genessia | 01 : VIDEO

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So, I'm a new to this not-quite charming place. Bobbi.

[Bobbi forces a thin smile as she starts the broadcast on her new phone, she seems more annoyed than anything else. She's a woman with long blonde hair, and anyone familiar with SHIELD would likely recognize the insignia on the shoulders of her uniform. On the upside, if she was here, she wouldn't have to be checking in to SHIELD's medical offices twice a week. On the downside... Well, there were a lot of downsides. For one thing--]

Before I ended up here I wasn't alone. He's kind of tall, mouthy, great abs, emotionally stunted, really loves his arrows. If anyone's seen the cocky bowman, could you let me know?

[She's kind of hoping this doesn't have anything to do with the science-terrorists AIM-in-different-colored-suits. This sort of thing seemed way above their paygrade and intellectual capabilities, but she's learned not to discount anything without empirical evidence.]

Also if The Avengers means something to anyone here, we should talk.

[Last time this happened it had been the whole group of them, she's quietly banking that she's not alone, even if she's still being just a little circumspect until she gets her bearings.]

But, most importantly: where's the best place to get coffee around here?

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[Of course the name meant something. And it sounded like she was talking about Hawkeye. That's the only Avenger he was aware of that fit that description. The bowman part at least. He's never met the guy.]

David Haller, son of Charles Xaiver.

Yes, that name keeps showing up as of late! Hello, and welcome to Genessia! So far we've received One Tony Stark, aka "Iron Man", and Captain America. What's your alter ego, if that's not too forward?

I like Teany Tea...oh, coffee. Well, the only one close by that comes to mind is the one in the library.

[She's totally talking about Hawkeye. And she also knows who Charles Xavier was, so that's at least an easy sort of assurance.]

Bobbi Morse, Mockingbird.

You know anything about this place that's not in the travel brochures?

[ Tony made no effort to hide how carefully he was scrutinizing the woman. It had taken him all of half a second to notice the symbol on her clothing. That could either be good or bad, but he couldn't help but think that bad was more likely than good. His eyes narrowed at the description she gave, and despite minor discrepancies there was only one person he knew that began to fit the bill. That person was Clint Barton -- or a version of him. Did that mean this Bobbi was yet another from a similar dimension that was alternate to his own?

At the mention of the Avengers he crossed his arms and looked even more guarded than he had before. Her Avengers wouldn't be his, no, but he still considered all of this very much his business. ]

Before I answer any of those questions I think I'd like to know exactly who you are. No offense but I have trust issues.

[ He wasn't going to go first and he really didn't think he needed to. Haller and the other guy had known him, after all. ]

I guess I should say welcome then, for what that's worth.

[He shrugs.]

I'm never quite sure to say to new arrivals. Welcome to Genessia, we don't know how to leave and you're probably stuck here. But hey, at least it's not too dangerous most of the time.

[Well, that's good to know. And really, if there's anyone she'd want to have landed in a strange world, Tony Stark and Cap would both be on that list. So would a few other people, but she's trying to not be too greedy. No mention of Hawkeye, though. She's hoping SHIELD picked him up and whatever this was only grabbed her.]

Mockingbird.

What's your name? You been here long?

[She tries to keep her tone conversational.]

Interesting, for both names. Does "Bobbi" come from Robert, or Barbara? Is your superpower the ability to mimic perfectly? That ought to come in handy for impersonations.

I'm Ted, and yes, I've been here almost two years lately.

I've been here nearly two years, so I know a bit. Is there anything specific you wanted to know?

[She blinks at the video display for a moment, looking half exasperated and half, well... given what she's been hearing recently? She can think of a lot of reasons he might not be open-arms to his friends. She sighs, lips curling into half of a smirk.]

You always have trust issues, Tony. Not that I blame you.

[Her tone is familiar, a little snarky, but it's definitely friendly. Like she knows him. Eventually she rolls her eyes.]

Bobbi Morse. Agent 19, Mockingbird? You really don't know who I am?

[She pauses and her lips thin, and her face goes serious and a little grim. She sighs. She wonders if he's somehow from further back in the timeline, the Skrull Invasion? Was that even possible? But, well, she hadn't heard anything about Tony Stark vanishing--]

I heard about Rhodey. Are you okay?

Well, that sounds downright boring. What do you kids do for fun around here?

[A lift of an eyebrow as she looks at him through the video screen.]

