Chapter 4 – Democratic Decisions
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx
Earlier, on the other side of the door…
The five avengers sat in silence as the door shut behind the lieutenant, each apparently lost in their own thoughts.
"So should we see what they have to offer?" Stark mused aloud after a few moments "Or just cut to the chase and them to go to hell?"
Clint rolled his eyes. Natasha frowned. Steve sat with his arms crossed against his broad chest, eyes glued to the blank wall ahead of him as he ran scenarios in his head. One by one as the others finished processing the idea on their own he could feel their eyes on him. They were waiting for him to pass judgement.
Sometimes being a leader sucks…
"If what she said is true, if we have the ability to help maintain peace by just agreeing to continue what we're already doing, well then I think it would be irresponsible for us to not at least consider it." The super solider responded to their unspoken questions, which was followed by groans and more frowns.
They all should know better than to ask "What Would Steve Rogers Do?" if they didn't want his morally motivated answer.
Stark sighed "Fine. I'll have my lawyers look it over, but as soon as they find the hidden clause that makes us "Property of the US Military" we're done with this Peace Corps mission got it?"
"Cap pretty much already has that stamped across his forehead." Clint snickered and was rewarded with small smiles from Steve and Natasha. "But if he's in then hell, why not?"
"I agree." The female spy added "If we can establish a relationship with them now and gather intel it could provide us with an advantage should they try to turn on us."
"It's always straight to the worst case scenario with you isn't it?" Steve breathed, to which she simply shrugged and replied "How do you think I've stayed alive this long?"
"Banner?" Tony asked, directing the room's attention to the man on the table screen.
The doctor sat for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose in conflicted thought. "I prefer to have as little involvement as possible, however I can't stand aside and watch a World War Three happen either…"
Steve nodded in understanding as the man trailed off. "So that's it then?"
"What about Thor?" Banner questioned "Shouldn't he get a vote?"
"You have his cell number? Let's give him a call." Quipped Stark.
"Tony.." Steve warned before addressing the issue at hand "I think Thor would trust us to make the best judgement, after all we have a lot more at stake here than he does."
His statement was followed by a tense silence, but no one objected.
"Well if that's settled, let's reconvene tomorrow at one o'clock." The billionaire announced "Cap since you seem the keenest on this, why don't you go inform the Lieutenant. I have some data to analyze."
The blond man just nodded and stood to leave and Natasha followed suit beside him, before she turned away she leaned closer and softly said "I hope you're sure about placing your trust in her Steve."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx
Natasha's words echoed in the back of Steve's mind as he approached the will-call counter at Madison Square Garden later that night. If he hadn't made up his mind about taking Lieutenant Walker up on her on her earlier offer, the spy's parting words had done it for him. He needed to be sure as he could that he wasn't about to walk the team into a trap.
Just as Walker had said, he gave the attendant at the counter his name and she produced a ticket for him. After clearing the security line, he found the tunnel that matched the section number on his ticket. He was meet by an usher that lead him down to the very first row of seats, where the petite brunette was perched on the edge of the second seat from the aisle in a bright red shirt with a Russian sounding name and the number 8 printed on the back.
"You were serious about the hockey."
The sound of his baritone voice pulled her attention from the men running warm up drills on the ice.
"I never joke about hockey Captain." She answered with a smirk and gestured to the aisle seat to her left.
"Noted Lieutenant." He replied with a small grin of his own as he folded his tall frame into the blue plastic seat.
"Rylie." She responded, turning her attention back to the ice.
"I'm sorry?"
"It's my name, feel free to use it." Her eyes flicked back to him to catch his response "Lieutenant is such a mouth full."
"Call me Steve then, because pretty soon I'm going to think my first name is Captain." he laughed.
So he does have a sense of humor
"I can only imagine." Rylie chuckled "I started out my military career enlisted, so after I took my commission sometimes I wouldn't realize that people were referring to me when they would use my rank instead of my name."
"So Stark was telling the truth?"
"Yes, everything he told you about me was the truth." She answered lightly, but then frowned "Except for that bit about me being there because my father told me to."
Steve pondered that as he watched the players in front of him line up on the ice as the announcer presented the color guard. After they all rose for the singing of the national anthem, the puck was dropped and the game began.
After the first few minutes she spared him a glance and immediately noticed the look of deep concentration on the super soldier's face as he tried to make sense of the game. She couldn't help but smile before she leaned towards him so that she didn't have to shout.
"It's a bit different than baseball."
