kore_logs | it was all so real to me

Tony really is a master of bad life decisions. And as this is probably a deadly decision on both their parts, he doesn't think twice about seeking out the machine. Curiosity and all that jazz. However, he didn't expect to run into someone else, nor did he really expect to find the machine. It seemed to keep him running in circles and absolutely refusing to lead him where he wanted to be on some days, yet on others, it was kind enough to grant him a short trip to his desired destination. At the very least, he assumed it had a hand in the organisation of the halls. If not, he really did have awful luck.

Whatever the case may be, he turned a corner and found himself in a near t-bone collision with the young lady set out on her own mission. He deftly altered his step to keep from actually bumping into her and sidestepped the collision altogether.

"Yikes! Close call!" A quick glance of her form and he frowns a bit. She was... young. Probably the youngest person he'd seen here since he arrived.

"Sir, I did warn you to keep your eyes up, rather than buried in the on-screen data."

"You certainly did. And now I'm muting you. Goodnight, JARVIS." He locked his mobile and slipped it away. He really needed to fashion a wireless ear piece for the AI. Later.

"Tony Stark." He introduced. "Isn't this neck of the woods a bit dangerous to be wandering about?" Ignoring the fact that he's currently wandering about them.

Edited (One day, I will learn to proof read. Until then...) 2014-06-26 20:08 (UTC)

It just keeps going. Natalie has yet to discover an EXIT sign, or a window she can try opening. There's forest outside, she's deduced, but she has no way of actually getting out there to see though the forest, to figure out where she is and how to get her ass home. (Sure, it'll give her a change of clothes, but nothing else. Fan-fucking-tasting.)

"Hey!"

That's when she finds herself running into Tony Stark. Or rather, nearly ambling into him, lifting her gaze off the floor at the last second before pivoting on the ball of her foot with a measure of grace, avoiding him just as he avoids her.

"Natalie Goodman," she replies easily, tugging at the hem of her pajama top. "I could say the same about you. Who was just talking?"

Okay, on top of that, he's impressed with her grace and her quick comeback. She's sharp and intuitive.

"Dangerous and I are good friends." He replied with ease, shrugging a shoulder. "JARVIS. He's an artificial intelligence. Designed him back home." Tony retrieved the mobile and unlocked the device. "I've lived with his irritating guidance for so long, it seemed too quiet here without him. This is sort of... a much smaller version. Say hello, Jay."

"Of course, sir. Good evening, Ms. Goodman. I apologise for any transgressions on Mr. Stark's behalf."

"Remind me to rewrite your personality software later." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I will be certain to leave you a Memo, sir."

If it was at all possible, the AI's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Tony ignored it this time and returned his attention to Natalie. "And that's JARVIS. Now, shouldn't you be heading back to your room? Or are evening strolls in the ever-changing halls of the Labyrinth something you do to pass the time? Not a hobby I'd recommend."

"I like you, Jarvis," Natalie found herself chuckling, pausing once to think about how it had been her first laugh in a few days. Even in the bleakest moments at home, she still found moments to let go when she could. JARVIS sounded exactly how she imagined Jeeves before Ask.com dropped him as a mascot. Shame.

None of that thought process was at all relevant so, for once, she didn't interrupt with anything.

"Eh." She shrugged, swinging her flashlight again. "I just wanna find an exit. I know they say you can't leave but there is obviously and outside, and, like, I don't wanna just sit in my room when I can't sleep."

"Thank you, Ms. Goodman."

The AI replied kindly and Tony decided not to mute him. Hey, if the little twit brought a smile to the kid's face, then he wouldn't argue.

"Obviously. I agree." He watched the flashlight swing, but didn't bring any more attention to it than necessary. "Can't sleep either, huh? We share that in common." And a fondness for the snarky AI, apparently. "Want company, then?" His time spent with Harley softened him a bit towards kids, even if she was older than the little twerp. Besides, if he left her alone out here and something happened to her...

"We can walk around aimlessly for an exit together. I need someone to talk to that can't predict my every word, anyway. Sound like a plan?"

Not that she had any intiial familial inclinations towards Tony, but the interaction suddenly made her miss her dad, wondering if he knew what had happened to her. Did life pause when she was taken away or did someone replace her or did he really just have to deal with the departure of his wife and daughter?

