Captain Steve Rodgers had not wanted this assignment. He had asked if anyone else could have taken it. Natasha, Barton, anyone.
Fury informed him that, no, it had to be him. It fulfilled two goals. One: Someone had to retrieve the information. Two: it would get him back into the world. Which is why, two weeks after the battle of New York, Captain Rodgers found himself driving his motorcycle through the mostly cleaned up streets on the way to Stark Tower.
For movie day.
He was met at Stark's personal lot by Ms. Pepper Potts. It was the first time they'd met, and she was wearing a business shirt with no nonsense black pants. "Glad you could make it, Captain," she said, smiling. They shook hands.
"Pleasure to meet you," Rodgers told her, smiling as well. "Fury's teamed up with Stark trying to get me back in the world."
"Come on," Pepper said, leading the way to the elevator. "You saved the world with these people. The next time you meet them shouldn't be when the world is in danger."
Steve had to admit there was some truth to that.
Tony's cleaned up penthouse was incredible and ostentatious. A large TV took up the majority of one wall, while several small screens ringed around it.. The bar in the back was restocked. Tony was behind it, wearing a shirt adorned with a man with a gun labeled, "Han shot first!" and jeans. Several comfy looking chairs and sofas were also present. A machine hummed somewhere in the background.
Banner was on one of them, wearing a flannel shirt and khakis. He held up a soda, acknowledging Rodger's presence.
Elsa was on another, wearing more modern clothes, her hair still tied in the two knots. She was holding a cup of steaming hot chocolate. She set it down, stood and curtsied to Rodgers. "Captain Rodgers," she said. "It's good to see you again."
"Please, Elsa. Everyone else who saves the world with me calls me Steve." He glanced at Stark. "Except for you. And Fury."
Tony laughed.
"So what's the movie of the day?" Steve asked, as a series of pops in the background alerted him to fresh popcorn.
"The original Star Wars trilogy," Pepper told him.
"Not the original cut," Tony said, coming forward with his drink. "Lucas hadn't released the original versions on DVD. Disney announced they were coming about a week after they bought Lucasfilm. I'm willing bet the ink wasn't even dry on the contracts yet. But they're not here yet, so we get to watch the special edition."
"I have to admit," Elsa said. "I wasn't impressed with TV. The pictures in one's mind with a good story are superior in a good book."
"I'd rather watch Game Shows," concurred Dr. Banner. "I've always been a big 'Jeopardy!' fan. Then there's that 'The Chase'. Mark Labbett knows his stuff." He turned to Tony. "On the other hand, I've never seen Star Wars."
Tony gaped. "Wait. You've never seen Star Wars? I understand Elsa and Steve never seeing Star Wars before, but you were trying to create a super-serum and not seen one of the most heroic movies in the world?"
"Back off man, I'm a scientist," Bruce said, faux-growling slightly.
Tony narrowed his eyes, realized he'd be had, and laughed. "Long way to go for a Ghostbusters reference, but well played."
Olaf wandered into the room. The sight of the sentient snowman with his own personal snowstorm never ceased to perplex Steve, but he was friendly enough.
Pepper stepped over to the bar, the hum of the popcorn machine died, and she returned to the group. There were small bowls to go with the big one, and a tray with all sorts of flavored salts, popcorn oil, and melted butter. A true popcorn buffet. Tony did nothing half way.
"Are we ready to start then?" Tony asked. He heard no objections, so he grabbed a few remotes from the table, pressed a few buttons, which both pulled curtains over the windows and dimmed the lights. Then, after a few moments, started the movie.
They were quiet most of the way through the opening, though clearly Steve was impressed with where special effects in film had gotten to since the last time he'd seen a movie. On the other hand, once one had taken a ride in a SHIELD helicarrrier, maybe spaceships were just less impressive.
Elsa, for her part, seemed to get into it when Luke's farmhouse was destroyed. It stood to reason, she knew exactly what it was like to lose one parents, so it must have hit close to home.
Steve and Elsa briefly turned to Tony after Greedo clearly had shot first. He waited until the coin had been tossed to the Cantina's bartender before explaining. "The MPAA had insisted on that, or it'd have been reclassified as a PG-13 rating." Steve nodded in understanding, but Elsa still looked confused. Tony waved his hand. "Later."
