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wordshappensometimes · 7 years

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Ghost in the Sun Pt. 1 (Steve Rogers x Enhanced Reader)

Summary: Just because you can make yourself invisible doesn’t mean you can keep yourself from getting a nasty sunburn, and after a grueling mission in the Moroccan desert that’s exactly what’s happened. Luckily Steve is more than willing to help you put aloe on those hard-to-reach places once you get back.

A/N: This was originally supposed to be some post mission fluff, but I started writing about the mission itself and couldn’t stop (I love me some ass-kickin, what can I say). Parts 2-4 coming soon! BTW this is my first ever fanfic- so feedback would be A++, thanks.

Words: 2,556

Warnings: swearing, violence, blood

You weaved your way through the crowded medina, keeping a close eye on the target you’d been tracking for the past week. He was about 10 meters ahead of you and moving through the crowd quickly. The marketplace was packed with vendors peddling spices, livestock, brightly colored fabrics, pretty much anything you’d expect to find in a Moroccan “suk,” and as much as you’d have loved to take in the sights and brush up on your Arabic with some locals, you were on mission, and your target was doing an annoyingly good job at using the most crowded areas of the market to his advantage- dude had clearly been trained on how to lose a tail.

After the deal that had just gone down you weren’t surprised your target assumed he was being followed: three female hostages in exchange for a semi full of RPG’s, grenades, and more guns than honestly should exist in one place at a time. As worrisome as the arsenal was, it wasn’t the reason that your target had gotten on the Avengers’ radar or why you were now trailing him; it was the hostages. The Avengers had been tasked with finding them and bringing them home safely, and as soon as one of Nat’s contacts got wind of the trade, Steve sent you in to do what you did best: trail, observe, and stay out of sight.

The target ducked out of the market, took a few quick turns through the alleys of the medina and chuckled to himself as he cast a glance over his shoulder. Only locals knew how to navigate the maze of the old city; he’d officially eluded anyone trying to follow him, or so he thought. You sighed to yourself as you brought your finger to your ear “He’s separated from the crowd, do you have eyes on him up top?”

“He went underground, sorry (Y/N), Redwing’s blind up here” Sam voice buzzed in your ear.

Cap cut in, sounding slightly annoyed “A good portion of the medina is made up of tunnels under buildings, we knew this was a possibility”

“S’all good guys, I got this” you retorted with a smile, to be honest you were kind of hoping it would come to this, it was your favorite part of the job. “Initiate radio silence: I’m going ghost.” You quickly threw off the scarf you’d been wearing and disappeared- literally disappeared.

It was an ability you’d had for years and used for all sorts of dubious activities as a teenager, but things only got more extreme after you’d gotten caught up in working for a Mexican cartel. It was a long story, and not one you were particularly proud of, but let’s just say it doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to figure out why a drug cartel would hire/kidnap someone who could make herself invisible. You liked to call it your “Spring break gone wrong,” but Clint preferred “you evaded the authorities for like 3 years and then I nearly shot you.” (“eh, tomato tomahto” you’d say).

Now completely invisible- thanks to the specially designed clothes Tony had engineered for you- you took off running through the red clay alleys of the old medina to catch up to your target, he couldn’t have gotten far, and Redwing had been able to track his path until he’d entered a tunnel so you knew you’d have no problem catching up to him.

Everybody on the team knew the drill: you’d track your target in silence until he unwittingly led you to his hostages, at which point you’d take him out and call for backup. This was your specialty, you were a master tracker and covert tail, all you needed was: 1. radio silence to ensure that your target (or anyone else for that matter) didn’t hear you or the transmission being made, and 2. to not draw attention to your position by making any noise or disrupting the environment around you (you’d more or less mastered not kicking up stones, but fallen leaves were still a serious pain in your ass).

All the team had to do now was stay out of your way and wait in the jet for your signal.

Steve swiped anxiously at the screens in the jet and bit his lip in thought. He turned to face his team “Remember, any interference from us could give away (Y/N)’s position and compromise her mission.”

“Is that reminder for us or for you, Cap?” Sam smirked as he plopped down on one of the seats in the jet.

