Sun in the East, Moon in the West (Rider)

[Sam Alexander]

“Sam Alexander you better get back to the hellcarrier! Pronto, you’ll end up doing toilet cleaning for the next month!” The voice of the other higher up captain on the SHIELD team called out as Sam seemed to hardly bat them an eye. Once again he felt like he was being babied by SHIELD, he had been cooped up there for so long he had practically forgotten what it was like to fly and feel free at the same time.

“Uh sorry I’m going under a tunnel…zzzh it’s getting really tough to understand you…zzh I’ll be back in an hour or too I just went out for a quick flight.” Sam said before cutting off the captain on the other line. He had made fake crackling static noises with his mouth to try and fool them like he couldn't hear them. And he might as well be loosing the signal in the process too. The captain was probably going to be boiling mad, but Sam didn’t care, the hellicarrier had made a unique stop over New York and Sam wanted to see the sights before he lost that opportunity but he knew as soon as he went back he’d be in for it. SHIELD didn’t take their punishments all that lightly from time to time and with his record he was known to break a two or three of them.

But having come from Arizona where it was practically desert, he never saw cities like these before except for Phoenix, that was something familiar with him. On occasions his parents went to Phoenix to see how things were, and to have some excitement in the city. But the last few years had been tough since not a single person had gone around figuring out where his father was. Sam had tried, and hoped that SHIELD might know a thing or two where his father went. But he was starting to lose his hope in them.

“This place is great almost better in the air. Those guys on the ground don’t know what they’re missing.” He said with a chuckle half wondering if he could fly to the statue of liberty building and back without being noticed. Well he got his chance now as he started to head out towards Hudson bay as a blue light followed after him. He was going to be in trouble if anyone spotted him, but it seemed that the teenager didn’t care one bit right now. “So that’s what Lady Liberty looks like.” He observed looking at the large statue that had welcomed many to the new world.



Ooc: couldn't think of a title for this one, so hopefully it works xD

[Deleted]

A good flight always took the edge off of a long day at work.  Being the head of the Nova Corps didn't pay the bills, and he was learning the hard way that saving the galaxy didn't mean he could fit in well with normal society.  He was happy to be home with his family again, but it was time for him to get out on his own and rebuild his life.  First, a job, then maybe school, if things went well a girlfriend, and if he could make time, putting the Nova Corps back together again.  Maybe he should go see the Avengers when he got a chance.  He felt more at home among powered types than normal folks.  People who had faced significant threats and beaten them back.  He had more in common with them than just about anyone else.  Or was that just being a snob?

When he cleared the buildings Worldmind reached out, mapped the area and dropped the tactical display straight into his mind.  Aircraft, birds, everything in the air over the city showed up clear as a bell.  Interesting, the Shield helicarrier was within the event horizon.  Wonder what they were up to hanging out by the Big Apple.  He reached out and tapped into their communications.  Just a normal repositioning, no ongoing crisis to get worked up about.  Apparently they had some trainees out and about, but they assessed the environment as safe.

His attention focussed down on a black dot moving quickly across the display towards the statue of liberty.  Instantly the data on the object flowed smoothly into his consciousness.  SuperNova helmet #9.  Now that was interesting.  That helmet was assigned to this sector, but was recorded as dormant.  Somebody flying around unauthorized in a black helm?  There was plenty of built in security to prevent that.  This was something he could not ignore.  Time to check this out.

He cranked up the speed, looped around and came around behind the rogue helmet wearer.  Let's see how this gent reacted to having a bogey on his tail.

