Earth-717: Avengers Vol 1
Chapter 1: Old World
"Steve?"
Steve's eyes opened as a parade of lights assaulted his field of vision. The pain was excruciating, and his senses were overloaded as if he were surrounded by flares. His skin felt like it was being seared by molten lava at the same time that it was frozen by liquid nitrogen. All he wanted to do was scream, but he had zero control over his muscles.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Margaret Carter. I've been assigned as your bodyguard."
The world flashed through every colour imaginable, with a new hue burning its way through his vision at any given second. White. Red. Yellow. Blue. Green. Grey. Black. Within a few moments, they all blurred together as Steve's ability to even perceive them started to fail.
"When you have something like this . . . . this, this is a defining moment. For us. All of us. And I want to do my part. I don't deserve to do any less."
"Congratulations, Steven. Welcome to Project Pythagoras."
All of Steve's bones seemed to break at once, with his tissue suddenly filled with splinters. His blood burned inside of his veins, cooking his flesh from the inside out. His brain was so heavy that it felt like his neck was going to snap in half.
"My nickname. It's Peggy. It's what my friends call me."
"Peggy."
"Yeah. Margaret has too many syllables for the average person, and Miss Carter is too formal. So . . . . you can call me Peggy."
He could hear nothing and everything at once.
"And Steve?"
"Yeah."
"Good to see you again."
"Likewise, Buck."
His eyes exploded. His skin peeled off. His bones melted, and his muscles shrivelled. His whole body caught fire as it turned to ice.
"I told you to stay out of this when we first met, Captain. Your showboat heroics have done nothing but bring about your own destruction. You think yourself courageous? You're nothing but the dead dream of a traitor with a syringe!"
Suddenly, a single image became clear in Steve's mind. It was the silver locket that he had bought for Peggy, his gift that was meant to show her how he felt about her. The object through which he finally managed to get her to make a promise to him.
"Like it?"
"It's, uh . . . . it's beautiful."
Peggy's hand opened, inviting him to take it. Steve reached out, but as his fingers were about to touch hers, her hand faded away. He looked around, but could find no trace of her. All became darkness, and her voice slowly grew silent.
"Steve?"
Steve's eyes slowly opened, but he couldn't make much out. There was some type of bright light, and vague shapes that were moving. He tried to formulate proper thoughts, but all he could perceive were his sensory reactions. Then, he started to hear several voices that he did not recognize, but he could do nothing to answer them.
"Oh my . . . . he's waking up."
"What? No, it's too early!"
"Look at the screen, Jemma. His vitals, they're . . . ."
"Doctor Simmons, what's happening?"
"He can't be . . . ."
"Doctor?"
"This is bad . . . ."
"Doctor!"
"I did not go all the way to the Arctic for him to die now. Figure it out!"
"Jemma, I . . . ."
"Wait, I got it. Fitz, get me the diazepam."
"But how will . . . ."
"Just do it!"
A few seconds later, a new pain shot through Steve's body. It was an icy shock that froze his muscles, and all movement then ceased. The light started to dim, and the voices were drowned out. Once again, everything became dark.
"Steve?"
Steve's eyes shot open, and he threw up his arms. Startled out of his sleep by the sound of Peggy's voice, he found himself on a lone bed, the one notable feature of a small room. Breathing heavily, he then looked down to see that he was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He immediately realized that these were not the clothes he had been wearing the last time he was conscious.
Within seconds, the door to his room burst open, and three people entered.
"Captain Rogers!"
Instinctively going on the defensive, Steve analyzed his targets. One was a man of medium build in a business suit, while the other two were a man and a woman, both of them short. He could tell that only the man in the suit had a weapon strapped to his belt.
"Captain . . . ."
Without warning, Steve sprung into action. Seizing the man by the arm, he heaved him over himself. The man did an aerial flip and landed on his back, clearly winded. The woman shouted in fear as Steve then rushed out of the room. Finding himself in a hallway, he looked up and down both ends before choosing the left side and running off.
