4846/Freedom from compulsion

Freedom from compulsion
Date of Scene:	07 July 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Jessica fills Steve in on some of the goings on that he's missed.
Cast of Characters:	Captain America, Spider-Woman (Drew)

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Captain America has posed:
It's early. Way too early for some, but for others, it's about right. The sun is actually up in the sky, the weather is actually cooler for an early July day, and for these few moments, all is right with the world.

Quel suprise, one Steve Rogers is actually up and around. He's out of his room and downstairs at one of the smaller, more homier tables tucked away in a corner with papers neatly strewn around him. Being up in his room all alone on his secretary's desk gets lonely quickly; he likes being out, even if he's not actively talking with someone.

He's had enough of being alone for the last couple of days.

A coffee mug is set on the side; a white thing with a circle with concentric red, white and blue rings.. a joke mug from a friend commenting on the commercialization of 'Captain America'. It's his own reminder to be humble.. and there are times when he needs that. Tossing his pencil onto the table next to the papers, Steve leans back and runs a hand through close-cropped blond hair in an obvious effort to clear his head for a second. In the next moment, he's exhaling in a single chuffed breath, reaching to set all the papers back into a single pile.

Done. So done.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
It's been a very long two days for Jessica Drew, as well. She has come for coffee. If she can find coffee, maybe she'll survive. Jetlagged and worn a little thin, she carries a typed report that was requested for S.H.I.E.L.D. of the goings-on in Mexico the day before. She's in her workout attire - just grey leggings and a red yoga bra top, sneakers, and a long dark ponytail of lazy waves. Not because she's just worked out. Just...in case she finds the will to do it.

"Coffeeee..." she says to herself as she pours it. She sips it without even checking the temperature. Then, "Ow..." Still blissfully oblivious to anyone else who might be there at this hour.

Captain America has posed:
Jessica's entrance into the dining area is noticed, moreso after he's pulled his fingers from digging into his eyes to force a focus, born of habit rather than necessity. Steve takes another breath, and upon release, he's watching her progress across the room towards the coffee 'station'. Zombies weren't a thing in Steve's time. That didn't truly start until the late 1960s, and try as they might, his friends simply haven't been able to get the man onto the 'zombie train'.. so any recognition of the drawn out request for coffee isn't immediately identified with 'braaaaaains'. (Or, or course, perhaps she simply didn't mean it like that!)

Shame on him, then, to not warn her that hot coffee is hot.. and when she offers the reaction of 'ow', he's on his feet, "It's ---" Beat. "---hot." Right.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica startles, barely managing to avoid spilling her coffee, and whirls around. "It /is/ hot. Are you omniscient?" A half-smile tugs at her lips as she teases. "It's usually hot, though. I just wasn't thinking. And to be honest, I didn't really even notice anyone else was here. I should be more observant." She stifles a yawn with a full-body shiver, then the recognition of who she's talking to slowly begins to sink in. "You're--I mean, of course you are. I just didn't expect--" Her nerves kick in again, depriving her of words. ALL of the words.

Taking a deep breath, she shakes her head slowly. "Sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm Jessica...Drew." Because there could have suddenly been an onslaught of Jessicas overnight. One never knows.

Captain America has posed:
Steve is on his feet, and a couple of steps are taken towards the not too coffee-burned Jessica before he pauses. She's okay.

A chuckle exits the man and he bobs his head in a nod. "Yes ma'am.. it is hot. I'm not sure they put out the iced coffee yet." That wasn't a thing either. Iced tea, yes. Coffee? No. Just.. no.

Looking back at the pretty much empty room, again Steve swings his gaze back onto the 'newly arrived', in a couple senses now. He's quick to reassure in a good natured tone, "It's okay. Of all the places in the city, this is the one where you should be able to let your guard down. At least in the morning." A friendly, 'boy next door' smile rises soon after, "I can't vouch for anytime after lunch, however."

And, there it is.. the recognition. He waits, bemused, the smile turning a little more tight-lipped, but not any less genuinely friendly. "Yes, ma'am.. I am.. but you can call me 'Steve'. You don't look like someone just wandering in off the street, so I'm going to assume we'll be working together." Finishing the cross towards the woman, he extends his hand for the final bits of introduction, "I saw your name.. and your file. Welcome aboard, Miss Drew." There's a pause before, "If you're here for a little, you don't have to sit alone. I'm done with my papers, and I wouldn't mind the company. If you're busy, though.." She //is// in her workout outfit, after all..

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica shakes her head and nods to the paperwork in hand. "No, I've finished mine, too. I still need to find my wits. If you've seen any lying around, I seem to've misplaced them." She smiles more easily as she shakes his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Steve. I was just checking in on Tony before I came in here. Seems to be recovering well, but it still bothers me. Sometimes I wish there was a way I could share my ability to heal with others. He'd be right as rain by now." She nods toward his seat and continues, "I'd be glad - honored - to sit with you awhile. It's been a whirlwind the past 24 hours, and I'm still not sure where all the chips have fallen."

