"Smoke inhalation, a mild concussion and they wheeled you in here with quite an abnormally high heart rate. However, I've been informed by Captain Rogers here as to why that was," the soft-spoken male doctor with graying hair and crows feet beside his bright green eyes listed her injuries to her.
Quinn glanced over at Steve who only gave her a comforting glance as he stood by her hospital bed.
"But now, your heart rate is back to normal and you're good to go home, Miss Rivera."Quinn stayed quiet only giving a curt nod to the doctor before looking away. She'd been knocked out cold for three hours. The memory of what she'd seen right before she passed out made her want to scream. Steve politely thanked the doctor, shaking his hand firmly and watching him leave the room."The police want a briefing with you when you're ready to—"
"—the casualty report."
She interrupted him, her voice low and husky.
"What?" He asked."The casualty report, Rogers. Number of casualties." She pierced into him with her eyes. "I know Hill gets that kind of information. Just tell me."
He looked at her and then sighed, sitting down in the chair beside her hospital bed. His face was downcast, eyes glued to the ground as it pained him to tell her.
"Two hundred seventeen."
She shut her eyes, "oh my god." Her hands, covered in purple bruises, went up to hide her ashamed face.
He looked down, knowing how she felt. He felt that way every now and again.
"All third to fifth grade students," he uttered, his voice thin as a whisper. She knew it was bad just by hearing him.
"No," she uttered, muffled by her hands. "He was there."
He was unsure of who she was referring to at first. Then he remembered the conversation they had on the quinjet.
"I'm so sorry, Quinn." He sincerely said to her.
"He said I was a hero, Rogers," she raised her voice as she looked at him, baring her watery eyes and bruise-splotched face. "He believed I was a hero and—" she paused, her voice growing quiet once more, "—I couldn't even save him."
"You did all that you could. That number could've been a lot bigger if it weren't for you." She shook her head, bowing it once more, trying to hide the single tear that fell from her eye. Steve felt for her, looking away because he could tell she didn't want him to see her cry. He could see her quickly wipe her face in his peripheral.
He then grabbed the bag of her clothing from behind him, placing it at the foot of her bed. He then made his way out her door.
"Do the police want to arrest me?" She asked, stopping him in his tracks, her voice back to its steady beat. Her eyes, however, red and sad, avoided him.
"I don't know," he turned back. "But if they do, I won't let them."
He gave her a small sympathetic expression before turning for the door.Quinn stood, changing into the leggings, black v-neck long sleeve and black combat boots that had been in the bag for her. She then looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her face staring back at her, eyes sunken in and hair an absolute mess. She ran her fingers through it and then hooked it behind her ears.Walking out of her room, she saw doctors and nurses going in and out of doors. There were children, covered in smoke and minor injuries, still coughing as they were tended to by nurses. It seemed the ratio of patients to nurses was heavily imbalanced on that day. An ache entered her chest, heavy enough to bring her to her knees as she saw worried parents running into the crowded emergency room, searching for their children.
She passed right by an open door to a room where two vaguely familiar faces sat beside each other on the edge of a hospital bed. The two looked up, catching her gaze. It was the young mother and her daughter from the apartment building earlier.The mother then said something to her daughter before standing up off of the bed and walking over to Quinn.The young woman was small, even shorter the Quinn herself. She looked up at Quinn, recognizing her easily. She then grabbed Quinn's hands inside of her own. Quinn was taken aback, almost frozen with uncertainty in how to respond.
"Thank you," she told her, voice frail and still scared, but relieved. "You saved me and my daughter."
The woman spoke with a thick accent, her curly brown hair falling over her olive-toned face, which was blackened and graying from smoke.Quinn gave a smile, not unhappy, nor happy at all, but gracious in accepting the thanks. The woman then let go of Quinn's hands, giving one last, tearful expression before turning to reunite with her daughter. The little girl only gave a small wave over to Quinn, which she returned.
Then she looked away and kept walking, unsure of how to feel.She looked up to see Steve standing at the end of the hallway of that busy emergency room, along with Maria Hill. They both spotted her as she approached them. Hill had multiple cuts and bruises on her bare arms, but Quinn was glad to see that she was upright.Quinn sat in the back of a van with Steve and Hill. There was a paper in her hand, one that Hill had provided her with upon request, a list of the known names of the casualties. She at still, staring at the name Diego Lima. It took everything inside of her not to cry, but she tried as hard as possible because crying was not something she did in front of others.
Steve glanced over, seeing the paper then singe and smoke where her fingers held it. She then snapped out of her stare, handing the paper back to Hill.She then let out a breath and tried to compartmentalize her emotions.
