manuscript. "--is sheet music and lyrics for the songs you're going to need to learn. Not all of them'll make into the picture, probably, but we'd rather have too much than too little."
    Beck nods in agreement. "My secretary will give you a shooting schedule on your way out. We're ready to start next week Monday."
    Karl Mordo smiles. "It is a pleasure to have met you, Mister Jones. I'm certain that with you finally in our cast, my little project cannot help but succeed."

Delta V
Curtis Connors arrives home, also tired and feeling a little ill. The stress and violence of the day had been sorely taxing, and brought back unwanted memories of his own experiences during wartime. His home is a welcome sight, the lights on inside. His wife and son have likely not been home long, and he does hope they aren't too worried. He realizes he should have called. Slipping around very quickly and quietly to the backyard, so that the neighbors don't see his costumed arrival, Curt starts to open the back door when he suddenly realizes he isn't alone.
    "Relax, Doctor," Steve Rogers says as Curt whirls around, ready for a fight. "I'm not here as an enemy." The big man, in normal clothes, steps out of the shadows between the house and bushes. "I'm leaving the city shortly, but I wanted to see you first. To thank you for saving Ted. Ted Sallis."
    "It's always feels good to be able to save a life. I wasn't aware of any connection between you and Sallis."
    Rogers shrugs. "It's classified. Ted did some work on me. Blood cultures, things like that, trying to duplicate the super-soldier serum. Never had much success." He grins, remembering. "Once Sallis is better, I'd like you to go see him. Talk about your work. I think Sallis can help. I know he wants to help. Funding will be available."
    "I'm assuming you were being influenced by some outside source at the U.N. What are you going to do now?"
    The grin fades, replaced by a decidedly angry cast. "I brought you this."
    He fishes a specimen dish from a jacket pocket and holds it out. Inside is a small piece of plastic, about the size and shape of a dime. Silver wires are visible on its surface. "I pulled this out of my neck, behind my ear. I think it's some sort of receiver, like in a radio. I have no idea how it got there, but I'm willing to bet that the Voice was using it to control me. I'm willing to bet DePalo's man—the one who shot Sallis—has one as well. Might want to have everyone checked. As for me now, I'm not sure. I'm going to head west. I know some people who can help me get a new identity set up. I thought about turning myself in, but...." He shrugs.
    Connors takes the device from him. "Good luck. I hope everything works out okay for you. I will definitely let the right people know about this device, and make sure everyone involved is checked for one." Connors reaches out to shake his hand
    Captain America smiles, returning the handshake. "Thank you, Doctor, and good luck."
    The first thing in the morning, he contacts the people he's been dealing with in the government and lets them know about the chip. He also makes sure the doctor doing the autopsy knows about the chip. When time permits, he will examine the chip to see if he can figure out how it interacts with the brain or nervous system. When he goes to check in on Sallis in the next couple of days, he may bring it up with him.
    Everyone is circumspectly thankful about the information. The coroner even lets slip that he did indeed find a similar chip behind Mulhare's ear. Examining the chip himself, Curt can't see how would interact with the brain or nervous system. From all he can tell, it is just a radio receiver with a tiny speaker.
    After breakfast with Martha and William, Curt takes William off to school. It's good to be home, and there is some time to kill before the meeting tonight.

Aegis & Union
After stopping at home just long enough to skim his mail, collect the Bugle's from his front stoop and look over the shop, Adrian takes off for Stark Industries, his mind full of the plans that have been percolating over the last few days and his bag full of a change of clothes and the sketches of the equipment he feels the Avengers will need. In less time than he expected he lands outside the main administrative building of the compound, looking around for a few minutes in the hopes that Aegis will come and meet him.
    Having nothing else to do in the meantime, Aegis had traveled directly to SI, where she has been watching for Union's arrival. She emerges from the building in a few moments, wearing somewhat conservative civilian garb, and nods a brisk greeting.
    "Shall we?"
    "Certainly," he says, looking closely at the woman to confirm she is indeed the one who's face he saw very briefly in Asgard. "I almost didn't recognize you with the change of clothes."
    Walking through the compound, Adrian marvels at the mount of wealth Stark must have to build something like this, and questions again the employment and organized labor policies of the munitions behemoth. _He's stayed out of the media on the topic, unlike WI, but I haven't had time to check._
    "Have you managed to get us some private lab time?"
    A quick, sphinx-like smile crosses her face. "Even here they go home eventually--it wasn't a problem. Though I'll be answerable if you walk off with anything patentable." Having spent too much of the past few months practically living in the complex, she can all but ignore her surroundings and observe her companion as they thread through the maze of corridors; his unnaturally smooth way of motion tends to attract the eye. Not really in the mood for conversation, habit takes over anyway.
    "You built that yourself?" her glance takes in the whole of the Union getup.
    "It's all mine. And I'm very sensitive about patents, don't worry. How about your armor? Were you on the design crew for that?" Union follows Aegis, _what is her real name?_ into the lab, and is amazed at how quickly his eye takes in all the accoutrements of a high tech laboratory again. "Nice room. I haven't been in a lab this well equipped since...well, in a long time."
    His question actually draws a rueful chuckle. "Not hardly, I'm afraid, though Tony's been kind enough to listen to my suggestions -- he's kept *very* tight personal control over the project. I didn't even know Dumas knew about it until the Asgardian business." There is a brief, awkward pause at this mention of the late Avenger.
    Adrian lets the silence linger for a moment before continuing, "Well, um, Aegis, I had some ideas for what we, the team, may need for equipment and such, but we also have to nail out some organizational problems. Do you have any ideas on this score that you want to bring up now, or do you want to wait until the actual meeting."

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