jadedgiantess | Testimony [Fic]

The gym at her hotel is built for executives who want to try and maintain some semblance of health while visiting the capital for business. Not exactly built for Jen's daily training routine, but there's a decent treadmill and some free weights. Enough to make sure she doesn't get overly lazy. Enough to burn off any lingering frustration from the day. More the running than the weights, even if it takes a few more miles to get the runner's high than it used to.

Intellectually, she knows the day went better than it didn't. The questions were hard, brutal even, but there were a greater number of friendly faces than she expected on the panel. For every humiliating question, there was one to show the other side. Every question made it look more and more like a political gambit that mattered less now that the off year elections were over. It was calling her up, making the show, that mattered. At this point she was starting to wonder if she would ever want to deal with the fucked up politics enough to become a judge.

But then, it's Jen. She knows she probably will.

The thought of what it would take to become some kind of judge in New York City is a distraction for a little while. But the truth is that at this point, the research is done. The preparation is done. She knows what she's going to wear for the rest of the week. She can try to gnaw on the vicious stupidity as long as she wants, but eventually she's going to have to to stop. Eventually she was going to be a woman alone with her thoughts and that was going to come with a price. The last thing she wanted to do was replay the last weekend over again in her head.

Which made Fury a surprisingly welcome sight, even given the fact she was a dirty sweaty mess and he was composed and imposing as ever. Imposing was good. She had been worrying that none of her instincts about dangerous men were still functioning. He still pinged, even if t was a mostly friendly ping. That didn't mean she got off the treadmill.

"I was waiting for you at the bar," he says calmly with the implied comment at the shift in her routine. Or maybe just a reference to her past.

"Liquor is for happy days," Jen answered, pretending that she isn't panting by this point.

"And running is for...?" He asks with a smile.

"Days when I get asked dozens of questions that imply every person who is gamma altered should have their abilities neutered or be in imprisoned. Myself included, of course."

"I didn't know that happened that frequently."

"There are other reasons to run."

"Like tearing down a government installation over the weekend?"

"Did that happen this weekend?"

"Someone large and green did. Funny thing is even I have a hard time finding the files on the place."

"You would think a place like that would have better security than that."

"Hard to defend against an attack no one saw coming or can even begin to explain. But I'm sure there was a good reason."

"Black ops tend to horrify people. Maybe someone was sufficiently horrified to shut it down."

"That would be a lot of horrifying. I'd need an idea of what kind of scope it involved before I could sympathize."

"Maybe something like a superhuman breeding program. One where they tortured and killed the drop outs and even their successes."

"That would be the kind of motivation I'd understand. It wouldn't make me worry that the person had switched teams. Even if she had been spending time with some dangerous men."

"Hopefully that's why it was torn down, then." Jen hits the buttons and shuts down the treadmill. "What can I do to help you, Nick?"

"Keep doing what you did today."

Jen wipes the sweat off her face and neck, taking a long moment before she looks at Fury. Conversations nested in conversations. Most of them less clumsy than her explanation of her weekend activities.

"I was blacklisted because of the incident in New York."

"Everyone has to answer to someone."

"Especially when the bosses are bringing people to task."

"Shit rolls down hill. A few more days like today, and you'll be through the worst of it. Then, the next time you see me, I'll be carrying a file."

"I'd do this for a month if it got me that file."

"Good to know," answered Nick with a hint of a smile that said he might be willing to abuse that statement.

Jen flashed him a look back. She had, after all, raided one government facility lately. Fortunately, he looked more amused than threatened.

"I'll be seeing you later, green genes."

"Can't wait."