+ FOURTH WALL EVENT: GENERAL NON-PARTY MINGLE POST +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: E V E R Y O N E
Where: Everywhere that isn't one of the parties! Both Sides!
When: Sept 1st to Sept 10th
Rating: G to PG-13 (please label higher ratings, thank you!)
Summary: Wonderful parties are springing up all across Wonderland, but there are still plenty of other places to explore. This is a log for any new arrivals who want to experience different parts of Wonderland life, and any current guests not in the mood for a log or transmission of their own.

Please also see THE FOURTH WALL MASTER POST for rules, information, and all the fun parties you can visit!
The Story:

On the morning of September 1st, everyone in Wonderland, on both Real and Mirror Side, will awake to find one of four possible invitations has been shoved under their doors. The glass has been carefully removed from all mirrors, and everyone will be able to cross to and from Mirror Side with ease, without forcing any sort of swap. The Queen of Hearts' chambers, discovered in the previous event, will be mysteriously inaccessible, leading only to a tearoom.

Additionally, there will be many more Wonderland guests than usual, each of them with their own random invitation and network device (wired to make replies only). As the week goes on, as per the invitations, more and more parties will appear (and everyone is invited to all of them, whether they received an invitation or not). But who brought them here? Why are there so many parties? Who is responsible for all of this exactly?

It's anyone's guess, though if parties or riddles are not your style, then there is always plenty more to see...

Comments

I just can't quit you ;-;

[hypoxic]

[It probably helps that Fitz has never done much to keep his life free or reflective surfaces. It's never impacted him much, so what's the point of trying to figure out how to live a life free of chrome?

Bruce sounds entirely too happy to be Bruce. It ought to be a burning red flag, but Fitz assumes it's more that Bruce just wants something built. Everyone's nicer when they need a favor.]

You already know what I'm working on, Doctor Banner. You disapprove of it highly.

[And so does everyone, apparently.

[dystonia]

[ Aw, Fitz. That's cute. Bruce would almost find it endearing that he can't even tell he's not the Bruce he knows, but mostly he's just amused that he's not even trying and he still passes as his weak and boring counterpart.

But he's all for making things crystal clear, so he leans down, his head nearer to Fitz's, a hand landing firmly on a shoulder. ]

I'm sure I do, [ He speaks in a lower tone now. ] Because I'm such a stick in the mud sometimes. But why don't you just show me again? I may have changed my mind.

[hypoxic]

[The hand on his shoulder makes him jump, startled and rabbitish. He looks at Bruce's face for the first time then, eyes growing wide in slow horror.]

You're one of them.....!

[He fumbles, scrambling to push away from Bruce and get to his feet. He's never seen a Wonderland mirror creature before. They're absolutely identical, it seems. It's uncanny.]

[dystonia]

[ The thing is, Bruce has decided that Fitz isn't going anywhere, not yet anyway. When he tries to get up, his hand curls tighter on that shoulder, a grip much stronger than Fitz might've expected from his real counterpart, effectively keeping him in place. ]

Good to know you're not as slow as you look.

[ But still too slow.

In a more commanding tone, ] Show me what you're working on.

[hypoxic]

[He's held in place easily, but that doesn't stop him from squirming. He strains against the pressure at his shoulder for a moment longer, until he switches gears. His work is too experimental, too hypothetical for real-world application. An alternate Bruce would be able to do some real damage if he read through the notes. And if he read through the notes and found a way to get to Jane...]

I'm not showing you anything.

[He pulls the keyboard closer, fingers hammering away at rapid-fire kill commands. He can always run another simulation, as long as the GUI doesn't spell anything out in front of prying eyes.]

[dystonia]

[ Bruce expects Fitz to not be able to fight the hold he has on him, just like he expects him to be turned into a puddle of fear and panic. So maybe that's why Fitz's sudden movements catch him off-guard, and it takes him a few seconds too long to react accordingly. ]

Shit— [ He reaches down to one of Fitz's wrists instead, yanking it away from the keyboard forcefully enough that the chair swirls in its spot, swaying and nearly tipping over. Bruce has to fight back the urge to just punch him for that move, but he does close his other hand around Fitz's neck. Not hard enough to choke him, but hard enough to scare him. ]

Now you choose you be brave? [ He doesn't know how much Fitz managed to erase, but even without looking, he's sure most of it is gone. He'll still look into it, but he has a feeling he won't find much now. Damn it. ] That was really stupid of you, Leo.

[hypoxic]

[He's helpless against the grip as he's pulled away, pulse throbbing wildly against Bruce's fingertips. He gasps for air instinctively, struggling to keep hold of his facilities through his panic.]

