sixthiterationlogs | OTA - First Things First

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OTA - First Things First

WHO: Steve McGarrett and YOU
WHERE: Fountain, Forest, Village (behind and in between buildings)
WHEN: September 3rd
OPEN TO: All
SCRUB COLOR: Hunter Green
WARNINGS: None to start
STATUS: Open

[ Fountain ]

Coming to, Steve knows instantly that he’s underwater. Fighting the upwards momentum, he opens his eyes and tries to get some idea of what the hell is going on. All he sees is darkness with light shining down from above. He knows which way to go and after confirming he’s alone without any detectible threat in the water he kicks up.

Slowing just before surfacing, he eases his eyes and nose above the water with barely a splash. SEAL training coming in especially helpful at the moment. He scans his surroundings, only to find that nothing looks familiar.

The last he remembered was taking Wo Fat prisoner and flying a chopper from an island not far off Hawaii. They’d been over the pacific, he remembers that, but then nothing until coming to in the water. Had someone shot them down? The chances of him landing in the fountain he found himself in was extremely slim, but it is possible someone attempted to dispose of him there. The landscape doesn’t look familiar and he doesn’t think he’s on the islands anymore. Which makes him wonder how long he’s been out and where exactly he is.

But first things first. Easing up high enough to see over the edge of the fountain, he sees what looks to be... a park?

[ Forest ]

Out of the fountain, he makes quick work of getting some distance between him and it. It’s not till he has some cover in the trees does he notice what he’s wearing. It strikes him odd to find himself in scrubs and instantly he misses his cargo pants and everything he normally keeps in his pockets. What he misses most though is a weapon.

Taking inventory of what he has in the backpack, he decides against changing at the moment. Changing may help him fit into whatever mess he’s found himself in, but until he has more intel he’ll stay as he is. Instead he removes only one sock from the backpack and with a quick look around him he picks up a rock about the size of his fist and slips it into the sock. Not a great weapon, but it’s better than nothing until he has time to either acquire some or make something better.

With the backpack secured to his back, he carefully scouts out the forest staying as concealed as possible while also gathering as much information as he can. As he moves through he does some light tracking of any animal trails that he might find as well as notes any vegetation that could be useful for food, weapons, tools or anything else he may need. He may not need any of it, and doesn’t waste time lingering, but if he needs it later he’ll know where to find it.

[ Village ]

Once he ventures out far enough from the fountain, he sees the buildings. With the fountain he had figured there was a settlement of some sort not far off and now that he finds it, he’s curious to see what he’s up against. Attempting to keep as concealed as possible, he peaks into windows and around corners.

The town isn’t what he was expecting and he’s still confused about where he is and why. His leading theory is that Wo Fat somehow managed to get the upper hand, knock him out and brought him here, but seeing the village and the people walking around without weapons he realizes that doesn’t seem likely either.

After watching for a bit he slips his ‘rock-in-a-sock’ into his backpack and ventures in closer. He can only find out so much information by remaining hidden and so far he’s not detected a specific threat. Still, he came to by almost drowning in the fountain and as far as he knows, any one of these people could have tossed him there... Along with a backpack with three days worth of clothing. Whoever put him in the fountain hadn't expected him to die there. So, he’s ready for anything.

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Wanda looked up at Steve, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. He was a big puppy. She didn't blame him for his reservations. "Yes. Easily excited." She replied, her accent thickening slightly.

There was always the real danger that someone was going to attack but Wanda wasn't worried about it. She could defend herself and while Arado didn't look particularly vicious, he was being trained to be a hunting dog for Clint. At first, she'd always been alarmed by strangers but now she found that most of the people here were hungry or lost or both.

"Do you want something to eat? I have some salted meats inside." It was the easiest way to store things though the salt supply wasn't limitless.

Taking her at her word, as Steve approaches, he extends his hand, palm up, towards the dog so that it can sniff him. He's not necessarily scared of the dog, but he is cautious of it. Most dogs he's known in his life are trained to guard or attack.

