I Swear It's Not A Lie

Chapter One

66 years. Technically he should have been dead. Yet here he was, with a pulse. A goddamned pulse. This guy had been believed to be dead since the 40's, yet appeared now, alive. It was enough to boggle the mind of anyone, Dr Stark included. This was the man her father had idolised. She had grown up on legends of his bravery, stories that had led her brother to resent him but had made her a huge fan. And now she was the one to oversee his revival. You proud yet, Daddy? Of course there was no guarantee his brain had survived, she could revive him only to find him a vegetable. Wouldn't that be a disappointment to the world? Although it was more than what Howard Stark had achieved. She had done what her esteemed father had once almost lost his life attempting. And now here she was, in a tent in the ice, defrosting a miracle. She deserved a pay rise.

She let go of his cool wrist and took in the soldier. His body was longer than she had expected. He must tower over people, far from the scrap of a man Peggy had described when recounting their meeting. Like many before her, Stark was anxious to test his blood to find out what exactly had been done to him. And his face was just as handsome as described; it was easy to see how Peggy had fallen in love with him.

Coulson appeared by her side. The man was trying to retain his cool demeanour, but Stark noted his flush. He was probably even more excited than her. As soon as word had gotten out who had been discovered, he had been there like a flash.

"How-" the senior agent's voice croaked slightly before he cleared his throat. "How is the procedure going?"

"So far, no complications." She said with a confident grin. "Has my brother got himself into any situations since we last spoke? No more debacles like the Expo?"

"Hmm, so far I've heard nothing. Although this is Tony Stark were talking about so who knows? I'm sure you've heard about New Mexico?" Stark nodded affirmative. "Well I thought that was one of his at first."

Stark snorted. "Yeah that's not quite his style. I trust you delivered my message?" She enquired

Coulson nodded, moving to pick up the shield that had been removed from the supersoldier, holding up it in reverence. "Yeah, he claims that he's had enough brushes with death for one lifetime. Not that it'll prevent him from being reckless."

She hummed in agreement. "I don't get why you had to get Romanoff in to tell you that. I told you that as soon as you suggested it. Iron Man should not be an Avenger so long as Tony is flying the suit."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing that from you."

"Tony knows it's true, no matter how much he denies it. He should never have been told about the Initiative," she said with a tone of finality. "Anyway what even went down out there? Some mythological guy fell out of space and his pet robot smashed a town? I don't get the best reports out in the middle of the Arctic, you know," she chuckled.

"Turns out the Norse gods are actually an alien species." At Stark's incredulous expression, Coulson laughed. "Yeah, I know right? Thor is an Asgardian. He was exiled by his father, Odin, and it was his brother, Loki, who sent the robot. I'm not entirely sure what happened myself, only that I watched a grown man close to tears because he couldn't pick up a hammer."

Stark laughed. "You know what?" She turned to one of the other doctors in the room. "Percy, you're in charge, I'm taking my break. Call me if anything changes," she called before turning back to Coulson. "It sounds like quite a story. Come on; let's grab a cup of coffee." Coulson tried to hide the disappointment at having to leave, causing her to laugh again. "Come on, he hasn't gone far in 60 years, I'm pretty sure he'll be here when you come back. But tell me you don't think it's crazy. My brother becomes a superhero, a god lands on earth, and then we dig up a frozen legend. What are the chances? And not forgetting a giant green gamma monster," Stark grinned, opening the lab door for the senior agent. "And I work for an agency that specialises in weird. I mean, can it get crazier?"

The woman sat at the gate, preparing for her flight home, when her phone chirped. It was a message from her boss.

The Captain is being awakened. If all goes well we could use him. Gain his trust. Don't let me down again. You know the consequences. HH

She bit her lip, trying to push back the memories of what they had done. Her daughter was supposed to have been safe, but apparently that promise had been conditional. She sighed and typed back.

You can count on me. HH