[Sam Alexander]

The morning was surprisingly calm there really hadn’t been any bad guys that were lurking in the shadows, or at least in the alley ways in this case. It was a rare chance for others to stay this calm and happy for long before someone decided to ruin the fun for them. Sam knew he had to get back to SHIELD before he was needed or others noticed that he was really going to be missing for some time. But once again this bad mark was going to be put on his profile, but they probably already had a watch on him for the last time he tried to escape…Heay he did have a bit of fun meeting Super Soldier at least…

Its true Sam’s helmet had been lying dormant for some time, his father had disappeared but he wasn’t able to take the helmet with him. But after finding it he seemed to have only activated a portion of the helmet through his own training and with the help of SHIELD. Even if he thought it was slightly annoying that they were on his tail all the time. On the other hand, he was going to wish he had stayed in the hellicarrier after this as his own helmet detected a signal that he never saw before nor recognized and it was coming fast, probably faster than he had ever gone before.

But before Sam could figure out where the helmet was with his own eyes he looked around seeing that a figure had approached him. But he wasn’t going to run nor flee from the area. He was stubborn and he had already shown that a couple of times with SHIELD training. “What’s the big idea, can’t we share the sky together?” He asked. But he remembered what Anya had told him, the young spider woman was a new friend of his that he had met within the last few weeks of SHIELD training. He really shouldn’t let the whole SHIELD thing go to his head, but it was hard not to.

One thing that Sam hadn’t realized just yet was his own helmet had attracted attention. To some it probably stood out as a sore thumb like beacon among the others. And not to mention the blue aura that was working around him stood out pretty well in the sky. It was really hard to miss him. If he was going to try and stay stealthy he was doing a poor job of it.

“I’ll say it again, what’s the big idea? Can’t we share some space? People these days, think they own everything, even the sky apparently.” He repeated himself half wondering if the guy was listening or not. But he wasn’t budging from his spot, even if this guy did look like they were coming in fast. Then the thought came in ‘Sam you idiot, you better run or at least fly away before this guy tackles you.’ But by then it was probably too late for a second chance.

[Deleted]

As he got closer, the UFO became clear even in his regular vision. Nova uniform clear as a bell and that helmet he would recognize anywhere. Speed was pretty moderate, so the guy was not trying to get away. No sign hostile actions, so at least the guy was not trying to shoot him out of the sky. But that didn't solve any of the mysteries his appearance presented. Proceeding with caution was the only logical thing to do. Wolrdmind seemed to suggest that it was an alien physiology, and that meant that anything could happen. Richard kicked it up a gear to get close and then settled in to match his flight speed. As he got close he could hear the young man speaking about sharing the sky and ownership. None of it made any real sense in context but the target sounded young, and so far not hostile.

For a moment the target almost reminded him of his own missing kid brother, but he shut those feelings down in a hurry. Approaching an unidentified alien wearing a Nova helmet was no time for sentimentality.

About twenty feet out Richard spoke in a clear and loud voice.

"It's not ownership of the sky I am concerned about, it is ownership of that helmet you are wearing." Richard tapped his own helmet twice with his index finger in case the message was not clear.

He crossed his arms over his chest and fixed a stern stare on Sam.

"You have some serious explaining to do. And be quick about it."

[Sam Alexander]

Well it was true that Sam was half Xandrian on his father’s side, Jessie haled from Xandar, and after the super nova ship crashed down on earth his to be wife and Sam’s mother was the one who took care of him. the two formed a bond and eventually married, and that’s where Sam’s story began. But he recognized the look that Rider was giving him, it was one that he was all too familiar with the SHIELD captain or other higher up members in the group –well everyone was higher up according to him, he was probably still one of the lowest on the SHIELD chain as far as he was concerned.

“My helmet?” He asked noticing when Rider tapped his; he had a similar yet different looking star from his own. Was he a part of the Nova Corp too? Well, he was about to find out soon, but he knew he better answer the question, despite it coming from a complete stranger. He didn’t know this guy, but if he was a part of the Nova Corp like his helmet said he was, things could get ugly real fast if he didn’t listen.

