001 | Awkward Video

[deemedworthy]

[He recognizes this place for what it is, at least: a lab. Between the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and the temporary facility that had been built up around Mjolnir in New Mexico, he's seen enough of sterile environments like these to know what they are and what they're for, though he's mildly confused about the contents of this particular lab. The camera is jostled as he fumbles with the device bearing it, giving a blurry and crooked shot of the plans, both foreign and familiar, that fill the hydroponics lab.]

These runes...

[The camera is pointed at the floor as he leans in to examine one of the nearest plantbeds, where Nordic runes have been etched. It's held steady long enough to give the viewer a clear shot of his boots.]

Health and prosperity. Someone has cared for these.

[His voice is low, uncertain; the familiar etchings aren't enough to assuage the anger he feels at being dropped, somehow, into some unknown facility against his will. No mortal prison has ever been able to contain him for long, and this, he is certain, will be no different.

He turns the camera back on himself, but clearly lacks understanding of exactly how it works, as it's not only upside-down, but also zoomed in so close that all it projects is an extreme close-up of his right eye.]

I wish to know who dares to toy with me! Whatever game is being played here, I do not find it to be funny.

Comments

[video]

[wolfofmidgard]

[It's really the talk of runes that grabs her attention, before that ... right eye barks the latter. She guesses he's not used to this kind of thing, exactly, though he knows how to get it to function. Maybe. Meja's in her room rather than her usual haunt, which this new arrival's found himself in.

She isn't... entirely sure what to make of him.]

Hei hei, friend. I'm afraid our captors aren't going to talk to you. They don't talk to anyone.

[She bites her lower lip.]

And please be careful in there, we've put a lot of work into those plants.

[video]

[deemedworthy]

[It took some fumbling to get it to work, but he managed. He'd watched some of his mortal companions with similar devices, enough to mimic their efforts and stumble upon moderate success.

Moderate success.]

They will answer to me, or sorely regret not doing so.

[He adjusts the camera slightly when he realizes he can see her entire face -- if he gives himself a little distance to look at the screen with more than just his right eye.]

These runes. They're yours?

[video]

[wolfofmidgard]

[She nods. Thor, pal, it looks like the scientists are going with the second option. But she admires your tenacity, truly.]

That's right. [He'd recognized them?] Are they familiar to you?

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[unionjackass]

The rest of us aren't that amused either.

[Also pinged by the plants and of course the runes.]

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[deemedworthy]

What manner of trap is this?

[His patience is short, to say the least.]

I have had enough trickery to last me several lifetimes.

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[unionjackass]

So have I! I'm not one of those responsible for this! If you've arrived here like the rest of us, it's by the devices of an unknown group. At least, so I've been told.

I have very important duties at home. Trust me, if I could leave I would have.

[tryingitall]

Seconding the request to be kind to our plants! Also, don't go into the room across the hall. I've put the spider there. It's cranky.

[And large. Even compared to Thor.]

[deemedworthy]

Spider.

[His expression darkens, angry -- the camera's been pulled out a bit now, enough to give a full view of his face.]

Do you mock me?

[Spiders are puny things, after all.]

[tryingitall]

Not yet. I generally like to get to know people better before I make fun of them. [See, and that's at least one big difference between Balthazar and Gabriel, right there.]

Take it easy. You're not the only one trapped here. [Hell of a temper on this guy. It's like Michael all over again.]

You can look at the spider if you insist, but don't let it out. She's the size of my fist and quite venomous. I'm thinking of calling her Judith.

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[greenisnteasy]

Hi, Thor.

[ That mildly sardonic tone can only belong to Bruce, who's... kind of... weird about seeing Thor. Because his first thought is that he's glad there's someone around who can keep the Hulk in check, and he hates having those kinds of thoughts. ]

I don't think anyone finds it very funny, unless they have a twisted sense of humor.

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[deemedworthy]

[Bruce's is the first familiar voice he's heard since coming here, and it's almost enough to startle him. However, Bruce is someone he trusts to have answers. That seems to be his specialty.]

I wish I could say I did not know a soul with a sense of humor so twisted, but I cannot.

[He frowns, having righted the camera by now.]

Doctor Banner. Please, friend, tell me what you know.

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[notapawn]

I don't think anyone finds it funny.

[She sure doesn't. The zoom in on his eye might be almost amusing in other circumstances, but as things are, Katniss doesn't even bother to pay it much mind.]

And apparently, no one knows who's behind it all or why we're all stuck here.

[Just saving you some of the questions she's already tried asking.]

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[deemedworthy]

I have been told as much already.

[And he doesn't seem to be terribly happy about it, at that.]

An odd prison, this place. I do not understand it.

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[notapawn]

[No one's really happy about it, she can't say she blames him.]

Yeah, neither do I. I have no idea how they're keeping us inside. And apparently even if you manage to get out and into the forest, you get looped back around so escape is impossible.

