08.25 - telepathy > action - CLOSED

[lefthandfree]

[There’s always the chance of it being someone else, someone with the same name and a different face and past. Still, it’s difficult for him to find any reason not to reach out, especially given the presence of one Tony Stark. As if things weren’t complicated enough already before he got here.

He takes a few minutes to prepare his nerves, in case he has his hopes up for the wrong reasons, before he reaches out telepathically.]

«Hey.»

[He doesn’t want to get too specific. He still wants to keep his cover here, just in case, but if it’s Steve, then he knows his voice signature, even telepathically, should be recognizable.]

Comments

[abide]

[ Some things don't change. The world, for all its differences, seems the same despite his current circumstances, and between the info dump and adjusting to a life that no longer belongs to the twenty-first century on Earth, Steve is sort of at a loss. He speaks to Tony - or a version of Tony, at least - and wonders if this is an irony he won't ever be able to escape as penance for what he'd done. Standing up for the last thing he could never let go of, not again, never again, and this is what it comes to? Yet, despite that, there's one thing, at least, he finds undeniably recognizable, and it pushes itself into his head as he wanders the length of a hallway, startled out of whatever thought that had taken precedence to look up... and around.

It's going to take him too long to remember that telepathy is a thing here. Still, he tries to reach out in the same manner, remarkably unsure about this. ]

« Bucky? » [ His confusion is palpable in the word considering his last memory of him. ] « Where are you? »

[lefthandfree]

[Relief floods through him, though anxiety quickly finds him again. This is Steve Rogers, sure, but what if it’s the same situation as it was with Tony? The lack of intense alarm is a good sign, but he doesn’t know how he’s meant to explain the state of his arm if somehow Steve isn’t Steve like he last saw him, before going back into cryogenic sleep. He bites his lip silently as he ponders this for a moment before he replies.]

«Around. The base.» [It’s not really as small as it could be, and he doesn't know how much Steve has explored. There's a lot to take in.] «I don’t know if there’s a range for this telepathy stuff. I saw your name in the directory.»

[And there's at least his basic reason for reaching out. He doesn’t know how to explain to Steve that he wants to maintain cover, even here, but it’s definitely not something to share in a way the AI can pick up. Everything’s better in person.]

«Do you know where the observatories are?» [It’s where he is, staring out into the dark lit up by bio-luminescent life.]

[abide]

[ He's still taking his time looking around as if he's going to be right there despite knowing that's not the case, listening to his voice and fighting the intensity of the relief that settles itself in his chest. It means Bucky is here, that he hadn't been left behind in cryo somewhere that isn't Wakanda, but he honestly doesn't know if that means he's from that point or somewhere else. Or someone else altogether. That thought makes him feel cold, quick to answer even as he turns to walk in the opposite direction. ]

« I think I have an idea. If not, I can ask. » [ But he's not going to get lost, not with this pushing all other plans immediately to the side. ] « Don't go anywhere. » [ Precaution, mostly, and he makes a note to remind himself to look at the directory when he's got the chance for the exact same reason Bucky had reached out to him. If anyone else was there, he had to know. For now, though, he treks back the way he'd come and manages to find the right one on his second try. (Maybe he should have asked which observatory, but his mind is a little scattered considering.)

Approaching him still feels like there's a weight pulling him back, but Steve steps forward regardless of that. ] Hey. [ The greeting is accompanied with a smile, careful but genuine. Like he's the best thing he's seen all day. ]

[lefthandfree]

[He starts pacing as he waits. He’s not used to this sort of anxiety, wondering if Steve is Steve and if he should be wary of something he’s never been wary of. It’s mind boggling to even thing that Steve could be something to worry about beyond being an idiot that loves getting caught up in shit. The worst had been losing Steve to the war, unable to get him to listen and stop applying so he could stay home and be safe. This fear was far too different.

He eventually settles to stare out at the ocean, letting his thoughts be drowned out by the empty sound of the deep. His body is angled away from the entrance, in case his lack of an arm comes as a shock, but also it’s good to have his usable side be his defense, if it comes to that.

He hears Steve approaching, the familiar gait and weight with each step, but he keeps his eyes on the sea life in front of him. He waits until Steve speaks up before turning to look over his shoulder. A comfortable smiles slide onto his face as genuine recognition strikes, and he turns properly to greet him.]

Hey. [He cocks his head to the side.] You look lost, stranger.

[abide]

[ The relief that had been there before is nothing like what he feels when he speaks to him, the mannerisms and the look on his face the best thing he's seen since waking up in that downed ship, and it's familiar enough to warrant his own smile in return, gaze dropping to his missing arm and then back to meet his eyes. Still the same, so that had to mean he remembered what had happened. Siberia and Tony and dragging Bucky away from it all with the weight of nothing but him on his arm and all the better for it... He's almost tentative to bring it up, but he has to know, for sure, where they stand. ]

Guess I was for a while, but doesn't look like I am anymore. [ Better to be lost with someone he knows than completely alone. It's not exactly like waking up to a changed world the first time, and Steve's fingers curl at his side. Reaching out to embrace him or even grip his good shoulder might be easier if he felt he deserved he could. ] How long have you been here?

[ Might as well start with the easier questions. ]

[lefthandfree]

[He steps away from the glass, leaving the proverbial cliff behind, and walks into safety. He makes a quiet, thoughtful noise as he approaches, shoulders back with all the pride he always carried like a shield.]

I didn’t expect there to be so many rooms. [Not that he knew what to expect when he encountered the base in the first place, but the idle observation should indicate that he understands the difficulty in adjusting. As of yet, he hasn’t even decided where it is he intends to settle for the night, the base having far too many distractions for his curious mind to even wish to calm.]

