Earth to M'gann

Miss Martian for Rebuild RP

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

“No!” Xavin gave her a wide-eyed look. “Does it actually do it?” They were going to have to try that when they got home. At her next question, they had to shake their head. “Not really. I don’t have a computer either.” There were much more important things to spend money on, and they weren’t willing to steal something so expensive, not when it could bring danger back to the people they cared about.

They had to agree with that. If it hadn’t been for the other Runaways, the adjustment would have been…well, the word brutal came to mind fairly easily. “I love it here,” they defended the planet they had adopted. “But…yes. Hard is a good word for it. It is nothing like home.” Which, most days, they considered a very good thing. Still, it made this planet that much more unfamiliar, and that much more difficult to adjust to.

When it was immediately obvious that the park was nearly empty, they knew the moment of truth had arrived. Could they attempt to counterfeit being some other shape-shifting race? They didn’t think so. They didn’t know any others well enough to pretend. “Yes,” they admitted, then quickly added “But I’m not one of the ones replacing the humans. Those Skrulls are not my people, and I want them gone as much as the humans do.” Possibly more, because their presence endangered them so much. They could never have a peaceful existence on this planet when others of their kind were trying to invade it. If they could convince the Martian of that, perhaps they had a chance at convincing the rest of the world.

“Yes!” M’gann beamed. “The screen does a little fwoosh,” she made a little spin with her hands, “and when you do it over and over again you get dizzy!” If she was being totally honest, computer screens didn’t always need to spin to make her dizzy. Sometimes she needed to adjust the make of her eyes to get a comfortable view of it. She nodded solemnly. It seemed they had more in common than even their alien-ness.

“Most of the time, I love that it’s not Mars,” she clarified. For most of the time on the planet she could leave her little apartment without being attacked. That was just a recent thing and it had tapered off now. “It’s just not entirely what I’d hoped for when I came here, either. You know?

Okay, so she’d guessed correctly. M’gann listened carefully to Xavin’s explanation. There was a softness in their voice along with something kind in their mental signature. She paused, considering the circumstances and what lessons could be gleaned from the racial tension on Mars. There was something to be said for friendly aliens from notoriously warlike races, she decided. “Alright, so that makes two non-body-snatchers.” The corner of her mouth quirked up.

[missmartianmisfit]

dcvilkid:

“Really? Hundreds of pokemon to pick from, and you go for the giant chicken?” Eddie wrinkled his nose at her. This was so much easier than worrying. “I’m offended, I really am. You could at least have picked Charizard.” He kept up the offended act, scowling dramatically and folding his arms, until she named another pokemon. “See, that, I can work with,” he declared, the scowl giving way to a bright smile.

He listened with growing horror as M’gann finally started to explain. At first, he didn’t know how to react. He’d known that the Panel wasn’t perfect. Kind of hard not to, after the whole ‘Orse is a Skrull’ bombshell. But he’d never thought they’d do anything like this. If it was anybody else, he’d think they were exaggerating. But this was M’gann, and he couldn’t disbelieve her, especially after seeing the way she’d reacted to ordinary agents.

Slowly, he extended his arms, silently offering a hug if she wanted one. “Just so you know, I’m definitely planning to find these jerks and…” He paused for a moment, trying to come up with some form of revenge that was non-violent enough that it wouldn’t just upset her more. “Break every single one of their beakers,” he concluded after a moment’s thought. He’d kept his tone as deliberately light as possible, hoping that M’gann was too tired to pick up on his thoughts, which were a lot angrier than he was willing to let on. Nobody deserved to be treated like a lab rat, but especially not somebody who was as genuinely nice as she was.

She couldn’t suppress a smile at the sound of his voice and the sight of his wrinkled nose. It was wide and goofy despite her watery eyes. “But Ash’s Charizard was stubborn and mean. And he had wings. You have glider arms. There’s,” she snuffled, grimaced, and continued, “a big difference.”

M’gann gratefully accepted the hug. Honestly, a hug was just what she needed at that moment. Her whole body stiffened as Eddie began his threat, but the follow-up made her hold back a laugh. With a gross little snort, M’gann decided to allow it. “Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s break some beakers.” It was obvious that Eddie intended to do more than a petty vandalism, but she didn’t have the energy to do anything about that.

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

Xavin listened with intense curiosity to the explanation of where they were going. When a point of connection appeared, and one that was easy to talk about without giving away to the people around them that neither of them was human. “Of course I do! Have you played the game where you start at a random article, and try to click the fewest links to get to a certain subject?” It had been one of the best ways they had found to get an objective understanding of life on this planet. It was good to talk to their friends, of course, but they didn’t always have the objectivity they wanted, let alone all of the answers to their questions.

“It’s the same where I grew up,” they confirmed. At least, they had never known another Skrull that didn’t shift at least a little, to keep in practice. They never knew when the ability might be needed. “Since I came here?” They wavered for a moment, unsure which answer to the question they should give. “Three years, since I came here the first time? A little less than that since I came to live here.” If by here, they meant on this planet in general, not specifically here in this city.

“I’ve never done that one! Have you ever asked the Google to do a barrel roll?” M’gann’s grin was as wide as her face now. The internet was old news to most humans, but to M’gann, and apparently Xavin, it was still novel. “Do you play any computer games? I was always partial to the Sims,” she gushed. “But I don’t have a computer anymore, so I just play a lot of Snake on my cellular phone.”

