science science science [closed]

[youbarium]

Who| Carlos, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers
What| Working on memorizing stolen blueprints.
Where| The Speakeasy
When| Shortly after the new issue of Celebrus comes out.
Warnings/Notes| I figure all three of you can have your own thread! This'll work best one on one, I think.

It would be scientifically inaccurate to say that Carlos is moping. He isn't. He is working on science. The fact that he's been doing almost nothing but science the past few weeks doesn't mean anything; he just gets like that sometimes. It has nothing to do with how he is or is not feeling.

Absolutely nothing.

Carlos knows that the Capitol will frame this as another romantic exploit, and at this point, he doesn't care enough to correct them. The Capitol has taken his reputation, his dignity, most of his science, and his boyfriend (twice), and Carlos no longer cares enough to listen to what they have to say.

He and Steve have been meeting at the Speakeasy fairly regularly, so Carlos doesn't need to send him a message. He'll be waiting for Steve in the back, at the usual time. But Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark are another matter. He's approached them individually, discreetly, in a crowded place where the Capitol would have trouble overhearing, to apologize for not contacting them sooner and to say that he's heard of them by reputation and, as a fellow scientist, he's interested in discussing science with them -- over drinks. If they seemed Reluctant, he promised to make it worth their while. He gave them a time and place, and will be waiting there.

The bartender knows Carlos by now, and when Tony or Bruce arrives, he will be ushered into a back room where Carlos is sitting at an old wooden table. He has moved the table into the best light in the room, but there's nothing on it, yet.

"Hi," he'll say. "Glad you could make it."

Comments

[honeyibrokeharlem]

Bruce had been very hesitant about coming here. He watched Carlos on the surveillance after being approached, and the man had done nothing suspicious. (Which in and of itself could be suspicious, which he had considered.)

But the Speakeasy was a known place for rebels to gather, so the man had to have at least cursory rebel ties. Bruce tentatively decided to go. Risks had to be taken if there was hope to gain anything.

So when the bartender ushers him into a back room (with few witnesses, which could be good or bad) and he is greeted, he gives a polite nod, his jaw and hands tense but otherwise showing no outward sign of how wary he was.

"It wasn't too hard. You're Carlos, right?"

He slowly sits down across from him, keeping all exits in his line of sight without anything in between him and them.

[youbarium]

The brand on Carlos's temple warps as he smiles in reply. Then, the smile disappears as he gets down to business.

"That's right. Dr. Banner, I asked you to come here because Lonestar recommended you. He said you were a scientist, and that I could trust you to help me figure something out without betraying it to the Capitol. Is that true?"

[honeyibrokeharlem]

The brand means something. It means he earned his rebellion stripes. But the jailbreak wasn't completely about rebellion--it was also about personal ties and people loved. A brand doesn't necessarily mean trustworthy, as the poor girl now acting as the Capitol's mouthpiece proves.

"It's true."

He doesn't even have to hesitate for that. He knows how to hide information. He knows how to hide himself. He's done it for many long years, and he doesn't intend on ever betraying his fellow tributes, especially not when he would be betraying them to a group of savage child-killers in clown makeup.

"Can I trust you?"

Usually he avoids too much eye contact, but now he's staring at the man intently, searching for any possible sign of deception.

[youbarium]

Carlos knows he's being tested, being scrutinized. Maybe once it would have bothered him, but right now? Right now, Carlos's done-o-meter is registering unprecedented levels of completely through with the Capitol's bullshit. He looks at Bruce evenly, and a little tiredly.

"I've been passing secrets about District 13 to the Tribute resistance since April," says Carlos flatly. "The only reason the Capitol didn't get more out of me when I was arrested was that they didn't know what to ask. And besides, I'm not going to ask you to attack a Peacekeeper or assassinate President Snow. I just want you to take a look at this."

He reaches under the table and pulls out a blueprint. Carlos spreads it out over the table, under the light. It's complicated technology, not to mention incomplete, but its components can be parsed with a little examination.

[honeyibrokeharlem]

"District 13?" The history books says it's a pile of rubble, but... well, considering the Capitol's history of information distribution, he wouldn't be surprised if that were less than true.

When Carlos pulls out the blueprint, Bruce's eyes linger on the man's face before he takes his glasses out of his breast pocket and pushes them onto his nose as he looks down at the paper. "Where did you get this?" Already, he's parsing through the components, taking it apart and putting it back together in his head, working to figure out what it could be.

[youbarium]

"Oh, District 13's still around. I've spoken with Tributes who were brought there. If you need more proof, check out the Capitol's tapes of the area. They have zero current footage of the area: they've been using the same tape on loop over and over for quote-unquote live broadcasts for years." Carlos says all of this off-handedly, like it doesn't really matter. He's said it so many times that it's lost a little bit of its drama.

The blueprint, though, is new.

