tushanshu | 10° VIDEO

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10° VIDEO

[There's a pause before Johnny's face appears on the screen, bent over to press the buttons. Once he confirms that the screen is on, he straightens and makes sure he's in frame, wearing very basic clothes.]

Aw, Reed. You shouldn't have! It's a little small, but I admit, I like what you've done with the place.

[He waits a beat, as if Reed might actually respond.]

There are two obvious possibilities for why I'm here. One, the Emperor is a crazed fan who abducted me to find out if The Torch is really as hot as they say he is – I am, by the way – or, two, I'm actually dead, they're lying to me, and I have a motorcycle and a pile of women waiting for me somewhere.

[A split-second pause.] I'll tell you what. If it's the first option? You can come find me. If it's the second, let me know and I'll come find you. Until then? This Fire Sector is like home, sweet home.

Johnny out.

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[Johnny shows immediate displeasure at the news, frowning deeply and tensing the muscles in his arms. He has no reason to be physically aggressive here, but he doesn't really like accusations being thrown around and saying Sue would marry anyone else is something bordering on an attack on her character.]

Sue's been in love with Reed since they met. There's no way the sister I know would marry anyone else. If she's that different in your world, then I don't know what that says about what you know of me. What does that even mean, "that's more complicated?"

[60s Reed was a huge ass and Namor's really hot.]

Hey, I don't even think we exist in your universe, so there's no point in getting mad about something that happened years ago in a different timeline. Besides, Sue's been married to Dr. Richards for almost a decade. I used to babysit Franklin.

[She brushes her bangs back in an exasperated motion.]

"More complicated" means "time travel."

You babysat their kid?

[He sounds incredulous. Nita's not exactly making any sense and, as much as Johnny tries to keep an open mind, there's not really a good reason to believe her. Minus her appearance, she could just be a crazed fan too, trying to convince him that she's a part of his family. It makes him rethink his flirting style for a fraction of a second. Then he's moving on.]

How do I know you're not trying to trick me? Because I don't know what universe you and your cousin are from, but in my universe, we don't have any parallel universes or time travel or any of it. At least not that Reed's discovered yet.

[Nita's usually understanding, but she doesn't like having someone in a Fantastic Four uniform being so confrontational. They're supposed to be friends!]

If you really think this is a trick, go. [She gestures at the door.] I know you're not my Johnny, but that doesn't make having you mad at me for being honest any more fun.

Fine!

[Johnny's never been good at deescalating situations. If she's going to show him the door, then he'll take it. The Torch drops his hands and turns to go.]

If you're not even willing to try to prove to me that you knew my family, then I'm not interested.

[And with that, he's grabbing hold of the door and he'll be exiting unless she gives him a reason not to.]

What do you want, a signed note from Mister Fantastic? I might be able to tell you something that's not public knowledge, but maybe it's all a clever ruse and I'm actually a Doombot!

[Nita can be as stubborn as anyone, and she's really tired of nobody she knows recognizing her.]

[He swings around, flailing his arms in the air.]

I wanted something- Yeah! I was going to say I want something most people don't know, but I don't even know if the Johnny you knew is anything like me.

[He huffs a little. Johnny drops his arms and his volume a little.]

I don't know what a Doombot is, though I'm guessing it has something to do with Victor. So stop comparing me to whatever version of the Four you knew, because it isn't us!

Believe me, the Johnny I know is a lot like you. [A BUTTHEAD.]

...Wait, if you have Dr. Doom, how can you not know what a Doombot is? [Something occurs to her.] How long ago did you have your accident?

Well, he's not me! [BECAUSE I'M BETTER.]

I don't know, a couple years ago now. Why does it matter? [Johnny closes the door again, hovering inside but right beside it. He's still grumpy.]

[ooc: the MCU canon is vague on timeline, so please just go with it. :|]

Edited 2013-04-16 06:12 (UTC)

Yeah, I noticed. [NO YOU'RE NOT.]

[When he gives the time frame, a lot of her anger switches to surprise.] Oh Neptune, you're brand new at this. No wonder you don't believe me.

[OOC: You get really really used to timelines not making any goddamn sense when you play from comics. Nita's canonical birthday is in 1958.]

..Not soon enough! [Yeah, he's petty.]

[But then she looks surprised and his anger disappears with hers.]

We're not brand new. Why? How long has your Four been doing this?

[She has to think for a second, because time travel.] At least fifteen years now.

[She shakes her head.] Sorry. If I'd realized how different our universes were, I'd've started more slowly. I just--never mind, it's not your problem. [Nita's actually really bad at staying angry. She'll just cry into her pillow alone later.]

[OOC: Using the rough 3:1 estimate for the timeline.]

[Johnny has to take a second to think about that. This has been cool and all, but fifteen years of this? At least it sounds like Sue and Reed are still happy together with a kid and she mentioned Ben, so the guy must still be around, but.. Some part of him thought there might be something else.]

Am I married, in your version? Dating someone?

[Because he was just having a talk with Ben not long before arriving here about wanting more with what remained of his life. But he knows maybe it's just a phase, because of the looming threat.]

[Well, there was that time he married Ben's girlfriend but she was really a Skrull....

Also I think he might actually be dead at Nita's canon point.]

Definitely not married. Possibly dating someone, possibly just bringing girls home from the club. [She's not judging. She does the same thing with guys.] Before I got here I was a bit too busy to check in with anybody or catch up on my tabloid reading.

