Better dead than red.

From:

[ jyn said he sounded too enthusiastic when he messaged her, so he guess toning it down would be the right move here, right? right??? ]

hey barnes, you ok there?

From:

deadthenred

Why are you still in my head?

From:

voicelog

because our implants are still in

did you have a nice fall?

From:

deadthenred

Not really.

[ He hates heights. ]

Did you do this?

From:

voicelog

if this was me, i would have us falling into our earth, barnes

do you need me to come pick you up?

From:

deadthenred

Maybe you missed. Dimension stuff always goes crooked.

I'm at a fancy hotel.

From:

voicelog

the diadem?

i can come get you if jason isn't already on his way

From:

deadthenred

Maybe I like the fancy hotel.

[ No, definitely come get him. ]

From:

voicelog

then you're gonna love my place

[ negl he's already on his way. ]

From:

deadthenred

How long have you been here?

From:

voicelog

close to a month

stephen and damian have been here longer

Edited Date: 3 April 2023 01:27 (UTC)

From:

deadthenred

And you're all having fun without me.

From:

voicelog

you're the one who's late to the party

From:

deadthenred

Felt that way a lot.

From:

reneger

this asshole the first or the second

( he knows from their conversation history, but it's more fun this way. )

From:

deadthenred

I'm the original.

From:

reneger

the fun one
good, i was getting bored

they take you to the diadem?

From:

deadthenred

That the name of the hotel?

From:

reneger

yep

From:

deadthenred

It's fancy.

From:

reneger

are you staying?

( you nerd? using a free room given by the ''alliance''? )

From:

deadthenred

Not for long.
You get here the same way I did?

From:

reneger

fell right out of the sky, apparently at the same time as tony stark
not one of my finer moments

From:

deadthenred

Anyone else?

From:

reneger

strange has been here a while
damian too
jyn just dropped in

From:

deadthenred

[ Hmmm. Not seeing a pattern. ]

Anyone else you know?

From:

reneger

no one from new amsterdam

From:

deadthenred

I'll take that as a yes.
Anyone else I know?

From:

reneger

i've got another double
dick, loki, and kon
steph and cass if you remember them
a couple kids i'd seen around new amsterdam, tommy and billy
the little brother i'd told you about who went to college, tim, is here

From:

deadthenred

Your family is weird.

From:

reneger

i know

From:

deadthenred

What do you think about the guilds here?

From:

reneger

were you around during the hero registry thing that stark was part of?

From:

deadthenred

Sort of.
I was working for Fury.

From:

reneger

( he has no idea who that is. )

figure it's like that
IDing every meta makes it easier to track them down and use them

From:

deadthenred

Someone'd be doing that anyway.

From:

reneger

i don't trust them one bit

From:

deadthenred

Because you don't trust anyone.

From:

reneger

hasn't failed me yet

From:

deadthenred

Do we know where they get their money?

From:

reneger

i know you know i work fast, but even i'm not that quick
only been here a month

i've got a safehouse in central city if you need it

From:

deadthenred

I think Stark is coming to pick me up.
So I might.

From:

reneger

if you're hiding from stark, i'll need to give you the safer safehouse
he bought himself a highrise apartment complex in nyc

From:

deadthenred

[ Tony did say his space was fancy. ]

Where's he getting the money?

From:

reneger

tony stark's sex toy corporation

From:

deadthenred

Are you joking?

From:

reneger

no
almost wish i was

From:

deadthenred

We should kill him.

From:

reneger

and take his stuff

From:

deadthenred

Obviously.

Edited (html) Date: 9 April 2023 17:57 (UTC)

From:

reneger

my new double is fun
less cute than the one we had back in na for a while
less fucked than the last one we had too

Edited (don't @ me) Date: 11 April 2023 23:18 (UTC)

From:

deadthenred

Any sign of other mes?

From:

reneger

he was around before but not anymore

From:

deadthenred

Huh.

From:

reneger

you're not the first, but you are the only bucky left

From:

deadthenred

Don't know if that's better or worse than having a double that's less fucked than the old one.

From:

reneger

better
this one decided to overtake some of central city's finest gangs and become a crime lord

( can you imagine having your thing stolen by yourself, bucky. it's terrible. )

From:

deadthenred

I see where you get it from.

