The beach and other locations, very early Saturday morning

[vdistinctive]

Eliot was out for his morning run with Val, both of them enjoying the decided lack of blizzards and snow monsters as they went at an easy pace along the beach. This was Eliot's favorite time on the island, before just about anyone else was up. He liked company -- you didn't end up basically married to two other people if you didn't -- but there was always going to be a part of him that preferred to spend time alone.

Val skidded to a stop with a whine, her nose in the air, then pressed it into the sand. Eliot slowed beside her, frowning.

"Whatcha got, girl?" Val loved running. She wouldn't stop like that for just anything. "Show me."

Val started off again, nose pressed into the sand as she went, save for when she glanced back to make sure he was still behind her. The whole way, she kept up that low whine in the back of her throat.

So much for his nice, peaceful morning.

[ooc: for thems what know.]

Comments

[axe2grind]

Further down the beach, there was metallic leg. With blood splattered on it. A right leg, in fact.

Another ten yards or so, a left arm. It looked like it might be tin.

Five yards beyond that, was a body. Still breathing.

[vdistinctive]

"Shit."

Really, how else was someone supposed to react, here?

Val whined louder, settling down next to the still form on the beach. Eliot noted the position of the limbs, but didn't spare long enough to get more than a glance at them before hurrying over himself. You couldn't perform the ABCs of triage on severed limbs. Arms and legs didn't breathe, after all.

"Hey," he called carefully, not expecting a response. "Can you hear me? I'm gonna help you, okay?"

If the poor person was conscious, he didn't want to startle them by just grabbing on.

[axe2grind]

The guy's eyes fluttered open a second, and the kid groaned. This close, he looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen at a stretch. His clothes had rips and tears in them, as if they had been bayoneted. Or shot.

Jack tried to focus on the voice talking to him, but it was difficult. His head was pounding. He coughed, then couldn't stop for a minute.

He opened his eyes again, to see a concerned face he didn't know, looking down at him. "Where's--?" There was a dog, too. Jack moved his right arm, trying to reach out, or prop himself up, but that was definitely not going to happen soon.

[vdistinctive]

"Woah there." Eliot reached out to lay a gentle arm on the kid's shoulder and keep him down. "Just try to relax, alright? Gotta get you checked out before you go running off anywhere."

This kid wasn't going to be running anywhere any time soon. Assuming he ever had in the first place. The kid was wearing some kind of metal and leather plate armor -- or, no, some kind of prosthetic support? And possibly some kind of giant-ass watch somewhere; Eliot could hear the ticking --

He moved his hand towards the kid's throat to check his pulse. "I'm Eliot," he offered. "What's your name?"

[axe2grind]

"Jack." He coughed again, and laid back, eyes open in wary slits. He could feel his right hand shaking, and his pulse pounding. At least none of the soldiers had smashed the clock-work heart. "Which side... were you on?"

If he said Oz, he'd say, he'd say... that he worked for the Emerald City Guard. If he said Ev, then, well. He'd know who Jack was, once he'd said his name, probably.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot's eyes shot to Jack's face at that question, and his frown deepened. "Ain't from your war, Jack," he said softly. "I'm on nobody's side right now but yours."

The kid's pulse ran in time with that ticking sound. Eliot moved to shift some of the torn shirt aside so he could get a better look at all that metal and leather.

Considering where the kid had landed -- and what day it was -- he probably shouldn't be quite so surprised to realize he was looking at a very rudimentary cyborg.

[axe2grind]

Jack wouldn't have recognized that word; but it was accurate. The plating on his left side went from his neck to his shoulder, and down over his torso. With a big clockwork heart, right in the center. Leather straps with steel belt-holes punched in them kept everything in place, but allowed him to move.

He had to laugh a little at what the man said, though. "Right. Tell me another." Nobody had been on his side for... well. Maybe Jane had been. But he'd been on everyone else's side, it seemed like. Not his own.

He coughed again, then paused, watching a seagull land behind the dog. "Why am I on sand?" Jack let his head flop back, and said bitterly, "I should have died."

[vdistinctive]

"I been there," Eliot said, almost cheerfully. "You're on a beach. On an island called Fandom." He checked over what biological parts of Jack he could reach, then sat back, thinking. He looked mostly okay, save for the missing limbs, which didn't seem to have a whole lot of organic parts to them, anyway. He needed a mechanic about as much as a doctor.

"I think I know someone who can help you out, but it means I'm gonna have to move you. Ain't gonna lie, kid, it'll probably hurt. But I don't think you're gonna die on me just yet."

[axe2grind]

"Who?" Jack said, wary again. "Not a witch?" Because they had no reason to help him, and the cost would be-- he couldn't even think about that. "Jane isn't here too, is she? She made all this." He gestured to himself, then swallowed, head swimmy again. "She could help." He sounded wistful, even to his own ears.

Funny. Eliot had eyes like Jane's, a little bit.

[vdistinctive]

"No Jane," Eliot said apologetically. "And no witch. Though I'm not sure a genius is much of an improvement."

