10 | But when I start to try to tell you that's when you have to tell me

[sinistral]

WHO: the Soldier (sinistral) and you
WHERE: the Agrii ship
WHAT: when stuff breaks, it's time to get to work
WHEN: during the first phase of the Problems with Portals event; as for what actual order things are going on, we get a little handwavey vague in these parts
WARNINGS: n/a in top levels; will update if that changes in threads

---

AGRII SHIP
→ Core Room Access;

Explosion in space? Not the first time the Soldier had seen one, though having it happen on the Agrii ship brought its own level of stress to things. Still, explosions usually meant crisis situations, and the Soldier had been inside (and caused) quite a few of them that keeping calm was natural. It didn't take him long at all to make his way to the Engineering section of the ship — the general distress marked the path quite plainly — and from there it took very little to assess the jammed door taking the attention of a number of the aliens.

Clearly something or someone was trapped behind that door. And clearly, it would take more strength (and possibly some coordinated effort) than the Agrii currently brought to bear to get the portal open. The Soldier didn't hesitate.

"Brace that side of it!" He didn't really look to see if the distressed Agrii had taken the instruction, instead turning to the person next to him. "Help me lead by example. We need to get this at least somewhat pried open."

→ Secondary Force Field;

With immediate danger seemingly mitigated the Soldier decided he'd be of the most use on the lower levels. He considered himself pretty indestructible — or at least very hard to damage — such that crawling around in unfamiliar and possibly dangerous areas would probably be easier for him than for someone more fragile.

What interested him was the extent of this lower area. The sheer amount of equipment down here almost made the deck above seem laughable, and raised questions in the back of the Soldier's mind as to who really ran the ship after all. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but he couldn't help the feeling that something deeper was going on.

He slipped by a bank of equipment, moving quietly, a hand never far from one of the combat knives about his person. The air ahead seemed to shimmer with the red distortion of some kind of force field, and he wanted to get a closer look.

→ Wildcard;

Have another idea? Come at me here, plot with me here, or hit me up at sometimesamuse or via PM. Want a more specific starter for your character? Let me know, I got you. Want to handwave something? I'm fine with that as well, let's hash it out. And while I write starters in prose I'm happy to match brackets if that's your preference.

Comments

[out_of_order]

Rope! Cables, maybe. Not that BD-1 had seen an excess of either lying around, but it couldn't hurt to look. The droid beeped an affirmative, skittering off. Funny how much more there were potential things to be of use when a place was in near ruins than when it was still quite in use!

He wasn't finding anything that looked remotely load-bearing, but at least the room wasn't clogged with people as it had been earlier. Surely someone would be nearby- the door had been opened but there was still damage below. Off BD-1 went, hoping to maybe find someone coming back to Engineering. He'd run around the whole ship if he had to.

[in_extremis]

A mechanical companion had all manner of uses, including, but not limited to, doing as they were told and not panicking at loud sounds or trying to hug while there was work to be done. The robot that glided along the hall came to a stop in front of BD-1 then, tilting its head curiously with a whir that broadcast its scrutiny. It looked in most ways like the Agrii around it, multi-armed and with three eyes that all considered the droid, until Tony was stepping around it with an eyebrow raised to question BD himself. Tony didn't often find him without Cal, especially not in a crisis. "Hey, sweetheart. Where's your partner?" he asked as the A.G.R.I.I. went gliding on ahead, obediently toward the destruction.

[out_of_order]

Now was definitely not the time to judge other robots. BD-1 stared back impatiently, twittering his urgency before a more familiar face appeared. The droid beeped something that sounded like an alarm, running in a small circle before he started to dash off past the A.G.R.I.I. and back towards Engineering.

He only paused briefly to make sure that Tony was following before rushing onward.

[in_extremis]

Of course he was following, brow furrowed at BD's anxiety, and grabbed one of the dawdling A.G.R.I.I.'s many hands as he also swept by, to drag it more quickly after him. It went without protest, except for the metal catching in clicks and screeches on the ground as it tipped precariously, and only had a reaction when they reached the hole. Tony was already leaned over to squint into the haze, and the A.G.R.I.I. appeared beside him to tip over as well, its three eyes whirring in three different directions.

[sinistral]

While BD-1 tried to find help, the Soldier worked to make Cal as comfortable as possible, clearing debris and laying his friend gently on the floor. He regularly felt at the wrist for a pulse, watched the rise and fall off the chest to monitor breathing. There was little else he could do in the immediate moment, not wanting to leave Cal in case something else down here threatened.

