[disclaimer: hear my sinner's prayer, it's the only one i know
it sure as hell don't rhyme but it's good
as good as gold]
[real disclaimer here; you know i dont own marvel but for fear of being sued im going to reiterate that i still do not own any of these characters and this is just for fun remember?]
Chapter Two
The World Exposition of Tomorrow had replaced the cancelled World's Fair in 1943. Many speculated that with so many sponsors towards the Exposition that the World Fair did not have the means to fund what they needed. It was no matter to the public, since all in the vicinity came too see the wonders of the future presented by Howard Stark.
When Octavia bought her $1.30 ticket into the fair grounds and she saw the hopes of the future in the stalls before her, she could not help but feel a little bittersweet for all those present. Most of them would not live to see the wonders imagined before them come to fruition. Other inventions would become archived designs of improbable creations that will never see the light of day after this. Though most of what she saw would find its resting places in time, there was a delight in seeing them in their prime.
Steve would tell her that things were simpler back then, that they didn't have to worry about as much as we do now. Of course, Octavia had felt that things were always a bit more simpler in the past and it was the present that made everything so difficult. The most important thing for everyone was survival throughout the war. Some people kept their heads down and did little to help, but there would be others that did all in their power to create a kind of solution. Joining the army was the first line of defense for most and the next were bonds so the army could pay for bullets to protect the ones that were fighting. After that women would take the jobs the men had left behind so they could do their part in protecting their country. Children would collect scraps from the street in exchange for extra change, people would forgo basic imports due to the many embargoes across the countries, and, most importantly, sons and daughters were being sent home covered in flags.
This Expo was more than just an occasion to showcase all the accomplishments of the men from their time, but a distraction for what was happening just over the sea. Tonight the city will be a buzzed for the amazing Synthetic Man instead of the incredible men that gave their lives in service. There was a time that Octavia believed she could not follow in such deep footsteps. Then she saw a hole rip open above Manhattan and a horde of an alien fleet attack all she ever knew. Everyone had their breaking points, she thought, some were Nazis - some a little more alien.
Being at the fair was more than Octavia expected it would be. The volume of people in itself was enough to keep her buzzing from the activity. If she wasn't careful, Octavia could get swept away into the crowds and feed off the energy it provided for days. Without physical contact it was impossible to get a strong enough dose to store inside, but when she was surrounded by hundreds of people she didn't need to touch them to obtained what they spilled out. Energy worked throughout everyone, expelling or absorbing, and most of the time it was there waiting to be collected. Often it would sit until a need for it called, and when Octavia was around it answered her call.
Octavia had been at the fair for half the afternoon but there had been no sign of Howard yet. Signs read all over that he was to appear at some point to unveil a new invention but Octavia was growing impatient. It would be soon she would see him, she had to remind herself. All she could do now was enjoy the time she had before that.
Walking from vendor to vendor, she saw inventions that indeed carried weight throughout the future. An assortment of aerosol cans were available for companies to purchase for their products. A/C units were even being advertised for people to put into their stores. Along the food stalls were multiple M&M stands advertising different colors for their new brand, honoring itself as the candy of the Army. Octavia counted a few cents left in the pocket of her dress after getting food and the ticket into the Expo. She figured there was enough for some sweets.
And maybe enough to keep her mind preoccupied while she waited.
Soon, she thought, she would see him and she would be on her way home. She didn't think about what would happen if Howard couldn't do it because that wasn't an option for her. This isn't where she belonged and she had to get back somehow.
Night fell over the park quickly but the park was far from dark. Strings of lights hung over their heads attached to lamp posts that helped light the pavement. Fireworks blasted in the sky as Octavia moved through the crowd. Many people stopped to look but Octavia pushed against them. She was half way into the park when she heard the people she was passing say Stark had started his presentation. From what she heard, he had been showcasing his prototype for the flying car. That tickled Octavia and she suppressed the urge to share the failure in the invention once she saw him. But first, she had to get to him.
People grouped in masses around the stage where Howard made his display. Her best bet would be to get backstage somehow, to catch him before he made his exit. She might just have enough time where to figure out where to head off to while Howard enjoyed the spotlight.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small figure emerge from the crowd just as she passed by. It brought Octavia to a stop when she recognized his stark blond hair and she turned to watch him stride away towards an army enlistment tent that was set up just on the outside of the horde. With her breath caught in her throat, she took a step back and followed the figure into the tent.