“Yeah, if I remember correctly it was you who insisted last time that we go in and rescue (Y/N) and you who instead blew her cover and nearly got her killed” Nat chimed in.

Steve frowned at his teammates “We hadn’t heard from her in 12 hours!” Steve raised his arms into the air as he tried to defend himself, but it was no use, he knew they were right.

“Dude.” Sam tilted his head down slightly and gave him a knowing look.

Steve let out a huff “Alright alright, fine.” he sighed again, “I just get anxious waiting around for her. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.” He looked back at the monitor which was tracking her position and swiped at it to zoom in. “Where is this guy going anyway?”

You had begun to ask yourself the same thing; your target had taken you through the heart of the old city, up and out past the newer, more modernized part of town, through the residential area and towards the slum that marked the southern edge of the city and the beginning of the desert. He’d been traveling on foot for about 2 hours, which was odd, usually for a journey this long most people would find a car or bike or something, but the target continued walking until he reached the last row of shacks in the slum. He entered the alleyway between the last two houses and pulled at a tarp to reveal a dusty ATV.

Mierda (shit), you thought to yourself

He got on the ATV and revved the engine, you looked around desperately for another vehicle, but as he turned and drove out into the rocky terrain of the desert you knew that that wasn’t an option cause it would give away your position. You quickly drew out your gun and screwed on the silencer. “Shit shit come onnnn” Finally once the silencer was in place you took aim at the ATV and fired. ¡Toma! (take that!) The back right tire immediately deflated and the ATV crawled to a halt. You crouched and watched as your target angrily jumped off of the ATV and raised his weapon in your general direction- expecting to see whoever it was who had just sabotaged him. His eyes desperately searched among the shacks and rubbish, but he found nothing. You smiled to yourself, pinche pendejo (fuckin’ dumbass). You couldn’t help but get a little bit cocky every time something like this happened, you also couldn’t help from slipping into Spanish. To be fair you’d honed most of your skills working for the cartel, so no one could blame you for either habit, as they kind of came with the territory.

Your target turned and looked at the tire again, noting that it hadn’t exploded, but just deflated. He kicked it out of frustration, as he muttered something about it being a “worn out piece of shit.” The target grabbed a pack from the now useless ATV and took off walking in the direction he was originally headed. Before heading out, you took in the terrain: rocky, wide open desert; a few grass plants here and there, but nothing substantial to provide cover. Further out (maybe 4-5 miles if you had to guess) there were some small foothills that turned into mountains, and in all likelihood that was where your target was headed. You decided to give him a wide berth, given that there was literally no cover out here, you’d have to keep your distance in order to remain undiscovered.

You’d been following your target through the desert for nearly 3 hours now, and you had just begun to ascend the trail that you presumed would take you into the mountains, and while you were grateful for the small bottle of water you had on you, it wasn’t nearly enough for a trek like this. The rocky trail zig-zagged up the steep mountain side, and you had to be careful to not kick any stones as you worked your way quietly up the path. Staying about 50 meters behind your target, you continued to push forward, but the heat and rigor of the hike were starting to wear on you. Suddenly the target stopped and turned around, his eyes narrowed, hand hovering about his holstered weapon, you froze.

“Hello?” he called out in Arabic. He took a few steps downhill towards you, his eyes still searching for what he could not see, but had apparently heard. “I know there is someone here, I can hear your footsteps.” He continued to slowly make his way down hill, drawing his weapon as he did; you lowered yourself into a kneeling position, preparing yourself in case he decided to shoot (a trick you’d learned pretty early on: people don’t generally shoot at the ground when they’re aiming for a person they can’t see). You watched as the man got closer and closer to you; there were a few ways you could play this, depending on what he did, but your best bet was to stay absolutely silent- no movement, limited breathing even- and wait for your target to slowly convince himself that he had heard nothing, that the heat was starting to get to him and he had imagined it. In reality that was your only option that didn’t involve completely blowing your cover, so you were really hoping that there’d be no need for plan B.