From:

reneger

he's younger
junior's taking my job from me

From:

deadthenred

So he's what, 19?

[ Jason, you are also a baby. ]

From:

reneger

21

( excuse you, grandpa. )

From:

deadthenred

There you go, making me feel old

From:

reneger

i can't help you being ancient

From:

deadthenred

Next time we flip universes, we should also go back to 1942.

From:

reneger

no thanks

From:

deadthenred

You could punch a lot of Nazis
And the music's a lot better.

From:

reneger

punching nazis is your thing
mine is punching asshole gangsters

From:

deadthenred

Seems fun though, right?

From:

reneger

if the opportunity came up, i wouldn't say no
but i wouldn't go time traveling to find nazis either

From:

deadthenred

You don't need to
There's the internet.
Which was probably a bad idea.

From:

reneger

no internet in the 1940s
think of how much easier finding nazis is now than it used to be

From:

deadthenred

I never had much trouble.
Lots of gangsters too, so you wouldn't be left out.

From:

reneger

i'll stay here in current times, but you have fun with that

From:

deadthenred

Sometimes I still wish I could.

From:

reneger

have you considered being less depressing?

From:

deadthenred

Where's the fun in that?

From:

reneger

being dramatic is my job

From:

deadthenred

It does explain the helmet.

From:

reneger

i trashed the hood

From:

deadthenred

So what are you going for now?
Guy in leather jacket?

From:

reneger

it's a work in progress

From:

reneger

busy?

From:

deadthenred

Depends

[ His current plan is: drinking alone, but not in Stark's Dildo Tower. ]

From:

reneger

wanna get drunk, start a fight, or both?

From:

deadthenred

In what order

From:

reneger

i'll leave that up to you

From:

deadthenred

Drinks first.

[ He doesn't really want to fight right now, but that can change. ]

From:

reneger

works for me
you get your hand on a car yet?

From:

deadthenred

I got a bike.

[ He likes those better. ]

From:

reneger

even better
meet me outside stark's tower?
need to fit my bike in the elevator

From:

deadthenred

Give me five minutes

From:

reneger

( it takes jason more than give minutes to get his bike into the elevator, so they're good on time. it barely fits, but he's got all of his shit up on the second to top floor of the dildo tower, and he's not lugging it all down then back up again when he wants to fiddle with his bike. easier to bring the bike up and down, which is why he's rolling it straight on out the front door and onto the sidewalk to get it back onto the street just in front of the building. throws a leg over it, before reaching back for the red bike helmet in the small side compartment.

at least he got to keep his new amsterdam bike. it would have been a shame to end up here without it. )

I've got a safehouse in Newark with miscellaneous junk I'd left in it earlier. Figure we could head out that way, then get drinks, then see where we go from there.

From:

deadthenred

[ Of course, Bucky recognizes Jason's bike. It's still nice. ]

Jersey? Wh— oh, right. [ He remembers that's where Jason is from. Is Gotham what they call Newark in his universe? ]

My bike is parked a couple blocks away.

From:

reneger

Jersey's nice. Closeish.

( gotham doesn't exist, but new jersey does--and he's used to having safehouses strewn about just in case. though newark doesn't have the same - feel as gotham does. nyc's closer, even if it's less crime riddled. when the sun's down and the clouds are out, it almost feels homey. )

I'll follow you. Unless you want a ride.

From:

deadthenred

[ No one's ever said "it's nice" about New Jersey. ]

Nah, it's not far. [ And it isn't. Just a few blocks, in a big garage. Bucky's tastes are old-fashioned, so when he saw a '47 Indian fixed up nice, he bought it. He had one not too different back home, until he wrecked in a fight with Batroc the Leaper and a helicopter along I-278.]

From:

reneger

( jason says new jersey is nice. but his standards also suck, and gotham is a trash heap that he loves despite knowing how trashy it is. he follows beside bucky just past the edge of the sidewalk. )

Pulled an old friend from back home over to Newark, too. Rayner.

From:

deadthenred

Is this another job?

[ Should he go back and get more guns? ]

From:

reneger

No. He doesn't get to come out and play.