He looked up on hearing a noise above him, expecting the droid and happy to see a person instead. "I need your help."

[out_of_order]

BD-1 ran right up to the edge of the hole, beeping as he glanced down at the Soldier and then up at Tony. Then he hopped down, his little thrusters kicking in to let him settle safely on the ground below, where he immediately scrambled over by where Cal was.

Cal had not woken up nor responded, but he didn't look very relaxed, his breathing a clear indication of things, stilted as though something were pressing down on him. But then that was exactly what it felt like.

[in_extremis]

At this distance, Cal looked like a still body on the ground, and Tony thought his own heart had stopped as he dropped down to his knees, then vaulted over the ledge to dangle by one hand and make sure he wasn't about to land right on the kid. Before he dropped, he was already asking, "What did you do to him?," though he was moving too fast to really expect an answer, landing heavily enough to wince when his knee hit the ground but quickly crawling over to Cal. The A.G.R.I.I. wasn't quite as frenetic, but it was on its way, too, rolling serenely into the hole to tip over and come hurtling down. It gave a bounce where it landed, and then was committed to the laborious process of righting itself again.

[sinistral]

Of all the people who could possibly have helped out, the Soldier wouldn't have chosen Tony. They were like oil and water, the Soldier never being good enough because he simply couldn't fit himself into Tony's view of how he should be. (Or maybe he didn't want to talk to the adult so soon after meeting the younger version.) If he didn't believe Cal to be in danger he'd ask BD-1 to find someone else. As it was, he'd have to work with the cards dealt.

"No, don't—!" Too late of course; Tony was already in motion down the hole and the Soldier stood to position himself between Cal and the combination of Tony and the mess of a robot that followed him. To say he felt protective of Cal would be an understatement.

"I needed you up there," he grumbled, deciding to ignore Tony's accusation. "Not down here."

[in_extremis]

He definitely wasn't doing good enough right now, shocking Tony into a razor-sharp glare for blocking Cal from him, and only slowing him enough to roll back his shoulders and draw himself up resolutely. He slashed, "Why? Because you've got it all under control?" One of them had been found down a hole with Cal looking ashen on the floor. Tony raised a hand to halt the Soldier from considering slowing him down again as he brushed by to reach the kid. "I'm getting him out of here." The robot was following him again after a beat, all of its arms extended readily.

[out_of_order]

At first BD-1 was thrown off by the ready hostility from Tony. He looked anxiously between the two men.

He beeped a frantic exclamation to try getting their attention, not that he knew whether or not either of them picked up on Binary but he really didn't want them fighting. And the longer they did, the longer Cal was exposed to whatever was here that had affected the Jedi so.

[sinistral]

"Because," he slowed his tone as if explaining to a child, though laced with a heavy amount of hostility, "I needed someone up there to rig a cable and pulley system, not down here throwing accusations. Genius."

If Tony wanted to persist in leveling accusations against him instead of actually helping one of the few people the Soldier considered a friend, then he had better be prepared to deal with the full weight of the Winter Soldier personality, not the no-named man who forcibly softened his own attitude for children. There was nothing of that patience in evidence now, and Tony's raised hand saw a knife appear in the Soldier's hand in response — though held low and defensively. For now.

"You—" He cut his reply short at BD-1's beeping, biting back a caustic opinion of Tony's ability to be of any actual help. He didn't understand the droid's language but he didn't need to, to know that the most important thing was Cal's safety. "You get one chance," he practically growled in Tony's direction, "before I ask BD to find someone who can actually help."

[in_extremis]

The last thing that Tony needed was the Soldier's permission, or his suggestions to solve this problem that he had created, and only bristled at the knife like he was ready to go through it if he had to. It was BD-1 that he answered, snapping, "We're not fighting," as he dropped down to check over Cal for any external injuries or the broken neck that would make moving him so complicated. "We agree about everything, actually. I'm a genius, I'm going to get Cal out, and I don't need more than one shot." He gestured for the A.G.R.I.I. to approach, which immediately looked like it might grab Cal around the middle to do something like throw him bodily through a window, which Tony rapidly had to correct so the robot would rearrange its arms to scoop Cal up more carefully.

