Chapter Text
"ℑ𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔴𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯. ℑ𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔧𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔰 𝔲𝔰, 𝔟𝔦𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔲𝔰... 𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔰 𝔲𝔰."
"𝔙𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔣𝔢𝔴 𝔭𝔢𝔬𝔭𝔩𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔢𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔶𝔰, 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔥 𝔰𝔲𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔩. ℌ𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔩𝔴𝔞𝔶𝔰 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔠𝔦𝔯𝔠𝔲𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔴𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔊𝔬𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℌ𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔰 ℌ𝔦𝔪𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔞𝔰: 'ℑ 𝔞𝔪 𝔚𝔥𝔬 𝔞𝔪.' 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔰 𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔞𝔰: 'ℑ 𝔞𝔪 𝔴𝔥𝔬 𝔞𝔪 𝔫𝔬𝔱.' 𝔖𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔫 𝔥𝔞𝔰 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔬 𝔡𝔬 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔢𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔥𝔦𝔪; 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔩𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔶 𝔬𝔫 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢."
"𝔉𝔢𝔴 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔦𝔱, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔯𝔢𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔰 𝔦𝔫𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫. 𝔄𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔩𝔩, 𝔯𝔢𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔞𝔩 𝔰𝔦𝔫, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔦𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔱."
***
NORWAY, MAY 1942
It was a foggy, moist, and chilly night of the lonely and concreted streets of Tonsberg. The streetlights dimmed in rich oranges and yellows, illuminating the night, when a lad rushed through the pitch-black streets, panting breathlessly, and almost slipping on the wet hard roads.
He kept looking back and forth whilst getting to the approaching cathedral standing at city square. His still youthful heart didn't stop racing in his chest of fear and panic as the air echoed with distanced explosions which triggered the ticking bomb of his heartbeat and the adrenaline in his blood rushed quicker to finally reach the wooden double doors of the cathedral. From inside, an old man walked down the stoned stairs, alarmed by the explosions, and shot his head to the front entrance when he heard the echoing slam of the door and yelping of a man. The lad barricaded the doors with a wooden rod and hooked it on the two hooks on the door.
"They're coming!" the lad exclaimed in a strong accent. The old tower keeper made his way lower down the stairs with a collective self.
"They came another time, too." the elder man replied calmly. The lad turned around and stumbled towards the old man, still breathing heavy while pointed a finger back at the now blocked doors, shaking his head lightly.
"But not so as they are now." he replied.
"Let them come. They will never find it." the old man stated bravely, not taking his eyes off the locked down doors with his eyebrows frowned.
The landkreuzer punches through the wall, bricks and timber rain down, knocking the tower keeper back. When the dust subsides, the tower keeper struggles to his feet, only to find the lad dead amidst the rumbles.
The deadly landkreuzer slowly backed up, and hydra troops pour in, surrounding the helpless man. A modified car pulls up, its hood ornaments a hydra skull, and gleaming jackboots step out onto the cobblestones. A tall, German man, in a black army captain uniform with a long black coat cover over it, got out of the car and slowly made his way inside.
In the meantime, the hydra soldiers throw the keeper down in front of the stone sarcophagus in an ornate crypt. The soldiers try but fail to push the massive coffin lid and the old man just sat and watched the soldiers struggle, while adjusting to his guarded surrounding. No way out.
"Quickly, before he-" the hydra lieutenant, with a thick German accent, was cut off when he looked outside and noticed the man in black. The man stood tall and proud on the top of the debris of a previous front wall. His eyes sunken and skin pale and waxy. The soldiers paused and stepped aside from the stoned coffin. The man walked over, his shoes echoing in the dead silence of the building. The old man gulped and did not stray his eyes from the man in black.
"It has taken me a long time to find this place. You should be commended." the man spoke with a heavy German accent. "Give me what I want, and you will find the Reich most appreciative." he added, facing the tower keeper.
"I give you nothing." the old man added firmly.
"You are a man of great vision. In that, we are much alike." the soldier, Johann Schmidt, commented.
"I am nothing like you.
"Oh, no, no. I don't suggest that." Schmidt assured whilst glancing over his struggling soldiers. "But what others see as superstition, you and I know to be science. The oldest science."
"What you seek is just a legend." the old man assured.
