sixthiterationlogs | Look out to the future, but it tells you nothing

Entry tags:

Look out to the future, but it tells you nothing

WHO: Tony Stark
WHERE: Tube Room in the Bunker, Inn, Forge
WHEN: September 3rd onward
OPEN TO: Initially Bucky Barnes, then Everyone
WARNINGS: Descriptions of Dissolving, Canon typical Violence, Language, Blood, etc.

Tubular Trauma - [Closed to Bucky Barnes]

Oblivion isn't as comforting as Tony thought it might be. That drifting, aching sort of silence that seeps in like ice to strangle all sensation and thought? Normally didn't include quite this much pressure. Like the armor locked up dead around him, but with a single terrifying exception he's never had water between his skin and the circuitry. It makes drifting awake less of a vague meandering towards consciousness and more of a snapped, panicked shot of adrenaline to the base of his spine. Because this? This isn't Titan. It's not stale air stinking of ozone and ash it's a tube.

Full of fucking water. Whatever's just beyond is a bit beyond his capacity to grasp seeing as the first detail that sinks in isn't that he's in soaked scrubs, floating in a tube. It's the slow coil of red swirling in the water from his left side and- that? That's going to be a problem. The patch job didn't hold through whatever the ever loving fuck brought him here- why being fully submerged makes this easier, he doesn't know. Too confused to panic, he'll think- as soon as he gets out. Though trying to scrabble for a seam in the tube is A) useless and B) slow going with one hand, the other pressed tight against his wound, for all the good it does in keeping the exit wound from bleeding.

Protip: It doesn't.

Got an Inn

Adjustment after a shock is- well. It's a thing. A shock to his system, a shock to the senses, emotional fatigue, whatever. The finely tuned engine that is his brain keeps trying and failing to roll over, the dull click click click of failing spark plug echos in his teeth. Failure's one thing. It wasn't an option, and they'd failed and that- he'll. Cope. Somehow. Not much of an option. He'd given himself a moment, maybe ten to breathe and think and wonder and he'd- woken up here. In scrubs (his stylists would kill him, Pepper would kill him) and they're not there, he knows they aren't there, but he can't help but keep picking at his nails. Digging out bits of ash and soot that don't exist anywhere but in his memory along with the still palpable crumpling of an adolescent arachnid that-

Yeah, no. Not thinking about that.

Heels of his hands pressed to his eyes Tony tries to just. Breathe. Eat the damn lunch he'd come to get and figure out a step two. Or. Shit, at this point? He'd take a step one. Maybe another soak in the hotspring so his ribs and torso stop feeling quite so delicate; he's been over this whole thing for years Revisiting this particular sharp edged vulnerability? Not his idea of fun.

Rebuilding, Rebranding, Reforging

The best part about waking up here, Tony decides, is the built in ability to figure out what the 'best' option is for him, outlined in a shade of blue so damn familiar it aches a little. As long as he's stressed out of his mind- which is all day, every day, since he was fucking twelve- and without direction (which is every hour since the snap) the universe which screwed him over so spectacularly through circumstance and poor cosmic shuffling throws him a bone. A glowing line not entirely unlike a flight path that guides him from wherever his latest round of trying not to rattle apart while left alone with his own sharply spiraling thoughts that circle 'we're fucked we're fucked we're fucked' on a nigh infinite loop was (usually somewhere not too open, usually with his back pressed so hard to a wall it's hard to breathe but he needs to know he can see everything that's coming at him or not) to...a pretty well dead forge. It's antiquated like the rest of the village. Clean, empty, quaint.

