7389/Sentinels: Back to Reality

Sentinels: Back to Reality
Date of Scene:	02 May 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Steve and Tony try to get information and alliance from John Doe and the Sentinels.
Cast of Characters:	Bastion, Captain America, Iron Man
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

---

Bastion has posed:
The dawn showed the large mobilization of Sentinel robots in northern New York to resolve: the masses of robots returned to their previous locations, many of them headed back to their military storage bunkers, others resuming patrols high over cities and towns.

Six, though, remained in a line in the street outside of the Avengers' facility on the edge of Watertown, NY. It's relatively easy to get a look at the huge, three story robots gleaming in the chilly morning.

Security was observing them, and alerts went out about a change in activity: John Doe directly approached them, after some conversation with Spider-Woman and a visiting Justice League member, the Flash. Security footage has set Stark on edge about the whole of the situation, though he does admit he hasn't seen anything PARTICULARLY dangerous yet that he can directly point to.

The footage shows Doe approaching the sentinels, and one nearest orients towards him, lowering a hand. Eerie coils of curling metallic tendrils emerge from around the wrist and hand of the towering robot, a mess of metal cordlike extensions, and they reach out and down to Doe. Two suddenly stab into his upper chest, just under the armpits on either side, making a mess of the shirt underneath. At least the track suit top he was wearing was unzipped. The sentinel picks up the impaled man-sized robot, and then proceeds to simply stand there.

The other sentinels approach and crowd around, in a clear defensive formation, to allow whatever is going on to occur.

And they've been like that a long while, their bodies blocking the visual of Doe in their strange standing circle.

Captain America has posed:
There had been time for a hasty cup of coffee and some dusty, bland-tasting nutritional bar of some sort, chock-full of nutrients and for emergency use (admittedly awful to Steve, inured as he was so long ago to rations), and now it's time to face the music. The Captain steps out of the facility at the front, dressed down now but for his shield on his back overtop his leather jacket and combat boots on beneath jeans. The migraine of earlier's surprise attempt by faux-Janet to kill him is abating, but still radiates through his skull when his pulse gets too high.

He lingers in the shadow of the ingressed doorway, just watching. A finger rises to his ear to flick on a comm channel as he runs his eyes from toes to gleaming skull of the Sentinel robots. His regard lingers on where John might be in the private circle as his hand falls rest at his belt. "Tony, you said he was downloading things into them? Not them into him?" he asks quietly along their private channel, praying it's not compromised by the robot's activities.

Iron Man has posed:
"Fortunately for you, I'm looking at this, not JUST my breakfast," Tony teases on the comm.

"What I can get is that he's uploading. I don't know that that's better really, we need upgraded flying death machines like we need a second Ultron," Tony replies. There's no distraction from the inventor: he's probably fully staring at the problem and working on it in what manner is available to him.

"He's not beyond me to hack into, but he notices when I try and adjusts, so my window of looking at what he's doing is always really brief and increasingly annoying. Mostly I've just tapped into the other robots to get an idea of what he's doing. It's software update, and a lot of it makes no sense to do, since they don't have the hardware for seventy-five percent of it. /Unless/ you assume they'll be getting hardware upgrades too. Yaaaaay. There's some weaponry scope here that wouldn't just tickle."

Captain America has posed:
Steve's eyes go distant as he listens, though his attention never fully pulls away from the gleaming towers of robotic might and metal. A slow sigh from him, too quiet to be caught on the comm-feed, and he looks off to one side. The tentative peace is enough for him to even lean his shoulder against the wall of the short exterior entryway, though it's an uneasy lean at best.

"At least he's stymied by the technology of our time..." the man mutters, his attention crystallizing on the Sentinel bots once more. There's a few moments of silence and then he speaks again, not hesitantly, but thoughtfully. "Tony, lemme ask you something. I sipped my coffee earlier today and found I'd spooned sugar into it without thinking. Too sweet. Thought to myself, if only I'd been paying attention, could have changed things. Got me thinking about time travel. What's the chance we can send this guy back to the future, to his own time, knowing what he knows now?"