Just ensuring you'll have to keep me alive if you want to know.

[dystonia]

[ The way Fitz gasps is almost pathetic, really. Bruce isn't even applying enough pressure to make him feel dizzy, and he reacts as if Bruce is literally choking the life out of him right now. Granted, he could— but he's not interested in doing that. ]

I have to keep you alive, sure. [ He presses his lips in thought, thumb stroking his neck, then folding so his nail digs into the skin. ] That cute girlfriend of yours, however...

[hypoxic]

[As terrified as he'd been before, the barely-veiled threat makes it a thousand times worse. He swallows back the urge to whimper.]

I- I don't know w-w-what you mean. I d-d-don't have a...

[She's not a girlfriend. She's just the most important woman alive.]

[dystonia]

[ Barely-veiled? Please. Bruce doesn't even try to cover up the very open threat he's making there. And it gets him just the reaction he was hoping for.

Seeing fear splattered all across Fitz's face delights him to no end. Almost more than the fact that he's going to get his hands on whatever Fitz was trying to hide there. ]

Quit the crap. You know very well who I'm talking about. [ And he couldn't care any less if he calls her a girlfriend, colleague, goddess— but he can recognize the feelings well enough. Useful when it comes to situations like this, after all. ] What I'm saying is, you're going to get me copies of what you were working on, or I'm going to walk out that door and track her down, make her wish she'd never left that screwed up alternate reality she was stuck in.

[hypoxic]

[Jemma's been through so much already... She doesn't deserve to have her recovery pushed back with something like this. He needs to keep thinking about distractions, alternative plans.

But now that the idea of Jemma in danger has been planted, it's quickly taking over his errant thoughts.]

You d-don't even know what you're asking for. It's nothing -- it's just geode samples.

[dystonia]

[ Bruce drops his head, eyes closing, jaw clenching. It almost sounds like he huffs out a chuckle, but then he looks up suddenly, moving into Fitz's space like a mad barking dog. ]

Don't LIE TO ME!

[ His loud shouting matches the tightening of his fingers on Fitz's wrist and neck, then he reels it back in, expression smoothing again. ]

You wouldn't be that willing to risk your own life by wiping it all off before I could get my hands on it for something so... inconsequential. You better get me something good or I promise you this, I will make you regret it.

[hypoxic]

[He flinches despite his attempt to hold it back. His arm makes a halfhearted attempt to pull away from Bruce's iron grip.]

It'll take time. It was months of data.

[He's still lying. He just needs some way to get more time. Jemma's in danger. He needs time to calm down and Jemma's in danger think properly about how Jemma could die if this very angry beast isn't somehow placated.]

[dystonia]

[ Bruce watches Fitz in silence for a moment, then finally lets go of his neck, still tugging at his wrist so he's facing his computer. ]

Don't test my patience. Unlike my counterpart, I have very little of it.

[ Put simply: Fitz better produce something now or shit's going to hit the fan. At this point Bruce doesn't even care if he seems too obsessed about this one thing, he's just angry enough that he could carry out his threat no matter what Fitz got him.

Better stop walking that thin line. ]

[hypoxic]

[He takes a sharp breath in when Bruce relaxes his grip; his pale skin bears the imprint of Bruce's fingers still.]

It's...

[It can't be the G-force weaponry. It can't be the innocuous things he's built to keep Daisy amused. The schematics for power nullification could get in the way of attempts to send the mirror things back where they belong.]

It's surveillance. I -- there's a printout of schematics. On the left there. Third drawer down.

[Natasha wanted an early-warning system to help detect for events. He designed some cameras but never managed to get very far beyond that. It's been too busy and fell to the backburner. Hopefully it'll be enough of a nonissue to lose Bruce's focus.

He needs to find a way to contact the Captain.]

[dystonia]

[ Maybe if Fitz had set up that system he wouldn't be stuck in this situation, which is to say: good thing he didn't. Bruce is rather enjoying himself right now, and he'd hate for people to actually be expecting him when he shows up. Talk about ruining a surprise.

Bruce watches Fitz, unimpressed, but follows the directions anyway, digging into that drawer to see what's there. The printouts are easy enough to find, and he pulls them out, unfolding one of them to get a look. ]

Hm. Looks... cute. [ But not quite right. Not quite everything. This is too small for Fitz to be worrying that much. ] You're not telling me everything.

[ Said lightly while he keeps looking at the schematics, then he makes his way over to the table where Fitz is, spreading out the schematics on the surface so he can get a better look. It's hardly complex or interesting work, but it still holds some worth. ]

Pity. I was hoping you wouldn't be this useless.