Dead coals, unused tools, and just getting everything cleared out to the point of use would take a day, finding ore or iron would take gifts or mining but- he can start doing something. Here's the best place for him and it's true, he can feel that garrote of tension fit to strangle start to go loose at the idea of a project. It's direction. It's something productive, something he can lay his hands on and...tinker. Bandage around his ribs or no, Orders for bedrest or no (he has them, he's ignoring them, some shit doesn't change), Tony busies himself with getting the forge cleaned up and organized, rough charcoal sketches dusted on the wall as he plans the first of many projects that still...won't be enough. Not to keep him busy. Not to keep him sane. But for now? it's as good a place to start as any. First order of business: Stockpiling iron to work. Which...that'll take some doing, won't it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kamala is going back to her potato chopping. This hash isn't going to cook itself. It gives her an excuse to chill with the sad new person. "Oh! Is Hammer like your rival or something? Does he make mean girl comments that sound like compliments, but super aren't?" Not that Kamala is speaking from personal experience... except that she clearly is.

"He wishes he was my rival. He's nowhere near as smart, rich, or charming as I am and he keeps trying. It's annoying. Well he's in jail now so it's not as much a problem." No possibility of getting out with good behaviour. "...come to think of it he would try to make little digs but it stings less when you know they're passive aggressive swipes made out of insecurity."

"Yikes. I think annoying is the least of his problems if he doing stuff that lands him in jail." Kamala comments as she works next on cutting up some garlic to add into her dish. "Fair warning being rich will get you exactly nowhere here, but smart and charming can be helpful! Unless you were like an honor roll student like me. That's gotten me zip so far."

"That means you're smart, attentive, driven, and detail oriented. Not a bad mix of traits in a village where picking up relevant skills is kind of important if you want to get by." So. Nothing to sneeze at, not really. "So it might land you an...they're apprenticeships, right? Something like that. There's bound to be people around here that need extra hands."

Kamala stops chopping so she can stare at him without risking her fingers. She realizes what she's doing after a few seconds. "Sorry no one's ever treated it like a positive thing outside of my parents. I need a second to process it." And.... second over. "Okay so what do you think would be a useful apprenticeship around here? I don't know if you met Frank yet, local busybody who is trying to stop solving everyone's problems unsuccessfully, but I basically pick up whatever he is doing that week. I probably should get some direction though so what are your thoughts, totally new person?"

"Anarchist Hotdog?" That's his new nickname, embrace it Kamalah. "Not a bad person to stick around."

Seemed pretty level. Ish. Sort of? Relatively? Didn't seem like he'd hurt anyone outright.

"Tony Stark." Right, he's not famous here, his name means nothing. "You got any hobbies that line up with crafting or building? Cooking isn't anything to sneeze at either. I can build a computer out of almost nothing but unless it's blended or toasted? Not something I can do."

Or he could but it'd end badly.

There's a lot to unpack in what Tony is saying. Kamala starts off with the easy round. "Trust me I know. This is the second time I've done the whole kidnapping thing with Frank. Believe it or not, that's one of his better nicknames. I called him Punching Bag for like weeks when we first met." They've got history. Speaking of history, Kamala is very pointedly staring at Tony's eyes. Aren't Iron Man's eyes supposed to be blue?? Wasn't that a thing???

"Okay... don't take this the wrong way but, I could have sworn Iron Man had blue eyes. Granted I totally never met Iron Man since whenever my Ammi sees superheroes she usually dragged me in the opposite direction because you know danger follows superheroes around, but seriously are you Tony Stark?!" Kamala openly beams at him. "You're in my top three superheroes of all time! Your grant is literally the only reason we even are getting a decent science education! Which thanks for by the way. My bff and I are totally utilizing it as part of our epic plan to go to college without being in debt for the rest of our lives. He's actually a genius so he's making way more progress on the plan than me, but still! I super appreciate it and it definitely reflects in your ranking." He got second place because making sure children learn is more heroic than shield throwing, but Carol Danvers still won first. Spoilers.

"He kind of looks like a punching bag, come to think of it." It's distracting enough a thought to roll around before, well. That. Blue eyes? Sensible parents? Someone happy to see him despite that?

