The large, dark-haired male found his brother talking to Erskine as things were being set up for the proceedings.
"Anthony!" The German doctor had long been a favorite of his, right up there with his mentor, Howard Stark. Speaking of, the three of them would be monitoring the process as it went along. If he were to hand his brother over to the care of another, he would have some role in how that went. "This is Steve Rogers."
He was just as scrawny and determined as the last they'd seen each other two years prior.
"Well met, soldier." He purred warmly, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. Socren scowled and failed to step around it, barrelling into his brother with all the force of a freight train the size of a newborn kitten.
"So this is where you've been all this time." His youngest brother mused. "Get to play with all the shiny toys, did you?" Steve snickered as he circled his older companion.
"Yes." Tony grumbled. "You're too heavy for piggyback rides, so don't bother."
"I'm never not going to ask for one, so get over it."
"You gonna be this big a baby when they put you on the front lines?"
"Of course not." Steve smirked. "I gotta be smart about it. Blonde or not, I got more than fluff between the ears."
"You wouldn't have made it this far if you didn't." Tony conceded softly. Steve dodged his upcoming noogie and stepped back to stare at his brother.
"You don't approve." He muttered, voice flat.
I'm not of any influence and we're not related. "I can't tell you anything that will change your mind."
"But you don't like it."
"If anyone can get through this procedure, it's you. Just get through it."
"Think of it this way. Now I can actually put up a fight."
"That's what I'm afraid of." He groused. "Far be it from me to stop you doing what you want."
"Exactly." Steve snorted. "It'll be fine." He assured his brother. "You and Stark have checked the math and Erskine is brilliant enough that it's worked before. I can do this." He insisted.
"Yeah, sure thing."
Erskine gestured to the machine and Tony nodded.
"Here goes. Godspeed, brother." The engineer offered.
May the Norns be with you. Tony muttered
Whatever happens... Steve insisted.
Always. Tony swore.
They must have taken out half the power grid before the gunmetal coffin opened. Steve hopped down from the machine to find Agent Carter with a look that had, until now, been reserved for his brothers. He felt about the same, if healthier. He could finally breathe without the wheeze that accompanied it or the rattle that shook his once-scrawny frame.
He felt... fuller, like there was more to him, but not much changed for him otherwise.
"How about a shirt, Agent Carter?" Phillips snorted, a hint of a smirk in his voice. He accepted the procurement gratefully and scanned the crowd for his brother. Atros, or Anthony, as he goes by now, nodded his approval.
Well done, little Duke.
He nodded back, a slight smirk appearing when he realized that they were far closer in size than they'd ever been before. The moment of pride was cut short, though, when a familiar scent reached his nose. Of all the chemicals and medicines that filled the air, poison and gunpowder should not be among them.
"Get down!" Tony snarled, having come to the same conclusion. It was too late, though. The gun went off and the assassin was able to escape in the mass confusion that ensued. Erskine's last words made him snarl inside. What kind of Wolf couldn't protect those he cared for?
The thought had him racing through the streets, Agent Carter on his heels. He barrelled through crowds and narrowly avoided a shop, chasing the murderer down to the docks. What he saw froze him to the core. The assailant held a little boy in a chokehold, sending them both over the edge before he could stop or cry out. Luckily, the boy returned to the surface and paddled to the half-bridge. By then, Steve had followed the man to what appeared to be a submarine, punching in the glass and allowing the underwater craft to fill up before dragging the man up to land by the throat and tossing him onto dark wood. The man coughed and spluttered, an effect of the poison in his mouth. He hacked out an unfamiliar phrase "Heil Hydra!" before he was still.
It took Steve a few seconds to recognize the presence by his side as Agent Carter. She bent to inspect the man before cursing verbally. It was just their luck.
What proper Wolf couldn't take his own vengeance?!
Keep calm, Socren. That man was simply the messenger. You can take down the leader if you wait long enough. And oh, how good it was to hear Joclar's voice, even if his brother's words did not abate his anger like they normally did.
You alright over there, Bucky? Both he and Tony were very interested in their brother's welfare, Steve having not seen him since he shipped out a few months prior and Tony in the two years he'd been gone.
As alright as I could ever hope to be. I'm going back to sleep. Congrats on finally getting to the front lines. Don't die, punk.