driftfleet | video broadcast

Who: The Vision
Broadcast: Fleetwide, open
Action: The abandoned bug ship
When: 6/27 late in the day

[The video opens up to show what sure is a red-skinned guy in a skin-tight blue suit with a bright yellow jewel on his forehead. Someone isn't going for subtlety with his look. When he speaks, it's with a cultured voice and a light British accent.]

Good evening. For those of you I have not yet met, my name is the Vision and yes, this is my normal appearance. I am an engineer aboard the SS Windrose. Like many of you I have been exploring the derelict ship and I believe it is possible to cleanse it of the fungal infection using a process known as vacuum sterilization. Essentially this means moving the air to one half the ship and opening airlocks on the other half, allowing anything not securely bolted to be swept into space - including infectious spores. We would then close the doors, filter the air, move it to the disinfected side and repeat the process. Once it is clean, we may investigate further without fear of infection to ourselves and determine if the ship is capable of being used by us, either for our own purposes or to return to its original owners.

[His expression softens to one of sorrow.] However, in order to be fully confident this cleansing would be effective, it would be necessary to release the infected bodies of the fallen life-forms into space as well. They were once fully sapient individuals, before the infection took hold, and such an action should not be undertaken lightly. Is this a course of action the Fleet would support? If there are any of you who are conversant in such things, would you consider holding a funeral or memorial ceremony for those who have been our enemies?

I welcome your input. Thank you for listening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'll look for that as we go through it. There's a lot in the inner ship that hasn't been cleared out yet. Any luck with the encryption?

The surface encryption is light, more of a translation problem than anything else; those data were meant to be used every day, I think. I have not begun on the deeper encryptions yet as there have been other concerns.

That we have. Have you got an accurate count of the bodies?

No, an estimation only. Some of the attacks have been rather destructive.

It happens. [ Quiet, mournful. But war's war, and there's little to be done. ] I'll help you if you're working on the encryption; I've got an engineering augment.

I would appreciate it very much. Data recovery and systems restoration are going to be two intensive tasks, I fear.

I'll be over as soon as possible, then.

James Barnes. Nice to meet you.

[The name doesn't actually trigger recognition aside from a note that it's coincidental, because according to what he's heard the James Barnes he might some day encounter goes by Bucky.]

I'm glad to meet you, James. I hope we can work together to find a solution.

Call me Jim.

[ Bucky belongs to another lifetime. ]

I'll be over in about fifteen minutes, if that's all right?

Jim, then. Yes, that should be fine. I'll meet you in the docking area.

[There's a general entrance everybody has been using to get on the alien ship and it's very clear of the bugs at this point. There are still plenty left in other holds, but the infection that drives them knows well enough by now that coming here is a death warrant.

As for the Vision himself, he's quite a sight in person even if one's expecting the odd coloration and general appearance from the video transmission--though, at least for the moment, he isn't floating. He's keeping an eye out for the new arrival.]

[ Bucky dresses in the ship's jumpsuit, plain charcoal, and leaves the flesh-coloured sleeve on so his left hand looks normal instead of metal. he rarely ever goes anywhere without it and he hasn't seen any reason to change that habit here. He waves cheerfully to Vision when he catches sight of him. ]

[And the Vision inclines his head in greeting as well. There's no flicker of recognition in his expression, as he's already learned well enough about timelines and their variations. Besides, the James Barnes from Jarvis's files didn't go by Jim....]

Good afternoon. There's a great deal of work to be done here, and I appreciate your assistance.

[ Just. Give him a moment. His expression is a mixture of curiosity and pure, boyish wonder, before he tries to quickly school it into something more polite. ]

No problem pal. I'm new at this technology, but a quick study. [ yeah he's not very successful keeping his excitement hidden ] Ah — do you just... go by "the Vision" or..? What're your folks like?

[Boyish wonder is flattering, really, and the Vision can't help but smile at Jim in return.]

Yes, that is my preferred method of address. "Vision" by itself will suffice, if you find it awkward.

[He tilts his head to one side, considering how to phrase the next bit.]

I was created, rather than born, by several scientists and artificial intelligence programs. I suppose you could call my "folks" the Avengers, if you are familiar with that name.

[ This is like a dream come true, one of the real wonders of the future, and for two seconds he almost turns to his right to excitedly tell Steve — only to remember he's not there anymore. The process by now is so ingrained his expression doesn't even flicker. Instead, he blinks. Hold the phone. The Avengers? ]

I am. Do you know Tony Stark?

[ Who else would've had a hand in this? ]

[Something in his posture seems to relax perceptibly at that. Mr. Stark's both the most famous and the most infamous of the group, so he's the most likely to be known.]

Yes, he was one of my creators--though I assure you he wasn't the only influence. He and Dr. Banner, along with two AI Ultron and JARVIS, all worked on my creation.

[...to simplify a bit.]

[ Bucky laughs at that. He almost wishes Tony was, imagining the smug look on his face when he says he built something like the Vision. This Ultron fella though — ]

Do you know a Miss Wanda Maximoff?

She is a good friend and a teammate. Her heart is in the right place.

[Yeah, no Ultron's a crazy person. As much as the Vision respects his creators, there was a line. Ultron crossed that line, and then he was no more.]

[ Good that someone has that opinion of Wanda. It might just convince her it's true. ]

And Steve? [ a beat, as he realises the familiar address ] Captain Rogers?

[ He's learnt there's other universes out there, and Vision didn't recognise him. So it's Steve who lived, or someone else entirely. ]

[Familiar address, indeed. Well, that does confirm that one James Barnes may be related to another James Barnes, doesn't it? His expression doesn't outwardly change, though.]

Captain Rogers is our leader.

[ He almost sags with relief. He'd been so ready to hear — something else. Just as terrible as he's dead. Bucky takes a soft breath. ]

He's a dear friend. Any teammate of his is good people by me. It's nice to meet you proper, Vision.

I do consider him 'good people', and I'd treat his friends likewise. I'm glad to meet you as well.

[ he claps his hands. ]

Right. Now we're sorted, just put me where you need me.

[The Vision nods and sends Jim the map he's made of the ship so far over the communicators. One section is highlighted in yellow, another in red.]

The red represents the largest concentration of the alien life-forms. The yellow are unsecured areas which still need to be analyzed for information and secured against incursion. Please head toward whichever you prefer.

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