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[ Medusa's long been used to addressing large crowds of people. How to keep her face perfectly unreadable is a matter of habit, now, even as her hair swirls and shifts over her shoulders and around her face. She doesn't want to be doing this, but there's no point in beating around the bush with subtlety either. She'll have to make her requests. ]

Fellow guests of the Moira, my name is Medusa. I am Queen of the Inhumans and New Attilan. I speak to you today to ask you for your help. It has been some time since I last found myself on this ship, but I do not know how long. It seems some of those I considered friends previously have departed. If any of those I knew still remain, if anyone can tell me how many months I have lost, and what I have missed, I would be glad to hear from you now.

[ This part's a little trickier. ]

In addition, if there are any who have heard of the Inhumans, or those we consider our allies— The Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men— I would like to speak with you. To speak with any who have even heard of them. It does not matter if we knew each other before. I imagine that many of you may not have heard of of the Inhumans, even though we know of you. This is... [ Only a moment's hesitation, her hair billowing out in thought— and then she refocuses, and continues. ] A complicated situation to explain. So I leave it to you to decide whether or not to come forward. If you do not, know that I will not seek you out. I have no desire to impose meaning and familiarity onto strangers. I will respect your privacy as I would want my own to be respected.

[ And this one, this one final long shot in the dark: ]

If you are an Inhuman, of any tribe or city— know that you can always come to me for aid. The time for petty and superficial differences has passed. We are one people, and as one people I will defend you and stand for you as I would any citizen of mine.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There's a pause as Medusa absorbs the total inanity of that statement. Is he fronting, or is he serious? Iron Man was always her husband's comrade-in-arms in a group Medusa never approved of. She can't say she has great knowledge of his temperament. ]

Possibly. [ Is what she decides to say, careful and diplomatic and even so that there's no trace of any real feeling behind it. ] I am accustomed to seeing him in his armor. He is primarily my husband's compatriot, not my own.

If my memory is correct, it has been over fifteen years since the Fantastic Four first emerged into public consciousness. Where I come from, they preceded all others, and I knew them before all others.

[ ~It's a mystery~ but maybe he half expects to not even make it another ten years at the rate he's been going. ]

Yeahhhhh, not really a thing. Unless they're super-secret, but I don't actually trust SHIELD to keep anything like that under wraps.

[ What with... hacking them and stealing all their shit. A n y w a y. ]

But then again, I'm a not-insignificant number of years behind the others. I'm probably not your best authority.

[ There's great irony here, but now isn't the time to explain it. ]

I'm aware of SHIELD's tendencies. [ There's an irony in that too. ] I imagine you are qualified to answer as to their capabilities, however little of an authority you feel you are on your universe.

[ If she weren't a trained politician, that might be sarcastic. ]

But you understand the academic distinctions between your universe and mine are not really my primary concern.

Nor mine, but I gotta be honest, I'm interested. Ridiculously interested.

[ But he doesn't sound expectant when he says it. She doesn't seem like the over-sharing type, and anyway, he hasn't decided yet if curiosity is reason enough to start seeking answers to questions he may not want answered, alternate universes or no. ]

But how 'bout you tell me your primary concern so that we're on the same page, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

I can try to answer your questions, with the caveat that there will be some gaps I can't fill for you.

[ He's not wrong. Medusa's usually seen as a "cold fish", as the people say. The situation makes her feel as though she's at a disadvantage, seeking out people who have no reason to trust her or her motives, and that makes her warier than ever. ]

Circumstances being what they are, I will be blunt. I have a kingdom to rebuild, and I have a nation scattered across the globe, and many people who never had any idea they were anything but human. There is no one to take my place in my absence. Meanwhile we are here, via what seems to be dangerously malfunctioning technology manipulating the fabric of space and time— that no one can repair, or no one is inclined to repair. And our journey so far flies in the face of everything I understand about space. When I was last here, we were blundering from planet to planet meddling in other people's affairs and yet no real consequences have come crashing down on us. No one has come to investigate what I know would be seen as a very tempting target to a number of people, for a number of reasons. To even obtain a hope of getting home, we have all signed a contract under duress to work on a ship we know nothing about, under people we know nothing about, in a corner of a galaxy that even I do not recognize.

