revivalproject | OTA Log

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OTA Log

WHO: Tommy Shepherd and Anyone
WHERE: Graq Planet, Agrii Ship
WHAT: Harvesting seeds, capturing animals(?), and trying to learn Science! (TM)
WHEN: During the Return Journey
WARNINGS: None Anticipated?

A. Farming Boy | OTA | Graq Homeworld

Was it strange that he found this world so damn fun? Probably not. The trees were strong, the food was abundant enough that for the first time since coming to their damn level of reality he was full as he needed to be. It was a relief. And the food? Fuck the food was good. Good enough that Tommy had been poking around at the Graq trying to ask questions.

Which was silly. Who needed questions. Tommy just needed the fruits and vegetables. Or at least, the ones he can find that have seeds.

Anyone approaching will find the speedster laying out a variety of fruit on a large piece of stone, considering them before he raises his hands at them.

"You might wanna stand back," he warns, because he's going to try playing with his powers in a whole new way. "These... could explode in a juicy manner. Not sure. Haven't been able to do an explosion since getting here but... well, it's try time."

His hope was that it was just the Agrii ship and planet that fucked with his powers. Then again, if it hadn't... then he had the most awesome idea for trying to get some seeds to long term storage really fast.

B. Bacon Time | OTA | Graq Homeworld, minor Network

Meat. Protein. Fucking GOOD long term food that can be bred and brought up to size with foods that are less desirable to mainly human constitutions? Yeah, Tommy's all on that. Right from the world go on tasting his first side of bacon, he resolves a plan. One that he broadcasts out to the network as a group-text.

Listen. Some of us need meat and protein and all that shit in greater quantities. So I suggest this. A 'hunting' party. We can cure and preserve some of the meat. But I also wanna capture one or two breeding pairs? So we can, like, have more meat in the future? I'm sorry if you're squish and all that, but some of us need this.

Anyway, I'm starting at about noon or whatever noon is here. That's an hour or so. I've put a coordinate point up, and I've woven nets from vines and trip ropes and other stuff. Anyone wanna help?

And at the appointed time, Tommy will be standing at those exact coordinates, with one of those hats like you'd see on an episode of some nature documentary with a wise-cracking Aussie in it. Where he got the hat will have to remain a mystery. Just like why he's doing an Aussie accent. Horribly.

"Well get on their mate, we're huntin' food!"

Horrible

C. Learning Science | OTA | Agrii Ship

The problem with only needing to sleep four hours a day when you're travelling on a ship where the aliens operate on a thirty hour day is... Well, a lot of things. Including keeping oneself entertained when trying not to go crazy from a sense of confinement. Sure, the Agrii ship is a LOT larger than the ships the 'guests' of the Agrii have used, but sooner or later, every space feels confined when he doesn't have a whole planet to explore.

Which had led to the strangest behavior from Tommy Shepherd. All throughout the day the young man can be seen loitering in all sorts of places. He loiters on the bridge, watching the Agrii manage their consoles there. He loiters in the engine room, watching the Agrii and Stark and Tuesti and anyone else who comes in as they look at the new engine core. He crawls through the confined spaces of the Jeffries Tubes ~~and maybe nerds out a little over the idea that he's in a fucking Jeffries Tube because he just happens to be a closet Trekkie~~ and looks at where all of the wires go. He even hangs out in the hangar and watches the people who know how to do it mess with modifying their ships.

Why is he doing it? Well, Calibrations had taught him one thing, if only from the way Tony had stared at him.

Maybe, just maybe, Tommy wasn't as dumb as everyone had always told him he was. Maybe he even wanted to explore that.

So, if he happens by someone studying something, he pipes up with a question.

"How do you think that works?"

And if someone catches him staring as an Agrii is working hard, he waves them back for a second, watching a delicate process complete before looking at them.

"What's up?"

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"I mentioned him in passing, comparing you to him. I didn't turn it into this. You did."

Tommy sighs and puts a bit of space between himself and Tony. Why doesn't the man get it?

"I don't know what I want to learn. I just know that you don't treat me like I'm an entire fucking idiot. Sometimes I say shit and you actually talk about it, think about what I said, and either build on it, or tell me why I'm wrong instead of just saying I'm stupid, it was stupid, and I should just shut my damn fool mouth."

The last words, starting with the 'just' take on a deeper tone, a heavier north Jersey accent. He's clearly quoting someone.

