Roy's feint pulls a rare laugh out of Steve. It's bright enough to make the corners of his eyes crinkle, but just tinged with enough black humor to acknowledge the fact that, for better or worse, they're all stuck here in one way or another.

"You could say I work with a private contractor, on loan from the U.S. government," he says. Broaching S.H.I.E.L.D. always takes a little finesse -- admittedly not one of Steve's many talents. "It's an international agency committed to protecting the people of Earth. So if anybody like Q ever tries to take over, I'm one of the guys who's gonna stop him."

His lips twist into another smile. "'Q', really. No idea where he lives. I don't think it's on the same plane you and I do. He's made the Enterprise like a home, though. We're all here to amuse him, in one way or another. For the most part, he's not dangerous. Which I haven't figured out yet. He has the power to be, but instead he plays games with us. Whatever his move is, he's kept it hidden."

He leans back in his chair, giving Roy a careful once-over.

"What's your story?" he asks. 'League of Assassins', 'I've seen weirder', so far this kid talks like he's got more experience with this kind of thing than the average bagger at a grocery store. "I don't think I caught your name."