Riley Davis and Jack Dalton sat in their chairs in the War Room.
Riley saw Jack glance at the bowl of paperclips in the middle of the table.
Patricia Thornton walked into the room and Riley drew in a deep breathe.
"I've been wondering this for awhile. Why is there a bowl of paperclips on the table if we rarely even use paper?"
Jack stiffened and exchanged a glance with Patricia.
"I was before your time, Ri. I had a different partner before you joined."
Riley had a bad feeling. "What- what happened to them?"
Jack sighed and drew his hands down his face. "He died."
"Oh."
"He was a genius. IQ higher than Einstein's. He could make anything out of nothing. He looked like a puppy when sad and blew things up. I wish you coulda known him."
"But... what are the paperclips for?"
"He could never stay still. As soon as he'd walk into this room, he'd grab a paperclip and shape it into some awesome shape."
Riley hesitated. "He sounds-- good."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "He sounds good?"
"Yeah. He sounds like a good person."
Patricia cleared her throat and went back to the debriefing.
As they walked out to go save the world again, Riley glanced at the lonely bowl of paperclips.