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There's never a slow day at SHIELD, and it's some time before Sam Wilson gets a break in his duties long enough to meet up with Sousa. Still, he's meticulous in his scheduling; the division head gets a rap on his office door at 3 p.m. precisely. Wilson turns the knob and leans in.
"Chief? You said you wanted to meet with me," he says politely. "Is now a good time?"
The test pilot is dressed for office work today: collared shirt, cuffed at mid-forearm; necktie; blue trousers. He hasn't been getting much airtime, as it were: his assignment has him focused more on the increasingly hopeless task of training the rest of the test pilot cohort on the wing suit. So far, nobody has been gravely injured, but no one but Wilson has gotten more than 30 seconds of consecutive flight time, either. Call it a good news, bad news situation. Wilson is somewhat worried that this performance is what he's here to discuss, but also somewhat hopeful that this dismal outcome means he'll be assigned to something else.
*
The knock on the door gets a, "Come in," and Sousa looks up from his paperwork to greet the younger agent. "Now's just fine, Wilson. Take a seat. Do want anything? Coffee? Water? I can probably finagle some tea…" stolen from Peggy's stash, no doubt. He gets up from his own seat and moves to the front of his desk, using that to lean on so that there isn't an imposing desk with piles of paper on it between the two for the discussion.
"So, flight training, huh? With personal…wings?" He can't help but give a grin, "How's that going?"
*
Wilson declines the refreshments with a gentle shake of his head. Posture straight, the pilot takes a seat in one of the chairs angled toward Sousa's desk, crossing his legs at the knee and entwining his fingers in front of him. "Well, I worked with Mr. Stark through a couple of hundred iterations of the design, so at this point it's practically second nature for me," he answers, looking apologetic as he continues, "Unfortunately, no one else in the test flight group is picking it up. They keep trying to treat it like piloting instead of flying, if you understand what I mean. I'm starting to wonder whether it's too instinctual for me to teach."
He allows a quick smile and adds, "Howard, of course, is still going with modifications and improvements. The fact that I seem to be the only person on the planet who can actually take advantage of them hasn't even slowed him down."
*
"While I've never done either, I think I do know what you mean," Sousa offers, tilting his head some as the agent mentions that he finds it 'instinctual'. Interesting. "Do you think the program should continue? Or do you feel that it's a waste of time? Not that I'm in charge, but I can certainly start a discussion. Your training, of course, should continue, whether that means working with Stark or on your own."
His own hands go into the pockets of his slacks as he half-leans, half-sits on his desk, his crutch balanced at it's spot on one side of the furniture. There's a nod to the door, "Mind closing that?" and he waits until the door is closed before continuing. "I actually asked to see you to discuss the Avengers Intiative. I know you've been approached about it, but I'd like to know by whom and what you were told about it."
*
Wilson purses his lips as he considers the first question, analyzing his own observations and the needs of SHIELD, as he perceives them. A muscle in his cheek hitches in a rueful expression as he admits, "Honestly, I'm not sure the advantages justify the costs. Not that I know what the costs are, precisely — but since we haven't had any training breakthroughs, there's no way to know how much teaching time this flight system would require. Given that it wasn't ever intended for wide implementation, I'd say if the training program continues, it should be a voluntary side project for interested airmen." If there are any. Morale among those assigned to the project hasn't been great.
As for the second question, Wilson gives Sousa a quizzical look. "I'm assuming you mean Sgt. Fury's side project? I hadn't heard it called by name." He holds the expression for a moment, then gives a small shrug. "It was a project I was suited for, I was told. Something deniable, not officially under the SHIELD umbrella — sounded like some kind of special operations team, like the Howling Commandos. I know Rogers was going to be involved." He raises his eyebrows, finishing, "I'll be honest, Chief: Fury was a lot longer on broad strokes than specifics. The man is accustomed to … I guess you'd call it compartmentalization."
*
Sousa gives a nod at the answer about the flight program, "I'll bring up a discussion about it. You may be right and we're going to need your focus elsewhere before long." Which leads right into the next point. "It has a name albeit not a widely known one and we'd like to keep it that way for now. As for it being a side project, interesting. Very interesting." He was aware that was how Fury was spinning it. "I suppose that it sort of is, but it is still under SHIELD's juristdiction and oversight. It will not, I'm guessing, be linked to SHIELD publicly, however." Especially since SHIELD tries to keep itself mostly secretive anyhow. "Captain Rogers is involved and would be the Field Commander, yes. I suppose it could be seen as something like the Howling Commandos if SHIELD was the US Army. Although…less military and more…" Here Sousa can't help but give a smile and a chuckle, "Well, we have a Super-Soldier and an agent who can fly with wings. More unconventional."
