I10DT - But first, I must ask a favor of you...

[Samantha McManus]

Ms. McManus made her way to Ryan's holding cell, her face unreadable.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan was... well, he was bored as hell. Currently, he'd moved the cot out of the way, standing it up against the wall, and was doing push-ups. From the looks of him, he'd been working out for a little while now. Because really, what else was he going to do.

[Samantha McManus]

"Your credentials check out, and Dugan is vouching for you on behalf of Fury."

"For that matter, the lab tests are back and there don't seem to be any obvious pathogens or other nasty surprises lurking inside you, after you were tinkered with under the hood."

"In other words, you're very, very lucky."

[Ryan Gabriel]

For all his certainty, Ryan still looked relieved as she said that. "Of course," he admitted, "That doesn't exactly settle things, does it?"

[Samantha McManus]

"No, it doesn't. We've still got our legal team as well as the Genoshan Embassy and SHIELD working on a few things."

"However, that doesn't mean we have to keep you locked up."

"From here there are two options. You can, of course, take transport back to London. We'll be segregating you from the rest of the teams until things have settled a bit."

"It's the second option I'd like you to consider, though. Before this whole mess, you were nearly going mad from lack of direction."

"After some talks I've had, I think I may have a solution to that."

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan nodded, leaning back against the wall as he listened. "I think that you'll find me... pretty flexible right now," he mused.

[Samantha McManus]

"A lot of the children that were there the day of the attack are first-year students. They're shocked, their parents are shocked, and X-Corporation has us scrambling to make a response that we'll keep them safe."

"Meanwhile, the head of security here is an old friend. She's been... some of the places you have, I think, and she has an unenviable task ahead of her this semester."

"What I'd like you to do, if you're willing, is go to her and ask her what you can do for her to help make this right. For the students, if nothing else."

[Ryan Gabriel]

He mulled it over, not really looking uncertain about the matter. "Well, if there's anything I'm good at it's putting a pretty widespread spin on things," he admitted. He thought about it a moment more before he nodded. "Am I being too picky if I say that I want to talk to Bear before I say 'yes' for sure?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I wouldn't ask you to leave her behind. I'm sure we can make accommodations for her."

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan nodded, looking a little relieved. "Well, it'll probably make Brand happy to have me in this hemisphere, too. Don't know if that's good or if it disappoints me, really."

[Samantha McManus]

"Just tell me you won't believe the horror stories about Romanov. She takes her job rather seriously, but I think you'll find she understands what you're going through more than she'd care to let on."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"So the stuff about her having a closet full of frozen students and former lovers is all made up?" Ryan asked with a little smirk.

[Samantha McManus]

"You'd have to ask her. I may request photographs of her reaction."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I suppose acting like a deathwish won't help my 'suitability to serve' evaluation?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I'd say to use your best judgment but..." She chuckled wistfully.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Yeeeaaah... that ship's sailed, I know."

"So, ah... can we..." he motioned at the power inhibitor collar.

[Samantha McManus]

She nodded, hitting a few sequences on the security console. The systems disengaged.

"Aye, best get that done so I can tend to the others."

"Just remember Ryan, there's no such thing as self-help."

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan rubbed his neck, shuddering visibly as his powers came flooding back to him. "Thought that God was supposed to help those who help themselves," he said with a wry smile. It was fairly obvious that he got the point, though.