[ Honesty is painful, but she's got everything to lose if she doesn't try, so Medusa forces herself to swallow the bitter pill. ]

I admit we have never been close, Mr. Stark, but I know you are a smart man. Do you begin to see why I would start seeking out friends, even friends who don't remember me?

[ His lips twitch in the beginnings of a wry smile, but he reigns it in on the grounds that this is actually a Pretty Unfunny conversation. ]

What? You're not having a great time? I honestly can't imagine why that would be. Indentured servitude in the service of a bunch of rogue human traffickers who are immune to intergalactic law is how I like to spend my vacations.

[ He leans back in his seat, and he'd cross his arms if it wouldn't put the MID out of sight. ]

I get what you're doing. And you're right, I don't know you. But I know how relatively small, sealed chambers in space work, and I know that probably won't be the case for very long, under those circumstances.

They think they are immune. But I have run a galactic empire, and so I know there is no gambling on the premise it might slip under the radar forever. This ship is complicit in the destruction of a planet. That isn't a threat that will go ignored indefinitely.

[ There will not be a conversation about how Medusa would handle it if it had blundered into her empire, back before the abdication. The Kree are notoriously un-empathetic, and the Inhumans notoriously unforgiving of acts of violence towards them and theirs. ]

And yes, eventually we would be forced to interact. I frankly have neither the time nor the patience to wait for that and then broach the topic of what I already know, and why I didn't act sooner. You have an expression in your society— I think it is "cards on the table"?

I appreciate the transparency. [ And he sounds sincere, remarkably. ] Seriously. Because yeah, finding all this out two months from now probably would've pissed me off. My favorite kind of knowledge is the kind that's available to me, as you probably know.

But, on that topic—I was right on board and following along with everything you said until you slipped in an aside about planetary destruction. That's not really footnote material, you know? That's "this gets an entire chapter with six authors" material.

I am fully aware of how much you prefer to be in the know.

[ Even at the expense of everyone else. Just like her husband, really. But Medusa has no intention of ever telling this Tony about the Illuminati. She doesn't want to be responsible for planting the idea in his head.

And because she knows that about Iron Man— deciding how to answer this "entire chapter" question requires a moment of pause. ]

No one has told you that a planet was destroyed? No one at all?

Nope.

[ Planetary destruction (what the fuck?) is only scratching the surface of what he hasn't been told, he's sure. Everybody's dancing around him like he's set to explode at any moment, should they say the wrong thing. ]

Everybody's been real concerned with protecting my delicate sensibilities.

[ If there's an edge of ire in his voice, it's no surprise. ]

Would you like the diplomatic or honest response to that, Anthony?

[ Anthony, not Mr. Stark or Iron Man. A courtesy she rarely if ever extended to his counterpoint, but she already likes this one better. Can even see why Black Bolt would have plotted with him. ]

[ Anthony. His eyebrow ticks upward. ]

Gonna go with honest. Final answer.

If you are similar to the man I have always known Tony Stark to be, then I know this— you are not a patient or humble man. You are dedicated to protecting and shaping the future, and you have a tendency to respond with passion even when it would be prudent to do otherwise. This sometimes leads you to...extreme responses. Then when challenged, you respond with self-righteousness and refuse to back down from your position.

[ It's not like she hasn't seen this before. ]

Sometimes this is admirable. Sometimes this is disastrous. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which way he will go. We share many cautious friends, in my world. We have many enemies, and sometimes friends have been those enemies. And for the sake of honesty, I will admit— there are some things I would not tell the Tony Stark I know, though I will grant that he would know this without saying, and plan accordingly in turn.

[ Tony meets all this information... with a snort. ]

Sounds like an asshole.

[ JUST SAYING. ]

Fortunately for everyone [ Said with a touch of sarcasm ], there's not a lot of kneejerk "problem solving" for me to get up to when we're dealing with things like long-exploded planets. That's the past, not the future. I doubt hiding ancient history from me is helping anyone, here, least of all me.

[ He shrugs, but despite what could be considered a very formally worded tirade against his character, he still seems pleased with the honesty. Whatever other-him got up to, that's not his problem. The guy sounds like a hot mess, anyway. ]

Either way, I think their motivations for it are probably a little different from what you're assuming. It likely boils down to "we really just don't feel like talking about this unless you drag it out of us."

I don't know, Anthony. I don't know what's happened in your world unless you tell me. I hope you are right.

