Outcasts Forever: Issue #1 - Red America

[Keia]

Inside Avengers Mansion
Somewhere/when/how
Early afternoon

Vision

"To be truthful no I had not," Vision thinks in reply, "I would be lying if I stated I wasn't interested but the old saying 'beware greeks bearing gifts' comes to mind."

"Understandable . . . and logical, considering what the Mansion's datafiles have on the individual that beared my likeness in several of your timestreams," Vision IV replied. "It would be illogical of me to attempt to dissuade you until sufficient data can be returned as to my legitimacy and differences from my counterpart."

 

[Radiant]

Binary

Inside Avengers Mansion
Somewhere/when/how
Early afternoon

Carol was lost in her thoughts on the way down but Sandra manages to pull her back into current events without any effort at all.
"What?! Tell me I got this wrong. Are you telling us that we have to go back and kill Bucky?"

 

[Gideon]

Iron Man, 4/6 HP, 1S/2 L, -3 Armor

A look of surprise and some sadness pass over Tony's face. He takes a swig...and another swig. "Bucky? But he shot blunt tipped arrows. Are you sure it is Captain Crossover that we should kill?"

Tony's face lights up and he smiles. He might as well have a sign hung around his neck saying IDEA!. "Why can't we abduct Bucky? Bring him here and get him to join the cause? I mean he seemed like a good guy and then we make our Time Hoppers better and we don't have to kill a guy."

 

[tsadkiel]

Beast

“Based on the data obtained, the singular event which caused the divergence occurred in the Summer of the year 1945 . . . some of you may have already come to this conclusion but . . . Bucky must die.”

“Any Questions? Issues?”

Hank took a sip of coffee, set down the cup, and spoke in a calm, steady voice. "I question your conclusion. Clearly, Bucky is the point of divergence, but I don't think that it follows he has to die." Another sip of coffee, and he gestured to the heroes around the table. "You've assembled a room full of people who are experts at finding another way. What makes this time different?"

 

[Nuke261]

Captain America (HP 5/6, 3 lethal, 2 stun)

Inside Avengers Mansion
Somewhere/when/how
Early afternoon

“Greetings Avengers, I have compiled the data that you had obtained from the Soviet Compound – or at least as much of it as we were able to obtain,” Sandra said in a clam quiet voice. “Based on the data obtained, the singular event which caused the divergence occurred in the Summer of the year 1945 . . . some of you may have already come to this conclusion but . . . Bucky must die.”
“Any Questions? Issues?”

Jack leaned forward in his seat as Sandra spoke. He heard the words and then everything stopped. At least his brain had stopped processing information. Whatever happened the next few seconds, whatever he said or did, he had no conscious thought of.

"What do you mean, Bucky must die. Bucky Barnes, in World War II, he must die. Why."

They were obviously questions, although the stern tone they came out in, made it obvious this was more than serious to Jack.

 

[Radiant]

Binary

"Ok, wait a second. IF Bucky dies in WW2 this timeline will go back to normal? Now I hope no one is realy considering killing him."
She gives a relieved smile to Tony and Hank, this sounds like she's not gone crazy and at least some of them still think along the right lines.
That´s before another realization hits her and the smile vanishes.
"Oh my god. If we bring this timeline back in order we'll delete my daughter from histoy. Well not my daughter, Carol Danvers daugher...
Well, at least this universes Carol Danvers daughter.
Or something like that, I'm getting a headache here."
Is she even Carols daughter? Darkstar said she was Binary here too. Maybe Rogue "killed" Carol here too. If that's so then the girl might be a danger to everyone, including herself. And that fiery bird... . Damn it, I just went throught that door without thinking. Now I have no idea how to set this right.

 

[Mimic]

"Understandable . . . and logical, considering what the Mansion's datafiles have on the individual that beared my likeness in several of your timestreams," Vision IV replied. "It would be illogical of me to attempt to dissuade you until sufficient data can be returned as to my legitimacy and differences from my counterpart."

