log; you won't find faith or hope down a telescope

[bifroster]

GOVERNMENT WORK SUCKS // OTA

Jane groaned and laid her head down on her desk.

She knew the answers, but she had to put on a good show. Any delay that she could give this government, the better, because it would give the resistance a better chance to catch up or surpass them in solving this portal technology. It was the most she could do, as outright sabotage was proving to be harder to do with theoretical work and she did not want to risk something exploding on them—or worse, accidentally working.

If you’re a fellow government worker, feel free to sympathize. If you’re a government overseer, feel free to prod her. Or explain why you’re looking over her shoulder, because if you’re not either one of those, then why are you in her lab?


SNEAKING AROUND // OTA

The Mission Impossible theme song was not playing inside her head as she snuck down hallways and into various rooms, using a fabricated badge to unlock doors and computers along the way. She was a serious mole that took her double agent role very seriously. She was collecting information for the resistance and she was not secretly getting a thrill from it.

The building was supposed to be empty, but of course, anything can happen. If you should happen to stumble upon her, are you friend, foe, or uninterested janitor?


WHAT IN THE WORLD? // CLOSED TO LOKI

Jane could not believe this. She stared at the address in her hand. She looked up at the building in front of her. If the person who won her bid at the auction was Loki, she was going to scream. The possibility of that happening were astronomically low—she ran the numbers—but since when did statistics and probably ever work in her favor?

God, what she wouldn’t give for Darcy and one of her tasers.

Comments

Working

[kid_flash_found]

Not too long after Jane's head hits the desk, a to-go cup of her favorite coffee is put down in front of her, along with a bag of bakery goodies. Bart may not like his job, but he doesn't mind dropping in on the brain trust now and then. His overseers don't realize how much he can learn just by walking through one of the labs, and while it's rarely complete, information is valuable, and he doesn't have to take anything out, thanks to his eidetic memory.

"Hey, Rainbow Brite, how goes the number crunching today?" Sure, the nickname was utterly inappropriate, but he'd seen a thing about how if you actually looked at the plot, the entire show was about a girl who'd been involved in slave labor, and, well, look at their lives.

"Figured you could use a boost, since one of us can actually enjoy caffeine." And if the world hadn't already been well on its' way to becoming a hellhole by his twenty-first birthday, he might have regretted not being able to get drunk, either.

[bifroster]

Having grown up with Rainbow Brite, yeah, Jane could see that. It was an awful way to look at a children’s program, but it kind of rang true. The mechanics of Rainbow World were pretty and cheerful, but … look at their lives.

Jane sits up and smiles at him. He really was wonderful, and when they got out of here, she was going to make sure he ended up in a world that deserved him and a world he deserved. Something completely opposite of this. “Thanks, Bart. I like everyone needs a boost. Work is going as well as always.”

[kid_flash_found]

"We're both probably gonna be pretty busy with the goings-on at Stark Tower. Never thought people would just start showing up again," Bart said, running a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. "Least I could do is spend time with my favorite scientist."

There were so many levels of what was going on that it made him beyond twitchy at times. It barely took a thought to send out one of his "glitches" in a silent effort to make sure the coast was clear enough. That he'd started using the energy duplicates any time the whim took him, sometimes having one do something stupid like show up at a place they were guaranteed to be seen with a silly dance or other prank lent the air of lack of control. Hiding behind that let him pretend. And, well, sometimes they did just pop out without him planning it.

"What's your take?"

[bifroster]

“Yeah. I was hoping the porter would just continue to stay broken,” she replied. Sure, she had been one of those new arrivals, but that had been months ago. This new wave of people, both people she knew and those she didn’t, was concerning. How much more instability was this world going to take before it finally collapsed? Should she be making exit strategies?

But seeing his pranks, even as the higher ups continued to berate him and threaten to take action, gave her hope and steeled her resolve. If he could stick it out, so could she.

“I’m not sure. We don’t know if someone is on the other side of the porter controlling it, but I am certain that the people brought here were not willing. We’re dealing with something we don’t fully understand and honestly, the government should be working on better policies than the current ones instead of forcing results out of us.”

[kid_flash_found]

He'd been at this a long time, on this Earth longer than he'd managed to stay put anywhere else. That made him invested, and while he was trying to keep up appearances, he hoped maybe things would change soon.

"I haven't talked to a lot of people, but even back before, getting here tended to be a surprise. I didn't expect it, but the government was sure willing to step in and take advantage of the situation," Bart said. And that was as close as he usually would come to expressing disapproval, because you never really knew who was listening.