"So," Quinn started, breaking the tense silence, "who the hell did this?"Hill informed them that the LAPD had caught the bomber, before he could plant another bomb in a neighborhood in East LA.
"It was a twenty year old kid from a city called Paramount, not far from where the five bombs were detonated."
"Some genius kid, making explosives like that," Steve said from beside Quinn. "That doesn't make sense. Why would a kid wanna ruin his own neighborhood?" Quinn wondered.
Hill spoke. "That's what they're trying to figure out."
They began a drive northbound towards a ten-story or so silver building, in the center of a nice part of the city, miles away from the destruction. The streets were still closed off by police cars and orange cones, causing the city to be quieter than it had been in a while, with only a faint wailing of distant sirens.
Steve eyes glanced over at Quinn as she stared out the window of the van. She was in her head, overwhelmed and he couldn't blame her. It was a mission that immediately put a large responsibility on her shoulders and a target on her back. The casualties from the last blast, although unforeseen and unable to be prevented, still disheartened her and he could hear it in her silence.
"Now, Rivera," Hill started, prompting Quinn to turn her attention back to the woman sitting in front of her. "There's a lot of press outside the conference center. They're gonna ask you questions–ones you can't respond to."Quinn brows furrowed, but eventually nodding slowly.
"A lot of people showed up just to talk to you." Hill said. "Police, FBI, government representatives..."
"—oh, god," Quinn breathily muttered as she looked down at her hands, as they fiddled with each other nervously.
"They know that you were responsible for all those robberies and heists." Hill told her.
"But they also know that you saved lives today." Steve spoke up."Those are people that I stole from," she said to them. "I'm nothing but a criminal to them. They won't listen to a thing I say."
"That's why Captain Rogers is going to speak for you. They'll listen to him.""Well, Hill, you don't know that." Cap said, trying to ease Quinn's worries.
Quinn switched her gaze between them, looking hesitant and disbelieving. "So I'm gonna admit to my crimes and then Captain America will defend my honor." Hill and Steve glanced at each other and then back at her.
The agent nodded to Quinn.
"Right," Quinn sighed. The van came to a halt in front of an official looking building. More noticeable, however, was the large crowd of reporters, holding microphones alone with men holding large cameras. They collectively spotted the van pull up, making leaps toward the vehicle.
"Jesus," Quinn muttered as she looked out the tinted windows, at the frenzied crowd.
"Back up, people. Back it up," officers directed the reporters to move, creating a clear path from the van to the front entrance of the building, just for them. Then the van door opened and Quinn's headache grew upon hearing the loud slew of voices.
Hill lead them through the path that the officers had cleared for them. Quinn's head snapped back and forth to either side of her as reporters continuously threw questions at her, trying to shove their microphones in her face.
Miss!
Ma'am!
Are you in fact the fire-breathing bandit?
Was it you behind the robbery of the Chen-Hartley bank?
What can you say about—?
The voices were all cut off as they finally made it inside of the building. They were immediately greeted by a professionally-dressed man.
"Captain Rogers," the man addressed him politely. "I'm Sean Leigh with the Department of Defense, I'll be escorting you to the conference room."
"Thank you," Steve responded, then following the man through the lobby of the building. It looked, expensive, marble floors and walls, the words Los Angeles Department of Defense etched on the wall that they walked towards.The people walking through that lobby would spot the Captain, immediately recognizing him. However they also glanced at the young woman walking behind him. It seemed as though everyone knew who she was.
Quinn never could've predicted this happening to her. She was overwhelmed and tired and just wanted to leave the city so she could see her mother. But she stared straight ahead as she followed behind Hill, Rogers walking just beside her. He was concerned about her, but he remained calm.As they stood by the entrance of the mahogany room, a large round table sitting in the center, they had to take a second to scan every face.
There were at least fifty men and women scattered around that room, speaking amongst themselves in small groups. They could be told apart from their attire, the officers dressed in full uniform, FBI agents wearing professional pantsuits and the politicians, were easily recognized by Quinn. She spotted Governor Derek Truman, intensely conversing with a few police officers towards the front of the room. However, it wasn't long until everyone noticed the three enter. The governor immediately excused himself from the officers he spoke to, making a beeline for them.Steve glanced over his shoulder at Quinn who kept her head up, staring straight, only her eyes moving to meet his gaze.
"Captain Rogers." He greeted him firstly. "It's an honor to meet such a fine representative of this country."
"The honor's all mine Governor," Steve respectfully shook the man's hand.The governor was in his late fifties, the slight wrinkling in his face becoming prominent as he flashed two perfect rows of white teeth at the three of them. He was impeccably dressed in a gray suit, his two men standing stoically behind him in black in white.Then he turned his attention over to the young woman standing beside the Captain.