"Then why do you try so hard to hide it?" Schmidt questioned, taking his hat off, handing it to a soldier to hold, and walked over to the coffin. Effortlessly, he heaves the lid aside and it smashes on the floor. Inside, a desiccated corpse holds a pale, blue crystal.
"The Tesseract was the Jewel of Odin's treasure room." He turns it over in his hand, curious, but then drops it to the floor and the crystal shatters like glass. "It is not a thing one buries." Schmidt lifts the old man up by the shoulders, hissing in his ears. "But it is close, yes?"
"I cannot help you." replied the old man quietly slightly shaking his head.
"Bo. But you can help them." Schmidt turns the old man over to see the tank pointing at the town. "You have friends out there. Grandchildren, perhaps. I've no need for them to die."
Terrified, the tower keeper lets his eyes flick to a wall. Schmidt lets the old man down when his eyes followed the old man's lead and approached. He searched the wall, finally landing on the carving of a tree.
"Yggdrasil, tree of the world. Guardian of wisdom..."He scans the roots, finally alighting on a serpent. "And fate."
He pushes the snake's eye, releasing a wooden box carved like a snake. Schmidt opens the box. Blue light illuminates his face. He gazes, enraptured. The old man stares, awed. "And the Fuhrer digs for the trinkets in the desert..." He looks over at the old man. "You've never seen it, have you?" exclaimed the man before looking back at the box.
"It's not for the eyes of ordinary men." the old man replied.
"Exactly." Schmidt shuts the box. The light disappears. He glances over at the cannon, almost distractedly. "Commence firing." he demanded and made his sped up way out of the cathedral.
A soldier calls out and the cannon erupts. Enraged, the old man lunges but is held back by soldiers. "Fool. None of us can control that power. You will burn.
"I already have." Schmidt draws his luger with dazzling speed and shoots the old man in the chest. His lifeless body drops heavy, while his blood has spattered Schmidt's Hydra lapel pin. His tentacled death's head is now a Red Skull.
***
INT. ENLISTMENT OFFICE, BAYONNE, N.J. - DAY
A paper screams: "ELITE NAZI FORCES OVERRUN NORWEGIAN TOWN."
"O'Connell, Michael..." A doctor called out the names of different male patients in the clinic, half naked for their physical examinations for their Military entrances. Most of them were holding newspapers, preventing them from showing their faces.
The paper flaps down, revealing a young man. He stands, wearing only boxer shorts. TITLE: "NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 1943."
Another paper: "U-BOATS TORPEDO SHIP OFF COAST OF VIRGINIA."
"Kaminsky, Henry..." the army doctor called again, and Kaminsky stands, tossing his paper aside. He glances at the next newsreader down- His paper wrote: "NAZIS BURN CZECH VILLAGE TO THE GROUND."
"Kinda makes you think twice about enlisting, huh?" Kaminsky murmured. Steve Rogers- frail and small in frame, lowered his paper.
"Nope." the small man replied.
"Rogers, Steven." the doctor called out and Steve folds the paper and gets to his feet to stand in the long line of taller, better built men.
Nurses walked up and down beside the queue to aid the doctors, only to earn catcalls and whistles from the half-naked men, joking and messing about. One very specific nurse- black hair full of volume was pinned in delicate and elegant curls sitting on her shoulders- her skin was more on the bronze and tan side of the spectrum- her lumpatious lips coloured red and eyes hazel, staring with a cold gaze. Men gave her the nickname 'Ice Queen' and 'Sexy Cold'.
However, as she stared, her eyes suddenly landed on the frail young man, who was close to be next in line, and her expression lit up and hurried to sneak closer without him or the doctor to notice.
Steve anxiously watched as the army doctor scanned his file- A dozen ailments have been checked.
"What did your father die of?" the doctor asked.
"Mustard gas." Steve replied, causing the doctor to look up. "1918. He was in the 107th Infantry. I was hoping to get assigned to them if-"
"And your mother?" the doctor interrupted.
"Few years back, she was a nurse in the TB ward. Got hit, couldn't shake it." Steve answers again, swallowing hard. Finally, the doctor shook his head. "They weren't weak, Doc; they were fighters. If you just give me a-"
"Sorry, son. You'd be ineligible on your asthma alone." the doctor cut in for a third time.