Within seconds, an alarm sounded. A couple other men in suits got in front of Steve, but he shoved them out of the way. He noticed that they didn't try to pull out their guns, but he didn't pay that fact much mind. He was just focused on finding an exit. He knew that he was in the wrong place. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be there.
Barrelling around another corner, Steve then saw a pressure door at the end of the hall. Immediately recognizing the door as an escape route, he sprinted right towards it. A handful of agents chased after him, including the one he threw over his shoulder.
"Captain, stop! You don't know what's . . . ."
Steve bashed the door open with his shoulder. He then immediately stopped, waving his arms in the air to try and stop himself from going any further. He blinked as he looked down, seeing that there was nothing to step on just outside the door. Instead, he saw empty air, and clouds in the distance. Blinking again, he could then see that New York City was a few hundred metres below him.
". . . . out there."
Steve found himself frozen yet again. He couldn't even fathom what he was looking at. After a minute, he stepped away from the door, and one of the agents went and closed it. Steve looked down and took several deep breaths. The alarm turned off, and everyone went silent. Steve then looked up to see that all other eyes were on him.
Over a dozen individuals were present, and they all seemed to be in awe at Steve's presence.
"Where am I?"
The short woman from earlier stepped forward.
"You're home."
"Not exactly how I was expecting my first meeting with my personal hero to go."
Coulson chuckled before rubbing the back of his neck. Steve was sitting on a medical bed inside of Science Team's lab. Fitz and Simmons were shuffling about the lab, performing various duties. Steve himself had not spoken since his escape attempt, and Coulson had tried a few times to evoke some sort of response from him.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Simmons approached Steve. She had a wide smile and was holding a large syringe that she had to hold with both hands.
"Alright, just put together a nice little cocktail for . . . ."
Simmons moved to inject Steve's left arm, but he reacted by smacking the needle away. It smashed against the floor, splashing its contents across the tiles. Fitz scratched the side of his head as Simmons sighed.
"And I guess I'll go get another one."
Simmons walked back to another part of the lab. Fitz turned back to his screen and continued to look over data simulations of Steve's DNA. Coulson gave Steve a sympathetic look, but Steve avoided any eye contact. Fitz then walked over to Simmons and gently placed his hand on her back, before reaching in and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Steve took notice of this altercation, and a visible frown grew on his face. He looked at Fitz as he rhythmically rubbed Simmons' back, attempting to soothe her. He watched as Simmons turned her head to face her lover, giving him a warm smile in return for his affections. He felt his heart sink as he instantly realized how in love the two young scientists were.
"Steve?"
The whispers of Peggy's voice finally faded, and now Steve was left truly alone.
That was when Fury and Hill walked in.
"I'll be damned."
Steve turned to look at Fury, who put his hands on his hips. Hill folded her arms.
"It's really you," said Fury. "Knew it was you when we found you, but . . . . seeing you here. Breathing. Forgive me, but it's a lot to take in. Doesn't feel real."
"He's real," said Coulson. "Very real. Threw me clean over his shoulder."
Coulson put on a dorky smile, as if he were proud to have been beaten up.
"I heard," said Fury, before turning back to Steve. "Agent Coulson is a big fan. You're his childhood idol. Still has all the playing cards."
Steve raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained silent. Hill tilted her head slightly to the side, but her stare didn't waver. Fury sighed.
"Look, I know this is a bit of a shock, but . . . ."
"We're flying," said Steve.
"What?"
"We're flying. Over New York. Bigger than any plane I've ever seen."
Steve then pointed at the computer monitors.
"Those look like televisions, but none I recognize."
Steve then looked back at Fury.
"And forgive me . . . . but I can tell you're in charge, and . . . ."
Steve paused. Fury immediately understood what he meant.
"So my question is . . . . how long has it been?"
Fury and Hill looked at each other for a brief moment. Coulson gulped. Fitz and Simmons turned around, wanting to see this as it happened. Fury then turned back to Steve, and took a moment to consider what he was about to reveal.
"Seventy years, Captain. You've been asleep for seventy years."
Steve's face said all that needed to be said.
"You saved the world."
