“Do you want to feel them?” she inquired. “No, never mind, I shouldn’t ask that. Do you need me right now? I don’t want to be in the way.”
Jack arched a brow. Even if he did, he didn’t think he was ready for that kind of emotion again. “Even if I did want to, for now, I think it’s better that I don’t. Thank you though.” He chuckled softly, “We’re almost there, just a couple more minutes.”
Summer slid into a comfortable silence, glancing around the areas they were passing through.
“That’s usually about all any of us can stand,” Summer sighed. “I hope she survived. She must care about you quite a lot, to resurrect you.” He certainly cared for that person, she could tell; it damn near radiated from him. “And it seems like you put it to good use.”
“Oh, she survived,” he beamed, wetting his lower lip. “She’s still just as amazing as she was then, too…” He chuckled, rubbing his cheek. “It’s a useful curse given my field. But it’s numbed me to a lot of emotions that I used to feel.” He shrugged slightly. It was a loss, sure, but that didn’t mean that it was missed. He’d feel it every so often anyway, for a short burst of time before it submerged itself again.
“Do you want to feel them?” she inquired. “No, never mind, I shouldn’t ask that. Do you need me right now? I don’t want to be in the way.”
His amused confusion widened her smile. “It’s a joke, mine, from a book I love. About how those with power stumble into situations where they’re needed, even when they’re trying to take a break.” She pondered the little information he offered, turning it over in her mind. “Whomever brought you back must have been almighty powerful.”
Jack snorted softly, rolling his eyes. Snark. At least, that’s what it sounded like. But he let it pass, letting out a chuckle. Rose… It wasn’t that she was powerful. It was that she was forgiving. She was human. He remembered what the Doctor had said, about a Time Lord turning into a vengeful God if one were to absorb the heart of the TARDIS directly. “She was, but only for a brief period of time. A few minutes at most,” he said simply, shrugging.
“That’s usually about all any of us can stand,” Summer sighed. “I hope she survived. She must care about you quite a lot, to resurrect you.” He certainly cared for that person, she could tell; it damn near radiated from him. “And it seems like you put it to good use.”
“I can definitely take the pain, though I’m no healer. Tell me what you need.” She returned his smile.
“Ah, he’ll be fine, I’m sure. Good old long healing process and he’ll be good as new. Seems our medic forgot pain killers this time,” he chuckled, before he turned and gestured for her to follow.
Shoving hands into her pockets, Summer fell into step beside Jack. “I hope this doesn’t happen often. Then again,” she shrugged, laughing a little, “wizard’s vacation. I should have expected it.” She slanted a glance up at his profile. “Is it okay to ask how you came by your little … skill, there? I’m very impressed.”
A wizard? Jack arched his brow. That was… Well, it wasn’t the strangest he’d come by. But it was different, that was certain. He arched a brow to the question, scoffing softly. “I died in a battle and was brought back to life,” he answered as truthfully as he wished, “it’s up to you to believe me or not.”
His amused confusion widened her smile. “It’s a joke, mine, from a book I love. About how those with power stumble into situations where they’re needed, even when they’re trying to take a break.” She pondered the little information he offered, turning it over in her mind. “Whomever brought you back must have been almighty powerful.”
“I can definitely take the pain, though I’m no healer. Tell me what you need.” She returned his smile.
“Ah, he’ll be fine, I’m sure. Good old long healing process and he’ll be good as new. Seems our medic forgot pain killers this time,” he chuckled, before he turned and gestured for her to follow.
Shoving hands into her pockets, Summer fell into step beside Jack. “I hope this doesn’t happen often. Then again,” she shrugged, laughing a little, “wizard’s vacation. I should have expected it.” She slanted a glance up at his profile. “Is it okay to ask how you came by your little … skill, there? I’m very impressed.”
“I think I’ll pass on the visuals, actually; that’s more Dr Banner’s field. Is anyone hurt? I can do for them what I did for you while they’re being tended.” Okay, apparently there just wasn’t going to be anything she could do to be helpful. Mildly annoying, but she /was/ on vacation.
Summer bit her lips. “Look, here’s my phone number. If you need an extra hand or anything, let me know; I’ll be around for another week. Or if you need someone to smooth your way with SHIELD, later, give me a call.”
A sigh. “Failing all that, maybe if you have some free time you can show me your city.”