Then he thought about it for a second, there was some proof that he could show towards this guy that he had ownership of it. The message that his father left for him after he found it was probably going to be enough. But he wondered if the stranger would listen to him. “My helmet was given to me by my father Jesse Alexander, he is from Xandar, but lately no one has seen him. He disappeared without a trace. But I did find his helmet and there’s a message in it that he left saying he wanted me to have it once I was old enough.” Sam said as he put his hand on the star of his helmet, the helmet then activated as he heard the familiar female voice that he heard playing on the hellicarrier earlier. He really hoped that this guy would listen to him and believe him.

“Activating message 001, Sam Alexander from Jesse Alexander….” The voice said before continuing but the female voice suddenly changed to a male voice which Sam recognized right away as his father. It was as if his father had been right there. But it was a constant reminder that he wasn’t.

“Sam if you’ve found this helmet that means one thing, I’m not around anymore. I know I have my fair share of enemies after becoming a part of the Super Nova group of the Nova Corp, but I imagine I will be fine. Survival has always been on my side ever since I was your age. I want you to have the helmet since it has been lying dormant; something with great power and great ability to do good shouldn’t live like that. This helmet can give you an experience and a ride that probably no one else on Earth or very few people can understand or achieve. But I want you to promise me that you’ll do good with the helmet, if you fall on the wrong path, the helmet like its owner will turn dark. I know one day you’ll understand what I mean by this. But for now, I’ve made it so the helmet will listen to you and your commands. I think it has a good owner and I trust you with it… Hopefully we’ll see each other again at some point in time…until then…” The message had been a bit a longer but it seemed to have cut out over time and lost the last bit of the track.

Sam’s attitude turned somber as he thought about his father, but he couldn’t help but wonder this next part, “Does that answer your question?” He asked the older man. There wasn’t a side of sarcasm, and neither was stubbornness after he heard that message. He felt as if a giant weight had been put on his shoulders since he still had to find his dad. But it did occur to him, was Jesse even on earth to begin with?

[Deleted]

Richard watches the helmet intensely as the message plays itself out.   A look of bemusement comes over the part of his face not covered by his helmet.

"Well I'll be damned..." he said softly. "Doesn't that beat all."

At the words "Jesse Alexander"  Worldmind downloaded his service record directly into Rider's mind.  While the Corps had been wiped out almost to a man, he had always known that there were a few strays around somewhere, keeping the flame alight.  He had never considered the possibility that one of the black hats...or at least his heir apparent was right here with him on earth.  The odds were so stacked against it,  Well it never paid to look a gift horse in the mouth.  

"It answers one question but it poses a whole lot more."

He unfolded his arms and put them on his hips.

"How old are you Sam?"

He seemed like a young man and that could be a serious concern.  The role of a SuperNova carried a lot of responsibility and danger.  It really wasn't  a job suited to a young man, but sometimes you weren't left with a lot of choice.

"It's important that you tell me everything  you know about the Nova Corps, but this is not the right place for that kind of conversation.  I know a spot we can talk undisturbed.  Will you follow me or will I need to bring you along."

[Sam Alexander]

Sam frowned; he knew that he wasn’t going to like this where it was going. Rider didn’t seem so confident that he had abilities or could even use the Nova Force. SHIELD had been helping him in several situations, even if he did try to run away from them on occasions. His mother had been the one who gave SHIELD the ok for him to go there. But he knew he had to answer Rider, ignoring him was not an option. “I’m sixteen, sir. I turn seventeen by the end of the year.” He answered.

Rider seemed shocked at the message. It hadn’t been a surprise to Sam at least; he had heard the message before a couple of times too since it had instructions on how to use it. But Sam was only on the tip of the ice berg, and Jesse hadn’t told him everything. Some of it had been by trial and error. And the rest had been with SHIELD. It could take him years to learn everything but he was a bit impatient.