"That a fucking problem?"

Mouth a tight line and eyes wide, Tony raised a warning finger, last chance, because he did not and would not be blamed for getting them entrenched in their shared romantic failures. It was Tommy that brought up Jon, and if Tony could get away with it he would be claiming he never met the man in his life, and then Tommy that brought up David, absolutely Tommy's fault, he clearly had some shit to work out. Maybe it was the comparison that did it, but Tony couldn't be blamed for Tommy seeing his crushes in him. Just because young genius nerds tried to model their lives off of Tony's sexiest Forbes covers didn't mean Tony had to take responsibility for their behaviour.

He almost softened at that unmistakable slip of the accent, but narrowed his expression back into a frown at Tommy's final combative question, his energy controlling the tone despite the serenity of the slightly harassed greenhouse, and Tony was much more comfortable butting heads with him than whatever else had been going on. "I'll tell you you're stupid when you say something stupid, if that'll make you feel better. I thought we were just having a conversation, sometimes I listen to what people say to me, sue me. I didn't realize you were trying to leech engineering facts to impress your boyfriend, if I did, we could have kept this tight, because that's not going to do it, just turn around and show him your ass, you're golden. Now, if you actually want to build something, you've got to bring me an idea, I can't do all of the work, I've got my own shit."

Good thing Tony didn't say the whole 'young genius nerds' try to frame themselves after Stark. Because Tommy would have rolled his eyes and had a list on how David Alleyne couldn't give a fuck about being like Tony Stark.

"You're assuming that when we go home, we remember all of this. And if I'm going to impress him it's going to be on things I can do for myself. But..."

The young man crosses his arms over his chest and looks away from Tony. It's about more than that.

"The thing in your memories. With the satellite. You actually acted like I wasn't talking out of my ass. People don't do that. I thought maybe I could learn something, even it was only just by watching you. But I guess I can figure something else. Someone else."

Of course Tony was assuming they were going to remember this, and readily went, "Yeah-huh," like that was all that needed to be said on that topic. The effort it would take for whoever was in control of this to selectively extract the memories of being here specifically was completely out of balance with any obvious benefit that would be to them, and Tony didn't think his brain could be defragged enough to just forget something like that expression of disappointed frustration on Tommy. Tony didn't do that to kids very often, and he braced his hands on his hips with his tongue between his teeth in his own frustration, watching distantly as he scuffed the ground. Maybe Tommy wasn't enjoying arguing with him as much as he made it seem.

Still looking at the ground, not sure if this was an apology, Tony tried to excuse, "I get aggressive when I'm hungry. Or tired." So, all the time, not a great excuse. "I'm working on it. Listen, that wasn't an act, I don't really know what you want me to tell you-- sorry nobody's been listening to you, I guess. You don't make it easy, you know, you say a lot like you don't really want anybody to listen." That's why Tony did it, anyway, and it was very effective.

Well, don't be hungry. Tommy's clearly solving some of his hunger with the sandwich he's finally finishing. Because it's easier than saying 'people don't want to listen, so it's easier to do it this way'. Sometimes pushing people away is easier than letting them be close.

A lot easier.

"I just... want to learn."

"Okay. Well." Now that Tommy didn't seem to have eighteen things to tell him, Tony suddenly didn't know what to do with that, either. The arguing really was a lot easier. Starting with something negative, though, definitely wasn't going to help, so Tony opened his mouth again only to shut it instead of telling Tommy he wasn't much of a teacher, it wasn't like he had come out here with a lesson plan, and most people found him inscrutably annoying when he was trying to puzzle something out out loud. "I guess I know some stuff," must have been the least arrogant way Tony had ever expressed the sentiment, but no one had ever just asked for something like that. "Is it--like, about satellites? You liked the satellite stuff?"

"You don't have to talk about random stuff. After we're done looking here, just, you know, go back to looking at the engine or whatever. Do your rambling out loud. Be okay with me asking questions?"

Because if he watches, he might know what to watch and learn through conversation. Just... give him a chance.

He needs a chance. Almost looks desperate for it.

