001

[housepartyprotocol]

Who: Tony Stark and anyone!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Still on The Marsiva
When: Now

[ The video feed crackles to life, and on the screen is a man looking equal parts composed and annoyed. He settles into the frame and smiles wryly.]

I'm not going to waste time here asking where we are, since I'd like to think we can all recognize space, but fair warning: you've got about [ he looks at his watch ] 2 minutes before I start taking this place apart. Not a threat, just making you aware that without a pretty impressive explanation, I will cannibalize your lovely and expensive ship and fly myself home.

[ He smiles briefly and with no humor before sitting back in his chair and tapping his watch. ]

Comments

audio;

[unbearablynaive]

[Well. This should be an interesting addition to the Fleet. For now, the Vision sticks to audio for obvious reasons; depending on what time Tony's from, he might not be recognized as himself. His JARVIS impressions is, however, flawless.]

As glad as I am to see you, Mr. Stark, I'm afraid our stellar coordinates match nothing known to any of our databases. I have also been unable to contact Asgard for assistance.

[housepartyprotocol]

[Tony all but jumps at the nostalgic familiarity of a radio speaking to him in JARVIS's voice. He's hesitant to respond, especially given everything that happened recently with Vision. There's really no telling who's at the other end of the call. Or what games this ship is trying to play. ]

What are the chances that I'm going crazy right now? Like 1 in 5?

[unbearablynaive]

[A fair enough question, he supposes. The Vision smiles to himself, though of course Tony can't see it over the audio connection.]

Given your general reaction to space and the non-specific nature of your inquiry, somewhere between five and seven per cent. I'm told one's first taste of the protein gel has a very sobering effect, however, which would reduce the probability to less than point-oh-one.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ It's hard to be cautious and convince himself he might not be talking to JARVIS. Or maybe Vision, he reminds himself. It's remarkably hard to tell the difference over a communicator. How had he never realized that? ]

Seems negligible enough. So who exactly are you? If I'm going to hate the answer, just don't bother telling me. I'd rather not know if some alien super computer is reading my mind.

video!

[unbearablynaive]

[All right, if he has to ask, there's a pretty good chance Tony already knows the Vision exists. Otherwise he'd just assume it's JARVIS, wouldn't he? So he switches the video on and smiles in what he hopes comes across as a friendly manner. The background is the bridge of the Windrose, in a similar style as the Marsiva but significantly less spacious.]

I am the Vision.

[housepartyprotocol]

[Tony looks pleasantly surprised, clearly finding people he trusts from home here wasn't high on his 'reasonable expectation' list. ]

Would you look at that. If they managed to drag you here I guess I shouldn't feel that bad about it.

[unbearablynaive]

[Well, that's a relief. It's hard to explain "you don't recognize me but you helped to create me and by the way I'm totally an Avenger" to people. Especially skeptical people.]

Perhaps I should say I have yet to find a viable alternative to playing along with their game. After all, if we "win" we return home regardless.

[housepartyprotocol]

Win? That's one I haven't heard yet.

[unbearablynaive]

Yes. We appear to be in a reality show.

[Isn't that just what you always wanted???]

The winner--or winners, I'm not entirely certain if that was ever clarified--are to return home at the end of the current "cycle".

[housepartyprotocol]

[ A familiar face is doing wonders for Tony's former agitation. ]

Okay, great. So how do we win?

[unbearablynaive]

That also has yet to be defined, as does the length of a cycle.

However, it is entirely possible to judge how well you're doing with the audience. You should be able to access a bank account from your communicator, and the balance is influenced directly by your popularity.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Tony scoffs. ]

Well, I'll either be very rich, or very poor.

[unbearablynaive]

[That gets a smile - because heaven forbid Tony should change his behavior for the whims of the audience.]

I suspect you're right.

I've been assigned to the Windrose as engineer; Agent Romanoff is our captain. There are several other friendly faces around as well.

[housepartyprotocol]

Wait, she's here too? Are we all here? You know, the whole gang?

[unbearablynaive]

Not quite. Even Atroma seems to have second thoughts about Dr. Banner.

[Shame, really.]

The current count is myself, Natasha, Wanda Maximoff, and I believe two versions of Captain America, though I've only spoken with Captain Jim Barnes from an alternate timeline.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ That gets a look. ]

Two versions?

[unbearablynaive]

[He nods, completely serious.]

Surely you're familiar with the multiverse theory?

[housepartyprotocol]

Sure, as a theory.

[unbearablynaive]

If you take that as a starting point and then add to it the capricious whims of a reality show production company, you'll have a good enough idea. There are some here from different versions of the same world, and yet others who have been to similar situations as this where individuals are pulled from their own timelines into a group living scenario under differing circumstances.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Tony looks both interested and frustrated. ]

All fascinating things I would love to study if we weren't currently stuck floating around in space.

[ Looking around the ship though, as if considering his options. ]

[unbearablynaive]

[The Vision grins and decides not to point out that Tony could, in fact, do both.]

That does seem to be the case, I'm afraid, until we come across another point of habitation. We've been to a planet, a moon, several stations, a derelict ship, and an asteroid cloud so far.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Still looking around the ship, realizing that he probably can make some kind of lab set up here, using himself as the baseline for studies. Depending what's available on whatever ship he's sent to next, anyway. He looks back at the screen finally. ]

How long did you say you've been here?

[unbearablynaive]

I haven't said, yet, but it's been about five months. Longer than I've been on Earth, really.

[At least, if he counts his time as himself and not the shadowy memories he has of JARVIS.]

[housepartyprotocol]

Come again?

I know I've seen you more recently than that. Unless I've been knocked out here a lot longer than I thought.

[unbearablynaive]

Consider that Agent Romanoff has been here longer than I have, yet had not known me when I arrived; she came from an earlier point in time.