You knelt on the side of the path as your target continued to call out to the air, he was just about level with you now, and any noise from you would be easily detected. With a painfully slow and careful pace, you reached your right hand down to the ground and picked up a small stone, as soon as your target walked past you down the hill, you chucked the stone up the path to where he had been standing when he first stopped. The stone collided with a crash onto the other rocks, and your target turned on his heel and fired a shot at the source of the noise. You held your breath and waited to see if he would take the bait. After what felt like an eternity, he made his way back up the hill to investigate where he had shot. You breathed out shakily.

He reached out to blindly feel for a body, (you would have laughed at how ridiculous he looked had it not been for the adrenaline currently coursing through your veins and the life or death situation at hand) but upon finding nothing he straightened up and shook his head slightly. He looked around one last time and then continued up the path. You let out a quiet sigh of relief and stayed where you were for a moment. Now that he had been spooked you really had to be careful to keep your distance and keep silent.

You also had to hope that Cap would actually maintain radio silence this time.

After waiting a moment you rose from your position and continued to quietly make your way up the path. You had lost sight of your target but you knew he was far enough ahead of you on the path that once you rounded the next corner you’d have a clear view of him.

As you worked your way up and around the next turn you felt something tug at your toe. You looked down. Is that a fuckin trip wire? Your eyes widen but before you can process what’s happening you’re brought to the ground with a thud. Ese hijo de puta (that son of a bitch) had been waiting on the next level up of the path, and as soon as he saw the trip wire move he pounced. You maintain your invisibility and throw your arms up in front of your face to start defending yourself as he straddles your torso. The assailant pulls two six inch blades from their holsters and stabs and swipes blindly at you. He leaves cuts on your arms, and even manages to stab you in the shoulder as you struggle to deflect his attacks and wriggle free. The assailant yelps out an almost insane laugh as he sees red streaks and drips of blood appear out of the nothingness he’s fighting. You finally manage to roll over onto your stomach and push yourself up with you arms and legs, lifting him up with you. He slashes a long gash into your back as you buck him off of you and stand up straight, grabbing your own knife to defend yourself. Having lost track of where you are, el cabrón (the asshole) lunges forward, knife-first towards you, you easily avoid the attack, grab his arm and force one of his blades from his grasp so you can chuck it down the mountain. He slices at you with his remaining knife, this time leaving a long gash down the front of your torso. You separate yourself from him to give yourself some distance and regain the advantage. He lunges blindly towards you again, this time you move around behind him and kick him in the back so he falls down the path, he loses his grip on his other knife and it falls over the cliff side. He turns back to you with a rage in his eyes, he pulls out his gun and desperately starts searching for any sign of you. You’re about to take out your gun when you remember the mission and exactly what’s at stake. You still needed to find those three hostages, and they could be anywhere in these mountains. If you were to take out your target now, your mission would be a failure. You needed to let him win, or at the very least make him think he’d won if you ever want to find those hostages.

Your attacker’s face drops into a sinister smile, the blood from your wounds had given him a nice little “x marks the spot”- you’d been made. He empties his clip in your direction, you drop to the ground with a thud, roll to the edge of the path and let gravity do the rest as you fall over sharp rocks down to the next level of the zig-zagged trail. You let out a loud moan and try to curl as close to the mountain side as you can when as he leans over the edge to see the results of his work. He reloads his gun and fires three more shots down towards where you’ve landed and waits. He sees a small pool of blood forming and sighs with relief. Just as he’s about to turn to continue moving uphill he stops himself and spits down towards you, muttering “serves you right, demon.”

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part 2 coming soon! please let me know what you thought for a first try at writing fanfic (seriously plz let me know haha)

#captain america x reader #stever rogers x reader #marvel fanfiction #enhanced reader #steve rogers #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #wordshappensometimes

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zenosanalytic · 7 years

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Discworld: The Fifth Elephant

This one’s another theme title, like Jingo, and the theme THIS time is unstated/invisible/minor/ephemeral/unknown/dead/nonexistent things that, regardless, happen to VERY important, and to influence events and behavior deeply.

Though, tbf, what Uberwaldians might call a “fifth elephant”, seems somewhat like what we readers might call “the elephant in the room”. There’s a nice irony in that, though, since “the elephant in the room” is a huge and obvious problem no one wants to deal with or acknowledge, whereas a “fifth elephant” is an invisible or unknowable influences everyone acknowledges. I’m basically just going to list and discuss the “Fifth Elephants” that jumped out at me while reading.

