| Brooklyn Bridge Repairs 2: The Sentinel of Liberty Appears |
| Summary: | The repairs of the Brooklyn Bridge continue at an incredible pace, bolstered by the aid of metahuman heroes and incredible technology. Captain America comes to bear witness, and to congratulate these folks on their hard-won efforts. |
| Date: | 2014-04-28 |
| Related: | The bridge was destroyed in Kaiju Attack on Manhattan and the bridge's repairs began in Brooklyn Bridge Repairs 1. |
| NPCs: | Damage Control, various civilians and repair crews |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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It has been half a week since the disastrous appearance of Godzilla destroyed the Brooklyn Bridge and a good portion of the Lower East Side docks, as well as sections of the warehouses of the New York Harbor. But in those days, incredible progress has been made to clean up the devastation wrought by the nuclear-powered, rad-spewing behemoth and to reconstruct much of what has been lost. The forces of Damage Control have been invaluable in this effort, naturally. But they have not acted alone. They have received the aid of several powerful metahuman heroes, most notably Power Woman and Moon Maiden, and a young woman known as Marvel Girl.
Today, Power Woman is currently working without her other friends, hoisting gigantic sections of bridge supports and pylons, lowering them into place for Damage Control units to check levels before she then welds them in place, all in seconds or minutes rather than hours, and without requiring any extra equipment or personnel. This is a bit part of why the project is weeks ahead of Damage Control's already impressively rapidfire schedule.
While Power Woman works, a New York City Department of Public Works official car edges its way through the crowd of onlookers toward the police barricade. It honks its horn and is let through, and stops just behind the mass of heavy equipment and supplies. The figure that steps out of the passenger side elicits a gasp and shouts of recognition from the civilians, and momentarily the cell phone cameras are turned away from the work and on to the newcomer.
Because the newcomer is Captain America.
The Living Legend of World War II gives the crowd a red-gloved wave, but his smile is somewhat dimmed. As Cap looks over the state of destruction and repair of the suspension bridege connecting his home borough to Manhattan, its obvious to anyone he sees his face he regrets he wasn't here.
Cap reaches into the car and pulls a bundle from it as he shuts the door. He walks around a bit shaking hands with various workers, the Shield of Freedom on his back and the bundle tucked under his left arm. Looking up, Cap shades his eyes with his free hand and sees Power Woman doing her think, and his smile brightens.
"That's certainly a feat of which your cousin would approve," he says in a conversational tone desipte the distance between them. He knows Power Woman can hear him.
Given a few moments' pause between bits of work to be done, Power Woman has a chance to look away, and her gaze sweeps over the car as it drives past the barricades and stops, disgorging its rather distinguished and special cargo. When at last she hears what the Sentinel of Liberty has to say to her, she smiles; it's a sight easy enough to see, even at a distance.
Kara glances towards her crew - the Damage Control team she has been working with, and motions towards the foot of the bridge, and Cap. "C'mon, guys. Let's take a ten minute break. There's someone really special who wants to say hello, and thank you guys for all your hard work." She takes no credit at all, and helps assure a rapid but safe redeployment of her crew to the safety near the vehicle's parking place. Then she holds back, giving the guys - and girls - of Damage Control first dibs at getting photos of the amazing Captain America.
When it is at least her turn, Power Woman steps up and offers her blue-gloved hand. "It's good to see you, Sir. I promise, we're doing all we can to get this damage repaired as quickly as possible, and to restore the bridge to her former glory. Thank you, for your kind words today. I know it means a lot to the crew. And they mean a lot to me, too." She chooses to believe the impossible, that this Captain America is the real thing. Many do not, but she does. Her reasons are her own.
Captain America does indeed give each and everyone of the crew some one-on-one time, listening to their personal stories and responding such that it's obvious he considers Brooklyn his home as much as they do. And Power Woman was not exaggerating, he thanks them not only for the current work but for what must seem a thankless job - time and again cleaning up the messes 'superheroes' make; sometimes going as far as fixing the same building more than once. Many may doubt this is the real Captain America, but its moments like this that erase those doubts. Hearts and minds are always Steve's real mission. Finally, it's just him and Power Woman. As red and blue golves meet, the crowd fades away for a moment.
"Please, I had enough of 'sir' in the Army," Cap tells the heroine. "It's Captain if you really have to be formal, but Cap works. I read the news. I appreciate what you and Moon Maiden and the rest did for my hometown while I was away." He looks around at the destruction again and sighs, shaking his head. "The one time she really needed me." He looks back at Power Woman and grins, "Well maybe the second if you count that little plane incident in '44."
"You were here in spirit, I assure you." Power Woman answers, with honest sincerity shining forth. This is a young woman who has grown up idolizing what the heroes of World War II did, and who they were. She has the journals of Jor-El has inspiration, and feels as close to those heroes as she can to anyone; they are her touchstone for her own efforts as a heroine, and why she made such a big deal of crafting the persona of Power Woman in the first place.
"I know it looks bad, but we really are making amazing progress. Even having been here as much as I have, it's hard to believe this is less than a week's work. They're saying we may be able to re-open the bridge before the end of next week, which would be amazing. And these guys deserve all the credit for that." She smiles towards the Damage Control crew members. "I'm just a better, fancier bit of machinery to make the work go faster. They're the hard-working geniuses that make it all go right."
