Chapter 1: An Interesting New Discovery

Captain Steven Rogers was having a reasonably good morning. He'd managed to get a few hours of sleep, which was an usual occurrence for him, and woke up before his alarm shrilly pounded out a rude wake up call. This allowed him to go for his jog before the streets became congested with early morning traffic.

As his feet pounded the pavement, he inhaled the crisp New York air. It was a bit chilly, and although it was only early October, he suspected it would snow soon. As the captain ran, he thought over the breakfast options awaiting him at home. He knew that there was bacon and eggs, and he'd already had a cup of coffee, so there was that. However, Steve was a particular sort of man. The sort of man who absolutely HAD to have toast with his eggs. Unfortunately, he was also the sort of man who was always out of bread.

With a huff of impatience, his breath turning into a cloud of condensation in the frosty air, he turned a corner and headed to a small shop he'd often passed without a second thought. He was reluctant to detour from his usual routine, but he needed bread, and the delay hadn't taken him too far from the tower. The bell jingled overhead as he pushed open the door, feeling the heat hit him like a blow to the face. Steve glanced around the shop, taking in the neatly stocked shelves and the display of candy bars near the cash register. Sweets were one of his weaknesses, and he would probably end up treating himself to a Three Musketeers before he left the shop. A small blonde was seated behind the register, sipping a latte. She was wearing a red apron over a white sweater, and skintight jeans hugged her legs. They were ripped and torn, and to top it all off, her feet were clad in knee high brown boots made of some kind of leather. Steve would never understand the new fashion trends. Why would someone pay a ton of money for jeans with rips in them? Or wear boots if it wasn't practical?

Shaking his head at the youth of today, Steve located the shelf with bread and grabbed a loaf. He could feel the girl's eyes follow him as he walked across the store, and it made him slightly uncomfortable. Her face was one of concentration and thought, and Steve concluded that she was probably trying to figure out where she'd seen him before. Casting a paranoid glance at the security camera, he made his way over to the register. As he got closer, adding a candy bar to his purchase, the blonde's face lit up.
"You're Captain America!" She squealed, excited.
Steve nodded uncomfortably, feeling her blue eyes look him over, lingering too long on some places. He cleared his throat, and she jumped, looking up.
"Sorry!" She squeaked, scanning the bread. "Your total is two dollars and ninety-two cents!"

Steve sighed as he pulled out his wallet. Things were so much more expensive nowadays. Not that it had much impact on his finances. His bank account had been collecting interest since the 1940s, so he was pretty well off. A big change from the circumstances he'd grown up with.
"It"s going to snow soon!" She announced, bagging his groceries.
"Yes." The Captain agreed, ready to get out of there. This short little detour had taken more of his time than he wanted it to.
"Winter is a great time to stay in and cuddle... I just don't have anyone to cuddle with this year." She looked away for a minute, downcast. "D-do you think maybe we could catch a movie together later on? Or go to this little club my friend owns? I bet you're a great dancer!" She seemed pretty shy when she said that, which was a contrast to her earlier perkiness.
"I'm sorry," Steve began, glancing down at her crooked name tag. "erm.. Jessica..I really don't know you..."
"But we could get to know each other!"She insisted, biting her lip.
"I really can't. I'm sorry, but there was someone else...and I'm really not over her yet." As he said it, the image of Peggy Carter popped into his head. The first day he'd met her, he thought she was beautiful. He didn't think he'd ever have a chance, but she was so gorgeous. Then, as they spent more time together, and grew closer, there was an undeniable connection. And when he kissed her, a rushed, final farewell kiss, he could hardly bear to let her go. Yet before it was all said and done, he'd let her down. And he wasn't sure if he'd ever completely forgive himself for breaking her heart. But there was one thing he was positive about: he'd never dance with anyone else.

Jessica's face turned sympathetic immediately. She handed him his bags, gently touching his shoulder.
"I know how you feel. I'm sorry for pressuring you. I've lost people before. Have a nice day, and don't worry about me."
Steve swallowed, staring at the ground. He was having a flashback. Memories of the past flooded his mind, rushing by in a split second. He felt sick, and his knees started shaking. Then, just as soon as it started, the flashback was gone. He nodded once to Jessica, picked his head up, and rubbed his temples. The flashbacks were getting worse. He'd have to ask Banner about them when he got back the tower. With a little wave to Jessica, he exited the shop.

It was only a short walk back to the tower, but now that he was walking Steve felt the chill through his thin sweats. It hadn't been so bad when he was running. When he was about a block away from the tower, he felt like a snowman. It seemed as if he'd been walking forever. He'd unwrapped his candy bar and was chewing thoughtfully as he walked, his mind stuck in another time. It wasn't long before a strange sound roused him from his daydreaming. It sounded like a siren, or two pieces of metal grating together. It was an atrocious shriek, and Steve dropped his bag, covering his ears. He'd had super hearing ever since the procedure, and the sound was absolutely horrifying for him to hear. After a moment or two, the sound died down. Steve felt a strange urge to investigate. The sound had come from one of the alleys beside the tower, so that's where he headed.

As he approached, he slowed down, feeling reason take over. He couldn't afford to get himself into a dangerous situation. Hugging the front of the short brick building beside Stark's home, he slid towards the alley, cautiously peering around the corner. The ground in the alley was damp, composed of loose dirt and gravel. The sides of the dark nook between buildings was lined with trash containers and a dumpster. Two stray cats chased each other around a tall silver can, hissing and spitting. One was a small black feline with glowing green eyes, and it's counterpart a was a huge red tabby. At the end of the alley, however, was the real anomaly. A blue box was sitting there, completely out of place in modern New York.

Much like me, Steve thought sadly, moving closer to examine the strange artifact. It had the words " police public call box" across the top, and beneath that two windows glowed brightly, like there was a light source inside. Scratching his chin, he looked around the alley to see if there were any other possible sources of the noise. Finding nothing, he turned back to the strange box. Right as he decided things couldn't get any weirder, the door slowly creaked open.