"You can't do anything?" Steve pleaded.
"I'm doing it. I'm saving your life." the doctor eyed Steve as he stamps the file with a 4F.
Steve's blue eyes stared down at his file with disappointment mirroring through him, before stepping aside to go back and dress. The nurse hurriedly grabbed a random clipboard, to seem productive, and rushed after the frail man.
"Steve." she called quietly. "Steve!" she called again in a louder voice. "Steve!" she exclaimed at last, and the short blonde paused and turned back to see the jet-black haired nurse. Suddenly, his slumber body tensed and straightened up, catching his breath in his throat.
She exhaled deeply and smiled before clearing her throat. "Listen, there will probably be another-"
"Thank you," Steve cut in, nodding his head, and clenching his jaw. "Tori." he added with an apologetic smile. The woman only raised a brow at him in confusion. "Really, I... I appreciate all your help, but..." he trailed off, and the woman swallowed, understanding his gesture, and just smiled tightly at him.
"Of course... Sorry." she whispered in a soft tone, which made Steve's stomach tingle inside.
The blonde dropped his head for a second before excusing himself and leave. The black-haired nurse just watched him, clenching the clipboard to her chest before another nurse walked over with a roll of her eyes and a groan, which made the black haired nurse glance back.
"Seriously? Of all the one you can get; you go after the.... stick man?" the new nurse grimaced judgingly and snarled.
"It's not like that." the black-haired nurse murmured and walked pass the ginger haired girl, now doing actual paper work.
"Good, because for you, goddess, anything but Hercules is not it." the ginger nurse joked, but the black-haired nurse did not bother.
"I told you, please restrain yourself from calling me that." the black-haired nurse smiled before dropping it and started marking paper work.
"Right... Nurse Victoria Evangeline Boyd. Is that better?" the ginger nurse sarcastically asked, to which the black-haired nurse, straightened up, sighed loudly, and took a moment before eyeing her friend.
"Yes. Surprisingly, yes! Much better!" she nodded, making the ginger laugh and giggle.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop messing about. But still, I'm curious. Why are you such a... hard-to-get to all candidates, but you go almost puppy for twigs like that. Sympathy?"
The nurse piled the papers and bit her lips together, revealing adorable and deep dimples, before answering. "... Interest. Interest from the unusual presence of weak among strong. Makes me want to know why and how they picture this to go as."
"Okay, I don't know if you are just pure, or actually rude about it."
"Depends on the person. For him, it's curiosity."
"Aha, yeah, of course." the ginger nodded as if she cared to listen, and quickly changed topics. "Oooh~, did anything happen with that handsome sailor who lives a floor below you?" she questioned again.
"Always has a new girl over." the jet-black haired nurse, Victoria, replied. "And shoo them out before they could even dress up. I heard him talk horribly of those women."
"Fair enough. Then how 'bout that sweet guy from the market? The one who always give sus extras?" the ginger bit her lip and wiggled her brows.
"Already has a girlfriend." Victoria replied immediately again.
"Shaun from South?"
"Sexist and toxically masculine."
"Mitch?"
"Anger issues."
"You're so helpless."
"So are you." Victoria attacked, earning a gentle punch on her arm from the girl and a laugh, which also got the jet-black haired nurse crack up as well. The army doctor in front of them turned back with a raised brow, like a teacher catching his students slacking.
The two nurses froze, holding in their laughs.
***
Later that day, Steve decided to go and watch a movie at the theatre. There were only a small handful of people in the theatre, mostly mothers and their children. The lights dimmed, everyone settled in, growing quiet. Of course, the film started with advertisement: A swastika flutters on a flag, a newsreel flickers, a cpmun of Nazis stomps down a road.
"As Hitler’s troops continue to ravage Occupied Europe..." newsreel announcer's voice echoed and Steve sat in the audience, watching intently. "On the home front, enlistment centres teem with the able-bodied, eager to help our allies."
The screen shows a line of men snakes out a recruiting office. "They’re just tryin’ to get outa workin’ for a living." a few rows ahead, a man shouts back at the screen.
Steve looks across the aisle. A young woman watches the screen, tears welling. She clearly has a man overseas. Across the aisle, a middle-aged Jewish couple looks sombre.
