middleofsomewhere

Entry tags:

To Climb

Preparation

Just after light on the seventh day since boarding the train everyone’s SCA glows with the colours of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come. No one gets much time to process this before there is a shaking, like turbulance before there’s a jolt and flash of colour.

”Welcome to Hub World#5739. Our next stop will be Ciyesia in a few hours.”

Outside the windows the void is gone. The train is winding through a mountain range. The mountains tower up around them. The sky is a beautiful blue though every now and again there is a swirl of colour, like the void is trying to break through.

The countryside wizzes by, sometimes you go past settlements, small villages of wooden houses. Sometimes you pass farmers in fields. Sometimes herds of animals, horses, camels, strange animals with six legs and curled horns.

Eventually the train slows. ”Now arriving at Ciyesia. Passengers must wear their Safety Control Apparatus. Please ensure you take all equipment needed for your mission with you when you leave the train and take extra care when you step from the train to the platform. Next stop Ciyesia.”

Arrival

And in a billow of steam the train comes to a stop. The doors hiss open and there is indeed a rickety wooden platform, fallen into disuse. Sat upon it were two children, a boy and a girl who were staring at the train with open mouths.

Before the doors were even fully opened they were off running, “Ma! Ma!”

The platform is in a clearing, surrounded mostly by trees but down the path the children took a building can be seen. If you follow the children you will find it a large homestead, with a sign outside. The Weary Wanderer. The children are on the doorstep talking to a woman and gesturing towards you.

As you approach she smiles, a little nervously. “Well. This is not something I thought I would see in my lifetime. Welcome Treckers, I offer you the hospitality of my inn.”

She gestures them in. Inside is a large common room with wooden tables. There is a fire place but the day is warm enough that it is not lit. At first glance it looks old fashioned to anyone from a modern world, even fantasy-esque for those who would recognise it as such. Indeed her and the children are dressed in simple layered, loose tunics. But then you may notice some of the candles are battery powered and! there’s a coffee machine on the bar.

“Maia can you ask our guests what they would like to drink?” The woman hands the little girl a slate and chalk before she begins rummaging around on the bar for mugs and glasses. “I’m sorry, it’s the quiet season so we aren’t quite guest-ready.”

They become guest ready in an impressive amount of time. The little boy runs off and returns a short while later with a plate of oat biscuits that he begins handing out.

Sheltered and soon to be fed it is time to learn more about this land and plan for your journeys ahead.

(OOC: Information for this event is here and the initial briefing is here

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Manabu flinches and shoots a belated glance over to the smoking spot where a bird was. Jeez...thing didn't even have a chance.

The remark about building the suit gets his attention back in front of him.

"What-- really?" Manabu's the sort of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve, and so his surprise is plain on his face. And yes, Tony had mentioned being a superhero of sorts before, but he'd also mentioned that while being smattered with bruises and stuck in a wheelchair; it didn't give Manabu much to work with an envision.

It doesn't take long for his mouth to start to curve upward.

"That's so cool! You weren't kidding at all, were you! About superhero stuff."

Tony knew he liked this guy!

He gives a dramatic bow at Manabu's conclusion, a wide grin across his lips. He moves a little closer till he's on the rock platform as well. "It's powered by this arc reactor," he explains, tapping the glowing circular disk on his chest. "It has infinite energy by an element I discovered called Vibranium. What did you say you were again? Some kind of space fighter?"

What the heck! This guy makes new elements to make a super-cool space suit that can explode alien birds? Manabu rubs the back of his head as he processes this, eyes drifting down to the constant heat from the boots keeping the whole thing aloft.

"Kind of," he echoes absently. "But we don't get stuff like that, that's for damn sure. Wow. It kind of reminds me of--"

He stops himself, blinking. This isn't the first time Tony Stark has nagged at his memory.

"...You...don't happen to know someone called the Blue Beetle, do you?"

