"Come on, Snowball, it's just…" Mei opened her satchel then pulled out her tracker that mapped the distance from the nearest station relay and calculated that she still had, "5 kilometers…"
She could only sigh and pocketed her device as she relented on the trek against the snow, at least it was late morning, and no blizzard so that's a good thing. Her trek was pretty recent after leaving the facility she slept on for a decade and receiving Winston's recall to all Overwatch members, she had a mission and intended to join the noble gorilla's call.
"Who knew being a climatologist could be this hard," The Chinese woman huffed out then she heard encouraging beeps on her back, "but on the bright side this could be great exercise!"
Mei tried to cheer herself but who was she kidding? This will take forever and wishes she had a phone to listen to some tunes, or maybe listen to some podcast or watch the news or maybe—
Klung!
Suddenly she stepped on something… metal? She stomped on the snowy hill in front of her.
Klung, Klung, Klung!
"What is this…?"
She wiped off the snow and shaved off the surface to reveal smooth greyness; it was indeed a metal surface. She scraped more of the frost to reveal a symbol, a menacing symbol of a jawless white skull with six tentacles sprouting under its upper jaw.
"I do not like this symbol, Snowball."
Snowball floated beside her and fearfully whirred.
"You telling me there was some kind of wreckage in Antarctica?!"
"Yes, sir!"
Two figures walked alongside each other as lev-rimmed military vehicles and snow trucks parked all around — Orcas, Auroras, Quinjets flew and hovered around the site. It was busy with activity as military personnel set up radio stands and lights but there were those stabbing red glowing sticks on the snowy ground, creating an outline of blinking twin wings.
The two figures consisted of a woman wearing thick white clothing with a balaclava and goggles that obscured her face as expected to wear in this snowy wasteland but her superior beside her was a cyclops of a robot with a straight oblique black line across his single glowing cyan optic and only wore a black trenchcoat amidst the cold.
"How long was this, Agent Hill?!" The Omnic's metallic voice shouted against the blizzard.
"Three days ago a climatologist from Overwatch's Watchpoint here in Antarctica by the name of Mei-Ling Zhou, long story short she was one of the few researchers that survived cryostasis before waking up to Winston's recall broadcast!"
"Poor woman.".
"It was but the main topic, she reported that she found some kind of aircraft's wing tip. Something about a skull with tentacles as an emblem!"
"Skull and tentacles…" The Cycloptic Omnic pondered, he knew there was something familiar to the description. Maybe a topic from history during his time with the United States Numerous Intelligence Communities? Soon the duo approached a team of men, women, and omnics preparing a snow truck rigged with a device pointing downwards, one of the members was the aforementioned climatologist.
"Is it good to go?!" The Cyclops asked the group.
"About to be, sir!" Mei answered, "It's good to see someone other than me here!" She chuckled nervously.
"Likewise, I'm sorry about what happened to your friends." The Omnic answered.
"You are?"
"Nick Fury from the United States Military sanctioned by the International Justice Commission." The Omnic brought out his hand.
"Woah! Is this big of a deal?" Mei took it and shook back.
"We can't be too careful these days, what you found could be a Null Sector ship or worse a lost Omnic Colossus."
Then the device shot a red laser and spun continuously as it dug down the ice and then the metal surface before cutting a hole inside the aircraft, one of the men armed with a rifle reeled down into the dark caverns as soon more of the squad until the two main figures came. They checked every nook and cranny with their flashlights as the three main figures followed closely behind the squad.
"What do you think this is?" Mei asked
"Could be some long-forgotten Crisis age ship, so get ready for a firefight if need be…" Nick Fury guesses.
Soon they bashed a steel door open that fell over to find that this must be the cockpit as they could tell the glass window looking out the buried snow, they gradually searched the area until the Omnic went beside the pilot seat to find it completely encased in ice. He swiped the surface to get a clearer view inside to find something that finally clicked his memory.
"Well, well, well, now what the hell are you doing here in the opposite pole?"
Mei came and looked over Omnic to peer inside the ice; a round shield with a red outline, a white middle, and a white star in the blue center.
"Who is he?"
The man inside the ice had a white 'A' m1 helmet from World War Two and brown broken goggles on his closed eyes.
"Not much had remembered him yet he influenced the United States to this very day, and maybe… even Overwatch."