( maybe he's taken kyle out on occasion, because kyle is a sad sack of shit who just stays inside doing his depressed poor artist routine. but he's a fun ruiner and a shit stirrer and jason's not inviting that out when he and bucky can do just fine without a space power ranger backing them up. )

Just figured I'd give you a warning first, so you don't shoot holes into my safehouse.

From:

deadthenred

And here I thought you wanted to break things.

[ Bucky isn't sure he wants to break things. But he's coming along anyway. ]

From:

reneger

I want to break stuff. I don't want to break my stuff.

( why the fuck would he. especially since, )

We're running on a budget here.

( no more criminal empire. also no more loki's wallet. )

From:

deadthenred

I still have that magic credit card.

[ He knows it's gonna run out soon, though. And he hasn't made up his mind about what to do then. ]

From:

reneger

Fine, I'm on a budget, Jimmy's living off of the government's blood money.

( jimmy. he's sticking with it for now. and sending a nice gps pin to bucky's neural implant, since those still conveniently work. )

Apartment info. Wanna race?

From:

deadthenred

[ He raises an eyebrow. Hard to say if it's at the invitation to race or being called Jimmy. ]

Look, I tried living off the blood money I earned, but none of the old KGB wayhouses are where they oughta be in this universe.

From:

reneger

( reaction noted, he's keeping jimmy. their other jimmy is no longer present, so why not. )

I can tell you where Junior keeps all his funds. We can live off his blood money instead, just for kicks.

From:

deadthenred

Is your next plan takin' candy from a baby?

[ Clearly, they should take the Stark Dildo Money. ]

From:

reneger

If he's old enough to run a criminal empire, he's old enough to handle losing all his shit because he's too stupid to hide it better.

( sometimes the hard lessons have to come from yourself, or something like that. )

You have better money sources you wanna go after? I bet we could shake down Newark's dealers.

From:

deadthenred

Maybe I can get a job at the 7-11.

[ He could probably make money going into ex-government work, but he's never wanted to do that. It's just the obvious market for his skillset. ]

From:

reneger

I can just picture you working at 7-11. Little vest, hair tied back.

( with an ugly snort, but it's not like he doesn't get it, because - )

All I've got is a lifetime of starting shit, so.

( stopping crime by being the crime it is. )

From:

deadthenred

Don't got much aboveboard on my resume except for my service, and I don't like to lie about that.

[ And yeah, putting "1940-45" is probably not gonna get a few looks. ]

From:

reneger

Being legally dead doesn't do me too many favors.

( didn't really apply in new amsterdam. nor would it here, but -- )

Other shit's boring anyways.

Edited Date: 27 May 2023 23:51 (UTC)

From:

deadthenred

[ Oh, Jason's on his "I died" beat again. ]

Yeah? What did you wanna be when you grew up?

From:

reneger

Not dead or in prison.

( funnily enough, he failed at both of those. )

Went from shooing away my mom's dealers, to stealing shit to get by, to wearing hot pants and telling Two-Face he's got shit taste. Didn't really think about the future much aside from trying to make it there.

From:

deadthenred

[ Jason "everyone I've ever looked up to has failed me and I will remind everyone of that constantly so that no one will get close to me and I won't be inevitably betrayed again" Peter Todd. ]

Your adopted dad's loaded, though, right? You never thought about using that money to get out?

From:

reneger

I wanted to be a hero. Wanted to be Robin.

( because clearly, running around in a cape forever is a great way to live. )

I liked school. Might've used those straight A's for something down the line. Gotten into a decent college, ( but now he is thinking about it, which is shit. he doesn't want to consider what could have been when it won't be. ) picked up a degree in social work, maybe. Gotham could use more of B's money poured in it's supportive social programs, too. Foster care, substance use recovery centers--shit like that.

From:

deadthenred

[ Hotpants forever ]

I wanted to be a park ranger.

[ He never really thought about college, but he might have if he'd survived the war and the G.I. Bill. He'll never know. ]

I never really thought about what went into it, though. Lookin' to the end of the war… that felt like bad luck.

From:

reneger

And here we are, in the after part of it.

( bucky doesn't have his cute little park ranger hat, jason--is still the dead robin. )

With empty pockets an' Stark's tower. ( well. ) We should steal his money.