[hypoxic]

[When Bruce returns without investigating the rest of the cabinet, Fitz lets out a sigh of relief. The gravity weaponry prototype was still nestled in the drawer just below it; everything might have gone differently had he spent more time investigating that space.]

I--I--I t-told you... There's nothing of any im-importance here.

[His fingertips clench at the arms of the chair. There'll be an opening soon. There has to be.]

[dystonia]

[ Bruce snorts, smiling derisively. ]

Right. When you say it like that, it's really convincing.

[ He doesn't move. He's not looking at the schematics either. He looks over his shoulder instead, at the cabinet and its drawers, all the other closets and different tables with their own computers, then he looks back to Fitz. ]

I'm sure I'll manage to find plenty here to keep me entertained. It's a shame you wouldn't help me, though.

[hypoxic]

A-and you think you'll have the chance to?

[Does he want to go down the route of ineffective threats? He's doing it, but it's a long shot.]

We're p--prepared to contain the Hulk if we have to. I assume it'll work on you just as easily.

[There's nothing like that in place. Fitz knows that there's no reason not to trust Bruce to stay himself. It's not like the way he's struggled to prepare for the day someone activates the Winter Soldier again. Bruce is an Avenger and that'll always mean something.]

[dystonia]

[ A long shot that doesn't even get close to the target. Bruce snorts derisively, his smile biting. ]

Right. Sure you do.

[ Like they could keep a project of that magnitude away from his prying eyes for this long. Bruce hasn't even been in Wonderland for long enough to develop anything that's in any way viable. ]

You think I don't know myself? I know what his contingency plan is: run. I know how the forest works. That's his safety net. [ They may not be the same or think alike, but he knows the other Bruce's mind all too well. ]

[hypoxic]

And -- and you think we'd discuss containment measures with Doctor Banner. That might prove to be a mistake.

[Tranqs. He needs tranqs so he can have more time to think. Darcy probably keeps a few on hand, for the Jane issue.

He gives Bruce a long look, and then lunges for a desk two aisles over. He's hoping it's a sudden enough maneuver that he isn't immediately thrown back in place.]

[dystonia]

I think if you're even half as smart as you're supposed to be, then you definitely would discuss containment measures with... him.

[ No one would know better than he does how the Hulk works, or what might be capable of stopping him in any way. And unlike this version of Bruce, the other one would be obsessed with finding ways to stop himself if things got out of hand.

He's about to open his mouth and say something else when Fitz moves suddenly. Somewhere at the back of his mind he muses how much like a tiny little mouse the guy is— trembling and frightened and pathetic, as well as prone to sudden movements. Bruce's quicker this time around, though, and he chases after Fitz, hand curling around the back of his neck and slamming his face down on the surface of the desk hard, well before Fitz gets a chance to get whatever he was trying to reach. ]

Wrong move. [ He breathes through a heavy chuckle, pleased by the fact that he may have just broken Fitz's nose. For a start. ] Did you really think you'd fool me twice?

[hypoxic]

[There's a moment at the start of his sprint where he thinks he might have a chance. He manages a step, and then something hard and solid yanks him back. He crashes into the desk with a crunch, straining to pull away with less strength than he summoned before. His hands raise to the grip clutching his neck, scrambling to loosen the hold, finger by finger if he can.

His trembling breaths come more audibly now. With the break in bone and rush of blood, he's forced to breathe out of his mouth. Something wet slides down around the edge of his mouth and he's almost sure it's a fluid that ought to be inside. It might make him feel faint if there wasn't so much adrenaline pumping through him.]

You're not -- there's nothing to -- t-to accomplish with this.

[It's not even a genuine attempt at talking him out of it. He's rapidly running out of openings.]

[dystonia]

[ His other hand replaces the one on the back of Fitz's neck, only this time gripping it from the front, palm pressed tight against his throat. Fitz's fingers are little more than a nuisance, and Bruce is much stronger than he is, his hold not even slightly bothered by his attempts to claw at his hand. ]

Accomplish? [ He lets out another short laugh, a little louder now. It's with ease that he moves him around, shoving him against a wall. ] You've already proven how you're both useless and unwilling to cooperate. I know I'm not accomplishing anything with you. This is just...

[ His fingers tighten on Fitz's throat, enough to make it harder for him to breathe, but not enough to cut the air off completely. ] Fun.

[hypoxic]

[He lets out a small, strangled sound when the pressure shifts against his windpipe. When he speaks next, it's in a smaller, wheezing tone.]

Seems -- a little uncreative to call this fun. Is... Is this why you need to st..steal ideas from real scientists?

[Maybe if he keeps stalling, one of the Avengers will check on the lab during a patrol. They do that during events, don't they?]