Anyone still working on finding a way back? How long has this been happening?

[Scientist that she is, she has about a hundred different questions here, but she's trying to keep it casual. More or less.]

Most kids have jobs here to keep us busy. [He makes a face. ] Apparently there's no child labor laws around here.

And then there's, you know, other typical stuff. [Like spending most of the nights patrolling the cities for supernatural trouble. Vigilantism had a way of really taking up all your free time.]

Oh sure, people are looking. But I've been here more than a year, and no one ever succeeded in figuring anything out. And I know there are a lot of people here who've been here a lot longer than that.

It has its ups and downs. [ the biggest downside, of course, being here in the first place. ] I'm sorry you were brought here, and I'll keep an eye out for your friend.

Barbara. Just.. don't ever call me that. As far as for what my superpower is... well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

[She hits things really hard; she got her monicker before all of that. Clint wasn't the only mouthy one.]

Were there people here before you? Any idea how long this has been happening for?

[You need enough data to come up with a hypothesis. She's working on that part of the equation.]

That's fair, even if its meaning is so fitting.

Haha, you're stronger than I if you'd reveal your identity but not your talent; I'd be tempted to show off. I'll keep an eye on the newspaper just in case you make your debut.

[He nods] Yes, plenty before me. As for how long...well, the oldest network post I can find is from seven years ago. Then nothing at all for four years. After that, the city resurrected from some hibernation. Finally: here we are! Though there's no telling, at least by my wits, how long the world has been going before the network altogether.

That's rough. Have you tried complaining to the management? Assuming there is a management, of course.

[She's still trying to work out the rules of this place: you find the rules and then you find out a workable theory on how to break them. Test and adjust your hypothesis. Account for the variables. She's working on it.]

What sort of typical stuff?

[She's curious. And gathering information. Never make value assumptions at this stage.]

Any idea how long ago this first started happening?

Nothing too specific, yet. Figuring out who's here, and how this place works. Trying to see if there's any monsters in the dark or mysterious overlords to worry about.

No one seems to know how long this has been happening, or how it happens. You have any better grasp on the situation?

[She's a scientist, and well, she has a SHIELD medical lab to pay a visit to, and a couple people that need to be punched in the face.]

Moon Knight is here, I'm pretty sure he's from the same world as me. I'm not sure if you are or not. There is a Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Johnny Storm here as well. Steve Rogers and Johnny Storm look alike for some reason.

There are five cities here. The one you are in now is Genessia City. They all have Guardians, basically people elected to run and protect the city. I'm the Guardian of this one. Genessia City, Attleton and Everglade are your mostly average cities. Nova City is super advanced and Fayren is primitive, but what they lack in tech they make up for in magic.

There are spirits that appear to run this place. As far as we know, they are responsible for bringing us here. We don't know why yet, but they haven't done anything to actually hurt us. For the most part they just let us live our lives.

There are bad guys here and crime, so if you want to continue fighting that, you won't find it in short supply. I've been here for almost two years, but I think some have been here almost three. As far as I know, no one has been here longer than that.

There are investigations being conducted by people here into this place. Notably Olivia Moore. She's a friend of mine.

Any recommendations for things to do while I'm stuck here?

[Really, considering some of the things she's been through, this is more frustrating than particularly upsetting. She'd been lost in time once. Not that she was thrilled with a repeat performance, mind you. She had things to do.]

Thanks. I'd hate if something happened to him.

[And Clint and trouble did tend to go together surprisingly often.]

What's your name?

There are a lot of guys with great abs here...

[Airy bites her lower lip, she can't believe she said that out loud.]

The best place for coffee is the Cat's Eye. [She knows because her roommate really likes coffee and she's adopted the obsession.]

Also I think I've heard of The Avengers from someone before...

[ The way she addressed him so casually confirmed his suspicion that she must have known some other version of him, but despite that the way she spoke seemed to indicate that she and that other Tony Stark were friends, she definitely wasn't with the one she was speaking to now. He didn't like how vulnerable the position put him in. ]

I know who you are now.

[ He was still watching her movements rather closely and his guard remained high. The stern look on his face only cracked slightly when she mentioned Rhodey. ]

Why are you asking me if I'm okay? You're supposed to ask about him.