Edited 2013-04-16 06:41 (UTC)

[He takes it personally and appears slightly wounded for a moment. Then Johnny crosses his arms and tries to recreate his confidence in something that sounds a mixture of forced and genuine.]

You're not the only one. We were busy trying to stop some guy from destroying the world.

[He's not really sure why he says that.]

Now that we've established that I'm not the Johnny you knew, are you going to give me a chance to be my own version or should I just leave you alone?

[She doesn't understand surface-dweller sex issues, sorry Johnny.]

Sounds like Tuesday. [She ventures a bit of a smile.]

Hey. I'm predisposed to like Johnny Storms. You can't screw that up too badly. [Definitely smiling now.]

It wasn't normal. Not this one.

[He's not sure why he feels a need to clarify that, but he doesn't really care. And then he's moving on and returning her smile. Although he's still a little too overwhelmed, hurt, and confused to get right back to flirting, he tries to match her amusement.]

I can do anything. Lucky for you, I'd rather try to get along.

Better lucky than tossing you out on your butt, I guess. [She is recovering her composure well.] How 'bout that drink? Rationing's kicked it, but I had a respectable bar collected before then.

[She gets up and makes for the cabinet in question.]

"Not normal" how?

[He leaves the first remark alone. While there are a million things he could say to it, the rest of her words are more interesting to him and, every once in awhile, Johnny respects the time for serious conversation.]

I could use one. Thanks.

[He smiles and then follows at a short distance, bringing him deeper into the apartment again. His eyes glance around as he walks, trying to learn more about this woman who knows some incarnation of him so well.]

There was this.. silver surfer. I know how that sounds, but he's not from our world. The General just brought in Victor to help us capture him, ignoring our protests. This guy's going around creating giant holes a mile wide and miles deep and, according to Reed, this isn't the first time he's done this. All the other planets he's gone to have ended up completely dead.

It's our first contact with alien life and a threat to the world which, before Reed's brilliant idea, was winning. I was locked in a bunker before I showed up here, with the team, because the General decided we couldn't be trusted while they're busy torturing Silver.

[The more he speaks about it, the more angry he gets. It's clear that all of it bothers him. Being pulled away from his team, not being trusted by the people who hired them, the world being in genuine danger.]

[Nita's a reasonably neat housekeeper, so nothing's dirty or overtly messy, but the apartment is dotted with the kind of unremarkable clutter that accumulates after living somewhere a while. No shoes kicked off by the door, however. Nita prefers not to wear them.]

Something kinda like rum and something kinda like Coke okay? [She's making one for herself as she listens to Johnny's story.]

Wait, Surfer? You captured him? Wasn't Galactus mad you had one of his Heralds? [Even assuming it's Surfer's pre-heroic days in that timeline, he isn't the one to worry about.]

Sure, as long as it has something like alcohol and doesn't taste much like it.

[Johnny leans against some doorway into some other room, roughly facing her and watching casually as she prepares the drinks. His eyes still occasionally glance around at her life, looking into those kinds of clues that can tell a little more about her. Then he tenses with her words and immediately stands upright again.]

Galactus? Who's he? Victor helped the General take us out right after we took out the Surfer. We didn't get a chance to talk to him.

[Nita gives Johnny his drink, frowning.]

Okay, so, where I'm from, there's a...being is the only word for it, I guess, called Galactus. He's existed since before our universe, and he...well, he eats planets. The Silver Surfer is one of his Heralds. [Johnny was one briefly! It went about as well as you'd expect.] The Heralds travel the universe looking for planets that have the right energy signature, and then they call Galactus.

Back before I ever came to the surface, Surfer targeted Earth, but the Fantastic Four drove Galactus off, which apparently doesn't happen very often. Surfer's been around on and off since then, and he's one of the good guys.

[Nita taps her fingers on her glass, thinking.] I'm pretty sure Doom went after him for the Power Cosmic in our universe, too.

[Johnny leans forward to accept it with a quiet 'thanks' as he listens to her speak. What she's saying about Heralds and the worlds makes complete sense with what Reed discovered and the things the Surfer said, but it's still strange to hear all about it from someone not even a part of his own world. Or from his future. Either way.]

I hope, if it is Galactus, that you're right about us driving it off. It doesn't exactly help that I'm here, even if they said time doesn't pass the same between the two. The team needs me.

[He lets out a frustrated noise before taking a long sip of his drink. Johnny doesn't do well being trapped.]

The Power Cosmic.. you mean the surfboard? Reed said it's the source of the Surfer's power.

Edited (lawl wrong button) 2013-04-16 21:41 (UTC)

[Considering Johnny's the one who went and got the Ultimate Nullifier that first time, yeah, he's kind of important to that fight.]

I don't think so? I mean, the board's a manifestation of it, but Galactus imbues all his Heralds with the Power Cosmic directly. I don't think Surfer needs the board.

[She shrugs.] He'd probably answer if you asked him. He doesn't really bother with lying, from what I've seen.

Huh. That's how we captured him, was disabling the surfboard with some kind of pulse. Sue was planning on doing the talking.

[He gives a one-shouldered shrug, because he never understands the real science of it, and then takes another sip of his drink. He pauses mid-sip and swallows quickly as another thought occurs.]

Did you know other Heralds?

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