A cry for help

[thespaceopera]

[a distress call has been tracked across the void, finally leading back to the source. a hulking crippled ship, teeming with hostile alien life, now lies before you.

what do you do? do you dive in or hang back? are you here to learn, play, build, or observe?

however you choose to proceed, your audience is out there somewhere, watching.]


ooc: here is a good ol' themed mingle to get you all started! and don't feel limited by the prompts and what they describe--they're just there as idea-starters, so feel free to go anywhere and do anything.

have fun!

info post→ here

Comments

[redactions]

[ He's been taught to be wary of much, in the future, but telepaths are still in the realm of science fiction. As such, Wanda encounters no defences on the mental plane. Bucky's mind is noiseless. It's a winter's day, in some deep and dark December. The snow is pristine, and undisturbed. The whole world seems to have come to a complete stop. Not even the wind whistles. ]

[ As she explores further, she'll find that's not completely true. Here and there it's melted through, or shatters under her feet. The first thing there is the War, the grime of it spread across the ground like living vines, in red, brown, and black. The smell of gun-smoke; the crackle of falling mortars. Someone screaming. A blond man with a red, white, and blue uniform, a silver star set in the centre of the shield he carries on his back, walking confidently at the head of a unit. The image of him flickers. Sometimes he's six feet two and charging towards the guns, and other times when he's still he's five feet and glaring fiercely back, fists clenched, lip bloodied. The two don't fit, in Bucky's mind, and shift in and out of each other in his memory. But they are unequivocally the same man, because when he turns to smile at Bucky, the chill around Wanda immediately dissipates. ]

[ Where the darker colours fade to neon, there's new scents, too many, overpowering. Voices. He's in a gym, where the colours are sepia and the leather smell of his jacket is strong in his nostrils, better than what's out there in the world. His left hand is metal, and he's pulling a sleeve on it that changes its appearance to normal flesh. A woman with red hair and a dark black SHIELD uniform is chewing bubblegum, watching him. You shouldn't, Natasha says, voice distant. It helps, he answers, and she looks away. 2013 is barely there. 1945 swims back into it. When Wanda reaches the very heart of the landscape, the wind picks up. The sound of a train, on full throttle. The world is now loud, screeching. Remember when you made me ride the Cyclone at Coney Island? Yeah, and I threw up? This isn't payback, is it? ]

[ Steve falls, and the world comes to a stop. It's not healed, only been packed with ice until it's covered completely, and crumbles away at Wanda's touch. Grief devours, and unkindly. His brother is gone — his whole heart and half of his very soul turn to ash in his mouth. There's no wind, only a howl of despair when he finds the blood at the bottom of the ravine, and no body. ]

[ It's 2012 and there's an empty grave at Arlington inscribed with the name Steven G. Rogers. The place smells like whiskey, and the sun is getting low, and nothing moves. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[It's too much. The visions, the sensations, the memories... this man's head... it was too much for her. Too much sorrow. Too much grief. The sight of those words, that name, inscribed upon the empty-grave marker. They are burned into Wanda's brain, as she pulls herself out of Bucky's head. Bucky. That was his name for this man. She shouldn't... no, she couldn't use it. James Barnes. The name of the man before him. The name of the man who carried so much sadness within him.]

[As Wanda opens her eyes, she's gasping. Crying. The anguish of feeling exactly what Sgt. Barnes' had felt. It was crashing over her, like a massive title wave. Yet, the magnitude of it all wasn't an unfamiliar pain to her. It was the feeling of losing someone... someone who means more to you than even yourself. The loss that leaves a gaping hole, the likes of which will likely never be truly filled ever again. Yes... Wanda has felt this before. Nonetheless, it doesn't stop the tears from falling down her face. Nor does it calm the storm of emotion playing out on her face.]

[She can't bring herself to speak. She doesn't know what to say. Instead, she just cries. She reaches out to him, grasping the sleeve of his uniform. The sleeve covering his cybernetic arm. She doesn't pull it, she doesn't push it. She just holds onto it... and the rain continues to fall.]

[redactions]

[ His vision swims, and was he thinking of — Steve? He was always thinking of Steve, except there was never red at the edges like this, and he shakes his head, pulling himself out of it, wondering why there's trouble breathing. Re-assess the surroundings. Bug ship. No hostiles. He was talking to this young lady. ]

Miss? Did you — [ feel that? Where did it come from? but he stops dead at the sight of her tears, and twists his arm out of her grip to rest his hand gently on hers. Soft: ] Hey, sweetheart, what's the matter? You all right?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

I-

[Wanda can barely bring her mouth to form words, or her throat to voice them. Nothing in her head sounds right. What can she say? What could she possibly say? The only thing that comes to mind is:]

I am sorry.

[She looks up at Sgt. Barnes. Her eyes staring straight into his own, trying to convey as much sincere empathy as she can offer. Tears continue to trickle down her cheeks.]

