revivalproject | ★ 1 ★

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WHO: Agra 10 gets another Captain America, and this one is Bucky Barnes!
WHERE: Starting in the square, then pretty much anywhere you want to run into him around town/the forest
WHAT: Arrival and exploring (NOTE: If you'd like to continue/assume our TDM thread as canon, just go ahead and I'll roll with it!)
WHEN: Bucky's arrival, a few weeks into the first event
WARNINGS: Will mark if any appear!

The last thing Bucky remembers is being on the Bishop with Steve. Then, suddenly - he's in the middle of a run-down square in a run-down city and there's a glowing... thing downloading information into his head.

All in all, it's kinda like any Tuesday in the Fleet. Almost. Except not. Especially not since after things changed.

He's alone - at least, he is at first. Which means he goes looking for Steve, once he realizes he's got no communicator and, honestly, pretty much nothing else, either, except for the plain coveralls he's wearing and the red, white, and blue shield that might be familiar to some.

He eventually finds his way into places like the hotel, the hospital, and the power plant. He's not afraid to poke around, and anyone he spots that doesn't look like a threat will be approached without hesitation.

At first, he's looking for Steve - or for acquaintances from the Fleet. But that doesn't mean unfamiliar people get the brush-off. He'll come right up, ask if you know what's going on, and probably offer help if it looks like you need it.

It's pretty much part of the job, after all.

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Tommy isn't the only one who'd maybe like to shout. Bucky does not super appreciate the concept of someone appearing to literally pop up out of thin air, and it is by the very thinnest margin that he doesn't just swing his arm outward and potentially send said someone flying.

As it is, he tenses and looks like he's maybe shouting internally a little. "The hell?" He falls into a more defensive stance without really thinking about it, even as he's processing just who or what has sprung up right in front of him.

"I'm Captain America," because yeah, there are days when Bucky sure as hell doesn't feel like it, especially when Steve is here, but he's not gonna go through that with this kid right here and now.

But the rest of what Tommy says isn't lost on him, either. "Guy who used to be the Winter Soldier where I'm from is blonde," he says quietly, a bit tightly, because he's sure got plenty of feelings about that, too. "But if you think I look like him, then we're obviously not from the same place. I ain't missing an arm."

And that's enough explaining, when he'd really like to know, "Who are you supposed to be?"

Dude, the number of people who are called Captain America who have taken a swing at him? Really damn high. And it's a shame Bucky doesn't swing, because it would be cool to show off by ducking the thing, moving fast enough to almost make it look like the shield passes through him. But that isn't here or there.

And oh geez, another claimed Captain. Tommy's left standing there and taking a deep breath. These Captain Americas are giving him a headache. But he doesn't show this off to this guy.

"Definitely not from your world, that's for sure. Because Captain America is blonde, and Winter Soldier is definitely a surly brunette with a missing arm, but who am I to judge the multiverse? Tommy Shepherd, go by Speed. Fastest man on this planet."

Bucky snorts a little. "The multiverse is a really frickin' weird place," he agrees, because it's true, as far as he's concerned. He's used to the idea of Steve staying Cap - hell, he'd prefer it, frankly - and even accepted that there are a lot of universes out there where Bucky's the Winter Soldier - and doesn't he just wish he could take that off his own Steve's plate, because he would in a heartbeat.

Although if he looks skeptical about the rest of it - well, he didn't actually see Tommy show up, so there is that. But, taking the kid at his supposed word might get him somewhere, so he asks, "In that case, how much of this planet have you seen? Is it the same everywhere?" That seems like a much better - more productive - thing to focus on, at any rate.

If only he had the energy to do that. In fact, Tommy's face falls just a little. Because he feels like he was letting down Steve in that he wasn't out there exploring a lot. Instead he was in his greenhouse with his father dealing with food needs.

"Uh... I haven't? I mean, using speed uses a LOT of calories. And food isn't reliable enough for me to do that. I could eat a supersoldier serum person under the table several times over, and I can't afford to do that yet."

He wants to explore, though. He deserves to explore. This whole would should be his fucking playground.

Bucky does grimace at that - but it's in sympathy. "Well, as a 'supersoldier serum person,' that sounds like it sucks."

So okay, that makes sense - and it also makes him worry a little, because food and water are kind of important, and clearly that's going to be a priority.

"So where did you come from? Because I'm guessing it's probably a direction I should check out." Bucky hasn't been here very long, and being the new guy on the planet gets real old real fast.

