maskormenace | | 01; video |

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| 01; video |

[ The last thing Karla Sofen remembers before coming here is not, in fact, home -- or, rather, not the home of her time.. More specifically, the last thing she remembers is being captured by an alternate future reality’s clone equivalent to her home world’s Doctor Strange.

She remembers the revolting sensation of another’s will probing into her mind and grasping hold like so many intrusive, slithering psychic tentacles.

And being dressed up like Carol Danvers. (Of fucking course. And that’s how she came in -- red, blue, gold, sash and all -- though she’s back to her own white and gold now.)

It’s an awful lot of reality-hopping in quite a short span of time, but this one’s already vastly preferable to the last. Full control of her own mental faculties. She remembers again, then stops herself -- she’ll be too angry to do what she needs to do now if she dwells on it.

Her video switches on; Karla’s looking much calmer than she feels, her expression neutral. ]

Hello, everyone, I--

[ She pauses like she’s thought of something; before she says another word, she reaches up, peels the white mask from her face. It’s a completely surface gesture -- she certainly won’t be doing its metaphorical equivalent on here. ]

I’m sure everyone does this, when they’re new here? The… “does anyone know me, is anyone here from home?”... thing? I’m Karla Sofen, I’m on Luke Cage’s Thunderbolts team back home--

[ Hell no, she’s not above a well-placed name-drop! ]

--And. You know the drill, I’m sure. Is anyone here from my home world?

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[Luke Cage's Thunderbolts. That part definitely gets her attention.]

There are a number of people from our world. A handful. [And more than that, she'd be willing to bet.] But we don't always all know each other.

It's a pity, then, that you'll find yourself in familiar company.

[ Unfamiliar name, unfamiliar voice, and the marginal frustration that tends to creep in when she's feeling this acutely out of the know. ]

Pity, how? [ Familiar, how? ]

Our chronological experiences don't align, not in this transdimensional universal fabric. Someone from your original world might be aware of what could happen to you -- before you do.

[His tone hones a bitterness he's only recently tasted.]

It's unpleasant a prospect. Ergo, I extend pity.

[ Bishop. Bishop. That's-- oh. She can't be blamed for paying distant attention to Clint Barton's general existence; the girl's the other Hawkeye. Okay. She can work with this. ]

Hi. Anyone we'd be less than thrilled to see?

[ "I'd be," she'd almost said, but that creates all sorts of unnecessary distance. Besides, little Hawkeye can't very well be expected to answer for Karla. ]

I'd say that depends on the audience.

[She's sharp enough to get there, but she does have a list just the same.]

Norman Osborn. Loki. [She knows Loki won't take her naming him the wrong way. He is Loki, after all. He should come with warning labels.] Tony Stark is from the middle of the superhero Civil War. [She pauses.] Before the skrull invasion was obvious.

Doctor Sofen.

[ Since when is Luke Cage running the thunderbolts? ]

What a pleasant surprise, to see your face here.

[ In costume, etc. ]

Not that I'm familiar with the team name, but "Luke Cage's Thunderbolts"? Do different people run different Thunderbolts teams?

The Thunderbolts, hmm?

I must say, you have an excellent name for a team.

[ That's some costume, isn't it? Very eye-catching, though Max finds her attitude more interesting than the costume. ]

Not everyone, but it does seem to be a well-accepted tradition. At least you take the direct approach.

Max Lord. What are the Thunderbolts, Karla?

This is what it feels to be name dropped, doesn't it?

[he doesn't entirely care, but he should make some sort of appearance. he has been mentioned, after all.]

Hello.

[Thunderbolts: check. Thank goodness somewhat-reformed X-Men villains end up on better teams than that. Quicksilver managed to land a first-string Avengers slot, and he's bloody intolerable.

Luke Cage: check. Though last time she'd bothered to care about non-X-Men heroes enough to see what the rest of the superpowered world had been up to, he'd been on some Avengers spin-off team with that nice Doreen girl...but who can keep track of all that Avengers drama? Who would want to?

