video; action - ota

[neversurrender]

video;

[A blond haired man appears on screen, the expression on his face friendly if somewhat tense. Steve has experienced some pretty strange things in his life, and if it's taught him anything it's the importance of being on your guard; especially when you're lacking needed information or control of the situation. Which, in this case, he has neither.

Glimpses of the magazine stand can be seen behind him, making his location clear. As far as starter information begins, he has to admit that it succinctly explains the situation and offers a jumping point for people to find housing and jobs, but at the same time it doesn't offer much information on what he's mostly concerned with; returning home.]

Hello, my name is Steve Rogers. I'm a new arrival here and I have some additional questions that I have not found answered so far. Miss Schnee mentions that no one yet knows how to return home, but that they are people working towards that goal here. For those people I have to ask, has anything of interest been discovered? What kind of progress has been made regarding returning home? I would also like to offer my assistance in this where it's needed, either it be to a group working together in this or individuals who wouldn't mind sharing information.

[His situation back home might be precarious at best, but he has people relying on him that he needs to return to. This talk of creating a life here might sound nice in theory, but the fact is that they're all prisoners here, whether they like it or not. And that does not endear this place to Steve. He's already had to rebuild a new life once.]

I'm also interested in any information that might be good for a new comer to know. Anything that might not have been mentioned in the brochures. [Most of which he's at least skimmed.] Even if you think I might have heard it before, feel free to share whatever information you think might be important.

[He pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath. He knows he needs to ask, but he's not sure what kind of response he would prefer. What would be better; having people from his world here just as stuck as he is, or being here alone?]

...If the name Captain America means anything to anyone, let me know.

around Genessia;

[Steve is a little wary of attempting to access one of the other cities and so he keeps to Genessia for now, exploring the city and getting to know his surroundings. He can be found in various places around the city such as the Bright Sky Diner, stopping in for a quick lunch, the Employment Building, the Garden Park, and more!]

Comments

Around Genessia (i'm here to ruin everything)

[offwithhishat]

[ Garden Park was one of the few places Jefferson felt like he could find any semblance of peace as of late. He had entirely too much going on in his mind as usual, but at the very least he'd set a goal of sorts for himself. Something small, but obtainable.

Working at the city's flower shop had done a lot to increase his appreciation of Genessia's native flora, and he also knew that the very special girl who ran that shop needed reasons to smile more than ever. He was no artist by any stretch of the imagination, but drawing things for her had become a useful sort of therapy.

He had decided to try sketching out some of the plant life near the pond, his hat at his side on the bench he'd chosen. His eyes flitted upward when he noticed an unfamiliar man wandering around, but his usual eccentric courtesy seemed to be on an extended leave. ]

you ruin all the things

[neversurrender]

[While it's not exactly Central Park, Steve finds the open area and the surrounding nature to be comforting. It has the same calming atmosphere that most parks seem to have, something which Steve highly appreciates at this moment. Being kidnapped and brought to a new world where you're told you're not able to leave is the exact opposite of calming.

It's like losing the life he's been building these past couple of years and being told to start over from scratch. But this time he has no reputation, no relevance, and no SHIELD to offer him a job and provide him with the information he needs. This time he's been cast adrift and it's not a good feeling.

Hence the park. Its calming beauty takes his mind off his troubles for a little while and has his hand itching for a pencil and paper. Speaking of, he catches sight of someone sitting on a bench off to the side, sketching. Great minds...

He approaches, looking forward to his first in person encounter since his arrival, and with someone who he could potentially talk art with. But the moment the man's face comes into focus he stops in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. It doesn't make sense on so many levels; the art and the two good arms coupled with that face. A face he knows almost as well as he knows his own.]

Bucky?

[Video]

[burning_highway]

Well, I know what America is, but I've never heard of that specific name.

[Video]

[neversurrender]

Well, that's a start I guess. We might just be from different worlds, both which have America? I mean, in my world it would be pretty hard to avoid that name.

[Captain America and the Avengers are very high profile all across the world. His world. If someone hasn't heard his code name it's a good bet they're from somewhere else.]

Around Genessia

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy is staring with a blank gaze at a bulletin board in the Employment building. It's surprising difficult for her to find a job. At least one that she might be half way decent at. Her skills are more suited for random nonsense over anything that might be put on a resume.

