driftfleet | video | first memo

Entry tags:

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.]

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[Nightingale is seriously thrown off by the sheer number of new people arriving so quickly. Thinking about it, it's not that different from the number of people arriving at the castle at any given time, but there's no teams here to explain everything...]

If you give it a bit, the implant should give you all the knowledge you need automatically. In the meantime... You've been kidnapped to another world. We're supposedly here as reality TV, but no one's ever seen any proof, so I personally don't buy it. The ships should have rosters you can see, at least?

Anything else?

Congratulations, you are the newest abductee to be part of a space reality show. Aren't you lucky?

[Furiosa is making her rounds. It's a nearly pointless endeavor as there wasn't much to patrol, in comparison to the world she'd come from. She's starting to get restless, but hopefully talking with her crew would help distract her.]

[She'd seen Pepper's broadcast earlier and makes a point to stop by her bunk, knocking the knuckles of her metal prosthetic against the door frame.] Pepper, right? Settling in alright?

[Having already had a few days to make himself 'comfortable' on the ship, Indy has found himself endlessly restless in this tiny floating bucket. The entire ordeal is a good deal worse than being on an ocean bound ship, because there's nowhere open where he can go out for fresh air. The view from the deck is about as good as it gets.

He enters just as she's concluding her broadcast.]

Welcome aboard. I'm going to assume you're new here.

[The ship is too small to have avoided seeing anyone for very long.]

I'm sorry, did you just say the implant?

[Not that this is her first experience having woken up in some alternate universe only to discover she'd been modified with neither her awareness nor consent. But as used to the wings as Pepper had become, there's no getting around the fact that having something like that happen again is deeply disturbing.

The rest of it doesn't exactly offer much in the way of improvement, and she stares at the monitor for a moment as it all sinks in.]

...Rosters. That would be helpful. Thank you. [Out of all of that (including the explanation for how she knows the workings of the panel), that had been the only bit of good news, so Pepper grasps to it, if only for a moment.]

Do we know who's in charge of this tv show?

I did. Feel right here.

[She lifts a hand to behind her ear, showing Pepper where to feel the bump of the implant.]

Mess around and you'll find the roster. As for who's in charge... All I can tell you is the name, 'Atroma'. It could be one person, it could be a group, someone's mentioned a corporation. They can pull people across worlds, even if circumstances should render that impossible, like me. They never show up in person, and they never show themselves in broadcasts, only letting us hear a voice. They've never offered proof of the show past 'fan letters', that I know of, and the one planet I went to had no one who had even heard of this supposed show, so... Yeah, the reality TV bit is probably bullshit.

In one sense of the word. [The terrible, no good, horrible, very bad sense.] I'm trying to decide if this is better or worse than having been a guinea pig the last time something like this happened.

[The bunk isn't exactly impressive, especially compared to the lifestyle Pepper's gotten used to. She's currently trying to take inventory of what she's been provided when Furiosa knocks, drawing her attention away from the locker towards the woman in the doorway.]

That's right. [At least she can offer a small grin. Her eyes wander over to Furiosa's arm, but only long enough to confirm that it is in fact metal before she meets the woman's gaze.] As well as can be expected, I suppose. I'm not sure I can actually brag about having been kidnapped before, but it's happened so--this isn't entirely foreign to me.

[At least in concept. Regardless, she walks over, offering her hand to the woman.] In any case, it's nice to meet you.

[Normally, Pepper can pride herself on being a very composed woman who handles tricky situations with tact, if not grace. That goes out the window, however, she looks over in response to the greeting only to discover that Indiana Jones is the one to have offered it. Of course she's got some familiarity with the idea of fictional characters being real, thanks Luceti, so she shouldn't be entirely surprised.

But still. It's Indiana Jones.]

I am, yes. [Fighting off a grin, she focuses on the console for a moment, ensuring the broadcast is well and truly off and giving herself a moment to temper her own reaction.] I was just brought here an hour or so ago.

My name is Pepper, by the way. [She tries not to look too expectant as she waits for him to introduce himself; far better she get his name straight away, than let it slip that she already knows it and prompt him to ask how.]

-- Ms. Potts-Stark?

[ because speaking with one owner of the stark name had already proven to be such a wealth of knowledge, she might as well scrutinize the second. ]

[There's a spark of relief when someone responds who Pepper recognizes--up until Pepper asks her question. Such a simple thing, yet something she'd expect to hear from a stranger rather than a friend.

Still, even if Peggy doesn't remember her, Pepper already knows this woman is someone she can rely on. So after a moment spent looking down to school her reaction, she raises her eyes to the monitor with a small smile.]

