I do not own any of the characters or the Marvel Universe.
An AU since being brought out of the ice for Steve. Then to the Battle of New York, and after.
My first fic for the Avengers and honestly not sure how to write any of these heroes but we'll see how it turns out. Here goes nothing.
November 2nd, 2012 Shield Headquarters, Ellesmere Island
Bruce Banner lay his head on the lab in the epicenter of the icy Arctic. He pressed his forehead against the cool steel of the table, exhausted and weary. Not an ounce of him had the motivation to keep searching for an answer to the other guy. How did it ever end up like this, how did he end up in a lab in the middle of the Arctic searching for a man who ought to be long gone for 70 years now? It started with that damn serum that he so very badly wanted to replicate, the same serum that had the capability to make any regular person into the prime of man. Instead, he developed a concoction that evolved his DNA into a green, barbaric beast. Now all his answers to a solution are lost, adrift at sea in the hands of a dead man.
He lifted his head out of self pity and into another grueling hour of the same insistent obsessed need to find a new lead. Bruce ironed his eye down into the microscope as the clipping of heels entered his hearing. He pivoted his head to the door as it opened itself, revealing his arachnid teammate.
Bruce sighed and closed his eyes, "Natasha," he really didn't need to hear what she had in store for him.
"No. Why don't you take a rain check for the day Bruce, it's already seven. Get out of that creaky chair, take a shower and maybe actually get in a decent meal for once. There's no used to looking for him twenty-four seven if you're just going to run yourself into the ground," she said sitting down on the cool steel table next to him.
Bruce seemed to consider her words. She was right because honestly, he was getting nowhere right now. He needed a break, but Natasha verbally issuing that need to him gave him the excuse to maybe get in a decent amount of sleep that night. He just sat there though, not making eye contact with Natasha but the data he collected instead. What was the use of this whole thing anyway.
"Some nights I just think I'm just stuck like this. That he's just long gone and any answer to solving my other guy is a lost cause. Wherever he crashed himself and his plane is beyond me and... I just don't see any way to fix this Natasha."
"We'll find an answer Bruce, trust me. He's out there somewhere. People don't just crash and disappear like that…" she looked at him. The exhaustion in his face was clear and you could see the dark circles under his eyes. Natasha moved in closer to him and put a soft hand on his back, "This whole thing will be a lost cause though if you don't take care of yourself. Go get some sleep and you can start back up in the morning," She patted his back as a sign of farewell and exited the room, leaving him to his own devices.
Bruce lay in a deep sleep, dreaming of nothing, and for a while having the capability to avoid all the stress of the other guy. The door to the compartment opened with his name following.
"Dr. Banner," A hand shook him as he groggily rolled over to see the who the culprit of waking him up was, "Dr. Banner. Dr. Banner please wake, we think you'll like what we've found."
"What, what!?" Bruce shoved the hand of the lab assistant away, and began to situate himself upward. He opened his eyes now disturbed from his deep sleep. Something he didn't think he could get back, " Okay, I'm up," He waved his hands in surrender, " What could be so important at this time of the night?"
"Sir…" The lab assistant gave him a knowing look. Everything pieced itself together.
"No…" He whispered in disbelief. He ran to grab his lab coat and the two scientist were out the door.
They speed through the hallways door by door opening in their presence. He couldn't wait, nor could he really believe it. He proceeded to walk through the last door that revealed itself as the main center of the headquarters. It was large and carried a crowd of authorities. One of those in the crowd being Natasha.
He crossed over the room to the others with joy, "How long ago did you find out?"
"Approximately ten minutes ago, " answered one of the scientist, " We thought you'd like to be one of the first to know."
"Of course," Bruce nodded, " Was he buried in the Arctic like we thought?"
"Everything matches up to our hypothesis Sir, it was just a matter of finding him. We've sent a team to retrieve him at this very moment," the older scientist explained.
Bruce looked at the wall, placing a monitor in sight of what the underwater team was seeing right now. He stared at the ice that was being thawed through in excitement and felt a happiness he hasn't experienced in so long, too long.
November 3rd, 2012 Shield Headquarters, Ellesmere Island
Bruce and Natasha entered the lab that the fallen soldier they had been searching for was thawing in. As they walked in, many scientist retreated to let them be alone. Bruce sat himself down next to the man, examining every aspect of him, while Natasha stood in the corner with her arms crossed letting Bruce have some space to himself. Bruce crossed his knuckles and placed them at his forehead. He covered his face in attempt to hide his disbelief but it always came back to him just staring at the ancient man.
He didn't seem like he could look any different than the day he had crashed, in fact if Bruce hadn't known that the man had been frozen for seventy years, he would think this man could just get up and walk out the the lab perfectly fine. His short blonde hair was damp and he had this stoic look to him Bruce thought. He did indeed carry much muscle mass, but not as much as Bruce would have guessed. He was instead very lean with a decent sized frame. When Bruce looked at him, he didn't really know what age to expect, he hadn't really gotten to that. The soldier instead just looked like the prime example of what any man could be.
Both Natasha and Bruce spun their heads to the entry way as the door opened and the head scientist stepped in.
"If you don't mind Dr. Banner, we would like to run a couple test. After that he's all yours," The scientist explained and smiled.
"Go right ahead," Said Bruce. After all that had happened the past few days, he was just insanely glad to have found their lost soldier.
After getting clearance from Bruce to run a few test over the super solider, Dr. Eddin proceeded to do so. He grabbed his clipboard and jotted down data as he studied the man. The doctor thoroughly did each test leaving the last one the heart check. Obviously nothing would be heard but Dr. Eddin knew it was part of protocol. He handled the stethoscope and gently placed it on the chest of the soldier and froze. That couldn't be right the doctor thought. He checked again to make sure he wasn't just making this sound up in his head, and again, he heard one beat.
He thought to himself he must be going crazy. He then motioned for Bruce to come over and take a look at it himself. Bruce looked up in confusion not exactly understanding what the doctor was getting at.
"Dr. Eddin...what-?" He couldn't even begin to finish his statement. The thawed man on the table rolled over and began coughing up seawater. He sat for a second breathing heavily and exhausted, then realizing he wasn't alone he spun around in confusion to see the strangers and the strange setting that surrounded them. Bruce looked at man, or should he say very young man now that he got a good look at him. The soldier had intense blue eyes, but they were covered up with fear and confusion. He kept a shy posture causing him to look like a deer that might run off. He began backing away and looked behind him to see the exit.
"Captain Rogers wait-" Bruce pleaded as the captain began to do the opposite of what Bruce was asking him. The soldier spun and sprinted out of the room into the hallway. The scientist got up as he heard Widow giving order for Shield soldiers to retrieve the thawed captain.
Steve sprinted through the hallways wildy avoiding and pushing away soldiers at the same time. Nothing about this place looked familiar or friendly and he decided it be best to distance himself away from here as far as possible. He squinted his eyes trying to remember the last thing he remembered before waking up, then stopped dead in his tracks once he was out of harm and sight. He died didn't he? He crashed, he threw himself into the Arctic and wherever he was and how he got here was beyond him. There was something very wrong about this situation.