Exploration

That night, I found myself humming as I packed a backpack for the next morning. I made sure to include a raincoat, assuming James' weather report was accurate. I sat down and reviewed my lesson plan— next up, space race.

"Glad to see you're always prepared, Miss Reynolds," Mr. Coulson greeted me. He stood there in his usual perfectly polished suit, the only difference being the giant black umbrella he held above his head.

I grinned as my rain boots splashed in a puddle forming at the bottom of the airplane steps. "I might have gotten a tip," I commented.

Mr. Coulson nodded. "I understand Barnes has been emailing you?"

"Yeah, he hates waiting to get his questions answered," I replied, amusement seeping into my voice.

Mr. Coulson gave me a glance as we passed through the doors to the front lobby. "If it's too much trouble-"

"Nah," I shook my head as I took off my hood. "It's not too distracting. I've learned more random facts this week than I have in my twenty five years."

He nodded again. "They're currently training on the floor below us, but they'll be ready within the hour. We went ahead and got those movies you requested, as well."

"I appreciate it," I said. "I think the movies will kill two birds with one stone— learning history and adjusting to modern technology."

"Sounds like a plan," Mr. Coulson replied. "I have a meeting to attend, but do keep me updated."

I nodded my head as he walked away. "Roger that," I called. He gave me a thumbs up, and I grinned as I started off in the direction of the residential area of the compound. My feet carried me based on photographic memory, and soon enough I was back in my room setting up the dvd to play.

"FRIDAY, could you darken the room? I can't find any blinds for the window," I explained.

"Of course," FRIDAY replied. A Roman shade revealed itself from above the window and began to slowly fall down to cover the light. "Would you prefer light filtering or blackout?"

"Blackout," I responded as I went over to turn on the lamp on my desk. Now the room was lit only by the warm light from the lamp and the light coming from the doorway. "Any suggestions for where to get popcorn, FRIDAY?"

"Go to the kitchen cabinet on the lower left side of the refrigerator. A bowl will be in there, as well."

"Thanks, FRIDAY!" I called as I walked over to the kitchen. I found the bags just where she said. I grabbed two and stuck them in the microwave, taking the time I had to locate some butter and salt.

"It's in the top right corner."

I jumped and turned around to see Sam Wilson smirking with his arms crossed.

"Does everyone walk quietly here or just you?" I breathed.

Sam snorted. "Everyone. You can't shake off training, not when it's been drilled into you."

I nodded, still focusing on getting my heart rate down. "Top right corner, you said?"

"Yup," he nodded as he sat down at the bar. He waited a moment to make sure I found it before he spoke. "How are they doing?"

I laughed lightly. "It's been a week, I don't think I can say yet."

Sam shrugged. "True. What are your plans for today?"

"History lesson," I told him. The microwave beeped, and I went over to grab the popcorn. "We're gonna talk about the space race, and I thought 'Hidden Figures' was a good place to start."

"Mmm now that's a good movie," Sam agreed. "Those ladies deserve all the credit we can give. Some of that research helped Stark with the design of my wing suit."

I nodded my head. "Precisely. It's fascinating to study how their research ties into our world now. I thought they'd prefer a movie to a lecture."

"Oh I'm sure," Sam said as he got up. He tapped his hand on the countertop a few times, then started to walk away. But the sound of his feet on the tile floor stopped.

"Keep me updated, okay? We need those two."

I looked up from my popcorn preparation. Sam's eyes were different from the rest of the Avengers. His eyes were open windows into his heart. He'd gone through the same horrors of any soldier, but he seemed like he'd gotten help and moved on. The longer I looked, the clearer I saw fear. He didn't want them to continue living this way.

"I'll keep you updated, I promise."

My answer seemed to satisfy Sam, and he continued his exit shortly after. A few minutes later, I was at my desk typing up the latest addition to the timeline as I waited for James and Captain Rogers to arrive. A gentle knock at the doorway alerted me that one of them had come.

"Hi!" I greeted as I spun around in my chair.

"Hey," James replied softly. "Why is it dark in here?"

"We're gonna be watching a movie today," I explained as I shut my laptop.

"About?"

"The space race," I answered. I motioned for him to follow me to the couch, where I had left the popcorn bowl. He sat down, and I made my way over to the blanket basket. "In the fifties, sixties, and seventies, there was this big competition between Russia and the United States to see who could get into space and explore it first."

