“I’m from Texas,” he said. “And you know plenty. You probably know from those scans that I give off pretty intense UVA and UVB radiation, so you know more about me than most people do.” Jack winked, trying to keep things lighthearted despite the directions his thoughts had taken. Jami’s pause, followed by her attempt at putting back on a bright and unworried smile when she talked about people who set out to hurt others had him wondering things he wished he didn’t have to. Had someone hurt her, he wondered, and hoped that the answer was no, even while he was fairly certain it couldn’t be. The life of a SHIELD agent was never really safe.
“I don’t really do much of anything right now. Just tryin’ to find my new place, I guess. I’ve spent the last… apparently it’s 2020 now? So the last five years pretty much gone. First I was dead, human body was killed in..” He hesitated, realizing that he wasn’t sure whether or not she even knew about the Blood Star. “Back in fall of 2015, there was this… thing. Life almost ended. Everywhere, I mean, not just here. The Blood Star, the Foesitians, the struggle with the Void, call it whatever you want. All the other world, realities, universes, the entire multiverse was just ended by these… things, the Foesitians. I died in that final battle, when I came back, my body was – this. Anyway, I’m just trying to figure out what to do with myself now that my traveling companion seems inclined to sort of settle down here. I’d just been up with him earlier today, guy lives on a spaceship, we spent a couple of years just traveling between worlds, doing some science… only now,” Jack shrugged, “I’m pretty aimless. Might try to get work somewhere as a welder for a while, just as something to do if we’re going to stick around on Earth for a while.”
Jack shrugged and wondered if he had even come close to satisfying her curiosity. He wasn’t sure just what to say; once upon a time, talking to people had been so much easier, so much more natural, but now? Now, he struggled to fit in at all, to connect the way he used to, and he hated it. Jack missed people, missed laughing with friends, meeting strangers…
“Can I ask, what motivated you to become the badass scientist you are? It sounds like it must have taken a lot of work and a lot of dedication, passion, to get so proficient in all those things you can do… How come you didn’t take the easy way out and just settle down in a safe, cushy civilian job the way most people seem happy enough to do?”
Jami rolled her eyes at his joking reply to her question, grinning at him. “C'mon, you know what I meant.” Her smile slowly faded as she absorbed his story. ‘Blood Star?’ 'Foestians?’ All of this was news to her, and she gleaned as much information from his words as she could. She’d have to do some digging later, see if she could find anything about any of this. She had no reason to doubt it was true, but if it was it hadn’t made its way to her.
When he’d finished explaining, she bobbed her head again, the smile slowly returning to her face. “Well, for whatever it’s worth, you look good for dead. Glad you found your way back, even if it’s a bit different than you used to be. Your friend with the ship, does he understand why it is you changed? As for a job, have you ever considered applying to SHIELD? We do good work, and I’m sure they could find you a spot where you could be put to good use. Just a thought, don’t take it serious if you don’t want to do it.”
She pursed her lips at his question, considering the best way to answer. “Yeah, you can ask me whatever you like. Getting answers may be a bit trickier depending on the question, but the question itself is always welcome. Guess you’d say I felt like I needed to prove myself. Not only to me, but… well, to my father. He runs a security and tech firm back in England. He wasn’t exactly supportive of my plans to follow my passions when I was a kid, tried to get me to be a 'proper lady.’ Fair certain he just wanted to raise me to marry me off and be done with me, to be honest. He tried to get me interested in anything other than his business, and I wouldn’t have any of it. Time came when I realized I wasn’t gonna get anywhere with him, so I took what I could and…” She shrugged, looking sheepish. “I guess you’d say I ran away from home, though that usually puts a body in mind of a little kid with a knapsack. I was sixteen at the time, and my knapsack was more of a new bank account. Long story short, I put myself through as much school as I could afford, and dear old dad disowned me. Fat loss there. As for the cushy desk job, I did do that for a while. Not two weeks after I’d finished grad school, I got a call from Stark Industries. Someone’d shown him some of my papers, and he’d offered a spot in R&D. I was pretty happy there, did good work, made new innovations… everything I’d ever wanted, really. It was a good life I’d set up for myself, and I was making enough that I could afford to live the way I wanted to. First time I really felt genuinely free.”
She ducked her head, looking down at her hands, which were clasped and fidgeting in front of her. “Problem is, that tower I worked in got attacked. Battle of New York, Chitauri invasion, what have you. And there I was, in the tower at the center of it all. Terrified me, but it also made me realize something. Sure, I was innovating new tech with SI, but I didn’t get to see any of the impact it made, none of the really important bits. I made interfaces that were easier for people with fine motor control issues to operate, but I didn’t get to see those people benefit from it. SHIELD did a lot of good work in the aftermath of the battle, helping to clear things up, and I just… it felt right. I could develop tech for these people, tech that could help them do their jobs and save lives. So after a bit of a chat with a friend who worked for them, I found myself being hired for the Engineering division. I dunno if it was my friend who had anything to do with the offer, but whatever it was I’m glad it happened. Being an agent isn’t always the easiest, but it helps people.” She looked back up at him, sheepish smile still in place. “Answer your question well enough?