InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Blam! Murdered you."

not_kirk (not_kirk) wrote in snapthread,
@ 2019-07-17 16:35:00

Entry tags:

john crichton (fs), tony stark (mcu)

Who: John Crichton (FS) and Tony Stark (MCU)
What: Getting started tutorial
Where: Tony's workshop
When: Wednesday afternoon
Rating: Probably low

John wouldn't say he was getting used to this place by any means, but it wasn't as foreign to him as it had been a few days ago. Barring the random large wolf-man attacking everyone (that was weird), things around here seemed...normal. Earth-like. Which was frelling bizarre after how he'd spent the last two years of his life.

Tony Stark, proclaimed leader of this town, had offered to help him out and John wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth. He survived being flung half-way across the universe by adapting and making friends (well, it took a while), and he knew that's what he'd probably have to do here until he figured out a way to get back. If there was a way to get back. So, he hiked up his big-boy trousers and went to get the coffee (still weird being able to order that here), then followed the directions to Tony's workship...which was impressive to say the least.

Crichton let out a low whistle when he got a look inside, staring around at the various mechanics and technologies, two cups of hot coffee in his hand as he examined something on a table. "....what kind of capacitor is that?"

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not_kirk
2019-07-18 06:13 am UTC (link)

"Code?" John tried to get a look at it, shaking his head. This stuff was more advanced than anything he'd seen on Earth. He recognized chunks of it and spoke while hew as trying to read through it or make sense of it.

"Astronaut back home. I was trying to prove a theory I had about using a slingshot maneuver for space travel- worked too well." He sipped his coffee and shrugged. "Ended up creating a wormhole that zapped me to the other side of the goddamn universe. I've been surviving there for about two cycles- er...years, now." He squinted then turned to Tony to ask.

"What year did you come from?" Because something about this seemed...advanced. "I mean, because what you're doing- this set up? We weren't anywhere near this back in 1999. Unless you had some sort of alien tech influence or...space invaders, I don't know." He sipped his coffee again and shrugged. "I was a physicist before I was an astronaut, but I know for certain this tech here is way ahead of my time."

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allaboutego
2019-07-18 06:32 pm UTC (link)

"Code," Tony repeated, because he wasn't all that great at wet sciences, if he was being honest. It was just easier to think of dna and all the rest as coding. And, well, at this point, it was. He had it all displayed in front of him, lines running and comparing. Maybe he'd find answers. Maybe he wouldn't. Tony didn't really know, which wasn't something he loved.

"Astronaut and physicist," Tony repeated, impressed. "That's a pretty nice resume." For all the good it would do him here. And had probably done him in space. Tony understood that pretty spectacularly. "Wormholes. Aren't they just the worst." It wasn't a question. They definitely were.

"I'm from 2018," he said, looking away from his screens to focus on John and his coffee. Not like his work didn't record itself anyway. "So a bit ahead of you. And no, no alien tech, even if there were space invaders. That came later. I'm just really clever, is all." He grinned, and supposed it would come off rather egotistical. It usually did on strangers. "But I'm sure you've seen some pretty decent tech up there. You can't be in over your head."

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not_kirk
2019-07-18 06:39 pm UTC (link)

John raised an eyebrow and stared at Tony. "You've been through one?" He could tell. Just by the tone. They were trippy and terrifying and wonderful and...weird. Yeah. Wormholes. Shaking his head, he couldn't really believe it. "How?? I mean, I know everyone here claims to be from another universe, but that's..."

That was everything he'd been tortured for. "Did you make one?" He had to ask. He was starting to think this was in his head.

2018?! Shit! John shook his head, staring at the data again, clearly in shock. "Almost 20 years..." He muttered to himself. How was that...? "So you're saying I traveled through time, too?"

"Uh..yeah. This is just different. What I've seen was mostly...organic. Lived on a ship that was alive- kind of like a giant whale. A lot of technology out there was bio-tech." A term he came up with himself just at that moment. "Well, not the PEacekeeper stuff."

He cocked his head, staring at the dad and realized something. "What are you looking at exactly?"