[She shakes her head, her own frustration quite clear.]

I don't know that it's even meant to make sense.

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[cinereoargenteus]

Not all games are meant to amuse all the players. Some only amuse the one who made the game.

[He laces his fingers together, his claws making a slight tapping noise as they bump up against each other. There's a smirk on Garrett's face. Someday, he'll learn not mess with people much bigger than he is.]

Having fun yet?

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[deemedworthy]

Do I look as though I enjoy this folly?

[He may have to apologize to a number of the locals later on. His temper is certainly getting the better of him today, and there is nothing about this he finds amusing, including the reactions of others.]

I will find the one responsible and show them what a mistake they've made with my own two hands!

[cinereoargenteus]

[It's about to get even less amusing as Garrett starts laughing at the thunder god.]

If every person here I have seen who said they were gonna find 'n hurt the ones who are doing this, we would already be out of these halls. Anger ain't solving nothing around here.

[video]

[massenergies]

[ She instantly recognizes that voice, of course she does. Jane takes a moment to actually watch what he's doing, mostly to get an idea of where he is. By the end of his video she doesn't know if she should contact via the phone or just go looking for him.

Eventually, she decides to start searching for him while giving him a call...video...whatever they call it around here. She likens it to Skype, so that's what she decides it'll be named as the phone connects. ]

We don't know who's doing this. [ No casual greeting, no. She's in kind of a tizzy now, and all thoughts of formally being like 'Hi I'm here too!' have fled the building. After ducking into two rooms with no luck she stops in the middle of a random hallway, her free hand pushing her hair out of her face. ] Okay, I need a hint. I think you're in the hydroponics lab but I've kind of...lost it.

[ These hallways are too confusing and she could swear they keep changing. That's ridiculous, right? ]

Actually, wait, get in a hallway. I can probably find you easier.

[video]

[deemedworthy]

[Another familiar voice -- this one more welcome, even, than the first. He adjusts the camera to get a better look at her, momentarily slack-jawed in a way that one might not think to associate with a prince of Asgard.

Jane.]

We have both been trapped.

[It's almost a question, but not quite.]

Hydroponics?

[He glances over his shoulder. The word doesn't mean much to him, but he trusts that Jane knows of what she speaks. At her instruction, he starts to move, the light changing slightly as he leaves the lab behind and finds the corridor.]

You do not seem surprised. This place-- how long has it held you captive?

[video]

[massenergies]

[ There's a moment where she just smiles, seeing his face on that tiny screen. It's a reflex, and then his question actually registers in her mind.

Oh yeah. ]

Well...

[ Her voice trails off a bit, knowing that she probably seems more comfortable here than she should be. It's funny how quickly she's been trying to adapt to this place. Any normal person would still be freaked out by it, right? Once she was over her initial shock and got to chatting with some of the people here, it was easy to start settling in a little bit. ]

A day or something. Feels like five. [ Crazy how time seems to fly by but then not really pass at all. ] I'm not sure how, or why, anyone was brought here. Seems like our captors or kidnappers or whatever you'd call them don't make it a habit of showing up and actually telling us anything.

[hung_garian]

Viking aficionado, huh? Well, you've sure got the hair for it. The guns, too.

[Well, he's got to get his entertainment somewhere.]

Another pseudo-mythological figure? Or just a Wiccan who fancies himself a rune-reader?

[deemedworthy]

I carry none of these guns you speak of.

[As seems to be the theme of the day, Thor recoils slightly; he's found a way to be offended by nearly every response he's received, save those from familiar faces.

He doesn't adapt well when he's angry.]

I am no such thing. I am Thor, son of Odin, Warrior-Prince of Asgard!

[hung_garian]

Of course you are. Shoulda guessed.

[He rolls his eyes. Some things stay constant between the universes - the details of Loki and Thor's relationship to each other might change, but the tone of it rarely does.]

Well, your highness, welcome to our humble abode. Not quite what you're used to, I'm sure, but don't worry, you oughtta get used to all the hygiene and the quietness after a while. In the meantime, I'm sure someone can find you some straw and dirt to roll around in and some trolls to smash while you adjust. If you're real lucky we might even be able to find us some mead.

[oldfashionedhero]

Thor!

[Steve feels somewhat guilty at being relieved to see his team members show up here, especially as there is no way out, but at least with Thor here there is someone who might potentially know how to keep Loki in check.]

Look into the camera.

[Also, there is some comfort in that fact that he at least has a better grasp on technology than his Asgardian counterpoint.]

[deemedworthy]

Captain!

[Yet another familiar face -- both good and bad news. If this place is truly a prison, he should not want to see those he cares about here, and yet--

And yet there is something reassuring about having trusted companions nearby.

He adjusts himself slightly, moving the camera back so that it now shows all of his face, though it remains upside-down.]

I do not like these devices.