With a heavy sigh she turns away from the board and calls today at bust. She has one job offer to follow up on so she'll do that first. It isn't as if she's in a rush but she'd rather start helping her roommate with the bills.

When she turns she has to pause, almost running directly into Steve. She blinks and realizes that she's staring at his chest. It's a curse of being short though she quickly steps back and looks up at the man she almost ran into. Not that it would have mattered, she gets the sense of a brick wall when she looks at him; she would have just been the small fly that tried to move it.]

Ah, sorry. [Airy flashes him a bright smile.] Captain America?

[She shakes her head and quickly clears up any misunderstandings before they begin.]

I saw your broadcast on the network. You're new right? Hi, or welcome or whatever you say to a fellow kidnappie. I'm Airy and you're Steve? Right? Unless you don't want me to call you by your first name.

[She's rambling.]

[neversurrender]

[After spending some time getting acquainted with the rest of the city and clearing his head, Steve decides to stop in at the Employment Building to see what kinds of jobs were available. He had been told he would need a job to support himself here just as he would in his own world and there's no reason not to get a jump on that. Especially since he doesn't even know where he's going to be living just yet.

There's someone standing in front of the bulletin board when he arrives so he stands nearby, waiting for her to finish. When she moves he tries to step out of her way and almost isn't fast enough. Almost.]

No problem. [He smiles back reassuring. But his smile slips in surprise when she uses his codename. For a moment he believes she might actually know who he is, but that's case aside when she explains.]

Steve is fine. It's nice to meet you, Airy. So, did you see anything of interest? [He gestures towards the bulletin board.]

Video; Private

[skilledwithwords]

Hello Steve.

[Levy tries to smile though there is a hunting look in her gaze. A lot has happened recently and she's slowly recovering.]

I'm actually looking into that, with a few others. We have some information, I keep a lot of what I've learned at my bookshop. It's protected by wards. We aren't very close at the moment but we're working on it.

I don't know if it will help but we know that time doesn't pass while we are here and people are often taken from different times. I think... there are parts of the pamphlets that aren't up to date either.

Video; Private

[neversurrender]

Would you mind if I took a look at what you've collected so far? I would like to know what has already been found out so that going forward I may be of more use. How many of you are working on this, if you don't mind my asking? Are you all working together?

I guess people being taken from different times would be easy enough to figure out, but how do we know for certain that time doesn't pass back home? Do we know for sure?

Perhaps it's about time for some new additions to be made to it.

[youfool]

[It came true!]

"Yes, that means something to me! Mr. David Haller so much as prophesied that 'Earth's mightiest heroes'--his words, not mine--might arrive sooner or later. And one so near and dear to my heart, or at least my home and hearth. Captain America! How have I never laid eyes on you till now?

Oh, but you wanted to sate your curiosity. As Levy said, our worlds are running along fine. I could tell you why, but it'll be a lot faster if you take things on faith. As for progress on returning home, nothing material has manifested. Practically speaking, it's more useful and more fun to stop thinking of it and instead treat the here and now as your home for all intents and purposes. There simply has to be a reason for your being here, and if you're stalwart you'll no doubt find and fulfill it.

Information for newcomers...where to begin? Well, don't wander too far outside city limits, or you'll white out. Everglade, the city to the west, is desperately wicked and allows wholesale murder to legally occur to humans at night. Don't ask me how that outrage hasn't been addressed; goodness know I've frustrated myself too often thinking about it.

[The communication turns Private for this one]
Right now everyone's recovering from a batch of pain doled out by one Mr. Battler, who's done dark things to a good many people. I try not to give it more thought than it deserves, for it's clear he's got an interest in spreading mental anguish through broadcasting his physical tortures. Just in case you notice a dark cloud hanging over all.

[Back to Public]
I've been here for a very long time, so I have the privilege of knowing a lot, and could really go on. [If his boy scout motormouth is any indication] Why, half the fun is discovering everything yourself! Is there anything specific you might need? That way I needn't bombard you with trivia too much.

[neversurrender]

[He's a little blown away and doesn't know quite where to begin. Who is David Haller? What's this prophecy he's had about the Avengers? But no, that's not where his focus needs to be right now. From the sounds of it this guys isn't likely from his world.]

That might be practical but I don't think it's that easy. We all have lives and people who have been left behind that I'm sure most of us would like to get back to. It's not so easy just to cast that aside and decide this place is where I'll build a new life. We may be forced to do that by necessity but that doesn't mean we stop looking for a way out.

