001 - video

[neverdanced]

[He needs to stop thinking that he's incapable of being surprised. By the end of the Battle of New York, Steve thought he had seen it all. Insane technology, other worlds, aliens... What else could there possibly be?

The answer, of course, is a giant turtle in a realm outside the continuity of time. He had a long chat about nearly everything with the locals that helped him earlier, but it's still crazy, and he probably wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen some of the turtle shell himself.

Yet here he is. It'll probably all sink in over time; Steve's been overloaded with so much information over the past few hours and it's exhausting, even for him.

Getting on the computer hadn't been his top priority, but he's already gone outside of his new home and back. Steve's experienced enough culture shock for today. He might as well at least reach out and introduce himself to all of the other people who wound up here like him.

Once he's got the computer up and running, he accesses the network using the video function. He looks a little stiff and probably as exhausted as he feels, but that's the least of his concerns right now.]

Hello. My name's Steve Rogers. The kedin- kedan? - brought me up to speed already, but I only just arrived here a few hours ago.

[Maybe longer than that. He hasn't exactly been keeping track of time. In any case, it's really jarring to be talking to a computer screen and not actually know who's on the other end.]

I have a couple questions that I'd like to have verified. [It doesn't necessarily mean he'll believe whatever he's told, but second opinions are typically useful.] We're all more or less stuck on this turtle, right? But there's a way back.

[That's a question as well, but it ends up sounding more like a statement. It sounds like a reasonable assumption. There obviously isn't a rush since no time is passing back home; he just wants to know.]

The other question I have is about jobs. Since it looks like I'll be here awhile, I'll start looking soon. Does anyone know which places are hiring offhand?

[He pauses for a moment before adding a 'thank you.']

Comments

cw: narrative including blood/gore

[trainwrecked]

[ It'll come to him, Bucky's sure. He nods, at Steve's words, though his mouth is a little twisted at 'don't stand a chance.' It's really, really complicated, and also, stupid magic, Steve! But so far, so good. It's still a chance, an opportunity that he didn't have, otherwise. Wouldn't have. Whatever. And he'll take it. ]

[ As to the last question, Bucky hesitates for a moment, which should be answer enough. ]

It kinda goes with the 'clones' part of things, I think. But, you know. When people disappear from here, they - we - ain't just going back home, obviously. Or there'd be two, or three, or more of us.

[ That part, he thinks Steve'd have reached on his own, once the initial shock and overwhelming data all wore off. The next... ]

The only information we've got about what happens to the bodies? Not pretty. A while back... [ He squeezes his eyes for a moment, then forces himself to go on. ] A while back, something happened, and the shell here in the city sort of. Opened up, leading down to deeper - older - sewers. We - the foreigners - were warned to stay out of those, but you and I both know that some people just took that as an invitation, yeah?

She found Barton, and somebody else who'd been here since the beginning. Shifu was... she said, not himself. Didn't really remember much.

[ Deep breath. ]

Barton was cut up. Dissected.

The Commander... now Emperor, you talked with him about it, and he said that wasn't their doing. I mean, the Emperor's command or whatever. But it was still there.

[neverdanced]

[Steve listens to all of this in uneasy silence. The hesitation was enough for him to know more bad news was coming, but it still hits him just as hard, as if he had no warning.

But really, what could prepare him for this? There's a difference in seeing terrible things in combat and this. This sounds like torture, experimentation, perhaps. It makes Steve's stomach churn and he's not sure whether he wants to drink more to drown it all out or not.]

No one should have to go like that.

[Doesn't matter if it was postmortem or not, Steve means it just the same.]

Think they were lying?

[He already has a distrust for the Emperor, and this certainly doesn't help things. Whether they did it or not, someone did. It's disgusting, and it takes so much restraint to keep his anger in check.]

[trainwrecked]

[ Bucky's eyes flash to Steve, then he looks back down, swallowing heavily. He's trying very hard not to think of the fact that there may be two of his friend, down there. And Rikki. And Natasha. And Farvielle, and Inara, and so, so many more. It takes him a moment to find words again, and, even so, he starts with shaking his head. ]

I dunno, Steve. I mean, they kidnap people to fight their war. On the other hand... they are desperate, I saw what it was like when the turtle was sick. It's... this world'd die, if what they're fightin' wins. When I asked Evandau whether it wouldn't be better if we were to, I dunno. Prepare for whatever battles are to come, he just said to wait, and then help when we're needed. Who the hell does things that way?