He was so small. So thin. She knew he had not always looked the way he did when they met but she never had imagined he would have looked this way. Steve stood tall for a man of 5'3'' with his shoulders held straight back as they sloughed under his ears. She watched him step onto this small podium so to see his reflection as a soldier. His head barely grazed the shoulders of the headless man in the fun mirror and the image weighed heavy inside Octavia's heart.
When Steve took his step off the podium, their eyes met across the tent and Octavia's face burned with embarrassment at being caught staring. Steve turned red himself and Octavia compelled herself to move forward so she could explain.
"I-I'm sorry." She said quickly. "You just…" She searched for her words carefully. "You remind me of someone."
"Oh," Steve muttered. He looked down at himself before glancing back over to her. "Little brother?"
Octavia shook her head, a light smile stretching on her lips at the sound of his voice. "No…No, my fiancé."
Steve's cheeks turned pink once more and he cleared his throat. "Is he a soldier?"
"Yes." She said, smiling a little more with a slight daze in her eyes. "He's a captain, actually."
"That's pretty impressive for a little guy."
"You'd be surprised how much little guys can do."
A smile grew on Steve's lips and a flutter rippled through her chest.
"Hey Steve!" A boisterous voice called out behind them and when Octavia turned she saw a tall broad shouldered military officer approaching them.
"Bucky!" Steve waved his friend over. Octavia thought about stepping out quickly but it was too late - he had noticed her. "Whose your friend here?" The young Bucky Barnes asked his own friend as he looked Octavia up and down. For every charmless attribute Steve had then, Bucky Barnes made up for it tenfold. She could tell from his alluring smile he was a ladies' man. Or at least he was trying to be. When he held his hand out for her to shake, she wondered if he expected a delicate hold from her. Instead, she gripped his hand in a firm grasp and gave it a singular shake. "Olivia," she lied fluidly. "Olivia Stunner." She let go of his hand as quick as she could.
"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, ma'am. At your service." He bowed his head lightly, keeping his charming smile plastered on his lips. "I see you've met my best friend here. Have you introduced yourself to the pretty girl yet, Steve?"
Steve had outstretched his hand for Octavia and gave her a sheepish grin. "Steve Rogers." There was this white hot burn inside of Octavia's stomach as she reached her hand out and slipped it into Steve's to shake. This time her grip was a little more gentle than before. His hold back on her was clammy and he let go of her hand as soon as it touched. This wasn't the man she knew, neither of them were, she thought as she glanced back between them. "A pleasure to meet you both," she stated kindly and most wholeheartedly.
"Miss Stunner, did you happen to catch the start of Mr. Stark's presentation? A flying car. Can you imagine?" Bucky let out a chuckle and looked to Steve to share in the laugh. Steve did not return this laugh, instead he just gave a weak smile and when Octavia had glanced back at him he adverted his gaze.
"I actually missed it." Then, she remembered what she had to do. "Is he finished already?"
"Uh," Bucky turned back behind him to see the mass of people still cluttering around the stage. "Almost. In my opinion, he talks a little too much."
Octavia bit her tongue at the comment, having many things she could respond with but none of them were meant for now. "Well, if you gentlemen would excuse me," she spoke softly. She took a step backwards but Bucky's voice carried loud enough to stop her. "Wait a minute," he chuckled again. "We've only just met. Would you like to join us? We were just about to go dancing."
"She's getting married, Bucky." Steve pointed out to his friend.
"Doesn't mean she's dead." Bucky quipped back. "We have a couple of friends with us but I'm sure we can make room for one more."
"As tempting as your offer is, Sergeant Barnes, I am afraid I will have to decline. I must find my father before he leaves."
"Steve here could help you look for you dad." Bucky said quickly, giving his friend a smug smile.
"Buck," Steve said with a firm resolve. She could tell he did not appreciate his friend trying to pimp him out this way but what she would have given anything to say yes right now. Their eyes caught again and she wondered if his heart was stuck in his throat as well.
"I'm sorry," Octavia said. "I really appreciate it, but I have to go." She took a few more steps back until she reached the end of the tent and turned around to call out to them, "Good luck!" Turning back, she quickly made her way into her original direction with Steve and Bucky disappearing behind her.
Her footsteps weighed heavy with every step she took away from the tent. There was piece of her back there and it ached throughout her to not know the next time she would be in his presence again. But with those steps she took towards Howard was a step forwards to her Steve and their future. If it was still there.
A large man stood serious in all black off the side of the stage with his hands pursed tightly together in front of his waist. It was obvious to Octavia that this was the person she had to get around. One person guarding the backstage entrance was suspicious, especially knowing the person who orchestrated all of this. Maybe he was feeling cocky. The trick into sneaking past security was simple. All Octavia had to do was act like she had belonged there - avoid eye contact, walk with determination, and if anyone stopped her, she would just talk to them as if she were going to fire them. 9 out of 10 times it worked, the one exception being the moment her cover had been blown and she had to fight her way out of that situation. She hoped it wouldn't come to that tonight. Her dress was too short for it.