That expression suggested to Tony that maybe, this time, he should not point out that Tommy could have just done that and not made it completely weird, Tony was always muttering at something and would appreciate the kind of attention Tommy brought with his off the wall questions--maybe that was for later, reminding Tommy how completely weird he was. Right now, Tony gave him a beat before repeating, "Okay," eyebrows raised slightly to say, that was a contract, they had an agreement now, don't fuck it up, arms going loose then twitching and hugging around his own chest because Tommy was kind of far away. He barely took a breath before he was continuing pompously, "You can call me Professor Tony. I'll take Doctor, too, I've got seven of those, did you know that? No one ever calls me Doctor, I don't know how Reed gets off. I don't do essays, I don't know how to read, never learned, all exams will be practical and flattery will get you everywhere. Any questions? Too bad."

Wait, really? Tony's got a lot of doctorates? Wow, okay, he didn't know that. So he grins.

"Alright, Professor Doctor Stark. I hate tests anyway. I have some serious attention span issues anyway. Comes from the fact that the world doesn't go as fast as me. Any intel you can just pump me via text on the comms is good too. They can almost keep up with my reading speed."

"That's an external problem. You do get how that's not an attention span issue, right? Major lesson uno, sitting still does not make you a better person or whatever, if you've absorbed it, it's in there, we move on, because I'm bored, too." It was possible Tony was not going to completely mess this up. Tommy calling this exchange 'intel' did change the tone enough to make Tony crack a smile that he tried to cover again, nodding solemnly, of course, this wasn't a classroom, it was an intelligence operation. Nat hated it when they tried to play at spies, Avengers were not spies and regularly proved how bad at it they were, but that didn't stop them from trying. And Tony doubted Tommy remembered, but it was gratifying to hear him change his tune after shooting Tony down the first time they spoke in this place. "First mission," Tony said, finger up, very official, "We're finding that remora."

There has been literally no one in his life, save maybe Billy's mom, who hasn't told him his attention span was an issue. His issue. Not a problem with the fact that his brain had trouble with the world.

But the first time had... its complications. Right now? He was doing the best he could. And the fact that Tony isn't sending him away makes him smile.

"Need a quick search, Professor Doctor Stark?"

"Yeah. What have you been doing this whole time, what are you standing around for?" Tony demanded irritably, like Speed wasn't working fast enough for him. It had to be a quick transition to catch him before he bolted off, though, Tony knew that, so his smile slipped again before he was even finished asking and he had to bite his lip as he chopped a flat hand through the air, palm down, putting something on the table before they broke because he couldn't let it go for now. "Now that I'm hearing it, honestly, not thrilled about the name, call me that again and I walk out of here, you'll never see me again," he said, then flicked his hand again, okay, go.

Well, he's been talking to Tony. There's a twinkle of amusement in his eyes at the lack of using the new nick name, but... Well, Tony had agreed not to call him Thomas, so he guesses he can give Stark this one. Though really No Thomas felt like a fair exchange for No Anthony.

One of these times, though, he's definitely going to call the guy P.Diddy Stark. Maybe.

As it was Tommy winks and takes off, bolting around the area. In fact, he's better than Tony.

"You going to time me, boss?"

And with that he's off in a burst of speed.

That barely gave Tony enough time to welcome the suggestion with an idle wave of his hand and say, "Impress me," so they had something to stop the clock by. Tony wasn't sure yet what exactly they were looking for, so Tommy might have just set himself a steep challenge while Tony took his time sidling over to a knocked over tree curiously to lift himself up on it, consider briefly why it was like this, then stretch himself out like a lounging cat with a groan as he dropped his arms and his back luxuriously cracked.

Impress him? As much as he can. He'll back within two minutes, looking a bit ready for a very serious cup of coffee. And he sighs, shaking his head, hands in his pockets.

"Well, for me that was about a week of searching and nope. Literally not a single thing out of the norm. Some things we don't have that I want for the greenhouse and know from datapoint only, but... No bingo."

Two minutes wasn't quite long enough for a power nap. Without moving at first, Tony hummed thoughtfully and eventually muttered, "You're still on the clock," while he considered this problem. What was the norm, anyway, and how were they supposed to recognize when they were out of it? The whole ship was alien to them, and the engine itself was entirely new to the Agrii, yet the assumption was that they would carry on as normal. "We missed something," Tony decided, still reluctant to move from his perch. Sure, there were other places on the ship they could be checking for a plant, but this was growing tiresome already without a direction. "How have these guys not blown the whole place up, if they don't even know how it works?" Space was not a forgiving place, and an interplanetary cruiseliner was not a forgiving machine.