~We'll meet again~
~Don't know where~
~Don't know when~
~But I know we'll meet again some sunny day~
Sweet music reached my ears, I always hear that music playing on the radio. It was a little comfort or a morale booster as Peggy would have called it, Peggy… I do not know if this is heaven or hell for I have not opened my eyes yet but that fight with the red skull had me tired to make them take a peek. Hearing this music tells me that I finally made it back, they had found me in the Arctic.
~Keep smiling through~
~Just like you always do~
~'Til the blue skies chase those dark clouds far away~
Deciding I had enough rest I tried sitting up only for something holding me down.
Wait.
I snapped my eyes open to find myself inside a white room, the smell was sterile and alien to me. I look down at myself wearing some kind of blue gown, my arms, legs, and torso strapped by belts. I started sweating at the implication, has Hydra captured me? Am I being experimented? I do not know but I am not looking to find out. I heard muffled voices beyond the door, could not discern their language but they sounded like men. Beside me was a tray of some devices that looked haunting and some other medical tools that were designed to cut flesh.
I tried pulling up my arms hard and could swear the belt must be beyond snapping but I had to pause first because I just realized this may be a bad idea, there are no windows to escape from first of all and the only escape is that door. Before I could brainstorm plans, a female muffled voice came from the door, talking to the men.
A blonde dame opened the door and she wore a white coat with a black shirt underneath, brown pants weirdly enough, and black with yellow outlined high heel… boots?
"Hello, my patient." She spoke with a distinct German accent.
Yep, I'm captured by Hydra.
I did not return her answer, only a distant stare at her.
"You must be mute, Steve Rogers vas your name?"
"Sorry Miss Nurse but could we please drop the pretenses and skip right to the torture?"
"Vhat? Nein, nein, there is no experimentation ov any sort," She apprehendly explained to me before mumbling to the side, "At least I'm not like my former colleague." I heard those words thanks to my super hearing.
"Look, Germany is losing and I advise you to go out to join the Red Cross, I promise you no harm will fall upon you if you let me out."
"I am not ay Nurse!" The Blonde dame responded like she was offended, "I am ay Docter! And another correction, I am Swiss!"
All right I had enough of this, I pulled all my strength as my biceps bulged and snapped the flimsy belt holding me down much to the shock of the Swiss Doctor who was now slowly backing away until hitting the walls.
"Now, since you claim to be a doctor. I will kindly ask you; where am I?"
"You are not ready for zat kind ov answer." She gulped her throat as my shadow loomed over her.
The door busted open and the intruding guard appeared to be an old man no doubt but he was significantly taller than me and had a thick white beard and hair, God he was muscular and had scars all over his skin with his left eye too had a cut that clouded the iris.
"Get away from her!" This one also spoke German accent reinforcing my assumptions.
I tackled him by the waist and smashed him against the wall outside my room which even surprised me at my super strength, I looked down at the groaning old German man who also had this disbelieved awe at my strength.
"Code 13, everyone Code 13!" The doctor from my scream at her radio as more men and some robots?! Came from both sides of the corridor.
I sprung into action and sprinted to my left, ramming through the armored guards, and dodging nurses, doctors, patients, and even equipment until I saw the window at the end of the corridor. I leaped against the glass and smashed myself outside, I did not even think was about to happen but thankfully I rolled on some kind of vehicle's roof and jumped off to the side.
I observe the vehicle that took my fall and, and, and… It had no wheels but some kind of hovering technology? Like those made by Howard Stark!?
What the hell is happening?!
Soon more security exited the hospital building entrance as they pointed at me, that was my cue to keep on running and vaulting over cars. I made the risky call of jay-running as I try dodging the racing vehicle but when a bus was about to hit me, I shielded my face to take the brunt of the incoming beast of steel but nothing…
… Instead, it stopped, in fact, all the floating vehicles stopped in their tracks and started blinking blue repeatedly.
Taking away from my confusion, I kept on running as I went between buildings, I grabbed one of the aluminum trash lids to replace my missing shield. Suddenly someone at the end of the alley halted my advance, it appeared the be a woman of Asian descent so she must be Japanese but odd detail that she wore what amounts to improper fashion; wearing thick clothing that he wondered how hot she could be in there. Her hand held a blue hair dryer?
"Freeze or I will— Um, freeze you!" She said in an accented voice then some weird beeping came from a floating thing behind her, "Shut up, Snowball. This is my first time!"