"Across the seas, our brave boys are already showing the Axis that the price of freedom is never too high!" the newsreel announcer continued. Soldiers-some wounded-wave at the camera, their smiles almost convincing.
"Jeez, play the cartoon, already!" the loud jerk shouted again.
Steve sees the woman flinch, making him finally snap and whispers to the man: "Can you keep it down, please?"
The newsreel continued; "Together with the allied forces, they march toward freedom and liberation for millions of grateful citizens."
A kid pulls his wagon on screen with a hand-drawn label saying "Scrap-metal".
"Let ‘em clean up their own mess, the jerks!" the jerk shouts again.
Steve leans over, fuming. He jabs the man in the shoulder. "YOU WANT TO SHUT UP?"
The man slowly rises from his slumped position. He rises and rises, revealing a very large jerk.
***
MOVIE THEATER, ALLEY - LATE AFTERNOON
The jerk hammers Steve in the jaw, knocking him into a line of garbage cans. Steve groans and gets back up. Steve’s a natural fighter, bobbing and scoring a kidney punch, but the guy barely feels it. The jerk swings and Steve tries to block with a trash can lid. The jerk yanks away the lid and pounds him again. Steve’s feet lift off the ground and hits the cement hard. For a moment, Steve lays still, giving the jerk the momentum to hover, panting. Then, Steve gets to his feet again. The jerk shakes his head.
"You just don’t know when to give up, do you?"
Steve wiped his bloody mouth. "I can do this all day."
The jerk knocks Steve back into a pile of garbage. He moves to hit him, but someone grabbed his arm from behind. "Hey, pick on someone your own size."
The jerk spins to see a soldier, James "Bucky" Barnes. "Don’t you know there’s a war on?" Bucky questioned the jerk.
The jerk takes a swing. Bucky SLUGS him, spins him around, and plants an army boot in the ass. The jerk runs away. Bucky looks down at Steve, getting up from a pile of garbage. "Sometimes I think you like getting punched."
"I had him on the ropes." Steve assures, wincing and wiping the blood and dirty off himself. As Steve gets up, a folded enlistment form falls from his pocket. Bucky picks it up and reads.
"How many times is this?" Bucky asked before proceeding to read the form. "And you’re from Paramus now? It’s still illegal to lie on an enlistment form, and seriously, Jersey?"
Steve frowned, taking in Bucky's uniform. "You got your orders?"
Bucky stretched a tight smile at Steve. "107th. Sergeant James Barnes. We ship to England first thing tomorrow." the soldier announced.
Steve sighed, dropping his head slightly. "I should be going."
Bucky smiled and hugged his friend around the shoulder. "Come on, my last night!" the sergeant exclaimed, leading out of the alley with his friend. "You got to get you cleaned up." Bucky added, dusting Steve and letting go of him.
"Why, where we going?" Steve asked, his tone shows zero interest or enthusiasm. Bucky whips out a newspaper and hands it to Steve.
"Future."
Steve opens the paper. An ad reads, “WORLD EXHIBITION OF TOMORROW.” Monorails race around futuristic buildings.
"You still talk to that pretty nurse, right?" Bucky asked, slowly a smirk creeping up his face.
"Who? Victoria?" Steve shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why?"
Bucky snarled. "Why? Because you have to ask her out for tonight." Bucky shook his head, scoffing in disbelief.
Steve tensed and rubbed his nose. "What makes you think she is single? Or more, that she would say yes?" the blonde asked and Bucky just rolled his eyes. "Nobody wants to walk with someone they can easily step on."
"Come on, man! Don't be shy about it, it's okay." Bucky assured with a chuckle. Steve smirked very slightly with his head low. "I say just go for it than not. It's better to know what will happen than just keep assuming."
"Easy for you to say, Buck." Steve smiled.
"Whatever, you do you." Bucky walked ahead, and Steve watched before considering a scenario where he did ask Victoria out, and she said yes. It got him smiling like a goof, but snapped out of it in time, and followed his soldier friend.
***
The night was closing, and an old man sat at his desk, in a lab, when files were dropped in front of him, startling him. "5 foot 4, about 45 kilograms with more than enough illnesses and health problems." she reported to him in a quiet voice, and both made sure to look as casual as possible as they spoke under their breaths. "A perfect test subject."