Tony stepped back then, but flicked a finger for BD to catch his ride as the A.G.R.I.I. tipped its face up toward the hole and started to rumble. It wasn't an elegant flight, the lift-off as slow and laborious as the robot trying to get back onto its feet, and it threw a cloud of debris in its exhaust that had Tony coughing and fanning ineffectively before his face. The robot had barely cleared the hole when he finally addressed the Soldier again, demanding, "Boost."

[out_of_order]

BD's reply sounded suspiciously like a 'Really?' for its tone that even the Soldier could pick up on that much. He stepped back somewhat reluctantly as Tony's monstrosity came forward, and then closer again almost protectively like he'd jump at the bigger bot when it didn't look like the thing was going to handle his Jedi correctly.

The droid's boxlike head swiveled over at Tony at the man's gesture, but the little guy hunkered down with an almost petulant borble, scooting back over by the Soldier's boot, and then around to clamber up the guy's leg and onto his back.

[sinistral]

Maybe he was projecting on the droid but even the Soldier could pick up on its unimpressed tone in response to Tony's words. To say that the Soldier didn't appreciate Tony blazing in with accusations and verbal attacks was an understatement and the only thing that stopped him from moving to dismantle the clunky robot himself was his concern for getting Cal out of here as soon as possible. He could swallow his ire enough to see his friend lifted out of the hole; pride meant nothing next to his concern for Cal.

Fortunately the lift maneuver worked. Success was the only thing keeping Tony safe, whether the other man realized it or not. The Soldier sheathed the knife smoothly, turning his head to try to breathe as little of the exhaust as possible.

To the demand, he just narrowed his eyes. "No." Tony could find his own way out, unassisted by the Soldier. His concern was for Cal; he had no use for Tony's posturing.

He looked down at BD-1 when the droid scooted close, held still for him to climb the Soldier's body as he'd done the last time Cal had collapsed. The tactical gear he preferred had plenty of places for the little droid to grip, to the point that he could ride around the same way he did with Cal (sans pink poncho, and probably fortunate the droid didn't have a replicator of its own handy). "You ready to get out of here, BD?" he asked the droid.

[in_extremis]

Tony didn't know what to do with just 'no', and between that and BD's pointed preference made, he was successfully rebuffed a step back into what felt like open water, glancing around the murky darkness for what labour he was supposed to suffer in penance. At least, until he could figure out how to get out of here again. Luckily, he could still see Cal through the A.G.R.I.I.'s eyes, the one that watched the pulse at his throat while the other two navigated through the disarrayed Engineering room. "They're heading for the medical wing," he reported flatly. "Follow the crowd. Can't miss it."

[out_of_order]

Not that the Soldier's own response to Tony was making things any better, but given that Tony wasn't really asking for assistance, BD-1 wasn't arguing. Once he managed to find a secure place to hang on to, he paused, looking at the man. He could understand at least, maybe explanation would help. Glancing at the Soldier, he wondered if the man would even remember their old albeit at the time circumstantial code, but to some degree, it could still apply - Beep once if we should wait here, or twice if I should bring him inside.

BD-1 beeped once, hoping the man would understand, and if not, hopefully he'd get the point as BD turned his attention to Tony.

It was already hard to explain, but the droid had witnessed similar reaction from Cal before. But it was never because of just being in a place- it only ever got so disorienting once, and that had been by contacting an object with his bare hand. BD-1 twittered a recount as best as he could, about their coming down here, about Cal's sensing something bad, about how it seemed to overwhelm him immediately once they'd dropped down to investigate with the Soldier.

[sinistral]

Tony started it.

"A quiet place to rest is probably better for him than whatever chaos is happening in the medical spaces." Not that the Soldier really knew what Cal needed the best. But in his last collapse, the Soldier had brought him to a quiet place and he'd recovered. Surely that would help here as well, and given the generally panicked nature of the Agrii around the entire situation, he had a feeling that the medical facilities were likely the opposite of quiet and calm.

He would have turned away at that, if BD-1 hadn't beeped at him. He did remember their code well, especially as he had very little in other ways to communicate with the droid. So he waited, watching its body language (inasmuch as it had body language) while BD-1 turned to Tony. Clearly the little droid was imparting some type of information though what he said, the Soldier had no way of knowing. He would probably never know, considering that he couldn't trust Tony to tell it straight. And that was fine.