"My momma raised a gentleman that I shouldn't hit a woman but I won't hesitate to put you down if it must." I sternly warned the Japanese woman.
She did not budge so I started sprinting towards her with the intent of apprehending the lady, she started spraying some kind of glowing liquid that I immediately dodged — looking back I saw the liquid freeze the wall behind me as the stream dragged towards my direction, then her gun started shooting out sharp icicles so I shielded myself with the trash lid. Sharp icicles pierced the weak aluminum, to which I threw my shield.
The lady had good reflexes as she ducked under my shield, unfortunately for her, she was not my target but her partner instead, hitting the little guy and then bouncing off and hitting the back of her head, knocking the lady out.
I went around her sleeping body and kept on my pace, exiting the alleyway and then running along the sidewalk while still in this embarrassing gown, I think it revealed my buttocks as I can observe from the passing expressions of people but one thing that does strike me odd is the walking robots and all of them were clothed as if they were people too—
"Watch it, I'm walking here!" One of the robots complained with a fake-solid mustache and fell to the ground, I must have bumped into him, "What? Nevah seen an Omnic before!?"
No words escaped my mouth but shock must be all over my face as the people around me looked at me like some kind of maniac, I kept on running and running. Then a black hovering car was speeding by as I immediately knew this one was chasing me so I pulled one of the manhole covers with ease and tosed it like my shield against the engine, sinking inside the automobile and stopping it. Buying me enough time to escape.
Everything was a haze, wondering what kind of world I ended up on? Did I end up in Oz?—
"Mon Dieu!" An angelic voice yelped behind me
Suddenly I bumped my back against someone or something I felt my back cold from the metal material I turned around to see a robot wore a white dress with a blue hem, and white feathers on her golden 'hair', cat ears on her head weirdly enough, her toned metallic legs wore golden high heels, her body proportions were solid metal yet so… feminine like a bonafide cabaret dame.
"Are you okay, mon ami?" the female robot spoke with a thick French accent, "You must wait in line like the others if you want an autograph."
"Auto… graph?" I responded with confusion as I looked over a line of diverse people and then to the crowd with their flashing photographs.
Then two robot guards in suits started approaching me, one tried grabbing me but I grabbed his hand first and folded it behind his back before shoving him to the other guard. A caucasian male tried pulling a pistol but I tossed my trash lid and knocked his head to sleep then went back to my hand. Soon crowds were screaming in terror and more guards were trying to take me on but I threw my shield again.
THUD, THUD, THUD!
Knocking all of the extra three, I look back at the diverse crowd who had this fear in their eyes and realize that I may not be captured by Hydra nor I am in Germany.
Now I realize this place was familiar, very familiar, it was a square of all people going by, Advertisements were on the buildings but not the ads I grew up with; these had changing pictures, moving pictures, videos?! So much light, and products unfamiliar advertised unlike the neon lights and billboards I'm used to.
Above the towering building are squares and rectangles moving in line, on the ground on my level are people but they had varying ethnicities not like what I'm familiar with like whites, blacks, and some puerto ricans but never this diverse. Yet that's not what I find strange, it was the metal men, those robots mingling with people and some holding hands and elbows of both sexes like they were a couple.
This is Times Square… but it was different.
"Mon ami? Are you alright?" The French lady bot tapped my shoulder.
"I-I don't know…"
Soon more of those hovering armored black cars, men and robots came out of them as they started making a perimeter around me and taking away the onlookers, then an armored hulking knight of old wielding a giant hammer landed in front of me, and then an angelic blonde woman descending from above who appeared to be the swiss doctor from earlier next was the Asian girl in thick blue clothing came out of one of the cars alongside a single-eyed robot in a black trenchcoat.
"Where the hell am I?" I asked them.
"The better question is when, Soldier." The Cyclops robot answered me, "I apologize for the cold sterile hospital, especially sending a German-accented doctor with a German-accented bodyguard as an East Asian lady tried capturing you."
"Just get to the point." My tone was of frustration, "Did we at least win?"
"Of course we won with the Germans' piss-poor logistics and making enemies out of everyone…" Soon the robot paused his words before looking at me again, "...Captain, you've been asleep for over a century, this year is 2074."
I already knew that answer but still, it hurts this much has gone by. Strange people, strangle technology, strange world, I'm out of my depth. The robot must've noticed the dour expression on my face.
"You gonna be fine?"
"No, it's just that… I had a date." I answered truthfully as I dropped my trash lid.