Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

14 | John Walker

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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
xiv. JOHN WALKER

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   THIS WAS NOT WHAT Riley was expecting from the season of new beginnings.

   To be fair, she didn't know what she was expecting in the first place, but it certainly wasn't some ex-military nobody named John Walker taking over for Captain America. That, she could say with absolute confidence.

   She spent the rest of her evening trying to understand why. Why John Walker? Why give him, of all people, the shield? Why now? Why would they allow Sam to donate the shield to the Smithsonian, just to take it out and hand it over to a stranger? Why didn't anyone tell her about this beforehand? That last question tore her apart. Why was she, the goddamn leader of the Avengers, kept out of the loop?

   In all honesty, Riley could guess why. They knew she would have fought this decision. It was too obvious. With her undying loyalty to Steve and her reputable status as Valor, she would have had this entire operation shut down before John could even look at the shield.

   Riley loved Steve and everything he stood for. One of her greatest achievements in life was earning his respect and taking on his leadership role. It was the highest honor she'd ever accepted, and she thought Sam would have felt the same when Steve offered him the shield. He was the only person she would have accepted as the next Captain America. Sam understood the weight of the shield, maybe as much as Steve did.

   At this point, she didn't give a damn why Sam gave up the shield. She just wanted to know why John Walker deserved to become the next Captain America. What about him was so special that he could easily replace Steve or even Sam? It just seemed like they were disrespecting Steve's legacy. The shield shouldn't be passed around so simply, in her opinion.

   Maybe she was being unfair. Maybe he wasn't so bad. She always believed in giving people the benefit of the doubt, giving them the chance to prove themselves. She nearly called Steve, but she knew what he would say: Give the guy a chance, Manhattan. Let him prove himself.

   Riley could understand that sentiment. She knew how difficult it could be having to prove yourself to people, especially the entire world. But she just couldn't wrap her head around why they picked John. Why did they need him anyway? Wasn't Valor enough?

   She tried calling Sam, but of course, he didn't answer. They didn't talk much these days, and when they did, it was always work-related. She tried calling Bucky, too, but she was sent straight to voicemail every time. She didn't know what she wanted to say to them or what she wanted to hear. She supposed she just wanted to talk to them about the news. Tony (who, by the way, was extremely bewildered by the news) kept telling her they weren't going to answer, and in the end, he was right.