"Sounds interesting," Captain Rogers commented as he entered the room.

I made my way back to the couch with an armful of blankets. "It is. This movie was released four years ago in 2016. Won a few awards, I think." I looked to my right to gage their reactions. Captain Rogers seemed intrigued, but James looked slightly wary.

A smile crept onto my face. "The movie was based off a book— I'm sure you can ask for it, James." His expression changed when I said that, and I leaned back into the couch satisfied that I'd guessed correctly.

The movie started, and I found myself watching their reactions more than I watched the movie. Captain Rogers was captivated by John Glen, and James' eyebrows lifted every time he watched the calculations Katherine computed. We were about thirty minutes into the movie when there was a knock at the entrance.

We looked over and saw Dr. Banner standing there. "I heard the movie, and I was curious if I could, ah, if I could join."

I smiled brightly and motioned to the area. "Sit wherever you like." He nodded quickly, making his way over and apologizing when he walked in front of the tv. He settled for a spot on the chaise of the sectional, a bit away from the rest of us.

This was the moment I would look back on and realize why Sam had appeared earlier when I was making popcorn. It seemed that when popcorn was made, it was a signal that a movie was playing. Ten minutes after Dr. Banner joined us, Wanda wandered in with Vision. They took a seat on my left near Dr. Banner, taking up any remaining space on the couch. Shortly after that, Natasha Romanov and Sam Wilson plopped down on the floor, looking like they'd just come back from training.

For some reason, the sight of Earth's mightiest heroes becoming enraptured by a movie made me want to laugh. I recalled what Mr. Coulson had said, that this was where they became actual humans. And at the end of the day, who didn't love a good movie?

It was then when I was caught up in my thoughts that I felt a twitch on my right. Subtly, my eyes drifted to look at James' face. His eyes were oddly blank. I looked back at the screen and saw why. Katherine had just delivered the final calculations, only to have the door slam in her face. She was shut out.

I turned my attention back to James, knowing what was about to happen in the movie. The second the door opened up and Katherine was allowed in the control room, a deep breath left his lips. At that moment, I realized how close we were. I was pushed up against him, close enough to notice the light blue color of his eyes and to feel the warmth his body exuded.

I forced myself to turn my attention back to the movie, but I found myself analyzing what just happened. Did he understand how Katherine felt? What made him feel shut out? Why am I noticing every movement of his arm next to mine?

At some point during all of this, I began to doze off. The dark room had definitely set me at ease, and the human space heater on my right wasn't helping. I woke up just as the final credits started, and the blackout curtain slowly rolled up. The first thing I noticed was how silent the room was, which was weird considering there were eight people present.

"So…" I trailed off as I sat up straighter. "Thoughts?"

"Why were they treated like that?" Captain Rogers said immediately. "In the army, everyone was equal."

"Separate and equal aren't the same," Miss Romanov quoted. "You probably didn't notice it."

A tense silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Is that how people see me?" Wanda asked softly. "See us? Different?"

I took in a deep breath and looked around the room. Everyone was staring at the ground, except for Sam. We locked eyes, and he nodded.

"Different, perhaps," I stated honestly. "Essential? Absolutely. You guys do things most people couldn't imagine doing. You fight to protect the people of this planet, no matter the odds. Not many people have the guts to do that."

"Differences aren't always a disadvantage," Sam added on. "Sometimes it's what gives us the upper hand."

I watched as these thoughts circled the room, and it was then I was reminded of who I had just watched a movie with. A gentle scientist who could turn into an uncontrollable force of rage at will. A former KGB agent. A girl who could control things with her mind. An android powered by an alien stone. A soldier from World War Two. A wing suit pilot. And finally, the man sitting on my right who had lived a lifetime with more than enough horrors to go around. It was no wonder they felt different.

"Did they ever get there?"

I jumped slightly. "Sorry?"

"Did they ever get there," James repeated. "To the moon."

A smile formed on my face. "They did, actually. I'm sure I could find the video on youtube somewhere-"

"FRIDAY, play the Apollo 11 lunar landing," Dr. Banner requested. I shot him a grateful smile as the video started playing on the screen.

The tension in the room disintegrated as the iconic footage rolled. I found myself smiling as I heard the iconic quote, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." My gaze turned to the people around me. Small steps.