001 ➳ Video ➳ Clint Barton

[greatatboats]

[ They got crap like this in SHIELD, but that doesn't mean Clint paid much mind to it. Unless it was his tech then he had no reason to really be interested in understanding it. The eggheads were all supposed to handle that crap. Clint was strictly a grunt when it came down to it. Learning to use this communicator that's strapped to his wrist is like the Quinjet training. Frustrating and just plain stupid.

He's managed to get distracted while waiting on the feed to come to life. That's why he doesn't really notice when it flicks on. He's busying checking his teeth over. He gives a startled expression when he realizes the thing has somehow come to life. ] Stark, I swear on all that is good and holy--if this is your doing then I'm going to sick Natasha on you when you least expect her. [ Because he's more than aware that Natasha Romanoff is far more scarier to Tony Stark than Clint Barton will ever be.

Fuck. This practical joke is not nearly as funny as the ones that Clint cooks up back at SHIELD HQ. Clint wasn't normally a tattle tell, but Fury was gonna hear about this. Clint was in the middle of important business when things went fuzzy. Now he was in the middle of fucking nowhere and his arrows weren't labeled. Great. Someone will pay with push ups and ass kissing.

By now he's no longer paying attention to the communicator. He's desperately searching around him to find something even remotely familiar. His eyes fix on a point in the distance. His arm shifts up and the communicator catches a clear glimpse of his bow strapped to his body and the quiver on his back. ] This is stupid.

Comments

[reluctantsword]

About a month, I think. Give or take.

[Has it been that long already? Yikes. That's kind of disheartening, when he has to think about it. It might be self-deceptive to avoid it, but it's easier to deal with, somehow.]

I wish I had some better news for you than this, I do.

[greatatboats]

A month. Jesus. No one's noticed you guys all missing from wherever? This is ridiculous. You can't just kidnap a group of people for a month and expect people not to find them. Who are these people? [ Now Clint's worried. He worked for the government. SHIELD was one of the only set of people that could take someone hostage for an extended period with no trail leading back. This was ridiculous. ] It's not your fault, bro. Don't sweat it.

[reluctantsword]

They must have noticed us, but that doesn't mean they can do anything. Honestly, I can't speak for everyone, but I know I was in another... a not-Earth world. Definitely not the same... world, dimension, whatever... not the same place as this.

[He shrugs, although the image of Nnanji leading a tryst of swordsmen coming to his rescue is... mildly amusing. Doomed to failure, but amusing.]

[greatatboats]

[ Not-Earth sounds really fucking nuts, but he watched space aliens pour into Manhattan through a hole in the sky. He was also mind controlled by a dude with daddy issues and a big metal stick. He's not really one to judge when it comes to freaky and out there. Shit happens.

So Clint just nods and smiles. He's not crazy, but that don't mean Clint knows what world he's talking about. ] That's a bummer. Big differences?

[reluctantsword]

I'd say so, yeah. I am from Earth originally -- Edmonton, most recently -- but the world I was in, well. Low techology, pre-literate, some obvious differences in the animal life.

[Whether or not the inability of the World's men to grow beards factors into those differences -- well, hard to say. He still sort of misses his beard.]

[greatatboats]

That sounds kinda like a not fun place. [ Pre-literate kind of sounds like it'd be a hassle to handle. Also low technology. Not that Clint's ever been super attached to technology, but it's nice to have around. The fancier arrow and quiver set-up he has back home is nice, but he can do just as good with his other stuff. His backup gear makes it more of a challenge. ] What kinda animal life differences? Dogs got two heads or something?

[reluctantsword]

Nah, nothing so extreme. It's more like...

[This is hard to explain. There's some translation errors rattling around in his brain.]

Well, what I'd have to call a horse doesn't exactly look like a horse. It has an ugly face almost like a camel, but... more like a horse. Definitely not something that exists on Earth. It's just... almost a horse.

[greatatboats]

Well, our horses aren't exactly pretty either, man. They're just--horses. [ But he's going to take a moment to imagine a horse with a camel face. A big ugly camel face. That almost makes Clint smile. Good job. He's finally almost smiling. This is an impossible task. ] I dunno how it can almost be a horse with a camel face. That sounds ridiculous.

[reluctantsword]

It's... it's a translation thing. There was some mucking around in my head. I look at this thing, and the word that comes out automatically translates as 'horse.' Look, don't ask me to explain this, I don't really know how it works either.

[He laughs a little, running a hand through his hair.]

Things are similar. You wouldn't find any animal species you find on Earth.