Related thoughts kept her up when she tried to sleep, and there was really nothing else to distract her from those worries because she had to open her door and find this stupid Center, twisting its way around her to the point of frustration.

The company and talk were both appreciated, as indicated by the smile the officially broke her usually sour expression. "I have, like, way too many thoughts at night, almost to the point where I think I should find a job that requires me to stay up all night and sleep during the day, though I don't think it'd win me any more social points than I have already," Natalie tells him. "Anyway, yeah. You've got a plan. You know how long you've been in here?"

These might also be questions that have crossed his mind as well, though he wouldn't admit that even if he knew they were crossing hers. He also, not in a million years, would ever consider himself any kind of father figure. He didn't have what it took to be a good guiding light or stable rock for anyone, let alone a kid.

Her smile provoked a slight upturn of Tony's lips. "Yep. Those pesky thoughts at night just don't know how to take a hint and find something better to do than keep people awake." He agreed in a roundabout way. "If you're looking for a job, I could use an assistant." Honestly, he really didn't need one, but maybe something to occupy her mind and bring some kind of order to her new life here might help her sleep better at night. "I've been working with tech in a lab. If you can put up with JARVIS' company, I mean." He smirked. Taking pot-shots at the AI was always fun. It wasn't like said AI didn't do the same to him in a more subtle way.

"Me? I've been here..." He trails off, looking up in thought. It didn't help that his days bled together and he didn't really get much sleep. Not near enough to determine where one day ended and the next began. "let's go with two weeks? Roughly thereabout. You?"

"I don't actually - like, more than a week? Days bleeding together and all of that, plus the distinct lack of sunshine which is really bumming me out more than I ancitipated." Ten days was the exact number, actually.

Tony seemed to understand the insomnia, the constant, niggling thought that kept her tossing and turning. If she was at home, she would be up drinking Red Bull and doing extra credit work until her alarm rang for school. The offer meant a lot to her, though. She could assume that JARVIS probably helped more than she could and that, if Tony Stark was anything else like her, he could go at it alone for days on end.

"Wait, you need an assistant? Don't you need my credentials for something like that? 'Cause I can tell you more than the fact that I have the highest GPA in school,' Natalie explained, not bothering to hide her delight.

She'd been here longer than he expected, and he was a little impressed by that. She'd kept it together pretty well so far. If he wasn't so used to confrontation and throwing himself into the fire for answers, he probably wouldn't have been so noisy about his entrance either. Reckless, according to Pepper. "Might stop by the Atrium if you're looking for a slightly more natural feeling. I found it accidentally on my first day." There were windows several stories up that might let in some sunlight, if he recalled correctly.

Tony could and had gone days without sleep to keep his mind focused on projects, but the Machine didn't seem too pleased with enabling that habit of his to his irritation. He tended to work alone, with just the aid of Dummy and JARVIS, but she seemed like she might not be terrible company. If anything, Tony was probably the insufferable one to be around. So his track record said, anyway. (And his SHIELD file.)

"Credentials? You seem bright, you don't get on my nerves, and you've got good reflexes. I think those qualify you." Yeah, by the way, he can be blunt. But that last one? That was probably the most valuable skill of hers, because if something accidentally... malfunctioned... getting out of the blast zone without question would be key. He was working with materials he wasn't exactly familiar with here. Things Earth didn't have and some they did.

He smirked when she backed up her claim. "Congratulations, Natalie Goodman, you're hired. Welcome to Stark Industries: Cape Kore branch. Two basic rules: One, if I say don't touch, don't touch. Two, if I say duck, duck for cover. Simple enough, right?"

"Hey, that's good. You don't get on my nerves either," Natalie replied easily, shrugging again, finally stopping her constant flashlight spinning to fold her arms over her chest.

"I mean, I can't say I thought years of actually participating in gym and school sports would prepare me for shit like this but, yeah, I can do that. All of that. I like science." She liked science as much as she liked the humanities, which is why she had decided that she would major in anthropology once she was accepted into Yale. And, as a teenager of the 21st Century, she enjoyed technology as much as the next person, so really, this deal was more than acceptable, considering that she was stuck living in some science center with a controlling Machine as the overlord. In her opinion, it was always better to keep busy and she had a feeling they could try getting to the bottom of whatever the heck was happening to them.