A few hours now. [He presses his hand into his pocket.] In this place, anyway. I’ve been awake since morning. [And there were all these pods and things like out of one of those modern sci-fi movies, but that’s a long, unnecessary story.] Got over here on a jet ski that had this— [He withdraws his hand from his pocket and gestures aimlessly.] —track to follow. Like a map.

[abide]

[ As much as there is to take in, Steve's still fueled by the adrenaline of the last few hours and what waits undiscovered for them in this undersea adventure. At least the one person he trusts above all others is with him, idly following each motion of his hand with a slight smile. Sometimes, it still feels surreal that they're together, that he's standing directly in front of him and talking and breathing just as he'd always wanted, and maybe it's even stranger now that they're stationed in some place with another AI he wants no part of. But in the long run, he's grateful. ]

I noticed. [ He figures they could take some time to explore them a little better once they've hashed out the important stuff. ] You know how far? I swam here with someone I met after being pulled from some cryo unit. [ There's a frown, the memory of anything prior to that still fuzzy between his clearest moment and seeing Kara's face reassuring him he was safe. ] Not sure I could make it back that way without help, but I don't know how useful that'd be now.

[ Steve crosses his arms, glancing from Bucky to the open view behind him. ] I think we're gonna be stuck here a while.

[lefthandfree]

[He raises his brows in mild confusion. His ears understand what he's hearing, but sense isn't being made. Nothing lines up: last he recalls, Steve was fine and seeing him through his own cryo.]

Wait, you were in cryo? [But then shakes his head and makes an amused noise while smiling wryly.] Dunno if you’d wanna swim from where I was though, even with the serum in ya. It was a couple hours by jet ski, at least. [Not. Mentioning the donuts and wave-jumping he did.

But the truth is there plainly. They're here (wherever the hell that is), and that's just the way it is. The obvious question is why, but as obvious as the question is, it's also obvious that there isn't really an answer that either of them are aware of. Steve is just as clearly befuddled by the circumstances, and that doesn't bode well.]

Earth didn’t, uh, explode while I was out or anything, did it?

[Because Bucky is completely lost on Steve’s whole situation, even beyond his own personal one, and he much prefers being updated if something has happened.]

[abide]

Took about that long to reach this place from where I was at. At least you had something to ride in on. [ It's a teasing smile he gives him this time, deciding to leave out exactly what they'd had to do to get here, but it fades quickly with the question Bucky throws at him.

Honestly, he'd been sort of wondering that himself—why he'd woken up in a cryo tube in the middle of an ocean on some strange planet. It's been a constant since he'd started exploring the place, certain of what he remembers prior to all of that, and Steve drops his arms to push his hands into the pockets of his pants, shoulders pulled forward a little as he considers what to tell him. Always the truth, of course, but it feels a bit too stilted to even make sense right now. Eventually, he just shakes his head. ] I doubt it, but I don't know for sure. Last thing I remember is being with you in Wakanda.

[ Which is pretty harrowing now that he thinks about it, how the world might have just ceased to exist quite literally, and it reflects a little in the way he looks at him. ]

You weren't even in all the long, Buck.

[lefthandfree]

[He smiles back, reflecting Steve’s teasing one with far too much ease. It all comes naturally, even when he doesn’t sense it all the way through his muscles. He does feel rather foolish, sometimes wondering if he’s doing Steve a disservice by adapting so naturally into their usual after years of no contact, but he also knows it’s the small things that have kept the both of them present, grounding them in reality. Not all of it is so simple anymore, like a smile or a hug, so it is always better to take what little they can have so long as they can have it.

He licks his lips, that old anxious habit slipping back in the comfort, while Steve relays his thoughts regarding the state of Earth. The ending remark does far too little with stifling the uncertainty.]

Do— How long? Why were you in cryo? I thought— [He furrows his brows and makes a small noise of concern.] —Weren’t you guys gonna do more recon? Try and get the Red Book back?

[abide]

A few hours? [ Steve doesn't want to go back to that, to the memory of seeing his face behind coated glass, and he shakes his head a little to dismiss it. ] That was the plan, but I'm here now. If I knew why I was in cryo before this, things might make a little more sense.

[ Because it's in his body language and his very expression, how confused he is, and Steve draws his hands free, lets one of them run through his hair even as he takes a step forward, a step closer to Bucky. Really, all he's doing is trying to get a good look out through the glass like it would help him figure everything out. Trusting anything he's told or sees here is going to take time, more than they probably have if they're going to get anywhere, but at least he has this to fall back on. False or not, he could deal with it if he and Bucky stuck together. ]

It's okay. [ A breath, and he wants those two words to be as reassuring as possible. ] I'm guessing we got the same rundown on this place when we got here. You hear anything else yet?

[lefthandfree]

[He can sense the confusion clearly, and Steve’s uncertainty only adds to his doubts. There’s little reason for plans to have deviated so suddenly, and T’Challa would not stay by such methods either. If Steve’s allies were to be trusted, and everything leading up to Bucky’s final freeze had been all but smooth, who could have caused such a disruption? Could one of their allies have had a hidden agenda?

His mind stirs, but he lets the matter fall away verbally. Steve’s discomfort is obvious, and he let’s Steve’s words be the end of it. The only problem that lingers is, if Bucky’s own understanding is meant to be trusted, why Steve would forget something he should have no reason to forget? He hates the conclusion that draws, but it’s difficult to fight the instinct of the Soldier. Either Steve is lying, or he cannot be fully trusted. Neither of those are good.

He inhales slowly and sighs before responding, keeping his heart steady and his tone even, as it has been.] Dunno about hearing, but I did run into Tony. Not the one we know, but he had your— the shield. The one that...the Tony we know should have. You know anything about that?