M’gann nodded pensively. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Wonderful,” she added quickly. “But hard.” This wasn’t something she often shared with her human friends, but Xavin almost certainly was not human. They didn’t usually understand that even though life on Earth was hard for the Martian, it didn’t mean she wanted to return to Mars. M’gann let out a deep breath and watched it condense into a little cloud in the cold. 

The cold had driven most people out of the park. It was practically abandoned, although M’gann could see groups of visitors on the hill beside the Cloisters above. “I’m Martian, by the way.” She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I don’t want to make an assumption, but...” Shape-shifting, the familiar mental signature. “Skrull?” 

[missmartianmisfit]

the-m3chanic:

“Oh yeah, public relations is my favourite part of being a founding member,” Tony replied, rolling his eyes as he did so in sympathy with her uncle. Honestly, it wasn’t the worst part of his job – nowadays, it was hard to think of a part of his existence that he did truly despise, at least in relation to work. Perhaps the report writing afterwards, but even that ensured accountability. Being a hero meant that everything had a purpose, and being an Avenger meant that he did absolutely nothing on his own. “That’s good of him. He raised you, didn’t he?” At least once she left Mars, she had someone by her side. At least she had a reminder of home, meaning she wasn’t the only Martian left in the universe.

M’gann’s relationship with her ship seemed somewhat similar to the relationship Tony had with his bots. It was more than merely a creator and an invention, it was a family. It was a kinship, a friendship, and it meant something to her. To hear her talk about the ship being broken beyond potential repair was upsetting, and Tony couldn’t help himself from thinking about the moment he realised JARVIS had been destroyed completely, implanted into the Vision. (He wasn’t Ultron, which was a blessing, and he wasn’t JARVIS, which was a curse. Ultimately, Tony was unsure what to think of the android, and so he avoided him the majority of the time as best as he could.) “I could take a look at her sometime,” Tony offered. “Any time you want, just give me a call and I’ll be there with a toolbox.” He would have to get creative about the repairs, but that wasn’t a drawback as much as something that encouraged him even more to get involved with her strife.

“Yeah, but she died, M’gann,” Tony said softly. His own relationship with Maria had been tenuous. She had been bitter at him for hurting Pepper, even if it was the red-headed woman who had walked out on him, not the other way around as everyone seemed to think. “Anything she was working on has the potential to have died with her. She wasn’t exactly a carer and sharer.” If Maria had heard from M’gann’s uncle, Tony had no doubt that she had continued to work on the case behind the scenes. She was cold and as calculating as his father, but she wasn’t a robot. There were times that she acted like one, but that was in the past now. Regardless, her own personal missions were kept close to the chest, just as her true name was, and her family. No one knew anything about Maria Hill or what occupied her days. While she was alive, that was a source of pride for her, he knew. Now that she was dead, it was nothing but a tragedy. “I haven’t heard of experiments,” Tony said. At least, not yet, but that was a fact that he wasn’t bringing up right now. “Right now, they’re trying to get information to stop an invasion, M’gann. Choices have to be made to protect the greatest number.”

It was something that sounded like what his father would say, and so Tony sighed, leaning back against his workbench. “I believe in the Panel. I know the people running it, and they’re good people. They try hard for us, and they’re friends of mine. I can’t say that they’ll let anything like that happen again.”

She raised her eyebrows, but she was genuinely curious to know. “What, do you think, is your favorite part? Aside from the television appearances, I mean.” Nodding, M’gann confirmed, “Yeah. My mother was his favorite sister and my father was his closest outside friend when they were children.” She looked down at the tile floor. “After father’s death… J’onn took it very personally.” There were many reasons J’onn had returned to his home planet, only M’gann wasn’t sure that this was her story to tell. “He came back to help my mother, but also to get some closure. He’d been torn from Mars so suddenly…”

“Really?” A loud twang of excitement echoed through her head and she winced a bit, holding her right ear. “The Bioship’s very happy to hear that!” Another twang and a series of pings followed. M’gann signaled to the Ship to quiet down. “The only problem is, like I said, she’s underwater. We’d need to bring her here somehow.” She held her palms up, unsure of how to go about sneaking her uncamouflaged spaceship through Manhattan.

Again, M’gann stared at her feet. She felt terribly guilty for even mentioning Maria Hill. If Tony’s account was accurate, then Hill might have been working behind the scenes. But if Hill hadn’t shared anything, or even kept files on the case, it was ultimately like the new Panel had done nothing. There was that wave of confusion and anger, and shame again. “He absolutely deserves to be punished for his crimes, but the Panel hasn’t been at all transparent about the conditions he’s being kept in. I understand why it isn’t general knowledge where he is being kept, but shouldn’t he have a lawyer? Shouldn’t someone be advocating for him? Making sure that he’s being treated humanely?” She through her arms up in exasperation. “What about the fact that any information gleaned from torture is unreliable at best? You’ve been tortured, Tony. Is there anything you wouldn’t have said to get out of that situation?”

“They opened me up... They literally cut me open to get me to confess to a crime that I didn’t commit and I did confess. I told them everything they wanted to hear because I was in pain.” Now she was staring at him with wide, hurt eyes. “I… I admire how calm you can be at a time like this,” she managed hoarsely. M’gann didn’t know what else to say. He was right, of course, that this was a new incarnation of the Panel. And maybe the new leaders really weren’t planning on torturing this Skrull. But she doubted it. 