"Glad to join Stark Industries." To seal the deal, of course, she stuck her hand out for a proper shake.

"Hey, you'll find out there are many things you never thought you'd actually use later in life." So says the man with a built in flashlight. "Now, Science? Science is something you'll always use. What kind of sciences are you interested in? I'm more of the physics and mechanical engineering kind, myself, but I've dabbled in other areas when it's necessary." And by 'dabbled' he means mastered overnight, but hey, that's normal for him.

He reached out and shook her hand, putting on a professional businessman type act--overly done to make it an obvious act. He really was an overgrown child sometimes. "Good to have you on the team. Shall I show you around your new work station?" He smirked lightly and nodded down one of the hallways. "Or did you have a specific mission in mind around here?"

"Well, I've always liked biology, and I was thinking I could apply that to my eventual anthropology major when I go to Yale." She crossed her index and middle finger briefly because she hasn't actually started the application process yet. "But physics is something I can also do, if you ever, for some reason, need someone to make a rocket made out of a water bottle," she joked, chuckling to herself.

Whatever challenge thrown her way, she could probably take on if she could keep a level head about it. Natalie could be so narrow minded when it came to work, which may actually prove to be a good thing while staying in the science center, of all places.

"I totally want to see the work station. That's, like, that's not covered in blobs too, right? Because I was in another lab when I first came here and that was honestly a shock to the senses," Natalie shuddered. "Oh, and do I get an official badge or something to make it official?"

"Buddy of mine's into biology. More or less. Maybe he'll have a few pointers for you. But Yale? Nice." Tony pointed a thumb at his chest to indicate himself. "MIT graduate. Top marks." He won't mention he was probably around her age when he graduated. The smirk bloomed into a bit of a grin when she brought up a like for physics as well. "How about we skip the rockets and move right along to something with just as much bang but far less debris? You show me what you know and I'll help you build off of it, deal? You'll step into your first assignment at Yale and own your first degree in no time."

Even if she couldn't keep a level head, Tony would do what he could to level her out if she lost her proverbial balance. He was, and will always be, a man with a mind for knowledge. Seeing others embrace it as well was a bonus.

"Nah. The blobs are all cleared out of mine. Buuuut... I'd steer clear of Banner's for now. There may still be a bit of flubber left in a drawer or two." He made a bit of a displeased face in recollection. "Yeah, definitely not bringing him lunch again until that's cleared up. He roped me into the cleaning detail." With a little shudder, he started down the hall, glancing back as if asking if she was coming.

"As for badges, I'm sure something could be arranged. I'll get back to you on that one." That look he just got in his eye? Yeah, that's that look he gets when he just might have an idea.

Edited 2014-06-28 16:33 (UTC)

"Awesome." It was an all-encompassing word, perhaps overused, but Natalie felt it appropriate. She hadn't expected obtaining some kind of job - or actually making a friend - during her walks when she should be sleeping. She did wrinkle her nose again at the mention of cleaning up. After all those charred flubbers she saw, she couldn't imagine that being a pleasant experience.

Following him down the corridor, Natalie slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts, a slight bounce in her step. Internships seemed necessary for all young people who wanted to enter their chosen fields, but this already seemed a million times better than whatever unpaid work she would have to to sign up for while pursuing her first degree. Not many internships, she imagined, had British-sounding artificial intelligence.

"So, what do you want me to show you? I've, like, only ever done school projects, like, I make a circuit board one time to show how electrical currents work," Natalie explained, drawing a large square in the air with both index fingers, "but that's all probably way too simple".

Tony glanced back again, slowing his pace enough so that they were side by side. "Think of it as free period. Come up with an idea. If we've got the materials for it, build it. If you don't think you're ready for that yet, there are plenty of oddities to tinker with until you get your bearings. I could even use your help on a project or two that I'm working on."

Back in his universe, if she turned in a job application with his name in the recommendations, she'd have whatever job she wanted. Well, just about everywhere but at Hammer tech. Not that she'd probably want a job there. Employees probably have to sign waivers stating that they can't sue Justin Hammer or the company over job-related injuries.

