A.N. Here it is, the introduction of Captain America...
Enjoy!
A large fortress, hidden within a realm of ice and snow, far north, farther then any civilization should be.
And it was collapsing.
Whole pillars were falling into the ice, crashing with a thunderous roar into the still night.
"Allonz-y!"
Two figures ran down a stone hallway, fleeing the impending doom that was nipping at their heels. One was a man with somewhat spiky brown hair with a long brown coat, grinning despite the rampant destruction behind them.
The second was a tall muscular blond man, in a blue, white, and red suit, a circular shield strapped to his back, a blue hood over his head.
The two skidded down a hallway, a large blue box standing in front of them.
The man with the spiky brown hair produced a key, opening the door and stepping inside, the blond man pausing for a moment, then hurried in as well.
He gasped, looking around inside. It was massive, filled with technology far more advanced then anything that he had seen before.
"It's..." he began, but was interrupted as the floor shook beneath them.
"Bigger on the inside, yup," the brown haired man said, pulling a lever, the fortress outside coming to a collapse around them.
There was an explosion from the console, and both of them turned, staring in mute horror as sparks flew from various parts of the machine, the brown haired man moving frantically, trying to fix it.
"Doctor, anything I can do to help?" the blond man wondered, looking worried. This was their only way back.
"No..." The Doctor frowned, "Sorry Steve...It's...oh no..."
The Doctor's brown eyes widened in terror as the blue box lurched suddenly, throwing the occupants to the side, The Doctor falling over a railing, Steve hitting the door.
The blue box began to vanish from it's current location in time and space, disappearing as the fortress crumbled around it.
It twisted and turned, Steve grabbing a handle to keep himself steady, not knowing were The Doctor was, flying through time and space and to who knows where...or when...
There a lurching halt, and the doors suddenly flew open, Steve losing his grip as he fell, hearing a voice shout, the doors closing as he fell through time...
Steve awoke with a headache, pounding in his skull, trying to remember what had happened last, feeling hot concrete beneath him.
Slowly, he pushed himself up. He was on some sort of roof, staring at a strange dish, aimed towards the sky. He took a moment, then picked himself up, checking himself for injuries.
He was sore, and a few places felt tender. He had some cuts and a few abrasions, those it seemed from the concrete beneath him, but nothing too serious. He was alive, and that's what mattered.
"Okay...keep calm Rogers..." Steve muttered to himself, pinching his nose, then biting back a hiss of pain. His nose was tender...from...
A flash, and he remembered a terrible man, with a face red and evil, resembling a skull...
"Red Skull...did he...no..." Steve Rogers shook his head again, remembering further.
"I...stopped him...no...that's not right...there was someone else...a medical officer? No...that's not right either..." Steve focused, trying to remember, "He was a doctor...but not a medical doctor...had...strange devices. And a police box...bigger on the inside..."
He shook his head, still getting his bearings, "We stopped Red Skull...his base was collapsing...so we ran...to the police box...something went wrong and..."
Steve trailed off, finally looking at the skyline.
Tall buildings greeted him, made of steel and glass. Giant billboards were everywhere, strange signs lit up around him.
"...At least everything's in English..." Steve muttered, then made his way towards the edge of the roof. He took a deep breath, then stared downwards, gasping.
There were cars, so many cars on the street, brighter and flashier then anything he remembered. People of all kinds walked along the sidewalks, not knowing they were being watched, going about their daily lives.
"...Where am I?" Steve wondered out loud, "...Or when am I?"
Determined to find an answer, he quickly located a fire escape, climbing down, ignoring the ache in the muscles, coming to a stop as he fell to the floor in the alley. Taking a moment to stretch, he then headed for the streets.
"Excuse me, sir, could I-" Steve began, removing his hood, attempting to talk to an older man in a suit, who simply frowned at him and continued on.
"Miss, could I trouble you for..." Steve started, but was again rejected as the woman huffed to herself and continued onwards.
Steve frowned, looking more closely at everyone. Their dress was strange, but not overly so. The vast majority of people seemed to wearing casual outfits, something Steve normally wouldn't see being worn in public like this.
Girls were dressed more provocatively, guys had pants too big for them, and several had piercings. People of all kinds had unusual hairdos, some of varying colors.
Everyone seemed to be distracted in some way as well, holding some strange device in their hands, talking into a small thin box, or bobbing their head to unseen music, some kind of wire running from their ears into various pockets.