“I know this isn’t right but I feel like you’re… Going to interrogate me. I mean I don’t even know who you are. I know we have similar helmets, and we’re both a part of the Nova Corps. But I know very little. My dad was vague on that area.” Sam responded almost trying to defend himself. He felt nervous going with this guy; he was practically a stranger to him. But if Rider was good, he’d treat his team mate just the same. He turned back seeing that the Hellicarrier was faint now from the looks of things, he still had the option to run. But it didn’t sound right going just like that.

He paused; a bit before finally speaking back up towards Rider, “I’ll go with you as long as you tell me your name first. You know who I am so it’s only fair.” Sam responded back towards Rider. It was true he was stubborn but the young teen still had a lot to learn. However he was ready to learn and learn as much as he could. He knew it was going to be a rough ride, he knew that much.

[Deleted]

Richard smiled when he heard the kid's age.  Just about the same age he was when he first became Nova.  But that felt like several lifetimes ago now.  And he was not about to let this young man make the same mistakes he had and suffer the way he had.  What good was all that hard earned knowledge if you just let the next guy take it in the gut as well?   It was hard to tell how this kid would do on the learning curve though.  At least he was somewhat cautious.

"I think you do need to answer some questions.  But I will try and answer all of the ones I can for you as well."

It only seemed fair.  If all he knew was what had been on that message he knew just enough to get himself killed and he was not going to countenance that.  He had seen far too many Corps members die, but at least they were trained and gone down fighting for a good cause.  This kid was not yet year his potential, it would be a waste to lose him before he could learn.  Before they could both find out if he was worthy of the Nova Corps or not.  He saw the young man turn his head and look towards the helicarrier.

"You have something to do with those Shield clowns?" he shook his head.  "They are fine for a little fire and flood now and again, but for the kind of stuff that the Corps have to face you might as well be fighting with a team of kindergarteners."

He could sense Sam was nervous.  No surprise.  This was all new to him, and to meet someone with a similar uniform and powers out of the blue, that had to be hard.  But if he was going to take a leap of faith on this kid, Sam would have to learn to trust him and in a hurry.  

"My name?  For your purposes my name is Centurion Nova Prime.  But you can call me 'Sir' for short."

Rider grinned and began to turn away from the young man in the black helmet.  As he began to fly away he yelled back over his shoulder.

"Besides, don't you want to know what I can tell you about your dad?"

He flew down towards the city without looking back.

[Sam Alexander]

Sam didn't like where this was going, but the way he spoke up about his father seemed enough to lure him in. But as for the name, that really wasn't what he was looking for. Then again, most super heroes liked to keep their rivate lufe a secret and he was no different. He was once again right about SHIELD, they would be fine without him. There were no threats going on down below and that would give the captain who yelled at him earlier time to cool off. Sam sighed a bit before looking back at the other Nova, "Fine, I will come with you." He responded.

But the next question was probably no surprise to Rider as he flew nearby him to keep up. It wasn't that hard for him since he found flying to be easy. In fact, it was one thing he enjoyed most. "How do you know my father anyways? He really kept my family in the dark on what he did." Sam asked understanding now that it probably had been like that to protect his young and growing family. Two infants wouldn't stand a chance against an army.

"I know one story he told is was how he helped make a ring around Saturn...but I guees I don't really understand what that means." He said with another frown on his face. He really did wonder if he was going to get any answers from this guy. As they flew a flock of birds went past them, they looked to be New York City's usual flock of pigeons. They were pretty common in the city. But it wssn't every day you got to fly near them.

"I will admit I would like to know more, I think It's human nature to be curious about things they don't understand. I'm no different." He remarked half thinking out loud of what he was about to discover. And the young Nova might not like some of it.

[Deleted]

Rider kept his speed moderate and made sure that Sam stayed a within not too great a distance as he headed towards an old building in Chelsea. Rather than turning his head and shouting in the wind he sent a direct tight beam message from his helmet to Sam's.

"You might want to tell your keepers back at Shield that you are going to be late for dinner. Wouldn't want them to worry or anything."

