Captain America and Jack Kilroy
1956
Jack Kilroy font: American Typewriter
I was so confused.
When I awoke I had a serious concussion. Or at least it felt that way. I thought I was in a movie theater; complete with surround sound.
I'm pretty sure I could hear background music. I still had my ear buds in. The nice ones. I said, "Hey Daphne, turn the music down." The earbuds did so and I was able to hear much better.
That's when I got hit by some really nasty smoke. Then one of the other dudes in the movie theater hit me square in the chest knocking me to the ground.
"Jack, get with it dude! There's Hydra running around and I think they're gunning for you personally," said the guy. I was suddenly more lucid than just a few seconds ago. The dude was dressed like Captain America and I was standing in a coniferous forest with snow on the ground. I was suddenly very cold.
"Nice cosplay," I said. "Are we seriously LARPing?"
The Cosplay Capt. America looked at me with a very concerned look. "Hold on," he said. He then quickly listened and smelled the area around us. "We have about 15 seconds before things get real again," he said.
"Punch me in the face like you mean it," he commanded. I hesitated. He punched a tree right next to us and pulled out what could have been a 50 caliber machine gun round. "Does this bullet look real?" he asked.
Now, I'm not a small guy. I have a brown belt in three styles of martial arts. I planted the balls of my feat properly and hit the Cosplay Captain America in the jaw. It should have knocked him out cold.
"Ouch, okay that hurt." It did.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Later," he said. "Take my shield and," he jumped to an incapacitated dude close by, "and also this." He handed me a 9x18mm Makarov. He had just placed the shield in my right hand, and the pistol in my left hand. Whoever this guy was, he knew me. I am left handed. I decided to take a defensive posture and just try not to get in the way. Real or not, my punch was very solid and it should have flattened a normal person. But this Capt. America was not a cosplay at a convention. He took the hit, and he knew me.
Reality Check.
I started listening to the world around me. 90% of the time you will always hear something before you can see it. I listened carefully to how Capt. America sounded when he scurried away.
There were some sounds of battle close by. It occurred to me that, since I was operating under the assumption that this was Capt. America; that I had his best weapon in my right hand; and he needed it more than I did. "Capt. can you hear me?" I shouted. I then moved quietly.
"Yes," he said.
I threw the shield in his direction, "Catch."
"Got it. You move," he instructed.
I moved but did not reply. I didn't want anyone else tracking my voice for location. Especially with all the smoke and fog. A rather nasty looking bugger with a forged receiver AK-47 appeared around where I just was. He had an AK in his hands, he had just showed up to my last known location with the safety off, and in the ready position. I'm gonna go with, "yeah he's trying to kill me"
I didn't hesitate, and shot the squirrely looking werewolf in the side of the body with the Makarov.
Much to my surprise the werewolf went down but he was not out. He looked at me and turned his AK. I was clearly outmatched and I knew it. My only advantage was I had a firing solution and he was about to. I dropped the magazine into the bad guy. He stopped moving.
I immediately slipped on the safety of the Makarov and placed it in my pocket. The werewolf had a knife and I took it off of him for the 'five finger discount'. Then grabbed the AK from him and stuck two of the extra magazines in both of my two back pockets. They were steel, 30 rounders. The werewolf didn't have a sling for the AK. Disappointing really, you don't wat to lose you weapon in combat.
I checked the safety. It had the 'giggle switch' (that means it fired full auto). I kept it on the semi mode though.
I didn't hear much commotion after that. Captain America walked up to me calmly; his mask swept back. It was a lot to take in. "Have you met me before, Jack?" he asked.
"No," I replied.
"Okay," Steve Rogers then proceeded to give me the sitrep. "You're an interdimensional time traveler." I had to admit that would explain a lot.
"Okay," I said. "Since the dead werewolf looks pretty real, I'm gonna go with suspending my disbelief and believe you."
"Good," Steve looked noticeably relieved. "Let's get you somewhere safer than this."
He had no argument from me.