"You've got that right." Steve replied, leaning in closer to her in order to better hear her over all the noise. Immediately he noticed the tingling feeling he got when her cool breath passed over his skin.
As the game progressed she started explaining the penalties that the referees called and the tactics that the players used. Sometime during the middle of the second twenty-minute period he was slightly startled at her outburst of excitement when the team from DC scored the first point of the game. He also found that he couldn't help but laugh at her dramatic pout when New York tied the game up right before the horn sounded signaling the end of the period.
During the short intermission before the final period of the game Rylie excused herself to go stretch her legs, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts.
There was no denying that she was easy to be around. Not once during the previous hour had he felt the uneasiness that crowded public settings like this usually brought him. She had even confirmed that Stark's information had been accurate. Rylie Walker appeared to have nothing to hide. But didn't all of the good ones seem that way?
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx
The last portion of the game was hard fought, but Rylie followed the sea of people out of the venue with a smile of triumph on her face and Captain Rogers at her heels.
Steve. She had to remind herself. A lifetime of military influence had her hardwired to use surnames and titles.
"So?" she inquired, looking up at him as they reached a less congested stretch of sidewalk.
"Well it definitely wasn't a Dodgers game, but I can see why you enjoy it." he answered, that playful grin once again gracing his face.
Rylie had noticed that when he smiled it took away the five years of age that his more serious looks seemed to add. After seeing that a person couldn't help but want to make him smile.
"I'm glad you liked it." She said with a grin of her own. "But the question is, did you like it enough to give me a heads up on what I'm going to walk into tomorrow?"
"So this invite was a bribe for information?" His tone had grown more serious and the smile faded as he stopped walking and turned meet her eyes with his own.
"No, not at all" her words were accompanied by a shake of her head. "But if I'm going to have to listen to Tony Stark gloat before reporting to my superiors that I failed I'd like to be prepared."
Steve's gaze softened a bit at her response and his curiosity got the best of him.
"How do you think it went?"
"Well, being as diverse of a group as your team is, I'm sure it required a vote." She began, relived that he seemed to be more curious than angry when he nodded to confirm her suspicion. "That being the case, the only ones I really worry about are Stark and the S.H.E.I.L.D. agents; Barton and Romanoff? They unquestionably have their own interests, but I think the agents would follow you."
"And who's side do you think I'm on?" he questioned, his eyebrows raising towards his hairline.
"I'll get back to you in a minute." She countered lightly before continuing with her evaluation "Dr. Banner just wants to be left out as much as possible, but he wants peace. Thor doesn't have a real stake in this, but he would side with a team decision because he values loyalty."
Steve tried to maintain a neutral expression as he listened to Rylie's assessment, but he was shocked at how on target she was.
"You, you're honest, you have solid morals and ethics and a drive to do what's right. I believe that you'll at least get all of the information before telling me no."
He gave her a look full of amazement and just a dash of doubt.
"You had to conference room bugged?"
Rylie completely lost her composure and burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry Captain…I mean Steve." She got out in between giggles "I know it may not seem like it now but I'm not crazy, and even if I was, I'm not crazy enough to try to spy on a tech giant like Stark and two master assassins."
After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but crack a smile too.
"I didn't spy on you." She reiterated after the laughing ceased "I am however very confident in my ability to read people. It's saved my life a couple times."
They continued down the side walk in companionable silence until they reached an intersection where he went to move forward and she veered to the right.
"Well my hotel is this way..." She motioned down the street.
"Are you sure you 'll be alright walking alone?" Steve asked out of impulse, his hand moving to rub the back on his neck in embarrassment. Internally he hoped he hadn't offended her and felt a rush of relief when she smiled.
"I'll manage, thank you though." She said as she extended her hand to him for a parting handshake "Good night Steve."
"Good night Rylie."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx
A/N: Alright, well there it is, chapter four. This chapter was designed in my head as a filler with a purpose, hopefully that stuck.
For those who haven't spent their entire lives in a military setting, I thought I should clarify a bit on the whole Enlisted vs. Officers thing. The enlisted ranks (i.e. Airman, Specialist, Sergeants, etc.) these individuals make of the majority of the armed forces and handle most of the mission critical, everyday jobs. Anyone who meets the requirements can join as an enlisted member.
Commissioned Officers (i.e. Captains, Lieutenants, Generals, etc.) make up the higher ranking leadership, in today's military obtaining one of this ranks usually requires a person to have something along the lines of a Bachelor's Degree. The US has 4 major military academies that one can graduate from and receive a commission as well as a few other options.
I hope I didn't confuse anyone ;)
Thanks for reading!
~Semper