Rodgers raised his eye when Luke began practicing with the lightsaber. "Practicing blindfolded?" he asked. "Doesn't help the way people think it does."
When Alderaan was destroyed, Elsa let out an audible gasp. Steve lowered his head. "Reminds me of the Red Skull. That's what he wanted. Examples." Elsa looked at him in horror. "That's how you can tell what a monster is," he told the group. It wants to create fear in others – it doesn't feel fear for itself."
Elsa turned back to the film, clearly digesting this idea.
"Doesn't get old, does it?" Steve asked. "Heroes want a princess to rescue. Even in Space with an Empire, a Rebellion, and what must have at one time been a democracy."
Dr. Banner laughed.
"That was quite possibly the worst bluff ever," said Tony. "And it was ad-libbed. Did you see how he cringed?"
"Leeeeeeroyy Jenk... yipe!" yelled Tony as Han ran through the hall, only to be confronted with a hangar full of Storm Troopers.
"I'm probably the only person who gets that," complained Pepper. "And I don't think it's funny."
Tony looked miffed.
"A base the size of a large moon only sends out four craft to present escape?" Steve complained. "What? Do they want them to get away?" This was followed a few minutes later by, "Oh."
"Only you would question the tactics of the Evil Empire, Steve," Tony observed.
The end of the movie passed by without commentary, the newcomers were clearly on the edge of their seat, and none of the old hats wanted to disturb them. Tony spoke first as the credits rolled. "So? What did you think?"
"I really liked it," Steve said. "It seemed to hit all the right notes. Farmboy makes good as a hero? That could be my life story, if I wasn't from Brooklyn."
"It holds up," Bruce agreed. "Maybe it could be rewritten a bit concerning what happens with the other films, but it holds up."
"I enjoyed it as well," Elsa said. She sighed, absently playing with the ice on her necklace. "I can hear Anna telling father how she would want to be an X-wing pilot. She was the one who always wanted to go on an adventure, but she was always the knight, not the princess. Unless she was both. "
"Like Mulan, huh?" asked Bruce.
"Joan of Arc," Elsa said.
"Not quite a princess, and that really didn't end well," Steve said.
"But she fought for what she believed in, our father told a lot of stories like that."
"So Anna was the active outgoing one, and you were the scholarly introvert?" Steve asked, as Tony went to set up the next film.
Elsa laughed. "I was supposed to study what it meant to be a Queen. Trade, war, all of that."
Steve stiffened slightly. "Do you miss it? Did you actively want to be Queen?"
Elsa shrugged. "Like my magic, it was who I was. Both responsibility and privilege," she gave a wry smile, rubbing her bracers. "It scared me a lot less than my magic."
Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose. "Is it a responsibility you would take back?" he asked curiously.
Elsa looked at the signs of the 21st century all around her. "I... I do not think I could be a good queen in an environment I did not grow up in. Perhaps... perhaps I could work with SHIELD to earn my place in society."
Steve nodded. It was an answer he'd expected.
"Are you ready for the Empire Strikes Back?" Tony asked.
Elsa winced at the sight of Hoth. Is that what happened to Arendelle?
"Waking up in an ice cavern," Tony said, grinning, "Remind you of anything, Steve?" Tony asked. Two pillows collided with his face, one from each direction. "Touchy... touchy."
"Nevermind X-Wing pilot," Elsa said, observing the battle between Luke and Snowbeast. "Anna would want a lightsaber."
"You and a lot of other people," Pepper told her, grinning, eyeing Tony.
"Hand blasters and Unibeam. Much cooler."
"That's because you already have those."
"I don't need a sword when I can shoot energy blasts out of my hand."
Steve grinned. "He wants one."
Pepper nodded. "Absolutely."
"Aww," Olaf said, bouncing slightly, as Han looked for Luke in the blizzard, "They really do like each other!"
Bruce coughed to hide a grin.
Elsa gasped when Admiral Ozzel slumped over. "How does nobody..." She swallowed. Is that how everyone in Arendelle had felt when they looked at her?
"And that," Dr. Banner said, and indicated the frustrated C3-P0, "Is how poor communication kills."
"Force or not, I still think the way to raise the X-Wing would be a block & tackle system," Tony observed.
"Attached to what?" Pepper asked.
"Hush," Olaf said, bouncing again. "I want to watch!"
