1. EVERYTHING STARTS

[sheboygan]

Thirty years, by the spinning of faraway Earth around its star. Thirty short Earth-years that translate to the full lifespan of the beings born on a planet that runs much quicker around its own star, home planet to ship builders of renown well beyond their solar system.

A long life.

The names of the Captain and the Engineer never left that faraway world, kept safe among the People (as they called themselves) when the two set forth with their incredible ship. It held unprecedented technology, even for their race's innovative builders. An engine that ran by manipulating probability... a successful design could open up so many possibilities.

Those glorious futures are bright in the Captain's eyes as she pilots her vessel. The Engineer, on the other hand, is content with what's already come and gone, more determined to see the end of their journey through with dignity. It is an end, after all; thirty Earth-years and the ship builders pass on to whatever awaits the mind when the body stops working. One last, beautiful trip.

They are who oversee this strange situation. After their ship's malfunction, finding fresh cargo in their ship was surprise enough. Discovering that they had picked up living beings completely foreign to this part of the galaxy was even more strange. The further discovery that these creatures were, in fact, foreign to this entire universe if the readouts were to be believed... well. It wasn't impossible. But it was improbable.

The Captain was the first to take charge, as she had to, becoming the first to attempt to soothe and steady the unlucky travelers. She had always been the more outgoing of the two of them.

Two solitary fingers and a near-as-long thumb rise on a hand dappled with pores. Patience, the Captain urged, waiting for all to be safely roused. Patience, she said, without any mouth or voice at all, and the thoughts chimed like bells in the minds of the strangers. Tiny flame-like flickers of light lingered at her temples as she used her thought-speech to communicate.

An image blossomed in the head-spaces of her audience, a (hopefully) welcoming image of herself and her crewmate. Her species was tall and lithe, nearly eight feet in height. Their clothing carried the same elegant, almost carved-looking swirling texture as their skin, and their skirts flowed all the way down their bodies to swirl on the ground, hiding any notion of feet.

< Hello, strangers! You may have noticed that you are no longer at the where you were expecting to be at! >

The tone of her "voice" became sheepish as she continued. Lingering behind her, the Engineer seemed to glower as best as one could without eyebrows or a mouth to really sell the expression.

The Captain started to pace, and this only accentuated her truly alien nature. Her limbs curved like willow branches swaying in the wind, like there were fewer bones than there ought be in her body.

< There has been a problem with some experimental transportation technology, and it looks like we're all going to be housemates for a little while. >

She continued with a full explanation of the circumstances through which the travelers had been pulled to this universe.

< The long and short story is that we're stuck here together until we can get the ship running again to take us all back to our home planet, where we can get you back to your home universes. In order to do that, though, the Ship needs material in order to grow. Your assistance in gathering said material would be appreciated. We've landed on the planet Canagan, and there should be plenty around. Just ask the locals. They'll be able to tell you more about that.

The exit to the ship is marked by the red lights. The mess hall is marked by blue. I will be waiting there if you have any further questions. >

She finished her speech with the mental equivalent of a winky emoticon.

< That was an inelegant introduction, > remarked the Engineer.

< Well we have to show that we're friendly somehow! > The Captain sent her a thought-speak pouty face, and got silence in return. While the Engineer tried to retreat, she was held off by her partner. They needed to linger, to support these strangers how they can.



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Comments

[ahorribledream]

Direct questions he can do. The Soldier is good at that. He works his jaw, he'd only ever been allowed to give short, monosyllabic answers to anything, the shorter the better.

"No."

But he isn't moving, at least. He needs answers and doesn't know how to ask them. But this man has them.

[capsulized]

Needless to say Steve doesn't buy that, but he doesn't question it either. It's... strange, to see a familiar face act in such a foreign way. Bucky wouldn't be so unfeeling, so - far from this. But he's still in there, and he knows it. He won't give up, not when he's so close.

"Okay." He exhales, nodding once, expression still tense. "Good."

A pause.

"How long have you been here?"

[ahorribledream]

The one thing he's gotten good at with the constant going in and out of cryo is he's learned to be particularly aware of how long he's been awake by counting hours.

"Four hours."

Four hours since he woke up on that ship and listened to the story of the Captain and Engineer. Four hours of seeing Steve and following him. He stretches his metal fingers at his side before clenching them, not sure what he should be doing now. He cautiously takes a step towards him, a question on the tip of his tongue he isn't sure he's allowed to ask. But wants to ask.

"... Captain."

[capsulized]

"It's Steve."

His reply isn't immediate, but it's strong-willed without being too assertive. It's a step towards bringing his friend back, if he can remember his name and use it. If Steve can hear it roll from his tongue in Bucky's voice one more time.

"My name is Steve." In a brief moment, almost unwillingly, his brows knit and his tone softens. "You know that."

[ahorribledream]

He listens to the tone, tries to gauge what meaning there is behind it. He gets that the Captain wants him to say the name. That's enough for him. He takes a breath and holds it, trying to gather up his damaged voice to make the word come out.

"Steve."

It feels right, the way it rolls off his tongue and out of his mouth. It feels natural. And that alone makes him nervous; he was never allowed to do what felt 'natural' before he'd be punished, or wiped, or frozen. He has snippets of being wiped again after saying he remembered this man -- Steve, has to remember to call him that, he knows Steve, knows his face from sometime long forgotten but soon remembered -- so he has to be careful, doesn't he?

He stands now, before Steve, as though waiting for something. A signal. A command. Anything.

[capsulized]

Steve regards him carefully, even when he says the name and brings himself to his feet, arms relaxed but still at the ready. Just because he's looking right at the face of the man he once knew doesn't make him any less likely to be completely unpredictable.

If he knew exactly what Bucky would be thinking at any given moment... now he regrets to think that he couldn't even begin to take a guess. He can't even just walk up to him and throw his arms around his back, tell him how glad he is that he's alive after all.

(It's a selfish thought - he knows that.)

"... What did they tell you?"

[ahorribledream]

At that, Bucky straightens, shoulders back and metal hand fisted at his side. A rebriefing, he can do, the Asset once again.

"You were my mission. You stood in the way of the world's needs. You needed to be eliminated."

That's what he was told, aside from name ("Captain America"), his rank, basic physical statistics he needed to be wary of. How the Captain was a skilled hand-to-hand but also did well with distanced long range with the shield. They had not mentioned the Captain's name was Steve Rogers. They had not mentioned that the man knew him, or that he knew the man. And that lapse of recon is what had shaken the Asset and start remembering Bucky Barnes.

[capsulized]

"They're gone now, Bucky," He breathes, and he feels that the other man knows that well. He must have known that somehow, when he went to throw one last punch and instead let Steve fall into the water.

There's nothing they can do now. Not here.

"Did the Captain talk to you? The Captain of this ship."

Because he can just as easily imagine him darting off to hide, assess the situation on his own.

[ahorribledream]

He shakes his head, keeps his eyes on Steve.

"Not directly. Listened to the speech."

He's had no reason to make contact with anyone here. He doesn't know anyone. Just Steve, and only as a passing memory he's trying to piece back together. He has so many questions. Questions he's afraid to ask, or doesn't have the right words right now to put together. He thinks he knows Steve, beyond what he was told or what he's seen.

He clears his throat, still rough and quiet from everything before. "We're looking for materials?"

[capsulized]

"--Yeah," He breathes, shoulders relaxed somewhat. This isn't... how he imagined them finding each other, isn't part of every scenario he pictured in his mind. They're way out of his league, but he isn't about to let that stop him from trying.

"Do you want to -" A pause. "We can go somewhere. Sit down and talk."