"Hey, nice Captain America costume, man!"
Steve turned, seeing a teenage boy with hair only down his middle, sticking up like a fan. He had a piercing in his nose and ears, and his hair was tied a bright green. He wore a sweater with the arms either torn off or hastily cut off, and his pants had seen better days, ragged and also looking torn.
"You going to a party or something?" the teen wondered, "Like the battle damage look. Slick."
"Slick?" Steve wondered, frowning, then shook his head, "Look...can you help me? I'm a bit lost. Where is this?"
"Fourth street," the teen shrugged, "East Park Way is that way." He pointed behind him.
"I mean...what city is this?" Steve asked, clarifying.
The teen paused, then grinned, "Ohhh...I see! You're in character. Gotcha, gotcha. It's New York City, the Big Apple, yadda, yadda, yadda."
"Yadda?" Steve wondered now, but had more important questions to ask.
"What year is it?" Steve then asked.
"2006," the teen answered, "That's what...fifty years later for you?"
Steve reeled. Roughly sixty years... He was in the future... That strange man had said his ship could travel through time as well, but this...
"I need a newspaper," Steve said, after a moment, looking around.
"Newspaper?" the teen asked, raising an eyebrow, "Dude, those are old hat. You need the internet."
"What's the internet?" Steve now asked, confused.
The teen sighed, rubbing his head, "Ehhhh, sorry man, been fun and all, but this act is growing old. I got things to do."
The teen turned and headed into the crowd, Steve frowning as he lost sight of him. He had to figure out just what had happened.
A shriek of fear interrupted his thought process, turning as he saw a wall simply explode outwards, reigning down debris and dust upon the street, several figures moving from within.
"Come on, let's get out of here before a costume shows up!" a figure yelled. Rogers frowned, looking closer. The wall of the building had belonged to a bank...
Steve pulled his shield off his back, running forward, leaping over a car, bringing his shield around and throwing it hard, letting it fly.
"What the hell is-"
Wham! One of the figures went down hard, the shield slamming into his midsection, throwing him backwards, Steve rushing forward, throwing a hard punch into the gut of a second figure, forcing him down with a low sweep next.
"Heh...should have known these flunkies wouldn't last long in a city like New York..."
Captain America turned, staring at the third figure. He looked a little scrawny, wearing a black outfit with a gray skull-like mask, a red 'X' emblazoned on his chest, a belt with various tools and gadgets.
"Like the costume. Very retro," Red X grinned beneath his mask, "Think you would have debuted in July or something, but, whatever...Wonder if that shield of yours is half as good as the originals."
Captain America took a step back, then dodged to the side, grabbing his shield and jumping back up, racing Red X, who hadn't bothered to try and stop him.
"You ready, Cap'?" Red X asked, producing two large red Xs, then charged at Captain America, attacking with a series of strikes, Captain America dodging them or blocking them with his shield, the two moving carefully through the debris and unconscious bodies of Red X's employees.
"Why are you robbing a bank?" Captain America asked, frowning, "You're very skilled...you could be doing a lot of good."
"Heh, sorry, but I only look out for myself," Red X frowned, jumping back, considering his next move, "I'm not in this for the villainy, just for the cash...and sometimes the thrills."
Captain America looked around the ruined front area of the bank, pausing.
"...You made sure no civilians would be by the wall when you detonated your explosives...and made sure they were contained..." he muttered.
"Like I said, I look out for myself. Doesn't do me any good having some civilians dead around me," Red X shrugged, picking up one of the bags of cash, slinging it over his back, "Anyways, it's been fun, but it's time I go!"
Red X grinned, then simply seemed to vanish in a blur, leaving Captain America alone.
"Halt!"
Captain America paused, turning slowly, seeing some kind of red and yellow figure standing outside, holding it's hand up, energy collecting in the palm.
"Wait, this is a misunderstanding! I was trying to stop the robbers!" Captain America said, holding his hands up, showing he meant no harm.
The robotic figure paused, lowering it's palm.
"...Why are you dressed like Captain America?" the figure asked, confused.
"I am Captain America," Steve Rogers said, "I think...I think I got lost in time, or something..."
The figure was quiet, staring at Cap's shield.
"...Your shield...it's his...no other metal has that composition on the planet," the figure said, sounding almost breathless, "Look...you should come with me. I might be able to help."
