Suspiciously Quiet

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

The carnage in the hotel ballroom disappears in a gut wrenching wave of nausea and blurryness. When she can see again, she's on her knees, surrounded by her fellow Exiles.

Raven braces herself for the worst. Zombies roaming the streets, the sun blotted out by swarms of locusts, a world where every restaurant is non-smoking. She opens her eyes and sees...a suburban strip mall.

A Best Buy anchors one end. The other end is held down by a Dick's Sporting Goods. In between, there are a couple of ethnic restaurants, some clothing stores, and, to her immense relief, a Cox Smoker's Outlet.

Comments

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Ah think it can still talk when ah'm like that," she mumbles as she eases up and takes a glass of water. "There's still like screams in mah head. Did I...do someth'n while it was go'n?"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he replies, checking her color while she drinks. A little pale, but not to the point she should see a doctor. Good. "You saved us all. Thanks."

He waits for her to put the water down so he can check her pupils.

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

She puts down the water. "You some sorta doc?"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Nah," he shrugs. "Still, serve in the Big One, and you pick up some field medicine." He gives her a nod, having finished looking her over. "You look alright. How do you feel?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Big What?" She growling in frustrations. "You people keep driv'n me crazy." Not as much as she's speeding there well on her own!

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

He smiles a little. "Sorry, Roxie. World War II. I don't even know if you had anything like that back in your world. Hitler, the Axis and Allies, Captain America, the Invaders..."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"We had that. All this other world stuff is really annoying. What do y'all mean other world? I mean I heard Biig Blue talk'n about her world not be'n there anymore and Little Blue and Sara seem to have the same deal going."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

He shrugs. "To be honest... I'm not sure what I'm doing here either. Apparently, the others have spoken to some guy who calls himself the 'Time Broker,' who sends them to repair broken universes. How you and I got caught up in that... well. Your guess is as good as mine." He looks out the window. "I guess I'm just a little more used to it... what with having been through alternate universes already myself. Do you know the basic concept of alternate unierses?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Big blue asked. I sorta know from some TV Johnny and ah watched." She curls her feet up towards her. "Every choice you make some split off, like tree branches and such - and I guess of of those split off get cut off and we're the leftover leaves blow'n in the wind not quite dead yet."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Something like that. In my universe, I was Captain America's partner back in the war. Towards the end of the war... he died. And I was frozen in stasis for half a century." He offers her a hand. "The other guys are getting Chinese. You up for a walk down to the restaurant?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

She curls up a little tighter. "They don't want me 'round."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

His face doesn't change. "They can deal. I want you around." He grabs for her hand. "Plus, you saved our tails back there, so we all owe you one."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

She sorts. "T'wasn't me. It was...It. I just kinda follow it around in the night time and try ah keep it from nuk'n everything. And It sort is follow'n me 'round asking me to do stuff."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Sounds kinda like the Ghost Rider from my world. Though... he discovered he could control it. It just was difficult."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Johnny..." There is much weight in that word.

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

Barnes nods. "That's him alright." He looks at her. "He your beau back in your world?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

There's a slow nod. "We were both try'n to save pop. Ah think that's how things got bad."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"How do you mean?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

Revisiting this sucks, but someone is finally asking and not just asking to get something quick to shut her up.

"Daddy was dy'n of cancer and he was what me and Johnny had. Grandma taught me some things, so I used 'em. Called something called 'Zarathos.' Mah books were miss'n though. Guess Johnny took 'em to make his own deal with the devil Mephisto."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Aw, crap. Mephisto's bad news."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Tell'n me. Daddy got clear of the cancer and then the bastard made him fall off the bike. Zarathos pointed it out to me. 'Cause I make a deal to have Zarathos ride me separate but guess he could that without Mephito's say or something - cause he was gonna take Z and have Johnny be his jailer or replace his soul or someth'n." She blows the bangs out of her eyes. "Details are a little fuzzy after the four of us got to the graveyard."

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

He frowns. "Magic's always been a bit hazy to me... I was never all that close to Doctor Strange... but it sounds like Zarathros made Mephisto break a deal."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Who's Doc Strange? And what's the problem with the Prince of Liars bust'n a contract?"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Not positive... but I'm not sure it's even possible. We should talk to the others. As for Strange... he's the Sorcerer Supreme. At least in my world."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Like head magic guy for everything?"