[network] @beyonce | Deja Vu | mid-afternoon 359 | audio [open] [cw anterograde amnesia]

[thewarningafter]

[No Infinity War spoilers in body; spoilers very likely in comments. Please indicate whether you need me to stay spoiler-free when starting or joining a thread.]



[Well, this isn't right. This isn't right for a whole host of reasons. The state of Stephen's clothing, of his own body, confuses him almost as much as his surroundings. Norfinbury? But he was home; he hadn't even remembered; it's been--it's been a year and it had never even occurred to him that he'd been here--never occurred to him that there were threats beyond those facing his own home dimension--that he'd known--

They'd died. Out in the snow, he and Peter had died, and it's that thought that finally sends him scrabbling through his bag of half-remembered brickabrack and secondhand clothing for his tablet. Get a message out, find out whether Peter's alive. There'll be a price, won't there? Isn't that how he remembers it working? But he's not missing anything--he knows the names of everyone who comes to mind and he's not blabbering to the walls, so it's nothing he's had before. He can stand, he can see, he can hear....

Stephen finds himself standing over a backpack full of junk in a morgue with a tablet in his hand, no idea how he got there or why. This isn't right--is this Norfinbury? He's back in Norfinbury? But he didn't even remember ever coming here....

Sometime during Stephen's hours-long cycle of thinking and forgetting, of muttering to himself as he explores the room and his bag and his body agan and again and again, he gets as far as powering the tablet on. That's enough; it gives his Cloak an opening to tap at the screen, grabbing Stephen's hand and jabbing his fingers against the device when its fabric folds don't register on the touchscreen. The relic doesn't exactly know how to work the tablet, but its efforts are enough to call up the same settings from Stephen's last message to the network: public audio.]

--that out! That hurts, asshole!

Comments

@PetertheGreat, audio [Major Infinity War spoilers throughout entire thread, cw blindness]

[zunesareawesome]

[Peter's having trouble navigating his tablet while blind, but when something comes up on the network and he hears Stephen's voice, he feels like he's going to pass out with relief.]

Stephen! Where--where are you?

yep, ALL THE INFINITY WAR SPOILERS, whole thread!

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen sounds surprised, like he hadn't realized he was broadcasting.]

...Peter?

[Oh, Peter. If he'd known, if he'd remembered who Peter had been to him....

He still would have done it and he still would have watched Peter fall apart into nothing in front of him along with the others. Stephen swallows down that thought; there's no use getting upset about what had to be. It was the only way. He did what he had to do.]

The morgue. The, uh....

[He looks around more carefully. He knows this place, doesn't he?]

The one in the basement of the hospital. This...is Norfinbury again? Only that shouldn't be--

What's the last thing you remember?

spoiler-related cw's within the following text, continued throughout rest of thread

[zunesareawesome]

cw major character deaths, ptsd

Yeah, I woke up in the culty one, if you're in the hospital-- [It takes him a second to try and remember what the damn map even looked like.] I think that's far? I don't--

...it shouldn't be, but it is. [Why were they back here? Is it because...?]

Th...the last thing I remember? Here or...

[Well, he thought he'd gotten a little better hold of his emotions and wasn't sounding like he was about to break down every two seconds, but that all falters--]

...did you--do you remember--did you go back, too?

[He swallows, trying to stop his voice from shaking.]

...Drax and Mantis...gone. And then Stark was still there, I saw him and then...nothing.

[thewarningafter]

It's far, yeah.

[He remembers that much. It's all distant and rusty, but he's always had good recall when he knows what he's trying to recall. His breath hitches at the change in Peter's voice; he knows what's coming before Peter's even done talking.]

Yes. Yes, I went back. I know. I'd...rather you hadn't, that you wouldn't have known....

It's alright, Peter. It's going to be alright.

[zunesareawesome]

Did you make it? [It's practically shouted, he has to know.]

[...]

All right? All right!? How is any of this going to be all right? Did you see? Did you know?

[What's left of his control is starting to shatter. He loves Stephen so much, but something terrible's brewing inside him and he can't stop it, he couldn't stop it for Thanos--]

Did you know that she--[His voice hitches. Please don't tell him the wrong answer, Stephen.

Please. God, please.]

...did you know that she...that I would...did you know?