He knew the comment was a bit harsh, but he was not Shield's biggest fan. They were simply the strong arm of big government and that kind of stuff made him nervous.

The question about Jesse made sense. The poor kid was anxious to know more about his father. He would be too. The problem was that telling him everything would just increase the risk Sam faced. Well, he could go through it one step at a time.

"Well I don't remember meeting your dad directly, but I have all of his service records. More than you might expect actually. It is a tad complicated, but I will try to make it all clear in due course. You deserve to know what you are getting yourself into. Especially since you are putting your life on the line."

They blew past the pigeons in the blink of an eye and then Rider turned down to land gracefully on top of the old high-rise. There was a picnic table on the roof with a cheap backpack stuffed up underneath it. Richard took a seat on one side of the picnic table and gestured with an open hand to the open bench on the other side, inviting Sam to sit.

"Have a seat. If you are hungry we can go for a bite later, but now we talk."

Richard reached up with two hands and pulled his helmet off. The moment it was off his head it collapsed in his hands, seemingly transforming from metal to cloth. He folded the helmet up and stuffed it in the back pack beside him. His uniform remained in place. There was a broad smile on Rider's face.

"Now let me guess. When you take yours off it doesn't do that?"

He reached over and tapped Sam's helmet with his index finger a couple of times if he doesn't move out of the way.

"Now let's figure out how big the gaps are.  Tell me what you know about your helmet and the Nova Corps.  And don't leave anything out.  Now it's not a test, I just want to know where to start with you."

[Sam Alexander]

Sam felt like this was going to be around of 500 questions, and it wasn't the fun part. He knew contacting SHIELD was the last thing on his mind but he did it anyways putting a blunt message down saying that he'd be gone for a few hours. If SHIELD didn't like it that was their problem. "I did it." He responded softly as he messaged SHIELD and sent the other one back towards Rider as he followed after him. He kept up pretty easily for the most part, flying was no trouble at all.

"You have my dad's entire record?" He asked with a bit of surprise. He had no idea that stuff was so out there..or at least it was to Nova Corps. And as he thought about it he tried to remember what his dad had told him. Sam himself had been a disbeliever towards aliens and going into space. But he regretted it after he left and telling him that he didn't think Jesse was a very good father.

It wasn't long before they arrived on an older looking building, Sam touched down with a slow landing to make sure he didn't hurt himself before he looked back at Rider. The older man took off his helmet as it shifted into metal, he looked a bit stunned that the helmet could do something like that. "No my helmet can't do anything like that." Sam responded as he took off his own helmet. "But I can tell you that I think my helmet has a mind of its own sometimes." He admitted as he walked over towards the bench with his own in his right hand before placing it down on the table where Rider had his.

"Well I suppose starting at the beginning helps. My father had been gone for about a couple of years now, it was just me, my sister, and my mom before I was walking back from school one day and noticed a black object hidden away on the side of the street. It really seemed out of place after I picked it up, it felt like it was supposed to happen." He explained. "But as far as I know, my dad came from Xandar where I've heard that the Nova Corps are from. He said he often went there for missions or to at least meet up with the other Super Novas." Sam explained wondering if it was any help at all. It was just really about as much as he knew right there.

[Deleted]

"Sorry to hear your dad hasn't been around for so long. That must be hard. How is your mom handling it all?"

Rider shook his head slowly side to side. He was just not ready to do this again. The first time the Corps had been destroyed, he had dedicated himself to rebuilding it. He recruited and trained hundreds of new Novas, hand picked and hand raised by him. But when the Corps had been wiped out the second time...it had taken the wind out of his sails. It wasn't in his plans to start from scratch and build the organization up again. And what for? To see his comrades fall again?

"If that is all your dad told you, we have a lot of ground to cover. I don't blame him of keeping you in the dark though. His work was very dangerous and a man wants to keep his family safe."