Captain America has posed:
Checking on Tony. Something he hasn't done in a couple of days, though while no fault of his own, it does weigh upon learning that his friend isn't well.

"Tony's sick?" Steve looks honestly concerned, the smile dimming and the creases on his brow appearing ever so slightly. "I'm going to have to check in with him. Maybe bring some chicken soup." It's a cure all! Even if it's not the 'summer cold', at least it's something if Pepper can't get him to eat.

A sweeping gesture is made towards his table, and Steve's ready to 'escort' the lady over, walking with her easily. "Pleasure is all mine," is rejoined, and there's that friendly smile again. A chair is pulled out for her to sit before he takes up his again. Everything in order!

"It'll take a little time," Steve assures, "It'll be okay, though. Take all the time you need to get acclimated." There is a pause before he chuckles, and ducks his head, his tones deadpanned, "There's only a few thousand things that have to be done before the end of the week." He's teasing! Really!

Mostly.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Oh, no...They haven't told you?" Jessica takes Steve's lead to be seated at the table, with a soft 'Thank you.' Then she comtinues, "Well he has /really/ been downplaying it a lot. He was injured in Central Park. A few of those overgrown jiggle-monsters got ahold of him and ripped open his suit. He's doing all right, now. Some bruising on one side of his face, a few lacerations. I think he cracked some ribs, too, but he just keeps waving it off to talk about...other things."

She smiles apologetically. "I'm not exactly the safest person to enter a small enclosed room with Tony Stark. But Pepper has the flu, and can't attend him. The pain medicine isn't helping in that regard, either."

Captain America has posed:
Hearing of the news of his friend brings a concerned frown right back to his face, and Steve exhales softly. "Right," and he sounds as if a decision is made there and then. "I'll check on him." And Pepper. He offers up a hint of a smile after, "I wouldn't worry too much, though." Even though he does. "I'm sure he'll be fine." After he goes to see him."

There's a moment when Steve pauses, and he gets a look of confusion on his face, and he leans forward, "Did you say that one of those things ripped open his suit?" Tony's suit. Iron Man. "As in.. ripped open." This.. this is more than a little concerning.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica nods in agreement with Steve. "Yes, the Iron Man suit. I was as shocked as you are. But the fire feeding the ones in Central Park had turned those into behemoths. They were bigger and stronger than any we've encountered yet." There's a flash of anger in Jessica's eyes as she talks about the fires set by the rogue mutant, which turned Central Park into hell. It fades, slowly, though, as she adds, "I know Tony will be fine. It just...shouldn't have happened in the first place."

Captain America has posed:
There's yet another reason to go see Tony, as if the man needed a reason to begin with. Friends are far and few between for the man out of time, and those that he does have mean a great deal to him. He understands time, and time lost.

The mug on the table is empty of its contents, and he shifts everything out of the way in order to lean with both forearms on the table. "I missed this..." he begins, "But anything that could tear that suit open..." He doesn't like the very thought of that, but he can't just banish the thought to the back of his head and 'move on'. He shakes his head ruefully and lifts blue eyes, "I bet it's eating at him." So understanding!

Tony will be fine. That is the face that his friend shows to the world.

"Yeah," Steve finishes, "I'm sure he will be."

Nodding now in Jess' general direction, a half-smile creeps onto this face once again, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Headed out to the gym..?" He's not used to being in a place that has virtually everything. "Going for a run?" Heck, women exercising like men is still something of a new concept to him.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Oh, no. You're giving me a blessed excuse -not- to go to the gym," Jessica laughs. "I went to Mexico yesterday to investigate an extortionist who was demanding money in return for keeping people safe from the fungus. I ended up undercover with a gentleman from the Daily Planet, but before it was over, he'd called Superman to assist. They're both just so...." she gestures vaguely. "I don't know. Mild-mannered? Very nice men. But all turned out well. In fact, we ended up turning the extortionist in to S.H.I.E.L.D. so I suspect this information will all be crossing your desk sooner than later."

Captain America has posed:
Steve sits up, holds his hands up, palms out and shakes his head, a small laugh in his words, "Oh no.. don't use me as an excuse. If you're looking for an official debriefing, all that's done in an office followed up with reports and closed with a 'Good job' at the end of it. This," and he gestures at the coffee and somewhat cleared table but for his stack of paper, "this is 'conversation before we start the day'."

He does nod at the information that the chances are better than even that he'll see the paperwork before the end of the day. It's Saturday, but for him, does he actually have anything better to do?

Nope.

Bucky's gone to ground again, Tony's sick..

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
With a playful grin, Jess shakes her head. "You wouldn't believe how much more pleaseant this is than running nowhere on a moving black belt. But I do think you'll be rather pleased with a lot of what we learned. They =can= be controlled." She looks more than a little pleased at this revelation. "I'll revel in your company as long as it's freely given. Can I get you some more coffee?" She asks, standing up and taking her cup. "It's hot."

Captain America has posed:
The playful grin is returned with something of a boyish one for his part, and Steven looks down and chuckles before returning his attention up. "If it were fun, they wouldn't call it a 'work out'." Right?

