Chapter 10 Captain America: The First Avenger

Howard's point of view

"OK so everyone choose a space to sit and get comfy, we're in this for the long haul."

There were all kinds of seats. Peg and I chose a recliner, she curled up on my lap and I put the foot rest up. Pepper and Tony chose a bed-settee not far from us. The lights went down and Serendipity read out the Synopsis of the film.

"It is 1941 and the world is in the throes of war. Steve Rogers wants to do his part and join America's armed forces, but the military rejects him because of his small stature. Finally, Steve gets his chance when he is accepted into an experimental program that turns him into a super soldier called Captain America. Joining forces with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter, Captain America leads the fight against the Nazi-backed HYDRA organization."

Tony's point of view

We watched as the word 'Paramount' appeared on the screen, followed by the words 'Marvel Studios'

"What's going on?" I asked

"You'll see" Serendipity replied

I pulled Pepper a little closer and wrapped us in the blanket more securely

"Warm enough?"
"Yes"

A foggy picture - obviously somewhere very very cold appears - a person is seen walking and flagging down a van

A conversation ensues.

"Wow… is that you?" Tony asks
"Yes… I looked for Steve every year until 1991 when we were ambushed."

"How cold was it?" asks Bruce even though he knows the answer
"If we hadn't been wearing protective clothing our fingers would have frozen and we'd have had to have them removed… same goes for other parts of the anatomy!"

Someone is walking on the wing only they don't quite realise that it's the wing of the Valkyrie. A machine cuts a hole in the top of the object and someone abseils in. they walk around one of them stumbles a little in the snow and utters the word "careful"

They find a red white and blue shield in the ice.

"Wait isn't that?"
"Yes it is… if the film doesn't explain things, I will tell you"

An immediate flashback to 1942, Tønsberg, Norway.

A castle type building where people are hiding from HYDRA and their ilk. Johann Schmidt enters, seeking the Tesseract. He is wearing a HYDRA uniform.

"Who's that guy?"
"He's Johann Schmidt, the original HYDRA leader - Hydra was the Nazis' deep science division."

He opens a coffin to find a fake tesseract. Schmidt threatens the elderly man. A plane is seen overhead. Schmidt spots Yggdrasil and behind it The Tesseract. He mutters about The Fuhrer and steals the tesseract before shooting the old man in the chest. The HYDRA symbol on Schmidt's chest is spattered with blood.

"Yikes… that's… creepy!"
"Yes it is"

IN the next scene, a US Military recruitment office in New York is shown. Topless young men sit reading newspapers, until they are called Steve Rogers is one of them

He's grilled about his parents by one of the doctors.

He's told he's ineligible on his asthma alone.

"That's shockingly prejudiced"

"I know"

Later, Steve is shown at a movie theatre, the theatre is crowded, Steve watches pensively. A man in front of him is angry because they're showing another newsreel about the war. Steve tells him off. He stands up and is about a foot taller than Steve

They go outside, and the big guy beats Steve. Steve's best friend, Bucky Barnes shows up and then sees the enlistment card.

Steve asks if Bucky got his orders. Bucky proudly replies that he's in the 107th. They go to the Stark Expo with two pretty girls.

A stage is shown an announcer says "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Howard Stark"

A handsome young man who looks almost exactly like me enters the stage with a pretty girl. Upon seeing my ferocious glare he says

"That was before your mom and I got together… not that long before but"

"Oh"
"The mainstream media loved to take the piss out of me a lot because they thought I was a cad."

Howard demonstrates a flying car.

"The media often painted me as a Phineas Taylor Barnum type."

Dad explains as the power on the car cuts out.

Bucky realises Steve has sneaked off to the enlistment office.

Dr Abraham Erskine silently observes their conversation. Bucky hugs Steve goodbye. Steve walks into the enlistment centre and Bucky walks away with the girls. The doctor Steve sees tells him to wait after a nurse walks in and whispers something to him. An MP guard enters followed by Dr Erskine who works for the SSR. Dr Erskine asks all kinds of questions. Steve explains that he doesn't want to kill anyone but he doesn't like bullies. Erskine offers Steve a chance and congratulates him calling him 'soldier'

"I had no idea what the Strategic Scientific Reserve was or who was involved or anything"

Hydra base Schmidt is setting up equipment with Dr Zola, who says that he's certain of nothing. He stops the machine at 70% but Schmidt chides him stating that he didn't come all this way for safety. Schmidt turns the machine up to 100% and equipment glows blue and smokes a bit but doesn't break. Schmidt congratulates Zola. Schmidt tells him that it will change the world after Zola says it will change the war.