Over her shoulder she heard the roar of the crowd cheering and she glanced over to see the dancers skipping off the stage. The security guard caught the sight as well, turning his head slightly to watch them bounce pass behind the curtains. That was her moment. She stepped forward quickly. One foot moving in front of the other before she slipped passed the metal gate behind the large officer. If his head turned to see her pass by she didn't see. She kept forward as she made her way up the steps to the back of the stage. There was a gaggle of dancers changing or hurriedly putting their things away so they could return home. Octavia looked over their heads trying to catch a glimpse of the man she was looking for.
Her heart pounded hard against her chest and she had to clench her fists together to keep her hands from shaking. There was a deep firm stab under her lungs, pumping against her ribs telling her that he was close. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't find him.
Across the sea of glittering red, white and blue darted a head of short black hair not adorned with the outrageous headdress all the others wore. Through a break in the coterie, Octavia saw him dressed in a black tux laughing with a dark haired man dressed the same. A magnet pulled Octavia forward as she pushed through the girls around her. She wouldn't take her eyes off him and with the thought that he would leave at any moment she quickened her pace. As she got closer she could hear his laugh echo louder and louder. It was just like she remembered it.
Stepping out from the crowd she had a full view of him. He seemed smaller than she remembered, younger for sure, but he had the same big smile toothy grin partly hidden under his thick black mustache. Her jaw trembled and she clenched it tight before taking a few large steps towards him. Then, she realized she had no idea what she was going to say.
"Mr. Stark," she spoke determinedly. He turned his attention to her as soon as he heard her voice. His brow twitched slightly as he registered her in front of him, but his smile did not falter.
"My, my, my," Howard said, giving her a once over from head to toe. "Where did you come from, miss?"
Octavia's lips picked up slightly in the corner. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She joked and she smiled a little more at his laugh.
"What can I do for you, darling? Would you like an autograph or something?"
"Actually," Octavia breathed out, her smile falling slightly. "I need your help."
Howard chuckled again, looking back to his friend who gave a weak smile in return. "What's your name, miss?" Octavia recognized that rough voice with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Olivia." She spoke softly, eyeing her father's business partner. "Olivia Stunner."
Obadiah did not look impressed since he did not recognize the name, but it was Howard's faltering humorous expression into a bemused one that caught Octavia's attention. "No," he said. "It's not."
"How could you possibly know that, Howard?" Obadiah asked sharply. Octavia wondered the same.
"I just do." There was no more humor in his eyes as they fixated on hers and she thought for a second that he recognized her.
"As far as you know, Mr. Stark," Octavia declared with a light smile. "My name is Olivia, and I can't tell you why but I do need your help."
"Enough," Obadiah waved his hand between them. "Look, you're a pretty girl and all," he said, using the same hand to motion up and down at her. "But you'll have to try a lot harder next time if you want to get an interview." He then turned his attention back to Howard. "Mr. Stark, the pilot is waiting, we have to go now."
Howard glanced back to Obadiah and nodded his head in understanding but before he could look back Octavia had grabbed his wrist in a quick motion. "No, please wait!" Octavia urged. She felt his heartbeat pump against her fingers as hers pumped against her chest in unison.
"You're my only hope." She pleaded.
They looked at each other for a long time and Octavia hope to hell that he could see the truth in her eyes.
"Hey you!" The large security officer had indeed seen Octavia slip past him and had followed backstage to find her. With his giant hand he had grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backwards against his chest. She had almost lost her grip of Howard as she was jerked back but he had grabbed hold of her wrist in a tight clasp of his fingers. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark." The security officer acknowledged the brilliant inventor among them. "She snuck past me."
"This little thing?" Howard laughed. "Maybe I should put more of you out there so little girls don't sneak past you anymore."
"I am not a little girl." Octavia objected sharply. She tried to roll her shoulder out of the man's clutches but he gripped it tighter with his fat fingers.
Howard let out another chuckle as he watched her. "No. You're not." He glanced back to the security officer behind her. "Let her go." He flicked his wrist lightly in the air. "She's with me."
"Howard…" Obadiah's voice had a warning tone to it but Howard ignored him all the same.
"Go on." Howard commanded and the officer released his hold on Octavia's shoulder.