[redactions]

[ He tilts his head curiously, vision still reddish at the edges. Focus, Barnes. ]

Sorry for...?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda just shakes her head in response. She can't bring herself to say more. Her gaze drops away from Sgt. Barnes' face and down to the floor. Her crying has slowed, but her shoulders still shake a little from some errant sobbing.]

[redactions]

[ If she'll let him, he sits down on her left, and wraps an arm around her shoulders, content to be present until she's willing to talk. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda feels Sgt. Barnes' arm wrap around her. She startles at first, but she doesn't immediately pull away. Instead, she looks up at his face again. A pained expression still plastered upon her face. She looks away again, quickly enough. Brushing tears from her eyes, she attempts to calm her breathing down to a normal rhythm.]

[Once she feels she has control enough over herself again, she finally speaks. Her tone is quiet, unsure of the words that find their way out of her mouth.]

So... you are Captain America... That must have been a very hard burden for you to bear.

[She says it like she doesn't already know just how hard it was for him. However, it's the only thing she can think to say.]

[redactions]

[ His hand drops, and he gives her a curious look, not expecting that statement out of all others. ]

How did — oh, never mind. [ it's probably the uniform, even with the lack of shield ] Nah. S'mostly publicity these days.

[ A pause, then, ]

We're from the same world, huh?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[She cannot bring herself to look at him. She knows these next words... may likely hurt.]

No. We are not.

[A pause. Her mouth opens, closes. Attempting to form words.]

But I do know... a Captain America.

[redactions]

But —

[ He frowns. She knew the name. This is Natasha all over again. ]

[ Quietly, ] It's Steve, isn't it?

[ The better world, where Bucky's the dead one. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda turns even further away from him. She braces internally for the reaction that her response will likely bring.]

Yes.

[redactions]

[ There's a long, patently heavy silence, and then something angry and wild gets soothed away. Bucky closes his eyes, and he exhales, and he seems more assured, somehow, when he looks at Wanda again. It always should have been him on the train, and somewhere out there, it is. That's enough. ]

The Avengers, they exist? The Chitauri? We won, didn't we?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[The silence feels like it hangs so long and heavy that when Sgt. Barnes starts speaking, it almost makes Wanda jump from surprise. She turns back to look at him now, and she can see it in his eyes. His thoughts and feelings about the train. It almost causes a new wave of sadness, but Wanda controls herself this time. Instead, she merely nods her head and answers his questions.]

Yes, the Avengers do exist, and they are strong. Very strong. They were able to drive back the Chitauri's invasion of New York.

[She almost goes on to tell him about Ultron, but... that would mean revealing her own part in that story. And it's a part that she's not especially proud of. Least not all of it. There's a pause before she simply adds:]

They have done a great amount of good in a world that desperately needs it.

[redactions]

[ She is almost colossal to him, all that emotion in her eyes alone. Bucky's quiet for a moment. ]

That's good. Thank you for being honest with me.

[ It's entirely possible she isn't, but very unlikely. Instead he stands and shifts awkwardly. ]

I'm sorry Miss, I forgot my manners in all this. [ holding out his hand for her to shake ] James Barnes.

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda smiles weakly, and resists the urge to say "I know." Instead, she extends her own hand to shake his.]

Wanda Maximoff.

[redactions]

[ His grim is professional: firm and not crushing. ]

Call me Jim.

[ Bucky belongs to another man, of another time. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda's solemn demeanor cracks slightly as she lets out a small giggle. It's not Sgt. Barne's fault. It's just that the name "Jim," seems rather non-threatening for someone portrays such stalwart strength.]

Okay, Jim.

[redactions]

[ It softens her face and makes her sound much younger, and he smiles genially at her. ]

You promise to keep your weight off your leg, hey?

[ He's still a little worried about the weird red earlier, but it's dissipated now and he feels a lot calmer. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[The smile fades a little from her face as attention is drawn back to her injury, a reminder of her own weakness.]

Yes. I will be careful.

Are you going back in there?

[She gestures towards the corridor that leads further into the infested ship.]

[redactions]

At some point, probably. There's a lot of scavenging to be done and [ he gestures to where his augment is, under the skin ] they made me an engineer.

[ He thinks it's amusing. Always did like tinkering with things. ]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda looks Sgt. Barnes, or rather Jim, over, a bit of warmth creeping back into her smile.]

You do not look like an engineer, but then I know better than to judge someone by how they appear on the surface.

[Bit of a nudge, nudge wink, wink there.]

[redactions]

[ It's usually him doing the winking and nudging, and he smiles earnestly at her. ]

What did they give you?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

Tactical Support.

[The words she used to say with a sort of bemused curiosity now come out with a slight tang of bitterness. After all, what kind of support can she be here? Especially now with the injury to her leg.]

[redactions]

[ He can't immediately identify what's in the tone, and so, it prompts, ]

Not a lot of experience with it?