driftfleet | video | first memo

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She can see him pacing around on the video, nervous energy all but radiating off of him as he turns over thoughts so similar to the ones running through her head. But as she's only just started to learn about this place, Pepper has no idea of how to travel--save for a thought about teleporters, and honestly, she's getting a little tired of suddenly knowing things.]

The First Breath, I think. I was on another ship, but they brought me over here almost immediately after I woke up.

[But given that she's sure there are more than the two, a small frown crosses her features. They're both there, and he hasn't freaked out over her use of his last name--but honestly, how lucky can she expect things to get?] Which ship are you on?

Vanquish. Rogue's here. [ he adds it as an afterthought, so she'll know he hasn't been alone - he doesn't stop to think that she might not know who rogue is. ]

Sit tight for half a mo - I'm on my way. [ teleportation would be great right about now, but as it is, he's stuck with the shuttles. it'd have to do. ]

[She almost confirms her own knowledge by asking about Rogue's, but the fact that Tony mentions her specifically cements the fact that if nothing else, he remembers some of his time in Luceti. How much still remains to be seen, but she bites her tongue for the moment, knowing he's already got his mind set on getting to her. Anything else would be a distraction, and considering that some things would be better discussed in person, she's willing to show a little patience.]

Okay; I'll be here. [Specifically, she'd be wherever the shuttle landed; the time he needs to travel allows her to navigate a few more corridors. Thankfully the ship doesn't seem to be too massive, giving her plenty of time to settle in and watch for his arrival.]

[ he doesn't hesitate a second longer, heading for the shuttles at a near-skipping run (not that he would ever admit to being that close to skipping) and piloting one off after he's barely sat down. and then begins the albeit not-that-long-but-feels-incredibly-long trip from the vanquish to the first breath.

and that's when the questions start. what timeline is she from? what if she didn't remember luceti? what if she's from an alternate reality? what if she still had extremis? what if what if what if? she might have called herself potts-stark, but that didn't necessarily prove she was his pepper, the one he'd gone through luceti with.

and if she isn't? if she's another version of the woman he loves, that didn't remember the dreams and heartache they'd shared in their little village home, would he feel incomplete? would he keep it a secret? could he even do that, after every barrier they'd torn down between them, after he'd come so far as to marry her?

god, what is he going to do?

it's half anticipation and half fear that propels him off the shuttle as soon as it docks on the first breath. he bolts into bay. ]

[As soon as it's safe for her to do so, once the bay doors have closed and the shuttle landed on the ground, Pepper moves towards the craft and the man rushing out of it. She doesn't carry the same level of worry or anxiety as he does, the few doubts that bounce in her head drowned out still by the relief of having Tony here, a Tony who didn't balk at her married name, who mentioned Rogue without thought because he expected Pepper to know her. Sure, they seem like small things, but she knows him, has lived and grown with him, and she knows those hints, however tiny, mean she doesn't need to fear.

So she walks over to him with a broad smile, even a small laugh when they finally come face to face. Whatever this strange fleet of ships has in store, Pepper firmly believes that they would be able to take it on together. How could she not, after everything they've already endured?]

Did you even stop and ask permission to take that shuttle out, or do I need to issue an apology to whoever your captain is?

[Not that she's complaining at all about having him here, but she can't resist asking.]

[ there's a brief moment, when he sees her. a brief moment that takes his breath away, that quiets the authors of his fears. her simple presence muffles the anxiety that had grown in him on the shuttle, and the worry all but bleeds out of him. she's here. she's here, really, truly, in the flesh, and that's all that matters right now.

he doesn't answer her question, so familiar in it's nature between banter and responsible care. he simply crosses over to her, slides her arms around her waist, and kisses her.

timelines, alternate dimensions, space-time continuum be damned. he hasn't seen his wife in far too long, and hell if he's not going to kiss her properly after that absence. ]

[So far as answers go, it might not be the best--but it is far from the worst, and she eagerly embraces her husband when he draws her near. There are still so many questions she has yet to find answers for, memories to compare and explanations to piece together for what's going on. But first comes that moment, brief and no less wonderful for it, that only ends when he's managed to take her breath away.]

Hello to you too. [Not that she goes very far even then; no, when they do part she lets her forehead rest against his, her eyes still closed while yes, she savors the fact that he's there and he's real.]

Hey. [ he murmurs into her hair, thoughts enraptured by the sensory details that had dulled in the weeks since he saw her last. her smell, the way she fit in his arms, her soft skin. it's so right. everything about it is so right. this has to be his pepper - she just has to be. ]

So as far as entrances go, how would you rate that one? I mean, I would've dived out a plane if I could've, but, circumstances.

[ they're in space. that's a thing. ]

[She hums softly, pretending to consider the aspects of his grand arrival when really, she's just stretching out how long they get to stay this way. Her fingertips play over the back of his neck where her hands meet, her arms around him still, and not for the first time Pepper wonders if it might be possible for one of them to move ships.]

I'd give it at least eighty-eight percent. [An old joke from a shared memory, not at all unlike the reference Tony made. She's pieced together enough to have faith, but then it dawns on her that maybe he hasn't. Maybe he's trying to find the nerve to outright ask what she remembers, if she remembers, or maybe he's trying to play a subtler game.

Good thing for him then, that Pepper doesn't actually like making Tony miserable.]

It was impressive, but the wings gave it that extra flare.

[ the mention of wings unravels any last lingering fear dwelling in his chest, and he grins into her hair. could he really be this lucky? could it really be her, his pepper? it almost seems too good to be true, but he doesn't dare let that thought insult what seemed plain in front of him now. ]

So, how many people did you have to explain the Potts-Stark thing to already?

[ there were a good handful of people there familiar with them, and tony had no doubts that the hyphenated name had raised some eyebrows. he hadn't exactly talked about it much. ]

A few. Some seemed okay with tactfully avoiding the question. [Others, however, had been too shocked or too curious to avoid it, and Pepper might have laughed if those reactions hadn’t been bittersweet in their nature.] There are a lot of people from our world here—or versions of it. [Jim rather than Bucky, a Peggy who had never served drinks in a Luceti bar, and the Vision—truthfully, Pepper’s still not sure what to make of him.]

We should probably compare notes. There’s at least one person here who is definitely not a fan of yours. [Wanda Maximoff, a name Pepper hasn’t forgotten.] Come on; I should probably figure out where my room is anyway.

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