"I'm not really, like, an inventor or anything," Natalie explained as she fell into step with him, hands folded behind her back. Henry always said she was too strict, far too much like the classical music she favored on the piano and nothing like the free form jazz he loved so much. She was sharp and smart but ingenuity was another thing entirely.

"I could help you, though, and see where that takes me?" she continued, a hopeful lift in her voice. "I mean, I learn things quickly."

"Then you don't have to invent. Tinker with that's there. It'll be fun!" He offered a lopsided smile and listened to her continue, nodding his agreement. "Absolutely. I could always use an extra pair of hands. I had... a couple robots to help me with that back home--useless as they were. You're a considerable upgrade, for sure."

He turned a corner, stopped, looked around and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, scrunching his face up. "I hate these hallways. And I'm pretty sure they hate me, too." He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. "We'll get there. Just..." He turned around and walked down the opposite hallway. Lo and behold...

"Ah! Here we go." He pushed the door open to his lab and held it for Natalie.

"I like how you're all, 'I had a couple of robots at home,' like it's no big deal," Natalie laughed, "Though for you, I'm sure that's been the norm for a while."

Natalie huffed, still trying to make sense of the structure and finding that there really is none. How the hell can a building contort itself to confuse its residents? And the blobs?

"Hey, cool," she decided instantly, appreciatively, grinning at him as she passed through the entrance.

Meja doesn't sleep, either, but then, Valkyrie don't. It's one of the more jarring things to get used to, when you're remade. That and not needing to breathe. The Center still seems to expect her in her room for a portion of the night, regardless — ridiculous, to give an immortal a curfew, but there you are. The side effects were unpleasant enough that, for now, she's going along with it, until she has reasons to do otherwise.

But her curfew is a few hours away, yet, when she exits the library and hears shoes squeaking on the hallway floor. With a frown, she turns to the source, a few books on horticulture in her hands. Before now, she never had much of a reason to pay attention. But now? She's learning all she can, just in case the hydroponic lab might have to support the Center in a crisis.

"Hei hei," she greets the teen, still a distance away, with a small wave. Here, there are more reasons than usual to be friendly.

It's a huge relief, actually, to find another person during her walk. Natalie gives her a rare smile, lifting her hand in a jerky little wave in return.

"Hey."

Wait, there's a library? God, even better. She doesn't want to be here (who does?) but if she can at least do something productive with her time...

"I can't sleep," she blurts out without any prompting.

"I don't blame you," the Valkyrie responds easily, not bothered by the sudden nature of the comment. She smiles right back. "I'd find sleeping here to be difficult, if I had to."

Being captive somewhere doesn't exactly set the mind at ease, and then there's all of the stark whiteness to the walls and the light. It's enough like a hospital that, if Meja pays too much attention, her skin crawls a little.

"You don't have t- god, what I would give for that kind of ability, being able to function without any sleep." A necessary evil, in her opinion. There were twenty four hours in a day - well, a regular day on the Earth she knows, anyhow. May as well use all of them to her advantage.

"I'm Natalie," she introduces herself with a slight nod of her head. "I - sorry if I disturbed you. I know I shouldn't be walking around, like, by myself."

"Meja." She laughs quietly. "Trust me, after a time, you start to wish you could sleep."

Just the option would be nice. Valkyrie can fall into a deep meditation which is almost like sleep, but not the same by a long shot. Sleep is losing yourself completely. Meditation is being all too aware of the Nine Realms and where you are in them.

Except for here, of course, where she can simply hear the thrum of the Machine instead of the calming silence that comes with Yggdrasil's presence.

"Don't worry about it. Normally, there isn't too much issue with wandering on your own. You simply have to worry about getting lost."

"I honestly don't know how I managed to find my way back to my room, actually," Natalie admits with another shrug of her thin shoulders.

"So, like, have you been here long? You seem to know a lot about the place," she continues curiously, jumping straight to the point. "I've been looking - in vain - for an exit sign like an idiot, or a window, something that'll give me a glimpse into whatever's outside, you know?"

