[Video] Early Saturday

[cantcatchme]

[The screen flickers on to show an annoyed, ruffled, white-haired young man, clearly standing right outside the spaceship. The image is in focus and right-side up, even. Somebody knew what a video phone was. He brushes some hair back into place with quick fingers before speaking, his voice irritated instead of scared or worried.]

What the hell, man? Think you coulda warned me, huh?

[He scowls at the screen - clearly, a reply that's not instantaneous isn't quick enough]

Hellooo, Magneto? Cut the mysterious crap and get with the program! This another one of your tests? What more do I need to prove, huh?

Comments

[Video]

[catchingflies]

[Oh, maaaaan. Of all the people to show up here, it had to be Pietro.... Todd glares at his phone for a minute, then turns it on. He's still glaring on the video feed.]

Hey bro, knock it off, these things're bein' monitored or somethin'. Ain't no test, far's I can tell, anyway. Nobody's shown up to gloat about it, at least, which a certain somebody always does if he's involved.

Re: [Video]

[cantcatchme]

[Toad? Of all the people he could be working with and he gets Toad? Great. Pietro looks none too pleased, himself.]

Heyheyhey! Who's in charge here? I think I know more about how the old man works than you do, Tolanski! At least tell me you've got Alvers with you.

[Avalanche may be a pussy (especially regarding a certain Kitty), but at least he was useful.]

[catchingflies]

Not you, bro.

[Not this time. Not without Mystique to enforce it or Duke to follow along blindly, himself, just because Pietro might have a good idea or two.]

An' not Mystique or Magneto, neither. You're the first person I seen from home since I got here, and I been here, like, almost a week or somethin'!

[Four days, but who's counting?]

[cantcatchme]

Of course I am! The boss didn't put me in charge of whipping you losers into shape for nothing.

[Pietro scoffs. Boy, has he missed the memo about this being a whole other universe, hasn't he? As far as he's concerned, Magneto's rules still apply.]

You're saying you've been here a whole week and haven't found out anything useful yet? Typical! Do I have to do everything myself? Found us somewhere to crash, at least?

[Until Magneto got around to actually briefing him about what was going on here, anyway.]

Who have you met? Other mutants?

[catchingflies]

I've found out all sorts of stuff! Just nothing about them. Geez. Look, just-- stop talkin', okay?

[As much as he hates the guy, he doesn't really want to see these Authorities guys come bash the guy down. He's the only thing he's seen from home, after all.]

And don't go nowhere. I'm comin' to you.

[cantcatchme]

Oh, yeah, that won't take forever or anything.

[He snorts and rolls his eyes, but where else can he go? Even he's not bold enough to go zipping all over the damn place when he doesn't have the first idea what's going on.]

[lehnsherr]

Whatever you believe is happening here, you're mistaken.

[because, really. what're the odds that he guesses it's a multi-dimensional nexus at work?]

[cantcatchme]

[Pietro hurries to hide a look of alarm, replacing it with suspicion. Who's this joker? Toad can't actually be right about the communications being monitored, can he? Toad's never right about anything important.]

Yeah? Well, if you know so much more than I do, perhaps you can enlighten me. Not that I asked you to butt in.

[Good thing he has no idea who he's talking to. Or maybe that's a bad thing.]

[lehnsherr]

[he seems amused by that, already far too used to dealing with fellow hot-headed mutants like the summers boy.]

I could offer you all the information you need, but I'm afraid you forgot the magic word.

[cantcatchme]

Riiiight. How do I know you even know what you say you do? You're probably just bluffing, you don't know nothing.

[He looks unimpressed and skeptical. Who was this guy, that he had all the answers? Especially if this was some plan of Magneto's, as Pietro still believes.]

[lehnsherr]

And just how will you know without asking? Nicely.

[this may partly be why he delegates so much. if he didn't send others to deal with the younger mutants, he'd never get anything done.]

This would be the second time I've found myself in a situation like this. For your information, of course.

Video

[abetterway]

[Xavier studies him with arched eyebrows, concern warring with curiosity. The boy looks unnervingly like - no. Coincidence, surely.]

Your Magneto sounds quite impressive. [Inasmuch as toying with children could possibly be, but she doubts insulting the man will win the boy's trust.]