Iron Man has posed:
"You're asking me to build a time machine?" Tony asks, deadpan. "Yeah, I'll just get on that," Tony says offhandedly, though Steve can probably hear the roll of Tony's eyes in his tone. And it's severe. "So, there's a nest of problems with that, even if we knew where this guy belonged. I mean, if we're going to do that, better just pack him in ice to thaw out close to his year," Tony jokes.

"Nothing's impossible but there's easier ways than time manipulation, Steve."

Captain America has posed:
A scoff from the Captain is indicative of his own eyeroll. He shifts in place in his lean and takes a moment to rub the span of his hand in thumbpad and fingerpad at his eyelids.

"That's never going away," he mutters. "In seriousness, Tony, we're dealing with a nest of problems. A crow's nest of 'em, full of shiny things." His free hand does a curbed wave at the collection of Sentinels. "When is anything like this ever easy? Besides, consider this. We send him into the future and maybe he arrives earlier. He's got the knowledge of this time and of us, how we were trying to keep this world safe. He stops whatever problems arise in the future because he's forewarned." Steve squints up at the robots and fights down the niggling worry in the back of his mind at not being able to directly see John Doe.

Iron Man has posed:
"Um, if he turns on us, all of those sound like bad things," Tony replies, with a sound that suggests he's leaning back in an extremely comfortable and expensive chair. Maybe with a spin. Because he is. His tower desk chair is truly awesome. "We don't even know why he was sent here in the first place. Lacking that, I'm hesitant. Just not enough data; this is too blind." Bleh.

"Okay, I know Black Panther had a bunch of information about his signature and where he's from. It's easier to dial in on something that's out of sync than it is to create time portals or some nonsense like that. So rejecting him out of our reality, maybe. Still. You're very trusting and optimistic. You know how much I like that about you, but he's not our pet. I'm not trying to make the same mistakes twice. At least, not this time."

Two sentinels step aside, allowing access to the center of their midst. Doe is in there, easy to find, in a tangle of metallic tubelike coils that make up an interconnected matrix, like the tangled wires in an advanced but messy computer tower. He's impaled by two of them, at either side of the rib cage. The movement suggests he noticed is aware of Steve.

Captain America has posed:
"I know you're a perfectionist and hate mistakes, Tony, but I'm not about to execute -- excuse me, unplug someone because they might be playing two sides at once. I'd be throwing a lot of stones at a lot of people we know if I didn't give him a chance." Steve straightens out of his lean as the robots get to moving. "He's also not a pet. He's got sentience and it scares me." This much, the Captain allows in his own trust of the genius-inventor. "There's a line he's toeing and I like it no more than you. Second he crosses the line, I'll be as ready as you to end things." A sigh. "Figure I'd at least see if I can get him to take a step back."

Stepping into the sunlight, the Captain lifts an empty hand towards John Doe in a silent hailing. He doesn't travel much closer to the robots and returns his thumbs to loop in his pockets, still ready by stance to react.

Iron Man has posed:
"I liked him better when he thought he was a mutant and was full of self-hatred," Tony observes, as if thinking of a simpler, kinder time of rainbows and moonbeams. "If that was even true. But we've seen some emotional reactions that make no sense, so I do think there's emotion. Which is good and bad, and unpredictable, but maybe you CAN appeal to him. If you can't, well, I'll keep going on a specialized virus." A pause. "And your time machine. Obviously."

When Steve makes it apparent he wants to speak to John Doe, the mess of cords draw back in a slippery, sleek pattern, and Doe is lowered neatly to the ground, though the tentacles stuck into his sides don't retreat. He waits for Steve there, rather than travel anywhere, in the grove of Sentinel legs. Doe looks small and strange, like a little puppet, in his recently gifted black track suit.

Captain America has posed:
"Keep on the comms and listen while we talk. Gonna see if he'll consider the future. You keep working. No...what's that ridiculous thing called...nyan-cat. Nothing like that," he adds in regards to viruses before turning his attention back to John. A sigh and squaring of his shoulders and there goes Steve walking towards the man.

He can be seen to lift his chin in order to eye the Sentinel robots as he approaches. Once he's within proper hailing distance, close enough that it takes no more than a raised voice verses a shout, he stops and calls out, "Come talk with me?"

