MK VII: Faulty Wiring

[thecoolexec]

A || PHONE || UNFILTERED

Pfft. Typical. Looks like the IT Department is under new management, Mayfield. S'what happens when you outsource your tech to Hades and/or wherever the hell else we are.

Anyone know what the deal is, here? I'm normally not one to let anything get me down, but gravity certainly brought me down through my living room floor this morning.

Ouch, incidentally.
 

B || DAY || CUNNINGHAM LANE STREETS

[Tony's a man of science and tomfoolery. That's why he's phasing his hand in and out of his otherwise-solid-looking front door experimentally. Then he's sticking other limbs in there -- one foot, then the other... walk by at the right time and you might just see a bemused human head seemingly stuck in the door, looking about the area and curiously inspecting the clouds in the sky.]

Comments

Re: phone

[thecoolexec]

The serum...? Oh, the Superhero Steroids. Yeah, don't worry, I expected as much. Mayfield took out my mechanical ticker and gave me a working one. Easy on the chest, but tough on the armored power suits.

Alright, I'll be there soon.

Re: phone

[pursuitofcappiness]

Don't tell me they let you keep the suit.

Re: phone

[thecoolexec]

Yes and no. Lost it when I first got locked up here, got one of my older suit for good behavior. It's probably all I can power with my limited resources anyway.

Re: phone

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ There's a lot he wants to say but... ]

We'll talk about that when you get over here.

should we flash-forward to that meeting here or just thread a new one?

[thecoolexec]

Ta-ta.

uhh here seems good!

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ Guess who's making sandwiches :| ]

Re: uhh here seems good!

[thecoolexec]

[Guess who's flying over in a retro, simplified suit of armor painted red and canary yellow? He hovers unsteadily over the front yard before clanking down on the sidewalk unsteadily and wiggling arms to balance.]

Ugh. Still gotta work out the standstill landing. Hm. So this is Steve's place.

Re: uhh here seems good!

[pursuitofcappiness]

....

You put on the suit to fly five blocks?

Re: uhh here seems good!

[thecoolexec]

I like to look my best. Anyway, I wanted to show you what I'm working with here. Not bad, huh? Considering that I have to work with, this is like SHAKESPEARE.

Re: uhh here seems good!

[pursuitofcappiness]

Looks like we could have used you during the war.

I hope you like turkey.

[thecoolexec]

Sure. I'm on the seefood diet.

[Tony extends a hand for a belated greeting handshake.]

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ Steve shakes his hand ]

--You're going to have to take the suit off; it'd crush my furniture.

[ He wouldn't mind, but he's got kids who aren't drones. ]

And turkey isn't seafood.

[thecoolexec]

[He begins to remove the armor in the front yard. The process is not nearly as smooth as he's used to, and DEFINITELY not as easy as he'd like.]

The -huff- OTHER seefood diet. I -nnf- see food, I eat it. Never heard that one? I thought that was an old one. Not old enough, clearly.

[pursuitofcappiness]

You're hilarious, Tony.

[ He feels kind of bad and tries to help ]

Do you do this everytime you put this on?

[thecoolexec]

No.
...
Yes.

[He finally removes the headpiece and tosses it unceremoniously onto the grass. Then he reaches around somewhere and pushes a switch, which makes the armor's torso swing open like a door. He steps out, looking slightly disgruntled.]

[pursuitofcappiness]

You can always just leave it in my yard and come over next time you need to suit up. I still don't know why you decided to wear it for a whole minute to get here.

[ But come on in, since you're welcome now. ]

[thecoolexec]

Ya know, Stephen? Hindsight is 20-20.

[He steps inside, adjusting his cuffs and glancing around Steve's hallway. He's not sure what he's expecting to see. All Mayfieldian homes look the same. The feng shui of the living rooms and the pictures in the albums are the only things that ever really change.]

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ He raises an eyebrow ]

Only one man ever called me Steven, Anthony.

[ But undeterred, he strolls on in and his drone wife comes around with sandwiches and tea.

The way he pretends to talk to her is kind of scary, like he belongs here. But he's quick to chase her away, too, so they can talk. Her lipstick doesn't even smudge his cheek as he advises her to come home before the streetlights come on. ]

[thecoolexec]

[Tony watches Steve fuss over his drone wife in their vintage house, quietly bemused and even, for a fraction of a second, a little sad. But when Steve turns to him he's Tony as usual.]

Nice girl. Why the curfew?

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ While she's still in the house ]

Would you want your wife walking around alone after dark?

[ But as soon as she leaves, he can drop the concerned husband act. ]

Let's take these to the living room.

[thecoolexec]

[Tony follows, taking a bite of a sandwich as he walks and finds a spot on the couch.] Heh. The always-tactical Steve Rogers. Fooled me for a second there... thought you looked like you were settling down around here.

[pursuitofcappiness]

I know this place isn't real. Doctor Banner told me it's a simulation. I'm still kind of confused but... I figured that's your area of expertise. So... how is this place created? Are there glitches we can take advantage of?

The way it was explained to me, we still have to be outside the simulation somewhere, connected inside. Is there a way to communicate with ourselves, outside of Mayfield?

[thecoolexec]

I gotta be honest with you, Cap. This is some serious, bleeding-edge technology. I hesitate to use the term "science-fiction", but... shit, it's closer than anything I've seen before. It's almost more than I can handle. [Ever-so modest.]

I still don't completely understand the full scope of the thing, but Doctor Banner is rig----

Did you say Doctor Banner?