"As for the blueprint, my source asked to remain anonymous, but he stole it from the Capitol during the blackout. It's incomplete, but it's much more than we had before, and considering how many of us have a background in science and inventing? I think that, given enough time, we could recreate this."

[honeyibrokeharlem]

"Why am I not surprised?" Seriously. Zero surprise there. Although that carries implications about District 3 as well--maybe it too is not as demolished as they think?

Bruce nods as Carlos speaks, clearly listening even though he's concentrating on the blueprint. "This kind of thing is what Tony's really good at. Have you decided to bring him in on this?" He pauses for a second. "Tony Stark, I mean. I don't know if you've met him."

[youbarium]

"Lonestar referred him to me, too," Carlos says. "I'm going to approach him as soon as I can. But the more minds we have working on this, the better."

Ask what it is, Bruce. Just ask. It's not that Carlos is waiting for Bruce to ask; it's more like it just so happens that it hasn't come up naturally in the conversation yet, and the tension being drawn out is a side effect of that.

[honeyibrokeharlem]

"He'd be good to have on this project. Forewarning: he can be hard to work with." He finally looks up from the blueprint, having committed it to memory, and stares at Carlos over his glasses. "So do we have any idea what we're dealing with here?"

He was working up to the question, wanting to get an idea of the blueprint before actually asking anything about it. It helps him look at it for what is on the page.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony's never really one to be reluctant when approached by someone, dismissive and disinterested sure, almost every time unless they manage to say something that interests him. Which Carlos had. Tony wasn't exactly sure what it was about the guy, but he was at least an interesting sort of guy and he had at least heard others talking about him. So when he approached him wanting to discuss science Tony took him up on it and said he would meet him.

He didn't say anything about being on time however, so about an hour later than Carlos had asked Tony enters The Speakeasy, and after getting himself a Screwdriver from the bar, he followed the bartenders direction to Carlos' table and he slips into the seat and looks at Carlos through purple lenses.

"You know, I have to admit. Normally when I talk about science, it's usually in a better lit place.... Or the bedroom." He adds as an afterthought, because contrary to what most people believe, scientists were certainly the fun kind of attractive.

[youbarium]

Wow, rude, Tony. You're lucky Carlos would be here working on memorizing the schematics he's planning to show you anyway, or he would have left already. When you come in, he's got the plans spread out over the table and is poring over them, though the looks up immediately and rolls them into a neat cylinder before you reach your chair.

He lets the bedroom comment pass with little more than a momentary flush of embarrassment. When Carlos is flirted with, he responds one of two ways: if he's interested, he says something incredibly dweeby and puts his foot in his mouth, and if he's not, he pretends he didn't hear it. Good job, though -- the comment unbalances Carlos enough to keep him from griping about how inexcusably late you are.

"Do you know why I asked you to meet me here?" asks Carlos, businesslike. The emphasis is on the word here: he wants to know if Tony knows about the Speakeasy's surveillance-free status.

[arrogantalloy]

The schematics being rolled up so fast and slipped into a cylinder really hadn't escaped Tony's notice, though he did ignore it. After all from what he understood, everyone who came here were here because of secrets or a need to hide from the cameras. Not only that But Tony's also had a lot of experience hiding things from others throughout his life.

He also notices the slight embarrassment from him being terrible and that the bait was taken meant that Tony could start pushing boundaries if he finds Carlos interesting enough.

"I'm guessing it's not for slam poetry over a latte in a soup bowl." He pauses long enough to take a drink. "And something to do with that." He glances at the cylinder but brings no other attention to it.

[youbarium]

Carlos gives a small nod, an affirmative. "I heard you were a scientist," he said. "And not just a scientist, but a scientist I could trust not to betray some sensitive information to the Capitol. You're here, Mr. Stark, because Lonestar said I could trust you."

The can I? is unspoken.

[arrogantalloy]

"I'm more of an engineer, but it's still not an entirely inaccurate description. But then there isn't much I can't learn."

Tony leans back in his chair when Carlos attempts to vet him, to find out how trustworthy he is.

"Trusting the word of a man whose face you haven't seen? I feel like it almost has some strange zen to it."

He contemplates his drink before putting it down on the table, turning the bottom of the glass as he lets the moment pause.

"I don't exactly share what I know with people I don't trust, if that's what you're asking." Really he knows he shouldn't be too obtuse to the man willing to share information with him, but at the same time, if this guy is going to feel him out, Tony's going to feel him out right back.

What with trust going both ways an all.

[youbarium]

"I am in possession of personal details about Lonestar that have led me to trust him completely," Carlos says evenly, calmly. It's the truth: Carlos is one of about half a dozen individuals who are aware of Lonestar's identity. There is absolutely no doubt in his mind that he can trust Brainiac 5. "If I didn't, you wouldn't be here. But I do, so you are, and an engineer is exactly the kind of scientist I need."

Carlos reaches down and picks up the cylinder, but doesn't open it yet. He looks at Tony Stark, still feeling the man out.