There's a brief pause, "I still think you're suited for the project if you'd like to be. We will, most likely, be bringing in others to join the group. Now, I may be wrong in this, but Captain Rogers isn't an agent of SHIELD. You are and certainly wouldn't lose that position or title. It's possible that others joining this group may not be agents…thus the sort of 'offshoot' nature of this project."
*
Wilson nods as Sousa gets more into the nuts and bolts of the relationship between this initiative and SHIELD. "That mostly fits with what I was told. Deniable, like I said. Some overlap, with independence. The arrangement sounded pretty unorthodox," he says. Then, with the ghost of a smirk: "'Unorthodox' is more or less Director Carter's signature, of course."
The agent shifts his weight in his seat, glancing away, then looks back at Sousa with a bit more intensity. "I'll be honest, Chief: when someone tells me I'm 'particularly suited' for a job, it's almost always because something isn't going well. It's high-risk; it's not working out as hoped; the situation looks like it might turn south at any second." His lips thin to a line; for such a young man, Wilson is pretty jaded. "Better that a potential career-killer get me than someone with a really bright future, right?" He puts the tiniest bit of emphasis of the word 'bright.'
"What I mean is that I'm used to having to dig myself out of a hole before I can even get started on what I'm actually trying to accomplish. So yes, I'm with you on this initiative of yours," he says. "But if there's some SNAFU under the surface, you should just go ahead and tell me now, so I can start working through it. It's not going to scare me off. It's what I do, for better or worse."
*
Sousa's eyebrows raise, "I think you might misunderstand. I think you're suited for this because you're smart, you have the military background, but you also know how to think outside the box. Flying with wings? I seriously doubt that the Military would adopt such measures even if it was able to become instinctual to others besides yourself," and the mutants who have wings, but that's something else entirely. "I'm glad Fury spoke to you about it but if he didn't, I was going to. This isn't going to be your run of the mill group, Wilson. This group is going to need someone who can help lead them. Captain Rogers will be the Field Commander, yes, and I know for a fact he can inspire like nobody's business. But you'd also be in the know from the SHIELD side and we need an active agent with SHIELD on this team. Therefore, you are the best suited."
"In regards to any SNAFU", he shrugs, "The biggest challenge right now is the extreme newness of this. I suppose a comparison with the Howling Commandos is apt, but our hope is that it will be something more."
*
Wilson takes a deep breath after Sousa denies that there are any particular problems with the project, but gives an amiable nod. "If you say so, Chief. Like I said, I'm at your disposal either way," he says. Then, with a half-smile: "Maybe you're right. I am a little unorthodox, around the edges. Maybe that's what the Director sees in me."
As he responds to Sousa's description of his role in the group, Wilson raises his folded hands up to his chin. "So, you see me as a sort of liaison between this new group and SHIELD?" he asks, eyebrows rising. "Is that just a monitoring role, or would I be expected to exercise authority of SHIELD's behalf?" he continues, wincing. "I hope you're aware that might be a problem for some of the men. Not everyone likes getting orders from… someone like me." He's not sure about who will be in this group, but teenage Negroes aren't really at the top of the social pecking order in 1963. Carter has done what she can to back him up, but that has met with some rank-and-file muttering even in her own organization.
*
"Maybe a little bit of both?" Sousa answers honestly. "I'm sure Captain Rogers will do what needs to be done but there might be instances," where SHIELD protocol needs to be in place. "That would be at your discretion although semi-regular reports wouldn't be turned away." There's a quick smile before it fades, "Agent Wilson, I don't care if you're black, white, yellow, green, or purple and neither should those who end up in thie group. If you have any problems with that, you let me know and it'll be taken care of." After all, the group was to be headed by Agent Fury and they would need to deal with him as well.
