InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I don't work in this van!"

Nebula (cloudfalling) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-06-07 16:40:00

Entry tags:

-complete, -spoiler, gamora, nebula, stephen strange

Who: Nebula, Doctor Strange, You?
What: First arrival. Strange called official greeting but if anyone wants to tussle with her before he can get to her, have at it!
When: How's now? Now okay?
Rating/Warnings: Green, IW spoilers

She was falling.

(How familiar. Maybe the closest she felt to being at home.)

Then she landed.

She tucked, rolled, and came up into a kneel. Without conscious decision or awareness, her hand instantly lit on a piece of rubble. Anything could be weaponized.

A voice came from over her shoulder… perhaps asking if she was okay… her head snapped up to stare at them and they backed away in shock. Was it that she was blue, that she was part machine, or just the strength of her glare…? It was a bit in her late in life to entertain passing concern.

Slowly, taking the rubble with her, she rose to her feet, looking around. A city… nowhere she'd been before… so somewhere beneath her notice or…

All the bipeds around her, of the most common universal shape, had the same coloration spectrum and hair allocation as Gamora's boy. Everything had the same overall smell as him as well.

She tossed aside the rubble. Didn't bother wiping the dust off her hands before grabbing the arm of a passing, terrified… human?

"Is this Earth?" she growled.

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doctor__strange
2018-06-08 06:46 am UTC (link)

It didn't take long for the 'new arrival' spell to let Doctor Strange know where to go and who he was dealing with. So he was able to answer the question he overheard as he was stepping through a portal to greet the latest arrival.

"Yes, you're on Earth," Strange said, before he stared at a fellow - very terrified - human being. A human being that probably didn't expect to have a cyborg drop out of the sky before a wizard in a red cloak walked through a fireworks portal. The portal closed in on itself, as Strange sighed out his most used excuse, "...comic con."

It didn't look like the poor person believed that excuse. At all.

"Yeah, well I tried." Strange focused instead on Nebula, who was somehow familiar from a lot of those fourteen million six hundred and five incredibly disjointed puzzle pieces in his memories. Some of those pieces managed to fit into place together. "Oh, right. You were on Titan with us. Hello." There was a pause before he added, "Again."

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cloudfalling
2018-06-08 01:09 pm UTC (link)

Nebula drew herself up, releasing the human who immediately dashed away.

"You," she said, voice icy. "Gave him the Time Stone. You gave into stupid emotion trying to bargain for a single life when trillions hung in the balance. Just like she did…"

No, that sudden thickness in her voice couldn't possible be related to a glistening in her organic eye… Nebula didn't grieve…

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doctor__strange
2018-06-08 11:43 pm UTC (link)

"It was the only way. I believe...there was a particular path with one outcome where we might win. Circumstances are somewhat different here."

As his fellow ~~albeit freaked out~~ human ran and kept running, Strange's answer was the only one that made sense, even if he couldn't fathom why. With so many fragments in his head, he wasn't sure what that path was and he was reluctant to admit that out loud. It might be pride or arrogance getting in the way, stemming from his prime universe counterpart. A counterpart that knew more about that 'endgame' than he did.

He could tell that this woman mourned for Gamora. It was her arrival and announcement that prompted Peter Quill to derail his own plan. Stephen didn't spent time with anyone on a truly personal level - he usually considered social visitors a distraction from his duties - but it spoke volumes that so many cared enough to mourn her passing.

"She's alive," he said, hoping it might put Nebula more at ease. "That other version of myself, my counterpart, split that universe into two paths. We're part of that second divergent path. Events are the same until a certain point. There's overlapping, meaning we're two of the most similar dimensions within the multiverse. We're in the one where Thanos' minions are still trying to gather the stones, and where Gamora is still alive."

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	Sorry about her… cloudfalling 2018-06-08 11:51 pm UTC (link)
	Nebula stood still as a string about to snap. Then she was in his face practically screaming at him. "So who's stopping them? No one should be doing anything else!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-06-09 12:04 am UTC (link)

'...yeah, I don't have the social skills to do the welcome wagon thing,' Stephen thought to himself, staring back at Nebula without budging an inch. As a countermeasure to being screamed at, he spoke slowly and calmly, with only a vague undercurrent of his usual irritation. It wasn't only due to being screamed at - which was an understandable reason - but because of the bad situation in general.