After Steve recovered from the initial shock, he found himself being provided a full briefing, attended by all of the personnel from the lab, as well as Victoria Hand. Steve was sitting at a meeting table. Fury and Hill were sitting with him, while Fitz and Simmons were sitting next to each other. Coulson and Victoria were standing at the front of the room, in front of a visual presentation that had been prepared while Steve was being recovered.
The current slide displayed news reports from the 40's that showed how Captain America and the Howling Commandos stopped the threat of the Red Skull.
"So we won?" asked Steve.
"We did," said Victoria. "Thanks in large part to you. The sacrifice of the Howling Commandos, your team, stopped the Red Skull for good. The Allies conquered the Axis shortly after. The war was declared officially over on September 2nd, 1945."
"You were a hero to the whole world," said Coulson. "To everyone alive then, and everyone born after. Every child knows your story. They teach it in history class."
"I just wanted what I did to make a difference."
"It did," said Victoria. "It changed everything. And without you, our organization would never exist."
"We're called SHIELD," said Coulson. "Founded right after the war. The SSR fell apart, but we rose from the ashes. We've been protecting the world ever since."
"Big responsibility," said Steve.
"We had some compelling examples."
The presentation moved to a new slide, showing three images next to each other: one each for Chester Phillips, Peggy Carter and Howard Stark. Steve blinked upon seeing the faces on the screen.
"These were our founders," said Coulson.
Steve stood up.
"Peggy. She . . . ."
Fury and Hill both slowly rose from their seats. Fury started speaking as he walked over to where Coulson was standing.
"Agent Peggy Carter was the second in command of SHIELD, much as Miss Hill is now. Agent Carter was our most decorated field agent for decades. She's a legend in SHIELD. She's someone we all look up to."
Steve's face trembled as tears fell out of both of his eyes. His breathing became stilted as a wave of emotions reverberated through his entire body. Simmons reached out under the table and grabbed Fitz's hand.
"She lived?"
"Still does," said Fury.
Steve didn't have to say anything to convey his shock.
"She's in a retirement home here in New York State," explained Fury. "We check in on her often. She's out last surviving founder. We owe her everything."
Fury took in a breath before he continued.
"She lived a full life, Captain. Marriage. Children. Hundreds of missions around the globe. But in all that time, she never forgot you. She accepted you were gone, but she never gave up on you. Every time she and I spoke, she would always talk about how you changed her life. How you were her example that she strove to live up to. Every single day."
Steve gulped and looked to the side, still trying to process all of the information that he was receiving. He turned away for a few moments, putting his hands on his hips as he looked at the far wall. He saw a circular eagle logo emblazoned upon it. He then turned around and looked back at Fury.
"Can I see her?"
Fury paused for a moment before answering the question.
"This is an unprecedented situation, Captain. For everyone. Letting people know you're alive . . . . it's something we have to do carefully. There's so much we still don't know. But . . . . I'll arrange a meeting. Give me a couple weeks. In the meantime, Science Team needs to keep studying you. Make sure there won't be any physical side effects of us waking you up."
"I understand."
At that moment, the door opened. Another man and woman walked inside, and both of them instantly turned to look at Steve.
"So it really happened," said the man.
Coulson quickly stepped up to introduce the new arrivals.
"Ah. Captain Rogers, meet two more of SHIELD's top minds. Doctor Bruce Banner and Doctor Elizabeth Ross. They helped Science Team stabilize your condition."
"When we got the call," said Betty, "we, uh . . . . wow."
Bruce held out his hand. Steve reached out and shook it.
"Good to meet you, Captain Rogers."
"Likewise, Doctor Banner."
Steve went silent as he looked across the street. He was sitting at a patio table in a restaurant in New York City. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and beige trousers, and had his hands in his jacket pockets. He kept his eye on a particular clothing store on the other side of the road, trying not to be distracted by the volumes of cars and people moving all around him.
Carol Danvers was sitting at the table with him, wearing her casual clothes.
"You know . . . ."
Steve turned to look at Carol.
"When I asked Fury to set this up, I was hoping I'd get to talk to you."
"Right," said Steve. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine. I, I can see how this would all be overwhelming. Trust me, I know."
Steve went silent again. He then pulled his chair in closer to the table.
