fandomhigh | Arts & Crafts 3, Tuesday Afternoon, Main Campfire

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Arts & Crafts 3, Tuesday Afternoon, Main Campfire

This afternoon Steve was standing over a table of useless junk. At each of the tables for workshoppers were glue, glitter, paint, and pipe cleaners.

"Today we're going to work on improvisational art," Steve said. "I've...~~handwavily~~ appropriated some items from a store in town." He'd tried to pay, but there didn't seem to be anyone to pay. "You are to incorporate at least one of them into your project. Make whatever you want. Go wild. Have fun."

After a moment of silence, he added as a sort of footnote, "The theme of your project should be, 'Why the Superhuman Registration Act is a bad idea and will never work.'"

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Alec stared at her a second. "No. I was made by the government, and they don't even extend the courtesy of thinking I am a person. I don't have any rights, but I'm supposedly bound by their rules. Why should I bother following them when I don't get the consideration that any person not made in a test tube gets?"

"You're not from my world," Cassie said. "So your government isn't mine."

"That's great," he said sarcastically. "But why should anyone be forced to register just because they might have been born differently? Or, hell, if they become different later. Is 'not human' automatically bad or something?"

"Because without knowing how to use our powers, we could hurt innocent lives. The government is supposed to protect them," Cassie said.

"How does registration do that exactly?" Alec asked, giving Cassie an expectant look.

"Because the government has some of the greatest heroes of all time signed up to help teach people how to control their powers and use them responsibly," Cassie said.

"You mean, the way the government - none of whom are mutants, I'm assuming - says you should? And what happens if you say no, you don't want to learn from the government or work for them?"

"There's not really a whole lot of mutants left, period," Cassie said. "But people with powers, there's a lot. And the new head of the government agency that's running all this... I trust him. He's been the only sort of dad I've had since I lost mine. And I don't know anyone who's wanted to say no, yet. It's the best gig ever. We get to do what we always wanted to, save lives and stop crime, but we're doing it legit and getting paid for it."

"Right. So, under the government's thumb," he said, smirking humorlessly. "You were around for when my files were sent out to the all the students in school, right? You're signing yourself up to be what I was, all my life, except you get paid for it. See this--?" He dropped one shoulder, turning his head to show her the barcode on the back of his neck. "That's what they gave us, what they put into our DNA, so they could track us. We're registered in the surest way possible, and do you really think they won't do the same to you? Your 'head of the agency', no matter how great he is, is one guy, and he doesn't call all the shots."

"Tony wouldn't do that to us," Cassie said, shaking her head. "And he'd never turn us into assassins."

"...Are you seriously that naive?" Alec asked, looking at her in disbelief. "This guy is going to be able to do jack shit except what they tell him to do, and it's not going to be nice and it's not going to be 'good'." He smirked again. "All those guys I killed? It was for national security. To protect America, the way they wanted me to. How long before you're removing threats pre-emptively, Cassie?"

Cassie shook her head again. "That won't happen. We're America, the good guys. We're not... like, communist Russia or something."

Alec was actually speechless for a second, then laughed. "Who do you think made me, you moron?" He shook his head. "You're seriously retarded, if you think that America -- any America, in any universe -- is that high-minded. Enjoy your 'training', and just remember, it's easier to kill people if you don't look them in the eyes while you do it."

"Avengers don't kill," Cassie said, in tears. "I'll never be evil like you."

He stared at her another long moment, then turned and walked away. Some people you just couldn't talk to.

Steve limped over to Alec and said, "I'm sure she didn't mean that." Actually, he wasn't, because he had no idea what was going on with Scott's daughter these days. "Thank you for, well, trying."

"I'm pretty sure she did," Alec said, giving a half-shrug, but meeting Steve's eyes with a tired smirk. "You get to know when people don't think you're worth the millions spent giving you life.

Steve nodded. "Been there, done that. Got shot four times."

"I should've demanded a pay raise. Not that they paid me," Alec said, sighing dramatically as he glanced back at Cassie. "Guess some people have all the luck. Or really great imaginations."

"At least I got paid. Not much, mind you--" he was still technically a corporal all through World War 2, at least-- "but I got paid. And I'm afraid it's more of the latter than the former."

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Arts & Crafts 3, Tuesday Afternoon, Main Campfire

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Re: Make Art/Talk Amongst Yourselves

Re: Make Art/Talk Amongst Yourselves

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