tushanshu | o6 ♆ video

[Contary to his usual public presence on the network, Percy is look drained and tired, like he hasn't been sleeping well. He only adds to this impression with the way he drags a hand down his face before clearing his throat and speaking. Those who have seen him post before might recognise that he's in his suite in the Water Sector rather than the one he shares with Annabeth.]

Uh. Hi guys, long time no post, and all. I was just wondering if - has anyone seen Hazel Levesque, or Nico di Angelo? [A brief pause] Or Luke Castellan, I guess. I'm pretty sure they're gone, but - I thought I'd check.

[A sigh] It would be a lot easier if we knew for sure what happened to people when they disappeared, you know?

[encrypted 100% to castmates]
Hey. Can you guys all check in? I just want to make sure that everyone I think is still around is...actually still around, and okay. And if you need help with anything for whatever reason, just let the group know. We should - we need to stick together.

Thanks.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Pepper really DOES sound unhappy to have to tell Percy this news. In fact, why the hell didn't someone tell him this before?]

I'm sorry Percy, but it's complicated.

[There's another pause.]

They die. The body and the memories from here die; at least that's what many of us think. It's why we're doing what we are, to find out for sure.

[His jaw clenches slightly, and there's a long moment of silence from him. He is, in fact, extremely angry, although not at Pepper. When he does speak, his tone is lower than normal, harsh]

Do you have proof? And if that's what you think happens, how come Zatanna thinks that we just get to return home, and says that other people do too?

[Give her a moment.]

Public belief is that we go home when we disappear, but there's a lot that contradicts that. That ... [She hesitates, knowing that the network may very well be monitored. She's the head of Stark Industries after all, she knows every cyber action leaves a trace.]

It gets complicated from here. Are you available to meet?

[He narrows his eyes at her] Why would we need to meet? This isn't information that shouldn't be shared over the network, it's information that everyone should know. We deserve to know that our friends are dying when they gone, and not just sit here with a smile thinking, oh, they're in a better place now.

[Percy's on a bit of a short fuse lately :'|]

[She's actually used to that. It's better being yelled at then shut out, but that's a matter about another person. Deep down she wonders if this is what Tony was like as a kid.]

You're right Percy, they do have a right to know what's really happening. There's a difference between telling people the truth and causing panic though. I'm telling you from my experience, and some of that can't be put on the network.

Yeah, there's a big difference, because it turns out that telling the truth doesn't actually make people go crazy. You know what happened when I told people we might be clones? People were fine. There weren't any - any riots in the streets or anything, they accepted the information and chose if they were going to believe it or not, and they moved on.

We're all in this together, that means we need to all be in on this together.

Percy.

[She's trying very hard to remind herself that this is a young boy. Someone who thinks the best of people and situations, not someone who has seen what paranoia can do to a person.

Actually, she's starting to wish she hadn't said anything at all.]

You're right, most people didn't panic. Most. Rioting in the streets isn't the only way to panic Percy.

That being said, we know we're clones. It was confirmed with the findings in that facility they destroyed. It's a fact that we have to accept.

[She just wishes certain people would have let her break the news to certain individuals. Even now she thinks it would have gone much better.]

We still don't know the facts about what happens when people disappear. [She pauses, tightening her lips together and forming a tight line. It's not hard to tell that this is hard to talk about.] Some people still believe that we do go back to our worlds when we disappear. I believe that too; but the body we're in that's here, the memories of being here, I don't think they make the trip back. It's what I believe, but that doesn't mean I'm right.

Edited 2013-08-16 07:19 (UTC)

[She says his name like that and something in Percy's jaw clenches. He's lost count of the times people have spoken to him like that, the tone that says they think he's being unreasonable, irrational]

No, you know we're clones. [He knows it too, and he's mad that Vanessa isn't sharing that information as well] If everyone else knew we were clones, why would they think that we get to go home when we disappear here? You're lying to everyone, even if it's just a lie of - of-- [omission is the word he's looking for, but he's mad enough that it's just not coming.

He swallows, turning away. His shoulders are help tense, unhappy] Hold on.

[And then he's gone. The feed remains open, and the sound of a whispered conversation can be heard. When he comes back, he has Annabeth by the hand; he offers her the chair and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'you do it'. He can recognise when he's not equipped to handle a conversation, at least]

[He didn't need to explain too much; she started trying to listen the moment she could hear the anger growing in Percy's voice. So when he comes over and explains and asks, she easily agrees to take over.]

[Not that she's entirely sure if she'll fair too much better.]

[Annabeth sits down awkwardly in the chair, offering Pepper a somewhat apologetic look - not for how Percy acted so much as the sudden shift and her sudden presence.]

Hi. Uh. Percy's right - whatever findings people made out of the facility, tests on DNA, etc - none of that's public knowledge either. And even then, it's word of mouth.

We don't have the right to decide who gets to know what. That's bordering on the Emperor's territory. [It's edging on hypocritical on her end, too, given her own secrets, but personal safety came into play there.] Information is precious enough in this place. Keeping things from people only fosters paranoia among us as foreigners. People might panic over it - over knowing, but knowing is always better than being kept in the dark. You learn to accept instead of living in ignorance.

Everyone's lost someone in this place, been left to wonder where their friends or family have gone. The uncertainty can hurt as much if not more than having proof.

[Actually Pepper understands all too well the 'you do it' type situation, so she's not really bothered by Annabeth being there all of a sudden.]

I think you're both assuming that I know a lot more then I actually do. What I told Percy is something that I only recently started to realize. [When she'd lost Tony.] I found out about us being clones the same way that everyone else did.

Hopefully soon we'll know what's really going on around here, and we will share it, but right now I can't give you anything more then I have. That's pieced together from what we've been told, all of us. If it would make Percy feel more confident that I'm not hiding anything I can show him my notes.

[Yes, Pepper has notebooks full of notes and speculations on this place.]

[Percy's still in the background, just letting Annabeth field most of the talky stuff.] Then why tell me? Why do I get to know your theory that my friends are dead when you won't tell anyone else?

[A beat.] Yeah, I want to see the notes. [Actually, he wants Annabeth to see the notes, but he has no idea if Pepper would make that same offer to his girlfriend.]

Edited 2013-08-22 00:32 (UTC)

It was the implication, I think, that you knew a lot more, hence your expressed interest in speaking more about it in person.

[But she just leaves everything else Percy says to stand alone.]

Edited 2013-08-22 03:47 (UTC)

o6 ♆ video

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