truth is a matter of circumstances

@always-a-spy liked for a starter!

Patience is what separates good spies from dead ones. Brent never asked to be a spy, in fact that’s the last thing he could’ve possibly wanted. When it comes to the truth he was always too big of a fan, and lying was clearly taking a toll on him. And it was taking a toll on his patience as well. Not only his, but Secretary Ross’ too. Just like Ms. Romanoff said it would happen, the secretary’s patience eroded a little bit further every time this wild chase across the globe yielded no results and now, just as she predicted, came the time where Ross isn’t being polite and thankful to Paragon as he once was. “Hello? It’s me! You told me to call if I thought he was getting suspicious and I think this is it.”

To be honest, they’d bought more time than she’d thought they’d be able to, and to this point, they’d managed to avoid a battle between Captain America and Paragon on Ross’s order. So far, so good. Steve was well away from the United States and had almost as many identities as she did.

“Do you want to be extracted? You and your father?”

Extraction would give Steve another fighter for his crusade against alien tech falling into the wrong hands. It would also be safest option, but would make it clear to Ross that he’d been betrayed. It was a choice from which there’d be no going back.

#rocketnumbcrnine #alwaysaspy

rocketnumbcrnine:

Unlike the stereotypes and hearsay, Lucifer had little to no interest in human souls. That usually was a moot point of discussion, given the lenghts they go to justify their beliefs. It really had the potential to be amusing, if only it hadn’t been done for the last 50 thousand years or so. “A good course of action, really. Maybe a smidge too bleak for human standards, but appropriate nevertheless.” He turned his eyes to Natasha with the appropriate amount of interest a human is due and put the glass down, punctuating his remark: “Particularly so for you.”

“I suppose music and drinks are not the reason behind your visit to Lux.”

Natasha opened her handbag and took out a picture, handing it to the literal Devil in front of her (improbable though she would have thought that identity prior to 48 hours ago.) She was doing her best not to consider the implications of his existence.

“I’m looking for this man. Have you seen him? He entered the Lux three days ago and never left.” Natasha gave the slightest of smiles. “Or at least the surveillance devices I had on him ceased to function, and he hasn’t been seen again.”

rocketnumbcrnine

“You can pray if it gives you any comfort.“ Lucifer was quite chipper these days. Maybe that is the reason why he’s been so lenient with the lesser beings that like to pester him with their misbegotten questions and concerns. “See if God answers.” His voice dripped cynicism at the mention of Yahweh, a sentiment he had no intention of hiding as he poured down a fine glass a shot of Macallan. “I’ll wait.”

#rocketnumbcrnine #alwaysaspy

Natasha looked at him for a moment before answering, her expression cool. “If he did, I can’t imagine why I’d share that with you, but I stopped looking for others to give me answers or comfort long ago, dieties included.”

#tclckinetic #alwaysaspy #reblog for end thread

always-a-spy:

Natasha saw the distress that he was trying so hard to hide. Noticing such things and exploiting them had been a large part of what she’d been trained for. And while this presented an opportunity that she had no intention of wasting, she had no desire to exploit this well meaning young man. At least no more than she had to.

She reached out to touch his hand, the ghost of a smile on her face. “Nothing as drastic as you might be thinking. I’m not suggesting that you quit. Ross will find someone for this, and if you defy him openly, not only will he turn on you, your replacement would likely be someone lacking your good intentions.”

Pulling back her hand, she said, “The position he’s put you in gives you a certain amount of leeway. He’s holding you up as a worthy successor to Captain America. That gives you some freedom to speak. If the press asks you questions about those resisting the Accords–particularly Steve–speak of them as equals with a different point of view, not as criminals. Remember that they’re heroes.”

Her expression grew more serious.and she reached into her pocket to take out a phone. “This is encrypted. If he sends you after anyone who isn’t an outright villain, I’d like to know.

“Listen to their plans. If you think they’re planning on a convenient death, as they did with the Winter Soldier, let me know that too. We can’t allow the government to kill people just for having powers. I worked for a government which did that kind of thing all too often. I have no desire to do so again.”