The little bit of information given after, however, has his full attention (as if she didn't have it to begin with?). "They can?" Beat. "How?"

It's not easy to shift gears; casual, work, casual.. and watching her rise from her place, Steve also gets to his feet. "Uh.. no.. no. I'm good, thank you."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica pours coffee and nods. "I wish I could explain it. One of those things that metahumans can do," she explains, returning to the table and seating herself. "The man I met was able to issue...compulsion, I guess...into my mind. It started out simple, but the longer we talked, the more he explained. He was not only controling other people with his mind, though. He was controlling the fungus with his mind. And he was good at both. I hadn't realized that the fungus was even THERE until he dropped the illusion he'd set in my mind that it wasn't."

Captain America has posed:
It's not until Jessica returns with her coffee that he takes his seat once more. The more he hears, the more she explains, his expression turns to a frown. Any hint of the lack of self determination makes him more than a little upset. "Compulsion." It's a single word, filled with all the disgust he can muster at the moment. "That's dangerous." Very.

"He's the one in custody now, right?" When did this begin to turn into work? When 'compulsion' came into the conversation...

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
It is dangerous, yes. The people there had no idea the fungus was there. The fungus was happily feeding itself with shrubs, the squidlings ignoring the people present. But when he dropped that curtain, chaos ensued. It seems that there are various people worldwide who have figured this out, and they're using it for monetary gain. When I first met him, I thought he just wanted to use his ability to have a little fun with a girl in a bikini, but no. Once I recognized it...it was fairly easy to resist. I had no idea until later that he had much larger ambitions."

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to be an upsetting morning for you. But it -is- good news to know that they can be controlled. And better, he told us exactly how it is done. Superman took care of that particular stalk in short order. And the news is now in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Captain America has posed:
See now, that really, really doesn't make it any better. Steve's cheek twitches when she recounts 'use his ability to have a little fun with a girl in a bikini', and he leans back in his chair, crosses an arm across his chest, bringing the other hand up near his face. A deep breath is taken before it's released slowly and deliberately.

The upshot, of course, that this sort of thing can be controlled? "It has to be negated. As in, 'not happen period'." Isn't there a collar or something when someone proves that they're simply animals? "I'm gonna look into it."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
With the faintest of smiles, Jessica leans in toward Steve. "Think bigger," she practically whispers with intensity. "There are implications with mind control far beyond just keeping it controlled. I have my suspicions that it can be used to wipe them out completely. Keeping them in check is one thing, but he was -trying- to go beyond that with me. He was aiming for self-destructive behavior. I don't know how intelligent these things are, but it's possible we could make them self-destruct." She sits back a little again, and sips her coffee. "I mean, I don't want to go off the deep end here, but this could be /the/ answer we have been looking for."

Captain America has posed:
Everything she's telling him is just.. well, making him madder. Steve's hiding it well, or well enough anyway. His expression is set, muscles taut, and pressing his lips together, he brings his hand to clasp the other, fingers entwining in a decided inability to do something with them at this very moment. To use compulsion on a woman?

"I don't care if they do it to themselves or we do it," Steve begins. "Either way, they need to be gone." And mind control? "I'm going to take a look at this guy."

Anger and annoyance means that one Captain America is focused on something, and with his jaw set, he looks as if he's going to push his chair out as he leans forward. "There's more than mind control that can take things like this out. I don't know.. different spectrums of light? Sound? The things aren't from around here, so there's gotta be something other than mind that they're susceptable to. Like.. the radio show about the aliens."

1938. The War of the Worlds, as recounted by Orson Welles.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Steve," Jessica calls softly. "Breathe. We're going to take care of this. There are plenty of people on the right team who have this ability too. No one is trusting this guy with anything, I promise." She looks at him, her expression a little crestfallen. "Before me sits a man who's been a beacon in my world all of my life, and I'm reducing him to anger and frustration. And I don't want to do that. I want to fix it. I want to take it back..."

Captain America has posed:
"No ma'am, you're not the one getting me angry."

Now, Steve rises from his chair and pushes it in before he collects the papers and tucks them under his arm as he holds them. "You did nothing wrong. It's people who have power that abuse it that gets me angry. And if I can do something about it, I do." He smiles tightly and nods, "Or I let others handle it.. but I make sure it is handled." That's what being an Avenger is. That's what he believes in.

"You've given me something to fill my day, other than sitting and watching the world go by for one more day, and I appreciate that." She's lit a fire for him to go check on Tony, and then off to work and talk with more people about how this thing in the park can be handled. That, of course, also includes locating Superman. He pauses for a moment, cocks his head and has the courtesy to look apologetic as he finishes,

"Not that spending the day with you wouldn't have been nice." Way to put your foot into it, there, Rogers!

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica nods as Steve stands to go, and she shuffles her papers in their pile. "Right, of course, I shouldn't keep you. You've plenty to do. Thank you for spending a few moments with me. I'll probably see you soon." She can't get her things together fast enough to get out of there before Steve, who's already taking off.

"Right..." she replies and watches him go. "Take care.