Tommy shrugs, because he's not the tech whiz.

"I mean, the engine was different before. A singing planet, or a young one. Wanda mentioned it. That it was like a baby planet. The Atroma used them some. She got REALLY angry over it. I don't know that those can blow up."

The speedster sighs, arms crossed over his chest now. He needs coffee. Dammit.

"I hate this. I feel like a puppet dancing on someone's strings."

Wanda had mentioned something about singing to Tony, too, but hadn't made all of those connections for Tony, and impulsively he asked, "A planet for babies?" That wasn't right. Nevermind the singing or interdimensional travel opportunities parts, what Tony believed with fair confidence was that there had been a different engine in place before he saw it, so, okay, young planet, "Like, a star?" That made more sense than a rock, a young star had plenty of potential energy to harvest, maybe even enough to make a time machine and sing a tune at the same time. And it would explain what made Wanda angry about it, because, to Tony, that was definitely a next level explosion in the works. Tony was finally sitting up, not sure what to do with this information. Either way, it wasn't the Agrii's technology, and they had been entrusted not to fuck it up even though they clearly didn't know what they were handling. Same problem.

The anger that Wanda had about the 'baby planet' might have entirely been about the Atroma connection, though, because they were barely brushing up against the suggestion of them and Tony understood that frustration coming from Tommy very well. "We don't really have any control over our ships, either," he pointed out, kind of a reply, more of a realization as he was looking back the way they had come at the door. It could definitely feel like control, but no one of them was in control of their departure from the last star system. "Fake navigation system, fake helm, fake propulsion," he proposed, gaze sliding slowly back to Tommy.

Lack of control was one of the things Tommy hated most in the world. Except... Except there it was. The key statement. Tommy curses and kicks at the ground and yep, he's definitely pissed off.

"We're in a fucking remote controlled car on a fucking interstellar scale, aren't we? Just like most of the times the Agrii put us in the fucking little ships. Mother FUCK!"

At least Tommy wasn't pissed off at Tony, for once, which made the energy much easier to exist around, despite still feeling deeply guilty for not fixing this situation faster. That was Tony's guilt, he owned and was aware of it and was generally constantly present, like a very familiar friend that he didn't need anyone else bringing up to yell at him about. He slid from the tree trunk to take Tommy around the shoulders again, this time a conspiratorial lean that he hoped would put Tommy at ease, someone on his side when it felt like he was being conspired against, and offered, "Listen, we haven't been the ones in control this whole time." This was probably not the best thing to say to deescalate, but Tony intended it to mean: nothing had really changed from day one of this journey when they were stolen from their happy little beds in the first place. Of course Tony was also righteously angry about that, and he had been accused of being a real control freak enough times in his life to understand where that might be coming from, but a few months in that anger was more of a simmer than a kick and swear production. Energy to use. "Do you think the Agrii are even actually in control of our ships? Like, is this a matryoshka situation, or just one single puppet master?," he mused. Maybe it was time to go back to the engine room and start asking more pointed questions. Or the bridge. Hero Control?

"Matryoshka?"

NOpe, new focus is on new word. Come on, Tony, speak ENGLISH.

"I think... I think the Agrii are in control of our ships. Or maybe they make decisions and think they do stuff, but their puppetmasters move us instead. And now I wonder how important piloting really is."

"Oh, I'm sure it's important..." Tony allowed with a grand wave of his free hand as he led them out of the Green Room to direct this inquisition toward the Agrii, or at least the technology they could interact with to found out how much of it actually did something consequential. That would have more reliable results than whatever nonsense the Agrii had to say. Piloting, Tony thought they could agree now, served a different purpose than flying and directing the ships, it was just what that purpose actually was that was still a mystery. As they walked, he tried to mime the shape he described while explaining, "Matryoshka, you know, those Russian dolls that eat each other, until there's a little, tiny one in the middle."

Oh. Tommy laughs as Tony explains.

"Wow, should have occurred to me that they probably don't call them Russian Nesting Dolls in Russia. I mean, it's one of the countries I REALLY don't visit, not safe for mutants. So I don't practice on the words much."

He trails after Tony at a regular human pace, more than happy for now to keep working with Stark. And by working with, he figured at the moment he was more a sounding board.

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clearly they won't find anything, but i'm asking mods anyway lol

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