Video UN: Stark CW: Child death, implied drowning

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Video UN: Stark CW: Child death, implied drowning

[ Tony's half out of the frame when the feed starts, fluid propped on one of the worktables in the garage, slightly more organized chaos on display with stripped wire and machining parts spread about in semi-coherent piles according to his projects. Steady as his voice is? The hands clenched in view are white-knuckled and trembling. ]

-ive minutes? Just gimme five minutes and I'll help you tuck her in. [ There's a low murmur from beyond the frame, past Tony, warm and real and wrong. ] Promise. Thanks, Pep.

[ Footsteps, slow and semi shuffled and that more than anything, the lack of poise even out in the sticks by the lake, missing the sharp certain staccato of her pace has Tony slumping in his chair as he closes the door, one trembling hand pressed to his eyes as he takes a slow, steadying breath. ]

I. This is- [ Thoughts rattle around like bolts in a half-empty tin, all noise and zero substance as he reaches for words. Hysteria is ever so slightly easier to hold onto and it's a half-sharp bark of anxious laughter that spills past his lips as he finally drops his hand, staring into the camera. ] It's like a bad joke. Is there a doctor in the house?

[ Another spurt of laughter, right, come on, focus Stark. He drags his hands through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as he visibly collects himself. ] Any kind of doctor, honestly. This isn't my field. I need- people that know what they're doing, I need experts in medicine or- hell, I'll take magic. There's got to be a curse involved or something, psychology, virology, necromancy, anything. If you think you might have some side gig or hobby that might help even a little- I'll take it. My girls are here and they're not-

They're not quite right but there's a fix, there has to be a fix- they were fine when I left and-

[ The door creaks open, a soft patter of feet slightly damp (why are they damp) as a dark riot of curls comes into view. As pale, tiny hands stained with algae reach up to Tony who slams on a smile that sits just to the left of normal and reaches down to scoop into his lap one Morgan Stark who cuddles herself close to his chest, filmy eyes sliding closed. ]

What are you doing, Little Miss? [ He murmurs, voice back to something close to an even keel as she murmurs something about needing her favorite pillow. ] Right. So- I. Any of you out there? Get back to me. Sooner would be better than later.

[ With that he stands, scooping his Fluid up and shutting off the feed- showing one similarly pale and wrong Pepper lingering in the doorway, eyes intent on Tony. ]

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[This doesn't sound good - which The Doctor doesn't like]

I'll see what I can do.

[Wait - what was that at the end?]

[ It takes a minute before Tony's able to respond- tucking in his daughter, getting Pepper set up downstairs with a book before slipping back to the garage, etc. ]

I'm willing to try almost anything at this point.

[A firm head nod and at that statement, The Doctor knows he has to nearly completely turn off his emotions walking into this. However, keeps his voice calm]

Where are you?

The garage. Pep doesn't care for the smell.

[ Which is ironic as hell, since she doesn't exactly smell all that fresh herself. ]

[Quick ride over on a Threshal later - Tony was not kidding about the smells. Which Ten takes a long whiff trying to distinguish the different smells; Oil, gasoline, industrial lubricant, solvents, ozone from welding. Which smells like their basement. Ten takes cautious but powerful slow steps as he draws closer and eyeing around]

Tony?

-ot safe. You can't tuck the thing that's looking to kill you in bed like it's a little girl, Tony-

[ There's a weight of knowing, a steady condescension in that booming voice, unctuous and near omnipresent in the garage. To one side a transparent man, broad and bald and cajoling, a massive ringed hand gesturing to the house just past the Doctor. ]

Considering the fact that you tried to kill me several times, Obie, I'm not really going to take your word for it-

[ Hands running through his hair (god even now, even after all of this it's still Obie, not Stane, he can't divorce the end from his memories of the beginning) Tony's head snaps up at the call of his name, grateful for the distraction. ]

In here.

[There's a sharp face of The Doctor doesn't like what he's overhearing and cautiously enters where Tony states 'in here'. Least he's emotionally guarded for whatever The Doctor is about to see]

Our in house medical experts are still keeping eyes on the immunization for adverse effects or any unexpected developments, but I'm sure anyone at FEAR would be available.

But I fear what we're seeing roam around is a little bit beyond medical know how. There is an unsettling rumour going around about the cemetery.

I took a list of the names on the markers of the graves after the graveyard changed. ( Ben winces down, tight-lipped, at the screen as he types. he struggles on how to word this neutrally enough to keep it from bruising either one of them. ) Your name is Stark, yes? Surname? I'd found one with the name there when I took my survey. ( he's just trying to be thorough...and part of him wishes he didn't bother. )

Edited (derp!!) 2019-11-13 04:14 (UTC)

Do I want to know?

[ He might not. He- honestly, probably doesn't. It's all so- off and so neat and this is a dream. it's a dream that's been a nightmare and he doesn't want them here as much as he's grateful for the familiarity. This place is a horror show and they are now, somehow, present and horrific.