"If we knew where they were, then we would stop them. Unfortunately, they haven't shown up here. Yet. The only ship capable of space travel is currently in need of repair. Which according to the network post, is getting worked on. So. Unless your ship is hovering overhead?"

Stephen directed his gaze upward for a fleeting second and then back down at Nebula.

"Which it's not? It looks like you're stuck here on Earth. With the rest of us, who would really like to stop Thanos too. It would be nice if you could help with that."

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	HIS FACE ^_^ cloudfalling 2018-06-09 12:16 am UTC (link)
	She listened to him. That was a good sign. She was glaring the whole time, but that was just what she did. At last, not lost on her that it was also the last thing she'd said to him, (with opposite intent, thank the stars) she repeated—more quietly: "Where is Gamora?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

^_~

doctor__strange
2018-06-09 12:27 am UTC (link)

"She has an apartment with the rest of the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy. Allow me to show you to a safe place first, and we can get you connected to our network. It's for those of us who are aware that this is a different timeline. And know about Thanos."

Strange held out his hands palms up. A bundle wrapped in handmade paper and colorful twine appeared out of thin air. The package dropped into his waiting hands, before he made an 'oh' noise as though realizing what was forgotten. He nodded once and a business card fluttered down and landed on top. Written on the white card was impeccably fancy black calligraphy, an address and apartment number.

"Gamora's address. She's working for Stark, so you'll want to contact her first before you kick her door down."

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cloudfalling
2018-06-09 10:27 am UTC (link)

Her look was no longer quite a glare, but it was pure, biting suspicion. With a lightning-fast move, she plucked the white card from the top of the stack. Her fingertips didn't even graze the package.

"I'll confirm this," she said. "Then I'll consider taking anything from you. Guidance or," glancing at the package, "otherwise."

[OOC: wanna * * * handwave that she interacts with Gamora—to backtag if Gamora player wants—then pick up with maybe-even-kinda-contrite-Neb and Stephen again?]

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	doctor__strange 2018-06-09 06:09 pm UTC (link)
	After that sort of disclosure, he didn't blame her for suspecting foul play. It wasn't exactly the sort of tale that inspired belief or trust. Before Nebula could go marching off with that business card, Strange offered, "I'll do you one better, and bring Gamora here to you. Would that work?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cloudfalling
2018-06-09 09:24 pm UTC (link)

She blinked.

(That didn't actually happen often.)

That was… a… (ugh) strange thing to say. Did he mean to go off and come back? That would prove he had no fear of letting Nebula be in the wind. Did he truly know Gamora and know she'd agree? Or mean to bring her against her will? (He could try.) Either way… it was not the suggestion of someone trying to trap or trick.

If there was some magic afoot… then at least there would be two against one.

Unless he was about to present her with something that used to be Gamora but…

…Stop. At this point, can't anticipate, must react.

Nebula leaned back on one heel and folded her arms across her chest. "All right. Bring her."

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doctor__strange
2018-06-10 09:59 pm UTC (link)

Stephen didn't seem perturbed. He waited until Nebula appeared ready to come to a decision, and nodded only once before he closed his eyes and looked as though he was readying himself to conduct a seance. After a minute of silence, he turned and opened a portal while saying, "I've located her. I'll be right back."

He disappeared through it, not bothering to close it all of the way as he walked toward Gamora. Instead it offered a peephole for Nebula to see what was going on, if she cared to look.

"Hello again. Sorry if I'm interrupting what you're doing, but a blue and purple friend of yours would like to see you. Afraid it's urgent." He remembered the welcome-to-Hell gift pack that he had tucked under his arm and held it out. "Oh, right. Here, take this. Give it to her after you convince her that we're in part of a splinter universe."

Because that was, unfortunately, a thing.

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blowkissfiregun
2018-06-11 12:33 am UTC (link)

There wasn't much happening on Gamora's shift as a security guard, but she did her rounds all the same, pacing around the floor she had been assigned to as she hummed a tune almost under her breath. This was unusual, but Gamora's spirit felt somewhat lifted despite it all. She wasn't alone anymore. There was only one person left for her to be at the maximum relative peace.