[in_extremis]

'Doctors should handle medical emergencies' was one of Tony's least controversial positions. That the Soldier hated him enough to be contrary at Cal's expense wasn't surprising enough for Tony to react more than a warning glare, his own hand twisting at his hip to suggest the Soldier get his knife ready again if he really wanted to argue about it. If he did want a duel, he would have to wait through BD's explanation, at least.

What had happened to Cal wasn't so complicated to Tony, because he wasn't clear to him what magical rules bound Cal to touching something to empathize with it. He was always touching something. That part was science. After a steady stream of BD's beeps and twitters, Tony summarized, "He's sensitive." Then he was turning away, because someone had to find out what this explosion had kicked up into the air that was miserable enough to make someone faint.

[out_of_order]

It was about the bluntest conclusion that could be made, however true. BD-1 sure seemed capable enough of pulling off some rendition of a sigh, he had enough joints and mobility to do so, affecting it with the slight droop of his head and a sag of his tiny body between his legs.

But the longer they lingered, the more time wasted. Cal was still with that other robot thing, and BD-1 didn't trust it as much as he might have trusted Tony. He turned his head to the Soldier then, giving him two beeps.

[sinistral]

Maybe rather than being contrary, the Soldier relief on the experience of having seen Cal collapse like this before, and assisting him then. But he didn't bother to explain, or to answer Tony. The man might hear, but he'd made it clear that he wouldn't listen. He'd formed his own conclusions, and spending time trying to correct his assumptions was nothing but a waste. Better that they get back to Cal, extract him from the grip of Tony's robot and get him to a safe, quiet space to recover.

In response to the double beep from BD-1 he nodded. "Let's get back to your master. Hold on tight." Unencumbered, and with a running start, the Soldier could jump high enough to catch the edge of the hole and pull himself up. It wasn't something he could have done with an unconscious Cal in his arms, but to get the two of them to said unconscious Cal? He could definitely make the jump.

Once they were back on the upper level, he looked at the droid. BD-1's mental map would likely be better than his own. "What's the fastest way?"

[out_of_order]

The Soldier wasn't a Jedi but BD-1 was sure he'd be right at home running and jumping around some of the places he and Cal had been.

Once they're up on the main level, the droid beeped before he projected a 3D map for them to view, a dot marking where their current position was, and another, blinking one marking where the medical wing was. There weren't to many alternative routes to go, so BD-1 plotted out the way, his beeping although likely not understood suggesting that the A.G.R.I.I. hadn't been all that fast, so maybe they could catch up with it if not just find it and Cal at the medbay.

[sinistral]

Maybe he'd have to join Cal on some more exploration adventures, once they got through this latest crisis.

By now the Soldier had gotten pretty used to BD-1's map talents and his way of suggesting routes via the projections. The proposed path looked pretty straightforward, and Tony's weird robot hadn't seemed the most agile. Moving fast, they should be able to catch it, or at least intercept it at the medical facility.

"Let's go. Let me know if you sense it." The thing had made enough of a racket that they'd hopefully hear it before they saw it, unless the noise was mostly related to its limited flight. The Soldier set off with no further delay, moving at a quick, steady pace.

[out_of_order]

Given the pace at which the thing was traveling, aside from there being obstacles of other Agrii around, they probably wouldn't take long before catching sight of it up ahead. BD-1 nevertheless twittered a confirmation, taking his task very seriously as he kept a vigilant eye upon the hallways.

The Soldier was likely making better headway for the lack of being encumbered with a body, and he'd be able to catch sight of the A.G.R.I.I. monstrosity at the same time BD-1 beeped a head's up.

[sinistral]

The two of them could certainly move faster than the robot, and it didn't take them long to overtake the thing in a corridor. He saw it at the same time BD-1 twittered at him, and lost no time in approaching the thing.

"Stop," he tried, getting deliberately into its path. It might not obey him — might not even be able to register his words as a command to follow — but he had to try. If necessary he'd pry Cal away from the thing but he wanted to cause as little extra stress for his friend as possible.

[out_of_order]

BD-1 certainly looked ready to go on the offensive if it wasn't going to release Cal to them. He had clambered up a bit higher to loom over the Soldier's shoulder. The only thing keeping him from attempting to hack into the robot himself was the fact that it was still carrying Cal, and that he suspected Tony had a link to it somehow.

So he borbled at it wondering if Tony was still watching, if he could hear them.