"Is this really going to work?" Danielle questioned.
"Let's hope so," mumbled Natasha.
They stood with Steve and Bruce staring in the direction of Scott. Bruce, convinced it was safe to run tests with humans, impatiently waited for Scott to give the okay.
"Good luck, Scott." Steve said. "You got this."
Scott made an attempt at a witty remark before Bruce pressed the button and sent him flying into the portal in the back of the van. Danielle watched the lights dancing in the quantum box as Bruce counted down to Scott's return. The box flashed and Scott's suit appeared at the back of the van.
Except the Scott in their suit was the wrong Scott. A teenage version of their friend stared back at them. Bruce started flipping switches and hitting buttons to correct his error, making the teenage Scott disappear. When he came back through the portal, it was adult Scott only forty years older than the one they knew.
Danielle looked from Bruce, to Natasha, to Steve, but they were all panicked at how wrongly the plan was going. Bruce banged on one of the monitors and old Scott was sucked back into the van to be replaced by a baby.
Steve and Bruce argued for a moment over the ethics of keeping baby Scott. Natasha shook her head in disbelief. Bruce commanded her to shut the power off on his mark and she moved to the master switch. After more button pushing and panic from Bruce, he hit one last button and the version of Scott they knew reappeared at the back of the van.
Bruce signaled for Natasha to cut the power and she threw the switch to turn everything off. Everyone stood frozen, including Scott.
"Someone peed my pants," said Scott. "But I don't know if it was old me, or baby me…or me, me."
"I see this as an absolute win!" Bruce cheered.
Natasha and Danielle groaned, while Steve shot Bruce a disapproving look.
Danielle walked over to Scott. "Are you okay?"
His body remained frozen as he took inventory of his vitals. "I think so. I could really use a shower."
"Go get yourself cleaned up," she replied.
Scott wobbled out of the room and down the hall. The group watched him until he was out of earshot.
"We can't do that to him again," said Danielle.
"Well, that was just the first real test." Bruce answered. "I can run the numbers and–"
"I don't know that Scott can handle another test like that. And what if he doesn't come back from the next test?" She questioned.
"I'll volunteer for the next test." Steve replied.
"Steve, no." Danielle turned to him.
"I've volunteered for science experiments before."
"You're not invincible. This could kill you." Her eyes pleaded for him to see reason.
Steve shot her a hard glare. "If that's what it takes to bring everyone back, then so be it."
The super soldier didn't' wait for a reply. He left the room and stomped outside. Danielle stared after him, annoyed by his lack of self preservation.
"Give him time to cool off. He's doing what he always does and shouldering the burden on his own." Natasha said.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Danielle walked out without another word and drove herself home.
—-
Jamie and Danielle sat at the table drawing and coloring funny monsters and weird animals. She loved her son's imagination. He made up games and stories that Danielle could never even dream of, but they made sense when he explained them. She didn't know if it was because he was an only child with only Morgan to socialize with, or because he was James' son and took after him. She would have liked to know what James and Jamie would have been like together as father and son.
"How does he do that? A five year old should not be able to draw that well." The image of James appeared in the seat across from her.
"He's amazing." She answered in her head.
"Maybe when I get back he can teach me." James met her eyes as he spoke.
Danielle couldn't get past the thought of James never getting the chance. She was about to respond to him, but his image faded as quickly as it appeared.
"Mama, you're not coloring." Jamie pointed out, still scribbling away at his own sheet.
Danielle sat up from leaning on her hand and smiled at him. "You're right. I'm sorry. I was thinking about someone."
"Who?" Jamie asked.
"Your father."
"Where is he?"
Danielle reached out and rubbed her hand along his arm. "Remember we talked about this. Your father passed away before you were born."
Jamie's face scrunched up at her words. "Okay."
Danielle's heart clenched. His expression was so much of James that she imagined the super soldier beside her, smiling at his stubborn son.
"What was he like?" Jamie looked up at her. "Uncle Steve says he was a hero."
"He was. He was a soldier. He fought in many great battles and saved a lot of lives. Including mine." Tears threatened in the corner of her eyes as she thought about James.
"He saved you?" Jamie's eyes shone at the thought of his father the hero.
"Yeah he did." Danielle sat up in her chair and wiped her eyes. "This one time your father and I were on the run from some bad people. We had to move around alot so they wouldn't find us. But one night they found where we were hiding."
"What happened?" Jamie turned completely toward his mom, his coloring pages forgotten.
"The bad guys ran up the stairs toward our room, but your father had a plan. He led us up to the roof and we jumped." She flicked her hands at Jamie making him flinch.
"You jumped off a building?" His eyes grew wide.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Your father jumped first and once he reached the ground, I jumped and he caught me. Then we got in the car and drove away."
"That really happened?"
Danielle laughed. "Yes. It was very dangerous, but your dad was very brave."
Jamie sat up straighter in his chair. "What else did my dad do?"
Danielle thought a moment before diving into another story about her adventures with James while on the run. She censored what she needed to for her son's sake, but she gained great pleasure from retelling stories from her past life and connecting Jamie to his father. She wanted him to know the great man his father had been.