"Why... why would *anyone* stay?" Elsa asked when Captain Needa slumped to the floor. Nobody had a good answer for her.
Steve scowled. "Yoda can say what he likes, I think going to rescue his friends is the right thing to do. Yes, it's obviously a trap for him, but if Vader decides the bait is worthless, he'll simply dispose of it. He's not the patient type."
Tony winced in advance for James Earl Jones best voice acting line of all time. He needed to. Both Steve and Elsa's shout was probably heard three floors below by Jarvis.
The movie came to an end. Tony went of the room out to get Pizza for an early dinner.
"One loose end," Steve said. "Who is 'the other'?"
"Leia," Elsa said, not even thinking about it. "Unless it is a character we've not seen yet."
"Not Han?"
"No. Han is old enough to actually be Luke's father."
Steve frowned. "Wait, why is that important?"
"After how important the 'I am your father' line is, I would believe that he is Leia's father, as well."
Steve blinked.
Banner grinned for a moment, then sobered up. "I meant to ask, Steve. I saw how affected you were both when Vader murdered the two in cold blood. I know how you feel. Elsa, you see yourself in Vader's costume, and I know you well enough to know you're not like that. But Steve, why does it affect you so badly?"
"I hate bullies. These are men doing jobs they were hired to do. They made mistakes. Especially Needa, how do you kill a man who takes responsibility for his own actions like that?"
Banner nodded.
"It's designed to make you hate the man," Pepper said, "I guess it worked."
Tony came in with the pizza, then set about setting up the third film. Steve checked his portable phone, then stepped out to make a brief call before the film started.
Elsa smiled when it was Leia that revealed herself as the Bounty Hunter that captured Chewbacca... and was working to free Han.
When the Rancor died, Bruce pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. When Steve glanced at him in curiosity, Bruce's only reply was that he'd read "Tales from Jabba's Palace".
Elsa was far less pleased at the garb Leia was seen in the next time she appeared on screen. "Ouch!" Tony said, as Pepper elbowed him. "I didn't even say anything."
This was much more action oriented film then the last one, so people were focused more on the screen than on the ideas. Though Steve acknowledged Elsa's guess when it was, in fact, revealed that Leia was the 'other'.
Elsa was nearing tears when Luke threw down his lightsaber, and declared that he wouldn't fight his father. She finally broke down when Luke removed Anakin Skywalker's helmet, and left him. When she finally was able to clear them, during the celebration, she said only, "That's what Anna would have done."
When the trilogy came to an end, Tony turned the lights back on. "What did you think?" he asked.
"In the end," Steve told him, "I would call it very satisfying. It hit all the right notes."
"I agree," Elsa said, "Thank you for sharing it with me,"
"It was our pleasure," Pepper said, smiling.
They got up and stretched for a few minutes. Tony was about to say something else before he was interrupted by a telephone ring. A moment later, Jarvis's voice echoed into the room, "Agent Ward of SHIELD is on the line. He wishes to speak with Elsa."
"At least he waited until the movie was done," Tony complained, walking over to the phone, picking it up, and handing it to Elsa.
A few weeks ago, she would have looked at it in confusion, now she simply responded with a "Hello?"
"Ms. Elsa," came the voice on the other end. "I'm agent Grant Ward, of SHIELD. I'd like to invite you on to 'The Bus', SHIELD has something you need to see. It involves Arendelle," Elsa looked startled.
Fifteen minutes later, Elsa stepped on board. Grant was there to meet her. One by one, other people walked in to meet her, Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz first. Then 'Skye', all three of who gushed over her. Then Melinda May, who was much more professional.
"Is that everyone?" Elsa asked, smiling.
"No. There's one more, and he'd like to thank you for saving his life."
Elsa stared for a moment before her legs went weak, and she collapsed into a chair. "Phil? I... I thought you were dead."
Phil Coulson's smiling face, attached to the rest of his body, walked over to her. "No, thanks to you. That was Fury deciding the rest of the team needed a bit of motivation."
Elsa struggled to her feet, shaking Phil's hand. He shook it calmly. "But, for the reason we invited you here." He pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Do you know this person?"
Elsa collapsed a second time. "Anna? Anna?" she asked, swallowing, touching the fist sized piece of ice, still hanging on the chain.
(The story continues in Icy Venom, found in Agents of Shield/Frozen crossovers - TZ)