To the guest who asked about Asgard and Olympus...honestly, it's almost impossible to touch that question without giving stuff away. So...not here we won't...but wait and see, when this fic is complete. As for when the fic will wrap up, well, I was already planning to shed light on that at the very end of the month.

Betty Ross: So you're sure he's gonna be okay?

Betty Ross, daughter of Thunderbolt Ross, was a brunette with green eyes and red lipstick, and who had her hair braided. She was around Bruce's age, and she had contacted Superman in light of what happened to him. She was on the Vanguard monitor, and Superman was the only one in the room at the moment.

"I do believe he will be," Superman replied.

Betty let out an 'mmm' of uncertainty. *General Ross has been very persistent on tracking down the Hulk, and now that he finally has Bruce…I worry for what General Ross could be doing to him at this moment.*

"I understand your concern, but remember that Doctor Harrison Wells and S.T.A.R. Labs are also involved in this matter. I have little doubt that Doctor Wells will make sure General Ross doesn't pull anything that could be morally…questionable. The man is not known for backing off from the military."

*I sure hope that's the case. *sigh* I hope Doctor Banner turns out okay.*

"So do I, Doctor Ross."

And with that, the call ended, and Superman took a deep breath. It had only been a few days since the Hulk had been sent off to the Army and S.T.A.R. Labs. The Vanguard was still trying to adjust to his absence, as well as the Martian Manhunter's continuing coma. Two of their three green heroes had been taken out of the equation for the time being.

Superman flew down to the lower floor of the Vanguard Tower, where he saw the other hero in the building: Cap.

"Captain Rogers, how are things?" Superman said.

"Look, Clark, you don't have to address me as Captain," Steve replied, and he and Superman began to go on a walk across the lower level of the tower.

"Sorry. It just feels right. A man like you deserves the upmost respect."

Cap smiled and shook his head, and then paused for few moments, cupping his chin. "Damnit, now you got me thinking…how did they teach about me and the Liberty Brigade in school?"

Superman chuckled. "They made you guys out to be some of the greatest people the world has ever known. They particularly held you on the same pedestal as the Founding Fathers."

Cap almost scoffed at that. "The Founding Fathers? Really? Wow…."

"Well, you deserve it. That's a huge honor, to be considered up there with all the Founding Fathers. Well, all of them except John Adams, that is, for what he did."

"Oh yeah, how he made it a crime to speak out against the President. I remember," Cap said, laughing for a few moments. "Of course, the other Founding Fathers had some dirt on their track records, but that is a whole other can of worms and I don't want to get into that. In any case, what they created…it's just hard to believe that I am considered up there with them."

Superman patted Cap's back for a moment. "Yeah, I get it, don't worry. Also, just so you're aware…during the Cold War, some American posters sprung up every now and then of you. They used you to propagate the idea of capitalism."

Cap raised an eyebrow at this. "Did they now?"

"Yeah, they basically had you say 'I didn't fight to stop fascism only for communism to fill the void left by it' and the like."

Cap stopped walking and seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Well, I am not a Commie in the slightest, so I guess I'm not entirely offended by that…but using what they believed to be a dead guy's image for a political agenda…don't know how to feel about that."

Cap rubbed his neck almost sheepishly, and Superman nodded. "Yeah, I kind of understand your mixed emotions," Superman reassured.

"I gotta ask, though…did you write any papers about me, Clark?"

"Three. Each one focused on a different aspect of your life, and each one got an A+."

"Of course they did."

It was then that Zatanna and Janet both teleported into the Vanguard Tower, about a hundred feet away from the two men in blue. Both Superman and Cap turned around to look at them, and the two ladies went about their way, chatting about something that Superman could hear but that Cap couldn't.

"What brings you ladies to the Vanguard Tower at this moment?" Superman asked as the two finally noticed they were there.

"Oh, Hank left one of his helmets up here and he's caught up in a meeting, so we decided to take a detour and go get it for him," Janet answered.

Zatanna then seemed to perk up. "Oh hey, Steve," she said, looking up at the Captain with the smile. "What's the name of that S.H.I.E..L.D. lady? The blonde gal?"

"Um…Sharon Carter?"

"Have you gone on a date with her? Like, have you been able to hang out with her?"

Cap found himself rubbing his neck again. "I have unfortunately not been able to do so."

Zatanna let out a small gasp. "Well, you should absolutely text her right now and set up a date."

"Well, I haven't really had time. We've dealt with, let's see…Hydra, Atlantis, mutants, a terrorist clown, an evil Norse god, an intergalactic empire, a time-traveling sociopathic speedster, the Hulk's abusive father…being a Vanguardian has left me a pretty busy man. And…there is one other thing."

Cap looked down at the ground. "Sharon is my old lover's niece."

Zatanna's smile faded. "….What? So it's not some cute coincidence that Peggy and Sharon share a surname, then?"