"Is that so?” the older man questioned, not convinced yet.
"His name is Steven Rogers." her feminine voice called, and the older man glanced up, relaxing at the sight of the black hair, and red stained lips Victoria. "I know the small guy. He is awkward, weak, hopeless and just a little bunny, but a good kid." Victoria added and the old man smiled as he faced down.
"Is he that much younger? A teenager?"
"5 years younger than me, but I got more muscles in a single finger than he in his whole body." Victoria commented. The older man did not make a move to respond.
She leaned down to his desk light to show her face better, not looking away from the man. "He is the one."
The older man sighed and opened one file on the said man. "Passionate and persistent. He never gives up and he is a natural fighter... although, power and strength are the last things you see of him, but... I'm telling you; he is the one."
The man stared at a picture of the young man, rubbing his mouth, thinking. "...You do realise I need more than just this, right? I mean, we are talking about a possibly very dangerous and self-sacrificing project testing."
"Yes, which is why I believe he is even more perfect. There will be a recruiting office set up at tonight's World Exhibition,"
"Yes, I am aware, because I set it up." the man blinked.
"And he will be there. You will see with your own eyes. I promise you." Victoria pressured even more. The man stared into her eyes.
"...How do you know he will be at the exhibition in the first place?"
Victoria raised a brow and tried holding back a smirk. "You know I'm too damn good at making someone show up." she finally smirked.
"...20 bucks if he shows up. 40 if he doesn't."
"You're on." she held her hand out to him and they shook for the deal.
***
Making her way to the World Exhibition, with her usual blank face, Victoria walked the late streets alone, hands shoved into her coat pockets, and heels clicking against the cement. She paced pass some bad faces, who followed their eyes after her, checking her out before they started tracking after her.
"Hey, honey!" one called after her and the others wolf whistled, chuckling. They sped up and caught up to her, caging her by walking behind her and on her left and right.
"Hey, what's with the long face, baby? ~" another commented, smirking.
"It arouses us when a woman looks so fiercely at us, y'know." the third one recalled and they started chuckling collectively. Victoria ignored their remarks and maintained a blank, cold expression. The guy looked at each other and they were getting fed up with her lack of reaction or awareness.
"Hey, are you deaf or what?" the first one grabbed her wrist yanking her towards him, but Victoria twisted her held arm and punched the guy across the face with her free fist. The guy grunted and yelped in pain, falling back into metal bin cans like a bowling ball colliding into the pins.
"Hey!" the third one exclaimed and Victoria just stood still facing the said guy whilst the second guy grabbed his metal rod out of his trousers and swung in into her back. She got a hold on it, shocking both men. The second guy faced up at the nurse, who adjusted her grip on the rod and it slowly started bending as she pushed. The third guy's mouth was gaped in shock, while the second guy holding the rod gulped, looking from the bending rod to Victoria and his legs were slowly trembling more. She then yanked the rod out of his hands and threw it back. The two men flinched a little in response.
"Didn't your mamas teach you not to pick fights, gentlemen?"
Nobody moved for a long moment. The third guy tried to think fast and run pass her, but Victoria grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him back harshly onto the ground. The second guy jumped, but out of anger he groaned and picked up a brick nearby in an attempt to smash her head with it, but once again Victoria was quicker, and grabbed his wrists above his head and roughly pushed them down to the brick in his hold smashed into his skull and fall unconsciously onto the ground.
The third guy sneakily came behind her and got her in a neck lock, proceeding to choke her. Victoria stumbled back with him from the startle, but she held onto him tight and swung herself forward powerfully enough that when she swung her head back into his face, she broke his nose and made him let go. She dropped in a crouch with one leg out and tripped him over. The guy started whimpering and grunting as he clenched his hands around his nose. Victoria breathed out and stood back up and fix her hair and coat. By now, the first guy came back to his senses and saw his fellas on the ground beaten. He faced up at Victoria and groaned.
"You bitch!" he jumped up and reached to pull at her hair, but Victoria reached behind her head, wrapped both her hands around his wrist, turned to face him, and slid between his legs and pulled at his arm, making him twist and fall to the ground on his back with a loud thud.
