MISSION: GRAB THE EYEBALLTAUR

[initiates]

Date & Time: March 7th, 1994
Location: The MICA campus: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Characters: Everyone
Summary: All transports are shipped back to 1994 to steal art from art students. Also, some of them arrive bodyswapped.

The Initiative has timed the incoming waves of Transports to the MICA campus for Freshmen Orientation, but even so, the flood of newcomers gets a few surprised glances. Looks like MICA's up for a major boom in attendance next year, wow. But do some of those freshman look a little old to you? …And do some of them seem to be freaking out a lot more than usual about being in Baltimore?

The cloaking devices, with holograms visible only to the natives, will be blending everyone in with the native 90s fashion senses, and all non-humans will find themselves getting much more tame curious glances than they might back on Exsilium, as they project a human appearance to natives around them. So at least there's that. Just try not to get arrested, hit by cars, or challenged to any break dance competitions as you grab and run off with bizarre works of art, alright? The weirder it looks, the more likely it probably is to be the power source the Initiative needs for the Transporter.

Oh, yeah, and sorry about the body-swap-around. Just deal with that as best you can, because the mission really must go on. Any harried and worried Initiative employee along on the mission that you might be able to find will just sputter a hasty not-really-explanative explanation and hurry away, trading frantic messages with the headquarters in Exsilium. They'll get this all sorted out by the time you get back, don't worry.

Comments

[kneecaptain]

[ While you probably wouldn't guess it from the long-haired Liefeldian makeover, Bucky had skipped the nineties.

Entirely. In a tube the whole time. But it was closer to something he knew than a lot of the places these machines stuck him. He'd never gone to college and he didn't "get" art, but walking around and looking, that was something he could do.

He didn't recognize Stephanie because she wasn't in the costume, but he could tell she was someone from Exsilium by dint of her clothes. ]

You're not gonna steal anything, are you?

[ It's a small thing, said half-joking. Lord knows Bucky'd thought about it, knows he's got no place to tell any petty larceny that he's too good for it. But damnit, Bucky actually likes to talk. ]

[controlledvariable]

[Her first though is, rather uncharitably, goddammit. It's not really Bucky's fault, she just knows she's not great at the whole secret identity thing (the mess with Nick back home just made that clear), and doesn't want anyone to be able to make the connection between her and Batgirl.

Which is why she smiles wryly, instead of letting any concern show on her face.]

I dunno, I was thinking this might look good in my roommate's bedroom, liven the place up a bit.

[She pokes at the "work of art" in front of her, wondering why there are so many eyeballs on it.

She's not actually going to steal it, but she enjoys imagining the look on Kirk's face if he came in to find it sitting on his bed.]

[kneecaptain]

[ No one is as bad at secret identities as Bucky Barnes. Consider: he once chose Bucky as his codename. ]

You think it'd fit? A thing like that kinda takes a place over.

[controlledvariable]

I'm sure I could make it work, you know, for the sake of good art.

[No that's the opposite of what it is.

And because she is supposed to not have met this guy before, she adds:] You're a Transport right?

[Secret identity skills.]

[kneecaptain]

Clothes gave it away, huh?

[ Not that how he dresses is really current— but it's definitely not nineties. ]

[controlledvariable]

[She holds up her finger and thumb about an inch apart, as if to say "a little bit".]

And you asked if I was planning to steal it. I don't think most college kids would've been worried about that.

[kneecaptain]

[ He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. It was kind of a reflex. ]

I figure I'm a little old for college.

[controlledvariable]

I dunno what it was exactly like in the nineties, but we had plenty of "mature age students" back home.

[She makes air quotes and everything.]

[kneecaptain]

I never even thought about going, to be honest.

[ Never finished high school, blew up before the G.I. Bill Roosevelt signed went into effect. That'd do it. ]

[controlledvariable]

Neither did I, really. I'm still not sure how I ended up there. [Her smile is wry, because it's true enough. When she was younger she'd never really expected to make it as far as college, education wise.]

[kneecaptain]

Well, y'see. When someone wants to draft you into some kinda future time war…

[ Yeah, jokes. He used to be better at them. ]

[controlledvariable]

[She just gives him a look for that, shaking her head.]

I think I saw a flyer for an open mic night at the comedy club, maybe you should give it a shot. [so dry]

[kneecaptain]

Hey. It's not like I was chargin' you for that line.

[ If his sense of humor has expired, he's not one to notice. Or care. Most of the things he likes about himself are a bit out of date. ]

[controlledvariable]

Which means I can't ask for a refund. [But she smiles, an indication that she's just messing with him] You got a name?

[kneecaptain]

Barnes. [ Usually. ]

[controlledvariable]

A pleasure, I'm sure. [She plays at being a little less paranoid when she's not running around in kevlar, so the smile she gives him is an easy one.] Found anything worth stealing?

[There's a question she never thought she'd ask.]

[kneecaptain]

If any of this is art, it's news to me. [ He shrugs. ]

Usually, when you ask for a name, you throw one back.

[controlledvariable]

I think they might call is surrealism, but I never really paid attention in art class.

[Her smile is a little apologetic] You didn't ask. [The way she says it implies a silent "I wasn't sure if you cared", but, still, she adds:] Steph.

[kneecaptain]

C'mon. The asking's implied. [ He's not that bad. ]

[controlledvariable]

Is it? [She looks for all the world like this is new information to her] Guess my conversation skills are a bit rusty.

[Or she just doesn't like giving people her name. Whatever.]

[kneecaptain]

[ Pauses. Changes the subject. ]

This must be a real trip, huh?

[controlledvariable]

[That gets a laugh, as she shoves her hands into her pockets, looking as casual as can be.]

It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I was thinking about seeing more of the world.

[That's a thing regular college students think about, right?]