The Final Initiative

34.

"Want some company?"

      Jessi turned her head away from the lawn to see Steve strolling down the front walkway towards her. She sat alone outside under the evening stars, a steaming cup of tea in her hands that she sipped on every so often. She moved over slightly on the bench that overlooked the green grounds of the facility. He slid onto the space next to her, offering a bag of pretzels. she shrugged and took a few of them.

"How goes things inside?" She asked, biting into the pretzels.

"Bruce and Tony are finalizing the first suit, it should be ready for a test-run tomorrow" he informed, looking up to the stars for a long moment.

"Then we'll know" Jessi sighed, her eyes catching as a star shot across the sky and faded in the distance.

"It'll work out..." he assured "It has to. We always do better on things the second time around anyway, don't we?" he said lightly.

Jessi smiled, nodding her head "Yeah" A sudden thought popped into her mind, her eyes lightened  "When I was younger, I was always fascinated with stars" she motioned to the canvas of twinkling stars above "I wondered why they were so far away, and why it takes four light years to reach the closest star from our sun" she leaned her palms back against the bench as a gust of wind swept through the trees "Then, my questions faded away when traveled to space, and hopped across the galaxy in a matter of seconds" Steve listened to her words, recalling that mission to find Thanos five years ago. It ended in tragedy, but he had almost forgotten how he marveled at the universe around him when the ship left earths blue atmosphere.

      "I mean, forget light-speed, forget Earths version of astronomy completely" she continued on, raising her hand up "If we can bypass years of research in a few seconds with a Raccoon for a pilot, then yes, we can absolutely do this" she stood up from her seat next to Steve "And with my Dad, Bruce... you-" she took another pretzel from his bag and popped it into her mouth "-then what do we have to fear?"

Steve studied her for a moment and smiled "You've always had a way with words, Jes"

"I've taken notes, Professor America" she saluted lazily.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that nickname" he admitted.

"Anyway" she shrugged, giving a tight stretch of her arm "I need to get going"

"Where are you off to?"

She pulled the motorcycle keys out from her back jeans pocket, and began twirling them around in her fingers "To water some plants, I won't be gone long " she replied, and Steve understood.

"Don't stay out too late" Steve advised.

"Sorry Captain, but it's actually my job to give paranoid dad rules to the Jessica" Tony emerged outside in the night air, his arms crossed. He peered at both of them from behind his glasses. Jessi smiled softly at him, cutting her eyes away in humorous annoyance "be back by seven" he pointed, wagging his finger at her jokingly.

She looked down to the clock on her phone "it's 11:30" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we're making a time machine so just go back in time and be home by then"

"I'm... going to pretend that makes sense"

He laughed and helped himself to some pretzels "Where are you going to water plants... and why?"