Iron Man has posed:
"Yeah, no danger of that," Tony says, with mock-offense at nyan-cat reference. But he then leaves Steve alone, at least for the moment, to concentrate on John Doe without an extremely chatty shoulder angel. Yes Angel.

John Doe's attachment to the robots immediately ends: the one with the palm lowered that is actually physically impaling Doe recalls the long leads, and Doe walks out from them. There's no blood, just rips in the undershirt, which get hidden as the tracksuit jacket sides fall closed.

Doe gives a polite nod of agreement as he comes over. "Of course, Captain. What is on your mind?"

Captain America has posed:
The lack of blood is eerie. Damn eerie -- and it's enough to make something low twist in Steve's gut. A small sheeting of wary goosebumps rise and fall in the time it takes for John to ask his question. Steve doesn't smile in way of greeting, but his expression as well as tone remains polite.

"Wondering what you were up to." His eyebrows lead the glance upwards towards the Sentinels before he looks back at John. "Technology's not my corner, but it looked like you were attached to them. Exchanging information?" His vein of questioning is a litmus test in itself, sure to be heard by Tony on comms.

Bastion has posed:
"I can tell that I was being monitored, that you do know I was working on them," John Doe replies, without judgement. Perhaps his way of being open. "I understand the suspicion of them, though," he says, willing to walk with Steve or simply stop in front of him there. "They have security problems and back-doors, as well as some very poor code, and I'm fixing them. They aren't going to respond to outside orders anymore, they're under my control, now. They were being given orders by their Mold and Trask, and I severed that. I'm continuing to fix their bug-infested programming."

Captain America has posed:
The Captain nods. He turns and takes a step, pausing to be certain it's apparent that John is invited to walk with him. His direction will meander out towards the scanty gardens within the green lawn of the facility, in easy line of sight of the Sentinel robots.

"Bugs, huh. Those are problems," Steve allows mildly. "If those other Sentinel robots...not the ones you were just talking to -- " he looks over his shoulder at the collection on the street. "The ones in the city came after us: would your Sentinel robots defend us? Not you, us."

Bastion has posed:
"I suppose that would depend on if you did something to deserve it?" Doe says, jokingly.

"What a funny AI. He's almost as fun as JARVIS," Tony comments dryly.

Doe talks over Tony some, which may indicate he can't hear Tony. "These six would do what I direct; I have given them new priorities. They would not automatically defend you if something happened to me, though." Doe follows, resting his hands in the pockets of his black tracksuit, as if sheathing his hand weapons. Not that the suit would block any of the power he can emit. "But the situation you propose won't happen: If they return, I would add more Sentinels to my control. I am considering the idea of taking over their network entirely, but I'd rather disable or gain control of the Molds first."

Captain America has posed:
As if hearing a sound across the green of lawn, Steve turns to look away from John. It's more to allow himself a flicker of wry amusement through his face at Tony's comment. A second later, he's looking back at the man with composure once more.

"That's an idea, but it's not a perfect one," he points out. "Whomever these Molds are, they won't let you do it without a fight -- and you're here. You can do an entire wave of 'em all at once, if the Molds sent 'em? You're only one man." Steve frowns. "That brings 'em here to us. So -- would you tell your robots to defend us if push came to shove?"

Bastion has posed:
"The overshare and /balls/ on this robot is honestly impressing me, Cap. Everything he's saying seems logical AND true, but to be so open you've got to just be fearless. Or doing it to manipulate us into thinking we have all the information, to trust him. I feel like there's a small print not being volunteered of 'also I consume babies' that is in there that we'll realize after it's too late," Tony chatters. Shoulder Angel being angelic and noisy.

"Let me phrase it this way. If something else attacked here, such as mutant spider monsters, I would have them defend you, yes," Doe says. "If it is Sentinels -- I sent away the other wave, other than these six. I can make them land. Or fight. Or leave. They listen. I can't tell you why they do, but they do. So I wouldn't /have to/ tell them to defend. There wouldn't be a fight."

Captain America has posed:
How Steve keeps the straight face up during Tony's chitter-chatter is a miracle. He does wish that he'd killed the auditory output of his earpiece now, but too late now. The little shoulder-angel can keep rolling out his opinions, some of which are valid. In his heart, the Captain honors the counter-thoughts to his own musings.