Putting the phone on the island in front of him she said, “When this is all over, you don’t want to be the man who filled the Raft with heroes. Sometimes, it may be unavoidable, but perhaps we can mitigate the damage. Perhaps we can make sure that Captain America doesn’t end up imprisoned by the very country that he’s served since the Second World War, and maybe we can see to it that his best friend–a brainwashed prisoner of war for 75 years–doesn’t end up dead before he has a chance to be free.”

The words of Natasha Romanoff echoed deep inside Brent’s mind. That’s right, he did not want to be the man who filled the Raft with heroes, but the part that resonated most powerfully with him was the emphasis that she put in ‘man’. Her use of the word implied that not only she viewed Brent as an adult, which surprisingly few people do, but also that he was responsible for his own actions. It meant that every little decision that Paragon makes is one that’s going to impact the world in drastic ways.

Realizing this kind of responsibility was a nerve wrecking feeling for Brent. Before gaining his powers, his biggest struggle was algebra. And now he had a say in decisions that can shape the world. As much as he wanted to unravel into a desperate mess, he clenched his jaw, swallowed down the immaturity and fear and tried to just accept as gracefully as possible that this would be his life now.

With a sharp breath, Brent tried to make peace with himself about what he was doing and took the phone from Black Widow’s hand and turned around to hide it. With a gesture that looked nothing short of what an illusionist would do, he made the cellphone rise through the kitchen, to the inside of an opaque mason jar that was perched atop of the highest cupboard. “I’ll see what I can do, miss—”

A brief sound interrupted him, and as Brent looked back to where she was just standing, Black Widow had already vanished, leaving him dazed and perplexed.

#black widow 3 #samnee #waid/samnee run #Natasha Romanoff #art #ooc

#black widow 13 #noto #edmondson/noto run #Natasha Romanoff #art #ooc

Anxiety is defined as distress or uneasiness caused by fear of danger or misfortune. For Brent, it manifested itself like if his lungs would just grow larger and larger with sighs and the pressure of holding his breath, until his spine tore through the flesh of his back. Cold beads of sweat dripped down his neck as he tried to collect his thoughts. It was amazingly naive how Brent thoght that having superpowers would make his life better as well as improve the lives of everyone around him. Oh boy, was he wrong!

With a clearly distressed look in his eyes, even though his whole body was visibly working to exude calmness, he looked over to Natasha and asked the obvious question.

“What can I do now?”

Things like this made him question the nature of his work from the get go. In this case specifically, the line that divides right from wrong was as defined and reliable as sand in the wind. He hated that he switched sides so easily, but when a short talk was enough to make you consider changing sides you can only wonder whether you were in the right one for starters.

Truth be told, he had no idea of what was the next step. He just tried to look like the person who knew the way ahead because that’s what people needed most of the time. Safety, reasurrance. Someone to hold their hands through tough times and tell them it will all be okay soon. But who holds your hand when it’s your job to make sure everyone else is going to be fine?

Pulling back her hand, she said, “The position he’s put you in gives you a certain amount of leeway. He’s holding you up as a worthy successor to Captain America. That gives you some freedom to speak. If the press asks you questions about those resisting the Accords--particularly Steve--speak of them as equals with a different point of view, not as criminals. Remember that they’re heroes.”

Her expression grew more serious.and she reached into her pocket to take out a phone. “This is encrypted. If he sends you after anyone who isn’t an outright villain, I’d like to know.

Putting the phone on the island in front of him she said, “When this is all over, you don’t want to be the man who filled the Raft with heroes. Sometimes, it may be unavoidable, but perhaps we can mitigate the damage. Perhaps we can make sure that Captain America doesn’t end up imprisoned by the very country that he’s served since the Second World War, and maybe we can see to it that his best friend--a brainwashed prisoner of war for 75 years--doesn’t end up dead before he has a chance to be free.”