Victoria sighed, murmuring in a German accent; "Men." and dusted herself off one last time and stepped across the first guy to continue her walk down the silent street.
***
LATER THAT NIGHT- THE WORLD EXHIBITION OF TOMORROW
Colourful fireworks lightened up the night sky as new generations' creations were in every direction. A new train line was above the citizens head, as a new looking train past them from above. It looked like if it was flying in the thin air. Steve and Bucky walk down the busy midway.
"I don’t see what the problem is. You’re about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there’re three and a half million women here? " Bucky stated as they walked down a small staircase, behind a great metal statue of the Earth. Steve's hands were in his pockets, looking at nothing but the dark ground.
"I’d settle for just one." answered Steve, now glancing around the place.
"Yeah, says the one who can't even ask that one woman out." Bucky murmured under his breath loud enough to make sure Steve heard. "Still, knowing how cowardly you are, good thing I’ve taken care of that beforehand." Bucky added and started to wave at someone. Across the midway, two girls wave back in front of the modern Marvels Pavilion- one of them was a blonde, and the other was a brunette.
"Bucky!" the brunette girl exclaimed, waving back at Bucky. Steve breathed in sharply, looking up at his best friend in annoyance. Steve looked back at the two women, fixing up his blonde hair.
"What’d you tell her about me??" Steve asked.
"Only good stuff." Bucky grins, still waving.
Exhibits line the hall- a glass box holds a Red Suited Android; “DR. PHINEAS HORTON PRESENTS...THE SYNTHETIC MAN!" A fire extinguisher rests at the base of the statue. Not very amused, Steve just looked about, ignored, while Bucky and the two girls hurry past the exhibit.
"Oh my God, there he is!" The girls squeal, urging Bucky towards: A crowd gathers by a stage: “STARK INDUSTRIES PRESENTS...”
Bucky and the girls get in close. On stage, a dashing Howard Stark stands with a 1942 CADILLAC. The girls giggle, smitten.
"Ladies, you know how hard it can be putting on makeup in a car that’s bouncing like a kangaroo on a trampoline. What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile wouldn’t touch the ground at all?" Stark hits a button. The Cadillac rises, leaving its tire on the ground, bulky devices where the wheels should be. The crowd gasps.
"Ho-ly cow." Bucky muttered.
The crowd gasped in awe because they saw four motor-like things as they took the wheels off. "With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology, you’ll be able to do just tha-"
Suddenly, there’s a pop and an explosion. The car slams onto the stage.
"I did say a few years, didn’t I?" Howard replied still feel a little awkward about the situation.
The audience applauds. As blonde swoons over Howard, Steve looks around, sheepish. He spots a stand and walks over without his parties noticing.
He buys some peanuts form the stand, and watches by the small shop from a distance, when a taller figure appears beside him. "Why, what a surprise." her soothing and teasing tone made Steve look back immediately and meet two beaming hazel eyes.
"Tori? You're-.... here?" Steve looked around, and Victoria finished paying for her sweet caramel popcorns before turning to Steve.
"Yep! I am here!" she smiled before eating from her popcorn. "I'm off-duty so I figured I'll check out this huge festival everybody was talking about. Got to say, it's not that amusing..." she shrugged, looking around. "You?"
The blonde forced a small smile. "My... friend is enlisted for tomorrow, so... he planned a double-date for us, but clearly..." he trailed off as he glanced back at Bucky and the two girls by his sides.
"Ah, yeah, I've been there. Four-wheeling." she jokes, and Steve smiled. Victoria eyed the blonde and tilted her head, curious. "Hey, want to join me?" she asked, making Steve look up at her, slightly taken back. "Your date is stupid enough to be a jerk and miss out on a sweet guy like you, so..." she shrugs again. "Plus, I am alone here, so a company would be nice."
Steve was speechless, making himself laugh that his made-up scenario is playing in reverse. "But if you don't want to,"
"No, no, no, it's not... It's not that at all. I just..."Steve paused, hesitant to continue. Victoria raised a brow curiously, still eating her popcorn. "I was just-...." Steve sighed, defeated by his own cowardness, but Victoria just smiled and stepped beside him.