His girls. ]

Pepper wouldn't let me take her name. Said it'd change too much to have to rebrand the whole- [ He waves a vague hand. ] Potts. Morgan H. Stark and Virginia Potts.

( Ben's pleasantly surprised to find Tony responds with a video call; texting is more low-key, but cumbersome. and...it's probably been about long enough to tuck a child into bed.

and boy, does that thought hit Ben like a punch to the gut. )

Even I don't want to know, so, probably not. ( Ben scrubs at the bridge of his nose as he leans to open a sizable ledger-like notebook, brimming with notes from the beginning of the prior month. he doesn't like the undead. (imagine then how studying under Laveau-descendant witches in Louisiana went for him.)

he wrote the names in order of arrangement in the 'sematary,' meaning — when he'd written down Morgan H. Stark (of course he would include the initialized middle name,) he did write, just before that...

Ben's lips press tight, as if reading some unfortunate results from a medical test. he looks almost guiltily back up at the device, and nods. )

They have graves at the graveyard by the church. The entire thing's different from how it's always been, it changed overnight. There's talks that it seems to possess — something to reanimate the dead.

[ He's undone enough to want the immediacy of a face to face call. Curating his image, his responses isn't as important when it's Pepper and Morgan on the line- and they are very much on the line if what he keeps hearing is of any value.

Dangerous, for whatever reason, like he hasn't made a point of keeping dangerous company for most of his life in one way or another. Whatever's got a hold of them he can't just-

Walk way and abandon them to it. Not without trying to fix it. Slumped and sighing, he flicks through what few scans he and Friday managed to take but all they have is proof that the girls? Are dead.

it's not helpful. ]

That means it's not- Pep thought it was something she'd been exposed to while alive. Something I've got in my system, that we could've passed on to Morgan. I don't know if it's better for that to not be the case.

[ Will doesn't respond to every network post he sees, but this one snags his attention. He's met this man before, and this is— wrong. It hits on a primal warning in the back of his brain. ]

they were fine when you left—? where? home or in deerington?

if they came to deerington with you and they just changed, you should bring them to the FEAR labs.

if they're not actually supposed to be here...you should probably leave.

Home. Morgan's too young to go on the lake, I don't know why-

[ They'd agreed. They'd made rules and made boundaries and made it plain that Morgan could go to this point near the lake but never, ever on the docks alone. How it all went wrong- Tony slumps forward, scrubbing at his face with his hands. ]

They were wandering in the field. Trying to find something familiar.

[ Will's not good at this. At pulling someone back from delusion. He's better at being a fisherman or a hunter for people a lot more far gone — Will's not naturally good at helping the victims of terrible events.

But he goes ahead and switches to video, because he can tell he should probably try. ]

If Morgan was fine when you left, then that's not proof something bad happened to her back home. That's proof that something bad happened to her here.

Or that it's not her. [ It's difficult to feel convinced that what he's staring at isn't dangerous, when they don't look like what happens to dead Sleepers. Will's expression is pained, but he's firm in repeating what he means. ] You need to leave, Tony. Whatever the town's planning—

It can't be good.

[Bruce's voice is breathless and from the jostling noise, it's clear he's running.

He'd taken off out of the restaurant on seeing the thing posing as Morgan, not even stopping to get his coat because he remembers all the times Deerington's brought back the dead or false images of loved ones.]

Tony, get out of there, now.

They're in the house, I'm in the garage. They're- resting? As close to it as they get.

[ He's not about to leave the property, not while he's trying to find something that'll fix them. Fix this. ]

Tony, listen to me- shit-!

[Dodging a damn street sign, see what you've done to him?]

Unless they showed up here the way you and all of us other Sleepers did by waking up with a basket from Sodder, they're not- It's not them.

You'll want to put a bullet in each of them while you still have the chance.

Not saying it to be cruel. That's just how it is here.

That's- no. That's not an option.

[ Even if something is- wrong. Of course he knows something's wrong, but it's got to be fixable. ]

That's a last resort at best.

Suit yourself.

[ sean's not about to go take matters into his own hands--far be it from him. he's just been around this block before. ]

You must know time doesn't usually make things better here.

Guessing they came from the cemetery. Troy dragged wet dirt all the way from there to the house.

[ Speaking of Troy, here is one (1) undead half of the trash twins leering in the doorway, his eyes faded to a sick, rotten yellow. Who you talking to, Ty? ]

Nobody. Later. [ The Fluid is engulfed in a whuff of fire as she teleports outside, already starting on a quick clip Away from the house. ] That Great Sleep crap, that's supposed to involve waking up in your own grave. Maybe it's just a dimensional thing and we take them back to... fix it. You know?

[ She's kind of grasping at straws, but everybody keeps saying to murder him so she's. getting desperate. ]

Maybe? I haven't been and have zero applicable first-hand data. It's worth looking into.

[ He'll have to make a few calls but- The Great Sleep goes on the board of possible solutions for whatever is wrong with them. ]

They're corpses. Mobile corpses. There's nothing medical that can be done from what I know so- magic? Dream bullshit?