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allaboutego
2019-07-18 09:47 pm UTC (link)

"I didn't make one," Tony said, frowning slightly. Because of all the things he hated talking about, The Wormhole Incident ranked right up there with Afghanistan. They were things that had happened, and everyone he knew was aware, and that was enough. But John didn't know. And was clearly curious. "I flew through one that'd been created by some would-be invading aliens with a nuke that'd originally been aimed at New York City on my back."

And maybe that would be information enough. Who knew. Tony leaned forward a little, elbows on his desk. "The thing is, time travel doesn't seem like accurate wording for a place that exists outside of time. That's the whole pocket aspect. Everyone here is from a different moment in time. There's no real saying what's right or wrong because there's no such thing. The Foundation for the Law of Time is --defunct. Math is ruined forever. Believe me, it sucks, I know. Bio-tech is interesting. You'll have to tell me more." Because that Tony was into. Extremis had made sense to him and could have had so many brilliant applications if it hadn't been used as a weapon first. "What's a Peacekeeper?" It didn't sound all that peaceful.

He glanced over at his screens again. "It's the break down of DNA strands. You narrow the information down enough and it's -- you know. Practically math."

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not_kirk
2019-07-19 06:29 am UTC (link)

John just nodded slowly as Tony explained his experience with wormholes, not asking much else beyond that. Maybe later... It was a new story. As far as John knew, no one else had been capable of making one. Maybe he'd figure it out later.

Then again, did he wantto figure it out anymore?

"Yeah...sure. I don't have anything to show, but I can draw some stuff up- maybe show you what I know about the droids..." He muttered, scratching the back of his head. Math was ruined? Well....dren. This sucked. How could math not be a universal? No. He didn't want to try to even wrap his mind around that one yet.

"Peacekeepers are...space cops? Or they try to be. Pretty much the universes' version of Nazis. Think they're superior. There was one...well, a former one who traveled with me. She was kicked out after being deemed irreversibly contaminated for defending me..." He went quiet talking about it, the memories still fresh. Too painful.

"Probably better they're not here."

DNA right. He stared at it. "So this is that werewolf guy, huh? You're trying to find a cure?"

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allaboutego
2019-07-19 10:01 pm UTC (link)

Oh, Tony could probably damn well make a wormhole if he wanted. It wasn’t like the technology for it was out of reach for him. He just really, really didn’t want to. Space, in general, wasn’t on his list of interests these days. He avoided it when he could and certainly did not invite it into his work space. He did, however, tend to work on a lot of things that involved being safer in space, so there was that.

“That’d be interesting, if you could,” Tony said because space and organic tech weren’t the same things, so long as he was concerned. Big difference between other cultures and the vast expanses of nothingness. He had friends who were aliens. “No pressure. Get yourself settled first,” He went on - even though he knew that so many people who ended up here didn’t care for slowing down or taking a minute to get their bearings or have a vacation. It must have been the build of them all.

“Wonderful,” he said dryly. “More Nazis. Why is that always a running theme? You’d think at some point the universe would realize what a no go that should be. And yet.” He spread his fingers wide, in obvious frustration. And then took it a step back again, when he noticed how quiet John went over his friend. “You okay?” He asked, careful, quiet. Losing people was hard. And that was the face of someone who had lost.

Maybe it was good, being able to change the subject. Tony smiled, but it wasn’t really humored. “He’s in there, yeah. It’s a few people. I’m comparing, seeing what’s different, what made some people sick and not others. If I can find a cure for him, I’ll do my damnedest.”

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not_kirk
2019-07-21 04:23 pm UTC (link)

"Uh..sure. Yeah." Why not? John was more than happy to share what he knew. For once, he wasn't being treated (or actually being) the clueless one in the universe, which was a nice change. Though he did smirk a bit at the comment about Nazis. Even if it was a sad smile.

"Yeah- I will be. Just fresh." He was still sort of confused about his feelings for her. Well, not confused. He knew what he'd felt. But there was regret there for not acting on it sooner and now that she was gone, it was just hard...

Not the time. John shook it off and forced himself back into the swing of things. "Yeah...I heard people were down- but not everyone. You got any theories?" It was more out of curiosity and to keep his mind on something else that he'd asked, wondering how Tony was projecting this in the first place.

Seriously, this tech was impressive.

