3861/Rising Tide: Alpha... Assemble

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Rising Tide: Alpha... Assemble
Date of Scene: 12 February 2018
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Alpha Flight has a special meeting to save the world.
Cast of Characters: Iron Man, Vindicator, Guardian
Tinyplot: Rising Tide


Iron Man has posed:
With the systems down so heavily around the world, getting much of any messages is something of a crazy fluke. (It sure reduces the spam.) ...But, once the source is identified, it probably is less of a crazy fluke. Tony Stark doesn't pay attention to the rules other people do. He boldly goes out where few have gone before. Well, at least, few since the communication lockdown, at any rate. Appropriating the object Clint procured from Mon-El and gave to Tony, to tune into the frequency used by the station? Yes.

And so the little ping shows up, with appropriate red and gold fanfare, as if expecting the person on the other end to be on the edge of their seat for a conversation with THE Tony Stark. It's a holographic call, or video, depending on the technology on the other end's preference.

Vindicator has posed:
It's oh, so Star Trek. No, really, it is. A call comes in, blipping across buttons that really shouldn't be blipping given the loss of certain aspects of technology. Shouldn't be blipping, and yet so obviously are.

Manning the in-system computers today, is Heather. So when the blip comes, she's quick to alert.

"Incoming Mac. I'm throwing it up on the main screens. You want it where you are, or think you can drag yourself from the labs?"

That last a smiling little jab at her husband, a man notorious for forgetting to come to meals, or bed, while working on a problem.

While she waits for his reply, she answers the relay on their side, letting the picture come up on the main screen that forms the bulk of one 'viewing port'. Did we mention Star Trek?

It takes a few to resolve, but when it does, the unexpected Tony Stark (yes, she knows who he is) is on screen, his image flickering and shifting sideways.

"Ah. Mr. Stark. You'll have to forgive me, I'm waiting on Mac, and your connection is a little unstable. You're not using open channels, are you?" Translation: What Rising Tide is allowing through.

Guardian has posed:
Heather, Mac and some of the rest of the team had all been on the station when the Rising Tide had crashed world-wide communications, and so they had spent most of this last week up in space trying to get things back. So far they'd limited success, they had a line of sight up-link to the mansion on Earth and had been able to jury-rig some Kree tech to make the comms with the Arrow ships possible as well. Otherwise it had been fairly lonely on that station with the team free of distractions from Earth until now. So, when Heather tells him there's comms from Earth, Mac looks up from his work at once. "Heh, very funny," he says about never leaving the lab. "I'll be right up. Put it on the main screen."

A few minutes later he walks through the doors in the command centre, in his Guardian battle-suit, cowl drawn back, he gives Heather a smile before he turns to the screen, "Mr. Stark, it's good to finally meet you. I'm Mac Hudson and this is my wife Heather. What can we do for you?"

Iron Man has posed:
"Tony, please," Tony offhandedly requests as they both call him Mr. Stark, with a bright smile, his usual relaxed, charismatic open nature broadcasting despite the instability of the connection. So long as the important thing is coming through, right?

Something is less than shiny with Tony physically and situationally. He has a dark red hoodie thrown on that clashes somewhat with his surroundings. He's pale, and is obviously in some kind of medical lab in a patient capacity: based on the style of the technology directly behind him. And most obviously, that he is sitting up in a bed, likely. Still, he seems attentive and aware. The screen cutoff doesn't show much below the upper chest level, though reflections, such as off what is PROBABLY an IV pole, reveal he's likely got a mess of consoles of various sorts in front of him.

"Nope, this is barely a tin can connected to yours via a string," Tony replies, and focuses on his consoles, attempting to improve it. "Not knocking it, mind," he clarifies. "Let me see if I can spruce it up..."

A bit later: "Better? Nicer on my end; I'm glad you don't actually a single pixel for a head," Tony declares in a chatty manner, distracted by his consoles for a moment, but then right back on track.

"Hope this is a good time, and, well, could be better, obviously, - but, I bring some positivity. Just some things about saving the collapse of society down here. Have a minute?"

Vindicator has posed:
"Fair enough," Heather quips with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Tony."

While Mac greets thier virtual guest, she manages to get their connection to stabilize, and his picture stops flickering or tilting sideways.

"Much better," she declares as he fiddles on his end, completing the circuit.

There's a grinned smile back for her husband when he arrives. "So nice you could join us, love," she murmurs.

Guardian has posed:
A hand is placed on Heather's shoulder, "Funny," he smiles at her, then turns to Tony on the screen.

Mac frowns at the distorted image flickers and bounces on the screen. He still makes out Tony's surroundings, and he asks, "Indeed, Tony, nice to meet you, are you okay? You look like you're in the hospital?" which was the polite Canadian way of saying, buddy you look like hell.