#bucky barnes #100th birthday (mcu)#comics bucky was born in 1925-date unknown

tclckinetic:

Brent’s chest sunk a little bit in realization. What if the Black Widow was actually right? What if Brent made the most dreadful judgement of character of his life, assisting Ross in defacing the system? He is usually the most collected person in a room, but the bitter taste in the back of his throat and the quivering of his spine suggested that this wasn’t the case anymore.

Trying to put on a strong face, his mouth snapped shut and he swallowed hard. Brent hadn’t even noticed that he was holding his breath for more than a minute. “So, I’m not saying I approve what Captain America did there, but if you’re right and Secretary Ross is capable of doing all this, why would he want me involved?”

Ross could be all about that, however Paragon certainly was not. And everybody knew that. Ever since the first robbery stopped, Brent always made crystal clear to the world that Paragon does not compromise under any circumstances. Even though people are living through cynical times, Brent was always certain that what is right is right. Period. Shades of gray are for shady people. And to think all that could’ve been in vain. It’s a scary notion.

His hands went to his temples, massaging them in circular movements. He was starting to get why people like Iron Man or the president look so much older than they really are. Before starting in this business he’s never had so much as a mild headache. Now it’s a migraine that won’t go away. Without taking his eyes off Natasha, or his hands from his head, he made an aspirin float by itself from the plastic grocery bag, and then a cup from the cupboard filled itself with water. Both presented right in front of him for consumption.

“I’m not sure of anything right now.” He had to just take in all that information. Nothing seemed factual anymore. Except his hatred for politics, that was there more than ever. It was a tough revelation; one could even call it a hard pill to swallow. In this case, literally so.

Good. He was thinking, not just believing. Now she needed to get him to listen.

"He wants you involved because he has a problem, Brent. He failed to get Steve Rogers on board with his ambition of controlling heroes. Killing Bucky Barnes before he could become a factor failed, and now he has a living symbol of freedom and liberty flouting his authority, a personification of American ideals telling people that his plan is wrong and unjust.”

Opening the cupboard from which Brent’s glass had floated, Natasha took one for herself and filled it with water at the sink. “He has to capture and imprison Captain America, probably permanently, and failing that, kill him. But he can’t do that to someone like Steve, a war hero who literally fought Nazis, perhaps the most popular hero of all, without lessening his influence.

“First, he needs someone to replace him. Someone as squeaky clean as the public likes to think Steve is. Once he’s found that person, he needs to groom them to replace Steve, while manipulating the media to think of Steve as a criminal, and of his protegee as a better symbol to rally behind. If he can then have that protegee take down the former Captain America....”

She tilted her head. “You see? That’s why he needs you, and why he want’s you, specifically, to go after Steve. It’s not about justice. It’s about destroying a legend.”

#alwaysaspy #tclckinetic

bucki-barnes-moved

happy 100th birthday, Bucky Barnes.

tclckinetic:

Brent let out a wary sigh when Black Widow said he was too powerful to be controlled by regular means. It’s been a couple of years since he’s got his powers, and they haven’t stopped growing yet. He could barely lift a skateboard at first, and now he can stop bullets that are meant to stop men of steel. The fact that he yields such power is the cause of a lot of nights wide awake, thinking about the consequences of just existing. It never occurred to Brent that being a hero could get so political. He just wanted to help people, get cats out of trees, stop trains from going off the tracks. The classics.

Putting on a casual face while Black Widow spoke was a difficult task for Brent, but then again, he was never a good liar. The questions she posed made sense. Sometimes it really did feel like Secretary Ross wasn’t telling everything, but Brent always brushed off this as insecurities of his own. The man was the secretary of State. He’d naturally be interested in what’s best for the people of the United States… Right?

“If you think I’m so powerful, what do you think is keeping me from just holding you still and call the police?” He asked, as coldly as possible, which wasn’t a very convincing act. Storing cans in the cabinets without using his hands, he was expecting anything. His hopes were that she wasn’t planning on anything, because it’s not really feasible to stop an avenger with cans of tomato soup.