Okay so that last bit might have been a *tiny* stretch. He had discovered the element and for a while thought he'd created it, but later on found out it was actually already being used in Wakanda. Fortunately, not everyone knew about Wakanda and he doubts anyone on this train knows. Well, except Peter. He might need to have a chat with the boy to keep his secret. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd even bragged about that when the man was already so impressed with him. Egos will be egos.

At Manabu's glance at his boots, he cuts the power so he doesn't end up overheating the rock beneath him or Manabu's feet. He drops down on the solid surface with a clank, but not much reaction on his face.

Well, that was until the Blue Beetle is mentioned. "The what? Uh, I'm going with no. Who or what is that? I'm assuming you aren't specifically talking about a bug."

"Ha, no, sir."

Manabu's gotten himself up, because it'd feel weird to just be sitting there with an imposing, metal figure looming overhead.

"I just..." How to explain. His expression scrunches for a moment. How to explain? The plain truth, despite complications? Best he's got.

"I've been, uh...pulled around other dimensions and things before this. And stuck in one for a long time, actually. Blue Beetle was there in that one. He had a power suit of his own. It made wings and weapons and things. Now I, I don't know if he made it himself or anything, I...I didn't know the guy personally---" So he thinks. "It just...made me realize..."

His hands settle on his hips as he finally looks past all the metal, out toward the landscape.

"How much of my memory's just been...fogged up of late."

At least the imposing, metal figure looming overhead was on Manabu's side?

"You've been to other dimensions? Was it something like this with the void train where you just woke up there?" That was concerning. What must it be like for Manabu to be stuck in a place like this. He wonders just how long a 'long time' was.

His frown deepens. "Why didn't you tell me you were struggling with something like that? When did you notice you weren't remembering everything?"

Manabu's eyebrows raise briefly, surprised at the level of concern. It causes his mouth to twitch with a crooked, sheepish smile.

"You know, we...had a lot more pressing things to think on these past few days, right?" He tries pushing a bit of a laugh in his voice, but it's a weak effort. "I mean, your assistant wasn't doing so hot, and we've got kids on board, and no sign of a conductor...those things are a lot higher on the list of priorities, in my opinion."

Tony sighs. Manabu wasn't kidding. The last week had felt more like a month. Between his recovery and the near constant trouble Peter and Gwen kept getting into, it hadn't been his top priority to make sure everyone else was okay. That had been a mistake, but one he couldn't take back now.

"Alright, yes, but now we're more stable. I've recovered and as far as I know the kids are being less stupid. Even if we are crawling up a mountain fighting weirdass birds and goats, I still think we're better than when we started. So belated as it is, I want to help. What do you remember?"

He chuckles a little at the addendum about the murder-animals, letting his hands drop and fold behind his back. He lets out a little sigh as he looks back up, squinting at the sky that...really could be any planet's sky. And the only way he'd know one way or the other is with instruments he doesn't have.

"Pieces here and there of a daily life. They kind of mixed up with what I was used to from home -- my real home, I mean. Working for the SDF." He lightly shrugs. "That kind of work is probably why I didn't realize how weird it was. Traveling planet to planet...and then remembering a city full of powers and heroes."

He glances back at Tony.

"I'm pretty sure someone had your name there. I didn't know them personally. But the more I think on it, the more I'm sure. You were there.

"Or at least...some version of you. If you believe in multiple universes, I mean."

And how could either of them not in a situation like this?

Tony's frown darkens. It was less of a concern and more irritation to hear there was another Tony Stark in someone else's life- again. His universal doppelgangers were giving him a complex.

"I do. I did before I got here, but I wasn't certain. Now there'd be no way to question something like that. Gwen is from a world where I exist as well. Well, not 'me' but a Tony Stark. I'm.. not someone to be proud of there." Feared seemed more than Tony Stark's preference if Gwen's version of the story was accurate. "Do you get the feeling from your memories that I'm a positive influence where you were before or a negative one? Or can you tell at all?"