"You're so cute when flustered, Rogers." she commented, and hooked an arm with him. "You don't have to say anything, just be my escort for the night, soldier."
Steve lowered his head again, blushing. "I'm not a soldier."
"And I am not an Ice Queen." she recalled, and Steve faced her, sort of surprised she knew about the nickname. "What, you think I can't hear when I'm measuring or writing?" she scoffed, Steve grinned before they both walked off.
The show finished, and the crowd slowly broke up, and Bucky backed away, where he assumed Steve was. "Hey, Steve. What do you say we treat these ladies-" he paused, looking around and not finding his best friend.
Until, in a distance he saw a short blonde man with a taller black-haired woman. Bucky knowingly smirked at his best friend. "Bastard..."
***
Steve and Victoria walked the Exhibition side by side, eating their snacks. "I honestly don't get! We all talk about peace and good, but here we are, making matters worse. Because talking is just too easy."
Steve chuckled. "Can you imagine? Would you be able to not be competitive?"
"Then have rock-paper-scissor matches! That's not harmful!" Victoria suggested firmly, only making Steve laugh. "Like, come on! Then at least don't get innocent people involved to "fight your battles"! It's unfair."
"Life is unfair, I guess..." Steve simply commented, making Victoria turn to him.
"You are not good at keeping up conversations. Lucky for you, I never shut up." She smirked.
“Sorry, it’s just… I never talked to a woman for this long before.” Steve admitted with a heavy sigh.
“That’s okay, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s kind of cute! Innocent and pure, little Stevie.” Victoria joked more, chuckling. “Just kidding, sorry if it was too much.”
“No, it’s nice when you say it.”
“If you are trying to flirt, you are horrible at it.” Victoria added, playfully budging Steve, who just smiled.
“Where are you from, really?” Victoria asked out of the blue, making Steve raise his head at her. “I saw almost all your enlistment forms, and they all say something different, so I was just wondering.”
“Brooklyn. Downtown, not a great area.” He answered and Victoria just nodded, not knowing enough of the city to start a conversation straight away. Steve noticed the silence getting awkward, and he just swung it. “You?”
“Germany.” She answered, looking back at him, trying to catch a shift in attitude from him. “Well, I was born in Prussia, and somehow ended up in Germany, where I was raised by my uncle.” She explained.
“You’re German than, right? But your surname…”
“Boyd was what I officially chose when we moved here. For a while, I was just Victoria.”
“Your uncle’s still here?”
“Yeah, he’s also working for the Army as a fancy scientist. But he lives away from me, so I only see him occasionally.”
Steve smiled sheepishly before Victoria approached. “Hey, was it true what happened to your parents?” she hesitantly asked, and Steve just nodded. “You probably hear it plenty, but I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It was easier than I thought. My, er… My mother would’ve liked you. A lot.”
Victoria started grinning proudly. “Oh, I bet she would’ve. I’m a mom-friend.” She winked. “How ‘bout this? Next time we can go visit their graves. Passing should never stop you from seeing your loved ones.”
Steve smiled sweetly, touched by her kindness and sincere tone. “Yeah, sounds good. I’m…also sorry for your loss…”
Victoria frowned slightly, almost unnoticed, before Steve continued. “Your parents… did they die too?”
The woman smiled sadly and dropped her head slightly before shrugging. “I don’t know… My mother abandoned me, and I never knew my father. So, there really is nothing to be sorry for. I never knew them or loved them, so…”
“I’m sure you were still hurt when your mother abandoned you…which is very normal, so you shouldn’t hold back.” Steve tried sounding as sincere and soft as possible.
~Flash Back~
A woman’s agonising and pain-filled screams echoed whilst she was beat with a piece of red brick, hit repeatedly on the face and head. Blood splattered everywhere, and even after the screams and life left, the heating never stopped.
~End of Flashback~
Victoria batted her eyes to snap out of her daze and eye over to Steve again with a tight smile. “Thank you.”
***
THE ALPS
His shoes clocked as he stepped in front of his wall spread window, looking out into the winter wonderland scenery outside. A slow opera musical played in the background and with his hands politely held behind his back, he turned to face his desk and faced down at a very old dossier labelled:
KINDERBEIT MOVEMENT: NUMBER 175- ACTIVE