"If I said that I might be able to give you a chance to go back to your own world, would you turn around and tell the Capitol?"

[arrogantalloy]

Tony gives something of an unimpressed look.

"Knowing a guy likes his scotch straight up and a double, doesn't mean he isn't going to turn around and kill you once you get in his way."

It's a dismissive tone, but a true statement of something that has happened in his life. But he lets his words pass as Carlos comes in about Tony being exactly what he needs. Okay his discipline is what he needs, but he is what he knows, so he leans forward, resting his arms on the table in interest. While at the same time raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, because my first thought about that would be 'I better let the people who are trying to force me to kill people that I've been told where the chicken wire is at it's weakness."

He takes another drink before shaking his head.

"Don't worry Steve McQueen. I don't plan on telling telling the SS where we keep the tunnels."

[youbarium]

Carlos doesn't reply to the first statement. The details he has about Brainiac 5 are a little more personal than that. Brainy has his trust.

And so, for now at least, did Tony Stark.

In one deft motion, Carlos pulls the blueprint from the cylinder and spreads it across the table. It's smooth, it's theatrical -- it's honestly a little anime, to tell you the truth.

"This is our key to the tunnels," he says firmly, pushing his glasses back up his nose -- the flourish had knocked them a little loose. "Behold -- this is the device that the Capitol used to bring us here." A beat. "At least, part of it. The blueprints are incomplete. But I believe that, given some time and some scientific minds working on it, we can reverse engineer this technology well enough to find a way to send us home."

[aboveangrybees]

With his memory as it is, Steve didn't need more than one long hard glance over the blue prints and plans. Still, he took the time to read every word and number, to memorize how the lines fell on shapes and designs, he didn't want to chance a single incorrect memory. After that, it wasn't necessary for him to pour over them any longer, but it was for Carlos. So, faithfully, Steve showed up and did what he could to help in this effort.

There were art techniques he learned to memorize and copy artwork from a time when he didn't have the memory he does now. It seems to be working well enough for Carlos, but it's not a fast process.

For the first time, Steve is running slightly late, odd for his usual punctual self. So, today when he slides into the seat across from Carlos, he gives him an apologetic smile as he sets his bag down beside him.

"Hey, hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

[youbarium]

Keep him waiting? Oh, right, would you look at the time! Carlos was so wrapped up in the blueprint that he'd totally lost track of time. He looks down at his watch, then back up at Steve, and worry crosses his face.

"No, it's fine, I've been so busy with this that I barely even noticed. ...you didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

[aboveangrybees]

Steve gives him an almost fond smile before it's gone. Never does Carlos remind him more of Howard than he does at times like these. A reminder of nights when he would go to make sure the man had eaten and how time flew by in the name of inventing and improving and learning, the rest of the world was just so secondary in the face of that.

"Avoiding it actually, followed up on a location, security was upped so figured it was safer to take the long way here," and garner less attention for why he was there in the first place. Being the cause of it and all.

"Speaking of which, for once, I have information for you," Steve has an almost boyish, self satisfied smile about it. It's not much and it might not even be useful, but hey, it's something new.

[youbarium]

--well. You have Carlos's full attention now, Steve Rogers. You are officially more interesting than the blueprint. His eyes light up.

"Oh?"

He can't help smiling back, at least a little. Considering how focused and businesslike and, well, obsessed with this blueprint work Carlos has been lately, that's a hell of an achievement.

[aboveangrybees]

Seeing he has Carlos' full attention, Steve returns the smile and pulls out his sketchbook as he speaks, opening it and already drawing a map of the area of the city he's referring to.

"I know where they're keeping the items they confiscated from us. During the blackout, I was able to infiltrate their buildings and locate our things, they heightened security since, but that just goes to show they haven't changed the location," as he finishes speaking, he indicates the building with an X.

[youbarium]

"That's great!" says Carlos, breaking into a real grin, then glancing down at the map. "I mean, I don't have anything there besides some scientific equipment, some tape recordings on Night Vale, and a lab coat, but I'm sure a lot of people are going to be very happy to hear this. There must be a lot of useful things there."

He looks back up at Steve. "Were you able to take anything?"

[aboveangrybees]

Steve has been hesitant to tell anyone the real extent of how much and what he stole, leaving it vague for each person he's told. It's all in the same location, but Steve is seeing the benefit of compartmentalizing information. Less someone knows the more they can honestly plead ignorance.

Still, he trusts Carlos enough to give him a number, "I was able to grab four things. Not much, but I got what I was after plus things to throw them off."

He pauses before adding, "We'll need to be careful who we tell, people want their things back, their weapons, and if the Capitol thinks too many tributes are loitering in the area, they'll move everything."

[youbarium]

Carlos nods, his aspect turning serious again. "We'll need another opportunity to get anything else. Either that, or a really good plan. Either way, we can't move now."