"Uhh..."

Manabu rubs his chin, squinting at and then past Tony as he tries to put that face and suit into place in those memories of Nonah, of that world.

"Honestly, I...I don't think we ever talked at all," he admits, his shoulders going up. "But you were probably not causing trouble? At least -- not with the police force I was trying to work for at the time. I think it was mostly in passing on the news, or...or when people talked about others who had been there a long time. Apparently you were there a while."

And some others...Kaidan, he remembers very strongly. Jacob, too. And Kanaya... His expression grows distant as he thinks on those names, that place. But only for a moment; the distant cry of an eagle owl brings him back to this place in a hurry. His mouth twitches into an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I don't have a lot of gossip about other-you to share..."

He follows Manabu's gaze, but this time doesn't fire a missile at the bird. It was far enough away to not be bothering them. He hadn't fully committed to the idea all of the birds and evil goats must die. Yet.

Tony shrugs. "It's not a big deal. As curious as I am, I'm not convinced knowing too much about our other versions of ourselves is all that healthy." It was enough to make one paranoid, after all.

"Besides knowing your memories have been damaged, do you feel any pain or feeling something else is wrong?" It was possible if there wasn't any 'damage' his mind might have shut out certain memories in order to cope with a reality he couldn't handle or face all at once.

"Oh, uh, not anything that really stands out, no." Even as he says that, he pauses to think and be extra sure, deciding that was the right answer. "Yeah, I...I, ah. Actually, I think there's less pain about all of this than there." He grimaces. "I remember getting decked in the face a lot for no good reason. Most people apologized about it at least."

It sounds as weird out of context as it does with what context he does recall, and that's why he just sighs about it.

"I've been kind of sitting on all this, hoping that maybe something'll spring to mind that'll make being here make more sense, but...no luck yet. Sorry, sir."

He reaches out and gives Manabu a soft, metallic pat on the shoulder. "I'm glad you aren't suffering, kid. Memory loss is bad enough without anything else wrong. We can see what we can do to jar that noggin of yours, but right now let's be content it's no worse than it is."

What he wouldn't give for some of the medical equipment back home. He'd love to see if Manabu's brain waves had been affected and if there was more damage than the young man knew about. Since that stuff was out of their reach, he'd have to trust whatever the fellow could recognize on his own.

"Care for a lift to the summit?"

It's rather plain by Manabu's bashful expression that he hadn't expected such consideration on Tony's part; honestly, it made him feel like a kid, being mother henned. Or...well. Mamoru used to be thoughtful in ways like that, too. Big-brotherly things like that still leave an impression, even after all this time.

It's also plain to see that he wasn't expecting the offer of a free ride, either: from a sheepish grin to big-eyed surprise, Manabu's head tilts.

"Eh? What--you mean...?" He points to himself, then to Tony. "Just...flying up like that? Really?"

The young man reminds him of Peter with his bashful smile. It makes him curious about this fellow he's been living with for the past two weeks. What kind of secrets was his memory hiding from him? The most obvious thing about Manabu, and it was the same for a lot of the people on this train, he was alone. Hopefully he didn't feel like it quite as much anymore.

Tony has to laugh at that reaction. Oh, he did love it when people were so amazed at his toys like Manabu was. With a wide grin, he steps off the rock platform they were standing on and his jets immediately come back to life. "Unless you prefer the pain in the ass climbing method?"

"Not at all!" he cries, a laugh in his voice. "If you've got an extra suit, then I'm definitely game!"

Awesome power armor? Definitely a childhood sort of dream.

Tony chuckles and shakes his head. It would be nice to have multiple power suits, but then he'd be worried about Pepper being without him and without protection. "No I mean.. screw it."

He reaches out and tucks his arm tight around Manabu's waist. "Hold on." He tries not to be rough on the kid as his jets fire and takes them both effortlessly into the air. He makes a point to take a little longer getting to the summit to give Manabu more of a ride. He doesn't bother putting his helmet back up as he keeps the speed something relatively normal, but.. you know, fun.

