5914/Astral Flux: It's not Over

Astral Flux: It's not Over
Date of Scene:	04 December 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Tony and Steve wade through the last of the fungus, and look towards the infinity stone's location.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Captain America
Tinyplot:	Astral Flux

---

Iron Man has posed:
    The week of 'hell' in the town in Mexico seemed very endless. The level of control over those within the town, and the fungus itself, made the whole extraction very long and tedious. Just when things appeared cleared, a pocket of the fungus would open, and new creatures would be in the way, with new hostages.

    The buildings are now finally cleared: at least, they can hope. Sweeps are now far more possible, of the enormous sink-hole form in the center where the corpse of the rotting, putrid fungal monster remains. Others have decayed quickly, but this one seems to be something else, beyond those: it struggled to heal itself as it clung to the last scraps of life, as if something beyond it continually forced it to try. Even if it was clearly gone, the torture of staying alive continued, as that exterior force pressed. Still, it has finally given up the ghost.

    And everyone is tired. Tony approaches Steve's side, hands warm on his own coffee in the dark, chilly night. He is exhausted, not being a super soldier, and the long nights add up. The dark circles age the inventor. "/I/ am ready to call this mission over. And then some."

Captain America has posed:
"You're not the only one," replies Steve in a tone that whole-heartedly agrees. He's not shucked out of his spangled uniform and he would be sporting the self-same shadows of long hours were it not for the enhanced physiology. Perhaps the weariness can be seen in his eyes instead, affixed as they are at the distant pit wherein the fungus rots.

"No one's reported anything new in the last few hours. The latest team returned about half an hour ago. Team Beta will be taking up where they left off, to the north of the epicenter." The Captain gestures towards it. He glances over at Tony and tries for a smile. "Did they clean the sludge out of the bottom before they brewed a new pot?"

Iron Man has posed:
Tony looks somewhat surprised by the question about the coffee, as if having bad coffee didn't even occur to him as possible. "...This is my personal roast," Tony says, and gestures a little dismissively towards one of the high tech mobile lab 'buildings' that are more properly like strange pods. "Spared no expense," Tony comments dryly, but quirks a smile. "If you want some, grab it before I start teardown."

    He glances over Steve briefly. "There's a hot shower, too." Which is meant, probably, in a nice way, but there's usually that hint of mild hassle. Just can't resist, even when exhausted. Tony's jaws open in a deep yawn, which he huffs out, hand scrubbing over his hair, and he squints at the 'battle' zone. Of homes, wreckage. People's lives. He sobers.

    "The infinity stone's still unaccounted for. I'm willing to bet Loki's got it, but nobody here will take me up on it. Sometimes it's frustrating to always be so right." A frown follows.

Captain America has posed:
"I look forwards to the day that you've got plausible instead of confirmed answers." Steve doesn't glance over to see if his light quip hits home. He's considering the mobile building and definitely a cup of coffee. "What makes you think Loki has this infinity stone?"

With a quick tilt of his head, the Captain begins to walk out of the shadows of the triage building and over towards the distant lure of coffee. Even super-soldiers need a cuppa every now and then, and if anything, the tongue-burning heat of the brew will at least ward off the chill. "And not take you up on it?" This time, Steve frowns over at Tony in mild concern. "Did you forget to say please or something?" He means it well; there must be some good reason for the others not taking up the genius-inventor on a possible lead like that.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Loki was spotted during the initial fight. Thor tore off after him," Tony explains, fine with heading 'indoors' to one of his tech areas. It's very pleasant inside the portable lab, obviously. The one they're entering is also the more organized of the two, as it was used for things like food, as opposed to the acid-weapon-insanity of some of the other lab areas. "And around that time, Dr. Strange also talked to us about the Shadow King, and, I presume, took him on in a mystical grand battle that we weren't privy to."

    "To do that, the stone couldn't have still been in the Shadow King's control. So just before that, something had to have happened. All evidence, and my own magic eight ball of tech in the form of sentries, points to the trickster being part of it, or at least knowing what happened." Tony drinks his coffee, waving away one of the little drones that flies towards him; not right now.

    "What? No: they didn't take me up on my bet, is what I meant. Since they--- It's not funny when I explain, we need to get you that coffee," Tony says, in mock dismay.

Captain America has posed:
"Might as well explain now, Tony, before your magic eight ball of tech comes back to us with a report of another upcropping of the fungal spores." Steve glances back over his shoulder and out into the dark evening as if double-checking that his own words don't accidentally summon up the aforementioned chaos by lieu of Karma being a bitch.

He makes his way over to the fanciest of fancy portable coffee-dispensers and la voila: his own cuppa, sans milk and sugar, blackest of black. There never seemed a point to get used to dressing it up, not after the questionable brew doled out during WWII. He sips and makes a hum of approval. "So, all bets aside, it sounds like we need to speak to Thor." He gives Tony a questioning look.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Thor doesn't answer the communicator I gave him," Tony complains, but with no surprise. Why he is saddled with a team that has problems with tech? Somehow he'll cope. But not without frustration or a measure of amusement. For now it's amusement, in a tired manner. Tony finished his coffee and leaves the cup near the machine, after pausing to tap a few buttons on the thing. It might also make engine fuel, with how it starts to whirr up.

    "Have you been to New Asgard yet? It's pretty. If you like fields, stonework, mixed rain, feasts, and Asgardian mead." The last part seemed to be the best, of course, by Tony's measure. "You could sleep all the way there," Tony continues innocently, while shedding his jacket and relaxing on his little 'thinking couch' nearby.