“One of my team was injured, actually,” he replied. “From what I was told, he’s unconscious at the moment, but I don’t know how long that’s going to last. If you’d be willing to help with that, it would be great.” He smiled before taking her number and sliding the paper in his pocket to put in his phone later. He let out a chuckle.
“I can show you the city in a few hours, if you’d like. We have to write up about the casualties and destroy the corpse and that generally takes a bit of time,” he remarked flashing a bit of a grin. Sure, it was a simple offer, but he hoped it would do.
“I can definitely take the pain, though I’m no healer. Tell me what you need.” She returned his smile.
“Do they catch fire?” Short and simple. “I can help.” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d turned her skills that way — some things could only be healed by removal. Anyway, she still wanted to know more about this guy.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. “Casualties, sweetheart. There were four casualties. The body of the Weevil, however, has been contained. It had to be shot down.” But he stopped. That wasn’t quite… Irritating. He looked over his shoulder, “Though I can show you the corpse. I can also show you one that we’ve caught.”
“I think I’ll pass on the visuals, actually; that’s more Dr Banner’s field. Is anyone hurt? I can do for them what I did for you while they’re being tended.” Okay, apparently there just wasn’t going to be anything she could do to be helpful. Mildly annoying, but she /was/ on vacation.
Summer bit her lips. “Look, here’s my phone number. If you need an extra hand or anything, let me know; I’ll be around for another week. Or if you need someone to smooth your way with SHIELD, later, give me a call.”
A sigh. “Failing all that, maybe if you have some free time you can show me your city.”
Summer let her brows flicker surprise. If that wasn’t mild confusion before recognition, she was no kind of empath. Who in the world — this world, anyway — didn’t know the name of Tony Stark? Folding her arms and rolling her neck, she watched Jack, eavesdropping somewhat ostentatiously. Maybe he’d let her tag along if there was cleanup to be done. Her curiosity was more than roused, by this time.
It wasn’t that the captain didn’t know who Tony Stark was, it was the fact that he rarely actually paid attention to most news, excluding anything that actually caught his eye. Sure, he’d seen pictures of the attractive genius, but that didn’t necessarily mean he actually knew who he was until the meeting. He ran his fingers over the familiar tech, listening closely before one of the team finally clicked on and gave him an answer. His brow creased slightly.
“Are you kidding me? Four? Tell me where you are, I’ll get there as soon as possible,” Jack replied before clicking the mic off. “Sorry, beautiful, I gotta get going.” He pointed over his shoulder.
“Do they catch fire?” Short and simple. “I can help.” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d turned her skills that way — some things could only be healed by removal. Anyway, she still wanted to know more about this guy,
“Something more Stark-like,” she muttered. Her questing hands pushed aside a drift (a drift of /what/, she didn’t know), and she spotted something gleaming dully. “This it?” She held it out on the palm of her hand.
Jack arched a brow. Stark… Stark… Ah! Right! He’d met a Stark fairly recently. The Stark, someone he really hadn’t thought he’d meet. He shrugged slightly, deciding it wasn’t of import before standing and looking. “Well look what it is. Thank you.” He flashed a grin. He didn’t say the words often, so he figured he could do it as some sort of apology for sniping, plucking the device from her hand and quickly picking at it, wiping it clean before putting it on and pressing it. “What’s the word on the target?”
Summer let her brows flicker surprise. If that wasn’t mild confusion before recognition, she was no kind of empath. Who in the world — this world, anyway — didn’t know the name of Tony Stark? Folding her arms and rolling her neck, she watched Jack, eavesdropping somewhat ostentatiously. Maybe he’d let her tag along if there was cleanup to be done. Her curiosity was more than roused, by this time.
“Were you here when it was knocked off? How big is it? Like an earbud, like a smartphone, like an ipod shuffle?” Even as Summer was spitting out the questions she was crouching, fingers played and hands skimming above the ground. Not that it made any real difference, but she felt like it helped somehow. A finder she was not.
How was he supposed to know where he was when it was knocked off? He had his head smashed with a rather powerful hand. “More like a bluetooth, just more… Uh, hi-tech.” He was busy sifting through boxes, “though I’m not quite sure where I was when it was knocked off. Fight started closer to that end of the alley.” He gestured in front of himself as he looked.
“Something more Stark-like,” she muttered. Her questing hands pushed aside a drift (a drift of /what/, she didn’t know), and she spotted something gleaming dully. “This it?” She held it out on the palm of her hand.