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[ Clark appears on screen wearing a recently acquired pair of glasses from the marketplace. He looks ~~like a buff nerd~~ irritated and uncertain. ]

I think something was delivered to me by mistake. [ He angles the camera so the fuzzy little bonsai tree in front of him is clearly visible. The leaves are covered in fur, it's actually sort of cute but... That tiny meowing sound? That's coming from the tree.

More specifically, from the little seed pods that contain live kittens. ]

If it belongs to anyone, I'll be happy to return it. [ Said mildly. He doesn't know yet if this is an alien species or something more deliberate, but he's trying very hard to give it the benefit of a doubt here. ]

In the meantime... Does anyone know what this is, exactly? Or how to take care of it?

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[ Clark watches the image leap from the screen and expand. If it wasn't for the running commentary, he might let the momentary fascination distract him.

He's not finding all of this terribly funny in light of what he knows now. Whoever this guy is, he seems to be talking mostly because he likes the sound of his own voice. ]

This is the most helpful contribution yet. [ Can you hear the appreciation? It sounds a lot like sarcasm. Clark is having a very, very long day.

He nudges his glasses back up into place. ]

To answer your question, I'm not sure that it matters. It's likely that it wasn't made to last very long.

Edited 2015-09-26 20:34 (UTC)

I aim to be helpful. [He'll meet your sarcasm, mister moody pants.] It's what I do.

Well that's kind of morbid. Okay, so maybe someone in the medical field could give keeping it alive a shot? ...or would it be more humane to euthanise it? --wait. 'Made'? Someone deliberately put that together? I may be a little messed up, but that takes a very special brand of insanity.

Egh, this is more Banner's area, not mine. Sorry, pal. I'm a mechanical engineer, he's the biological one. Um, good luck?

[Yep, not very helpful after all.]

[ Clark gives him the most unimpressed of looks. ]

It doesn't seem like it's in any kind of pain, it's just... Unusual. [ He cards his fingers through his hair. ] I think we can agree that it was insane to put this thing together. Apparently creating things like this is a hobby for the people from its planet of origin.

[ His brow furrows briefly. ] Banner? I didn't see that name in the MID... Is he on the ship?

[If he had a penny for every time Steve gave him that look, he'd... well, he's already a billionaire, but you get the point. He's immune to it.]

Okay, yeah, that's horrible. These people need to get a hobby that doesn't involve kittens.

Nah. Banner's my buddy from home. Work colleague. Of sorts. Not sure he'd like it here, but he'd like the knowledge. Guy's not much of a people person.

[ He can't argue with that. It's probably for the best that no one on the ship has stepped up to actually claim it. ]

I'll keep that in mind if he shows up. [ It'd be nice to have someone who's actually studied in the field to take a look at the tree and see if it's safe to re-pot it elsewhere at least. ]

Did you say earlier that you were a mechanical engineer? Have you seen anything like this ship before?

I did. I'm a big name in the tech industry back home--the big name. And unfortunately, no. Closest thing I've seen was some kind of bio-tech ship. Wicked looking thing. Whale-shaped, teeth, tough hull or exoskeleton if you will. It didn't look like it could fly, but sure as hell did. Alien invasions are always fun.

[Was the sarcasm in that last statement thick enough for you?]

This, though, looks less like something from a Sci-Fi horror movie and more like what I'd liken to semi-practical. I work in engineering here, and I am actually impressed with the functionality of the engines. I think, if I had to, I could reverse-engineer them with the resources I have back home. The systems I have access to are a huge leap beyond what we've got on Earth. The short version: It's impressive.

Edited 2015-10-09 07:51 (UTC)

[ The big name? He suspects that saying this guy has an ego would be an understatement, but he reads the name printed at the bottom of his MID screen anyway. It sounds oddly familiar, but he can't quite place it. The ships Tony describes don't sound like the ones he knows, either. ]

Yeah, they are. [ Clark agrees, dryly. He wonders just how common alien invasions are among people here. ]

So you're saying it's unfamiliar, and ahead of your tech. Can you figure out how it works? The Ingress brought us here, it seems like it should be reversible.

And the motive to the interest is revealed. I should've seen that one coming.

[He's not going to say he was annoyed, because he wasn't. He's just surprised he hadn't seen it.]

I'm not going to say I can't get the Ingress to send us home, because I like to think there really isn't anything I can't do. Here's the problem: That is the one thing on the ship they won't let me near. I think they know I'll try picking it apart to see how it works.

