Voicetesting. He's not generally a happy camper.

[notsomecutetech]

What do I think? I think you're full of shit, that's what I think, and you don't have a single clue as to what you're doing here.

Stop smiling. I've got work to do, and I've got to keep an eye on Scott and my daughter. You know why. 

And change my user name - I don't want that cocky kid coming after me. 

Comments

[starspangleddame]

Mundanes rarely have any sort of a plan. Mine made an account and promptly left me to languish on the metaphorical shelf. I feel like a bloody can of SPAM.

[notsomecutetech]

Well, if one of these mundanes could forget someone like you, I'm afraid my chances are looking pretty dim about now. I'm just some old fart compared to all her younger muses.

Hello, Agent Carter. You're looking... well.

[starspangleddame]

He's hardly the first.

[Don't let Peggy get started on the rewriting of her story, and the use of her image in American propaganda. The fact that she's not remembered as originally British is annoying, but understandable. Posters of her encouraging young ladies to be 'courteous to the husbands," casting Uncle Sam as her groom, are revolting. As is the phrase "if you see something, say something."

Doctor Pym. I'm to understand I'm not as you expect.

[notsomecutetech]

[It's a rewriting he doesn't recognize now, though Hank here hasn't experienced too many muses like her yet, anyway. Call him old fashioned.]

Call me Hank.

No offense, but you do look awfully young to be the Peggy Carter I remember. But apparently this sort of thing is common around here. Hell, I just met another Ant Man who isn't Scott, so that was something.

[starspangleddame]

[She doesn't mind old fashioned. There's plenty about the new century she likes—strides in equality and civil rights, technology, food—but she misses what she's used to. It was home, warts and all.]

Peggy, then, if you insist on familiarity. Or Captain Carter. My doppelgänger had an eventful life. I have large heels to fill.

Scott's your protege, correct?

[notsomecutetech]

[This isn't exactly his world anymore, either. Hank knows he's an old man, now - this world is for the young, young like his daughter and Scott. But so far they had proven that wasn't a bad thing, the world being in hands like theirs.]

Captain? So you're some alternate version of Captain America then?

You could say that, yes. I've been letting Scott Lang wear my old suit. So far, he hasn't let me down.

[starspangleddame]

On the contrary. [She smiles, but it's something bitter, eyes hard as steel.] Steve Rogers is an alternate version of me. [Peggy isn't interested in your 'one true universe' nonsense, thank you very much.]

Scott Lang. How good is he?

[notsomecutetech]

Hold on a second, don't you have to be American to be Captain America? [Hey, only an idiot would think she was actually from their American soil.]

He's pretty good. Really good, actually, surpassed my expectations. But don't tell him that too much, it tends to go right to his head.

[starspangleddame]

[The smile eases a little bit into something a touch more pleased with itself. Like a cat toying with a canary, she knows that his Pym's expectations are lower than what she knows she can do. At least in this particular circumstance.

And then Peggy rattles off in a flawless American accent:] I was born and bred in New York City, working in the factories to help out with the War effort, until Doctor Erskine asked me if I wanted to really help with my country. [Back to her real accent--] Or so the public story goes, at any rate.

Mum's the word. Understood.

[notsomecutetech]

[At her flawless accent, he does chuckle a little, in amusement.]

Not bad. I'm sure that's got people fooled, at least the people that matter. Then again, the public masses never were smart enough to see past disguises. They took all my crap for a while, anyway - I had them believing the Ant Man was just a talltale. Guess those days are over now.

Well, I chose Scott for a reason. He's not as good as my daughter, of course, but that was a given from the start.

[starspangleddame]

Everything was manufactured. Scripted. The army gave me a false history to memorize, and I did as was told.

I haven't seen any of the footage, though one hears rumors. You managed to keep it out of Stark's hands, which tells me a great deal.

[About Pym, of course, and also Stark.]

Why didn't you choose her?

[notsomecutetech]

Like any good soldier would, I'm sure.