White out? What does that mean? [It doesn't sounds good. And Everglade sounds ever worst.] Who is in charge of Everglade? Doesn't each city have a...a Guardian? Or something?

[Private]

He's been torturing people? Has he been caught? [Something tells him no. But how can a guy, whose name is known, broadcast torture and not be caught?] Don't tell me he's hiding out in Everglade? [It would make sense at this point!]

[End Private]

Not anything specific, no. Aside from what I asked already. But you've been very helpful. Do you mind me asking how long you've been here?

private text + action;

[kto]

[ Steve. It's a feeling of instantaneous relief that he's there. Then guilt that he is and had the audacity to be relieved by him getting just as trapped as he is. And Tony Stark. It makes him feel sick to his stomach. He was fine with it being just him. He deserved it. He doesn't have a lot to offer the world besides trying to protect what he cares about. But them? Steve can move mountains. Stark makes messes but at least he tries. A for effort or something. Stick to tech. ]

Stay where you are.
[ That's probably a lot more ominous than he intends to. He probably should have said it was him. Whatever. Too late. It's really hard to text with one hand. ]

He's already moving when he sends that because the location was completely given away the moment the video came up by those magazines. (Steve should know better than to instantly give away his location, he thinks. There's a threat around.)

It's not going to take him long to get to him. Never really has. And when he gets there he ... has no idea what to do for a second and just stands there like he has to try and remember how to start talking. He was doing so well at that before he got here. ]

Steve. [ There we go. Nailed it. Excellent communication. He drops some of his tension. ]

action;

[neversurrender]

[The text is very ominous, not to mention random, and if Steve were a smarter person he would hightail it out of there and get as far from his current position as possible. Like, who doesn't at least give their name at the bottom?

But fortunately for Bucky, Steve's self preservation skills have always been a little faulty and he's just curious enough about the text to wait it out and see who shows up. Maybe it's someone from home, although he tries very hard not to get his hopes up, or someone who would rather give him information in person.

Either way, he's leaning against the magazine stand when Bucky arrives, flipping through one of the pamphlets. He looks up when he hears someone approach and freezes. His eyes scan over his friend's body from head to toe, lingering a moment on the empty space where his metal arm used to be. He's heard of people being brought from different times, but if Bucky is missing his arm then they can't be from a time too far apart from each other.]

Bucky. [Wow their conversation skills are just super on point today. He places the pamphlet back in its holder before taking a couple of steps forward.]

I take it you're the one who send me the anonymous text? [He raises a brow, giving his friend a 'really?' look. But several decades as an assassin probably makes it hard to leave the cloak and dagger stuff behind.]

Around Genessia

[schrodingersghost]

As much as Danny liked his job at the planetarium, it really took up a lot of his day. He kind of felt guilty sometimes at spending so much of the day working instead of patrolling. So during his lunch breaks he often came back to Genessia City and spend some time flying around. Just checking to see that no horrible disasters had happened.

Today had been another fairly quiet today, so about halfway through his break he had ended up landing on a branch on the top of a tree in the park.

...He hadn't really been expecting it to break. Danny lets out a yelp of surprise as he intangibly crashes down through the tree branches and barely manages to start floating again just a few feet above the ground.

Oops.

The ghost hastily glances around to see if there had been any audience to his klutz moment.

[neversurrender]

Steve is strolling through the park, hands tucked into his pants pockets, just enjoying the silent calmness of the park that helps ease his mind, when he hears a loud snapping sound of a tree branch breaking off a tree not far from him.

He races towards it, hoping no one had been standing under that particular tree, and stops in his tracks at what he's seeing. Okay so for a guy that has friends who can play and call down lightening, seeing a kid floating really isn't that shocking. But it's still a surprise when you're not expecting it okay.

So Steve just stands there for a moment, staring, before finally managing to speak.

"Are...are you okay?" He looks fine but...you never know.

[Video]

[infinitejustice]

[Captain America? What a curious name. Athrun can't help but be intrigued. He has no direct connection to the US, but it's where his parents were born and raised, so he feels a bit of sentimentality toward it -- even if its government had fallen under the sway of an organization that wanted people like him dead.]

I'm one of the people who has been searching for a way home.

