Surely, you know the bits that everyone else knows: Sergeant Barnes fell MIA while on an operation with the Howling Commandos. [ with steve. ] He was presumed dead. We presumed him dead.
[ the army. the ssr. peggy -- she put her signature on that report, after all. ]
And in so doing, we left him for HYDRA to find and salvage as they could. [ her voice falls soft. her gaze glassy. she's had a hard time telling this to others -- feels she'll never tell it to steve, nor to bucky. but jarvis...
maybe jarvis will understand. ] You recall what happened to Chief Dooley.
[ it's not a question. it's a lead: mind-control. ]
[Jarvis' expression falls at the mention. Sympathetic, pitying, perhaps.
It's hard not to feel that way for anyone who falls into enemy hands. It's not like he himself is a spring daisy, unseasoned, at the understanding of it. Even though he had been sheltered during the war thanks to his position as a glorified secretary, it was impossible to avoid the carnage that the fighting had left behind. If you had a rank, you saw unspeakable things in some way or another.
So this is terrible, to say the least. A POW, as far as Jarvis is concerned.
He breathes softly, a sigh.]
I do recall, yes. Mr. Barnes was captured and mentally altered.
[Not a question, just a flow of conversation, an observation.
This tea is going to get cold now, with him so deeply focused.]
[ a soft hum. very little about the tale is pleasant, barring the present circumstances where the man seems on track to rehabilitation. ]
Mentally and physically. He's roughly as strong as Steve Rogers -- as though HYDRA managed to develop some form of the serum used by Howard and Doctor Erskine. As far as I can tell, they kept him on ice. Some form of cryostasis. They'd thaw him out whenever they had dirty deeds to do.
[He winces. Howard would be quietly tormented by such a thought, he thinks; Mr. Stark has always had more emotion up that sleeve than most would think, hidden under copious amounts of money, liquor, and an inability to not crack a joke in the most severe of circumstances. But Jarvis knows better - he's a good man, and this would be a terrible mark against something the Stark had only ever seen as good.
He sort of hopes nobody told Howard anything at all here.]
... How is he doing now?
He seemed - asocial, a bit low on words, but...
[He didn't seem like someone frozen off and on and left to committ the dirty deeds, as it were.]
[ she speaks the word with complete confidence. a month ago, and she mightn't have been so sincere. peggy turns her cup so the handle is facing away from her -- the only outward sign of nerves. ]
The Atroma flipped the switch on his programming a while back. There were injuries. But since then, he's come a long way.
I'm alright. I'm perfectly fine, Mister Jarvis. [ she sees the concern on his face and feels compelled to soothe it. even now, there are things she would shelter him from knowing. easy lies she would tell to cover her involvement in the attacks -- the weeks spent on bed rest, mending broken ribs. ] Truth is, the Atroma can manipulate all of us in all sorts of ways. Not just Barnes.
[He doesn't quite look swayed by her attempts to soothe his imagination. But — she's an agent, and he knows things can be terribly dangerous. Strange, he had no choice to appear here or not, but he feels an inkling of guilt at the idea that she had to endure another grim journey without his accompaniment. He wants to ask the damage, but... she's okay now. Upright and without any injury that he can see or sense with his patented Jarvision.
The idea that he can also be glitched to such a state, perhaps, is unnerving.
To say the least.]
I'm... admittedly unsettled by the concept of glitches.
[ it's a sobering conversation if there ever was one. she feels the dizziness subside -- and an old stiffness find its way into her body language. in a fashion, it's almost a comfort. she resists the urge to reach for his hand (things aren't so dire) and instead curls her fingers around her mug. ]
No one likes the thought of being someone else's unwilling entertainment. Nor their weapon. [ ... ] But I promise you -- Mister Jarvis, you will have people around you here who will do whatever they can to help. That's the one silver lining I can sell in earnest: these people are kind. And brave.
[After a long moment, he looks to her, expression softening. She's grown serious, he sees. And very earnest and supportive! The drink's gone to her head. Or perhaps she worries about the unstoppable (stoppable) butler. He'll have none of that worry if it is indeed that, not on his behalf.]
Oh, Miss Carter, I've got you to keep your watchful eye.
That alone comforts me greatly.
[So don't even focus any of that on him, he'll be entirely alright being the watchman for everyone else. Besides, the Atroma really would be silly to use him over someone with more skill anyway.]
I'm afraid there are forces at play within the fleet that I could not overcome if it came to it. [ powers she can't beat. people she can't take down with a convenient stapler or lamp nearby. that's not to say she couldn't hold her own with many present. but -- but she would hate for him to have undue confidence in her ability to safeguard him against everyone. ]
[ peggy tries to chase away the burgeoning sentiment deep in her chest. somewhere beneath her ribs -- like warmth or pride or affection. his faith means so very much to her. even now, she feels like she can count on one hand the amount of people back home who believe in her. maybe two hands, if she counts the commandos individually. and time and time again, jarvis has proven himself to be a staunch ally. stauncher than most. ]
Sod the pan. Even here, I've got a dependable little pistol. [ ... ] Don't mistake me. Should any trouble arise, I hope you'll call on me.
It was never my intention to imply that you're not -- [ only it was. just a little. right up until the moment she realizes she might have bruised his feelings. back home, it simply wouldn't do. but here? here, he might be right.
most months, it was uncommonly calm. ] But when things go pear shaped here, Mister Jarvis, it's quite different from back home.
[Jarvis sighs through his nose, exasperated but not uncaring, not angry. He understands to a degree — new to this place, this strange and utterly new place, fraught with the fear that any moment the calmness will explode into something else. Clearly it's happened before, but...]
I understand you're worried, but I can promise you, I will be cautious.