Greenhouse keeps him fed. At only a step above minimum for survival, but only that. There isn't much more he can do.

"Me? Springfield, New Jersey. But if you mean direction..."

Tommy points toward the greenhouse. He's there a lot.

Bucky maybe wrinkles his nose at that - Jersey, wow. Sorry, pal.

But he did definitely mean the more recent direction; he glances where Tommy points, and nods. "Haven't been that way yet." Which means now's as good a time as any to try it. "Were you out here looking for something, or just looking?"

Hey, don't get down on Jersey. Be from Jersey before you get that down on Jersey. Stupid NYC people are always so dismissive.

"I mean, it's the greenhouse. It's a whole other mess to explore I guess. Beyond that, not much. For all my speed I've mostly hung around a small area."

It's just one of the perks of being from NYC.

"A greenhouse sounds useful, though," Bucky's got to admit. "I'd like to see it."

Not that every plant is going to be edible, probably, but at least some of them clearly are, and he's no farmer - not even a gardener - but he can assess things like how much food is available, and what they ought to plan for.

And then, curiously, "You burn the regular number of calories just walking?"

Well, there is the data point, but Tommy's not going to say it. But he shrugs at Bucky's question.

"Don't think so, but I don't know. My body is efficient, but I've never counted calories. Do you?"

That gets a raised eyebrow in return. "Not really, no. But I can manage to keep going even when I'm hungry. I get if you can't." The serum - even the serum he got - was, at least, designed for that.

This kid is obviously different. At least - seemingly obviously. "You always been fast?" And, besides, "My point actually was, you could explore without running everywhere."

If, you know, you wanted.

Either way, he's hiking for the greenhouse now - at a reasonable super soldier pace.

Tommy's learned a lot about moving when his stomach is protesting. Part of how he grew up. But he's not going to admit that. But the question at least lets him ignore the potential landmine.

"I'm a mutant. So yeah, since I hit puberty and my powers manifested. And if I go very far, then I'm not working on the food issue."

Tommy moves with him, walking a step ahead of Bucky. But, you know, backwards. With confidence, ease, and keeping pace with Bucky no problem.

Bucky would definitely get that type of moving while hungry, too - but it's not always a point that comes up, or one that needs to.

He is definitely interested in the information he gets, because, "Ah. We don't have mutants where I'm from, but this ain't the first time I've ended up someplace I didn't intend to be with a bunch of other people with the same problem. So I'm guessing that means they're common in your corner of the multiverse?" This is what Tommy had called it, anyway - and it seems appropriate enough. Of course, that's also extra interesting, because it means he can't even be from Steve's version of things, because that's closer to Bucky's than anything.

Bucky just continues on, not looking particularly impressed, but he'll probably - probably - try to warn the kid if it looks like he's going to trip.

Like Tommy would ever do something so embarrassing as trip when he's going backwards. So not even happening. In fact, there's even a second where it seems like he might, but somehow between millisecond and the next his foot moves just far enough to avoid the danger. Clearly the kid is using his speed and senses to keep looking where he's going without showing it to Bucky. Tommy's just like that. He's all about presentation. And competence is an important thing to present in front of adult Avengers. They get persnickety.

Is that a word? If not Tommy's making it a word. Take that dictionary!

"Yeah, they used to be. Probably something like 20 million mutants or more at one point three years ago. But then there was the attack on Genosha that almost killed Gramps, and then the whole M-Day shit. So maybe only a few thousand."

Genocide. On a scale that the Nazis definitely would have envied, since at least 16 million died on one day. Who knew Hitler might one day be number two on the level of atrocities. Granted he definitely beat out the Genosha massacre since Hilter went after more than just jews.

It's impressive, Bucky can't deny that. Impressive - and, if you ask him, totally meant just to show off. But that's just kids, for you. Tommy doesn't seem to be causing any harm to himself doing it, so Bucky lets it slide, simply cocking an eyebrow at any near misses, and admittedly much more interested in the answer to that question, macabre though it is.

It's not like he's unfamiliar with the concept of taking a very large population, and reducing it to a very small one. He certainly doesn't look happy to hear it.

But he also only understands most of the words in those sentences; the rest, he can sort of get by context, but still. "Is it... are you an actual different species?"

Okay, that seems kind of rude to ask, but also very, very important.

Yeah, Bucky would be familiar with bad situation like that. Still, there's the question and Tommy shrugs.