"Miss—?" He offered his hand out, awaiting her introduction.
"Quinn Rivera," she said, her voice steady and firm.He looked her in the face, almost as if to memorize her appearance as he shook her hand.
"Please," the governor said, beckoning over to three empty seats at the end of the table, "sit down. We'll get started shortly."Cap thanked him and Quinn gave him a glance before he walked away, going towards the front end of the table.
"I'm staying back here." Hill told them two, beckoning over to the back of the room. Cap nodded, assuming that she wanted a good view of the whole room.So the two of them got seated, sitting side by side.
Quinn noticed the governor continuously staring at her, while uttering words to a serious-faced woman. She looked away, the feeling of unease not having left her since she walked into that building. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, knowing that there were words that she couldn't hear, being said about her amongst them. Steve glanced over at her as she looked around the room, brows furrowed and expression wary.
"You okay?" He lowly asked her.She decided that it probably wasn't safe to talk freely in that room.
"Fine."
The room had quieted slightly, the officials having filled the seats on both sides of the table. There were seven people on each side and they were all sitting, patiently waiting for the governor to begin.
"Hello, everyone!" The Governor started, standing at the front of the room. "I believed this meeting was necessary given the recent events that have taken place today."He paused, the silence of the room making his voice bounce off of the walls.
"First of all I would like to acknowledge our special guests here today, Captain Steve Rogers and his new partner Miss Quinn Rivera and thank them for their efforts in evacuating citizens from the blast zones." He started a round of applause. Heads turned to glance back at the two, the people seated at the table clapping their hands together for a few seconds before allowing the governor to continue.
"These two were able to use their special skillsets to divert the largest explosive that had been set to detonate today. If not for them, the number of casualties could have totaled to hundreds more."
The governor said, sending complimentary expressions across the conference room to the two heroes sitting before him.
"Fortunately, the LAPD and the FBI have successfully captured the culprit, who is under their custody now. Questioning and determining the next course of action for the suspect will be taking place these next few days."
He paused once more.
"However, we are all here today, because it has come to my attention that the FBI, LAPD and multiple sectors of the Department of Defense have connected Miss Rivera to the identity behind a wanted criminal."
Quinn let out a sigh upon hearing this.
"But," The Governor brought his index finger up, "given the great service that Miss Rivera has shown during this national crisis, I have decided to give her a chance to explain herself."Quinn let out a breath, feeling her blood come to a boil as the distrusting faces of police officers and government agents looked at her.
"So, Miss Rivera the floor is yours." Steve was ready to speak for Quinn, leaning towards the microphone that protruded from the table in front of them.
"Thank you, Governor."
Steve glanced to the side as her amplified voice echoed through the room.The governor sat down across from them, sending a charismatic and encouraging smile across to Quinn.Hill, standing a few feet behind them, by the entrance of the room, rose a brow as Quinn diverted from the plan, but then let out a sigh, as a part of her knew that she would.
"My name is Quinn Lani Rivera. I grew up in a neighborhood between Compton and Paramount." She started. "And because of the circumstances I was born into and grew up under," she paused, "I had to make the most of my situation."
She knew that the officers and the officials were internally rolling their eyes at her, their faces blank, with no sympathy for her at all.
"When the distribution of free healthcare was discontinued, I didn't have enough to pay for my mother's hospital bills. Not even with my full time job. I had to turn to thieving to gather this money."
They all listened intently, even Cap, who was surprised that someone like her, so secretive and isolated, was ready to tell a room of people she didn't trust at all about her life story."When I realized I had these special abilities, it made things easier for me. I planned a job once every two months, taking a specific amount every time.
"Once she said this, the wheels in the officers' heads seemed to turn. It made sense to them, in that moment, why the bandit had that consistent pattern of only stealing a specific amount.
"Now, I know desperation is no excuse to committing federal offenses, but I hope you can understand that my intention was never to harm anybody." Her voice was filled with conviction. "I promise to do all I can to be in service to the government and in service to my city."
The people in the room seemed distrusting, but contented to this sentiment.
The governor opened his mouth to respond, but Quinn, seeing all the faces of those authoritative figures all staring back at her, wasn't finished.
"–under one condition."
The governor rose a brow, everyone else in the room looking at her, taken aback with her audacity. Even Steve sat, partially fearing what she would say next."And what would that be?" The curious Governor asked.
"The inner-city gets a fair shot." It was silent once more, the officials sitting at the table, processing her statements, a few scribbling across notepads and others whispering to each other. Governor Truman was keenly studying Quinn and she caught his gaze again.
"Would you please elaborate on this...condition, Miss Rivera?" The governor asked.