I doubt he had a hand in this, however.

Re: Video

[cantcatchme]

[Hey, this lady looks familiar too. But he can't quite place why.]

Oh, yeah, I'm sure he needs the ego-stroking, lady.

[Just because he works for Magneto doesn't mean he actually likes the guy]

Everyone seems to think I'm wrong, but so far I haven't heard any explanation that makes sense. What's that about?

Video

[abetterway]

Ah, so you wouldn't mind my saying he sounds petty and manipulative?

[Her smile is wryly sympathetic.] You speak as if you've never been kidnapped by aliens before. [Was that a joke, Xavier?]

Re: Video

[cantcatchme]

Hey, he knows what's up and takes care of his people!

[Except Wanda. Ouch.

Pietro isn't even entirely sure why he's defending him.]

And doesn't believe in that everyone-can-get-along bull the Geek Squad does...

Aliens? Are you kidding me?

Video

[abetterway]

[Her lips quirk, just slightly.] I see.

...Not everyone can live in peace with one other, but it's something to strive for, all the same.

And no, I'm not kidding. Do you know of anyone on Earth who can build an interdimensional spacecraft? [...Well, she supposes it may be some future or alternate earth, but then they would still be alien to her, in a sense.]

[Filtered Video]:

[pepperspray]

[That Pepper Potts will, upon being dumped into a post-apocalyptic setting, still herself a desk and an in-tray to whip into shape is really just one of the universal truths of existence. She's sitting at it now, by the backdrop of the video, and favours Pietro with a slight smile, rather dry.]

Unfortunately, a test would be too simple of an explanation for what's actually going on. There's no 'Magneto' here that I know of -- you're actually some unspecified point in the future, on a planet called Verdana. You've been in stasis aboard the ship, like the rest of us who aren't locals. We don't actually have an answer as to why we're here.

[She pauses, head tilting slightly and the smile reappearing.]

Does that help in terms of an introduction?

Re: [Filtered Video]:

[cantcatchme]

[Pietro doesn't know what to make of all these ridiculous stories people are telling him. He throws his free hand up in the air]

Fine! Fine, I'll go along with this crazy story. At least until I find what's really going on around here.

[Especially since sticking him in stasis on a spaceship without his say-so isn't something he'd put past Magneto]

So we're just stuck here? Great. And I though Bayville was bad.

Re: [Filtered Video]:

[pepperspray]

One of the local myths actually has it that we're here to bring freedom to a downtrodden people.

[Pepper's delivery is several strides beyond dry for that statement. It's not that she thinks the myth is without merit, just that there's a shortage of chisel-jawed heroes running around. (Captain America excluded.)]

Alternately, the ship just crashed accidentally, and our purpose is still unknown. In the mean time, you may as well help out while you're here, mm?

Re: [Filtered Video]:

[cantcatchme]

[The expression Pepper gets back is just about as disbelieving as her tone]

Uh-huh.

Well, the only person I need to help out is me, lady. And I don't particularly care why this ship's here unless it'll get me home.

Re: [Filtered Video]:

[pepperspray]

Fair enough. But...

[And there's always a 'but', isn't there? Pepper looks wry as she explains.]

The economy here is trade based, and it's pretty limited. There used to be some basic supplies provided to new arrivals, but after some recent events caused by one of us, I wouldn't count on them continuing as a sure thing.

[Video] apologies: it's hudson.

[game_over_man]

[Your outrage doesn't begin to touch Hudson's upon his awaking. Let the old soldier show you how it's fuckin' done.]

Sorry, princess. Guess I forgot to set your aromatherapy alarm clock.

Re: [Video] As if Pietro hasn't heard it all from Sabertooth before XD

[cantcatchme]

And who're you supposed to be? The welcome fairy?

[This kid's got pretty thick skin, assuming he's not in any physical danger]

[Video] highfive!

[game_over_man]

Smile when you call a Colonial Marine a 'fairy', Flash.

I'm the fucking heavy guns around here. What you got?

Re: [Video] =D

[cantcatchme]

I'll call you anything I want, however I want to.

And that isn't the business of you or your "heavy guns", pal.

[Yup, Pietro actually used air-quotes there. He's far too amused right now.]