"That tinkly music is kind of… foreshadow-y"

"Yes it is… creepy too"

On screen, Peggy is in the field with a bunch of new recruits in front of her, she tells them who she is and why she's there. Gilmore Hodge, a particularly big brute disrespects her and teases her so she punches him on the nose, knocking him flying.

"Wow mom, you have a mean right hook!"
"Yes she does… I've experienced it only twice. She also gives a nasty kick in the pants!"

"What did you do?"
"The first one wasn't my fault, I told her she could take her aggravation out on me and the second one… was when I tried to hand Barney to her."

"Really? You tried to hand mom a snake knowing she's scared of them?"
"Yes I didn't know she was scared of them though… at least… not till she screamed and punched me. The mouse incident was worse!"

Colonel Phillips — Peggy's boss — congratulates her on 'breaking in' the new recruits then he tells Hodge to 'stand at attention till he's told what to do'and gives the recruits a pep talk. Exercises and training are shown with Steve struggling and bringing up the rear.

"You were tiny"
"I was asthmatic as well…"
Instructions are given to get the flag from the pole, the other soldiers in Steve's squad try to climb up the pole. Steve takes the pin out of the flag pole after the others have tried to climb said flag pole.

"See that's using your noodle"

"You were proud of him?"
"Yes"

The squad does Push-ups and jumping jacks while Colonel Phillips and Dr Erskine argue about Steve. Colonel Phillips throws a dummy grenade into the mix and Steve jumps on it causing Erskine to give Phillips a look as if to say "see?" Later Erskine visits Steve in his barracks and they talk. Erskine explains the Serum to Steve and what it did to Schmidt

"So… the serum had worked before?"
"Yes"

Steve is taken to get the super soldier serum he flubs up a conversation with Peggy. Steve explains why he never ran away when he got beat up as a kid. They discuss dancing as they arrive at an inconspicuous looking building

"Hey I was nervous and at that time I had to keep up a front pretending that I was interested in only women…"
"You're?"
"Yes and being anything other than interested in women was ILLEGAL back then"

"Oh

Schmidt getting his portrait painted to Wagner and Zola is repulsed. Zola enquires about Erskine

"I think Zola is having second thoughts"

At the SSR location where the procedure takes place

Senator Brandt introduces "Fred Clemson" who isn't who he pretends to be. Dr Erskine chides the media and asks Steve to take off his shirt, tie and hat. Senator Brandt comments on Steve's size. Howard approaches the machines and Dr Erskine says Peggy should watch from the booth.

The serum works and Steve doubles in size

"Was the serum yeast based?" Pepper joked

"No, The Super-Soldier Serum also grants individuals immunity to any disease, illness, and poison known to man due to their bodies' ability to process it faster than the effects can cause harm to their body. his includes most known drugs and alcohol which has no effect on the Super-Soldier Serum recipient."

"You mean you can't get drunk?"
"No"

The procedure begins. Steve screams in pain from it but he says he doesn't want to not do it

"You're braver than you looked"

"It was about as painful as I imagine childbirth is"

All the women in the room paled.

Steve is taller and musclier, Peggy is trying not to drool.

The last moments of Dr Abraham Erskine who is shot by "Fred Clemson" who steals the last batch of Super Soldier Serum as he flees pursued by Steve. Clemson crunches a cyanide pill after grabbing a kid. Fortunately the child can swim.

"No wonder the adventures of Captain America were such a hit on the radio"

Without Erskine's genius the program can't continue.

"Yikes"

Schmidt is in trouble with The Führer… the SS claim that the red skull has been indulged long enough. Schmidt shows off what he has done and he is called mad and then they discover that Berlin is on the map. Schmidt blasts them with the tesseract gun. Zola says "Hail Hydra" a little too late.

"He's definitely apprehensive"

Stark and Carter go with Col. Phillips to devise the next phase of operations.

Steve wants to go but Phillips says he can't.

"Oh no… surely not…"

"What?"
"You'll see"

Steve meanwhile is given a special operation

As "CAPTAIN AMERICA"

The entire room bursts out laughing, even Steve is chuckling sheepishly.

"Your birthday is July 4th, right?"

"Yes"
"We are SO recreating that every year!"
Steve giggles.

"That's actually not a bad idea"

Steve is on tour and his audience doesn't react well - they are frustrated soldiers on the front line. He meets Peggy outside in the rain who tells him about the mission gone wrong and the captured soldiers. She says he's more than a lab rat or a dancing monkey.

"You were worried about Bucky?"
"Of course, he was my best friend… and by that time I was having feelings I shouldn't have been having. It was illegal until 1961 and even then, it wasn't fully legal."