"What have you been doing since you woke up?"
"Trying to understand."
"Makes sense."
Steve smiled.
"That and a lot of physical training," he said. "Lets me do something I recognize. SHIELD's got a great gym. Along with that, I'm also trying to sort through all the things I have to catch up on. People have started handing me lists. Music albums. Important events. Films."
"Star Wars."
"What?"
"Star Wars," repeated Carol. "Make that your top priority."
Steve scoffed before turning his head to look back at the clothing store.
"Something over there?"
"No, it's . . . ."
Steve exhaled and looked down for a moment.
"Everything's the same," he said. "But it's all different."
Carol didn't respond, instead waiting for him to continue.
"I grew up in Brooklyn. Knew the city inside and out. Every road. Every alley. And the people . . . . they were the heart of this city. The people."
Carol frowned.
"That store there," said Steve, pointing at the clothing shop. "Used to be a . . . . a diner. Ron's. Made the best damn sandwiches in Manhattan, least if you asked me. I would go there all the time with my pal Bucky. We would show up, share a laugh, get a sandwich and a Coke. I'd never finish, and he'd make fun of me for it."
Carol held her hands together on her lap as she listened.
"Wonder if anyone else remembers that place," said Steve.
"I'm sure some do," said Carol.
Steve then smiled and sat back in his chair, turning to Carol again.
"Well, that's enough of that. Fury told me about you. Said you were a friend and that you insisted you wanted to see me."
Carol laughed.
"Heh, yeah, you could put it that way. No way I was gonna let Coulson meet my hero and I don't get a shot. He already ask you to sign his trading cards?"
Steve nodded. Carol chuckled in response.
"Didn't know they made that sort of stuff about me."
"Are you kidding? You were everywhere. Trading cards, postage stamps, comic books. Tons of recruitment ads. That vintage stuff makes a killing on eBay."
"eBay?"
"Yeah. It's uh, a website. On the internet. Did they tell you about that yet?"
Steve scratched the side of his head.
"Uh, someone mentioned it. Simmons, I think? Still can't figure it out, but, Coulson's shown me a few videos. Profiles. Of powered people. The Fantastic Four. Bruce Banner. You."
Carol rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah."
"Is this a regular thing in the future?"
"Uh, well . . . . powers? Sort of. Not really. Kinda? I mean, there's quite a few."
Carol started counting on her fingers.
"The Fantastic Four, yeah. Mutants. Lots of those, but most of them don't flaunt it. Iron Maiden, but, I mean, does she really have powers? More like she has powered armour, but I guess being a super genius like that counts as a power. Bruce Banner. It's more common now, sure, but I wouldn't say it's a regular thing. I definitely wasn't a regular thing. I mean, I got my powers from alien energy, so that's definitely not regular."
"Wait . . . . alien?"
"Yeah. Fought an alien robot. Worked with an alien spy, and, uh, the robot exploded, and, well . . . . the energy went into the alien guy, and it went into me . . . . and it jumbled my DNA, and now I'm technically half-alien, I mean, on, on the inside. And now I have powers. Then we went into space, and had this whole thing, and . . . . I saved Earth from getting destroyed by this big alien laser. Uh . . . . so, you could say . . . . not regular."
Steve stared blankly at Carol for half a minute before he stammered out a single word.
"Aliens?"
"Yeah, those are real. So are the Norse Gods, too, apparently. Heard about that from Coulson. World's gotten real strange the last few years."
Steve shook his head and looked to the side again.
"Don't really believe it?" asked Carol.
"It's the future. I guess I have to be able to believe anything."
Steve and Carol then both stood up upon hearing a loud banging noise. The earth seemed to rumble, and people all around them started screaming and running. A few seconds later, a loud, droning horn sounded. Steve and Carol ran away from the restaurant and towards the harbour. Within a few seconds, they could see what was causing the disturbance.
Thousands of people were all standing and staring in awe at the Pariah, which had just landed in the water at the edge of the city. Carol skipped a breath as she recognized the monstrous machine.
Steve just stared, realizing just how far his ability to believe was going to be pushed.