At the mention of food, his stomach growls. It's been a while since he's eaten... Although he really has no idea how long, but he's been here a few hours now and while he's scoped out food possibilities he's yet to actually eat anything. Still, "You always invite strangers into your home?"

Arado was trained but thanks to Wanda and Clint spoiling him, he loved the attention. He licked Steve's hand before pressing his head against his fingers to demand that he get scratched behind the ears.

"Sometimes." Wanda admitted with a shrug. "New people don't trust this place or those already here. There are meals at the inn but only at set times." She looked up at him with an even stare as she rounded out her explanation. "I'm not going to let anyone starve when no one wants to be trapped here."

It just seemed logical to her.

At the dogs request, Steve slowly flips his hand and starts to scratch the dog on the top of the head, behind his ears. Smiling down at the dog, he speaks just loud enough for him to hear. "You're a good boy, aren't you?!"

"There's an inn?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, he hasn't made it into town yet. With a final pat on the dog's head he starts walking towards her, conscious of what the dog does and it's reaction to him moving closer to her. "Although I think the more pressing point is that we're trapped! What exactly is this place?"

Once he's close enough, he extends his hand. "I'm Steve, Steve McGarrett. Thank you for your hospitality." They may provide him with food at the inn but he's not so ready to deal with that quite yet. He'd much prefer having something here where it's less likely to be a trap or an issue. Later, when he figures out what's going on he'll pay her back, likely in kind.

The pup walked beside Steve as he approached Wanda. He didn't look like he was threatening though his nose would occasionally bump Steve's hand. If he ignored him long enough the dog would return to the back door and then sit, and wait to be let back inside.

"Yes. It's near the fountain that we arrived in. The larger building over there." Wanda pointed though it was difficult to see beyond the row of houses that separated where Wanda lived from the rest of the city. There were reasons that her and her friends took the house at the end of the row, one of the main reasons was tactical though over the months that felt like a moot point.

She reached out and took his hand while introducing herself "Wanda Maximoff." If he knew who she was he didn't show it, which automatically put Wanda more at ease. Meeting people from her world where she was a bulletin on the news was stressful.

"We don't know for sure." Wanda's expression was grim as she answered. "My guess is test subjects. There have been a few odd events over the last few months." She turned and stepped towards the house. "Most of it is documented at the inn but Sam, a man who I knew from before I was here. He had been here longer than me and left notes." She paused, "He's gone now." And she had no idea where he was. Hopefully, he was back home but Wanda wasn't an overly hopeful person.

Steve looked the way Wanda pointed and he thought he knew which building she was referring to, even if it was hard to spot fully from here. Later he'd make his way into town and check out the buildings there. There seems to be a lot of houses but he hasn't seen so many people. True they could all be in town but as he looks at the houses they don't all appear to be lived in, at least going by the outside. "How many people are here?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Wanda," he says with a friendly smile, that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Instead there is worry there, but not of her. Not being from a world that has individuals with special powers, or aliens, Steve is not familiar of her or anyone like her.

"Test subjects?!" His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, that is not what he was expecting in any way. "Odd events? In what way?" He followed her into the house, but the more she spoke the more questions he had. "He left? How did he leave? I was under the impression we were trapped."

"Staying at the inn?" She had to take a moment to count the number of people she's seen there. Like Wanda, a lot of people didn't live at the inn but they continued to show up for meals at the noon luncheons. "I'm not sure but there are anywhere between 30 and fifty people here. I don't have an exact total." She hadn't stopped to count people though she's seen a lot of people move in and out of the village and inn.

Wanda made sure that the dog was inside before moving over to the kitchen to grab some of the dried meats and peaches that she had collected from the orchard. She placed them on a plate and then handed it over to Steve to pick at. She'd eat whatever he didn't eat or give it to the pup. She didn't waste food.