[ scott doesn't even have to see them to be reminded of the demon who took his daughter's face in the sewer. the one that nearly killed him. ]

Stark, you gotta leave. You can't stay there. Something like this happened to me and I only got out because someone else was there to help. Get up and leave.

[ right the hell now, tony. ]

I'm not exactly unarmed and I'm not going unless I find something to help them. I can't leave them like this.

[ He promised Pep he'd fix this, like he'd fixed Extremis and-

one way or another? He needs to deliver. ]

You're not going to be able to help them.

[ newt had had to throw some serious magic at the demon who took his daughter's face. ]

They're not real. And you can't take them to a doctor and just expect them to make it better. It's not going to happen.

[ there's a surprise in seeing the child, something that makes her heart clench a little in seeing tony stark holding the little girl so close to his chest, in seeing tony stark in the presence of family.

but there's an eeriness to what she sees, and she knows it isn't right. despite not even needing the breath in her current state, she inhales deeply, panic settling in. ]

I can be there quickly. I can — I can see what's happening inside. [ in their heads, she means, the mind, the soul. she knows he knows she can. ] Where are you?

Forgive me if I'm reluctant to put them through that.

[ He's had his own round on the red magical brain reading ride and it'd been more than enough for-

Ever? Forever. ]

[ well, she can't exactly blame him for being quick to answer like that. ]

It's not like that. [ when she'd did what she'd done, there was a purpose in hurting him. ] Sometimes magic can see a lot more than science can.

[he has questions. of course he does. finding out just who that kid is, for one. but with everything that's happening, they really aren't his priority. not when it looks like tony is looking for exactly the same thing peter needs right now.]

Mr. Stark. If you find someone who can help, could you let me know? My aunt's here, and- [a sigh] ...I was kind of hoping you knew what to do.

I'd tell you if I did, Pete. This is- it's not my area. [ Nothing he knows, nothing he's studied or built or survived has given him any basis for handling the two people he loves more than anything in this universe walking around looking dead.

They aren't supposed to be dead. ] So- I'm doing what Pep reminds me is the smartest choice. Outsourcing to experts. I get a hit on something valid? I'll let you know.

[ a beat ]

Though I've got several people claiming they're dangerous so maybe...lock your door tonight? Be careful.

[he lets out a slow breath, crawling the short distance back towards his window so he can peer inside.

and yep. she's still just standing there. staring at him.]

May wouldn't hurt me. Just like Miss Potts wouldn't hurt you.

They're gonna be okay. They have to be.

[Rocket's looking a little rough, himself, and he's also not going to be the fifth person to say get the fuck out of there.] You too, huh?

[He rubs at his face.] I can do you one better, at that- I got an actual frickin' ghost.

[ Tony's lips twist in a grimace as his head falls into his hands, a rolling, booming voice carrying over his shoulder. ]

A talking raccoon? Such company you keep, my boy.

No, I. I have one of those too. Keeps complaining about there not being scotch in the house.

Well, tell 'em to fuck off for me.

[At least his ghost is nicer- well "nice" is relative. It's Gamora right now. He expects Yondu might turn up, but the pain of losing Gamora is a lot fresher.]

Gamora's just bein' reasonable at me. Like there's anything about this t' be reasonable about.

[Off-screen, a woman's voice says sharply, but not without sympathy:] Quill and the others are going to come right back. You need to get your head on straight.

[He wheezes out a sigh.] See?

Never had much luck with that in the past.

You never meant it in a way that mattered.

[ There wasn't enough time between the realization and the reaction for him to really process what it meant, what Obidiah had been doing. One of his oldest and dearest demons just-

Drifting behind him, a ghostly hand, incorporeal and massive settling on his shoulder. At least the joint won't ache when he tries to squeeze. ]

I'll trade you. Pretty sure you'd scare him off easy.

If only you could shoot ghosts.

[He grimaces.] Everybody's been tellin' you to do that to those two, right?

[It's rare that Rocket would choose not to advocate for murdering that which upsets him, but this is one of those rare occasions.] I already lost the a-holes lingering around me once. People really underestimate how difficult this is to just walk. I know it's dangerous. That's not the problem.

Maybe Simon can help? He's brilliant -- a surgeon. Or he was, back home. And then a ship's medic.

He worked with different medications. To help me. Find the right combination. Maybe he can help you too? With your girls.

Simon isn't quite the same, either. Not like the girls in your video. Like a shadow. Like someone took away all the human parts and just left Simon.

But it doesn't matter because he's here now.

None of the necromancy stuff I've read helps.

[The kid's voice is quiet, a library-hushed stage whisper that matches the row of shelves behind him. In contrast-

Can we go home? The toddler's voice from offscreen is full-volume, but a little breathy; talking is hard when your throat is literally falling apart from rot.]

It just says how to make them dead again.

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Video UN: Stark CW: Child death, implied drowning

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