Mrs. actually, but otherwise yes.

[ and with all the wariness of a woman far too well acquainted with the family name, she hazards: ] Mrs. Potts-Stark. Right, then.

[ bloody hell. ] Who is it you're looking for?

[ Elize isn't certain how comfortable she feels using a video feed to talk to this newcomer, so she sticks to using the audio function for now. It's a small, young voice that sounds from the feed. ]

Hello, Pepper. My name is Elize. Umm... has anyone helped you yet?

[ it takes him about all of 0.2 seconds to record a response when he hears her voice. he doesn't listen. he doesn't even stop to think about it. ]

Pep - Pepper. It's me. [ something bleeds through his blind desire to speak to her. potts-stark - she said potts-stark.

he doesn't even dare to breathe as he waits for a response. ]

[She hesitates only a fraction of a moment before moving forward to take Pepper's hand in greeting. It would seem, sadly, that kidnappings weren't exactly a rare occurrence. She tried to keep such a revelation to herself, but there is a slight softening at her edge.]

Imperator Furiosa. I'm your captain on this rig.

Tony. [The sound of her smile bleeds into her voice, although there's a sense of worry to match it. After speaking with Peggy and a few others, Pepper's all too aware now that she might not be talking to her husband.

Still, he's there; in some form or fashion Tony Stark remains, and he knows her. So her reply comes quickly once she hears his, and for the first time today she's thankful for the implant that lets her work the controls so easily.] Are you okay? How long have you been here?

[ Alternate universes--!! Wait, Pepper Potts? No, she distinctly said Potts-Stark. What does he go with? Ms. Potts? Mrs. Stark? It feels presumptuous. ]

Ma'am.

[ nailed it. ]

Hopefully you've been filled in. There's no names on the communicators, unfortunately, just ID numbers. It might be their way of giving us something to do.

[Bran hears the broadcast from inside his supply closet, and quietly moves his wheelchair over to the door to listen in. There's a small robot in his arms, and it makes a loud whirring noise before Bran can bring himself to say anything. Oops. Here Pepper, have a small strange boy in the middle of your crisis.]

Excuse me... are you one of the new crew?

[She’s not exactly eager to mirror the motions, but Pepper does so, her lips parting in a soft gasp when she feels the bump behind her ear as promised. So not wings, but something subtler, barely even noticeable unless someone knows to look for it.

But she’s willing to be there’s nothing to be done about it; she listens as explores the shape, noting the similarities and the differences between this Atroma and the Malnosso. They have enough in common to make Pepper err on the side of caution. If the implant functioned anything like the wings did, removing it could be fatal.]

So if it’s not a tv show, then what is it? [Certainly there seems to be sound reason for her doubt, and Pepper frowns as she mulls it over. The Malnosso at least got directly involved in things, for better or worse. This Atroma doesn’t seem to offer that much courtesy, and in that they are definitely worse than Pepper’s former captors.]

[She just grins, well aware that Tony took after his father in a number of ways which warranted her concern.]

Specifically, Tony Stark. There are a few others, but I think you know why he’s at the top of the list.

[An audio only response? A little curious, but not so odd that Pepper feels a need to ask. Particularly given just how young that voice sounds, and it’s another unfortunate similarity that apparently, children are brought here too.]

It’s nice to meet you, Elize. I’ve gotten some help so far, yes. People have told me a bit about how to get in touch with others, and that we’re supposed to be on a kind of tv show.

Captain; that’s good to know. [Part of her wants to ask if that station means Furiosa knows more about Atroma, who or what they might be, what their purpose is, but from what she’s been told Pepper doubts anything would come of it.] I guess it makes sense that we’d have one, given that we’re on a ship.

[In space, another detail Pepper has yet to wrap her mind around entirely. But because she’s experienced something similar, Pepper wonders if Furiosa might be able to help her with something else.] Do you mind if I ask how you got that job? I don’t exactly do well when there’s nothing to do, so I’d like to find some way to be productive.

We've spoken. Briefly.

[ hmm. ] I must say, I was -- surprised. If you're looking for him, I'm sure you'll not be long in finding him.

Not sure yet, to be honest. I have some ideas, but my support for them is flimsy at best, and a lot of it relies on experience at another interdimensional hellhole before this one. It's basically conjecture.

[She starts running her fingers through her hair absently as she thinks. She really does need a way to start confirming theories, but the Atroma never talk back, so, and last time she started shit with them, she ended up shouting some of her more private circumstances over the network at a crewmate, even.]

I don't doubt that entertainment is at least a side benefit for the Atroma, though. They're probably enjoying the hell out of watching us.

[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.

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