The Fifth Elephant itself. It’s mentioned as a dwarven myth near the start of the book and not really mentioned after, yet it is the source of Uberwald’s mining wealth, thus the draw of of the outside world’s attentions, thus the impetus for the weres’ plot, the dwarves’ civil strife, and the main action of the text. It also rears up again at the end as the true reason for the visit, during Sybil’s negotiations with the Low King. As an aside, I just want to say how much I LOVE the idea of fat, treacle, and other such “organic” mines, as a Fantasy Worldbuilding decision :] Particularly given the geological approach Dwarves take to bread and other confections :] :]

Candlefat. Fat is sort of looked down on by most of the characters in the book when put next to Uberwald’s gold, iron, and other mineral wealth, but it’s what A-M, and A-M’s “progressive” society, run on. And it is, literally, running under the surface of the whole place, erupting at point like Yellowstone geysers. As the setting for Vimes’ final fight with Wolfgang’s ...wolf gang(well, were gang)... it enacts a quite direct and literal influence over the plot. And, returning to the above para, it’s the final prize for Vimes’ efforts, and reward for A-M’s diplomatic victory in the region.

Silver. This is a lesser and more subtle example, but I think that actually makes the fit better. It’s very rarely mentioned -once to say that it’s banned under the Diet of Bugs, once again at the end- but its value is keenly felt by the reader through its lack and all the fighting against werewolves. Which is pretty cool from a meta standpoint, too, as it turns a necessity of the story -not having any silver around so that the werewolves provide a serious threat to the protags- into a tool for increasing the reader’s emotional engagement, and does it with a plausible in-universe justification. More prosaically the absence of its use and the license that gives the weres emphasizes it’s importance. The reader is shown, directly, how the prohibition on silver mining allows the current power-structure to exist and keeps the peace, and by closing the books with the Dwarves reopening their silver mines in response to the weres’ violation of the Diet, declares the collapse of that order and the rising of a new one, more in-line with A-M’s industrial, commercial, “civilized” worldview.

Vampires. We only see ONE vampire, and she’s sworn off blood, but we know from the Diet, and Uberwaldean architecture, and the decisive role Lady Margolotta repeatedly plays in the story, and her patronage of the Igors(and how we’re introduced to them through her) how powerful, influential, and important to Uberwaldean society vampires are. And, through the unnamed and unseen members of her Recovery Group, we know not only that there are more vampires, but that there are also unreconstructed ones. Which leads to a sort of second-tier Fifth Elephant re: Lady Margolotta’s power: there are other vamps but they don’t interfere in Vimes’ mission, despite the importance of it to Uberwald’s future, suggesting that crossing Margolotta, despite her non-traditional choices which MUST annoy some of this, is not something other vamps feel willing or able to do.

Wolfgang’s plot. Its fullness is not revealed til the end though it, and thwarting it, forms the main-action of the book.

Angua’s past, and particularly her family politics. Wolfgang’s motivations are not entirely political but also personal(a nice riff on Carrot’s “Personal isn’t the same as Important”); Angua was the only one who could stand up to and defeat him, and he resents this, and that she left, and that she is romantically involved with a particularly tall dwarf. Serafine’s shared anger over this, which she sees as an abandonment and repudiation, is how she justifies giving Wolfgang his head. One can also take this into more pretentious territory :p Angua, through her place in the A-M City Watch, represents and is creating a world in direct opposition to the one Wolfgang represents and want to bring into being. So, in both a familial and philosophical sense, the font of Wolfgang’s actions, the plots which drove the main-action, are founded in his antagonism with Angua.

Dee, Dwarf Gender, and Cheri. This is another one, like Silver, that flies low under the radar but ends up having played a huge part in the story. Dee went along with Wolfgang’s plan, and destroyed the Scone, primarily in an attempt to halt the changes in Dwarven society Cheri had, by having the courage to be herself, set in motion. Dee wanted to stop these changes out of projected self-loathing and frustration over her own inability, as a deep dwarf, to express her feminine identity. So, without Dee’s envious anger at Cheri’s freedom of identity, Wolfgang’s plan would have come to nothing.