Suddenly, she heard an odd sound off to her side, and instinctively Gamora raised her nonlethal weapon in its direction before Stephen Strange stepped through a portal of his own making like the first time they had met. Gamora blinked at first, but then gasped, eyes wide, as she understood his meaning. Grabbing the box, she almost pushed him aside to somehow squeeze herself in through the tiny portal which was, of course, impossible.

"Nebula?" She turned to Stephen with urgency in her voice. "I'll square this away with Stark later. Take me to her?"

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doctor__strange
2018-06-11 01:36 am UTC (link)

"Allow me and I'll deal with Stark if you want, as pleasant a thought as that is," Stephen said with an unenthusiastic eyeroll, opening the portal so they could pass through, and staying quite a few steps away from Gamora.

In fact, he stayed as far on the fringes as possible, keeping a watchful eye to divert any interlopers so that Gamora and Nebula could reunite in relative peace and quiet.

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cloudfalling
2018-06-11 02:53 pm UTC (link)

The sight of Gamora through the portal didn't affect her. It was like watching something on a visiscreen. It didn't mean it was real. She couldn't even trust that the actions she was seeing were real or illusion—like how apparently willing and eager Gamora was to come to her.

Then Gamora stepped through the portal and was in front of her. And suddenly, that was real.

Again, Nebula stood very, very still.

Then, to no one's surprise greater than her own, she'd lunged forward and grabbed Gamora—

—in a hug.

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blowkissfiregun
2018-06-11 03:56 pm UTC (link)

Gamora couldn't quite muster up sympathy for Strange's plight; as soon as he began opening the portal she all but jumped through it, holding the box and card he'd given her as she finally stepped in front of Nebula, inches from her. Her free hand covered her mouth as her eyes glazed over with tears. She hoped Nebula had gotten free, that her efforts hadn't been for nothing. She also hoped that Nebula remembered all that she did, just so there was no doubt of how much Gamora cared for her.

Looking at her sister expectantly, Gamora didn't know what to do with Nebula's stillness - and then Nebula lunged for her, which prompted Gamora to drop the box and put one foot behind the other in a defensive stance; after all, how many times had Nebula lunged at her with violence? But Nebula wrapped her tight in her arms, which was shocking, to say the least. Gamora gasped in surprise, tears already falling down her cheeks as she buried her face in her sister's shoulder.

"You're here! Nebula you're safe!" She whispered, finally wrapping her arms around her.

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cloudfalling
2018-06-11 07:39 pm UTC (link)

Was it answering tears falling from Nebula's organic eye? Was she still capable of them?

Her arms were capable of returning the hug. More than capable. She had to use less than the full strength of her robot arm lest she crack a rib.

But she touched her forehead to her sister's shoulder just as Gamora had done, and her voice, when it came, was thick and quiet.

"And you're alive."

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blowkissfiregun
2018-06-16 07:54 pm UTC (link)

There was a moment of silence, other than Gamora's sniffling, where she just cherished being so close to her sister again; it didn't matter what had happened in the other timeline, or the resentment between them, or anything else. What Gamora had wanted more than anything was to have her here, safe and sound, and now here she was.

But she knew, evidently, about whatever had happened elsewhere. Gamora pulled away only a bit. "So you've gotten... dreams as well? What happened to you after I left? Did you get away?"

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cloudfalling
2018-06-17 07:44 pm UTC (link)

Not dreams. Nebula didn't get dreams. She got replays.

But there was something weird going on with those.

"They put me back together," said Nebula, sparing Gamora (!) the gruesomer descriptives. Retightened the marionette's strings. Untelescoped the veins and wires. "Their mistake. I contacted your friends to meet them on Titan. But after that things get… confused."

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blowkissfiregun
2018-06-28 03:47 pm UTC (link)

Gamora sighed in relief. At least Thanos hadn't lied so completely that her death felt completely in vain. She smiled as Gamora continued; it was good to know Nebula wasn't alone, and she had joined the fight.

"I don't know anything after when he..." Gamora shook her head. She had been so ready to die, but by her own command, at the hands of someone she loved. Not by a misguided mad titan with a lust for power. "Sacrificed me for a stone. But from what I'm told, he wins. If this happens here, we need to do better."

She took a step forward and wrapped her hand around Nebula's wrist. "We won't separate, we won't fight him alone. Promise me. If you're safe, I can die before I ever reveal anything."

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