Logs:What You Can Get

What You Can Get
Dramatis Personae Fury, Rasheed
In Absentia Steve, Lucien, Matt, Jax	2023-07-24 "Well, now you've gone and pissed him off."
Location seekrit burner spyphone
Ring? Buzz? Mission Impossible tune? Who knows what Fury's ringtones are like, but right now, his phone is ringing: one of his carefully seekrit burner SPYPHONES is calling. It's not a polite hour, either; the sun isn't even up quite yet. It's a very normal, forgettable kind of ring tone that raises no eyebrows in the orderly chaos of SHIELD HQ's Situation Room. The fact that Fury walks out to take the call without so much as looking at the phone raises no eyebrows, either, but does attract a few very surreptitious glances. "Well, now you've gone and pissed him off," is what he Fury says in lieu of a greeting. "Honestly, I half expected him here in person long before this." It's not a video call, but Fury can no doubt hear in his tone the pinched way Rasheed is rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Soon enough, I guess. Some of his people are still here. One of yours, too." The pause here is very slight. "-- sort of. I've gathered that this Captain Rogers can also be a bit of a headache." Fury huffs a single, incredulous laugh. "You don't know shit about people if you think Cap's even sort of mine. His publicist could bury you for hurting Captain America's feelings, and your cowboy-ass mercenaries shot him." There's almost no pause here. "Oh wait, you know that on account of being such good friends with his brother. Who you also nabbed. Again." He takes a deep breath. "Obviously you've got bigger problems than that. So what does this change for us?" "My cowboy-ass mercenaries have been foisted on us by the DoD, who seems to think being kicked out of the military still puts you a cut above the average American." Rasheed lets out a slow breath. "The Pentagon is -- late, but -- scrambling to figure out what they'll do with some of these inmates once we have to close. Many will go home, of course, but some are too dangerous -- or too valuable to certain interests, which I guess comes to about the same thing -- to let go. I expect there's going to be a number of convenient transfers between now and -- well." His pause here is slight. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has some experience, lately, with mutant prisoners. I am sure it won't be long before someone tries snapping Tessier up but if he were safely in U.N. hands, by that point, perhaps they won't succeed." Fury does not answer at once, the microphone briefly muffled. "We ain't talking 'bout files or machines or -- this a whole living person. I guess you got some experience making those disappear, too, but it's gonna be a lot harder to cover." There's a quiet gulp on his end before he presses, "Why might someone be particularly interested in him? He may think he's hot shit, but you can't all be taken in by his charm. What does he do?" "I'm not disappearing anyone. An aboveboard transfer -- you've had Holland while the government decides what to do about his activities. These people might be facing the same charges. Most of his team, honestly, will be out of here soon enough, the way the wind is blowing -- take them and you can have the one who wouldn't be." The question prompts a laugh, soft and startled. "Please," is he serious, it is difficult to tell, "that is a HIPAA violation. Their X-Gene abilities will be suppressed before the transfer, so that should not be a security risk." "Jesus H..." Fury is quiet for a moment. "And if I don't take them, some of these folk will disappear. Including Matt Tessier." It's hard to tell by tone whether these are even questions, he sounds so tired. "So, I'm taking them. I'll have someone work up some goddamn forms, and none of these freaks find out about the rest of the deal." Another gulp, louder this time. "Fucked up way to save a life, but I take what I can get." He gives a very soft guffaw. "Guessing you mighta felt a bit like this, when Prometheus first started going sideways." "Sometimes, what you can get has to be enough." The breath Rasheed lets out is soft and heavy once again; this time there's a laugh circling its edges that tries to sneak in but then aborts the attempt in despair. "When I started Prometheus..." This thought does not finish. For a moment, Rasheed is silent. "I'll look out for those forms." The little chirp at the end of the call is incongruously cheerful.