"That's how it seems." She confirmed with a soft nod of her head. "The sun didn't set for over a week. Earthquakes. Bugs with viruses." She didn't want to alarm him but she also didn't want to lie to him. Not knowing would just get Steve killed. "I don't know how Sam left. I assume whoever is watching us was done with him."

Steve had actually meant in general so her answer was the one he was looking for. It wasn't a large group of people and yet it was sizable enough. Without them being from the same areas thirty to fifty people going missing wasn't going to be a concern on anyone's radar specifically. That didn't bode well for being assisted externally.

Smiling in thanks, Steve accepted the plate as his stomach growled in anticipation. His smile turned slightly bashful. "Thank you for your generosity. I have no idea when I ate last." Selecting a dried meat from the plate he took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully a moment. "The last memory I have before here I was a bit banged up. All of that's healed now... Is that normal? Does anyone know how long we're kept before arriving here?"

Taking another bite, he frowns at the different things that had happened and Sam's disappearance. Whatever was going on wasn't as simple as he originally thought. "Is it possible that Sam found a way out of here?"

Wanda inclined her head in a soft nod. "Many of the people who first arrive forget about food. It's harder to come by but you shouldn't lose your strength." It was better if they looked out for each other and not many had the skills to hunt, prepare and then cook their own food. "I can offer you a bit to take with you but I'd suggest returning to the inn for lunch tomorrow."

At his question Wanda shook her head. "I don't think so. Sam. Thor. Many people have vanished. Many of whom have traveled between worlds before." She knew about aliens and other things out there. In part from her interactions with the Avengers but also because of her affiliation with the Tesseract.

"This place only releases people when they're done with them. I don't know what it means but that seems to be the case. I've seen people arrive several times, each time with different memories." She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Thank you," he said with a smile and a nod holding up the plate before taking another bite. "When I get settled, I'll return the favor. What's the game like here? I can help with the hunt." Swallowing he thought about that a moment, then added, "Or whatever else is needed around here as well."

"Between worlds?" An eyebrow is raised in clear disbelief. "That makes it sound like we've been abducted by aliens and brought here." It's said as a joke but it does sound as far fetched to his ears as it had sounded in his head. It would explain a lot, but aliens didn't exist... Right?!

"That... Doesn't make sense." Steve frowned and took a bite of the dried peach on his plate. "Someone I met at the fountain said we came from different times..." It all fit together and yet still didn't add up. "None of that is possible. At least not where I'm from."

"Deer, rabbits" Wanda rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "Be careful of the wolves, bears and moose." They could easily take off a persons head to send them to their deaths. There was a small hospital but it was pathetically stocked and there was a very real danger of running out of supplies. It was best not to be stupid about hunting.

Her eyebrow raised in a curious arc. "It clearly is possible." She gestured to the area around them. "I've heard of other worlds, seen them," In a manner of speaking, "I haven't experienced time shifts like these until I arrived here but it is the truth." She's been here long enough to be sure of it.

"Where are you from?"

That made sense to Steve. Predators were not only more difficult to kill due to their size, but because of their aggression. Bringing down something as large as a moose or a bear would take planning and perhaps some teamwork, unless they had firearms.

"You've seen other worlds?" One of Steve's eyebrows raises in both surprise and curiosity. "I'm not yet sure what to make about here..." Shrugging he looked down at his plate and picked out another dried peach. "Not that I'm discarding anything either. There's too many things that don't make sense, but there has to be an explanation." Whether he, or the people here, were privy to those explanations were a different story, but with just arriving he was still determined to find logical answers.

"Hawaii. May, 2012. I was piloting a chopper between islands. At least that's the last thing I remember." It was possible he'd had a lapse in memory. Especially if they'd crashed again. "How about yourself?"

"We are rarely able to determine why something happens. We have a guess and nothing more." She shook her head as a frown pulled at her lips. Wanda nodded her head to confirm that she had seen other worlds. It was complicated and she didn't want to get into it since there was a chance that Steve wouldn't believe her.