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allaboutego
2019-07-25 12:10 am UTC (link)

"Fresh," Tony said understandingly. "I get it. We've all been there, I think." Or some version of there. He'd lost people too. A lot of folks around here had. It didn't make it easier, but it did give a lot of common ground for people to work with, he supposed.

"I have plenty of theories." Tony's smile was lopsided and self deprecating. "No one -- excuse the airquotes - 'normal' got sick. So there's got to be a common factor in everyone else's biology or there's something in the non-powered people's that the others don't have. But they're just theories and even with the tech I've got, it's more tedious than I'd want it to be. I seriously miss the internet." And hacking databases. He really, really missed that.

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not_kirk
2019-07-25 12:50 am UTC (link)

"Huh." John nodded, thinking over what that could mean. "So...pure human DNA was the only stuff not effected, huh?" He rubbed his chin. Yeah, that didn't sound great. "Anyone here capable of engineering something like that?" He hated to ask, but his first thought was that whatever it was might have been genetically modified then released to infect people.

"Not trying to say someone here would do something like that, just...all possibilities, right?" He came closer, looking over the DNA strands then turning to Tony. "I mean, aside from you, who else has that kind of scientific background that might have reason to make others sick? And why would they do it?"

John was the suspicious sort. He had to be where he came from. It's how he survived.

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allaboutego
2019-07-25 06:23 pm UTC (link)

It wasn't a bad question. And it wasn't as if Tony wasn't a bit distrusting himself - he was, and he knew better than to think everyone was good. But in this instance, he'd considered that very question already, more than once.

"I get you," he reassured, because there was no point in sugar coating just to be kind. Tony wasn't really that sort of person. "And yeah- there are a few, myself included. I've got nothing to gain from it, my whole family was down and out." John wasn't putting blame on him but he felt like all the bases ought to be covered. "Otherwise there are -- there's the Doctor. She wouldn't, though. You'll see. It's simply not a possibility. And I think one or two of the Peter's could do it. Except they were really sick too, so that seems counterproductive." He shrugged, fingers tapping against the top of his desk. "I don't think it was anyone here. I think the most likely explanation was something to do with the Doors. You seen them, yet?"

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not_kirk
2019-07-25 06:30 pm UTC (link)

"No, but I've heard of them." An outside virus. Yeah, that was almost worse. "Maybe something that evolved on a place similar to Earth, then? And your DNA was ready to fight it, but anyone with different DNA...wasn't."

It was the simplest explanation, and John knew that meant it was probably the most correct one. He rubbed his chin, staring at the chains of DNA in front of him and then shaking his head.

"How could you create a cure for something like this? Or a vaccine?" One that would be equipped to handle so many different types of...well, people. Species. John glanced at Tony. "Assuming that's what you're trying to do, I mean." There was the thing of a smile. He had a feeling Tony was concerned with keeping everyone healthy, maybe figuring it out. John was looking for a practical solution for a next time. Just in case.

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allaboutego
2019-07-25 08:32 pm UTC (link)

Crichton was clearly a pretty clever and observant man - although Tony supposed that was to be expected of a physicist. "Yeah, that's my closest guess," he admitted. He didn't love it, but it was somehow better than assuming that there was some nefarious intent behind it.

As for how to cure it? Tony shrugged a little. "That's what I'm going for, sure." Why wouldn't it be? "Simulated trial and error. I'm not great on the biology level of things, but given enough time..." Well. He could probably figure something out with enough time. He'd figured out time travel. This shouldn't have been harder. Even if his resources were fewer.

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not_kirk
2019-07-25 09:53 pm UTC (link)

John just nodded, scratching the back of his neck and watching Tony with a half-smile. "It'll come to you. You seem like a smart enough guy. Genius, actually. Kinda jealous." John laughed, standing straight.

"I should let you get back to it but, uh...maybe we can meet up and talk physics sometime?" It would be nice for John to get a chance to do that with another human. Someone who understood half of what he said.

He had a lot of learning to do, and he was glad he'd at least met someone else trying to figure out a solution to whatever this was. Maybe he could eventually contribute himself. But, for now, John just clapped the guy on the shoulder (he wasn't very good about invasions of personal space these days), and headed toward the door.

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