[ He suddenly felt a sense of dread. Had something happened that he didn't know about? Surely she meant the incident with Vision. Surely. Even if timelines and universes didn't entirely align some events could stay the same, so why was she asking like he was --

There was actually a hint of apprehension in his gaze then. ]

[Man... she really takes him back. Bobbi should recognize this fellow ex-Whacko, even without his shroud.]

Mockingbird, good to see you. Figured Genessia would bring a few more of us here.

Oddly enough, no one's been nice enough to put out a suggestion box.

But hey, it didn't turn out too bad for me. [He grins. ] I run the projector at the planetarium.

Oh, I don't know. Movies. Junk food. Trying not to die when some kind of disaster happens.

No clue. You'd have to ask one of the people who've been here longer. Maybe one of the city guardians?

[ Another one from that alternate universe? He usually doesn't bother but... ]

Haven't seen Barton. Sorry.

Given the current situation? I suppose so.

I'm still adjusting to this whole... thing. Let's just say I'm not feeling particularly overwhelmed by the urge to show off.

[Not yet anyway. Back her into a corner and she had her moments, make no mistake.]

Interesting. Any notable calamities in the time you've been here?

[It's almost always a good place to start. Or maybe she was just too accustomed to calamities.]

Do you have a system for figuring out who's from the same world? Or do we just play near world-ending event bingo and see how many we have in common?

[Steve Rogers and Johnny Storm looking similar is strange, but something she'll look into later. A side effect of being from different worlds? Who knows. She'll work that out once she's settled in here.]

I suppose saying pretty please and asking those spirits to send us back hasn't worked out?

[She figures if it was that simple there wouldn't be so many people lamenting their ability to get back.]

There are always bad guys, one way or another. Olivia Moore? Hmm. Well, I'd certainly be interested in meeting her.

[Well, that gets Bobbi's attention, and she smiles brightly. Finally someone addressing the other important issues.]

Oh, come on now. You can't say something like that without giving examples. Which guys have the best abs? It's a very important subject.

['Jerks with great abs' is sort of Bobbi's type. Just look at her ex-husband.]

And thanks. I really need good coffee before I can start working through this whole trapped in a different world thing.

I find there is a few cafes around genessia that do nice coffee. But I don't exactly have a favourite of all favourite places just yet.

[Even though she has been here for a good few months now.]

[She'd thought for a moment that maybe he just hadn't recognized her, but it's his reaction to Rhodey that finally flicks the switch that has her wondering if maybe he's not the Tony she knows, or at least not when she knew him. This whole alternate reality thing isn't usually her preferred area of scientific expertise.]

Tony...

[Because god, how does she even answer that? Her voice is soft, but it's not pity as much as it is empathy. She can see that touch of apprehension, and she doesn't want to tell him. Have to explain that Rhodey had died, that she'd been at the funeral, and so she's asking about him because by all accounts he's been taking it spectacularly poorly, not that Bobbi can blame him. Losing people tends to do that.

The fact that he looks apprehensive and not confused just makes that conversation harder.]

I'm guessing there's some sort of alternate worlds thing going on here.

[Clint would accuse her of misdirecting, trying to change the conversation. He would also be right. But, she didn't have to feel bad about him being right since he wasn't actually here to say it. That thought wasn't actually a comfort. There's a pause, and she knows that she can't not tell him now, and she hates that.]

I was at the funeral. He was.. a good man.

[She honestly really hasn't had the time to process it.]

[Airy is trying not to blush, if she named people they'd hear her so she promptly flicks the video to private.]

I think we'd need to vote for the best but there are a lot of very... nice looking guys here. [Wow, she acts like she's never really talked about this before.]

Coffee does help with that.

[Thinking about abs always makes Airy think of Nathan first but she doesn't really want to share those abs.]

Heh, suppose humility comes with heroics, super or otherwise.

Funny you should ask; one such calamity practically defines the world, at least to me.

The world is protected by barriers, one in each city, that mark the limits for where one may go. Walk too far afield and you're liable to find your next moment in a hospital. What the barriers protect us from are ravenous spirits. Evil, hollow things that would like nothing better than to hollow out someone and consume their hearts. Metaphorically speaking. About one year ago, in Everglade, the barrier broke, and hordes of them got in. Thankfully we managed to patch things up again once this world's native spirits were appeased with sacrifices.

...That probably sounds worse than it is; might as well mention now that skills or memory serve as a kind of currency here. Somehow the native spirits draw power from that, and used willing sacrifices to restore the barrier. Maintaining that shell seems to occupy much of their time and energy.