Top three- he'd be offended but he doesn't know who else is in that lineup and he'll take that with a wink and a smile, pulling the ole PR grin up from the dregs somehow. "Iron Man I am, but blue eyes weren't ever something I had. Is this one of those similar but not quite universe things?" He'd heard of them but hadn't experienced them for himself just yet and, well, a universe where he exists but has A) blue eyes and B) a positive influence in kids getting to college without going into student debt through more than just his work with the Maria Stark foundation? A universe he's not going to mind.

Kamala gives it some thought before nodding in agreement. "Pretty sure it is. I'm kind of a superhero expert so I am rarely wrong about this stuff. Less in the weird way and more in the looking up to people who save the planet just seems right way." Or so Kamala tells herself. The fanfiction writing is definitely weird even if it is based off comics that exist in universe!!! Or so Kamala would argue so she can continue being weird.

She resumes chopping garlic now that fangirling is done. Other! Iron Man is still a nice guy in her book so she's determined to get the ball rolling on stuff. Plus she does have a roommate to feed. "You are totally right about him looking like a punching bag. Keep in mind in the last place his face was literally always covered in bruises. We're actually on a roll with him looking more like a person!"

"...That's a little worrying. More than a little worrying. Does he break boards with his face as a hobby or invite violence?" Dealing with the mystery that is Mr. Wurst is easier than trying to preen for things he hasn't technically done. Maybe other Tony's been better able to keep shit from falling apart in his world.

Maybe he avoided Thanos.

Right, too early in the day to think of that shit. So. Frank. Tony leans his weight back against the counter, mug cradled to his chest like it's precious. Seeing as it's coffee? It is. "Was he really mayor wherever you were last time- and how does this mess shake out compared to the last interdimensional holding tang you lived in?"

"We had a club that shall not be named that focused on having our super tough guys teaching the kids self-defense because there was a ton of us and not a whole lot of adults willing to look after us. We kind of had to learn how fend for ourselves if the ten of them that cared about us weren't around. Frank caught kid fists with his face a lot. And ladies. I think that one he actually did for fun instead of for educational purposes." Kamala explains like this is perfectly normal as she drops some of that garlic in a pan to fry up. She stands close enough to it to keep an eye on it and comfortably chat at the same time.

"And yeah he was actually a mayor. He was actually great at the job. He's basically the only reason most of us didn't die a million times over since believe it or not, I was actually one of the older ones. A lot of the people there were younger than thirteen." She recalls with a wistful sigh. She remembers all of them; still worries about them daily. She stirs the garlic as it starts to brown on one side. "It was really hard being there compared to here. I mean back in Reims, even breathing could get you killed without proper soundproofing. There were really bad people who took advantage of the situation which made everything a lot scarier. It was super intense especially compared to this. This is easy as mean as that sounds."

"..." Judging the situation she'd been in- with a group of kids that large, how could any rational adult not want to stick their neck out and help? Survival is one thing, sure, but-

These are kids. You don't put them in a position where they're bound to fail, especially if failure could conceivably mean death. Tony's lips twist as he kicks himself a little for allowing the same, scowl on his lips like a dagger turned ever inward. His baggage can, does, take a backseat. "If any of those people show up here? You let me know."

The situation isn't the same in the slightest, not the same sort of risk in just breathing- but it's indicative of a mentality that Tony? Would rather keep an eye on before shit gets out of hand.

Sometimes Kamala forgets how bad it all sounds. She's reminded of the look her mother had on her face when they really talked about what happened. She'd been angry too at the irresponsibility and cruelty the adults living in the community displayed. It really says something when Wolverine and Elektra are sooner talked into protecting children than everyone else. "I will."

She does one quick stir before going to grab the potatoes. Kamala thinks of how Frank is struggling to get close to anyone his age. Once again she meddles though for a different reason this time. "Look if you know Frank..." She carefully starts knocking slices into the pan to start cooking as she talks. "He went through so much before he even met us; things that would make anyone not be angry at him for staying away from kids, but he did the opposite. He got people to help each other and us. That's why even if he's not my leader anymore, I'd still follow him anywhere. If you could just handle those crazy people so he doesn't have to get hurt anymore trying to save everyone I'd super appreciate it." It's a lot to ask, but he's Iron Man. It's not as hard for him as Frank, the damaged vet with lived out a very deadly revenge fantasy once upon a time before he decided to run himself ragged saving children in a horror town.