He let out a long sigh. There was so much this kid needed to know. But how to tell him and where to start? His father had given a lot to the Corps so his son deserved the truth. But was the old enough to make the right decisions once he knew what was really going on. Shield couldn't protect him. There were not enough Novas left around to get him sorted out properly. Well, might as well spill the beans and see what Sam's first instincts told him.

"First off, the Corps used to be like Xandor's army and the police force for the galaxy and a bit beyond. There used to be hundreds of us, from all sorts of places and all sorts of species. We used to stop wars, save populations from extinction, just generally make the universe worth living in. And I had the privilege the lead that army. Now its gone, the vast majority of them are dead and buried. The last few of us are scattered amongst the stars doing whatever we can, wherever we can. But our enemies are still out there. Entire species who hate us and loathe our existence. Sam there are entire species out there that would want to kill you just for wearing that uniform. The Corps is no joke and no game. I am not sure it is much more than a death sentence."

He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment.

"Being in the Corps is not like being an Avenger or an X-man. Being a Nova or even a SuperNova is not about being a superhero.  It is about being a soldier. A soldier in a war without end."

Rider holds up his hand.

"But I don't want you to make any decisions in a hurry or without the complete picture. There is a lot you need to learn. You ask and we answer as best we can."

[Sam Alexander]

At first Sam didn’t really want to answer Rider about his family that was personal but really he couldn’t at this point in time. “They’re doing fine I contact them every once in awhile. My sister’s still in school and my mom keeps the house in order when she’s not at work.” He responded it seemed pretty normal life for them on the count that half their family had been a part of Nova Corps.

That explained a lot of things. When Sam listened to Rider about this warning, he had to take being a Nova seriously, probably more seriously than he had been these last few weeks with SHIELD. They might’ve even been going on lightly with him. “It explains a lot of things why my dad kept us in the dark for so long. I know one of the last things I said to him was that I didn’t believe in the work and now after being a Nova for this long I almost regret it. I didn’t believe in aliens or even humans could survive into going into space.” He said with a sigh. “He wasn’t doing it to be a bad father but he did those things to protect us.” He added.

“I can tell you one thing I know when I put on the Nova helmet for the first time I loved it. My heart raced and pounded so fast I could barely keep up…I was going so fast I felt like I was a Human Rocket…not many people get to have an experience like that before. I know I’m just one person from the sounds of it, but I want to help and make a difference even if that difference is a small one.” Sam explained as he put a hand on his helmet. But he understood the price that came with it.

“But I understand that it’s not a toy anymore…I may have abused it a few times but I’ll try to be a bit more serious…at least for now.” Sam added. As for questions he wasn’t sure what to ask at first. His mind was at a loss, this was of course a big intake for someone like him as he looked back at the sky for a bit.

“To be honest I don’t even know what to ask you right off the bat, this was a big blow to me…” He added as he thought about it, well might as well start with the basics. “Maybe I could ask about my father’s files first. It might even have a hint to where he’s been recently.” Sam asked. His worst fear was that Jesse might as well be dead just like the other novas. But the part about Jesse surviving sounded familiar, Sam was no different. The last thing that Sam wanted to know was that his father was some kind of killer, he feared that part of it. But the truth was coming out whether or not he liked it.

[Deleted]

Richard seemed more relaxed and he settled back on the bench. He let out a sigh. To make sense of what he could tell Sam about his father, Sam would need to know some serious background material. This could be a long conversation, but an important one.

"Let me kind of start at the beginning." he said quietly "And tell you a few things about how the Corps works, and what it means to you and I."

He scratched his chin for a second.

"The people of Xandar, discovered the Nova Force a long time ago. Thousands of years or more. It is an element force of the universe, like gravity or light. And they learned how to harness it and use it in productive ways. Eventually they formed the Nova Corps to serve as an army and police force for the galaxy, and a tad more, powered by the Nova Force."