Vision nods slightly, "You have already displayed several differences from the others but not in significant amounts to prove that you are not them." He is silent for a moment before adding, "if you are me from that timeline, how did you come to be so altered? And what will you do now that you are free to choose your own path?"

 

[Keia]

Inside Avengers Mansion
Somewhere/when/how
Early afternoon

"if you are me from that timeline, how did you come to be so altered? And what will you do now that you are free to choose your own path?"

"Not so altered, actually," Vision IV replied. "As my current appelation would indication I am the fourth such incarnation of the Vision form. Your current form is most similar to my previous incarnation as Vision II. After my version of Wonder Man accused me of stealing his life, there was a government . . . investigation and I was . . . shut down. Fortunately, my father, Hank Pym, was a well positioned scientist within the government. The Vision matrix was the final piece of his puzzle to make a robot which would not turn on everyone and become a world dominator. Father's previous creations were destroyed by the government as they were proven . . . unstable."

"The Vision matrix, and the Williams engrams were much more sophicated than father had created. But his weapons and defense systems were without par," Vision IV paused. "As for what I will do, I was processing those variables at this very moment. However, due to the extreme number of new variables - it may be a few minutes to process fully."

 

[Keia]

Inside Avengers Mansion
Somewhere/when/how
Early afternoon

All but Vision

The hologram floated . . . slowly rotating as the Avengers soaked in her statements. A nervous squawk escaped from Redwing, shattering the silence . . . the questions started.

"What?! Tell me I got this wrong. Are you telling us that we have to go back and kill Bucky?"

“I am saying that the point of divergence that started this timeline is that Bucky lived,” Sandra replied calmly. “That situation should be rectified.”

"Why can't we abduct Bucky? Bring him here and get him to join the cause? I mean he seemed like a good guy and then we make our Time Hoppers better and we don't have to kill a guy."

“While an excellent idea, Iron Man,” Sandra commented, “we only have the temporal stability to carry nine individuals at any one time.”

"I question your conclusion. Clearly, Bucky is the point of divergence, but I don't think that it follows he has to die . . . You've assembled a room full of people who are experts at finding another way. What makes this time different?"

“I welcome another solution, Mr. McCoy,” Sandra explained, a slight sense of eagerness at his statement. “If Bucky could be convinced, with no chance of refusal, to live a quiet life away from the public . . . not to trigger the events of this timeline in any way – then he does not have to die.”

"What do you mean, Bucky must die. Bucky Barnes, in World War II, he must die. Why."

“I’m sorry, Cap,” Sandra said, much less formal than she had with the others so far. “Bucky Barnes, after World War II, was the focal point of a critical path time divergence. His decisions, after living when he should have died, drastically changed this timeline . . . and thereby cause temporal damage to the prime time.”

"Ok, wait a second. If Bucky dies in WW2 this timeline will go back to normal? <snip>Or something like that, I'm getting a headache here."

“If this timeline is corrected sufficiently, it will remerge with the prime time, creating stability where it now causes chaos,” Sandra explained. “Some minor factors may influence the time line . . . nothing that should affect history or the future in any significance.”

 

[Gideon]

Iron Man, 4/6 HP, 1S/2 L, -3 Armor

After a moment of thought and several swigs from his bottle, Tony just starts thinking out loud. "Well, sticking with my idea, can we increase the power output somehow to squeeze in a 10th person. We could temporarily get a Reed, Pym, Banner here with Hank, Janet, and Myself and between us we should be able to figure something out. If we can't change the total power or the energy to time stability efficiency we could potentially drop the second half of team double Vision. Or possibly Jarvis being a non-combatant. I would miss his martinis though. If it comes to it, I can stop playing Avenger to not kill a guy. Nice guy at that."

What semi-noble offer like that doesn't deserve a toast. Bottoms up. Another drink from the bottle and a second bright idea comes to Tony's mind.

"Why doesn't Hank just sssteal his bow. You know back during World War II. There goes Bucky the time changer. Aaaaaannnnddd Hank could fire the damn thing with his feet."

Tony's cheeks are getting just a wee bit rosy