I knew what could happen if that kind of technology got into the wrong hands. I was careful.

[And he made sure Stark never caught a whiff of his work.] Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep it secret forever. I thought I could trust me protege. I was wrong.

[He sighs a little.] Because I was overprotective. I didn't want what happened to my wife to happen to my little girl. But she isn't so little anymore, she's more than capable of taking on the world. It just took me a little while to figure that out.

Sorry, Eric can't resist a Pym.

[irredeemed_ant]

Yeah, you're different from the Pym I know dude, but probably just as crabby.

Anyway, seems from my perspective like the cocky kid knows what he's doing. Kinda.

[notsomecutetech]

I've been called worse.

Except when it comes to making suits. Obviously you're aware of the things my suit is capable of compared to his... flashy costume.

And I don't think he knew what he was doing when he created Ultron, but hey - we all make mistakes, some more colassal than others.

[irredeemed_ant]

See, you know how to take that! My Pym, not so much.

True but the repulsors are still pretty awesome. Imagine tiny versions of those and tell me that wouldn't be cool, Doc.

...yeah, you know over my way you created Ultron instead of Stark. Though creating advanced AI is kinda out of my comfort zone anyway.

[notsomecutetech]

Maybe old age has made me go soft. [But he's still very sarcastic, so he's not being entirely sincere.]

I'm not interested.

Well the version of me in your universe doesn't sound like he was too concerned with making the world safe for his daughter. Until recently, that was my goal, keeping her safe. Of course she's just as stubborn as her mother was.

[irredeemed_ant]

Fair enough. Anyway for the record I think the Ant Man armour is way more fun, suits the whole stealth break in and beat up terrorist cells thing just fine. And Starkie is kinda flashy, even over my way.

Ah, well that's because you and Jan don't have a daughter in my universe. You kinda broke up, long story. You do a lot to protect the world though, even if you are pretty upset to have accidentally made a genocidal killer AI machine dude.

...but yeah our Jan is pretty stubborn so I could totally see that. Anyhoo, I'm Eric, the Ant Man after Lang.

[notsomecutetech]

'Way' more useful is you ask me, unless Stark has created a way to shrink, too.

[Something in his expression changes. Hank hasn't heard all about this other him yet, though he's quickly learning.]

I see. Well, at least Jan is still alive in this other universe.

I'm Hank, but then I guess you already knew that.

Gah, wrong muse, sorry.

[irredeemed_ant]

Yeah I'd like to see him beating up on a dude's internal organs.

...for the record that happened to me, not something I do. Armour got nabbed and used. Short story is the Mitch Carson in my universe is a way bigger asshole.

She is... now. It's complicated.

...Basically shape shifting aliens with green skin and pointy ears tried to take over the world and declare it their Jihad paradise and our Pym turned out to be one of them and he'd altered Janet's costume so when activate she'd basically turn into a rapidly growing death bomb until Thor had the idea of lightning bolting her and we thought she was dead but turns out she just got transported over to the microverse and...

...yeah, like I said, complicated. [Comics, am I right?]

Nice to meet ya, other Hank.

[baskinrobbing]

Really hope you're not referring to me.

[He'll just sit here, hands in his pockets, smirking]

[notsomecutetech]

Actually I was referring to Stark, but you're a close second.

[Don't mind him, he's actually quite pleased to see you. And he's amused as hell by your journal name.]

I see your name isn't much better.

[science_is_fun]

I'm pretty sure that Tony would make some comment no matter what your username was. That's just how he works, I'm afraid. [Seems like a better way to start off the conversation than "hi, I'm you from another universe."]

[notsomecutetech]

I agree. Stark always feels entitled to give some smartass comment.

[He sizes him up, this younger version of him.]

So. You're the me I keep hearing so much about.

[science_is_fun]

Possibly - it's hard to tell with so many people from other universes running around. [Still, Hank's preparing himself for the worst.] What have you heard, exactly?

this is super late, but I couldn't resist!

[innovention]

Hope you're not talking about my cocky kid there, Hank.