"I mean, it's like dogs versus wolves. Two different things, you might mistake some for the other if you aren't fully aware of it or it isn't a full pack or something, but they can interbreed with viable offspring. Unlike, you know, horses and donkeys."

But yeah, genetically different enough to not be considered humans.

"They call us Homo superior. We're as different from you as you are from a Neanderthal. And we know that humans bred with those. People still carry the genes."

Bucky blows out a breath. "Well, that name sure isn't gonna help the rest of the population feel any better about it," he points out - but he's not arguing either way. Just stating a point.

Bucky does, at least, know what it's like to be the inferior version of something. He knows it really, really damn well.

But that doesn't justify genocide, and he is not saying it does, either. "Sounds like a mess," he finally decides, in a tone that says he would very much like to shake some people over it, and knows he very much can't. "There's choosing something, and there's being born without a choice of what you are. There's a big fuckin' difference between the two."

Still, he has to ask - "What's M-Day?"

Tommy holds his hands up defensively. The name isn't his fault. Not in the slightest. He just keeps going, you know? That's all he can do.

"Massive difference. I mean... It's not like my family isn't used to it, sorta. My grandfather on one side? Jewish, born in Nuremberg. Before World War II. He survived Auschwitz. So did my grandmother, though she was there because she was Romani. Some families just have all the luck, you know?"

A Roma-Jewish mutant. Born and raised in New Jersey. It's all so complicated and a lot of magic is involved, and a hell of a lot more sadness.

"We know a thing or two about not having a choice about how you're born. But uh... M-Day. It's a day where some really serious magic happened and the mutant population went from a few million to a few hundred or thousand? People just had their genetic structure changed, just like that."

Bucky still doesn't look necessarily happy, because, "Just because you're used to it doesn't make it better." And, frankly, no one should be used to that. But he figures he doesn't have to tell Tommy that, after all. He's got his own firsthand experiences, and nothing Bucky could say would contend with those, anyway.

"Wait, so they're... alive, just not mutants?" He's not about to say it could've been worse - even if it could've - but he's definitely curious. Mostly because, "God, magic gives me a headache. It's hard enough dealing with regular science that feels like science-fiction. Magic kinda seems like the cherry on top of the really-fucked-up cake, sometimes."

Admittedly, Bucky's experience with magic users is largely limited to Loki, at this point.

"Oh, see that's the thing. People killed no small number of them after," Tommy shrugs. And not everyone wanted to live without being who they were."

It's just a truth of life. Sure, not as many people died, but it was a genocide all of its own. Nothing compared to Genosha, but a blow when they couldn't handle it.

"Magic is a family thing. It just happens to us I guess. Like other stuff. You learn to deal with it."

"Of course they did," Bucky replies flatly, quietly. It wasn't enough to change who they were, then; and yeah, he gets that. If being a mutant is that much of who you are, giving it up probably feels a lot like death. He can't relate - well, not exactly. He sure knows what it's like to have your body fucked with, without your consent. He sure didn't sign up for any super soldier serum, even if he knows it's not the same.

"You can learn to deal with a lot," he agrees. "I mean, it seems like you're taking this whole kidnapped on a weird planet thing pretty well."

"I mean, mutants are supposed to be adaptable?"

The kidnapping, though? Tommy laughs and shakes his head. Of course he was taking it well. This wasn't his first rodeo.

"At least I get to be aware of it this time."

Bucky snorts a little, definitely amused. "I'm thinkin' that's probably not the reason, but whatever you wanna go with."

Kids are adaptable, after all. More so than most people give them credit for, it seems, these days.

Although he's not thrilled with what he gets next, because - "Wait, it's happened, when you weren't aware of it?"

"Oh yeah. Some creepy monster freak showed up at my work stealing all the stuff I made. So me and a friend, we waited to get the jump on it. And apparently it absorbed me or put me in some kind of limbo or something. I just, you know, disappeared or something for months."

Don't ask him where he was. He sure doesn't know.

Bucky's eyebrows are definitely inching their way upward, by now. "That is... disturbing," he finally settles on. "And that's even considering all the other shit that's already happened here."

At least they're aware of it. That... counts for something. If not much. Bucky's not about to be grateful for being kidnapped just because he knows he's being kidnapped. "Your life sounds really weird, kid."

★ 1 ★

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cw: genocide, sorry. I mean, Bucky's lived through WWII, so he can probably handle it.

he can totally handle it~

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end/fade hereish, I'm thinking?

Seems fair to me.