"Of course, should problems arise, feel free to deal with them as appropriately as you can." Another reason why he wants Wilson on the team: Loyalty. "There's to be a certain level of autonomy to the group, at Captain Rogers' and Agent Fury's discretion. However, SHIELD is still ultimately responsible." He hopes he doesn't have to explain that further.
*
"Oh, I can deal with them," Wilson answers. His tone hovers between an apology and a telegraphed joke. "I just can't promise to always do so 'appropriately.'" The meaning should be pretty clear: if he's to exercise authority over some white boy determined to buck him, there's a chance he'll have to do some Fury-style laying down of the law. After giving that a breath to sink in, the agent continues, "I can tell you that I write very detailed reports, so that, at least, won't be an issue."
The pilot tilts his head to one side and adds, "One other thing — and this is something I asked Sgt. Fury, too: what exactly is the mission for this group? Nobody has given me a clear answer on its objective, not even Rogers." He ticks off a couple of possibilities: "Are we supposed to be part of the military deterrent against the Soviets? Covert infiltrators? Law enforcement? There are an awful lot of uses for a bunch of people with…" He trails off, pursing his lips, then smiles and ventures, "Let's say 'weird skills.'"
*
"Just don't kill them and you deal with them the way you need to deal with them," Sousa offers. He's not blind to the way some are treated nor is he blind to the way some view even him. It's an interesting dichotomy, to be certain, and it's frustrating in any scenario. He can certainly imagine what it might be like for some of the others.
At the question, he sits back some before getting to his feet and limping back around the desk, "Well, that's sort of the thing, Agent Wilson. The way I see it is that there are a lot of folks with 'weird skills'," he quotes the other, "coming into play now and the local PD and even the Military isn't quite fit to handle them. SHIELD, however, will be. Through this group. Who else to face those with 'weird skills' than others with 'weird skills'?" He looks quickly to the other, "I'm not saying that the plan is to go beat down mutants or anything like that. Some missions may be reconaissance. Some missions may be infiltration. Some may be Law Enforcement. But this group needs to be prepared to face problems that aren't easily solved."
*
At that, Wilson actually cracks a grin. "Ohhh, now I understand," he says. "I'm not assigned to this because the team is a disaster waiting to happen. The team I'm on is going to be assigned to missions that are a disaster waiting to happen." Far from being annoyed or bitter about this revelation, Sam actually seems relieved that the other shoe has dropped. It just took a slight shift in perspective for the whole thing to fit rather neatly into his expectations. There's no small amount of 'misery loves company' at play in his reaction, either: "In a way, it'll be refreshing to take on the impossible with a group, instead of going it alone," he says with a nod.
Leaning forward and standing from his chair, the agent runs a hand down his tie and shirt front, smoothing out any wrinkles that developed while he was seated. "Thanks for the clarity, Chief Sousa. Did you need anything else from me, or…?" he asks, inclining his head toward the door.
*
Sousa returns the grin with a lopsided one of his own, "That's certainly one way to look at it and probably not entirely incorrect." As Sam moves to head out, Sousa moves back to the chair behind his desk, "I think that's pretty much what I needed, thank you, Agent Wilson. If…you meet anyone who you think might be a good fit for the team though, let me know." There's a brief pause, "Whatever happened with the kid you were interrogating the other day? The one with the dog?"
*
"I think we should keep him on tap, for now," Wilson answers before he makes a move toward the door. "He wants to work off his debt to society, and if he's as smart as he claims, he's exactly the kind of person you'd want on your 'do the impossible' team. So I'm going to wait for something to come up, then drag him along and see how useful he is." He offers a small smile, concluding, "Sort of work-release for super-geniuses. If it works out, we'll see about releasing him on probation, with the understanding that he consults whenever we need him."
*
Taking his seat at the desk again, Sousa nods to Wilson, "Get me his file, but that's a good plan. If it's something with Captain Rogers, make sure you run it by him, but that works for me." He would, however, like to see just what that 'debt to society' is. Eventually SHIELD is going to need to play PR games and the more he knows about those on the team, the better. "He consults and keeps secrets."
*
"He seems like a guy who can play his cards close to the vest when he has to," Wilson assures Sousa. "All the same, I'll have a report written up and turned in by end of day." He extends his left arm and turns his hand to check his wristwatch. "Which means… I'd better get started now." He lowers the watch, inclines his head, and deferentially says, "Chief," before heading out of the office.
*