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

Xavin returned the smile hesitantly. Following this impulse seemed to become a worse decision every second, as it dawned on them just how much could go wrong. The name, M’gann, didn’t sound like any Skrull name they’d ever heard before, but that created as many problems as it solved, because to the residents of this planet. all Skrulls were the enemy. Would that hold true for someone who lived here, but was not from here? They honestly had no idea.

Really, though, it was too late for that speculation to do anything but cause a feeling like settling a heavy weight at the bottom of their stomach. And failing to go along would be suspicious. At least this way, they had some sort of chance to prove that they weren’t malicious. “A park sounds nice,” they agreed, turning to the stairs before any of the humans around them could get more irritated at their lack of motion. So impatient, these humans. It was easy enough to let the crowd carry them along, though, up to the street, where they looked to the other shifter for direction.

The cold air on the street came as a surprise. Had it been like this when they left this morning? They didn’t think so. Carefully, they built another layer into the lining of their coat where it could not be seen, adding thickness until they could no longer feel the bite of winter. “Not as much as you are,” they replied. Their training had always had a different focus, even though they’d known the basics almost instinctually. But how could they say that on a crowded street? Better to be vague, as M’gann had done. “All my life, or at least as long as I can remember,” they continued. “And what about you?”

The hesitation behind Xavin’s smile set off a couple of alarm bells in M’gann’s mind. No matter how friendly and shy they seemed, they weren’t Martian and there was only one other species of shapeshifting aliens in the city. Maybe that hesitation meant something. Perhaps Xavin was sent to snatch her up, but was feeling regretful after their game on the subway. M’gann looked up at the sky, pretending to look for rain clouds, and took a few deep breaths as fear gave way to curiosity again.

M’gann led the way to the park and tried to make some light conversation. “So, we’re going to Fort Tryon Park. It’s named after the last British governor of New York,” she looked at the other sheepishly. “I may never have been there, but I did read the whole Wikipedia article on it. Do you use the internet, as well?” It seemed like a simple enough question, but M’gann hoped it would give her some insight into Xavin’s interests. Possibly even their age. They seemed younger than M’gann herself, but it was hard to tell with shapeshifters. M’gann could shift into a forty-two-year-old body and no one ever know by looking that she was nearly twenty years younger.

She nodded her head graciously, the right side of her mouth quirking upwards. “The same. Everyone practiced it where I grew up.” The climate was fierce on Mars. No one without the ability to shift survived very long. “But I got much better at it once I moved here. It’s been almost seven years now. You?”

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

The dancers came in between them, and Xavin had to suppress a burst of irrational frustration. Of course the rest of the world was continuing with their lives, but it was wholly inconvenient. They had no idea how much longer they would have to work out the puzzle of the other shifter, but surely it couldn’t be long, and there she was, distracted by the spectacle. Their resentment didn’t stretch so far, however, that they forgot what was necessary to fit in, and when the dancers finished, they joined the crowd in slipping a few bills into the collection that was taken.

As they were giving their money, they spotted the other shifter moving towards the doors. It was, apparently, time. Before they could worry again about any sort of correct social protocol, she was turning to look at them, and nodding towards the exit, an invitation if ever they had seen one. They began to push through the crowd, making their own way out of the train barely before the doors closed. Safely on the platform, they tried to stop and see where she had gone, but they were swept along in the crowd towards the stairs.

There! A stroke of luck - the crowd was carrying them in the right direction. They cut across, and reached the other shifter in a matter of moments. Only then did it occur to them that they hadn’t actually thought this out past catching up too her. Poor strategy indeed, they told themself. Your teachers would be ashamed. An introduction seemed a polite place to start, though, and they held out a hand. “I’m Xavin.”

 She lost sight of the other shifter and, for a moment, she thought that they might have stayed on the train. It was understandable, but a disappointment nonetheless. M’gann let out a heavy sigh and followed the crowd up to the main hall until she was offered a hand. “I’m M’gann,” she answered with a smile, taking the hand and giving it a few polite shakes.

Xavin. It was an unusual name that M’gann had never heard. It didn’t sound Martian, but there were far too many humans around to ask its origin. A harried looking woman on a cellular phone pushed past the two shifters and a few other people took advantage of the space she’d cleared between them. “We shouldn’t stay here,” M’gann said quietly, looking after the commuters. “But there’s a park nearby. I’ve never been there, but it looked nice on the Google Maps.”

The pair climbed the stairs to street level. It was colder now than it had been when she’d gotten on the train. M’gann reached into her bag to form and retrieve a woolen cap that she pretended had been there the whole time. “You’re very talented,” she was careful not to say aloud what Xavin was talented at. “Have you been practicing long?” She pulled the hat on.

[missmartianmisfit]

dcvilkid:

“That was a good one,” Eddie said, relief plain in his voice. “I was proud of that nickname. Really clever. Took me a while to come up with it.” This was much more like the M’gann he knew. Whatever was going on, maybe she was actually believing him about everything being okay. Which was good, since he meant it. “I think Ditto was my best work though. I mean, nickname and Pokemon reference all in one? Awesome.” If the nickname thing was actually going to work as a distraction to snap her out of the panic she’d been in a few minutes ago, he was more than okay with running with it.