[The video feed shows a young man, in either his late teens or early twenties. He bears a serious, yet tired, expression.]

So far, I've had zero luck. I've met some people who went home and returned, but unfortunately, they didn't leave of their own volition. So they have no idea how it happened.

[Video]

[neversurrender]

[He's been hearing that there hasn't been much found regarding returning home, and he can't help but feel more disappointed every time it's brought up. There has to be clues or something that can explain what's happened to them. He has to believe that.]

If they didn't control it, are we thinking that it's this place doing it? Or whoever is in charge of it? They brought us here so it wouldn't be a surprise if they could return us and drag us back on a whim. [But even so that doesn't get them any closer to figuring how why or how.]

video

[orangeoutlaw]

[is eating. Which isn't unusual. Food crammed in the side of his mouth like he's a freckle faced chipmunk. He doesn't have any answers but he does have a question so]

America? That something you did, something that happened or somewhere you were?

[because it feels like a title to him]

video

[neversurrender]

[Dude. Someone needs to learn better table manners.]

It's a country. My country. [In case the implication wasn't clear enough.]

video

[spoilsfun]

That sounds like a very unfortunate last name to have, if you're in the American army.

video

[neversurrender]

It's not a last name. It's a title. But I was in the U.S. Army.

video;

[livable]

The GSRF is trying. We focus more on the science-side of finding information, then we share with someone named Levy McGarden, since she's trying to keep a general record at her shop. The founder is missing at the moment, but if you've got any background in science, we could use your help. I could use your help. The GSRF is very short-staffed. Ever since we started finding information it seems like we're running out of scientists to find more.

video;

[neversurrender]

That sounds like very important work you're doing. I would love to help, but I'm not a scientist in any capacity. [But he has been a science experiment.] But if I ever run across anything that might be of interest you can be sure I'll be willing to share. Teamwork seems like a better way to go than working solo on this.

[psychic_supremecy]

All I can say about the initiative to return us to our worlds is that there are some of us that do not wish to return to our worlds. I know those searching for a way have said they will not force anything on the others, however it is something worth being aware of at the least.

[neversurrender]

That seems fair. Miss Schnee mentioned something like that in her message. I have no problem if there are people here who would prefer to stay. I just think it's a choice that everyone should be able to make for themselves. Those of us who want to return should be allowed to work towards that goal without issue.

[private text]

[mechanica]

[ It took Tony a long while to respond, considering he had seen the video hours earlier. He had to force himself to, but he eventually did it. Once was all his nerves could handle. His initial reaction had been particularly difficult to deal with, but it wasn't like he could avoid the inevitable forever. ]

We need to talk.

It's Tony.

[private text]

[neversurrender]

[To say he's surprised is an understatement. Surprised. Worried. Guilty. The last time he and Tony had been face-to-face hadn't ended well and he's not naive enough to think that writing one heartfelt letter would be enough to resolve their problems. And that's if Tony has even read his letter yet.

But they're both stuck here and, aside from Bucky, Tony is the only other person from their world who has contacted him. And Steve can't deny the fact that having another familiar face around is nice. No matter how strained his relationship with Tony is currently.]

Do you have a place in mind?

[Because...clearly they should do this face-to-face.]

video

[xuwu]

I know one piece of useful information, at least. [ There is a menacing smile that's not at all kind on this guy's face. ] Don't insult the snakes.

video

[neversurrender]

[Okay. That's not random or eerie at all.]

What snakes?

Video - Better late than never?

[wizard_redfive]

[Dairine has to hold in an overjoyed cry when she sees that face on her screen, especially when he introduces herself. Oh Powers that Be, it's been too long since she's seen him. She doesn't want to weird him out in case he doesn't remember her like Tony, but oh, Dairine has missed Steve so much. There's so much she wishes to tell him.]

[Despite her attempts at restraint, when she turns on the video on her end, the teenage girl can't help but smile.]

Hi, Steve! I can help out with more information.

[Perhaps a little informal for a first meeting. Since he asked, Dairine figures she might as well cut to the chase.]

And yeah, I know Captain America.

Video - yes! sorry this is so late

[neversurrender]

[The girl's enthusiasm is a bit surprising, and it's clear she knows who he is even without her mentioning her knowledge of Captain America. Have they pulled children from his world as well? But why?]

I would really appreciate that. [He smiles.] But first, what's your name?