Carrot’s feelings for Angua. Until now, we’ve always only seen Angua and Carrot’s relationship from her perspective, and even here Carrot’s feelings, in true Fifth Elephant style, go unspoken. However we do see them, quite explicitly, put into action. Angua always feared Carrot cared more for the city and the Watch than for her. Carrot resigns his commission and abandons the city to the tender mercies of a fright-mad Fred Colon to pursue her. He chases her through winter cold, hunger, and exhaustion without once mentioning any of it. In fact, in a rather excellently explicative literary move, Pratchett leaves all of this to be mentioned by Gaspode, and described by Angua, after she had saved him from his own poor decisions. We also get to see more hints at Carrot’s hidden depths in general; not only through the immediate leap to resigning his commission(suggesting a guilty jump to self-blame, via his love for the City and the Watch and the alienation and insecurity it caused her, in Angua’s departure), but also through hints at his perception, his capacity for cruelty, deception, and manipulation, and even, through his frightening smile, the brittleness of his usual “civilized” behavior.

The lives and world of wolves. Through the Howl, Gavin, and Angua/Carrot/Gaspode’s travels, we see how complex and influential the lives of wolves on the Disc can be.

Gaspode. This is a rather direct one. Gaspode convinces humans to do what he wants them to by exploiting the fact that they, knowing “dogs can’t talk” will rationalize away his arguments and demands as their own thoughts. He’s a literal, doggy embodiment of the entire Fifth Elephant concept.

Sybil’s pregnancy. It is the unspoken, but rather obvious from even the beginning, motor of her actions in the book; a situation not mentioned til the end, but constantly important both for why she was there and, more metawise, for making the dangers Vimes’ faces more suspenseful for those readers who realize what she’s trying to tell Sam for most of the book. Without the pregnancy she might not have insisted on coming, and those wouldn’t have been there to seal the deal, either.

History. Much of the behaviors of the Uberwaldians towards the characters is influenced by the history of Dwarf/Troll/Human/Undead violence there. Detritus alludes to this once when confronted with the troll head in the embassy, it is referenced a second time in the clear absence of mounted(presumably human and dwarf) heads from the von Uberwald’s wall, and there is a constant reminder of it in the treatment of Detritus by the Uberwaldians Vimes’ group encounters. I AM kind of disappointed that Cuddy, maybe via the helmet he gave Detritus, didn’t turn out to be a Chekov’s Gun for this book though, at it would have fit really well thematically for his friendship to Detritus to pop up again and be important in this book.

Vetinari’s past. There’s barely any discussion of it, but what there is assures us that it is one major reason why Margolotta is interested in Vimes in the first place. She acts, to help or hinder, in response to her past with Vetinari, and her relationship to him, whatever that is.

Related to the above, Margolotta’s interests, which are never directly mentioned or addressed, but which we know also motivate her actions, and thus influence how the book plays out.

The Beast. This is a great, though direct, example of a “Fifth Elephant”. It’s what Vimes calls his desire to do violence, to act reflexively on hate, to just burn the whole stinking rotten world down if he can. He describes it directly as an internal motivation that is always there, always threatening to get out, always trying to influence his actions, but which he keeps contained, controlled, and never mentions. It is, literally, an unmentioned influence he is always having to deal with and work his way around.

The Igors. They are a background to Uberwaldian, and particularly Noble-Uberwaldian, life, taken as a given and rarely mentioned, but always there, managing the health of the people in the region through their mysterious medical expertise. Where they come from and what, exactly, they do isn’t precisely known, and yet they are incredibly important to the Uberwald.

Networks and Communications, both of which are invisible, non-corporeal, yet very real, things. The Howl, the Clacks, Dwarf Rumor, the Igor Organ Donation service, Margolotta’s informants, the Black Ribboners, Copperness; as themes, Networks and Communications come up again and again and again.

Unspoken Rules. The Lore, Hot Pursuit, the 12 Steps, Wolf social cues, Dwarven law, the nuances of Command and Rulership implied through Colon and Vetinari’s parts in the story, probably lots of stuff I’m forgetting.