[thewarningafter]

[This? This is why Stephen would rather have lived with being the only bearer of this knowledge, with keeping it inside however long it took rather than facing Peter's pain. He draws in a ragged breath; when he replies his voice is quiet, low, but steady.]

No, I didn't make it. And...

[He knows, he knows how much this is going to hurt and so Peter will get more explanation than he gave anyone, than he gave even Tony when he was dying because what does it matter now? He and Peter are dead; they've played their part.]

Yes, Peter. I knew. There was only one--in fourteen million, six hundred and five, there was only one. It had to be this way.

[zunesareawesome]

[His heart cracks further--Stephen didn't make it. The thought of him dying out there was just--

--and terribly confusing too, because part of him didn't know him, not really, he was a cool--but really pompous--wizard guy with pretty awesome magic tricks and jumping through portals and on top of platforms was fun and he felt like Mario and it was sad he didn't make it either--

--but no, he did know him and Stephen wouldn't be able to go back home either and he wishes he could have done something to save him--]

Was it the same way that I...the same thing that happened to...us?

[And then Stephen says the wrong thing, why does everyone keep saying the wrong thing, for once in his life he wishes they would say the right thing--]

No, it didn't. No, it didn't.

[He'd seen Stephen use the time stone of course, but seeing the actual, real-time consequences of that one chance--]

There had to be another-- [His voice hitches, his face is growing hotter.] --another way, you should have told me you saw--what you saw, I could have-- [Not hit Thanos--]

@jemesouviens; audio

[jmencalisse]

[Well, that's unusual. Did you just butt-dial the network, wizard friend?]

Someone giving you trouble, mon chum?

perma-audio

[thewarningafter]

My cloak.

[This comes out a little muffled, like he's turned his face to scowl into its collar. Then, returning thoughtfully to the tablet, to the name displayed on its screen and the voice coming from it.]

I know you....

[jmencalisse]

[His... cloak? Oh, well. David yells at his computer so who is he to judge.]

I should hope so. I can come up with some insults if it helps you remember?

[It's not as gruff as it could have been.]

Did you hit your head?

[thewarningafter]

I died. I take it there hasn't been an obituary?

[jmencalisse]

[Well, that's blunt. Okay, he can do blunt.]

That sucks. No, we did not know yet. What happened?

[thewarningafter]

An anomaly, when we--

[And sudden alarm as he remembers that it wasn't only him.]

Peter. I was with Peter; has he shown up on the network? Did he come back?

@betterhalf; text

[darkincrement]

Sounds like you're having fun.

[thewarningafter]

Oh. You.

[A moment's recall, and then, just to be that way:]

Hello again, Vanitas.

[darkincrement]

[ That's a little strange even for Strange. Either he hit his head or... ]

What's happened?

[thewarningafter]

I died and I've been home for a year. What day is it? How long have I been gone?

haven't seen movie, but I've already been spoiled about how it ends. So I'm down for whatever.

[darkincrement]

[ W o w Strange. ]

359. Not long after Miller's little treatment.

o7 I'll still put a warning in the header if/when spoilers start, for others' sake

[thewarningafter]

Two days.

[He lets out a little bark of laughter.]

I've only been gone two days?

@wiccandoit, audio | Spoilers are fine. :)

[fanboyascended]

-Um, Doctor Strange? You're coming to us live.

[ Billy's tone is as light as it usually is - he hadn't heard about Stephen's death - but there's an undercurrent of concern there anyway because there are a lot of ways to taken an opener like that. ]

What's happening?

perma-audio

[thewarningafter]

Cloak problems.

[The brief sounds of struggle are over, but Stephen still sounds annoyed.]

Someone's been acting really pushy the last few minutes.

Re: perma-audio

[fanboyascended]

I didn't know it had opinions that strong.

Did you do what it wanted?

[thewarningafter]

Hard to say when I'm not sure what that is.

[What is this about, cloak friend? It's not doing anything now. Stephen's next words are directed to the garment.]

Yes, the tablet's on. What now?

[fanboyascended]

Socialization? A call for help?

[ Billy waits, trying to listen for the cloak giving any input. ]

What were you doing before this?

[thewarningafter]

I was--

[Stephen pauses; unseen he gives the far wall a confused, contemplative look. What was he doing before this? He glances around the room, spotting the open bodybag and his halfway unpacked backpack.]

I woke up in the morgue....

[He sounds a little distant, like he's voicing a theory rather than stating a firmly known fact.]