Sadly, none of use are quite insane enough to be chroniclers, so there's no official, catchy name for all that yet.

World-ending event bingo, basically. Or just event bingo. That's really the only way to tell.

[He honestly doesn't know. He hasn't checked into it.]

I wish. A whole lot of people would be back in their worlds already if they were that nice. [But this place wasn't so terrible.]

I can introduce you sometime, if you like. She's a good person. And incredibly smart. [Good looking too. But that's not relevant.]

To be honest, I'm rather glad he's not stuck here. I just hope he got home safe. It's nice to see you, though. It's been a while.

[Bucky actually gets a smile, and she looks rather glad to see him, a sort of warmth as she slip off those yellow glasses.]

So this is all real, more or less? If not for the fact that this seems a bit outlandish for SHIELD...

Lovely. What's the prize for winning? And where do we start? The Skrull invasion?

[No, really. There's been so many catastrophes she's almost lost track. Just recently it's Thanos and Rhodey's death, and just -- seriously, if it's not one thing it's something else.]

I'd definitely be interested. Always worth getting to know the good, smart ones.

This is a very important subject. We need names, and ideally pictures.

[Bobbi adjusts her glasses, letting them slide partially down her nose, her smile decidedly mischievous. Bobbi had really no shame when it came to appreciating the masculine form.]

And does the jury have a favorite?

[Airy is apparently the jury in this inquiry. And come on now, everyone has their favorite pair of abs. She should really share with the class.]

Someone said you were around here. Not that I'm too surprised -- when this sort of nonsense happens, it's never just one of us.

[Pulled through time, kidnapped by Skrull, now whatever this is... she's really nowhere near as impressed by this kind of thing as she had once been. And no, the third time isn't actually any more charming.]

How are things in this place?

Someone else mentioned that the Cat's Eye does a nice cup of coffee, if you were interested.

So what does a girl do for fun around these parts?

[Bobbi is many things, but one of them is a woman that enjoys her downtime almost as much as she usually enjoys her work.]

[ The way she said his name was enough. She didn't need to go on from there. He could felt his stomach twist with nothing short of absolute terror and shock flooding his entire mind and body. He suddenly didn't care that their worlds were different or that he hardly knew a thing about her or anything else.

Had the statement not hit him so hard he would have questioned if she was telling the truth but it felt real enough to ignite his fears in the same way they had fired off uncontrollably when Rhodey had been shot out of the sky. Tony had been so afraid that he'd lost him then, but Bobbi's words...

He was dead. His best and closest friend was dead. It wasn't his Rhodey, but it was still Rhodey. It didn't matter what the difference was. In some reality Tony had failed him and that was enough to send him close to toppling over the edge. ]

How?

[ It was the only word he could manage. Tony didn't want to lose control of himself, to panic, but he could feel the familiar sensation choking him and making it harder to breathe. He didn't even know what emotion to stick to. Grief, shame, anger? Why was this happening. Why was this happening. Why had it happened? ]

I would be interested.

[She smiled slightly.]

It depends on what you think is fun. I usually read.

[She's telling it like it is and Marc's not complaining. He's settled in pretty well, but it's never bad to see someone else from home. Except supervillains. Anyone but supervillains.]

The hologram's correct. It is 'relatively safer' here than our world, but don't prop your feet up just yet. Each city has its own flavor of troublemaker, from terrorists in Nova City to monsters in Everglade... to outsiders just like you and me.

[His face briefly clouds over at some recent memory.]

So while the lab coats work on finding a way back, I lend the Guardians an unsolicited hand or two. Plenty of wronged night travelers, plenty of cries for vengeance. Business as usual. [A mild shrug.] You know how it is.

[Airy flushes a little bit.]

Well, yeah. [She still doesn't want to share that one set of abs.] To start there is Steve... I haven't seen him without a shirt on but you can tell through his shirt. I think Marco has abs too but he wears like... winter clothes. [She doesn't get why when its so bloody hot out.] Johnny is really hot- [Airy has to stop herself from giggling before she can continue. Puns make her laugh.]-but he knows it. He's not afraid to show it off though.

Clay has abs. [She saw him at the beach.] and I'm pretty sure Blaze does too. [Her curiosity will make her want to ask Blaze.] Joseph too...and Ace?

[She can't remember them all... what is with this world and abs?]

It wasn't your fault.

