video | first memo

[handing]

Who: Pepper Potts-Stark and Anyone
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Totally Open to anyone on the First Breath
When: Now

[Among those new crew members is one displaced CEO, although this isn’t exactly Pepper’s first time waking up somewhere unfamiliar. No, the sad truth is that her first though on opening her eyes was that the Malnosso had gone back to their old tricks, that some new experiment or war required their presence. Her first shock doesn’t come until she sits up and reflexively tries to stretch her wings—

Only to discover they aren’t there.

A look over her shoulder confirms it, and only then does she begin to worry. Being in Luceti had so often been a hardship, but at least there Pepper had some idea of what to expect. To discover she’d been taken again, seemingly by some different force and potentially to a different universe all together, doesn’t exactly inspire warm feelings.

She doesn’t have long to mull it over though; so soon after she wakes Pepper is being ushered to some other place—some other ship as it turns out, and with no real explanation she finds herself exploring an entirely new space, looking for both answers and familiar faces, one in particular. Rather than that comfort, however, her tour that brings with it some unexpected (and unwanted) surprises—particularly when she comes to the communications panel on the bridge.

Although the problem isn’t that she’s unfamiliar or confused by the numerous controls, as one might expect. As she looks over each switch and screen, Pepper immediately knows their purpose, blanks in her mind filled in before they’ve even properly formed. A stray thought questions if this might be how Tony’s mind clicks on when he looks at some new piece of tech, which isn’t exactly comforting.

Still, if she can broadcast, then maybe she can find those answers she’s looking for, not to mention the people. If not Tony himself, then someone else from either Luceti or her world or both. If this place is anything like the one she’d come from, then those connections would be vital to enduring whatever they were put through.]

Hello, everyone. I’m not sure if this is how it’s typically done, but my name is Pepper Potts-Stark. I’ve just arrived here, and was hoping someone could provide an explanation as to what’s going on? [A pre-written guide would be nice, but Pepper’s not counting on her luck being that good.]

Also, is there a way to tell who else has been brought here? Or to contact someone directly. [There’s a number of people Pepper certainly wouldn’t mind having around, especially depending on just how much this set of ships has in common with Luceti.] Thank you for your time and your help.

[Short, simple, and out.]

Comments

Re: voice;

[handing]

[Bucky isn’t the first one she’s spoken to not to remember Luceti, but hearing that voice address her as someone unknown hurts more than most. That name he’s so startled by? Yeah, the Bucky she’d known played a hand in making it possible by helping plant the idea in Tony’s head in the first place. He’d been a dear friend, someone who helped her in her worst hour, and to have him suddenly not know her makes her ache a little.

But Pepper’s well-versed in how this works, and she knows there’s no helping it. They’d been friends before; no reason it can’t happen again, and she smiles as she replies.]

Pepper. [Ma’am is far too formal coming from him. As for the rest, she nods, that oh-so-convenient implant supplementing Bucky’s words and telling her exactly where she might find that ID number and how to put it into play.]

But if you have someone’s ID number, you can talk to them directly. So it’s just a matter of figuring out who goes with what ID.

PEPPER ;_;

[redactions]

[ By now he's well-practiced in starting afresh with someone who should be familiar, having done it with Nat and Tony. The Pepper of his world is one of the few people who doesn't treat him like glass or some interesting, endangered species of animal. ]

Pleasure t'meet you, Pepper. James Barnes. Friends call me Jim.

[ She should, or he's going to insist. ]

I think there's a way to make a contact list like your phone s'posed to, but I ain't the guy you should be askin' for that.

SURPRISE

[handing]

[Though she expects a nickname, Jim definitely isn’t it, so it catches her by surprise that he chooses that over Bucky. Still, it might not be so bad a thing; although they share the same proper name and face and likely history, this man isn’t the same Bucky Barnes she’d known so well. It’s only fair to both of them to treat him like such, so with a nod, she readily agrees.]

Jim it is, then. It’s nice to meet you—although I’m crushed you won’t be the go-to tech guy.

[Her lips quirked into a grin, she once more considers the console, the things she knows that she shouldn’t, then lets out a soft sigh.] At least before they gave us a list to use. But if it is like programming contacts into a phone, it won’t be difficult.

not allowed

[redactions]

[ He hasn't been called Bucky in a long, long time. Besides, that name belongs to the other one, who's been turned into the Winter Soldier. He needs it more. ]

I'm sure we'll find plenty of other excuses.

[ so smooth :') but. ]

I'm sorry — before? You were somewhere else before this?

[ Enough people on the Fleet were. ]

oh you are in so much trouble if you are trying to ban feels

[handing]

[She almost suggests coffee, but again, that rings a little too close to what she'd had before. Besides, it's probably a bit forward for a married woman to be suggesting to someone she just met, so she just nods and goes with it.]

I was. A place called Luceti. [Since she's certain he won't be familiar, Pepper continues on.] That was what our enclosure was called, anyway. It was run by a group called the Malnosso. People from different worlds and different times were brought there, and we were altered, except there we were given wings. We also had a network of magical journals, if you can believe that.

just watch

[redactions]

[ Forward in any other situation, perhaps, there's no etiquette guideline for Hi We Knew Each Other In A Parallel Universe. (He wouldn't say no to coffee, however). ]

If the Dodgers are in L.A., I'll believe anything.

[ #salty ]

This place ain't much different; the Atroma keep us here and say they're filming us for some audience. No reason to believe that's the case, but there isn't solid proof against it, either.

i'll do that (and not laugh too much at your misery)

[handing]

[It probably won’t take too long before she’s willing to suggest it.]

Should I congratulate you on managing to only sound a little bitter about that? [Poor Brooklyn boy. Please forgive Pepper for the barely-hidden grin—although it doesn’t last. Hearing that they’re apparently being filmed is more than a little distressing so far as notions go.]

You mean like a tv show? Television—I’m not sure if they had that in the forties. [And concerned enough about it to forget that she shouldn’t know he’s from that era. Oops.] I’d really prefer it if they weren’t, but somehow I doubt we get a choice in the matter. And if there’s no proof either way, then we don’t know of any safe spot?

ffff

[redactions]

[ He rioted alone and fifty years too late, but you know. Life. There's plenty else to be bitter about. ]

Hey, there was television. Ain't nobody had time to sit and watch. [ a beat ] Still looking for the cameras and microphones, no luck. They're either extremely advanced, or not there at all.

[ But if anyone can find out for real, it's probably Tony. ]

*popcorn*

[handing]

[Tony may well have the best chance of any of them at finding any signs of surveillance, but Pepper can’t help but wonder about a different avenue. She taps her fingers against the console, her eyes focused for a moment on the controls.]

I wonder if there’s a way to make the ship scan itself for them. [Certainly she knows how to look for other things, outside of the vessel thanks to the implant, but why not turn those functions inward.] It may not amount to anything, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

[redactions]

[ Pepper he could kiss you right now. He won't, but he could. ]

... Sure, why not?

[ technology..... ]

[handing]

[That's probably for the best, given that she hasn't even seen her husband yet.]

Okay, give me a minute. [It's remarkably easy, all things considered. Granted, she's got some alien implant telling her what to do, but even as she sets up the scan she can't help but wonder if someone hasn't already had the same idea. Still, it seemingly works, the search unhindered by anything that Pepper can see.

At least until there's a beep, the monitor flashing scan complete--and then nothing else.]

Oh, come on. [She huffs out a breath, frowning as she taps the buttons again.] It says it did the search, but it's not showing me anything.

[redactions]

[ He stays on the line, listening. After a moment, ]

It's possible the implant's messing with the results.