2014-06-19 - The Good Samaritan

Steve Rogers had just finished off his coffee from his usual place, the Coffee Bean, and had just thrown his cup away in the usual place in did in the Brooklyn Bridge Park. His schedule was like clockwork, he was almost always at the same place at the same time. He took out his sketch pad and started working on an idea he had come to him in a dream. He wasn't sure what use it would be, maybe some clothing store needed a mascot or maybe a magic shop. The girl he was drawing did look sort of like a magician after all.

An older man walked by him and said, "Hi Steve." waving as he went by.

"Hullo, Mr. Truman" Steve said with a friendly smile nod and wave. He saw Mr. Truman every day, sometimes they sat down together and talked. Usually about how Steve's life was going. Mr. Truman was an older man and seemed rather lonely, probably had kids he wasn't hearing from anymore. Steve liked making the old man feel like part of his life. Seemed the only decent thing to do.

After he was well past Agent Truman whispered in his subvocal 

Traveler A.K.A. Hope Summers was very worried something she did altered the timestream and caused the death of Captain America. She knew he lived, later revealed his secret identity down the road to the public as Steve Rogers. He was a private man, so not much was known about him publicly.

However, her concern was deep enough, that Hope began to research and search, and dig. Brooklyn, the area that Captain America grew up in, and supposedly had lived in as Steve Rogers. Except, there was bits and pieces she began to pick up. Nothing at first, but then again she didn't know he was being brought back from the dead...but later there were whispers of a good looking blonde man, and then talk of a friendly Steve Rogers that lived around here...the last really caught Hope's attention.

That is what brings her here, and suspicious of some of the people about Steve. Still...Hope isn't leaving empty handed, but what to do?! That is when she catches sight of an Arcade near by!

Actress, Hope is not! But that doesn't mean she doesn't have some talent by just being a girl! She exits the alleyway she was hiding in and starts walking down the street, head down, as if wiping at her eyes and sniffing as if she was crying. Her shoulders are drooped forward and she takes in a loud, and shaky breath by the time she is approaching Steve.

Steve saw the crying girl and closed his sketch pad and stood up. See most people now a days would just ignore someone like that. It wasn't their business after all. And it wasn't Steve's business either, but that wouldn't stop him from trying to help.

He walked towards the crying girl and said, "Excuse me, Miss? I'm sorry to bother you but you look like you could use some help. If you've got a problem I'd be happy to hear you out. Maybe just talking about it can make you feel better."

He flashed a winning smile and says, "It always helps me."

Hope hiccups and rubs at her eyes, smearing what tiny bit of make-up she has on a little. She even has real tears! It was thanks to pressing at her tear ducts though that she got those! Her green eyes glance up at Steve, and she says, "I..sorry," sounding and looking awkward. "I just....got totally dumped by my friends," her voice shaking though it's really from nervousness!

"We...were supposed to go to the arcade today. Guess it's...pretty childish though, huh?" She smiles awkwardly, and self-consciously, her expression looking pained. Inside her own head Hope is cursing herself at her lame acting skills!

ELSEWHERE at the Coffin, the base of operations for the Lazarus Project Agent Hooks, the head of security says to their tech specialist 

At the Park Steve smiled warmly and said, "Honestly, when I was a kid... I...." there was a hesitation as he really tried to remember who he was as a kid, "I didn't have a lot of friends. But I remember every time one of them would leave me behind. It tore my up inside because they were all so precious to me and it made me feel like they didn't care about me."

He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Besides your what... fifteen, sixteen? No point in being a kid if you can't be childish."

What?! Seventeen! Not that Hope says that! She just nods, "Ya..ya...but, you got to soldier forward. If you let the small stuff keep you down, you won't get anywhere, right?" And she starts to smile a little wider. But then Hope reaches out to tug at Steve's sleeve, "Come on! We can soldier on together!" And then suddenly, Steve's hand will be stolen and he will be getting dragged to the arcade center!

Agent Linday whispered 

Steve was about to talk about how important it was to always stand tall and move forwards when the girl he was trying to cheer up suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the Arcade. And honestly Steve always tried to avoid this Arcade. It was loud and neon and for some reason everything inside it felt wrong when he saw it. It was like him mind could barely understand the concept of video games. He was a pinball man himself, not the crazy ones with their video screens and digital innards, the ones that just made noise because they hit bells and it all worked by clockwork.