When M’gann finally relaxed enough to let go of him, he stepped away, just a little bit, giving her some space. “We absolutely can get Cronuts,” he told her emphatically. He wasn’t sure how exactly that was going to work, with him looking the way he did and not having a hoodie to hide in. But they could burn that bridge when they got to it. Right now, there was something more important. “You…know I have to ask, right? What exactly happened back there?” Quickly, he added “You don’t have to tell me, if you’re still upset. But you scared me.” He didn’t mind admitting it.

The relief in his voice made her acutely aware of how badly she’d scared him. M’gann choked back a pang of guilt and managed a quiet, “Okay, Combusken.” It wasn’t quite funny, but it was something. “No wait... Your tail...” She dried her eyes again, and this time she couldn’t hold back a tiny hiccup of a laugh. “Houndoom.”

If things were turned around, she would have asked the same question. But it pained her all the same. Months had passed since she’d told anyone about the ordeal. She’d been keeping inside, promising herself that time would heal her. Clearly, she’d been fooling herself all along. “The stress of keeping everyone in a trance contributed to it, but,” she closed her eyes in shame, “last year the Panel arrested me so that they could run experiments on me.” 

She swallowed, afraid that Eddie might not want to hear any more. She should have done more to escape, she have done more after she’d gotten away. “I escaped in May, but they tried to retrieve me for months. Almost succeeded a few times. I... I didn’t think my body would take over like that. I’ve never lost control of myself like that.”  

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

Xavin didn’t have to wait long for the other shifter’s response - which was good, because they could quickly grow impatient, waiting to see what she would choose to do next. In the middle of all the tension, all the worry about their fellow Skrulls, this was a breath of fresh air, a moment of peace that they hadn’t expected. Oh, there was a little worry to it. They had to keep a careful watch out for the other passengers. But that was nothing new.

The comb was beautiful, and much more intricate than their own creation. They were honestly impressed. Whoever she was, she clearly had more skill than they did. Or perhaps simply more practice. Without actually getting to talk to her, they couldn’t know for sure. That thought brought another on its heels - they were likely the only person on this train that was there simply to watch the other people. Surely she would be getting off eventually. What then? How were they supposed to find out the answers to any of their questions if they didn’t get the chance to actually talk to her? But at the same time, they were confident that it wasn’t socially acceptable to follow someone off the train.

They were distracted from their thoughts by the other shifter’s next move. It was…well, simply put, it was incredible. While the little scene in her hands unfolded, they watched, mesmerized. There were so many details included that it could barely be believed. Every time they thought they’d seen everything, another aspect of the little scene caught their eye. Very slowly, almost imperceptibly, they shook their head. They had never seen someone make themself into anything quite like that. Frankly, they didn’t know where to start to create something like it. Oh, they could try, but they doubted it was possible without a great deal of practice.

Now, they were resolved. They had to know more about this person, whether following her was socially acceptable or not. Wherever she was going, so were they.

 A troupe of break-dancing teenagers began there act a few feet away from the two shifters. M’gann pulled her scarf over her hair like a hood and watched them in quiet amusement. None of them were especially talented, but M’gann had a dollar for each of them already nestled in her palm. It was a lesson her uncle had passed down back when they lived in Chicago. ‘Let’s say a street performance catches your eye. If you spend any time at all watching, then you owe them a dollar,’ he’d told her sagely. ‘More if you can spare it.’

Maybe because she was paying such close attention to the dancers, the stop arrived earlier than expected. The boys collected donations and bustled to the next car. Most of the other passengers got off as well. By the time the train pulled out of 175th, there were only four other people. 

The train moved faster than before,and it was only a minute before they reached 190th. She hadn’t even had a chance to introduce herself, to learn anything about this other shifter, and now it might be too late. The doors slid open.  M’gann turned to the other as she exited and nodded towards the stairwell a question written all over her face. 

[missmartianmisfit]

the-m3chanic:

“I’ve been there a few times. Did he have a script? I never managed to stick to one of those.” Tony argued that it was for honesty and openness but mostly, he just hated other people telling him what to do or say, regardless of the circumstances. “They sound like pretty highbrow shows, M’gann. Tell me, how do you find it living in the spotlight cast over by your uncle’s fame? Some are driven mad with it, but you seem to be coping alright.”

At the beginning, even as Bobbi and Jess took over from Orse and started the reforms to the Panel, there were people who regarded them with nothing but derision. Tony had been forced to hold his friends accountable under the previous leadership, and although that was something that would never be implemented now, some caution was still understandable. However, he was still surprised when someone exhibited it, especially after this many months – M’gann was someone personally impacted by Orse’s previous rule, however, and so it made sense that she was hesitant to trust anyone else sitting in the Director’s chair. “People are only afraid of things they aren’t aware of or don’t have information about,” Tony replied. “If you ever decide to take her out of hiding, I could make sure we get out a message saying that she would pose no danger. Besides, people shooting anything out of the sky above a city is a no-go area, so they’d be pretty ballsy to attempt it.”