“He wasn’t going to get executed without a trial. The Winter Soldier is a very dangerous man who killed hundreds of people and was resisting arrest. That’s why I’m helping the UN, because I never had to shoot at dangerous people to bring them in.” Finishing with the groceries, he leaned a little closer to her, but just about as close as you can get to a tiger enclosure in the zoo.

“Hurting people is not how I do things.” A shift in humor, from wary and distrusting to confident and certain. As certain and true as saying two plus two equals four.

“Ok, so if that version you’re telling me is the truth, why didn’t they try to reach out to anyone for help? Or surrender? They could’ve tried to clear up the misunderstanding.”

Natasha smiled Brent, not deigning to spell out how she’d proceed if he attempted to capture her. The fact was, she’d have to read him well enough to anticipate his actions and take counter measures first. If that didn’t work, she’d have to engineer her escape before they got her to a secure facility. She was capable of both those things, but there was sometimes a gap between capability and the execution of a plan.

She hadn’t had a choice but to take the risk. Once she’d realized that ‘Paragon’ was to replace Steve, she knew that she’d have to answer some questions immediately. Was Brent as squeaky clean as his public persona would seem to indicate? Was replacing Steve a prelude to executing him and the renegade Avengers? Ross certainly wouldn’t weep if Steve died, but did he want him dead? If so, for convenience, or was there another reason, something currently unknown?

Tilting her head, she looked at Brent. “When trying to bring people in alive, did you ever sneak up and have scores of men open fire with automatic weapons with no chance for surrender? No?

“They meant for him to die in Romania, Brent, Ross meant for him to die. You may be a man who doesn’t want to hurt people, but you’re working for a man who does. He may mean for you to simply be a figurehead, but he may also be planning to force your hand.”

She shook her head. “Steve couldn’t surrender. He was there when they tried to take Bucky. He would have distrusted Ross. He did try to tell Tony at the airport, but it was too little, too late. Tempers were hot, and trust had been broken there, too, on both sides.

“Zemo was already on his way to Siberia. There was no time--not for surrender and not for negotiation. Not only did Zemo have a way to activate the secondary winter soldiers, he had a way to activate the true Winter Soldier, as he did when Bucky was being held, forcing him to escape.”

Natasha gave Brent a serious look. “It was too important, the danger was too immediate, and too few were willing to listen.”

#alwaysaspy #tclckinetic

tclckinetic:

When you come home from the grocery store, you expect to just organize everything into the fridge, make dinner and then go watch something on netflix. Black Widow doing the scorned wife routine, sitting in the dark and then slowly revealing herself with a bunch of loaded question was about the last thing Brent could have possibly imagined to be waiting for him when he entered his home.

It didn’t take a spy to realize how dangerous Black Widow is, that’s why Brent was more shocked than anything. If this was some lowlife, he would’ve lifted them off the floor and called 911, but he wasn’t sure of anything in that moment. Dazzled and confused he asked: “Wait, what?”

“How did you get here? Where’s my dad? I’ve so many questions.” He took a deep breath and tried to disperse the puzzled look from his face. It didn’t look well on Paragon, and he was about to go into Paragon mode. “Look, I like Captain America, he’s great, but he’s not above the law. He’s helping a fugitive, and did a lot of damage while doing that.”

He tried to be as non-threatening as possible, by putting the groceries on the counter. It seemed a little ridiculous, given that there were probably a thousand ways he could nulify any threat coming from her. But it’s hard to think straight when you get confronted like that.

“Besides, what are you even talking about? What did you do to my father and why are you here?” Sure, General Ross wanted him to do a few adjustments on the Paragon Brent, along with some members of the US congress, but it never crossed his mind that it was an attempt to turn him into some kind of Captain America expy. Brent needed to clarify somethings before arresting her. Number one being where the hell is his dad. And number two; why would she risk capture just to lecture him? The boy wasn’t the greatest strategist, but even he knew that didn’t make any sense.

