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TRANSCRIPT BEGINS
LOCATION STARK INDUSTRIES, HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
DATE [REDACTED] TIME 13:04
[There is the sound of footsteps walking down a hardwood floor—the creak of a door opening and the click of the latch after it closes. UNKNOWN’S footsteps are muffled, like they are walking on carpet. Someone stands and greets UNKNOWN silently.]
[There are twin squeaks as both people sit down in equally creaky chairs. The RECORDER is set on a flat surface with a clack.]
UNKNOWN MALE 1 [deep voice]: I will be recording this interview. It’s for documentation purposes, you understand.
UNKNOWN MALE 2 [Coastal Southern accent]: Oh yeah, it’s no problem.
STEVE ROGERS: Interviewer Steve Rogers speaking. Introduce yourself so listeners know who you are.
SAMUEL WILSON: First Lieutenant Samuel Wilson, Sam. Interviewee.
STEVE ROGERS [laughs to release tension]: Thank you, Sam. Give me a second while I pull up your details.
[Papers are shuffled and moved around followed by the clicking of a mouse. There are two minutes of silence before STEVE ROGERS clears his throat and speaks again.]
STEVE ROGERS: So it says here that you have a Major of Science in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Exercise Science, is that correct?
[There is a rustling sound of someone moving.]
STEVE ROGERS [strict but kind]: Please respond verbally so we have documentation.
SAMUEL WILSON: Right sorry, yes that's correct.
STEVE ROGERS: Okay thank you. That as well as that you’ve been with the Air Force for sixteen years, two spent training for pararescue and then two more to become a fighter pilot instead. Thank you for your service.
SAMUEL WILSON: Thanks, same to you.
STEVE ROGERS [surprised]: How could you tell I served?
SAMUEL WILSON [laughs good-naturedly]: It's the way you stand, we’ve all got the same posture.
STEVE ROGERS: And here I thought nobody noticed since I regrew my hair.
STEVE ROGERS: So what makes you interested in the position? The Air Force to astronaut is a big career jump.
SAMUEL WILSON: To be honest, I never wanted to go into space. When my fiance Riley died, I realized I was stuck in a funk, unable to do anything that could distract from the pain of it.
SAMUEL WILSON [voice steady as he clarifies]: He was a part of the EXO-2 disaster.
[STEVE ROGERS mutters his condolences, SAMUEL WILSON thanks him and continues smoothly.]
SAMUEL WILSON: I let my anger over his death consume me. I threw myself into work and burned out quickly after only a few years. The military wasn’t interested in a grieving soldier. It was pure luck that Colonel Rhodes put in a good word for me long enough to be considered for a position here.
[SAMUEL WILSON pauses for dramatic effect.]
SAMUEL WILSON: All cards on the table?
[SAMUEL WILSON lays both hands on the table, one hand clinks, indicating he is wearing a wedding ring.]
SAMUEL WILSON: I know Stark Industries didn’t own the EXO Program when Riley died, but I still had this resentment in me. Colonel Rhodes believes in second chances and since I'm here now, I guess I do too. The more I think about it the more I realize…
SAMUEL WILSON: I’m done being angry about things I can't control. I want to go to space because all I can control is what type of person I will be and nobody can take it away from me. Thirty-three is as young as I’ll ever be. I want to explore, and I want to be closer to Riley in the process.
SAMUEL WILSON: I know that's not what you want to hear in a professional interview for a high-risk, high-paying job like this one, but I don't want to lie to myself by lying to you.
SAMUEL WILSON: I’m ready to commit, when do we start?
[A long pause in which neither seems to have anything to say. STEVE ROGERS clears his throat a second time before speaking.]
STEVE ROGERS: Well, I’ve still got a lot of details to straighten out.
SAMUEL WILSON: You have my contact.
[They stand and walk to the door. The door swings open with a creak and closes again, the lock clicks. STEVE ROGERS returns to the desk.]
STEVE ROGERS [speaking to himself]: Tony’s going to like him.
TRANSCRIPT ENDS