Karla Sofen: ...check? The name's vaguely familiar and wanders around Emma's consciousness until her superb recall (go ahead, ask her obscure details about about any couture collection in the past decade) connects it to something more relevant: Moonstone. And then to memories borrowed from Logan of Osborn's ersatz Avengers lineup of villains.

Well, isn't that lovely. Emma can't remember if Moonstone has any psychic defenses besides an unpleasant personality, but a luncheon with her might prove...informative.]

Hello, Dr. Sofen.

[It remains to be seen whether there's room enough in this town for two unethical blond reformed supervillain therapists with a gemstone theme and a predilection for white.]

[ She'll take the dig, if it is one -- can't afford not to, not when she's new, this is a public network and little Hawkeye's being this helpful otherwise. Besides, there's more pressing content here.

If this is what it sounds like she's still several steps up from the alternate future-hopping she's recently been pulled from. Flatly, though not incredulous -- the repeat begs exposition: ]

He's from the middle of the Civil War.

Is it, though?

[ Ah, that part. The complication that's struck her as less unpleasant and more exploitable. Because it's strictly honor-system, right? No one has to know exactly how far forward or back she's from. And there are all sorts of angles to be played here with those she's ahead of.

Or can pass as ahead of. ]

Seems like more of an opportunity.

[ Public network, Karla. ]

Right wrongs before they happen, that sort of thing.

[ Uh.

Is it?

There's a half a moment of hesitation there before it sinks in again -- this Tony Stark hasn't experienced Osborn's disastrous attempt at running an Avengers team, wouldn't equate her with that --

Lucky him, honestly. Matching his inflection -- it's accommodating, not mocking: ]

Tony Stark. [ But she does opt for first name rather than "Mr."

Too formal. ]

Have you been here long?

Or open yourself to fresher wrongs, perhaps.

[He's coming from a dark perspective, of course. Given recent events.]

But never mind that -- welcome to this corner of the "multiverse". I'm Doctor Frederick Chilton, resident imPort psychiatrist.

[ Telepaths.

Great.

This is... not ideal. On the other hand, Karla just got off the "forced psychic probing" boat; she's not about to board that one again. So. Find out what Frost wants, then... cooperate really hard, probably. Cross that bridge when she gets to it; no use having plans laid out when they can be read anyway. ]

Ms. Frost. It's a pleasure. [ She clears her throat. ] Circumstances aside.

[ "'''''''Reformed.'''''''''' So it does. ]

Thanks.

[ Her voice verges on playful. ]

I had nothing to do with the naming, but. You are?

Hi?

[ Not that the team's current iteration could be called a favorite of Karla's -- partial imprisonment and 0 leadership discretion aren't really her cup of tea -- but under Cage's direction it's almost certainly been perceieved as the most legitimate by others. She's not oblivious to that. ]

Different people have.

[ Loki. Okay. Little Hawkeye wasn't kidding with this. ]

...Seriously?

[there's a little ta-dah that's more like the end of a sigh. he makes jazz hands at the phone, even though she can't see (it's for his own posterity, ok).]

Totally and completely.

Apparently no one likes surprise Lokis anymore.

Starscream, leader of the Decepticons. Pleasure to meet you, Karla.

[ Yes. Karla "direct approach" Sofen. She does glow a little at the preemptive praise.

This part's easy: variations on the practiced answer she'd given countless times before, when the team had more opportunities for media interaction. ]

It's a reformation effort. Back home. Takes superpowered criminals, trains them to do something better with their lives.

[ Oh, she's gearing up to spin this. ]

[ She's surprisingly calm, but people in their line of work have to be when they find themselves transuniversally kidnapped by powerful machines. Their lives are so messed up. ]

Gotcha.

So, what do they call you?

[ Both their costume's have similar colours, only Peej as the blue and red as an addition. She did the white and gold costume for a while, though. ]

I'm afraid you'll have to run that one by me again.

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| 01; video |

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