More than anything – more than Sharon’s faith in the new Panel, or Tony’s relief that the war with his closest friends was over – Tony was loyal to Bobbi and Jess because they were his friends. Maria had been Pepper’s companion, not his, and they shared a rather strained relationship, but the other women who were currently ensuring accountability were women that he trusted, respected, and knew were doing the absolute best that they could. “In their defence,” Tony began, leaning back against his workbench, “they are trying to minimise damages. They’re trying to hold back an invasion of aliens, and they brought a peace to the city with the Syndicate that no one else could. Perhaps they haven’t reached out to you, but they’re good people. I’m sure if they knew what was going on they would listen, or at least take it into account.” Tony didn’t answer the next question, knowing what the answer would be – he trusted everyone regardless of how much they had wronged him in the past, and that was most of his problem.

M’gann’s mother sounded something similar to Tony’s, being a socialite that brought together sides of the community. Maria Stark had indulged in charity work long before she was rich, and when she married Howard, that had just continued onwards. It only served to cement the fact that anything good about Tony came from her blood rather than his father’s. “It might not be a situation where what she wants can be achieved, though,” Tony replied. “I don’t know the ins and outs of the plague, but if she’s in danger there, perhaps she would be best considering an immigration.” After all, M’gann had assimilated quite easily, and she was in a position where she could hide from the majority of prying eyes for as long as she needed. “Yeah, I know a little something about expectations. You try to carry them, spend your whole life lugging them around, but someday you gotta set them down.” He paused for only a moment. “I’m still working on that myself, honestly.”

“He definitely had a script, but I think he contributed to them. He was a public figure at that point. A high-ranking officer and a founding member of the Justice League,” she squinted, trying to recall exactly how her uncle had described it. “He was making appearances for a lot of reasons, but most of all to establish a positive relationship between the League and the civilians. And to encourage childhood literacy.” M’gann smirked, trying not to laugh, and joked, “Oh yeah. We kept it a secret for years because J’onn wanted me to have a normal life.”

She’d been thinking about the bioship quite a bit lately. Visiting the living ship became had become less of an ordeal, allowing the ship to stretch and fly was still out of the question. There were repairs to be done. Reorientation to at least attempt. M’gann bit her lip. “There is one thing that…” It was a big favor to ask, but without those upgrades she didn’t believe that the bioship would be safe around the city. “I need help fixing her camouflage function. I’m usually good at repairs, but I can’t… I can’t figure it out this time.”

“Maria Hill knew about it,” she said softly. “My uncle visited her about a month before her death.” It wasn’t a secret, exactly, but J’onn had not been wholly optimistic about the meeting. M’gann herself hadn’t tried to get in touch with the new Panel. She wasn’t sure about her standing with them, whether fugitives could be registered or even if she was a fugitive anymore. She tried to avoid thinking about the Panel altogether, even though she knew that didn’t help anything. There was one piece of news in particular which hadn’t evaded her notice. “Yes, they’ve done that. But what about the Skrull they captured? True, he’s a criminal. But he’s another alien that the Panel couldn’t wait to experiment on.” The second she knew of so far. If there were two, there were likely more. The very thought made her hair stand on end. “They haven’t changed. They just found a less sympathetic target.”

Her left hand touched to her right elbow. “It would be wonderful to see her again.” L’krisa didn’t know what had happened to her daughter, and M’gann longed to tell her mother everything. To hold her mother and be innocent again, for just a moment. But her mother would never abandon Ma’aleca’andra and its people, not to mention her other siblings. Several of whom already had children of their own. She tried to explain as best she could.

[missmartianmisfit]

nycthief:

Just as Felicia was mulling that revelation over—she was just as picky as anyone else with her partners, and screwing someone in a committed relationship was a line even she wouldn’t cross—the stranger swiped right, okaying the match. Felicia winced. “Uh oh,” she said, drawing up the private message the man sent. Graphic, unoriginal, and boring. “No problem. Plenty of fish in the sea,” Felicia told her, unmatching as soon as she could. “Get it? What’s up…sexy?” 

Just a glance at the message was enough to make M’gann wince, too. “Gee,” she muttered, the right side of her upper lip curled in disgust. “Why would he write something like that? Oh my gosh.” She agreed wholeheartedly with the decision. Anyone who could share something so crude with a stranger was bad news. M’gann did not get it, so she laughed nervously before gratefully accepting her Coca-Cola from the bartender. “Thank you.” She started to unwrap the plastic drinking straw.

[nycthief]

@missmartianmisfit

“Swipe left, or right?” Felicia asked, angling her phone so the profile was displayed. The guy’s picture was cute, she supposed, but the details were sketchy. “Extra large…personality,” she narrated, as she and the stranger waited for drinks, which took awhile at Josie’s. “He highly suggests you ask about his quest to find somebody…upsexy,” Felicia added, waiting for the joke to land. “Thinkin’ about right, but I’m open to suggestions.”

[missmartianmisfit]

She didn’t understand what it meant to swipe right or left, but there was enough context for her to know what the stranger wanted. M’gann eyed the picture dubiously. “Not that one.” The man was definitely holding hands with someone. “He’s already in a relationship.” 

M’gann tried to point to the little detail, but accidentally clicked into the next page. “Sorry!” Her own clunky flip-phone took more than a tap to earn a response. She drew her hand back in a hurry, then squinted. It was going to bother her all night if she didn’t just ask. “What’s upsexy?”  

[missmartianmisfit]

dcvilkid:

Aw, man. Eddie had definitely missed something big here. He wrapped his other arm around her back, murmuring quietly under his breath. At this point, he wasn’t even paying very much attention to what he was saying. He was pretty sure it didn’t matter - as long as he stuck with stuff that sounded soothing.

