outstandingbalance | Drift Fleet IC Contact

[No commentary, just a video recording from a few hours ago of a familiar face down on the planet.]

[Natasha doesn't reply immediately, giving both the Vision and herself a few moments. Maybe mostly herself, since he's already had the time to process, but considering he didn't say anything himself she assumes he's not in a rush either.

Still, after a time, she'll acknowledge the message.]

He doesn't remember anything.

[Not a question.]

No. He asked if I was an agent of SHIELD.

[Which places him in the timeline somewhere before the fight in Germany, probably very shortly after SHIELD had been revealed to be infiltrated by HYDRA.

It shouldn't be surprising. This would be the--fourth? Or is it the fifth version of him now?]

[Natasha's math is about the same as Vision's. Most likely before Sokovia and Ultron. It's a step back.]

He seemed relatively stable.

Yes, which is better than it could be.

[But it's also worse than it could be, because he doesn't remember the Fleet. It's a selfish and unfair thing to think, so he doesn't express it - and it might very well be why he's sticking to text.]

Is it best to observe and wait for now?

For the moment, maybe. Give him some space. There's a strong likelihood he doesn't have good memories of me.

[And oh, that stings. Just how many times was he going to forget her?

Not a fair thought. She squashes it down.]

I'll make contact once he's had time to settle on his ship.

[Yes, well, it wasn't fair of him to hope Bucky might recognize him, either, and he'd still held on to that hope. They'll probably never see the man he knew as Winter ever again, and that's a large part of his grief.]

Understood. I don't want to force him into something he's not comfortable with.

[Good way to push someone away, that.]

Especially in his case.

[Because he's the very definition of someone who's had too much of that. More than too much.]

But we'll make sure he knows we're here.

Agreed.

[There's a short pause.]

I realize our circumstances in this are quite different, but thank you for understanding regardless.

[There's a pause. Text gives them both the luxury of being able to chose their words carefully, not having to respond in the moment.]

I appreciate the heads up.

[Which is as close as she comes now to thanking him, or acknowledging that they're in this together, regardless of the differences in their situation.]

[Hey, it's what friends do, right?]

It's no trouble.

Drift Fleet IC Contact

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