I know a guy who jumps back and forth between my world and his with what he calls the 'Bifrost'. These technologies exist, but I can only come up with theories on how without actually looking at the specs and the numbers. Now, how the Ingress is able to tear us from different points in time? That's a little trickier. I'd need exact points in both space and time to get each person back and that... that could really take a while to calculate, assuming I could get my hands on her specs.

[He rubs the back of his neck in frustration.]

[ Clark's eyebrows knit in mild confusion. He doesn't really know what the man means by 'motive.' He hadn't thought his line of questioning was particularly opaque. There's something there that he can't quite put a finger on, under all the bluster and ego.

He shifts back through the limited information he knows - Tony seems young for the title he claims, but he clearly knows what he's talking about. Clark doubts that he's lying. He must be accustomed to people wanting things from him, or having some sort of end goal in mind. It's hard not to be interested in something like the Ingress for its own sake. Maybe if everyone else hadn't been stranded here too, he'd want to spend time learning about it himself.

Clark leans back, his expression clearing a little. So maybe Tony isn't less egotistical under those circumstances, but at least he thinks he's starting to get it. Maybe.

He rubs his chin, thinking over everything Tony has said. ]

Well, it makes sense that they'd want to keep a lock on something that powerful. They don't know us yet - and we don't know them.

[ Out of curiosity, he has to ask: ] What would you do with their technology, if you could bring it back home?

That's true, but it's still frustrating.

[Tony's eyes narrow a fraction. Well, if that wasn't a loaded question he didn't know what was. More and more this man, Clark according to the MID, reminded him of Cap. He seemed a little less direct than Steve. The man asks questions to which he seems to already have answers in mind. Almost choreographing the conversation to an extent. To Tony, it felt not unlike a press conference.]

Honestly? I don't know. I just like knowing how things work. But inter-planetary engines? NASA. Turn our shuttles into ships for space exploration. Teleportation? Commercial site-to-site transport would cut down on vehicle usage which would cut down on pollution. The instantaneous healing tech should absolutely go to the hospitals or any other medical programs. Something like the Ingress' time travel, though? No. No-one should have that power.

[As much as he'd like to fix a few things, it could have catastrophic results and would undoubtedly fall into the wrong hands.]

So much good could be done with it, but at the same time, so much evil could come of that. My moral fibre may come into question sometimes, but even I can tell that would be a bad idea.

Then again, as nice as teleportation would be to have, it would only be a matter of time before it was weaponised by the military or terrorists so I'd have to either program stringent failsafe protocols to prevent that kind of usage or monopolise it for just myself and my team. It's a tough call.

[Tony resettles his gaze. He felt like he was being scrutinised.]

What about you, Kent, is it? Do you have anything like this where you're from? From your reaction, I take it you've been through the alien invasion routine before.

[ Tony's assessment isn't so different from his own. As much as he might want people to have these resources to do good, it's nearly impossible to prevent them from weaponizing it, too. He'd like to put all of his faith in humanity, but he's known his whole life that there are some things humanity isn't ready for.

So maybe he's wrong about Tony, and under that bluster and ego, he's someone with morals that Clark thinks he can respect. He nods, but his expression is still pensive. ]

I don't know that it's any more plausible to keep all of that potential locked up. You want to help people - that much is obvious. [ He drops his gaze briefly. ] Keeping it contained to people you trust sounds good on paper, but how long could you keep a secret that could save lives?

[ And isn't that a question he's come back to over and over?

He shakes his head at the question. ]

I have. A while back, aliens tried to terraform the Earth. It was our first contact with them, mostly. They had pretty unique ships - but all I could tell you is that the Moira isn't Kryptonian.

[That question derails him and makes. Him think back on a few past mistakes, as well as his own armour. He hated moral debates.]

You have to look at it like this: handing it over could save a few lives, but in the long run, when it eventually is used for terrorism, it will take more than it's ever saved. I have a design back home, something I use to save lives but it's incredibly powerful. Devastatingly so in the wrong hands. The government has tried everything short of taking it from me by force--and believe me, they've considered that option too--do I regret making it? No. I've saved countless lives with it. Do I feel guilty knowing it could help our troops on the front lines if I handed over the specs? No. You know why? Because I've seen first-hand what damage it can do in someone else's hands. The lives I can save with it alone outweighs the guilt. More than once, I've seen things I've made to protect our troops turned against them, or others. It's not happening again.

[Clark, you touched on a sensitive subject there, buddy. Tony's quite passionate about this.

He's so wrapped up in that little gospel that the name almost slips past him. Almost.]

