004;;

[reconstitution]

Who: Bucky & You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Heron
When: 11/2

[ Hello, fleet! Today you get a message from someone who's been more than a little absent the past month. Some people may be more aware of it than others, but he's finally crawling out of the woodwork.

Waking up has been more than a little disorienting, because he didn't recall falling asleep, or when. It makes him uneasy, a solid weight sitting in his gut. The last time he couldn't remember things, it wasn't so great for the fleet. ]

What year is it?

Not sure how long I was out..Is everyone okay?

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

One of many, many questions it raises.

The party was good. Costumes. Dancing. Drinks. Karaoke.

You should ask Steve about some of the girls' costumes. He has opinions.

[reconstitution]

What other questions are being asked?

Oh, I'm sure he does.

[outstandingbalance]

If it's a trap.

[Natasha's instincts still say trap, but that is very possibly paranoia talking.

Healthy paranoia, but paranoia.]

He must have offered half of us his coat.

[reconstitution]

It's a good question. From what little I know, it sounds like a trap. The SOS signal can't be a coincidence, but where are the actual life forms?

That doesn't surprise me, honestly.

[outstandingbalance]

No, it's not. Either the ship is a lure, or it's a victim that just happened to turn itself into bait. Unless there's a possibility we've missed.

[One of these topics is a lot more fun than the other.]

Steve will be happy you're back. I think he's feeling surrounded by crazy women at this point.

[reconstitution]

More inclined to believe the second. With everyone on the planet trying to figure it out, it doesn't seem likely that something was missed.


I'm happy to be back. Not overly fond of misplacing time.

[outstandingbalance]

We still have a message to try to decode. Might shed some light on things.

And I can't blame you for that.

Had a hard time not making a Sleeping Beauty joke.

[reconstitution]

Has any progress happened on the message?

You're hilarious. Really.

[outstandingbalance]

I am.

But I didn't make it for a reason.

[reconstitution]

I appreciate it.

[ Getting his bearings back is more of a pain than he wants it to be. Brain, get with the fucking program already. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[There's a lot to catch up with.]

Do you have everything you need?

[reconstitution]

All I need is time.

[ Time to catch up, time to figure out just what he's missed. Most definitely time to come up with a plan of action. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Luckily, not something we're short on.

[reconstitution]

I'd be willing to bet a thousand credits that something big's going to happen.

[outstandingbalance]

Yeah? What makes you say that?

[She keeps her own suspicions to herself, but it's nice to see someone else doesn't seem confident that nothing's going to come of this.]

[reconstitution]

Nothing is ever calm for long.

[outstandingbalance]

Can't argue with that logic.

[reconstitution]

You know it as well as I do.

[outstandingbalance]

[He's not wrong about that. Natasha doesn't bother trying to deny it, even if she'd rather not acknowledge how both of them learned that lesson.]

The only question is what's going to go when it does.

[reconstitution]

Just keep your eyes and ears open, though I don't need to tell you that.

All we can do is try to be prepared.

[outstandingbalance]

No. Still, chances are whatever happens, it'll be from the direction I wasn't looking.

[reconstitution]

I'll watch your back.

[ He'd like to think that she'd do the same for him, anyway. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Now I feel bad for whatever tries sneaking up on me.

[Which is meant as a vote of confidence. And, in he way, a thanks.]

Between the two of us, we ought to be able to cover a lot of angles.

[reconstitution]

Maybe they'll think twice about doing it.

If the two of us can't get all angles, then more training is needed.

[outstandingbalance]

[That's how Natasha had been raised and trained in Red Room, at least.]

Which reminds me. You still owe me a sparring round.

Once you have the arm back online?