video | un: iron.man

[buildsomething]

[The video flicks on to Tony's tired face, though he actually looks pretty good, considering that he's still mildly sick. He grins at the camera, though, the pleased look of someone who's managed something.]

Hey, so. For anyone still caught with this plague thing, I've got a...well, not a fix. A work around, maybe. A focused EMP seems to deactivate the nanities long enough for some of the symptoms to fade, at least for a little while. It doesn't get rid of the things entirely, but it should give you a nice break from feeling like shit.

I'd like to thank my lovely assistants for working with me on this.

[The camera pans across the workroom to focus on the couch, and the two bodies sprawled on it. The eagle-eyed might recognize one (or both) of them as Bucky Barnes, but the way they're both just kind of slumped in a heap makes it kind of hard to tell. It's not that large a couch.

One of them twitches slightly, and there's a snort as Tony turns the camera back on himself.]

That's it for now. I'm still working on a more permanent solution, but magic is really not my thing. Someone else wants to have a crack at that part, be my guest.

[A sudden crash comes from what seems like the vicinity of that couch, and Tony gives the screen a sardonic look before the feed cuts.]

Comments

voice; @star-lord

[nostalgiabomb]

... Uh.

Are those dudes okay?

video @jb.barnes

[anotheroldsoldier]

[This is just a close-up of a metal finger flipping the bird for a full minute before it cuts out.]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ listen. Peter is a huge fan of flipping folks off, so he is suitably impressed. Game recognize game.

Then, ]

So you're fine

[anotheroldsoldier]

['Fine' is relative. Very relative.] Haven't gone into a coma yet. EMP's staving it off some.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He lets out a quiet, acknowledging hum. ]

How long have you been sick?

[ not that timing seems to really matter. Still, Peter's collecting as many points of data as he can. ]

[anotheroldsoldier]

Couple weeks. Somethin' like that. It progressed slow.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ It’s kind of crappy how the word “weeks” is almost reassuring, but that’s exactly where his mind goes. It’s a good thing he’s not on camera, otherwise a flicker of relief might actually show on his face.

But, you know. The other dude seems miserable, so maybe it’s not a strong move to be all, “Hey, that’s great!” ]

Sorry you caught it. [ A touch awkwardly. You’d think a guy who’s been around sickness during his formative years would know how to talk to someone who’s sick, but it’s not like they have a class on these things. ]

Has Stark been usin’ you as a guinea pig?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky is pretty relieved he's lasted this long without falling into a coma, but still. A 'hey, that's great' probably wouldn't be welcome right now when he feels like death warmed over. It doesn't feel great.]

Plenty of people have. [He waves a hand vaguely.] I volunteered. He's a friend.

[nostalgiabomb]

Yeah, I know.

[ And there's one person in particular that Peter has in mind when he says that. It goes unseen, but his jaw clenches briefly before he forces his tone back into something more conversational. ]

Still. Friend or not, that's pretty ballsy. I've got a buddy back home who's constantly tinkering with new weapons and tools. Seriously awesome stuff, a lot of the time, but I still wouldn't let him within fifty feet of me unless he was absolutely sure it wouldn't blow up in my face.

[anotheroldsoldier]

Anything is better than lying in bed, doing jack shit except waiting to go into a coma. [And he won't admit it out loud to a stranger, but he trusts Tony the way he doesn't trust a lot of people. This isn't his world's Tony, but he's become inner circle, so to speak, earned Bucky's trust and respect.]

I'm no genius, and I don't know anything about magic except that I hate it, so playing test subject is all I can do while I'm still awake.

[nostalgiabomb]

Fair enough.

[ A hesitant sort of pause. This conversation has the potential to get heavy, and the topics of illness and disease always make him deeply uneasy. Add to that the fact that his relationship with sincerity has always been fraught with discomfort, and the result is Peter apparently deciding it’s time to pull out of this nosedive before it gets too deep. ]

Should I let you get back to your cuddlepile?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[The change in subject is noted, but this is a stranger, and Bucky isn't one to pry - after all, he has his own no-go topics of conversation, his own avoidances, his own secrets.

He scowls a little at the redirect, though.]

It's not a cuddle pile, fuck off.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter's shit-eating grin goes unseen, thankfully, but it's probably all too obvious in his voice: ]

I mean, it kind of is. A little bit.

voice;

[buildsomething]

[Tony sounds just a little distracted. Averting World War III is hard work.]

They're fine. Just dramatic.

[nostalgiabomb]

Uh... huh.

[ sound more convinced, Quill.

But on to more important matters: ]

You're sure that EMP thing works?

[buildsomething]

Seems to. Those two say it's helping.

[They are actually there for a reason, surprisingly.]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He makes a small, acknowledging sound. Then, ]

Does it play nice with mods and cybernetics?

[ he obviously has a specific person in mind ]

[buildsomething]

Depends on the cybernetic, sort of. Might knock them out too for a bit. If that's a problem, I can try to key an EMP to the exact frequency of the nanites.

[nostalgiabomb]

It's, uh. Pretty extensive. The cybernetics and mods, I mean.

[ Peter's never really gotten the specifics from Gamora, but he's reasonably sure she has modifications throughout her body, and if knocking out the nanites or whatever also means knocking out something super, astoundingly important, then maybe this isn't a viable stopgap. ]

How long's it good for?

[buildsomething]

[Tony arches an eyebrow, but just nods once, looking thoughtful.]

Still working on figuring that out. Minimum half an hour, so far.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter’s uncertain frown goes unseen, considering he’s shut off the camera, but keeps it out of his voice. ]

Well, something’s better than nothing. I’d offer to lend a hand, but this kinda tech is way over my head.

[buildsomething]

Well I mean. Any more information you can shoot my way would be a help. The more data, the better.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He chews on his lip, though only the pause in the conversation betrays his uncertainty.

Like. Yeah. Information is helpful, but Gamora values her privacy, and it'd be a breach of that privacy to go blabbing her symptoms over the network, right? And she'd kill him, he thinks, because she's still in that phase where she's all, "It's not serious. I'm so badass and cool that I can will the germs out of my system, blah, blah, blah."

At length, he lets out a breath. ]

I dunno how much it'll help.

[ He sends a silent apology to Gamora. ]

The person I know who caught it, they're supposed to be, like, highly resistant to disease? And poisons and stuff, too. But they have mods that are supposed to, like, neutralize any biological threats like that. An immune system on steroids, I guess.

... Obviously the nanites didn't get the memo, or they didn't care, 'cause it's getting worse.

[buildsomething]

[Tony takes all of that in, then lets out a long breath.]

Yeah, it seems to be hitting a lot of people it really shouldn't.

[He's not going to bring up the whole super soldier thing since he doesn't know how public that knowledge is, but seriously.]

Good to know though, thanks.

[nostalgiabomb]

Yeah.

[ See, that's what he told Gamora, but right now, I-Told-You-So's aren't exactly helpful. That'll have to wait for when she bounces back.

(if she bounces back.)

He drags a hand down his face, drained. ]

If there's anything else I can do to help, I guess let me know.