Wait... Kryptonian? [He sits up slowly, looking intently at Clark's face. A beat and he flips over to a private video.] Next you're gonna tell me you know Superman.

You have a good point. [ He doesn't think that it's untrue of powerful scientific advancements or of people, it's just -- ] I just wish things were different somewhere, I suppose.

[ He exhales softly and leans back, his expression pensive as he thinks over everything Tony has said. ]

Things you made to protect the troops - you were weapons manufacturer? Why the change of heart?

[ The last question catches Clark entirely off guard - as far as he knows, Tony isn't from his world. His expression sobers quickly, and Clark frowns, uncertain. ]

...Is that what they're calling him? [ Lois had suggested it first and really it's not bad, just - a little ostentatious. ] How do you know about any of that?

[Tony sighs. He's been doing so much to veer away from that particular business.]

Yep. Stark Industries was the leading weapons manufacturer for the United States troops. A business my father built and I carried on. What changed? Like I said, I've seen my tech used against our own people and innocent civilians. I should've seen it before, but I was blind and arrogant. A good colleague of mine was double-dealing behind my back. It took one of my own missiles blowing up in my face to realise it. To hear from a first hand witness that my weapons were being used by the enemy against innocents. I'd be dead if my captors hadn't gotten greedy and wanted me to build them my newest project. I escaped, wrecked the place, and shut down the weapons division of my business. You don't give a genius a workshop, tools, and an arsenal then try backing him into a corner. It doesn't end well for you.

[Tony was all fired up now, but his curiosity was just as strong as his passion for the other subject. He narrows his eyes on Clark.]

He's... something of a legend. Comic hero. Wears a blue and red suit with a cape. I never really read many of his comics, but I guess there's a little truth in every comic. I should've figured that after seeing there were Captain America comics, and I know the guy personally. I knew the name Clark Kent rang a bell. So I guess you don't actually call yourself Superman? [Nice try, Clark. You should've never mentioned Kryptonians.]

[ That's one hell of a story, and he doesn't doubt it for a second. Tony has no reason to lie about this kind of thing. It must have been traumatic to go through so much at once, and Clark feels for him. ]

The kind of person you become after something like that is what's most important. But it can be dangerous, too, to be accountable to no one but yourself.

[ What Tony says next is a lot to take in at once, but there had been comics around when he was younger too - people in colorful capes and cartoons about Captain America. As much as he'd related to them as an outcast with strange abilities himself, they'd been fictions about people who didn't exist, as real as any long-dead pantheon.

Then again, in Ivan's world, America itself didn't exist. Compared to that, a little bit of fiction about him shouldn't be a surprise. It would certainly be easier for people to accept than the fact of his existence. Not that Tony seems to be having any trouble with that.

He could deny it, he supposes, but it isn't really in his nature to be deceptive. Clark tugs off his glasses. ]

Well, look at it this way. [ He considers the name, the affiliation. ] Did you name yourself Iron Man?

[ He gives Tony a wry smile. ]

If it's all the same to you, I'd rather people not hear about what I can do. It's a diverse group, but knowing someone here could rip the ship in half with their bare hands is the kind of thing that puts people on edge.

[Tony huffs almost petulantly.]

Yes, thank you Cap 2.0. I solemnly swear not to suddenly go Supervillain. I've learned my lesson. I have the rest of the team to answer to if I screw up again. Cap's "I told you so" face is the worst.

[But then he's smirking.]

Nope. It's catchy though, even if it's inaccurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy. Much stronger than iron, but it had a nice ring to it so I kept it. So, Man of Steel meets Man of Iron, huh?

As long as you don't actually try to break the ship in half, I think that's a secret I can keep. People get edgy. They get that way around my buddy, Hulk. He's a big, green, smashing machine, but he's a good guy. Little bit of a temper. Nothing dropping a building on him doesn't fix. [Is he seriou--yes. He's serious. More like smashing him through a building, but you know. Details.]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to lecture you.

[ Clark actually looks a little self-conscious at that. Sometimes it just gets away from him. ]

Well, it does sound better than "man of gold-titanium alloy meets invulnerable alien."

[ It seems like Tony understands pretty well, and Clark nods at him. He appreciates it more than Tony might realize. It's not like he could stop Tony from telling everyone if he'd decided that he wanted to. ] You... dropped a building on your friend? How did he end up being able to withstand something like that?

[ He might recognize Tony, but it's been a long time since he read comic books. ]

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(Tony talks too much, I'm so sorry, Sra!)

(Don't be sorry, it's great!!)

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