"I think the higher-ups just want answers, and they assume that if they keep pushing, someone will figure it out. It's like the patrols and everything else. We do enough of whatever, it's supposed to bring results. Just try not to be a squeaky wheel in this big machine. That's my job."

Working

[privatepurchases]

Gabriel - if he were a little more self aware - would note that he's the government's pet. Kept in a gilded cage and brought out to preen. Sometimes he's fed however and he's converted a few of them to Her word and will, and that's enough to get him into labs, observing things, suggesting it.

Lilith has encouraged him to involve himself in these things, because humans can't be trusted with dimensional technology. That's just it, they can't, it very well was most likely a human that brought him here.

It will never happen again, and these pathetic metas will not stand in his way. This world will be made perfect for her and surely she'd reach out and rescue him and Lilith and...

Hands folded, smelling of cologne and smiling. The moment her head is lifted he's there with a bodyguard behind him.

"...working too hard?"

[bifroster]

Jane looked up at him, not bothering to lift her head. She never really interacted with Gabriel much, but from what she heard about him before she arrived here was that he could be ... a little dense. Too sure of himself and his world views and opinions. It was maximized in this world to the point that Jane really, really could not stand him much.

But being a caged, government's pet did not mean he wasn't dangerous. His loyalty to them, if anything else, made him dangerous.

She really would have liked to snap at him, but she knows that it would just cause her more problems. Problems she can't have.

"The government is demanding results when the current technology has yet to reach those advancements," she said. "I'm not a miracle worker."

[privatepurchases]

"Oh Doctor Foster." Gabriel almost sounds sympathetic, leaning forward with mustered concern. His purple eyes glow slightly in the light of the building, giving him an inhuman look.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not human masters." he smiles and withdraws, "I have no doubt that you'll produce miracles even if you are just a lowly human. See your meta ability as a gift that could help you do so."

He nods, "And of course whatever I can do to help you. I am happy to do so."

[bifroster]

Jane doesn't blink at the glow around him or how creepy he looks. She's seen it before and she has seen worse.

"Then, if you could, ask your Lord why I was dragged from my world and put here. My world is literally on the brink of war and I do not appreciate being supplanted into a world where I am a second class citizen for something I could not even control. Miracles aside, this is just plain punishment."

Sneaking around

[iminthebook]

Her phone beeps, just so, and again, in a slightly different fashion and then a small circle opens, and out of it steps Harry Dresden. One hand holds his staff, the runes bright silver, the other holds a Walther p-47 as he swivels his head around.

"Doc, there's trouble coming. Lookout spotted some idiots on Survey Service coming for a routine surprise inspection. We need to get you out of the sneaky areas, fast. You've got... five minutes until they are here" His voice was soft as he spoke, still looking around.

There were few he stepped into the fire for, but Jane was one of them.

[bifroster]

"Oh, damn," she muttered. She really wasn't expecting any surprises tonight, but she knew that anything could happen on one of these missions. She looks back at the computer screen and inwardly cheered when the download completed. "Give me two minutes to clean up my tracks."

Typing furiously, she sets to work on that, removing her USB drive when she is done.

"Here, take this, just in case," she added. "I'd rather you have it than it be on me should I get captured."

[iminthebook]

He takes the drive and speaks a word, holding it in his hand, and the item vanishes.

"Better if it goes on its way without either of us attached. Now come on. The resistance needs you, and I do not want to lose another friend to those damn brainwashers." He wags a finger at her.

[bifroster]

"Even better."

She really appreciates how efficient Harry is. His practicality levels are the only thing keeping them alive some days.

"Think you can get me back to my house? I supposedly left early this afternoon with a stomach bug."

That closed prompt~

[tricksterofasgard]

Jane will find herself in front of a clearly abandoned building. The door is unlocked and just waiting for her to enter.

Of course the door will slam shut and lock itself should she actually chose to step inside.

What had made Loki participate in that auction, one might wonder? Curiosity. Especially upon spotting an oddly familiar name on the list. A name he hasn't heard in years.

And now? He is waiting for her to arrive, hiding in the shadows of this seemingly unoccupied building.

[bifroster]

This was a horror movie waiting to happen.

She was going to die in some awful fashion, right before the credits of a movie or show rolled, and then she wasn't even going to be a main character or the person they were really investigating the death of.

But the person who bid on her was willing to spend a lot of money ... and she wanted to see for herself who would do that.

And why.

The door slams shut on her like promised, making her jump, but if anything, she's more prepared to punch someone or jump out a window if she has to.

"Anyone home?" she calls loudly.

