seems to come to a conclusion.]

This can't be good for space-time.

Comments

[donttouch]

Tell me about it.

_{( Rogue is lounging in the chair in front of her counsel, and one gloved hand drags across her face as she asks: )} That is you, right, Mr. Stark?

[definingfuture]

[There's some hesitation before he answers, because, well. Just got chewed out by a little kid and he's not anxious to start anything.

But after a moment, he nods. He even gives her a cautious smile.]

The last time I checked, anyway.

[donttouch]

_{( Her mood doesn't seem to particularly shift, one way or the other. )}

Oh. Hi, I guess.

Welcome to the turtle.

[definingfuture]

[This is so weird. Well, he can deal with null.]

Hi. Why do you call it the turtle?

[A question he should have asked awhile ago, but he was distracted.]

[donttouch]

Maybe because it is a turtle.

_{( With a silent "duh" at the end, there. )}

[definingfuture]

Literally? [He sounds completely surprised.]

[donttouch]

Literally.

[definingfuture]

Oh. Well, I guess that... is something.

[He sighs.] Glad this place makes sense.

[donttouch]

It gets worse, believe me.

Plus there's about three and a half different versions of our world represented, as far as I can tell.

[definingfuture]

That's not surprising.

[There are a lot of worlds.]

Which one is yours?

[donttouch]

The one where all of the X-men are teenagers and Captain America is the president.

[definingfuture]

Oh. [Wow? Yeah. He's surprised, but he keeps a pretty even face.]

Well, he is a leader.

[donttouch]

A pretty sucky one, but yeah. I guess so.

[definingfuture]

You don't like him? And he's the president.

[Well, that is ironic.]

[donttouch]

The government's never exactly been nice to people like me.

[definingfuture]

...Point taken. He's not the president where I'm from.

[donttouch]

Hm. I didn't think so. There's one here, and he's pretty different.

[definingfuture]

Yeah? You mean other than not being President Rogers?

[donttouch]

The president isn't here.

Just the other one. He didn't know who I was, though.

[definingfuture]

Well, that's encouraging. [He sounds wry.]

Are there a lot of other people from your world?

[donttouch]

Maybe one or two. Not that many.

[definingfuture]

Nice to know that this place is pleasantly inconsistent.

Your me isn't here, right?

[donttouch]

No. But I wouldn't mind, if he was. As far as Ultimates go, he's not a complete jerk.

[definingfuture]

...You make them sound pretty bad.

[donttouch]

They've never really given me a reason to like them.