"That's a relief to hear." Rolling his lips, the Captain tucks his chin as he comes to a stop by a rhododendron bush just coming into bloom in a profusion of pink. "Can I get your word that you'll keep 'em from attacking us?" He looks into John's eyes and waits.

Bastion has posed:
Perhaps out of empathy, Tony gives Steve a respite from his chatter. Or maybe he just wants to hear the answer Doe gives. Might be important.

Doe follows Steve's gaze and expressions. He stares back into Steve's eyes. There's surprise, but also a solemn quality, as he understands there's importance to this. "Of course. We both wish to protect the innocents of this place, don't we? There's no quarrel with the Avengers from me. I prefer you safe."

Doe watches Steve a long moment, then adds, "I have already added that command into my Sentinels: to not harm many of you. I suspect you or - Stark, I am guessing -- can find it in their priorities when they snoop." There's a smile there, an indifference about the snooping.

"I feel /slightly/ insulted, but not /really/," Tony comments, unable to stay silent. "Maybe we can relocate this little project of him working on Sentinels in broad daylight on our lawn, though. I'd rather not be working with Sentinels in general in my next press conference."

Captain America has posed:
Aware of the wording of John's response, Steve narrows his eyes a touch. "Any way you can change the command to 'not harm ANY of you'? The Avengers are the Avengers. There's no defining them as anything but when they become one of us. They're in this city and on this planet to help us keep it safe. You're included in their safety net."

He sighs hard. "And you gotta move 'em, the robots. Please understand, the Avengers have to remain neutral in this as much as we can. We're on the side of life if we have to be pigeon-holed."

Bastion has posed:
"Perhaps I was unclear. I don't have your roster. It includes those I've met or know of," John says, with a sort of stare at the rest of the explanation.

"Oh --- also. Jessica recommended I choose my own name. I've chosen one, given by the woman that found me. I will be Sebastion, please," requests the robot. "Perhaps a bastion to protect the core of humanity, should I find a way to be that."

"I need a drink," Tony observes.

"I will move them, certainly. Now?" Doe/Sebastion questions.

Captain America has posed:
Steve frowns and nods at the offered name, as if it too took him off-guard but he can't deny its merit. "Sebastion..." he echoes, looking down to one side and back towards the Sentinel robots still gathered on the street. "Do me a favor before you move 'em?" He meets the man's eyes once more and holds them.

"Change that command in 'em to be 'any Avengers'? I want my people safe. I want them to know they're safe around you and around the Sentinels. I trust you. Help me out?" His brows quirk.

Bastion has posed:
"They use scan signatures to recognize people, not whether they claim to be Avengers. My list is from scanned data. Provide me those, and I'll add them to the ally roster. But if they are human, they really have no major concern from my sentinels anyway," Sebastion states firmly, with an assuring smile. "Killing humans is not allowed." As if expecting this to all be fine and make Steve happy, he removes a hand from a pocket, and offers it to be shaken.

"If we hadn't just had a Janet Clone I'd have a real argument here," Tony complains.

Captain America has posed:
Steve gives the other man a long, introspective look. Finally, he does lift his hand from his coat pocket and return the handshake. "Killing //anyone// who hasn't actively threatened you or another individual isn't allowed," he replies in adament undertones, but his grip doesn't tighten or suggest threat. "We'll get you the ally roster. All of them on there -- //all// -- " Eyebrows lift to suggest his point be taken. " -- are Avengers and need to be counted as safe."

He gives the Sentinel robots one last glance. "I trust you'll move 'em some place where we can keep in contact with you?"

Bastion has posed:
"Yes. I'm going to use one of their storage facilities. I think they owe me that, for all of this," Sebastion/Doe says, with only some emotional inflection in the tone. He's not happy. "I have already given Mr. Trask an ultamatium, should he continue to press me."

And then without hesitation: "All? I would imagine that's fine." He hasn't seen the list, but is agreeable, from all appearances.

Suddenly the six Sentinels flare into activity, they all blast their massive engines, and lift off in sequence: pairs of two launch airborne as Sebastion sends them away. "I'll stay here for your list, but I don't mind moving them now, as a sign of cooperation."

Tony comments dryly, "Only because he's so much worse than they are. Let's chat later. Booze will be involved."