"New York. 2016." They weren't to far away from each other in time though Hawaii was on the other side of the world when compared to New York.

"I was working with an anti terrorist group." It was better than calling herself an Avenger since she didn't feel as if the title applied anymore. It was complicated and the bits and pieces she's heard of the future promised that it would only continue to be so.

"So whoever is running this place has done a good job of keeping us separate from everything else." That does make things more difficult, but everyone messes up from time to time and Steve hopes that when his captors do, it will be something that he's able to take advantage of.

Social cues aren't Steve's strong suit. From the age of fifteen to thirty-three, more than half his life, he was fully immersed in a military environment. Even now, after being part of civilian society for the last two years, it's only told him that he's not good with human to human interactions, not how to be better at them. So Wanda's nod to confirm she's seen other worlds is taken as an affirmative, but he totally misses the cues that she doesn't want to talk about it. "What were those worlds like? Similar to Earth?"

That she worked for an anti terrorist group grabs Steve's attention and interest. "Oh yeah? State run? Military? FBI?" Hunting terrorists is something that Steve has a lot of experience with. Five years with Naval Intelligence, then the last two years for the state of Hawaii - although the latter didn't just deal with 'terrorists' but all high end crime that took place on the islands.

Wanda shook her head at his first question. "Would you believe me if I said it's classified?" That was only part of the reason why she didn't want to talk about other worlds. If she started to talk about them she'd have to explain how she knew about them and then the infinity stones. It was a long story and she was fairly sure that Steve wasn't going to believe her.

"State run. Separate from the military but our group was lead by a former solider." That was the best way to describe Steve Rogers and the Avengers. "Our group had recently been suspended. We followed terrorist wherever they went. Our last mission took us to a small country called Wakandan. We couldn't stop them and people were hurt.." Wanda's voice trialed off.

"Do you need anything else to eat?" It wasn't clear if Wanda was changing the subject or noticed the vanishing food on Steve's plate.

"Honestly... No." Steve smiles and offers a one-sided shrug. That being said he's not going to push and he's finally clued in that she doesn't want to talk about it. "But it's still an acceptable answer." Not that he isn't curios, because he is, but maybe, should they become friends here, she'll tell him about it later.

As he listens, Steve's face grows solemn with understanding. "No matter how hard we may try or how thorough the precautions we may take, it's far too easy for things to go wrong and when they do it's inevitable that civilians get hurt." He breaths in deeply through his nose and then huffs it out. "I'm sorry."

Looking down at the plate, a small blush creeps on his cheeks and he shakes his head. "No. I'm good thank you. I should get on my way and allow you to carry on with yours." Putting actions to words he stands and nods at her again. "Thank you again. I will repay the favor."

Wanda was happy when he dropped the subject. It wasn't that she hated talking about it but it wasn't a good get-to-know-you conversation with someone who she just met. She also would have to try and explain her powers and a lot of other very strange things that she didn't think Steve would believe.

"Don't worry about it." She grabbed a few pieces of smoked meat and wrapped it in a small cloth, handing it over to Steve. "Here."

Wanda didn't do things because she expected something back. "See you."

Taking the meat, he smiled at her and nodded his thanks. It wasn't that Steve was unfamiliar with kindness from others but he was used to generally being on the other side of the equation. That she might have to do without because she gave him this meat was something he was sensitive to. Although that only made him more appreciative.

Leaning over he gives the dog a scratch behind the ears and picks up his knapsack, taking a moment to slip the cloth with meat inside and securing the bag closed before putting it over his shoulder once more.

"I'm sure I'll see you around soon," he says, then he's on his way.

Wanda nodded her head and then stepped forward to stop Arado from following Steve. He was a well-trained dog but he liked following new people.

"Take care." Her voice was soft but warm. Allies were important though Wanda would prefer to make friends while she was here. It wasn't the sort of situation that she often found herself in.

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OTA - First Things First

Village - Outside of House 20 near the edge of the village

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