[network] @ADMIN; Arrival

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Comments

[definingfuture]

Yeah.

[He's showing too much, he realizes. He doesn't catch her sigh, but the direct, clear answer makes Tony realize he's not holding together. And he can't start falling apart with Natasha there waiting for him to act. He's got a job to do. The next response is much stronger.]

We should convene. I don't like being this spread out when we don't know exactly who we're dealing with. The Admin could be anyone. Any crazy group, and I hate to say it, but I don't know what kind of technology they are using. This system they have us on is completely closed. They run their own tech off of different channels, and I haven't been able to break into them.

[redrooms]

You haven't?

[That's concerning. She hasn't either, but he's the expert.]

There's something else. I was talking to Gregory House about Steve. Trying to get information. He said that Sharon is here, and that Steve didn't remember her. He also "guessed" at most of my past. That I was a spy for the KGB, and that I defected. It could be luck, but I didn't tell him much beyond that I worked with Steve.

[definingfuture]

Not yet. It's a complex system. [He doesn't tell her the next part. The part where he just doesn't have the right equipment. It's something she'll find out eventually. There's no reason to upset her yet.]

Sharon's around? She didn't answer either.

[And Sharon at least he expects to respond. That he has more faith in than Steve's reply. This is bad. And Steve not remembering her? He's quiet for a bit, chewing on the information and his bottom lip.]

We don't know what has been made public here. I've been trying to find that out, but the feedback so far is pretty inconsistent. I might actually have to ask them.

[Ew.]

And they could be planted memories.

[redrooms]

[Planted memories. Great.]

Memory alteration is apparently par for the course here. It's a possibility. Did you read what House told me about the AIs?

[definingfuture]

[He knows that will bother her, but it's better to be honest. He can't just hold back and pretend it's not a real possibility. That would be unfair to her.]

I did. That's what makes me think it's possible. [He appreciates that she expects him to keep tabs and doesn't resent him for it.]

If their tech is advanced enough to do what he's suggesting, then he's right and everything could be manufactured. Then again, what he's talking about could be a scenario created to see how live subjects respond to a given, invented environment. At that level, both are possible answers to what we're experiencing. I don't spend much time on full immersion projects because it frankly isn't viable. It's expensive, complicated, and hard to maintain. Finicky.

So if they're that good?

[He almost finishes that thought, but decides not to.]

We should meet.

[redrooms]

[Natasha considers this for a moment, quiet.]

Maybe not that good, considering some of the things I've been reading.

[She's not sure what the best case scenario is here just yet, though. She needs to do more obsessive information gathering, of course.]

I should be able to make good time. I'll get moving.

[definingfuture]

[He leaves the rest for later. They can talk more about theories when they meet, because right now Tony just wants to make sure she's really there.]

Race you. [It's a small gesture. Something personal and seemingly frivolous, but meant as a "good luck."]

[redrooms]

Oh, Tony. You know you'll lose.

[She picks up on the meaning, but she figures he could use a little teasing right now.]

See you soon.