tushanshu | Video;

[ The video begins with a dark-haired man centered in the middle of the frame. He’s got dark eyes, a precisely cut goatee, and hair that’s a little too styled to be naturally that neat. There isn’t a lot to see beyond his chin, he’s sitting too close to the camera, but what can be seen looks vaguely like a shirt of shiny red metal.

His brow knits almost immediately after the feed starts recording, his expression edging toward disbelief as his lips twist into a mild frown. ]

Look. I get it. In a time of crisis, rationing’s necessary to keep resources moving in the right direction. Perfectly understandable. You guys needed to save your turtle. What responsible citizen wouldn’t do their part for that noble cause?

[ There’s a slight hint f sarcasm creeping into his voice, as though he’s heard the whole turtle spiel already and not only hasn’t been impressed, but also doesn’t really buy it either. Not even after having spent half a day scouring the network for information about what’s really going on here before making this video. ]

But really? Twenty bucks?

[ The low, indistinct murmur of another voice can be heard, though what it’s saying and who it belongs to is anyone’s guess. Whatever it says, it’s enough to make the man roll his eyes. ]

Juulan. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. The point — [ Whether he’s talking to the camera or the unidentified voice is unclear. ] — is that it isn’t enough for a day, let alone the entire bogus adventure.

[ It isn’t so much the way he looks at the camera – his eyes have never left it – but the change of his tone, less querulous and more curious, that indicates that he’s talking to whoever’s on the other end of the console. ]

So really. Turtle propaganda aside. What’s a guy gotta do to get some decent money around here? Sell his organs? Hit the street corners? Scrub barnacles off the bottom of the turtle? What?

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[ He shrugs, brushing the question aside. ]

The same stuff. I just told you. You hear it enough, it starts going in one ear and the out the other. Shame shit different day. Different planet.

[This time Pepper gave him a flat look and frowned.]

What aren't you telling me Tony?

Every nitpicky detail. You want to hear about tribbles? Me and a guy talked about tribbles. Couple people gave me ideas for jobs. We talked about the feasibly of barnacle removal from the turtle. None of this is relevant or important and I don't see the point in parroting it back.

[She closes her eyes. She knows he's hiding something, shutting her out again and it hurts. It almost hurts worse then it did when he was dying, almost. ]

Fine. You know that we've been brought here to fight a, well, a thing that they can't seem to kill. A few months back some people went exploring under the turtle's shell. They managed to salvage a few things before destroying the lab. What they found however seems to indicate that we're clones of ourselves.

[She frowned, pursing her lips tight. Honestly, she was trying to break this to Tony gently. She'd been very blunt about it with Mr Stark because the news had been still new, but she was trying to do better this time. Especially since Tony was already shutting her out and shutting her down.

[ Hearing her mention the clones, it makes him wonder how common the knowledge of the discovery actually is. At first he'd thought everyone knew. Then he started to wonder if maybe it was partially a secret. Maybe it doesn't really matter. ]

Wouldn't really make us ourselves then, would it? I've seen enough science-fiction movies to know that.

[ He says it with a blase tone, indicative of either being totally unconcerned by the possibility or already aware of it. ]

And the prevailing opinion on it is what? Yea or nay?

[She's not sure which it is, but she gets the feeling it's the second one. He's been too who he isn't, and for him to not have a violent reaction is weird.]

I don't know what popular opinion is, but I don't think it's been discussed in length. Personally I'm taking my cues from the world and culture. It's strongly based in Ancient Chinese mysticism. I think that what they drag here is the soul and house it in a clone body.

[She's never said it out loud before; no one's ever asked her opinion on the subject. saying it now to Tony she knows it probably sounds stupid. He's science, facts and reason. Pepper is emotion and empathy and existentialism. it's a miracle that they go together like they do (probably because they both have a strange way of moving planes to the other's when it's needed). It's what she really believes though, and she feels that the culture and political structure support it.

She'll know more once the book is translated. Concrete proof that they are or aren't who they think they are. At least she hopes.]

[ Minus that soul malarkey - Tony prefers the more scientific term the mind - that's the simplified version of almost exactly what he postulated to Bruce. It's somewhat gratifying to learn that he isn't the only one who thinks that. ]

It's possible. Considering that this is another plane of existence, a case could be made that they needed to create bodies to house the minds they were pulling from the world our memories tell us is real.

[ That's what he hopes happens. It would mean that he really is who his mind tells him he is. But when does he ever get what he wants? ]

And if they're pulling from every dimension there is, it would explain the variations in the people we recognize and think we know.

[She nods. It's something that, since Tony's 'death' she's thought about a lot.]

If it's not entirely mastered it would also explain the random disappearances and loss of memory.

Maybe it's what's happening. Maybe it's not. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket here.

[ And risk having his hopes crushed when he's wrong. ]

[She glances down, mouth twitching down slightly in a frown.]

It's better then thinking we're superfluous.

[She'd thought about that concept too. About them being only here to fight their war and then die for nothing.]

When I talked to the general he said that we had something that they didn't. That was the reason they were kidnapping us. If we were just clones with implanted memories then we wouldn't have what they need.

I'm not giving up Tony, I'm still looking for the answers.

[She just doesn't have the scientific know how that others do. She needs to speculate and work with the people she can.]

I don't expect that you would.

[ Unraveling the mysteries of the place seems like as good of an idea as anything else. If he is nothing more than a meat-suit for someone else's memories, he needs to know. And if he's not, well, he needs to know that too. ]

Don't expect anyone else is either. Seems like the kind of mystery that folks would want to clear up.

Time will tell, right? Let's hope it tells us something good.

Hopefully we'll have soothing concrete soon.

[Just like that the matter is closed. It's time to move on to other business.]

I'll talk with the local tailor about making you a few more suits. Do you have any particular colors you'd like?

[And of course she'll bring over a few bottles of the wine she bought. Pepper doesn't mean to fall into problem solving work mode, it's just her natural state, especially when she's not really able to be a happy that he's here girlfriend. So instead she handles everything around him.]

And Bruce isn't the only one from our world. Natalie is here and roughly from the same time ... I think. Mr Rodgers as well. Also Mr Barns and Agent Carter, I don't think you've met them.

[At least he never told her if he had.]

I'd rather have jeans and t-shirts. Not a whole lot of big business on a turtle, is there?

[ And even if there is, he's out of the business. The suit fits better when it's not put on over jackets and ties and wingtips. At least, it's a better mental fit.

Listening to her rattle off the list of familiar names, his eyes narrow for just an instant. But it passes as soon as it happens and he doesn't draw attention to it. ]

I haven't spoken with anyone but Bruce. And you, obviously.

Alright, we'll do that then.

[When he mentions that he hasn't seen the others she doesn't really look surprised.]

They all seem to keep to themselves mostly. I don't think I've really seen any of them since they arrived.

[ He doesn't know Steve well enough to make a judgment call about that one, so he doesn't even try. ]

Anything else you think I ought to know?

[And so Pepper tell him all things turtle that Tony Stark would need to know.]

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