[She feels the need to assure him of that before anything else, even if she's almost certain that he won't listen. She still needs to say it, to tell him that.]

The way I heard it, there was a tip that the PEGASUS facility was going to be attacked by a very powerful entity. Rhodey volunteered to help with the mission and things went bad. Energy blast to the chest and it just...

[There's a slight pause at the start, because she's editing herself, just a little. Trying not to bring up what a mess Rhodey's death caused and how all signs look like they're diving toward another Civil War. She sighs, reaching up and dragging a hand through her hair. She wasn't going to tell him that these things happened, or some other stupid platitude. That said, she didn't really have something good to say, either.

She settles for looking at the camera sadly.]

I feel like I owe you a drink.

[The uniform with its clear SHIELD insignia is what first catches his attention, although the woman herself isn't familiar. It's not as if he was able to grow familiar with every SHIELD agent while he worked there. But if she's still affiliated with SHIELD, that must mean she's either from a time before its down fall or...from a different universe.

Either way, by the time she mentions the Avengers he knows that he needs to speak with her. Whoever she might be. When he appears on the screen his expression is wary set with a mix of curiosity. After all, she could be a HYDRA spy.]

This is Captain Steve Rogers. I don't believe we've had the pleasure.

If by Steve, you mean Steve-Rogers, Captain-America, his-abs-are-made-of-freedom, then I will completely agree with you. And if you don't, we should totally put him on the list.

[They're making a list now, apparently.]

Bucky has great abs. Well, I'm pretty sure. Call it 98% sure.

[She's only seen him over video feed and there was a problematic inclusion of his shirt, but well, she knows that the Bucky in her world has great abs. So she's just going to draw a parallel.]

The others I don't know. Maybe we should have a competition. How many of them do you think we could get topless?

[Realtalk about who has the best abs is clearly the most important part of getting settled in a new world.]

[Airy's glad that she doesn't get as flustered as she used too. She thinks about Nathan's response to her inspecting guys abs... that conversation wouldn't go well but now she's thinking about abs and its really hard to stop.]

Yeah, it's Steve Rogers. I haven't met Bucky... is he here?

[Now she wants to meet him.]

I know it isn't hard to get Johnny topless... you just need to ask. Actually, he looks a lot like Steve. [She might be imagining that.]

We actually have. But, I hear not everyone I know is actually from my world, so you get a pass for not remembering me. This one time.

[She's a little playful about it, in good spirits as her lips curve into a half-smirk. It's a bit of an act, because she still has bad associations with that disconnect -- that feeling of not knowing how she got here that feels like a hole in her memory. But she's a spy, so she plays it off, smiles and makes a list of who has the best abs. It's easier, and she's never been the sort to over-share anyway, unless there's a point to it.]

I know who you are, but I suppose you'll want to know who I am. Any burning questions?

Most recommend that you find some kind of employment for the time being. Complimentary housing — if it can be called that — only lasts for so long, and a steady income is required to stay here. There are numerous opportunities. I believe the Welcome Center has a listing.

[ she didn't enjoy telling people to essentially settle in, but at the moment, that seemed to be the only option. when a way home was discovered that was more than just an infusion of new memories via the dream docks, she'd fight for it. but there was nothing to fight for now other than simple survival. ]

Relena. Relena Darlian.

I'll buy you an ice cream cone. I heard about it. Nasty mess. [He's pretty sure that a lot of people probably still believe Skrulls are still impersonating some people.]

The Phoenix getting split and inhabiting Scott Summers and his merry band of miscreants?

[Well, that answers that. Different world it is. Something which is far more unsettling than her being one of many SHIELD agents he might have met in passing without remembering her face. His reputation does tend to precede him in his own world. And, apparently, in other worlds as well.]

Your name would be a good place to start, I think.

[ She was right. He wouldn't listen. He hadn't prevented it so it was his fault. The only thing that kept the anxiety and raw grief from engulfing him was how angry he felt. ]

Oh? Wasn't it? Don't try to placate me, Morse. It's always my fault. If you know me at all you should that my failures are an undeniable multi-universal constant. Why the hell didn't I stop him? Was I even there?! I should have --

[ Oh god. There it was. He couldn't breathe. ]

I was supposed to be --

[ He had to cover his face then. He couldn't keep it together. Whatever she'd said after the fact was completely lost on him because the only thing he could feel was his heart threatening to pump out of his chest and tears stinging behind his eyelids. ]

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