When they land, he smirks and gives Manabu a chance to get his legs underneath him before letting go.

"Wait, whatdoyoumeeeeeeeAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN--!"

Manabu flails when his feet first leave safe, solid ground, but he quickly wises up and just hangs on, his eyes immediately glued downward. It gives his stomach a real wild time, but, thankfully, he hasn't lost his lunch in flight of any sort in years!

Breathless and wobbly like a baby deer, Manabu peels himself off the iron man, waving the steadying hand off once he's found rock behind him to lean on.

"Tha-thanks for the warning!" he cries, eyes wide. But he's not mad, just. Bamboozled! He runs a hand through his hair. "Holy crap, I haven't--I usually have a ship or train or something under my feet when I'm off the ground, you know?!"

While he hadn't started off with the intention to freak the poor kid out, it had turned into a delightful bonus. It made him feel less guilty knowing the young man hadn't been in any danger no matter how shaky his legs were.

"What's the fun in a warning?" Tony teases and ruffles Manabu's already wind-blown hair. "Besides, Kid, I did what I said I was going to, didn't I? You're here in one piece. You can't really tell me that wasn't fun, can you?"

Manabu makes a startled, slightly petulant sound at the affectionate fussing-about with his head, his face going red without his permission. He's an adult, dammit! Yet somehow, it always winds up this way.

"Yeah, yeah..." He huffs, making a point to shake some of the work done on his hair out with a quick move before lifting his hands away. "At least I wasn't carrying anything import--"

He sucks in a sharp breath before finishing that word, his stomach dropping in a sudden burst of panic. Very quickly, he pats himself down, missing a couple passes before grabbing at the rucksack that'd been on his back the whole time. Urgently, he crouches and doesn't stop ferreting through it until a glint of metal reflects back at him. Only then does he breathe again, losing the tension that'd built up in all of a few frantic seconds.

"Important," he sighs, head sagging.

There wasn't a way for Manabu to know it, but any affection physical or otherwise was only given to a few chosen people from Tony. It came from his very unaffectionate upbringing and something he'd been working on in the last couple years now that he had a daughter and a wife. Still, he can see Manabu is more upset than he originally thought, so some of the humor on his face fades.

It straight up evaporates into concern as Manabu starts searching for something. "What? What is it Manabu?" Tony asks, his voice tinged in worry. He witnesses the young man finding some object and relaxing, but it only makes him more curious. "What is that?" More importantly, he wanted to know what it meant to Manabu.

A little red-faced, Manabu fishes the pistol out of the rucksack, holding it almost reverently. However, he remembers the fraught reaction the Pokemon trainer had to him having a gun, so he's quicker to explain.

"It's my sidearm," he says, then hesitates. "...Well, my father's. But I inherited it. It hasn't worked in years, so don't worry about it going off or anything."

His eyes flicker back down to it.

"It's the only thing of mine that came with me. I think...it's stuck with me for better or worse."

Tony was certainly surprised to see a gun was the item Manabu was holding so reverently, but as he continued to explain it made all the sense in the world. And Manabu was not talking to the pokemon trainer this time.

"How about we fix it so you can use it if you need to. Before we get on the train, we can get some tools. It would be a good memory if your father was a gun man of some kind." He meets Manabu's gaze in case the man is questioning if he's serious. "That would take like.. ten minutes to fix."

Manabu laughed, definitely looking up to expect a joking expression, but...

The laugh peters out as he blinks.

"What, you're serious?" He blinks again. Then, finally getting back to his feet with the pistol, his expression grows apologetic, dubious. "I-I'm not so sure that's possible. I mean, the charging mechanism's been burnt out for...for years, and the last time we were looking for tools, you know--" He grimaces. "I, I don't know if vinegar's going to cut it this time."

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