Except apparently he needed to steer away from mentioning hypothetical possibilities related to the Panel, because that made her tense up again, when she’d finally seemed like she was starting to relax. “Hey, it’s gonna be fine, M&M,” he assured her. The goofy nickname was basically the biggest gun he had to pull out. If that didn’t help to calm her down, nothing would. “Promise.”

After that, he let the silence alone for a little bit. Finally, it seemed like his attempt at a distraction might pay off. Enthusiastically, maybe a little over-enthusiastically, he said “Well, I’ve never actually had one. But I guess they’re like a cross between a croissant and a donut. They’re supposed to be incredible.” He smiled, hoping that maybe this meant that she was coming out on the other side of whatever this was, and maybe he could actually start trying to make sense of whatever had just happened.

She nearly cried that it wasn’t going to be fine at all, but the little nickname made her perk up a tiny bit. Still hanging onto him, she repeated quietly, “M&M.” It reminded her of how Eddie had behaved around her when they’d first met. He’d given her plenty of affectionate nicknames back then and she had, shyly and a little awkwardly, tried to return the favor. They were just kids back then. But here and now, Eddie was trying to comfort her. He said that they’d be safe. He promised. She had to be strong. She sniffled and whispered, “I preferred Mars-mallow.” 

Eddie’s description of a Cronut did a nice job of distracting M’gann. She listened and allowed a sweet mental image of the Cronut to form. The thought of something flaky and covered in sugar coaxed her back from the brink.“That sounds really good.” It finally occurred to her that if the Panel hadn’t caught up with them yet, then there was a chance that they really were safe. At least for the moment. It took a great effort, but M’gann let go of Eddie long enough to ask, “Do you think we could get one after… after all this?”

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

There was even less room on the train now than there had been before, and Xavin would have begun to feel claustrophobic had they not had something else to focus on. As it was, they were far more engaged in the strange shifting conversation they’d found themself involved in than in the press of bodies around them. They spotted what she was doing almost as soon as she began. Closing her eyes had given away the start of it, and from there, they tracked the rest of the changes easily. This one would be simple enough to match. They weren’t going to match the colors, however. Their usual coloration was, for them, much more comfortable.

Instead, they deepened the color of their own face, until it was only a few shades away from true black. As they closed they own eyes, their nose and jaw broadened, and the eyes themselves deepened a little, settling farther back in their skull than they had before. As a final touch, stubble ran along their chin as they opened their eyes, revealing their new, amber hue. They held it only for an instant, before letting their features fall back to the shape they were so used to.

And, if they understood correctly, that made it their turn. They took a long moment to consider what to do next. There was one thing they were curious about. Oh, they’d seen her shift her clothes, but that could be managed, with the right sort of materials. They’d heard of that sort of thing before. But could she actually make herself into something inorganic? They chose something small, to start with. They’d kept the braid, from before. Now, a piece of hair began to wind itself tightly, growing in length as it circled the end of it. Gradually, the rogue strand grew lighter, and solidified itself into a band. In short order, they had created a piece of white ribbon, tied in a tight bow around the end of their braid.

M’gann watched in amazement as an unfamiliar, masculine face came and went. Mastering the male form had been a challenge for M’gann. Much more so than mastering the female form. The first men she had shifted into were either noticeably feminine or thin shells of her goal transformation. It had taken no less than two years to perfect the art, even though entirely different species came at no difficulty at all. The stranger moved so seamlessly between the two. M’gann grinned, thoroughly impressed.

She lowered her brow as the other shifter’s hair grew into a lovely white ribbon. At first, M’gann didn’t quite understand what the nuance of this move was. The bow was delicate and attractive, but the Martian didn’t consider it a real challenge. Still, it gave her an idea. M’gann turned around so that the other player could see the back of her head while blocking the other passengers couldn’t see the change. Individual hairs wound themselves into spirals, thickening and lightening, until they M’gann’s hair shone with pearls. Others split into five at the very tips. They flattened and hardened until they blossomed into enamel covered flowers. Still more turned to thin golden branches which connect the tiny pearls and flowers in an intricate maze.

The intricate ornamental comb only began to fade as the train pulled into the next station. She knew there was only another two minutes between this station and 175th, and then only another three minutes till it reached 190th and the Cloisters. Disappointed that the game was almost at an end, M’gann prepared her next turn. It was an old trick of hers, one she had used many times before, but one that never failed to excite. 

She pressed her palms together and gave the stranger a smile. An ‘I’ll tell you a little secret’ sort of smile. When she opened her palms, a scene in miniature unfolded like a pop-up book. Two deer, a doe and her fawn, drink from a thin stream. From the window of a tiny log cabin, a little boy watches the deer. The boy is so tiny in the palm of M’gann’s hand that it is hard to spot him through the pine forest surrounding his home. But there is more to see. Birds nesting in the trees, crows and sparrows and even a cardinal. A groundhog digs through the fallen pine needles. There is a specialness in this place. M’gann revisited it often to plant new details. She was just glad to have another shifter to share it with, even if they would part ways very soon. Maybe the other would revisit it too, someday. But for now, with the stop coming up, M’gann closed her hands.