ELSEWHERE at the Coffin, 

Steve is soon dragged inside, and Hope gives his hand a firm squeeze. "Hey, don't tell me you are a scaredy cat soldier?" She hrms, looking about, "I think we need coins." She is searching about and points toward a machine. "We can play games with this!" She then smiles up at Cap widely, "There are shooter games, I've seen them before but haven't played them before. This stuff didn't exist when I was a kid."

That's the third time Hope had said the word soldier to him. It sort of resonated because he had been asked if he was military so many times. But as far as he knew, he wasn't. Unless of course there was this whole other life he didn't remember living. And there were the dreams he had and maybe... No. Come on. What patriot of the USA doesn't wish he was Captain America. And his military-like habits. That was ROTC from when he went to ... Highschool... and that didn't... No he went to Sam Tilden High. Wait did he.

Steve had a confused look on his face for a long set of seconds before he shook his head and smiled and put a couple of tens in the coin dispenser. They had enough coins for a long while. Steve handed a pile of them to Hope and said, "Come on, Arcades have been around a while, can't imagine they weren't around when you were in your single digits."

Steve smiled at Hope and said, "You know what, I think at this point I need to know your name. I'm Steve, Steve Rogers. What's your name.?

"Nope, they weren't. There wasn't much around either, not people, not fun. This world, it's really precious, don't you think?" Hope grins at all the quarters. "This is going to be fun!" She is soon dragging Steve toward a shooting game that kills terrorists! "Rachel." Using the name that she was called by Cable at first, and ironically Scott's daughter's name. Cable called her that because of the Terminator movies.

"Let's play this one," and she starts to sink in coins and slip the others into her pockets. She picks up a plastic gun and gets ready. "Apparently you shoot off screen to reload," she tells Steve. "So, what have you been up to lately anyway?"

"Everything is precious, Rachel. Don't forget that. Even when we get our eternal reward, it's because of what we did here and now," Steve said somberly.

He then picked up the light gun of the game and said, "I've never fired a gun in my life, I can't imagine I'd be any good at this game."

Several of the Agents want to move in and extract Hope, she's wanted by SHIELD after all. Agent Hooks goes 

Steve however proves to be a perfect shot in this game, seems to be able to account for the inaccuracies of the hit boxes on the enemies, "Okay I'll admit, this is a little fun."

"Ya....death is a fickle thing," Hope states. "But when I bite the bullet, it better be to save the world, otherwise...talk about epic suck." She is shooting away as the terrorists start to pop out! She has really good aim too! She doesn't really miss, making each blast count, patient when she needs to be and quick when she needs to be.

"You are really good too," 'Rachel' comments. "I think you are fibbing on the never held a gun. But that's alright. A lot of people lie, even to themselves." An odd way to phase things. "Hey...Steve...what makes you happy?"

Steve laughs for a second and says, "We can't all go out saving the world, Rachel. That's not how life works. Some people get to be great figures in history."

He stills plays perfectly with reflexes above the normal human level, with aim that even sees the temporary flashing of the screen so that the light gun can hit it. He doesn't realize he's doing it, he just does it, "'Everybody lies.' I'm sort of catching up on my TV watching because I don't really have a lot of time for it. But this one show. It's called House. It's about this Doctor who... well even though it's his show he's kind of the bad guy in the show too. And that's practically his catch phrase. 'Everybody lies.'

He's talking about a show that ended two years ago, that's a lot of catching up to do. "Honestly. Darn I missed that guy, how did I do that. Honestly, I don't believe that. Not everyone lies. They misremember, they hide, they get scared. But people want to tell the truth. It's complications that stop them."

His reflexes are so good even as he specifies to 'Rachel.'

He smirks and says, "It's not about real guns anyways, no recoil, reloading is just a click of the screen. Guns don't work this way. It's a fantasy."

Hope asked him the ultimate question. what makes him happy, "You know what Rachel, I don't actually know what I find happy. I think you're the first person to ask me that."

Steve laughs for a second and says, "We can't all go out saving the world, Rachel. That's not how life works. Some people get to be great figures in history."