"You get used to it, somehow," the Valkyrie muses. While the halls haven't become normal for Meja, navigating them is just another part of her day, now. A confusing part of her day, but one she eventually gets through. "There might be a door. Sometimes people find one. Of course, it's not really an exit; there's an endless expanse of trees outside."

One Meja would still give anything to find, because it's simply unnatural for a spirit of storms to be cooped up this long.

"I've been here many months, now. Before we were here, in this building. We were all trapped in a town, instead, and our captors lived here. No sign of them now, as I'm certain you've noticed."

"Seriously?" Natalie blurts out.

She shakes her head again, waiting for her to finish. "Who were the captors? D'you know what even happened to them or is that, like, one of the many mysteries of this place?" Her head's been spinning for days trying to figure it out. If only she were the laid back type to go with the flow - it'd probably be better for her health.

The edges of her lips twitch. Explaining the Center and its oddities is always an adventure.

"Seriously," she confirms, her soft Norwegian accent stumbling a little over the word. "We don't know what happened to the scientists, as such, but we think it has to do with the machine that controls this place, now. They were studying it. Our arrival here was something the machine was doing, and still is."

"This is some major science fiction come reality," Natalie mumbles. "I've read a lot of dystopian and utopian literature and I definitely ended up on wikipedia reading about this kind of stuff, article after article. I thought the blobs were weird enough but ..."

She trails off, running a hand through her hair. "How d'you survive?" A pause. "Shit. Sorry. I'm just kind of bombarding you with questions out of the blue."

With a quiet chuckle, she shakes her head. Going through this ritual with anyone new is just another facet of being in the Center. She's glad to help where she can. Finding out the long way — like she and a few others who were still here — had been far more rough than she'd liked.

"No, don't worry about it. This place inspires a great many questions." Meja wonders what a wikipedia is, but decides to leave that question for now. She can answer Natalie's first. "There's a cafeteria with food, and everyone has a room as I'm sure you noticed. But you'll need to exercise some caution in the cafeteria, it... well, not all of it is for human consumption."

"Eugh."

Natalie wrinkles her nose appropriately, shuddering. Her imagination can fill in the blanks. "Thank you, though, for the info," she adds sincerely, letting her facade soften somewhat. It's good to have someone to talk to when you've been alone with your thoughts for a few days.

Meja smiles, amused. "Not all of it is... questionable. Just some of it. And some isn't disgusting just so much as... unknown. We get people from nearly every place you can think of, and our food is the same, it seems. Getting adventurous in the cafeteria can be a good thing, or it can be... potentially dangerous. You simply have to use your best judgment."

Before coming here, Meja wasn't particularly thankful of the fact that she doesn't have to eat. It was simply a fact of her existence. In the town, it had meant she wasn't a drain on resources. Here, it means she doesn't need to play Russian roulette with their food choices.

Natalie snorts and casts Meja a very, very wary but amused look.

"That sounds just a dangerous step below my high school's food," she deadpans, very serious. "I guess I'm just glad that I have some kind of choice as far as living here goes."

"We do have very little choice here, yes," Meja chuckles. "I'd say you get used to it, but... that's not very true. You simply become accustomed to how this place operates. As much as is possible, at least."

There are some twists and turns in this place that no one could predict.

"Sadly, it never becomes all that fun."

"I'm kind of getting that feeling."

Natalie stops herself from asking another question and scrunches her entire face, rubbing the back of her neck under her ponytail. It sounds stupid, but she's young and she can only do so much to occupy herself.

"Is there, like - anything else recreational here?"

Recreational. Meja has to think for just a moment, trying to scrape her memory for something a young woman would find interesting. Sadly, the list of options is limited, aside from the seemingly endless exploration of a building that always changes.

"There isn't much for excitement. We have the library, of course, if you like books." She isn't about to recommend exploration, given the hidden dangers lurking in the Center. It's probably occured to Natalie, anyway, given how they've met. "If you like plants, I've sort of... taken charge of the hydroponics lab. We grow things in there that the scientists left behind. Otherwise... well, it's sparse."

it was all so real to me

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(Going by the 3 to 1 ratio that I almost forgot was a thing.)

(i nearly did that earlier!)

(Glad I'm not the only one!)

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