"Agreed, the picture is clearer now, good to properly see you." A smile follows that and he says, "It's a good time, what can we do for you? And what are you calling us on, my understanding was that all Earth comms are down."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony grins and winks, "Well, the Tide-pod also tried to hack my Tower, but lost that battle, too," Tony smiles, to the question of the Earth comms being down. "New friends hooked me up with your number."

As for where he is? A dodge about the health question. Of course. "I'm at the Avenger's Mansion, to-day. I am glad I am NOT in a hospital, actually, as they are having all sorts of problems without the communications. Medical records not being transferred, let alone the patients..." Tony drops the playful attitude immediately over the seriousness of this. People are dying. And he isn't fine with that, not at all.

"To be exact - I'm networking for aid. I have a strategy I'd like to put into place to restore this mess to ...well, the mess we are more USED to," Tony begins. "I'd really like to count on your position with those satellites, to pull in on what we've already got happening, coming up here."

In the background, a round volleyball shaped drone floats into view tentatively. It is mostly gold, with some panels of white where the steering thrusters are, and a flatted black screen in front as a 'face', like an alien squashed-faced pug bot. It has a few small limbs, and makes careful adjustments as if being very careful. It is barely balancing what LOOKS like some kind of light brown colored cocktail on it's flattened little head. It sort of wanders up to one side and waits. The eyes on the face panel slant back and forth. Tony doesn't see it.

"I think a lot of us are trying small efforts, and they can whack-a-mole those. But a dedicated effort?" Tony lifts a hand to gesture, but winces and drops it. Yeah, he's faking doing well. But this had to be done.

Vindicator has posed:
Well, that explained some of Tony's look: it wasn't all a bad connection. He looked pale and grey because he /was/ pale and grey. Though if anyone understood what it was to put best face forward in a crisis, it was Heather. She recognized the look, and she respected that.

"Networking for aid, hrm?" She's all ears, and serious now. The playful she'd had with Mac disappearing under business face. "You realize we have a mandate to work with international agencies? And I suspect under the current crisis even private ventures would be close enough. Just what are you proposing?"

Guardian has posed:
Mac's face is writ with concern especially as Tony's hand falls away like that, though the plan as Tony lays it out seems sound. "We can definitely help with that, we've got the station and a few of our own sattelites as well and we're positioned to reach others with our Arrow ships. So, yes, like Heather said, what's the plan?"

Iron Man has posed:
The droid inches closer. Inch inch. Inch. No? Well. It inches away and waits. The ice is melting in that drink.

"I'm not ... deeply familiar with the codes of each super group specifically," Tony admits. "...Possibly not even the Avengers." Tony coughs once, which was meant as a social signal, but ends up being a real cough, and he can't actually contain it. It stresses him out, and he's well aware they are staring at him. He grins a little, "Wow, I could sound a lot better, huh." Moving on.

"I can send you a data dump, if you think this channel is stable enough for it, on what the Avengers are doing, and what I've asked of the other capes and groups," Tony continues.

"Specifically with what I DO know of you -- and please, if you're more magical than my assessment, I'm glad to be updated -- I'd like to work with you guys on a work-around that dodges the Tide channel, sending raw data back down to earth. I've got some pretty alien subspace comm units that I'm getting to interface with us here -- Like the one I'm using now to enjoy your beautiful, if jittery, faces. Let's see if I can beam up to you what I've got without it turning inside out..." Tony plugs away on the console, and distractedly picks up the cocktail as he works.

Vindicator has posed:
"If the channels is secure," Heather murmurs, her head dipping over her consoles as she ascertains what she can of the connection, its security, and stability, "then we're good to go. As for what you do or do not know of these groups.. please rest assured we're familiar with the necessity of discretion and the risk involved should things be otherwise. You can count on us to treat your secrets as if they were our own."

Well, perhps moreso, given their public and personal identities were well known. There was no secret to she and Mac's involvement in Alpha Flight, though there were members of their group who did keep a much lower profile.

Guardian has posed:
Mac nods. "Yes, Heather has the right of it Tony, we'll keep your information secure," he promises.

At the mention of alien comm units, Mac positively salivates. "Any chance part of this plan sees us getting our hands one a few of those comm units?" he asks. A tech head like Tony, Mac wasn't going to pass up the chance to see how other worlds did their tech. "And the bare bones of the plan seem sound, create our own channels for the data to move, skip all the interference the Rising Tide is putting out."

Iron Man has posed:
"Weeeeell, not /everything/ is in this data dump. I'd welcome a visit if details you need are lacking, though, although you'll have to forgive me not getting up," Tony spins verbally, but grins. He's close-to-the-chest (really literally, not that they know that) with a great deal of things, despite the heavy bravado.

"And sure. Rising Tide obviously wants us to not share. And I am a giant fan of doing exactly what they don't want us to be doing," Tony says, like a cheeky teenager being rebellious for the sake of it.

When Heather drops the visual, Tony's voice says, "Awwww." But then takes that moment to do some coughing and some sounds of movement.

