001; video

[stabilizing]

What? What’s going—?

[Pepper has so many questions right now. Questions that need answering. The expression on her face right now is a mix of confusion and annoyance, because she had things to do back home. She’s pretty sure Tony can’t even pick out what he’s wearing for the day and make it match without her around. And right now, that’s exactly where she is. Or isn’t.]

I’m getting used to weird things happening in my life. Random explosions? I can handle random explosions now. I’m even starting to get used to the occasional person going into a psychotic rage and deciding to kill everyone because, I don’t know, apparently that’s a thing now, a thing that happens that my boss has to go take care of, but this? I don’t even know how to start with this. What is this? This isn’t one of those things that just happens.

[It really, really isn’t. And if she’s gone for too long, who knows what might happen in the meantime at home? Let's face it, things have been more than a little crazy lately.]

Could someone please point the way to Malibu? I’d appreciate it. More than appreciate it, really.

Comments

[trickshot]

Yeah. That's what I said, isn't it?

[stabilizing]

I'm trying to let it sink in. I'm not sure what to think right now.

[trickshot]

You could go the "it's a dream" route, but I hear that wears off pretty fast.

[stabilizing]

I'd like to think that if it was a dream, I'd have woken up by now.

[trickshot]

I guess we could all be sharing a delusion, or something. But then again I like to think that I'm not crazy.

[stabilizing]

I don't think that many people sharing the same delusion is really possible.

[trickshot]

How about that many people getting pulled through space by a robot?

[stabilizing]

You're actually starting to sound a little crazy now.

[trickshot]

Well, thankfully I can still blame that on this place.

[stabilizing]

It's that bad?

[trickshot]

Well, it's not much different from where I'm from. But since it isn't home I don't cut it as much slack.

[stabilizing]

I can understand that.

[trickshot]

Figure most people can. Unless they've really got something against home.

[stabilizing]

Some people do. Thankfully, I'm not one of them.

[trickshot]

Lucky you.

Anybody get around to explaining the alternate universe thing, yet?

[stabilizing]

Not yet, no.

[trickshot]

Well. They exist. Places like your world, just slightly different. Or really different. Sometimes people you think you know show up, but they're from a different world.

[stabilizing]

Which explains how you know who I am.

[trickshot]

That's right. Like I said, my name's Clint, but most people know me as Hawkeye. I'm an Avenger, with Iron Man. _{Most of the time...}

[stabilizing]

We don't even have Avengers, where I'm from.

[But she knows about them, thanks to Tony and his big, fat mouth.]

[trickshot]

That sucks.

[stabilizing]

You really think so?

[trickshot]

Yup. But then again, I'm biased.

[stabilizing]

That makes sense, if you are one.

[trickshot]

Well, yeah.