Power Woman's gaze sweeps over the Sentinel of Liberty, and her vision narrows as she zooms in on the shield, able to detect its unique composition, confirmation that this really is the original Captain America. "I've read my cousin's journals of his time here on Earth. He was heavily affected by the chance to meet and worth with you, with Wonder Woman and others. It really is an honor beyond words to meet you in person. Thank you, for coming down here today."
"The honor is mine," Cap replies with a too good to be true humility. "Superman was an inspiration to everyone, and he never let it go to his head." If Steve sees the irony in his describing Jor-El with thee words people have used about him, he doesn't show it. "His willingness to fight for a world that wasn't his gave me hope that someday humanity would put aside injustice. He'd have been proud to know you're following in his footsteps."
Cap rubs his chin. "The Invaders, the JSA, and eventually all of us together as the All-Star Squadron - there was definitely an advantage in having all the heroes working together as a group. Doing something like that now, with the stakes so much higher, wouldn't be a bad idea."
Kara seems rather deeply moved by Steve's words; the impact would be pretty obvious, of course. "I hope that's true, I really do. He and Lara, and my parents, sacrificed a lot on the hope that we would survive to carry on a legacy." And since - so far as she knows - Kara is alone as a Kryptonian here on Earth, it's up to her to live up to that legacy. Clearly it would mean a lot if those that set that ahead of her believed in her doing well at it.
"We've been discussing finding ways to work better together. A network of support for each other, and building on that for something more. There's even talk of trying to build a sort of 'clubhouse' to gather together, when we can." Power Woman admits, on the topic of a team. "Given your experiences, it would mean a lot, if you were able to speak to the others about this. Perhaps even join us, once in a while. I wouldn't want to presume. But I thought I'd mention it."
"I wouldn't say it lightly," Captain America assures the young woman. He tilts his head as he listens to Power Woman tell him about the 'super club'. "I am definitely interested in being a part of that," he says, "and more than just 'once in a while'. Please feel free to pass that on to the others when you run into them again."
Steve says 'when', not 'if'. He knows in this business longshots are not so long. For that the same reason he doesn't worry about the logistics of how any of the others might find him. It'll happen if it's meant to be.
"I actually have something to give to the crew, if you want to see it." Cap pats the bundle under his left arm with his right hand.
"I would love to see it." Kara offers, enthusiastically. She will definitely be sure to pass along the message to the 'network' as soon as she gets a chance. Hopefully Stark can duplicate the Batman's communication devices and their encryption, and then they'll have more to distribute. Given her druthers, Power Woman would deliver one to Captain America in a heartbeat. That would be worth dropping everything, in her opinion. "Anything I can do to assist?" she inquires.
Shrugging, Steve starts to unwrap the bundle. "You could probably set this in to wherever they decide to mount it easily enough." Once the cloth is removed, Captain America holds the contents out at arms length in both hands. While he doesn't have Kara's strength, it's obvious he's stronger than an orindary man given he's holding a five inch thick concrete and metal disc larger in diameter than the shield on his back.
The disc is emblazoned wth a white field bordered by blue. Inlaid in gold enamel on the white is the figure of a robed woman holding a fasces. Around the bottom of the blue border are the words 'SEAL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN'. Around the top are Gothic letters that appear to be Latin.
"Eendraght Maeckt Magh," Cap says, revealing it is not Latin but in fact Dutch. "In unity, there is strength," he repeats in English the motto of Brooklyn. "These things are installed in various points. I brought the firest of the replcements over." What Steve doesn't say is he paid for this one out of his own pocket.
Of course, the crew that are around and see the seal unveiled are deeply moved; they know what this seal means, and the depth of its value and importance to the very project they have undertaken. Cheers are heard all around, voices raised to reiterate the motto, and speak up to their support for the ideals it represents.
Kara is quiet at first, though she smiles broadly at the seal's revelation. Only once some of the furor dies down does she speak up. "We, all of us together, are united in restoring this City, and this bridge. And this bridge will remain, as it always has been, a symbol of the unification of this City: not five boroughs, but one City. Let none be pushed aside or put asunder."
That said, when the time comes, she is only too happy to fly it up, while holding onto one of the other crew, so that they install it together. Not one woman, however strong, acting alone: but representatives for all of them, acting together. Symbols in all things have importance. Let them be respected, and they will carry on. "Thank you, Captain. This means a lot to all of us, especially that you were here to deliver this, and reiterate its message."
Folding his arms Captain America watches Power Woman rally the crew with her well-chosen words and then make sure she does not belittle them in the way she includes them in the installation. Nodding, he says "I could not have said it better myself," loud enough for everyone to hear.
And then Captain America takes his leave. Sprinting faster than anyone has a right to wihout truly being a speedster, he leaps from vehicle to vehicle. A leap takes him over the crowd , and he comes down into a cartwheel on to the pedestrian walkway.
As Captain America disppears from view he speaks again in a tone only Kryptonian ears can hear. "Keep up the good work, Power Woman. I'll be in touch."