Vindicator has posed:
Heather flicks a glance over to Mac, questions in her eyes. Do they make the visit? Was it essential enough given their need on the Space Station?

The look is only for Mac, though, as she turns back to their 'guest' on screen, informing him of the visual going in "Three.. Two.." and on one, they're down to audio, but the data dump proceeds. Her attention eaten with watching the transfer to ensure it goes without hitch.

Guardian has posed:
Mac says, "We're needed here, but," he glances to Heather when she looks to him, he mouths, one of us? With the suits they could go and come back within a couple of hours. "We might be able to get one of us down to you," he lets Heather confirm the rest or not. "If not, then we'll make do with what you've sent us in the transfer."

When the video cuts out, Mac scratches his nose, and makes a slight face to Heather. "So, what do you think? Can we spare one of us for a few hours?" he asks, even if they'd know more of what was needed when they read the files Tony was uploading.

Iron Man has posed:
"Incidentally, this is helping with what I'll need to do with this comm on my end, to have this open. Let me try..."

--Is the last thing he says before accidentally killing the audio. Well, oops.

The data is still going though. It means a few whole long seconds of not hearing Tony chatter, before it's back on again-- "...and I don't have Clint in here for sign lang--ah. Good. I was saying, that why not look at the data, and if you have questions, visit away. Avenger's Mansion. Otherwise, I'll call back prooooobably tomorrow, same way, when I have an update on exact timing, and anything else."

Vindicator has posed:
Heather notes when the audio goes down, and startles with some concern until she sees the data upload continues without interruption. Whatever Tony had done hadn't affected that.

There's a nod to Mac's look. "One of us. I'm not sure which it should be," she tells him, taking advantage of the audio being off. "I'd say you're more needed here with the Kree tech, but I'm the one with the computer knowledge. It's a tossup."

Guardian has posed:
Mac considers the question as the files make their way up the link to the station's systems. Mac leans over and to run a virus check just to make sure there wasn't some RT files sneaking in that way. He doubted they'd get past Tony, but up on the station, getting hacked could be a death sentence.

"You go," Mac says. "I've got my work in the lab and if something goes wrong with the computers, you can use the comm units to talk directly to my suit and walk me through what needs to he done until you get here. I know, you didn't take advanced computing to be phone tech support, but I am sure it won't come to that."

He looks back to the blank screen somewhat needlessly as he says to Tony. "We've almost got it, Tony and Heather will come down for the comm units," he says. "And sounds good Tony, anything you'll need from us when you call tomorrow?"

Iron Man has posed:
"Not unless you have an Alpha Flight member with magical healing abilities. Otherwise, if I come up with something, I absolutely will say so. You can count on me to not be shy." A pause. "About ...anything," Tony says, his voice carrying the smile even if there's no visual to back up the grin on the inventor's face.

"I'll be sure she stays in as many pieces as she arrives in," Tony cheerfully finishes.

No, there's nothing wrong with the files really, beyond what they would expect from a rapidly hacked together thing from Tony Stark. Coherent, but a bit out there!

Vindicator has posed:
"No magical healing properties here," Heather says with a chuckle. "Sorry. I think that's more your neck of the woods than ours. However, I'll keep the visit brief as I can. Afternoon tomorrow work for you?"

Guardian has posed:
Mac grins, "She'd better," he says of his wife staying in as many pieces as she went in. After that he lets the others set the time of the meeting while he watches the download come in. When it reaches 100, he looks up. "We've got it," he reports.

Iron Man has posed:
"It should. Not like /I/ am going anyplace. I keep getting dragged back in here," Tony complains. No doubt for his own good, though, really. He IS getting tired, though, as his endurance is definitely shot.

"If not me, one of the other Avengers can bring you up to speed. We have a mass if big brains here right now. I even get to nap now and then," Tony chuckles. And then checks on his end, as they say it's come through. "Okay. Enjoy that dense reading. We'll have the quiz on ... mmmm, Tuesday, I expect, on the reading." Meaning, go time is likely tuesday.

Vindicator has posed:
"Over and out, Tony. I'll let you know when I arrive. And thanks for the data. We'll get ours on top of what we can do here between now and tomorrow and make this whole ordeal go away as fast as we can." Heather's words are succinct, but said with a soft smile. The kind that said everything was going to be alright, and made you want to believe it, or do you damndest not to disappoint her in the trying.

Guardian has posed:
"Good thing I'm a quick study then, we'll be ready for the test there Professor Stark," Mac says a chuckle coming through in his voice. "Anyhow, we'll let you rest now Tony, but we'll be in touch tomorrow. Glad you called, we're happy to help."

Iron Man has posed:
"Yep; let's save the world, one comm line at a time," Tony agrees. "Goodnight ... or.... whatever time you've decided to follow up there," Tony bids, before severing off the communication link.