[ It's months and months of pent up... everything, that are slowly cracking him around the edges. Bucky stares down at his glass, and then tosses it down all at once, before his thoughts derail into 'we can't win this one, Steve.' Thoughts. Words. Whatever. ]

[neverdanced]

[Glancing over, Steve watches Bucky finish his drink. Steve doesn't say anything, not about how Bucky seems right now. He knows his best friend well enough to not have to. Instead, he reaches over to refill Bucky's cup.

Drinks his own. Refills. Sighs.]

It's not the way I'd approach it, and I don't think any military strategist back home would either. [It's all about contingency plans, supplies, munitions, manoeuvring thousands of men to meet up with other men. It was bloody and cruel, and... not quite like this.

This isn't even like winter of '39, when troops just hung out at the demarcation lines waiting for something to happen, since here, no one's even at arms.]

Since this isn't... our world, I guess we can't expect them to do things the way that would make sense to us. Maybe there isn't another option for them but to wait? We're on a turtle... [He's making sense to himself, even if he's starting to ramble a bit.] How does this thing attack? Where does it live? Hide? It's more efficient to defend than to pursue, but are the Kedan even prepared? This city doesn't look like it.

[trainwrecked]

[ It's been a long few months, without somebody who could look at him and just. See. And know. A long few months in which he's been trying, just a little bit, sometimes, to do what Steve'd be doing. Keeping the hope up for people. But the black hole inside, the one that only seems less hungry when that unstoppable blond kid that a harder punch might break happens to be around? Yeah, that's been eating him on the inside, especially when he had no real expectation to see Steve again. ]

[ And, yet, here he is. Bucky takes a deep breath, and gives a twisted smile over to his friend. ]

It's weird. The turtle... he's alive. And he's the last one, the thing we're pitted up against - did I mention that mentioning its name is likely to summon and/or strengthen it? One of the people brought here, I think hes name was Khan, mocked that - a few hours later, the thing actually gave a message on the consoles, kinda thinking him. And maybe a few others, I dunno.

Anyway. That thing killed all the others. The mainlands - those were turtle all clustered together. Now they're wastes. In - uh, on one of them, there was a mausoleum, with all the dead people in it. And no... no living people. Just ruins of cities. They weren't shot, or cut down, or anything like that. Just... dead. And their places getting worn down by heat and sand and desert.

[ He turns his hands out, then winces. ]

Oh, yeah, and about that. If you go too far away from this turtle, you... probably'll get feelin' all the sickness again. Asthma, high blood pressure, the whole slew. That's... what happens if the turtle's sick, too. The thing managed to get some sort of ritual going that was killing it. Water and plants and animals suffered, first. Then, anything that wasn't basically bein' alive, plain human weakened, and was gone.

So the... the thing is, the turtle, who's the target of this all? It has power to uphold life. And it's basically as close to a defense as we get, with the Emperor... the previous Emperor's magic. Helping. So, people being happy or content or not badly off? It helps the turtle. I know it all sounds pretty mystic and strange, but. [ He spreads his arms. ] That's what I know. That I've seen signs of, or heard about.

[neverdanced]

[Steve's thinking about this a little too much, to the point that he lapses into silence. It's a lot to consider, though at the same time it limits his options tremendously. Not that he had many to begin with; he would give his all to protect the civilians here.

This is just so much more serious than what he thought, which makes it... well, extremely serious. It's bad enough to essentially be stranded somewhere beyond his universe (though Bucky being here makes it worth it), but to know that life here is so fragile... it's worrisome, and that's not even a strong enough word to describe it.

He nods along, nursing his drink. Steve's aware of just how hard this alcohol is hitting. He'd feel it full-force next time he stands, but it says a lot that he's actually feeling it now. Whatever this stuff is, it's a shame Steve didn't have it any other time he got depressed and turned to alcohol.]

I guess it doesn't hurt letting people live normal lives, then.

[This conversation. He rubs at his face.]

If that's all, d'you mind if we talk about something else?

[trainwrecked]

[ While Bucky, on the other hand, is definitely into the, ah, energetic phase of getting drunk. But the request makes him look up at Steve, sharply, and then he nods. ]

'course I don't mind.

[ This is. Far from all, of course. But he knows it's been way too much already, so, instead of pointing it out, he shifts a little, turning more towards Steve, leaning his chin on a hand, elbow against the back of his seat. ]

Got any good stories for me?

[neverdanced]

Maybe. I don't know if you've heard this yet, but...

[And then he starts rambling about the first thing that comes to mind, which happens to be about the some of the good things he's found out from his adventures in culture shock in the twentieth century.]