[missmartianmisfit]

the-m3chanic:

“Oh yeah. He pierced the palms of his space-suit and flew around like Iron Man. Literally said my name and everything. I’m inspiring a new generation of fictional scientists.” There was, of course, the scientists who were a little truer to life at the same time. Tony still remembered with fondness the little boys and girls who would come running up to him at conventions, asking him to ‘do the repulsor thing’ and begging for photographs. Kids had always been something he adored, and if he was able to make a difference in their lives even without meeting them, he was happy. “Why isn’t it safe for your ship? The Panel aren’t out for you. They would want to help you, M’gann. The women that are running it are trustworthy, and some of the most amazing agents I know.” Morse and Drew would rather die than allow someone to be experimented on, especially given the latter’s history.

There was something inside Tony that had almost expected this to happen. A highly advanced extra-terrestrial species, capable of communicating with humans and evolved enough to have their own culture, their own scientists and their own infrastructure, were reduced to rubble and ash because of a disease. It was strange, then, to look at one of the few remaining members of that species – strange, and an honour, at the end of the day. M’gann was representative of Mars just as the Maximoffs were representatives of Sokovia. “That sounds devastating,” Tony replied, not knowing what else to say. After all, he had grown up in the richest of gated communities. Disease and death were distant things not to be considered, at least until the cops arrived on his doorstep, informing him that his parents were dead.

Her mother being alive, however, changed things drastically. “If you wanted to go back for her,” Tony replied, “I’m sure that we could find something.” He wasn’t sure what it was that was holding her on earth besides the plague that she had described, or why she was here without her family besides her uncle, but either way, he was willing to help. “She sounds amazing, truly. You have taken after her. She’d be really proud of you, you know that?”

At least talking about Jessica was something that, surprisingly, made Tony feel comfortable. “Sounds like her,” he replied, a grin on his face which slowly disappeared at the next question. “Oh, we, um.” He paused. “We broke up.” It was something that had been inevitable, both of them discussing the demise of their relationship as it was just beginning, but still, admitting to it felt like admitting to a failure. “We’re still friends, we just … can’t be together like that.”

“Not to brag, but my uncle was on television.” Her face made it clear that she was poking fun at herself. “Yeah. He was a guest star on the Electric Company and he was an extra in this old show called Crime Story that I wouldn’t really recommend, but I also wouldn’t not recommend. So, you see I, too, have a link to fame and footlights.” Not really, and she knew it, but it was fun to joke.

Immediately, M’gann opened mouth to explain why her ship was in hiding. But she closed it just as fast. M’gann trusted Tony. No doubt about that. But she was nearly as afraid of the Panel now as she had been before the turnover. The new leaders hadn’t approached her, hadn’t offered reparations or even a direct apology. And they hadn’t done enough to see that those in charge of her torture were brought to justice. Tony was working on that, not the Panel. She looked at him, sharply, amazed that he hadn’t come to these conclusions himself. “The people of New York are confused and frightened of aliens. They are odds are very high that my bioship would be mistaken for a Skrull ship. She could be shot down, destroyed, and people would be happy about it. And then there’s me. I’m a shapeshifting alien in a world where everyone assumes the shapeshifting aliens are villains. That’s never a safe position to be in.”

“As for the Panel, I don’t trust them. I thought maybe I’d feel better now that the Panel has switched hands, but,” she bit her lower lip and looked nervous, “I don’t. I remember everything they did to me. I can’t stop looking over my shoulder even now that the Panel has called off the Strike Force because those people are still out there, somewhere, and the only person who is actively trying to track them down is you. I’m trying to rebuild my life after being wrongfully imprisoned and tortured by their scientists for half a year and the new leadership hasn’t even reached out to deliver a personal apology!” She took a deep breath, calming the storm of emotions. “Would you trust them if you were in my place?”

She chuckled. “My mother doesn’t want to come here. She’s a leader, a column of the community, and she feels that she is more needed on Mars.” Although she missed her mother, M’gann herself didn’t want to return to Mars. It wasn’t entirely about the danger. It was about opportunity. A White Martian was afforded fewer rights on Mars. She would not have become a researcher or a superhero there, in fact she most likely would have been isolated to her childhood homestead. She would not have gotten to explore an unfamiliar world and swim in its oceans and walk barefooted on its grass. Earth was her home now. And she loved it. “It’s complicated. Mother, L’krisa, is proud that I have made a life for myself, but I think she’s a little disappointed too. I’m not exactly the link between Green and White that she thought I would be.” She sighed. “It’s hard to live up to those expectations, you know? I just wanted to fit in.”

M’gann gasped, “Oh no! I’m so sorry!” It felt like every other word she knew had walked out on her. The alien pressed her lips together in a frown. No wonder Jessica had been so quiet these past few weeks. No wonder Tony hadn’t stopped by for a snack! “Break-ups are the worst.” It wasn’t poetry, but at least something came back.

[missmartianmisfit]

dcvilkid:

Eddie held on tightly to M’gann’s hand until she finally stopped trying to keep up her new fleeing for her life routine. He might not have any idea what was going on right now, but he wasn’t about to let her go running through traffic again. Once she seemed to realize that they didn’t need to run any more, he let go, trying to figure out whether he ought to be giving her some space or trying to give her a hug.

When she finally looked him in the eye again, and he realized that she was crying, the second option won, hands down. He was cool enough to wrap an arm around her shoulders. He’d never exactly been the brains of any team he’d been on, but it didn’t take a lot of thought to put together that whatever was making M’gann panic like this, it had something to do with the Panel. “Nobody’s gonna find us,” he assured her. “Unless they followed us through the portal, and we’re the only ones in this alley, so that didn’t happen.” He still wasn’t sure how the Panel finding them was a bad thing, but that could wait a few minutes until M’gann wasn’t shaking like a leaf.