This is where it really gets weird the thought to himself. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Now Xandar was governed by an unbelievable supercomputer that helped run the Nova Corps and harness the power of the Nova Force. That super computer was made up of the minds of all of the people of Xandar who died over millennium. That computer was called Worldmind. Unfotuatnely Xandar was destroyed some time ago, along with almost all of the Nova Corps. In order to save the final heritage of Xandar, I took Worldmind inside myself. So when you are talking to me you are talking to both me and Worldmind. I'm the one with a sense of humour. Other than that there are a few Nova Corps members scattered around, but they are few and far between."

Rider pointed to Sam's helmet.

"Now here is an important difference between you and I, that is it critical to understand. My powers come directly from the Nova Force. Helmet on or helmet off, it makes pretty much no different to me. But that means that I am constantly in contact with the Nova Force and Worldmine, so to an enemy attuned to host energies I stand out like a lighthouse on a dark night. You use a black helm, which is not directly connected to the Nova force. It runs off a reactor inside it that generates your powers from a small fragment of the Nova force, but is not attached to it a primal level. That makes you stealthy. And the is the whole point of the black helms, a small elite force of Nova Corps members who carry out secret missions, undetectable and unrecorded even by the Worldmind. So while it is riskier because you have no powers without the helmet, and the helmet can malfunction or break down, you have the advantage of stealth, of being able to operate in secrecy. I hope that makes some sense to you."

He pauses before he gets to the nub of the question about Sam's dad.

"So while I have your Dad's service record, because he was a black helm he was involved in many missions that I would have no records of. But what I can tell you for sure is that his consciousness has not been merged with the Worldmind, so I know with certainty that he is alive."

Nova thought for a moment.

"That thing you said about not believing people can survive in space. You still think  that?"

[Sam Alexander]

His father was alive? He just about fell out of his seat, but he held on with one had before he hit the ground. This had probably been the best news he had heard in a long time. It gave him a shread of hope that there was a chance to find him. "I am alright hearing that my Dad's aluve was a big shock. I almost fell, but hitting the ground would be a lot worse I suppose." Sam admitted. But he knew explaining this to his mom might be complicated or a bit tough for his family to understand. But from the sounds of it, it sounded like his own father Jesse and himself would go to the world mind after they passed on. But Sam hoped that it wouldn't be for a long time.

"That sounds like an interesting and complicated set of history right there. But it does explain a few things." Sam agreed as he sat there he was a bit fidgety but he couldn't help it with the news he just heard from Rider. He knew as soon as he got the first chance he would message his mom about this. They would be happy to hear this and so would his sister. "One thing I have noticed, not to point out the obvious, but our helmets have different star shapes on it. I always knew it meant something but I don't think I fully grasped the idea." Sam explained. "But that does explain why my dad was able to stay hidden for so long no one could find his helmet since he was so stealthy."

The next part he seemed reluctant on answering knowing he made a big mistake, and he was going to regret it. "To be honest, I feel guilty saying the things I said earlier like not flyinging into space. I suppose I judged him to hard or didn't give him the benefit of a doubt." Sam said with a sigh. He knew he needed to apologize to his father for the way he treated him earlier. But Jesse had probably been focused on other things besides being angry at his son. Now Sam seemed to be willing to believe aliens and the chance that there was other life out there. One thing he had yet to accomplish was going into space for the first time. But he was going to look forward to it.

"I suppose I owe you an apology and my dad at this point. I feel embarrassed for not believing earlier." Sam said knowing his youthful years were pretty protected but he really didn't believe or want to listen to him.

"But to be honest, I haven't been in space before. I am really excited to go one day even if SHIELD doesn't think I'm ready for it." Sam admitted knowing that one day would come. He sounded a lot more excited compared to earlier which was almost regretful, and even uncertainty. But now he really was happy, and glad to have met this guy...and it dawned onto him he still didn't know his real name. Maybe over time Sam would find out, but he wouldn't press it again.