He stills plays perfectly with reflexes above the normal human level, with aim that even sees the temporary flashing of the screen so that the light gun can hit it. He doesn't realize he's doing it, he just does it, "'Everybody lies.' I'm sort of catching up on my TV watching because I don't really have a lot of time for it. But this one show. It's called House. It's about this Doctor who... well even though it's his show he's kind of the bad guy in the show too. And that's practically his catch phrase. 'Everybody lies.'

He's talking about a show that ended two years ago, that's a lot of catching up to do. "Honestly. Darn I missed that guy, how did I do that. Honestly, I don't believe that. Not everyone lies. They misremember, they hide, they get scared. But people want to tell the truth. It's complications that stop them."

His reflexes are so good even as he speechifies to 'Rachel.'

He smirks and says, "It's not about real guns anyways, no recoil, reloading is just a click of the screen. Guns don't work this way. It's a fantasy."

Hope asked him the ultimate question. what makes him happy, "You know what Rachel, I don't actually know what I find happy. I think you're the first person to ask me that."

Hope has never seen the show, so she doesn't judge! She will occasionally watch movies and news, but that's it. She doesn't have time really for anything else. "I suppose complications can excuse some of them. And that's some good knowledge for someone that never 'handled guns' before. Sure you haven't been out to a shooting range at least man? Seriously?"

But at the last part, Hope nods. "Ya. My dad wanted to give me a choice more than anything, and to make sure I survived. He didn't want me just throwing my life away. But neither of us knew what would make me happy, so we just kept doing what he knew best, surviving. But as I grow older, I figure some things out. Happiness...it's fleeting." She shoots again and again, the fact the two of you are getting such high level is making people pause and watch.

"So you take what you can, you cling to it, and you take what joy you can in it. And when you lose it, you soldier forward for the greater good, just hoping you are lucky enough to grasp that happiness, that joy again." Hope's reload is quick and she is getting better and faster to the game as she adjusts to it. People are pausing to watch because of the high level the two of you have gotten.

"In the meantime, you might want to ask yourself what lies you are telling yourself. You won't find joy if you just keep lying to yourself, you will only go deeper in despair, missing something important within yourself." She really does sound way older when she talks like this.

Steve paused as they were at the loading screen for the next mission he looked 'Rachel' and said, "I find joy in the little things around me. When my neighbor remembers my name and asks me for help. I find joy in that. When the barista around the corner remembers me I find joy in that. Joy is all around us Rachel."

He smirks and nearly misses the next round coming up, except with barely looking he gets the first three bad guys. He smiles as he starts shooting and says, "And... yeah I get what you are saying but I... I... I having been pushing forward in my career my whole life. You can never give up on that sort of thing."

Agent Hooks says 

Steve smiled to "Rachel' and said, "Believe in people and they'll believe in you and..."

Damn the luck, the sprinkler system has gone off, the power is gone from the game and Steve tries his best to cover 'Rachel' and his own head, "Just a set back. Make it a strength, okay Rachel?"

The few SHIELD agents around made it about protecting Steve Rogers. Shouting to everyone, "On the ground now!"

He said aloud, "Come on now, no one is being hurt, just a bit of water. Probably a game overheated. Let's not be crazy here."

And Hope moves in that instance. She moves to hug Steve and kisses his cheek and whispers into his ear. "You will remember that missing piece, I believe in you Captain Steve Rogers. You are never alone." And when she lets go she smiles, "And thank you, for believing in me," and even with her hair dripping wet and water dripping down her face, she taps her chunky metal bracelet and digitally comes apart, disappearing right before Steve's and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes with honest tears in her eyes, but a warm, beautiful smile being the last impression for Steve to see.

And Hope moves in that instance. She moves to hug Steve and kisses his cheek and whispers into his ear. "You will remember that missing piece, I believe in you Captain Steve Rogers. You are never alone." And when she lets go she smiles, "And thank you, for believing in me," and even with her hair dripping wet and water dripping down her face, she taps her chunky metal bracelet and digitally comes apart, disappearing right before Steve's and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes with honest tears in her eyes, but a warm, beautiful smile being the last impression for Steve to see.