He smiled, trying to brighten things up a bit in the hopes that maybe it would calm his friend back down. “You know that place that got all trendy for a while for inventing the Cro-nut? We’re there. Or behind there. I saw this spot on the news, when they were showing B-roll of all the hip city people standing in line.” Now that they’d stood still for a few minutes, he could smell the dough frying.

His arm was warm around her shoulder. Far warmer than any human, but his skin never burned her. She practically fell into the embrace, burying her head in Eddie’s shoulder. M’gann listened to his assurances and tried to keep from sobbing. Everything that had been done to her during those long months was crashing down around her. She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t stop trembling, couldn’t stop the tears.

When Eddie mentioned that the Panel might have followed the two of them through the portal, M’gann stiffened only to melt into his arms all over again when he recanted. M’gann tried to cover her eyes with a hand to keep Eddie’s shoulder from getting wet. It didn’t help much, but M’gann didn’t have it in her to come up with a more creative solution.

M’gann wasn’t aware of how long they’d been standing in the alley. More than a few minutes. The alleyway was still quiet and undisturbed, save for the two of them. Her heart rate began to slow. Her voice muffled by Eddie’s shoulder, M’gann finally asked, “What’s a Cronut?” She couldn’t manage a laugh yet, but it was a start.

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

“Thanks,” Xavin mouthed back, feeling a warm flush of pride. The stars they had made glittered for a moment more, before fading to look like ordinary fabric. The last thing either of them needed was to draw attention to themselves. After all, the entire world now knew that Skrulls were shapeshifters. This…whatever it was…could get both of them in a lot of trouble, even if Xavin’s assumption that the other shifter wasn’t a Skrull was right.

Though they’d tried to keep their face serene, just in case one of the humans was more observant than they seemed, they couldn’t help the wide-eyed stare at the other shifter’s answering transformation. It was beautiful. The colors reminded them of a nebula. It was a disappointment when the train began to slow and the girl closed their sweater before someone else could see. They stepped to the side to allow the other passengers to come and go as they needed. As for them, they weren’t going anywhere. Not until they’d gotten at least a couple of answers. In the press of bodies, however, they did manage to move a little nearer to where the other shifter was standing. All the better to see if she decided to continue this little back-and-forth.

More passengers piled into the car, pushing the two closer together so that they were both standing by the tunnel-side doors and facing each other. There was less room now, but this wasn’t M’gann’s first subway ride. New Yorkers made as little eye contact as possible while in transit. This was especially true for subway riders. If there wasn’t enough room to hold a smart device or a newspaper, they would close their eyes for a few minutes or stare at their own hands. M’gann found subway rides a little lonely. She was glad to have found an ally in the crowd.

The doors slid shut and the train headed towards the next station, much closer this time. Only about two minutes away. M’gann turned to the other shifter and closed her eyes. When they opened again amber had turned to a rich green. The eyeliner thinned and the outer corner of her eyes pulled outwards ever so slightly. Freckles dotted her cheeks, nose, and forehead. Another blink. M’gann’s jaw narrowed along with the bridge of her nose. A whole new face in seconds. And after a smile and a tilt of her head, it all faded back to the way it had been. No one the wiser. M’gann looked expectantly towards the other shifter again.

[missmartianmisfit]

prinxe-xavin:

She wasn’t changing again. Why not? Xavin watched her closely, as close as they dared while avoiding the attention of the other passengers around them, trying to catch something they had missed. Had they done something wrong? Or was it simply that they’d identified each other and now they were finished? Then, they saw her nod, and realized what was happening. It wasn’t that they’d done anything wrong. She was just waiting for them to make the next move.

What to do? They wanted it to be something new, something the other shifter hadn’t already done. They looked down at themself, and an idea struck. Under their heavy coat, the dress and thick tights they had clothed themself in were both still visible. Slowly, as they focused, little pinpricks of silver began to grow on the tights, gaining in size until they formed a scattering of tiny silver stars. They doubted that anyone except for them would ever recognize the pattern of stars they had seen in the night sky as a child.

With a hesitant smile, they waited to see how long it would take the other shifter to notice the change.

For a moment, M’gann worried that the other wouldn’t know what to do. Maybe they would assume the game was finished. Luckily, there was nothing to worry about. A flicker of light caught M’gann’s attention first. She looked down at the woolen tights and saw, to her amazement, that it was now dotted with stars. M’gann looked up at the other player’s face, then down at the shimmering stockings, then back up again. “Wow, nice one,” she mouthed.

And she would have mimicked the starry tights, but she was feeling inspired. She looked around one more time, just to be sure that no one was looking up now that the stop was getting closer. If anything, the passengers looked more distracted. M’gann unbuttoned her cardigan and held one side open, turned at an angle so only the other could see it. Inside the cardigan was a lining of swirling cosmic clouds. Soft purple and warm orange and just a touch of blue, with a spattering of stars.

The train slowed to a stop and M’gann started to rebutton. Too many people were already standing up to leave so she couldn’t do another shift right away. There were another few stops before 190th Street. Curiously, M’gann watched to see if her companion would be leaving at this stop.