“The house was unoccupied. If your father is missing, Ross is probably behind it. Leverage.” She shrugged. “Or perhaps he just went shopping. If that’s the case, you’d be wise to send him someplace that the government can’t find him. It’s no accident that they have you decked out in red, white and blue. Ross will want to be sure that he can control you and make you do as he wishes. You’re too powerful to threaten in a more ordinary way.”

She looked at Brent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face, then said, “You think they were trying to arrest Barnes, don’t you? They weren’t. They were trying to execute him. They sent an army to do it. He almost got away, too, If the Black Panther hadn’t been there, he might have. As things were, only the fact that Steve was there prevented a man who was brainwashed and enslaved for almost a century from being killed without a trial, for actions he was unable to refuse.” She gave a slight smile. “We can only hope that you don’t end up having more in common with him than you currently believe you do.”

Natasha turned a hand toward the bag on the floor. “Don’t let me stop you. We can talk while you put your groceries away.” She leaned on the kitchen island. “Do you even know why Steve and his Avengers were at the airport, or why Barnes went with him to a place he must least have wanted to go--a Siberian base where he kept in stasis, woken only to kill? Did they tell you anything? Did you ask any questions?”

Pushing herself off the counter, she said, “Zemo was seeking other ‘winter soldiers’, attempts to copy Barnes. Unsuccessful attempts, in that while they were as strong as Barnes, perhaps even stronger, they were violently insane. Uncontrollable. Barnes knew where they were and went with Steve to fight them. It turned out that Zemo had another plan and the ‘soldiers’ were just bait, but that was why they went. To stop Zemo before he used them to kill again.”

@always-a-spy

If someone told Brent he’d gain superpowers, become a state-sanctioned hero and then go overseas to capture Captain America, who’s by the way, gone completely rogue, he would ask them if they’re okay, because of how bonkers that sounds. Sadly, as delusional as it was, it was all true. A lot happened in the meantime, but in summation; Brent gave up on having a secret identity when the people from the UN found him. Paragon and Brent were one and the same now. Kinda like Lady Gaga and whatever her name is off-stage, he thought.

The people responsible for the Sokovia Accords promised him he’d be safer and able to do more if he helped them, and they really seemed like a reasonable bunch. A really compelling argument on how their way of helping people was more efficient was made, and before he noticed it, Brent was doing what everyone liked to call ‘consulting’ for the United Nations.

Given the nature of his powers and how very patient he is, Brent was just about the perfect choice to bring in wanted people, since he could harmlessly extract them from wherever they were hiding and deliver them safely in the hands of General Ross and his people. It worked out alright about 85% of the times. The other 15% were unpleasant.

This time they were talking about flying him to Sweden to bring in some friends of Captain America that could lead to the man himself. Brent’s head was full of these thoughts as he made his way home with a bag full of groceries. Luckily for him, these have been a few placid days, albeit it feels like the calm seas before a storm. He thought of making the best he could of it and getting some rest in his dad’s house before taking off to Europe. To his surprise, relaxing was the last thing on his mind as that redheaded woman from the airport fight on TV a few months ago appeared right in front of him.

“You’re trespassing miss.” He said, trying to keep his calm and reassuring himself that he could totally take on her if she was dangerous. Sometimes, no matter how godly powerful the world tells you you are, you still feel pretty scared if someone manages to break into your house and wait you in the dark. “And also kind of a fugitive. What are you doing here?”

Natasha moved further into the light, cautious, ready to move in her defense, but with only confidence showing in her demeanor. This boy was powerful, she knew that. What she didn’t know was if he was simply ambitious, or a dupe. It was worth the risk involved to find out.

This young man went by the name of ‘Paragon’. It took a certain kind of man to willingly wear such a moniker, particularly one who worked hand in glove with the likes of General Ross, although in fairness, it was the press who’d dubbed him as such. He hadn’t corrected them, though, and why that was would perhaps be an indicator of how this conversation might go, if she knew that reason.

“Tell me, Brent--or should I call you ‘Paragon’?--have you ever known Captain America not to take the side of freedom and justice? Is that something you care about, or are you simply happy to be groomed as Ross’s replacement for him, when we both know that no one can replace Steve Rogers?”