He was joking. Mostly.

"We got a little ways to go, so I'm gonna need to hire us a cart. You just take it easy and keep breathing for me, alright?"

He signaled to Val, who sprinted for the road to chase down a rickshaw. They hadn't needed that command for an emergency yet, but he had every confidence she'd get it done.

[axe2grind]

"Oh. Right." He lay quiet for a second, just concentrating on breathing. "There was wind," he said, mostly to himself. "And it got dark." And then he was here. Wherever this 'Fandom' was.

"Does this genius... have an oil can?" he asked, opening his eyes again, and trying for a smile.

[vdistinctive]

"Kid, I bet he's got gourmet oil cans." Yeah, he didn't know what that joke meant, but he was going to roll right with it.

Val returned with a very bemused rickshaw driver, and Eliot told Jack to brace himself while he lifted him up into the seat. Val went to fetch the other limbs and Eliot leaned over to give the driver directions.

"Head for Stark's," he said. He looked to the horizon, which was only just turning pink. ". . . Stop by the Perk on the way."

Tony would kill him if he showed up at dawn with a dismembered cyborg and no caffeine.

[axe2grind]

Right. This was new. So, definitely not Ev, or Oz. Jack managed to bite his tongue, hard, to keep from yelping in pain. He tilted his head back, but watched the city-- and it was a city, as advanced as Ev, at least-- go by.

Would it be all right if he passed out now?

[vdistinctive]

That was probably for the best. Eliot gave the driver a hefty tip once they'd made it to Stark's, then hefted Jack in a fireman's carry, just barely managing to pick up the to-go coffee cup from the Perk without spilling. Good thing Val was there to handle the extra limbs. He made it to the door and frowned at it, his arms much too full to knock or ring the doorbell properly.

But hey, that was what feet were for.

Wake up, Tony! There was a grumpy ex-soldier holding a dismembered, unconscious teenager kicking on your door!

[imafuturist]

Tony had, surprise surprise, actually been sleeping for a change when JARVIS alerted him to unexpected guests. And not the kind that involved shooting. Which was nice.

JARVIS helpfully opened the door as Tony stumbled down the stairs to see them. "Good morning, Eliot--Jesus, bring him over here," he said, immediately jumping into high alert.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot grunted and headed after him. This kid was damned heavy, okay?

Once he had Jack set down, he held out the to-go cup. "Found him on the beach. Gather he got the Fandom special; sucked right out of his own world right when he was about to bite it."

Val set down the metal limbs, tail wagging. She'd done good!

[imafuturist]

No one was judging him. Well. Maybe Steve, but he was juiced up on science.

Tony spared a quick smile to the dog and a slightly awkward head pat as he took the coffee. "J, dearest. Scan our guest."

A blue light ran up and down Jack, taking readings and assessing his general state of health. Because of course Tony had that function. Of course.

"Huh. Steampunk cyborg." Well, that was just a simplified explanation for him. "Is this revenge for the ice ray?"

[vdistinctive]

"He's a dismembered teenage cyborg. What was I supposed to do, drop him at the clinic?" Eliot gave Tony a withering look. "But yeah, a little of that, too."

[imafuturist]

"At least you brought me coffee too," Tony said with a quick grin. He pushed his sleeves up to start examining where the limbs where supposed to be attached. "Did you get a name or anything?"

[vdistinctive]

"Jack," Eliot said. "And he asked me what side I fought on, so . . . that's not good."

But it probably explained how he got the slashes on his clothes and lost the limbs.

[imafuturist]

Tony's mouth flattened into a thin, unhappy line at that. Because wow, he picked two folks with issues there, huh?

"I can do a simple fix for now, but I'll need his consent for any alterations."

Improvements. Because Tony.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot nodded. "He passed out on the way over here. Pretty sure it was the pain. If he doesn't wake up in a couple more minutes, we might need to find an actual doctor."

[axe2grind]

Luckily, within ten minutes, Jack's eyes were opening again.

And staring around at the laboratory he was in, eyes huge. He'd thought that Jane's workshop was impressive, but this was... he didn't even know what this was.

Then he had a moment of panic, calling, "Eliot?" and patting down his chest just to make sure no one had added things to it. Since that was what happened the last time he woke up in a mad scientist's lair.

[vdistinctive]

"Still here, Jack," Eliot said. "I'd like you to meet Tony Stark. One of the local genius inventors."

The one who was less likely to have to hold back nausea at poor Jack's situation. Hardison would have lost at least a couple minutes freaking out before the physical exam part.

[axe2grind]

Jack calmed down a little. Enough to lift his head, and nod cautiously at the other man in the room. "Mr. Stark." Wait. "Doctor Stark?" Not really sure about that, but as long as it wasn't Your Majesty, he'd be able to cope. He swallowed hard. "If this is going to cost a great deal, I can... manage."

Right. Manage to put his leg and arm aback on, with only one hand. And without a screwdriver. Maybe he could borrow one?