Steve Rogers (
stands_for_something) wrote in
nexus_sages2016-03-11 09:37 pm
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A Break in the Weather
There's an old man sitting at a table in the Forum, reading his way through a pile of mail and enjoying one of the first balmy days this part of the Nexus has had in a while. To all appearances, the letters are a series of magazine-publisher sweepstakes entry forms, if anyone feels like reading over his shoulder.
Setting one down, he sighs, then looks up and turns a question toward whomever might be around and inclined to talk. "Does anyone have a story of a particularly satisfying way they quit a job? Or if you're management, a satisfying way you dealt with a problem employee?"
Setting one down, he sighs, then looks up and turns a question toward whomever might be around and inclined to talk. "Does anyone have a story of a particularly satisfying way they quit a job? Or if you're management, a satisfying way you dealt with a problem employee?"
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No, Verity. Gaze into the idealism. Be corrupted by its rosy worldview and sincere belief that a better tomorrow can be made with sufficient effort and care. Or, not corrupted, but something like that.
Her offer of comfort in turn is appreciated, and she gets a smile--a rare, tired smile, that gives a hint that apart from that very cold nap he took, this is a man who's had very little rest since he stepped up to serve his country. "Thank you. As I think of things, I promise I'll let you know. Right now..." He sighs. "I've got a damn good agent I'm not sure I can trust, because half the time I think she still thinks she's working for one of the other directors SHIELD's had in recent years."
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She's noticing a distinct 'I don't sleep enough' trend among the heroes she meets. She doesn't approve--for all the good it does. Whatever part of his burden he's willing to share with her, she's willing to take. "Maybe she's due for a sabbatical? Or reassignment to a job that'll reinforce why you're changing things?"
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Those are good words. Steve's idealism has sometimes been compared to a religious experience.
Few heroes get enough sleep. It's a flaw intrinsic to the breed. "A sabbatical, she'd never take--she'd be convinced I'm a Skrull infiltrator putting her out to pasture so I can run my scheme unhindered, or something. Reassignment could work, though."
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Something to train out of the newer generation, perhaps? "So now you just need a job for her that'll provide the perfect teachable moment. No problem." She knows it wasn't a super helpful idea.
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For the best.
Verity is welcome to try to get those kids to sleep more--they sure don't listen when the advice comes from Cap. "Every job has teachable moments. I need the right teachable moment. But it's a direction to move in, so that's progress. Thank you."
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"You're welcome. I hope you find the right place for her soon." What good hoping is supposed to do, she's not really sure, but it usually makes people feel better.
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Verity's closer to them in age, while Steve has been an authority figure for half a century--rebelling against him is practically a requirement for teens.
"Thanks. If you have any ideas for a job that could remind someone of why we do it without seeming like either being put out to pasture or make-work to hide a nefarious scheme, I'd appreciate hearing them."
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"Um. Well. Why do you do it?"
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The more you know...☼
"Because there's still a long way between where we are and where we should be. Justice isn't a fist, or a hammer, one bad choice doesn't have to damn you forever, and every single person in the world could be better if they tried, and had the chance. I try to give them that chance."
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"You make it sound like it could really happen," she sighs. It'd be so nice to live in that world. "Have you helped anyone change for the better lately? Maybe she could be their handler, helping them get situated out in the world again?"
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America was built on lovely, shiny ideas, and it's a nation forever under construction. Yes, even Steve Rogers' narration is endlessly optimistic and patriotic.
"Actually... there's someone Clint helped straighten out, who she could handle. Abner Jenkins, Mach VII. He went through quite a lot on Clint's word, really turned himself around."
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Believing that Clint helped save someone from a life of crime isn't hard for her; she gives him flack sometimes, but she really does love and admire him. Her trouble now is in trying to remember where else she's heard that name. 'Mach VII' never much made it to the 6 o'clock news, after all.
"And he needs someone to help him figure out the whole civilian life thing now?"
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She might sooner connect Abner Jenkins with "the Beetle," his villainous handle, or one of the previous "Mach" iterations that made headlines during his time with the Thunderbolts.
"He's become a special parole officer. He needs someone to watch over his shoulder while he tries to do for someone else what Clint did for him. If that someone learns something while looking over his shoulder, so much the better."
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"An elegant solution." She has no idea how badly that's going to go. Then again, neither does Steve, or Maria, or Abner. The Sinister Six is in so much trouble. "And you can tell her you need to put a top agent on it because you need someone capable of dealing with things if Mister Jenkins starts to backslide, or his parolee starts trouble..."
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That's fair. You need a pretty thick book to keep track of Who's Who in the Marvel Universe.
"Exactly." Dammit, Boomerang. "At least, that's the hope. But it's sounding good in a first draft."
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Boomerangs ruin everything. This is a fact. "Then I'll hope it works out."
She officially got to help Captain America. This is one of the best days of her life.
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He smiles. That smile. "Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes."
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She's going to need to just sit for a minute.
But then she'll manage to remember how knees work and will leave him to his paperwork.