[ That's...still somewhat honest, okay. ]

Do you have Hulks in your universe?

Uh, yes and no. We have a Hulk. One. Singular.

[ And that is MORE THAN ENOUGH. ]

Please don't tell me you have armies of them running around.

How many constitutes an army?

[ THIS IS A SERIOUS QUESTION. ]

[ NO. ]

Jesus. Okay, you know what, forget that. Let's just skip to the actual point you were working your way to.

I know of very few people with the base raw power to destroy an entire planet by themselves and unaided, regardless of intention. Even my husband, who can destroy a city with the smallest whisper, would require some aid to shatter a planet.

[ It's not that she doesn't want to spell it out for him. It's just that she has nothing but bad news for him. ]

From what I was told, it wasn't intentional. There was provocation. But humankind has no greater weapon than the Hulk, and it seems even in another universe, Dr. Banner struggles to control his other self. There are always consequences, when the Hulk is released. This time, it was a planet.

Edited 2016-06-29 03:57 (UTC)

[ ... Bruce?

Medusa earns the dubious honor of actually getting him to shut the fuck up for a moment, because somehow, that's not one of the potential answers he'd predicted. It makes perfect sense, of course. Tony's seen what the Hulk can do, there's no question that what she's proposing is perfectly plausible. That it was or wasn't intentional isn't even a variable in this equation. Of course it wasn't intentional.

Jesus Christ. ]

Scratch my earlier assumption. The guy most likely to tell me about it is the guy who did it. That's why.

Dr. Banner does not respond well to interventions.

[ Like that time the Illuminati forcibly ejected him from the planet, and then he came back and beat the shit out of everyone. You know how has a pretty vivid memory of that? Medusa.

A lot of baggage, too, but nobody needs to go there today.

She also means don't go doing the exact kneejerk passionate thing I told you you do. ]

There has been no retaliatory response. While I'm sure some crew members remember the incident, it isn't something he would want openly discussed. Nor is it necessarily something it would be safe to openly discuss. I have never confronted him with this knowledge, or the fact that I know who he is at all. I would suggest that if you intend to act on this information, you do so with as much subtlety and delicacy as you are capable of.

Act how? Throw around accusations he'd just immediately agree with? Demand answers he doesn't have? Toss fuel on his already-raging self-hatred fire?

[ Tony rakes a hand through his hair, clearly a movement borne of stress. The gravity of this is starting to truly settle in, but he's not lying. For now, he has no inclination to do anything with this information but absorb it. ]

Gimme a break. He's my friend.

I know he is your friend.

[ It's just that in her universe, they are all really shitty friends. All of them. Including her. And if in his universe they spend less time at cross purposes, Medusa is honestly jealous. Her life would be much easier if there were fewer politics bringing her into conflict with everyone else. ]

And I am trying to be your friend, and I am trying to help you. That's why I caution you to think seriously about what you will do now that you know this. Do you think I would say that if I didn't know what happens when one makes the wrong choice on how to handle a Hulk?

This isn't just a matter of dealing with the Hulk. It's dealing with Bruce Banner, and I think I've gotten pretty good at that.

[ He gets her concern, if everything she's said about the other-him is true, and he's not denying he can sometimes go to extremes, himself. He's self aware, if nothing else. But the idea that he would use this information in a way that would antagonize Bruce to the point of a Hulk incident, or else work to his (or anyone's) detriment if an incident occurred for other reasons is - well, as far as he's concerned, ludicrous.

So, yeah, Medusa probably has some things to be jealous of. ]

Listen - I can respect a healthy dose of paranoia. I dunno what happened in your world and can only speak for mine, knowing you've got no reason to trust me. But I've got faith in me, and my team, and yeah, him. [ Sometimes Tony think he has more faith in Bruce than Bruce does- no, he knows for a fact that he does. ] Your worst case scenario probably isn't looming on the horizon.

[ Because Medusa is in a generous mood— because she has no choice but to be in a generous and forgiving mood, given her situation— she won't try to argue that it's not paranoia when backed by legitimate experience. ]

If I did not have some level of trust in you, I would not have told you anything.

[ And it's a wiser move on her part to let them all discover some of what she knows about them for themselves. There'll be no real satisfaction in those I told you sos when they come. ]

To some extent, this conversation is an act of faith on both our parts.