[tricksterofasgard]

Maybe it is for the better that Loki isn't very invested in horror movies - At least not in this reality. So when the shutters of the windows close a lot more softly than the door has done, multiple baubles on soft light appear floating in the room before a rather familiar Asgardian finally appears at the far end of the room, fading into existence in a shimmer of green.

Loki doesn't wear a grin, and while he is still dressed in what at least resembles his Asgardian leather robes, his attire is mostly devoid of any gold or green. Black has taken over almost entirely. Even his fingernails are painted black. And then there is the Asgardian's hair. Compared to the last time Jane has met Loki, his hair might as well has doubled its length. While still pretty unruly, he at least keeps it tied back in a low ponytail.

"Jane Foster?" He says, his tone suggesting that he isn't entirely certain. Just as if they are meeting for the first time.

Oh, she certainly looks familiar. But it has been years...

[bifroster]

Oh. Oh no.

Jane freezes on the spot when Loki appears. Then her brain goes into over drive. He isn’t being flashy or boasting. He isn’t grinning or cackling like she expected. Of course, why would she expect anything in this world to be remotely similar to what she knew? Like everyone else she had met in this world, it seemed that Loki had changed.

“Yes,” she said, still holding the piece of paper with his address in her hands. “Loki?”

Just to be sure herself.

working

[monosaccharide]

Princess Bubblegum is a common sight around the labs. This isn't hers, but it's not unusual for her to come around and see what the other scientists are working on. Or for her to correct them where she sees errors. Or just lecture in general. She's used to being one of the most powerful princesses in her entire world and the undisputed lead scientist in every field. That may not be the case here, but she's still prone to acting like it is.

She frowns and leans over Jane. As often happens, she sees mistakes, ones that are easy enough to make, but also pretty easy to catch. Little things, but even the little things can throw off results enough to make them useless.

"I don't get it." She picks up Jane's pen and scratches some bits out, replacing them with the correct figures. "Did you have a whole army of lab assistants before or something? This is sloppy."

[bifroster]

“Yes, I did,” Jane muttered, not lifting her head. She knew Princess Bubblegum and honestly? Her so-called ‘arrogance’ was completely justified. She was incredibly intelligent and one of the few leaders Jane could recall having taken scientific matters or learning very seriously. “I’m going to have to check all of their credentials and reevaluate their work, and status as assistants, but only after I fix what corrupted the programs we used and figure out what errors were caused by that corruption and what were human errors. Windows Update strikes again.”

Was all of that a lie? No, not really. She happened to have … taken matters into her own hand at corrupting a variety of programs just enough to cause problems like this. In the dead of night with nothing that would ever trace back to her, of course.

It just sucked that she was still going to have to fix it.

[monosaccharide]

As far as ways to get Bubblegum to stop this line of inquiry, that's a pretty good one. Bubblegum scowls and rolls her eyes, raising a hand in the air.

"Windows Update! My world has its share of problems but I swear none of them are more obnoxious than stupid Windows Update." She starts to pace, shooting offended glares at the computer every so often. "I keep telling them to let me design an OS. Updates are supposed to make things better, not worse."

[bifroster]

"I know! The holes in the security alone are horrid!"

Jane is relieved it worked though.

"We should make a petition. We can't be the only ones who want better security for our work stations and servers. Not to mention all of the time and headaches we'll save when the basics and foundations are solid."

working

[the_caped_crusader]

[ the clacking of a coffee cup set in front of her precedes it's strong, bitter aroma, as does his cane before he sits down across from her. despite his injuries, bruce still knows how to move very quietly. they met briefly in de chima before being unceremoniously brought here in what seems like a lifetime ago, so she knows just how smart he really is. the pervasive question of why he chose law enforcement over a job here might have been a question if their other more discrete secret lives didn't interact so frequently. ]

Afternoon, Dr. Foster.

Re: working

[bifroster]

[Jane is never going to get over how quiet he is, but it does keep her on her toes! As he sits down, she sits up properly.]

Afternoon, sir.

[It’s a secret she’ll take to the grave, but she’s glad there is one constant in the multiverse. Even if they hadn’t met before, a lifetime ago, she would still believe in him. After all, he’s Batman.]

What brings you in today?

[the_caped_crusader]

Just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. Wanted to see if you wanted to stop by for dinner with some friends.

[ bruce doesn't have any friends. it's code they have between each other. he means to say to be careful, there are people who have been watching various employees closer as of late. ]

[bifroster]

[Oh, she’s been wondering why there was an increase of middle management.]

I’m doing well, thank you. I’m afraid I got some deadlines, but maybe another time.

[Message received and understood; meeting later tonight confirmed.]