Wallace Sonky, referenced directly as an unsung, little recognized hero for his prophylactics and how they’ve slowed A-M’s population growth.

Knockermen. Unseen, considered dead by their families, working in the dark of new delvings, covered head to toe in armor which obliterates their private identities, and the absolute heart of dwarven identity, mythology, belief, and politics since their leaders are almost exclusively chosen from this class. And of course, knockermen also form the core of the “Deep Dwarves”, essentially a priest-caste who deliberately eschew sunlight and the surface, making them an “invisible”, underground, influence.

Natural Gas. It’s invisible and without scent, but it will most certainly “influence” anyone who comes into close contact with it in a whole host of ways.

The Scone of Stone. Most Dwarves, even underground ones, will never see it, yet who sits upon and protects it arbitrates their entire world. Its power and influence comes not from itself, but from the place it holds in their culture and mythology through B’rian(sp?) Bloodaxe and the opera/stories/myths revolving around him.

Ideas. The current Scone is not THE original Scone in a physical sense. And yet, in a very real and practical sense, it carries the concept of the Scone with it, and so all the believe and functionality the original Scone carried, and so it IS “The Thing and the whole of the Thing”. This idea comes up in one other major way through Rhys Rhysson’s explanation of “Family Tools” in the dwarven mindset. Tools get old and worn and they break, and when they do the broken piece is replaced or repaired. After a certain point the tool is no longer, physically, the same tool that it once was, and yet it remains “the Family Axe”, or whathaveyou, because it continues to carry the idea and identity of the original. Basically Ideas, which are formless and metaphysical and exist only within the brains of living creatures, persist beyond the death of those who hold them and even the destruction of those objects they were invested in. They exist and influence without any real existence. Ideas are “the Thing and the Whole of the Thing”.

Culture. The Fifth Elephant is a story of cultures in conflict. A-M, and it’s culture of innovation, “progress”, and openness, is drastically changing the Disc, and other cultures, whether that of the Dwarves, the wolves, or the Uberwaldeans, are forced to respond to it. The influence of culture is shown not only through the actions self-conception brings out in others(Dee’s destruction of the Scone, Wolfgang’s plot to keep A-M out of the Uberwald, the peculiar individuation within the corporate identity Igors share), but also through this direct clash of cultures, most visibly displayed through Vimes’ interactions with Uberwaldean figures.

Choice. Albrecht(and any number of Dwarves before him) chooses to keep the secret of the Scone’s true nature. Dee chooses to destroy the Scone. Vimes chooses, again and again, to be civilized and rule-bond. Skimmer chooses to stay at the tower, and to check the door. The Igors choose their calling, and the good it can do for others, over their own lives. The Dwarves choose to believe in “Dwarfishness”, even when they live on the surface, in the light, in A-M. Choice, that ephemeral, invisible, here-and-gone thing, again and again shifts the story, and makes the world it takes place in.

Discipline. Margolotta and the Black Ribboners. Vimes. Angua. Gavin. Cheri. These characters stick to their choices, no matter what it costs them, and live authentically, and in doing that they, without really meaning to, drive the story and change the Disc.

Belief. This is probably the biggest and most central Fifth Elephant of the book. Through Wolfgang’s philosophy and Dee’s internalized self-hate, it drives the main-action of the plot. Through Vimes’ dedication to Civilization it informs all his choices in the book. Through Dwarfishness, the Low King(basically a Dwarf Pope), and the Scone of Stone, it is the motivation and central suspense(the possibility of civil war in Vimes’ fails) of the book.

Ok I think that’s everything. I know some of these are more cursory than they deserve, but I was kinda getting tired of writing there at the end -__- Also: for IRL reasons I wrote this over the course of about a week, and read the book two weeks ago, and I was much clearer on the book when I started writing it than when I finished it just now -__- -___-

All in all I really liked this book and its focus on politics. I also thought it did a great job of showing how the personal IS the political and vice versa, and how pretty much everything is “political”. Comments and questions welcome, though it may take me awhile to respond. If you read all of this Good on You :p

#Discworld #Terry Pratchett #The Fifth Elephant #Themes #Critical Analysis #Book Reviews

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