Captain America has posed:
The coffee machine is given a good eyeing. Whatever will Stark come up with next? The Captain wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that it also contained a button that opened a weft into another reality entirely -- ...okay, lies, he'd be surprised. The Captain drains half of his cup of coffee while Tony makes himself comfortable.

"I haven't been to New Asgard, no, but it sounds like you'd appreciate the nap." A small knowing smile. "Are you thinking someone else should go speak to him, Tony? Someone who can withstand that mead?"

Iron Man has posed:
    "I have a company to run, or something, Pepper tells me," Tony comments, having stretched to rest his head back, eyes closed, in a comfortable and casual drape that he's very, very prone to. He tilts his head a hair to look at Steve.

    "And holiday parties to plan." Last year's were epic. "But you'd need to bring the mead /back/. I need someone that won't drink it all before they return with it," Tony points out 'wisely.' He's holding conversation well enough as always, but the relaxing on the couch is starting to take over a bit efficiently.

Captain America has posed:
Steve makes that humoring face, the one where his eyebrows dance upwards and he tilts his head back and forth. He considers his coffee. "Seems like you could send someone like Banner just fine then -- or maybe Rhodey." Still, he's not going to play coy much longer.

"But I'll take one for the team. Might as well. I'm due to speak to his highness anyways. You sure you don't want to come along? I could bring home the wrong kind of mead. It might wreck this year's party if folks are expecting something from the wreck of Gronhill's fleet and instead get something from the wreck of...Bob's fleet," he quips with a shrug of his shoulders, his arms now folded where he leans against the counger.

Iron Man has posed:
    Tony closed his eyes, but isn't about to fall asleep. There's still quipping to be done. He doesn't really move, though. He's comfortable. He opens them just a hair, watches Steve with an amused expression. "I picture Banner trying to talk to Thor about Loki, and while the result really might be fun, and it IS tempting...." Tony flips his hands over, in the smallest of little shrugs. "Take it as high compliment," he recommends.

    Tony looks down, then aside, passes his tongue slowly over his lower lip, a twist in his tired expression. "If he has it, we could have a repeat of New York. You're our good shot at making sure Thor sees that. Particularly if Loki's present." Tony's arrogant about a lot of things, but also recognizes skills in others, and can delegate. Like now.

Captain America has posed:
"Mmm." Steve nods and drops his chin a touch, looking away from Tony and off to the darkness. Another repeat of New York... Just like that, the ghost of acrid burnt metal and phantom of chaos by Chitauri overtakes his inner eye. The memory passes, but not before making his jaw visibly grit and entire body tense in passing.

"...yeah, having to separate Thor and the Hulk might be an issue." He says this with an especially ironic tone. A short sigh. "If you can think I can talk my way around the God of Tricks, that's a high compliment and I'll take it." Reaching out, he snags his cup of coffee and takes another large sip, leaving just a last swig in the bottom of the mug. "I could probably head out in the morning, after a night's sleep and a shower." A wry glance over at Tony.

Iron Man has posed:
    "More like that I think you'll be on Thor's wavelength of truth and positive vibe, with more patience than I'm going to want to bother with," Tony says, in his own flippant, yet still honest, way. He then releases a breath, and stands back up, fishing a mobile device from one pocket, swiping his fingers over the display and returning some orange-hued glasses to his face. They do well to hide his tired look.

    "Or," Tony says, in a forced upbeat way, "We could find more fungus. I'm sending the bots, looks like a small pocket. Get that shower, though," Tony recommends off-handedly. He'll handle it. "I'm going to /deserve/ my own nap, after this."

Captain America has posed:
"I'll leave you to that fungus." Steve finishes that cup of coffee and set aside the mug; there's a moment where he seems torn about there being no obvious place to put it, but maybe the bots will clean up? "Shower sounds like a slice of heaven about now." God only knows how long he's been in that suit, but eh -- desperate times call for desperate measures. "Call me if something bigger shows up?"

This he says even as he's striding towards the temporary building's exit, giving Tony a significant look on a paused step to await the confirmative. He knows the man is tired while he could keep going for hours more yet.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Assuming you answer /your/ communicator," Tony replies. He's just grumpy about Thor 'ignoring' him. "...But no need to bring it into the shower with you. We'll survive out here." Tony is relaxed, in his 'everything is great' mode. The mode he adopts even when flattened into the pavement. He'll keep going until he physically can't. That limit is far sooner than a super soldier's, but still quite impressive in its own way. Surviving on willpower. Still, never that great of an idea for the man with the arc reactor, to truly overextend. But who actually stops Tony from harming himself?

    "Take the twenty minutes, trust Tony," Tony chuckles, attention now on his device and directing the drones with his more usual multitasking intensity.

Captain America has posed:
A snort of a laugh from Steve and roll of his eyes. "Twenty minutes is an eternity." He still continues to stand there, however, watching the genius-inventor go about directing his tech army from afar, the general behind the gadgetry. "Remember that nap, Tony," he finally says before he exits the building.

In the destroyed city, it's quiet but for the murmur of the drones and robots rising to their creator's bidding. The Captain watches them disappear off towards whatever new hell is attempting to crop up and sighs, his breath ghosting pale in what ambient light sources are available. A scratch at the back of his neck and then he walks on, intending to use five of those twenty minutes to scrub off. There are things yet to be done, after all.