"Good." He's not really in any kind of condition to do anything about it but- Rogers hates bullies. Much as he hates the idea of talking to the guy, he can be pointed in the right direction. 'Willing to let children die' generally should be enough to get him to act without asking too many questions. Barnes, maybe, would be more likely to listen to him but-

Everything about Barnes screamed exhaustion. He'd rather not disturb that if he could avoid it.

"You keep him fed, I'll keep him from having to pick fights. Deal." Frank, like Barnes, seemed to need the quiet. The chance to step away from the fight.

Isn't that why we fight, so we can end the fight-

Some people have fought more than their share. Not everyone had to saddle up; Tony wasn't about to make them. He didn't really want to either but- If he can help? He should.

She looks honestly and truly relieved to hear that. Kamala believes him. Yes, he's a perfect stranger. She didn't really have too much luck with the last alternate universe Tony she dealt with. Kamala is pretty big on the second chances thing. She sees the best in people regardless. Right now she sees someone who will finally help her look out for someone very dear to her. "Thanks. You may not be my Iron Man, but you're super nice. I really appreciate it." Which sounds small compared to the favor he's offering, but it's the best she's got. Well that and her ability to make some really delicious hash. He's definitely getting a good portion for that.

She stirs her potato slices for a few seconds before something occurs to her. "Oh! I didn't even tell you my name." She chuckles. "I'm Kamala."

"Well don't let word get around, it'd ruin my nonexistent reputation." It's been the best thing about being here, oddly enough. Not being known. Sure there's a hefty crew from back home- or similar enough to back home to count- but for the most part? No one hears the name 'Stark' and expects him to be any particular way. The weight of legacy and expectation is off his shoulders, letting him stand straight and easy for the first time...pretty much ever.

A little thing like this, like watching out for people that need it? Easy.

"Nice to meet you, Kamala. What are you studying?" If he's helping her get to college debt free, he ought to know.

This is the part where she looks a little embarrassed. "To be honest? I'm totally unfocused when it comes to that. Mostly I just follow along with whatever project the bff is doing along with my million writing projects I do for fun." She claps her hands together as the memory comes back to her. "Oh! I did talk him into doing this project for the next big science fair. We were reading this article in class about how sea creatures are more vulnerable than ever to pollution so I whined to Bruno and we came up with this really awesome portable habitat for them! In case of dire emergencies, of course. Ideally we want them to stay in the ocean! Anyways, we think it'll make a good round one when we enact our annual evil plot to convince colleges to pay for us to go there and not those other totally deserving kids." She rambles off casually before going back to stirring those potatoes.

"Jack of all studies, master of none?" He huffs a quiet laugh. "I know how that is."

Even though, eventually, he mastered most subjects he put his mind to when he was younger? Holding his attention long enough to do that was difficult. "It just makes you that much more versatile."

An assistant or associate that was as flexible as you and could keep up? Fucking invaluable. See: His entire association with Bruce and Rhodey. "That'll get you plenty of attention from the conservationists and marine biology heavy programs. What've you got for round two?"

That makes her smile in pride while staying on task. Of course she wants to hear that it doesn't mean she's fickle or immature to not have her science life figured out at sixteen. Kamala had a lot on her plate before this. While it makes sense why she never committed it still feels good to be validated.

She stirs away while she explains it. "Bestie is taking the lead on that one. He's big into energy. He thinks we can contain it in this super tiny thing that's the size of a nail, but we're having issues getting to not blow up on us. Let's just say we haven't taken tests outside the junkyard yet." Plenty of stuff for them to hide behind there. Plus Kamala can heal if it gets too nasty.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Look out to the future, but it tells you nothing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject