[video]

[highprofilerichkid]

[A dark-haired kid who seems to be in his late teens appears on screen. He smiles, but it looks a bit forced.]

Hey. Tony Stark. [He gives a small wave.] I just... got here, I guess, and got the rundown on the whole scary death chaos monster situation. And all the giant magic turtle stuff. Sounds like a good time. [He laughs awkwardly, and rubs the back of his neck.] Better than centipede monster void dimensions, at least, [he mutters. This is not the first time he’s been suddenly yanked into a different dimension, evidently.]

Anyway, uh, if anyone needs some tech stuff or heavy lifting done, hit me up. I haven’t had a chance to take a close look at the tech here yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. [He seems to brighten a little at the prospect of new alien technology to play with.

He looks like he’s about to cut the feed, but then he hesitates. There’s a couple seconds of anxious silence, and he fidgets, his cheerful demeanor faltering even more.] And, um, just out of curiosity... When they send us back home, there’s... There is something to go back to, isn’t there? [He laughs, but it’s nervous, like he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.] Nobody would really give me a straight answer, but... They’re not going to send us back if we’re just about to... Well, you know, get blown up or something. Right? I mean, that would be pretty messed up.

Comments

[video] OMG THE SHOCK *keels over*

[agentx13]

[ A corner of her lips rise into something resembling a smile. ]

Don't worry. You'll be fine. The other Tonys might have been assholes from time to time [ or all the time, but she didn't need to say that ], but they were heroes.

[ She's quiet for a moment. She still misses the idiots, damn it. ]

So... Did you have a Pepper in your universe? A Rhodey?

Re: [video]

[highprofilerichkid]

Better than nothing, I guess, [he mutters grudgingly. That does make him feel a tiny bit better, actually. At least his older selves still managed to help people, even when their own personal lives were a mess.]

Oh! Pepper and Rhodey, yeah! They're my best friends.

[video]

[agentx13]

[ Sharon manages a smile. ]

My Tony had them both, too. So did another Tony. Seems you guys are a package deal in every universe.

I've worked with Rhodey before. He's a good guy. Is he still in the Air Force in your universe? Or going into the Air Force?

Re: [video]

[highprofilerichkid]

Hey, go Team Iron Man, [Tony says, pleased to hear that his friends are a constant across the multiverse.]

Rhodey's the best there is, [he agrees with a smile.] He did say he was thinking about it, actually. His dad's in the Navy, so I guess it makes sense.

Man. I wonder what else is the same in your universe... I heard some other version of Justin Hammer was here a while ago -- and he was nice. [Tony makes a face. A universe where Justin is nice? That's harder to believe than this crazy universe.] Was he yours?

[video]

[agentx13]

Yeah, no. He's not nice where I'm from. He actually took over SHIELD, created his own Avengers team, and helped hunt down a bunch of my friends. The man is a menace.

Was he mean in your universe? What about Steve? Captain America? Did you have him in yours?

Re: [video]

[highprofilerichkid]

Ah, good old Justin. That sounds much more like the man I know and don't love. Guess the other one was just a fluke.

We've got Captain America, but he's still Captain Popsicle in my universe. SHIELD hasn't figured out how to unfreeze him yet.

[video]

[agentx13]

[ Sharon shudders. When she was young, Steve hadn't been found yet, but ever since he'd been found... she can't imagine a world without him. ]

You know, I knew him where I'm from. I was his SHIELD liaison. [ And she doesn't want to talk about it, but she'd also been his fiance. So hearing him referred to as "Captain Popsicle" isn't her favorite thing. ]

So SHIELD has found him, but he's still frozen?

Re: [video] what a tactless moron he is, hahaha

[highprofilerichkid]

Wow, really? That's kind of awesome. What's it like? Being Captain America's handler is a pretty big deal, isn't it?

[He considers the information for a moment longer, and then mutters to himself:] I didn't have a SHIELD liaison. [Probably because you're a punk-ass teenage vigilante who spends as much time ticking off SHIELD as working with them, Tony.]

Yeah, they've got him, but he's still frozen. He's definitely alive, in suspended animation I guess, they're just not sure how to revive him. I saw him once, actually. It's... a little bit freaky. [Like that iceman mummy from the alps, but... less dead.]

there was no way he could have known

[agentx13]

It was pretty interesting, yeah. All sorts of global threats, never know what you're going to get into. I've traveled to other dimensions before, gone to the future, been believed dead for five years - long enough to be declared legally dead. So yeah, it's awesome.

And don't worry about not getting a SHIELD liaison. Where I'm from, a version of you actually took over SHIELD for a while. [ It was the main reason Hammer had wanted to take over as badly as he had. ]

They can't just... thaw him out? [ God. Poor Steve. ]

he's also a self-centered teenager with questionable social skills

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony blinks slowly. Was that sarcastic, or is she serious?] Okay, you have a slightly scary definition of awesome. [He thinks about that for a second. Why does this conversation sound familiar? Oh, right.] Though, actually, Pepper thinks laser grenades and SHIELD interrogations and hacking secure government servers and getting kidnapped by gangs are awesome, so... [Pepper has the scariest definition of awesome.]

Took over SHIELD? As in, director of SHIELD? Now I know you're messing with me. [He laughs. There's no way that's not a joke. Him, Tony Stark, SHIELD director? Yeah, right. Don't worry, Tony, you looked amazing in that tight black SHIELD uniform.

He looks curious at her suggestion about Captain America.] You tell me. SHIELD in my universe was worried they wouldn't be able to keep him alive through the thawing and revival process. Was it that easy in your universe? You just let him melt and he woke right back up? [He wisely refrains from making a joke about instant microwave dinners.]