"My apologies, Mr. Stark. Mr. Stane. Ma'am." He gave each a nod before taking a step back. "I'll return to my post." He declared before turning and walking back to the entrance.
"Howard, what do you think you're doing?" Obadiah hissed low. "We don't have time for this, do you understand that?"
"I understand that it's my helicopter and they'll wait as long as I want them to." Howard said back harshly to Obadiah, quieting him further. He looked back to Octavia and the hard look he had used melted away. "Besides," he smiled again. "I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress."
Octavia clasped both of her hands around Howard's and gave them a tight squeeze. "Thank you, Mr. Stark." She breathed out as a small wave of relief rushed over her. "You have no idea what this means to me."
Howard pulled one of his hands out from her grasp and placed it over hers. "Where are you headed to, Miss Stunner? Maybe I can give you a lift somewhere while you explain exactly what it is you need help with."
"A lift in your helicopter?" She asked and he nodded. "The places I need to go, Mr. Stark, we'll need something much more impressive than an that."
Howard let out a boisterous laugh and slapped her hand playfully in response. "Wonderful, Miss Stunner! Absolutely wonderful. Please," he pulled both of his hands from her and extended his arm for her to take. Octavia slid her arm through and felt his hold tighten on her. "Obadiah, I want you to see to the car getting onto the truck. Make sure the movers don't drop it like they did before."
"Are you serious?" Obadiah scoffed lightly but when Howard gave him a look he pursed his lips together. "Fine." He said through gritted teeth. He glanced between the two of them arm-in-armed and he let out a mocking chuckle. "Have a safe flight." He stepped backwards and as Octavia followed Howard out, she could not shake the feeling of Obadiah's eyes on her.
"Your friend is definitely a prickly one." Octavia stated as they walked down the steps from the backstage. A black town car was waiting for Howard just behind the stage and when the driver saw them approaching, he pulled open the back door for them to slide in.
"Obadiah takes some getting used to," he said as he allowed her to get in first. "But he means well. He's very protective." After Howard had slid in, the driver closed the door behind him and walked around the other side to get into his seat.
"If he thinks I am so dangerous why did you agree to go off alone with me? Especially since you value his opinion so much."
"It's because I don't value his opinion." Howard said blatantly. "Obie has been a great friend of mine for a long time but he's a business man first and foremost. He definitely follows logic and reason more than anything else."
Octavia heard the car rumbled to life and jerk forward on the pavement below. "And don't you follow your logic, Mr. Stark?"
"Of course I do." Howard glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye. "But every now and again I have to listen to my true instincts."
A trickle shuddered down her spine as she felt his eyes on her. Inside the car was dark and she only saw his face in small glimpses as they passed by the lights outside - but, in the little moments she did see his expression - she saw no warmth in it for her. "And what do they say now?" She inquired heavily.
There was a sound of hard plastic being gripped and bumbled as Howard placed a handgun in his lap, pointing the nozzle towards Octavia's rib side. "That maybe you aren't to be trusted."
Octavia gripped the door handle as her body tensed in reflex. "You think this is the first time someone has pointed a gun at me?" She chided.
"See," Howard persisted as he tightened the hold on the grip, raising it so she could see it better in the flashing lights they passed. "If you keep saying things like that, it's going to make it harder for me to trust you. Has anyone ever told you that you sound like a spy?"
Her lips picked up in the corner and she had to restrain the urge to smile. "Actually," she started but pursed her lips together to stop herself from continuing. She looked from the gun to her father's youthful expression. Octavia remembered trying to count the black hairs littered throughout his white mustache as she grew up, but she knew that this man in front of her did not have a single grey hair on his face yet.
"Let's think about this, huh?" She suggested as she gave a slight motion to his handgun. "Let's say I am a spy. And you kill me. Shoot me right in the chest and risk staining your pretty leather seats. What then? You just dispose of my body?"
"God, no." Howard grimaced. "I'd probably have someone else do that."
Octavia scoffed. "Honestly," he continued. "If you were a spy, I'd probably hand you over to my friends in the military and have them take care of you. They could get some good information out of you."
"No," She stated, her jaw setting tight. "They wouldn't."
Howard let out an audible chuckle. "You're very confident, I'll give you that. So," he waved his gun-free hand at her "Now I assume you'd like to venture into the idea that you are not a spy. Which, I'll be honest, you're going to have to really prove cause I'm not seeing you as just another lonely housewife."
"Is that the only thing women can be nowadays? Spies or wives?" She jested and even laughed a bit from it, but breathed her laugh back in deeply when she realized Howard saw no humor in this.