... If anything, I worry more for you. You tend to skin knees.
[ a snort. but if she looks annoyed, now, it's only because she knows he's right. skinned knees. if only all her troubles could be so superficial. peggy drains her cup of tea and sets it aside. emptied. he might as well be told. ]
Barnes broke a couple ribs. Half my face was black and blue. Took weeks just to get out of bed without swearing a streak of blue. [ so she's struggling with her own helplessness in the face of such power. paranoid that should she so easily be taken down, dear mister jarvis might end up snapped in half. or worse. ]
As sympathetic as his story is, Jarvis will not forget that.]
I'm... sorry. It sounded painful; I didn't mean... to infantilize what's happened. [Skinned knees. He'd been teasing a bit, but that all sounds horribly serious. Horribly grave. There's a streak of guilt passing, knowing he hadn't been available for help. Aloud - ] I was a bit late.
Very little brings me more relief than knowing you weren't here to witness any of it. [ quick; vehement. it's hard enough for barnes to adjust to any sort of life, let alone one lived in the shadow of such events. it had taken peggy ages to mend her bridges with the man. ]
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[ the army. the ssr. peggy -- she put her signature on that report, after all. ]
And in so doing, we left him for HYDRA to find and salvage as they could. [ her voice falls soft. her gaze glassy. she's had a hard time telling this to others -- feels she'll never tell it to steve, nor to bucky. but jarvis...
maybe jarvis will understand. ] You recall what happened to Chief Dooley.
[ it's not a question. it's a lead: mind-control. ]
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It's hard not to feel that way for anyone who falls into enemy hands. It's not like he himself is a spring daisy, unseasoned, at the understanding of it. Even though he had been sheltered during the war thanks to his position as a glorified secretary, it was impossible to avoid the carnage that the fighting had left behind. If you had a rank, you saw unspeakable things in some way or another.
So this is terrible, to say the least. A POW, as far as Jarvis is concerned.
He breathes softly, a sigh.]
I do recall, yes. Mr. Barnes was captured and mentally altered.
[Not a question, just a flow of conversation, an observation.
This tea is going to get cold now, with him so deeply focused.]
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Mentally and physically. He's roughly as strong as Steve Rogers -- as though HYDRA managed to develop some form of the serum used by Howard and Doctor Erskine. As far as I can tell, they kept him on ice. Some form of cryostasis. They'd thaw him out whenever they had dirty deeds to do.
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He sort of hopes nobody told Howard anything at all here.]
... How is he doing now?
He seemed - asocial, a bit low on words, but...
[He didn't seem like someone frozen off and on and left to committ the dirty deeds, as it were.]
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[ she speaks the word with complete confidence. a month ago, and she mightn't have been so sincere. peggy turns her cup so the handle is facing away from her -- the only outward sign of nerves. ]
The Atroma flipped the switch on his programming a while back. There were injuries. But since then, he's come a long way.
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They've flipped the switch before? Through these 'glitches'?
[Were you injured? How many? Can this happen again?
There's great need for concern here, to be sure.]
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The idea that he can also be glitched to such a state, perhaps, is unnerving.
To say the least.]
I'm... admittedly unsettled by the concept of glitches.
I shudder to imagine not being myself.
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No one likes the thought of being someone else's unwilling entertainment. Nor their weapon. [ ... ] But I promise you -- Mister Jarvis, you will have people around you here who will do whatever they can to help. That's the one silver lining I can sell in earnest: these people are kind. And brave.
[ for the most part. ]
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Oh, Miss Carter, I've got you to keep your watchful eye.
That alone comforts me greatly.
[So don't even focus any of that on him, he'll be entirely alright being the watchman for everyone else. Besides, the Atroma really would be silly to use him over someone with more skill anyway.]
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I'm afraid my confidence in you is not dissuaded, however foolhardy you think it is.
Besides, you're far more dangerous with a pan than a butler.
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Sod the pan. Even here, I've got a dependable little pistol. [ ... ] Don't mistake me. Should any trouble arise, I hope you'll call on me.
[ and (if need be) she'll call on steve. ]
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But I promise you, I'll give a call... As long as you agree to the same.
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Call you? [ wow, try not to take her disbelief to heart dear jarvis. ] If I come across a sock-darning emergency?
[ she's an ass. ]
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I'm wounded, Miss Carter. Surely my services have been more colorful than domestic housework.
Though... I suppose I would come to your aid for the sake of someone's socks.
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[ she wants to protect you, jarvis. ]
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[JUST GONNA SIP MY TEA AT YOU.]
If this is a matter of concern, there's no need; I'm very good at tricky situations.
... It's quite calm here anyway.
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[He folds his arms, partly offended. Partly.]
Because I'm very capable of handling myself when things are not calm.
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most months, it was uncommonly calm. ] But when things go pear shaped here, Mister Jarvis, it's quite different from back home.
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I understand you're worried, but I can promise you, I will be cautious.
... If anything, I worry more for you. You tend to skin knees.
[He smiles a bit, sneaky and impish.]
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Barnes broke a couple ribs. Half my face was black and blue. Took weeks just to get out of bed without swearing a streak of blue. [ so she's struggling with her own helplessness in the face of such power. paranoid that should she so easily be taken down, dear mister jarvis might end up snapped in half. or worse. ]
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[Barnes is a dangerous man.
As sympathetic as his story is, Jarvis will not forget that.]
I'm... sorry. It sounded painful; I didn't mean... to infantilize what's happened. [Skinned knees. He'd been teasing a bit, but that all sounds horribly serious. Horribly grave. There's a streak of guilt passing, knowing he hadn't been available for help. Aloud - ] I was a bit late.
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