Captain America grinned, nodding and stepping forward, "Thanks. I need the help. What's your name, anyways?"
"You can call me Iron Man..."
"So just because this guy says he's Captain America, you bring him back to the lab?" Rhodey asked, looking angry as Tony defended his decision.
The two were in the main lab, Captain America in a separate room.
"Look, this guy has Captain America's shield," Tony said, "He's gotta be him."
"Or, he found the shield and took it for himself!" Pepper Potts, the third member of Team Iron Man said, almost cheerfully, "Ohhh, maybe he's some evil clone of Captain America, come to take over the world!"
"Soooo...ignoring that theory, I just have a gut feeling, Rhodey," Tony said, "I mean, this guy doesn't really seem like he's from around here. When I offered to help him, he agreed right away. He's trusting. He looks like Captain America, from the old film reels."
"Anyone can put on a costume, Tony," Rhodey frowned, "I still don't know about this...we still have that stuff with AIM to worry about, along with that Spider-Man and Turtle Titan guy..."
Tony sighed, shaking his head, "Look, I'm not asking for you to trust him. I'm going to talk to him, help him..."
Rhodey frowned, then headed for the door, "Fine, whatever. Call me later and tell me what happens."
As he exited, Tony turned to Pepper, who was still grinning.
"And you?" Tony asked.
"Ohhh, maybe he's an alien shape shifter in disguise! Or some alien slug has burrowed in his brain and taken control!" Pepper offered, "Though I think the evil clone thing is more likely..."
"Are you going to stay here though, and help?" Tony wondered.
"Of course! This is a once in a life time chance to meet Captain America! But, uhhh...are you going to wear your armor?" Pepper asked, frowning, "I mean..."
"No...I'm sure this is Captain America...if I can't trust him..." Tony said, trailing off, "My dad told me stories about him. My grandfather and Captain America worked together, in the war. My granddad was who created his shield, after all..."
Tony then headed for the room, knocking on it.
"Umm...Captain America?" Tony called, "You can come out now."
"Please, call me Steve," Cap said, opening the door up, then paused, looking down at Tony. His hood was off, showing his face to Tony and Pepper.
"...Iron Man?" Steve wondered, raising an eyebrow, "You look...familiar..."
Tony was quiet, not sure what to say.
"...Stark?" Steve finally asked, "Are you a Stark?"
"Umm...yah," Tony nodded, "Tony Stark...I'm...the grandson of the Stark you knew..."
Steve was quiet, looking around the lab, marveling slightly at the tech within it.
"...Any chance you've heard of someone called The Doctor?" Steve asked, after a moment, "He was a strange man with some unusual tech too..."
Tony's eyes widened, remembering that name.
"I have! There...there was this girl, looking for him. Her name is Jenny. Said he was her dad," Tony said, "Do you know where he is?"
"When would be a better question..." Steve muttered, "He's a time traveler. He helped me take down Red Skull...We were escaping the base, as it was crumbling...went into his ship. It then went haywire, and dumped me out in this time. I'll need to find him too, if I'm to get back..."
Tony and Pepper were quiet, sharing a glance.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked, seeing the concern on their faces.
"...Captain America was never found after you took down Red Skull..." Tony said carefully, "It's been the general belief you perished that day..."
"Or were abducted by aliens!" Pepper chimed up, "Which I guess is actually correct! Is this Doctor from Mars?"
Steve took a step back. Never found...history said he died...
Which meant if he found a way back, he would change history...change everything...
"Look...I know some people who might be able to help you," Tony said, "An organization named S.H.I.E.L.D..."
Steve nodded, "I see...thank you, for all your help."
"It's fine! You're Captain America after all! Just...one thing," Tony said, "Don't tell anyone who I am. I'll be contacting S.H.I.E.L.D as Iron Man. Don't let them know I'm Tony Stark."
"An odd request, but I'll honor it," Captain America nodded, holding out his hand to shake, "I don't know why someone like you should need to hide his face, but I respect your choice."
Tony smiled, taking Steve's hand and shaking it.
"And if you ever need help, I'll be there," Steve added, "It's least I can do for your help and trust..."
A.N. Captain America has entered the scene, drawing us ever closer to the formation of The Avengers...
Join us next time, as the gangs wars in New York City begin to heat up...