Octavia pursed her lips and knew she was cornered. The best thing she could do was remember her undercover training techniques and stick with them. The first rule; when you couldn't tell the whole truth - tell parts of it. "Alright," she said slowly. "Alright, you're right. I am a spy."
She heard the gun cock and she felt her body tense so hard her stomach started to cramp. "Do you think if I was an enemy spy I would tell you that?!" She yelled.
"I don't know what the enemy spy would do. So why don't you keep talking?" Howard encouraged and she hoped they didn't hit a pothole of some kind. She contemplated just waving the gun out of his hand, but it was too late now. She couldn't risk it going off in anyway or the exposure of her powers just yet.
"Okay," she croaked breathlessly. "Here's the truth. I'm on a very important, very special mission. I am a long way away from home and there is no one else in this world right now that can help me. Except you. You are the only person that I can trust, Howard." She tried to speak in a way that didn't echo on how terrified she felt inside but Octavia hoped he heard it for what it was, a cry for help.
"Where do you call home?"
"New York City. 2025."
The tires of the car rumbled below as it moved onto the highway. Octavia didn't realize they had driven away from Flushing Meadows park and onto the Grand Central parkway heading East towards Manhattan. She had lived her whole life in New York, a few decades wasn't going to confuse her on which way they were going.
"You're lying." Howard accused. "Time travel is impossible."
"Is it?" She quipped. "You tell me, Howard Stark. How else would I know that you were born August 15th 1917 in Richford? That your brother's name is Edward and he's the one that gave you that scar on your left knee?"
"How did he give it to me?"
"He was chasing you around the house and you fell into the glass coffee table. You always thought it was his fault but-but you knew you should have been looking where you going."
"Who told you this?"
"You did." She pressed her lips together a bit tighter than before. "When I was younger."
"Well that's pretty vague isn't it?" He was skeptic still. "You could have done your research, there's hospital records of that."
"I'll tell you one thing from your future." She offered.
Howard grew quiet and in the silence she heard him release the cock of his gun, but as they fluttered past the street lamps she could see he had not lowered it.
"Anything that I want to know?" He asked. At least she had caught his interest.
"It can't just be anything," she said. Her whole speech felt rushed and she realized she had been holding her breath. "If I tell you something... it could create a butterfly effect and I can't risk that."
"Let's be honest, it's a little late for that." He pointed out. "Considering if what you say is true, if you have traveled back into time your pure existence here can effect your future. No matter what you tell me, the chances of you changing my future are just as equal as you not."
Biting her tongue, she tried to think of a way she could argue back. The irony was that one day she would in fact change his future just by being born, which might have been the kind of thing he would need to hear to believe her. But the risk of her life or even Tony's by sharing her parentage with him was still too great for her. She thought maybe, just maybe, she could offer him something in exchange.
"How about this?" She suggested. "If I help you with something then you help me with something."
"What makes you think that'll work?"
"Because I know what you're really working on, and it's not the Manhattan project either. If you shoot me, or turn me into the government, you'll never be able to figure out the final key."
"The final key for what?"
"For the Super Soldier Serum. I know you're working on it with Dr. Abraham Erskine. And I know how to make it work."
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.[ayeayeyahayeyah]
[commentary below because im lowkey pretentious af ]
[if you liked it, thank you! if you didn't, thanks still! sorry about the false posting earlier, i forgot to edit *cryfaceemojihere*(#arethoseonthecomputerordoihavetocopyandpaste?)]
[so i kind put a bit of thought into octavia's character in this chapter. in the next one, you'll see a bit more of her childhood with howard before we get back to the initial story, but in this chapter i try to express her character a lot more through her actions. she's impatient, but waiting doesn't really seem bother her and she tries to make pass the time but she's very mindful of her quest to get 'back to the future' (roll credits) and she knows there is no time to stop and smell the flowers because the sooner she finds howard the sooner she can convince him to build this time machine for her but when she sees steve (who she does have a future with) she kind of abandons her overall goal just to see him back before he was the person that she now knows. it's a sweet moment for them because neither one of them are meant for each other right now, but they could almost be in another life, and they still have a long way to go before they can be reunited again. i wanted to make the impression that the only person she would give up her future for was the person she was trying to get back to.
i think that the next chapter is going to really bring a better understanding to octavia and howard's relationship because there should be a sense here that she misses him dearly and that they had a pretty decent relationship when he was alive but it's a complicated relationship nonetheless. from howard's perspective, here's this gorgeous woman who comes out of no where begging for his help and she wont even give him her real name so he has to really put the pressure on her to get out the truth otherwise he probably wont trust whatever she has to say]