"All the damages are fixed and cleaned up. No one ends up homeless, hungry or dead. All I ask is that everyone who has the means to help, does." She surely said.
"Thank you, Miss Rivera." He said, before tearing his intense gaze away from her. "Would you like to add anything, Captain Rogers?"
Steve continued to eye Quinn, taking a last leer at her before leaning forward to speak into his microphone. "Quinn Rivera is a remarkable young woman."
His clear statement made her turn to look at him, taken aback.
"She put her life on the line today to save civilian lives. The bravery she showcased today are not the qualities of a criminal. I believe Miss Rivera has proved herself worthy of being absolved of her past crimes." He leaned back once more in his seat, once finished with this confident statement.
Quinn could hardly help the sincere appreciative expression, almost a smile, from forming on her face.
"Thank you, Captain Rogers," the Governor said. "Well," he joined his hands together atop of the table, "the representatives from the organizations present today will privately discuss with me the final verdict. We will have a conclusion in thirty minutes' time."
Quinn and Steve nodded simultaneously, before heading for the door, making their way out of the room along with the others who were not to participate in the private discussion.The door to the conference room then closed, leaving people to scatter. Steve and Quinn stood in that marble lobby, where many of the professionals who were in the conference room stayed as well.
"Well," Steve started, "You did much better than I could've-"
"-you really think I'm remarkable?"
Steve let out a nervous chuckle, his hand going to rub the back of his neck. "Of course, I do."
Quinn gave a thankful and satisfied expression. "Well you sold the pitch."
Their conversation was quickly interrupted as a new face, one that had been sitting in that conference room approached them.
"Captain Rogers, Miss Rivera."A good-looking man, dressed sharply in a suit and tie offered his hand to them.
"Hi," Quinn said, shaking his hand, Steve following in suit.
"I'm Harrison Reeds, a representative from the state senate." He spoke directly to Quinn, taking an obvious interest in her.
"Wow, you're pretty, uh—"
"—young for a senator?" He finished for her, grinning charmingly as he did. "I get that quite a lot."
The man looked to be in his mid to late twenties, not much older than Quinn herself.
"I wanted to personally thank you for diverting the explosion in Atlantic Elementary," he sincerely told her. "My niece was one of the survivors."
Quinn nodded, giving a flat, obligatory smile, "well, I'm glad she's okay."
Steve stood awkwardly, the senator acting as if he wasn't there at all.
"I also have a feeling that you'll be exonerated. Governor Truman is a smart man. He knows that when push comes to shove, he'll want you on his side."
"Thank you, I guess," Quinn said with a short chuckle. "So do you have a special alias yet?"
"Alias?"
"Well, you know, you are an avenger now." The senator said, finally glancing up at Steve. "Gotta have a name."
"I'll think about it when I have the time," Quinn responded.
"Well, I'm looking forward to hearing it more," the senator sent her another smile. "If you ever find yourself back in Los Angeles," he reaches into the inside of his jacket, pulling out a small white card. "I'll be here. Anything you need."He handed her the card and she looked down at it, reading.
Harrison M. Reeds
United States Senator
It was complete with his workplace address and multiple phone numbers.
"Good luck, Miss Rivera." Quinn thanked him once more before he walked off.
"Hm," Steve hummed, catching her attention.
She rose a brow at him. "What?"
"Oh, nothing!" Steve shrugged.Quinn was about to press the question, but Hill had found her way back with the two.
She reached her hand out towards Quinn, a cellphone inside of it.Quinn rose an eyebrow as she grabbed the phone.
"It's Helen Cho," Hill said.Quinn then immediately placed the phone up to her ear.
"Doctor?" She looked from Hill to Steve before turning to walk away from the voices of the crowd, awaiting the final verdict.
"Miss Rivera. It's your mother."
Quinn felt her stomach turn again, closing her eyes, wondering how much more she could take that day.
"What's wrong with her?" Her voice was shaky in the slightest as she tried to remain calm and cool.
"She won't wake up from the sedative." There was a silence, a hesitant pause.
"She may only have a few hours left." Quinn clutched her head, feeling her hands going numb as her breaths came out quickly.
"Is there anything else you can do, Doctor? To at least keep her alive—" Quinn paused, closing her eyes, having to push her self to say the words."—so I can say goodbye?" Quinn asked desperately, her voice almost disappearing into the air completely.
"We can put her on support, but it's not likely that she'll make it through the night. I'm sorry, Quinn."
Quinn felt a piercing stab in her chest as she did not want to accept it. She didn't want to lose hope. Not for the only person on earth that ever loved her.It was impossible for her to let go.
So she asked Dr. Cho to try one last thing.