On the flight to Europe Howard asks Peggy if she'd consider a late night fondue in Lucerne

Mom and dad had the good sense to look embarrassed

"Is *THAT* when you hooked up?"

"Yes"

"What did you think Fondue meant Steve?"
"You don't want to know!"

Stark, Carter and Rogers fly over Nazi-occupied Europe and drop Steve in Austria where he rescues the 107th and Bucky.

Building the Valkyrie using the prisoners.

"Those slimy bastards"

The holding cells where the 107th are being held.

Steve sneaks into the HYDRA base and rescues the prisoners.

"You looked gorgeous in that dress"

"Thank you"

"Those guys eventually became known as the Howling Commandos, right?" asked Peter

"Yes they did"
"My old school's principal - Principal Morita - is a descendent."

Schmidt begins to plan his escape with Zola.

Steve rescues Bucky and they encounter Schmidt.

Schmidt reveals himself to be The Red Skull

Schmidt and Zola leave quickly as the factory burns.

Schmidt gives Zola a key

Peggy gets into trouble with Col Phillips then Steve and the others return. After a failed award ceremony, they start discussing the next phase of the mission

"Who's that old guy?"
"That's the creator of Marvel Comics Stan Lee"

Steve is hailed a hero

Steve and the others are in a bar.

You just got us out of there, and you want us to go back in?

Peggy enters

"Howard has some new equipment for you to try 0800 Captain"
"Yes ma'am I'll be there"

Bucky teases Steve

Howard gets launched across the lab when he pokes the tesseract (the space stone, one of the 6 infinity stones but they didn't know that in the 40s) with a metal probe.

Private Lorain incurs Peggy's wrath

"You were jealous?" Mom looks sheepish "Hey it's ok if you were" said Dad "we didn't know that we're…"

"That you're what?"
"Soulmates"

"I think I was still a bit confused about who I wanted to be with but once this happened… I realised that my life would be better if I was with Howard. I would have a job if I wanted one and didn't need to if I didn't and if we wanted children well… since we had both been given the super soldier serum that would be possible even when it shouldn't have been."

"Which is why I was born in 1970"

"Exactly"

No idea how to talk to women

"I was an unsocialised only child, we didn't have enough money to send me to a good school."

Fondue is chocolate or Cheese and Bread and fruit

"Sometimes I use marshmallows We can't use strawberries because Pepper is allergic and we can't use orange because I'm allergic and so is Constance so we use marshmallows, breadsticks, pretzels and Jell-o cubes which in the UK is called Jelly"

The minute you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the minute your goose is well and truly cooked.

"You were a wimp?"
"No. With the kind of childhood I had though, I couldn't bear conflict. Still can't." Dad shuddered

The picture in the locket

"So you had a thing about me and Peggy?" said Bucky

"Yes"

"So you were…"
"Oh, no I realised that I was more into Bucky"

"Bugs on a windshield indeed"

Bucky falls from the train

"How did you survive?"
"Hydra got me"

"So, Zola cooperated?"
"Yes but he was still an evil little shit"

Forgiven

"I forgave you because of Bucky. I wasn't actually that angry."

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a God and he's willing to blow half the world prove it, starting with the U.S.A."

"Yes he was… footsteps of the gods indeed"

"It was extremely frightening"

"Knocking on the front door was a good idea?"
"Not exactly"

I gotta put her in the water

"I was in a meeting with the Vice-President, about how to improve the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I got the emergency message from Phillips but by the time I got to the office and figured out what was needed it was too late."

"You've been asleep Cap, for almost 70 years"

"That's how you found out? Bloody hell no wonder you don't trust Fury, Howard."

"You know Howard, I'm glad Peggy chose you"

"Thanks Steve, I'm glad you did what you did because New York would have been gone if you hadn't."

"Like I said earlier in the film… let's hear it for Captain America" there was a massive round of applause and cheering. Serendipity paused the screen.

"All right now let's stretch our legs, use the bathroom and come back to our seats - 10 minutes everyone. We have a lot of watching to do and not a great deal of time to do it even with the bubble."

"OK"

Those of us who needed to get drinks and snacks did so, those of us who needed to use the bathroom and every one of us stretched out our legs.

AN:The next chapters will be up some time this week. I'm going to do up to Avengers: Assemble and then post them. Remember, I'm not doing Thor.

The next chapter is the Agent Carter one shot.

Also, this story is (for now at least) exclusive to this site until I finish it. It will be posted on AO3 and Wattpad once I've finished the entire thing.