"Nope."

Zatanna bit her lip in response to this, and Wasp avoided eye contact with Cap, and now they both knew the other reason that he hadn't tried to go on a date with her yet. It was always bugging him.

"Well…maybe it could work?" Superman suggested.

"Ew, no," Wasp replied, grimacing as she did so. "That's, like, so weird. I don't think you should do this, Steve. Find another gal."

"Well, she's pretty, and she's nice enough…" Cap briefly brought up.

"I think you should just see how things work out. At least have dinner with her or something," Superman added on. "If it still feels too weird after that, then try to see other people."

Cap pondered that. Perhaps testing the waters on this wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

"You know, what….I'll do it. I'll give her a call right now."

Cap got out his phone. It was an old flip phone; Cap couldn't believe that this, a device that didn't exist until decades after he was frozen in the ice, was considered 'obsolete' to the modern world. It honestly came close to overwhelming him, seeing technology advance this far ahead. But he wanted to earn every buck he had, meaning that he didn't have the money for a smartphone.

"Let's not listen in on his call, guys," Superman said to Wasp and Zatanna, and the three promptly left Cap and traveled elsewhere in the Vanguard Tower.

The phone rang and rang. Cap felt weird holding this phone in his hand; while he accustomed to the idea of how to use it fairly quickly, actually doing so felt like another matter entirely. But nevertheless, he had no choice but to accustom to it. Though he had no idea how a smart phone would feel when he finally got one.

Finally, she picked up the phone. *Hello?* She asked.

"Hey, Sharon, it's me, Rogers," Steve replied back, his hand on his hip. "So, uh, I know you can be pretty busy, being a SHIELD agent and all, but I was wondering…do you have any free time?"

*Well, speak of the devil, Steve. I usually only have Sundays off, but hey, it just so happens to be a Sunday.*

Cap let out a small chuckle at that. Speak of the devil indeed. "Great, so do you want to get lunch? I'm in Manhattan right now, but I can easily go to any one of the other boroughs."

*Okay, yeah, I could do that. I'm in Bronx, and there's this really great place down here called Decarlo's. That's pretty much the best place to eat in New York City.*

"Well, let's see about that. That's a pretty bold statement to make. I oughta see for myself."

*Great. It's a date then. You want to meet up there in about 15 minutes?*

"Why so it is. See you then," Cap replied, and the two said good-bye to each other before hanging up. Cap smiled. Finally, a chance to see the modern world for what it truly was. He looked around, aware that Superman had super-hearing.

"If you were listening in, Clark…yeah, it all worked out well."

Superman popped up from the top floor of the tower, and Cap could only faintly make him out. Then he flew back down. "Ah, that's great, Steve. I actually wasn't listening in. My life would be a living nightmare if I couldn't control my superhearing."

Cap had to concede. Superman's life probably would be a living nightmare if that was the case. Everything Superman would hear, everything he would have to ignore or tune out...Cap found it best not to dwell on the matter.

"Yeah, well, lemme tell Jan and Zatanna the good news," he said, before tapping into his ear comm to talk to them specifically. "Hey, guys, um, it worked out. I'm gonna meet Sharon somewhere in about 15 minutes."

Seconds later, Zatanna and Wasp teleported their way back down to Superman and Steve. "Aw, that's great news, Steve!" Zatanna said with a smile. "Have fun on your date…with your ex-lover's niece…." She added on, her smile fading. "Man, that really does sound weird."

Cap sighed. "I know it does sound a little weird, but this is my first shot to truly get back in the world. I have to take what I can get at this point."

But then all of a sudden, an alarm went off, and the four Vanguardians stopped their conversation. The alarm meant that something was going on right here in New York City, as indicated by the blue flashing lights; red would've indicated something going on elsewhere in America, and green would be the call for an international crisis.

"Aw, crap…." Steve said, hanging his head and sighing again, feeling odd to sigh just seconds after his previous one. "Guess I should call Sharon real quick. I am not the guy who leaves a girl stood up."

"No, no," Wasp said, confusing Cap. "We can handle this threat, whatever it may be. You just go on your date with Sharon. We got this."

"We'll let you know if we need backup from you," Wasp added on.

"I…guys, I gotta help take down Hydra. We can't lose to them again. And besides, Superman here is the leader. Shouldn't he be the one to tell me to stand down?"

Superman cupped his chin, pondering it for a moment. "Alright, stand down, soldier. I don't think it's anything too severe. The three of us will go ahead and deal with the crisis at hand."

"…Fine. But call me, and I won't hesitate to jump into the fight."

And with that, the four Vanguardians went to the teleporter. Superman, Zatanna, and Wasp teleported themselves to Queens, where the situation was taking place, while Cap teleported himself to the Bronx, for his date with Sharon Carter.