Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.
Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers. Please exercise understanding of personal sensitivities before and during reading.
Author's Note(s): This fic belongs to my Connection series, which more of a bunch of fics where characters have to face the consequences of things they did in canon. Why is this being handled in fanfiction, you ask? The answer is simple: canon decided to not have any consequences happen. So I work through my anger at the characters' blatant disregard for things like body autonomy and the lives of noncombatants by writing fanfiction.
Lamp Post Reminder: If your review/comment is a version of "get over it already" or an attempt to defend the character's decisions/actions, just save us both time and not do it. If you are a fan of Team Cap, this fic is not for you. If you feel that the characters are not being true to their canon selves, then I'm sure there is a lonely lamp post just waiting for your rant. Please note that I am not a lamp post.
Challenge/Competition Block:
Stacked with: MC4A (Spring Bingo; ToS; Shower; Fence; Star)
Individual Challenges: Short Jog; Ethnic & Present; Team Logic; Seeds; Hitter MC
Space Address (Prompt): 3D (Eggs); T1 (Sam Wilson | Falcon)
Representation: Military Personnel; BC Use
Bonus Challenge(s): Middle Name; Unwanted Advice; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Persistence Still); Chorus (Peddling Pots); Demo (Wind Beneath; Getting On)
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: n/a
Word Count: 1194
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Connection
Not as Expected
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Sam wasn't expecting to be arrested. Intellectually, he did know that multiple parts of the adventure with Steve Rogers was illegal. He wasn't stupid, after all. That didn't change the fact that he was working under Captain America to take down Hydra. So, of course, Sam wasn't expecting to be arrested for a laundry list of crimes, some of which sounded more like scare tactics than something he had actually done.
To make matters even worse, Sam had been arrested right from Steve's bedside. Sam had promised Natasha that he would keep watch while she went about handling things. He wasn't entirely certain who Natasha was beyond the Avenger code-named Black Widow, but he did know that she was Steve's friend and more than a bit scary. He could only imagine what her reaction would be when she returned and saw Steve alone in the hospital. It might not even matter that leaving wasn't Sam's choice.
So Sam wasn't expecting to be arrested for liberating the EXO wings or his participation in the Hydra mess. He especially wasn't expecting to be locked in an interrogation room in the Pentagon for several hours. What was even the hold up? The sooner someone arrived to question him, the sooner he would be able to explain how it had all been a part of Steve's plan.
Then they would see who really had the egg on their face.
A stern-faced man entered the room followed by a much younger man carrying a small stack of files along with a standard issue Stark tablet. Both men were in expensive but boring suits, though the first man had his rank and ribbons pinned to his lapel. Sam jumped into a salute before he had finished processing that the man was a general.
Old habits died hard.
"At ease," the general grumbled without returning the salute. He eyed Sam as he folded himself into the chair on the opposite side of the table. "I'm General John Turner. Normally, I only get that response from active servicemen. You were discharged five years ago, Mr. Wilson."
"I guess being around Steve the last few days have brought it out, sir."
"Did Mr. Rogers encourage any other old habits?"
"I don't understand," Sam said cautiously. The question sounded like a trap, but he couldn't figure out how exactly. The general held a hand out to his assistant instead of saying anything immediately. The assistant checked over the files before handing one off. The general opened it and flipped a few pages. "What's that?"
"Your service record is fairly standard for an airman of your rank," the general said, ignoring the question. "Gen. Metterson had good things to say about your service under him. That's impressive. Henry is not an easy man to please at the best of times." The general met Sam's gaze in clear challenge. "He considers ops that go south to the point of losing his men to be a personal insult."
Sam winced at the reminder of the botched mission that cost him his wingman. Riley hadn't deserved that ending, even if everyone who joined the military (and especially pararescue) knew dying was a possibility. They hadn't only been pararescue either. They had both been a part of the EXO Project, testing experimental StarkTech under real conditions. Everyone knew that StarkTech was tricky business. The price of being cutting edge in technology was that sometimes that edge cut the wrong way. Basic had been full of unverified stories of StarkTech gone wrong, things like gases that made best friends turn on each other or stun guns that cause muscle spasms strong enough to break bones.
Riley's wings had worked fine up until a gunshot had taken out the power supply. Without power, the wings had automatically retracted into their storage compartment, as they had been designed. Without wings, Riley went down in a free fall. Sam had been too slow to catch him. The entire project had new wings with that feature altered before the week was out, before Riley's body had even cleared customs, but Sam hadn't been able to handle continuing on with the project, opting to accept the offer of an honorable discharge instead.
"Which is why I'm surprised that you got mixed up in this mess," the general continued. "We have you, Rogers, and Romanoff on camera stealing top-secret federal property. You were a part of the EXO Project as well as Air Force, so I know that you've sat through at least three dozen of the safety briefs on StarkTech. Why the hell would you think taking that kind of tech outside of official channels was a good idea in any possible way?"
"Steve needed my help," Sam said, jumping at his chance to finally explain. "He didn't know who he could trust, because Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD."
"How long have you known Mr. Rogers?"
"I met Steve a few days ago," Sam admitted readily. The general frowned. "We were jogging around the Washington Monument. Later, he showed up at the VA center that I work at. We talked about a few things. Then he and Nat showed up on my doorstep. They needed a place to hide because everyone was trying to kill them."
"Let me see if I understand this correctly," the general said evenly. "Rogers came to you over other potential contacts, after having met you briefly only a few times, and then you decided to go on a crime spree with him, despite being practically a stranger."
"It wasn't like that!"
"Then what was it like, Mr. Wilson?"
"Captain America needed my help to take down Hydra!"
The general stared at Sam for a long moment before taking a deep breath that he then released very slowly. He turned to his assistant.
"Remind me that I owe Dr. Stark five bucks. The asshole predicted it down to the exact phrasing."
"Col. Rhodes did warn you not to bet against him, sir," the assistant replied drolly without looking up from writing something on the tablet with a stylus. "As did the President, if I recall correctly."
"I could fire you, you know," the general grumbled while half-heartedly glaring at his assistant.
"The coffee pot likes me better," the assistant replied without missing a beat. He didn't sound worried at all. In fact, he sounded like he was continuing a long-standing argument. "I wouldn't make it out of the office, let alone out of the building."
"No respect," the general grunted, turning back toward Sam. "We're going to debrief you fully, Mr. Wilson. If you cooperate fully, we will consider whether you will appear before the Congressional committee being organized to investigate this malicious act of terrorism you willfully participated in."
"Captain America needed my help," Sam repeated. The general didn't look any more impressed this time than he had before with that explanation. For the first time, Sam began to feel uneasy about following Steve into battle. It had seemed logical at the time, but this was beginning to seem like it wasn't going to go the way he had expected.
Maybe the egg was going to be on his face after all.
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An Ending
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