From:

deadthenred

I've stolen from him before. [ It's not the worst plan. Then again, Bucky is bad at planning.] And that was when he had the full backing of the military-industrial complex. [ And was head of S.H.I.E.L.D. ]

Probably easier now.

From:

reneger

Sounds fun.

( it'll entertain them, which is plenty motivation. )

Long as it isn't too easy, then it'd just be boring. Why bother?

From:

deadthenred

To get the money. And look a gift horse in the mouth, apparently.

[ Well, he assumes Jason's new outfit is courtesy some kind of trade or favor. ]

From:

reneger

I was owed a favor.

( he knows damn well the room in the tower was given so tony could keep watch over jason--so he's not considering that a helping hand. it's more meeting in the middle: jason usually stays there, where tony can keep an eye on him. and tony loses real estate giving jason his space. but the gear on the other hand-- )

Back in New Amsterdam, I gave him a nice shiny space to do his work in, discreetly. Asked for an IOU in exchange. Never thought I'd cash it in while somewhere like this, but I'll take it.

From:

deadthenred

Hey, at least you got to collect.

[ People are always coming and going from these multiversal nexus whatevers. ]

Say what you wanna about Stark, but he does good work.

[ With the machine stuff, he means. ]

From:

reneger

Junior shot me, twice, right in the chest.

( hand off the bike to raise it up and pat his palm against his sternum. )

Bruised and fucked up my ribs but didn't penetrate the suit.

( it's--a compliment. jason's gone through plenty of gear in his time, but fabric this light capable of preventing bullets is new. )

From:

deadthenred

You're fucked up, you know that?

[ Of course he knows that. Maybe he can get Stark to design him a bulletproof neon sign. ]

But yeah, if it's anything like the suit he made for me, it can take a beating.

From:

reneger

Did we not establish that early on? 'cause I'm pretty sure our second meeting was you coming over for a fight after Damian lost an arm.

( when bucky was trying to give a speech about - what was it? how they'd all keep fighting or some shit. jason's fairly certain it was supposed to mean something, but it didn't. he figures it was bucky trying to help, somehow. )

Knew it could take a hit when I test drove it, but I wasn't planning on taking bullets like that--so. That IOU went miles further than I thought it would. ( handing over a warehouse to tony and stephen saved his ass all this time later. not that he'd give stark a compliment where he could hear it. )

From:

deadthenred

I didn't say I was any better. [ Bucky likes to fight, even after losing an arm. He tries, but he is bad at helping. He's good at picking fights. ]

I am really good at losing arms, though. Stark helps with that. [ He even made a nice portable extra arm for him. Even though the Stark here doesn't remember that. ]

From:

reneger

Have you thought about keeping 'em on when you're out and about?

( might help with the losing them thing. )

From:

deadthenred

Believe it or not, yeah.

[ He could probably try harder. ]

From:

reneger

Have you thought about trying harder?

( how does one lose an arm. even a metal arm. )

From:

deadthenred

Now you're starting to sound like Stark.

[ Who eventually made him a backup he could carry around with him. ]

From:

reneger

Never say that again.

( if bucky's goal was to get jason to shut up about his arm loss problems, he's succeeded. this is the last time he's nagging bucky about it. )

From:

deadthenred

Thought so.

[ Knew that would get him. ]

You still wanna race?

From:

reneger

Yep. Want the address?

( he doesn't wait for an answer. the neural implants are still functional enough, so jason sends over a handy pin. saves it from being put anywhere anyone here can hack into, but still gives it to bucky without saying directions out loud. )

From:

deadthenred

[ It's convenient, but weird. Bucky doesn't like having things in his head he didn't put there.

He nods to indicate he got the info. ]

From:

voicelog

just a heads up but you're getting maybe three new neighbors

From:

deadthenred

Why?
What did I ever do to you?

From:

reneger

you still around, or did you go chasing a witch?

From:

deadthenred

Still here.
Learned the hard way about messing with the past.

From:

reneger

what did you break?

From:

deadthenred

I tried to stop myself from blowing up, and the Nazis won.

[ Really, he didn't care about getting blown up, he cared about stopping what happened after. ]