UNKNOWN GUEST

#12 At Ease, Soldier.

Today was the day—the big day. The day Captain America was supposed to wake up. But when exactly? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that at some point, he would run out of the facility. And that was enough to keep my nerves on edge.

Somehow, I'd managed to convince the logistics director to let me supervise the situation at the medical wing. I had to be there. I had to see it for myself. Right now, I was sitting at my desk, monitoring the situation through my headset, my eyes glued to the screens in front of me. 

The room where Captain America was sleeping had been set up to look like something out of the 1940s, complete with a radio tape playing old music. Honestly, I wasn't 100% sure if playing that radio tape was a good idea, but I hoped it would help ease his transition.

Suddenly, a burst of static crackled through my headset, making me sit up straighter. I strained to hear what was going on. An agent, dressed in a uniform that looked like it was straight out of the 40s, walked into the room where Captain America was lying asleep. My senses were on high alert, every muscle in my body tensed. Had he woken up?

I heard the agent's voice, clear through the headset. "Good morning... or should I say good afternoon."

My heart skipped a beat. He was awake! Captain America, my dad, was awake!

Then I heard a second voice, rough with confusion. "Where am I?" It was him—my dad.

The agent responded calmly, "You're in a recovery room in New York City."

But Dad wasn't buying it. His voice hardened, suspicion creeping in. "Where am I really? This game... it's May 1941. I know 'cause I was there."

Oh no. He remembered. I knew the radio tape was a bad idea. Panic shot through me.

"I'm not gonna ask you again. Where am I?" His tone had shifted, demanding and tense. "Who are you?"

Just then, I saw two agents entering the room on the screen, trying to calm him down. No, no, no! This wasn't going to end well. I bolted out of my chair, rushing toward the medical wing.

But before I could get far, I heard a crash—loud and violent. I reached the corridor just in time to see two agents flying out of the room, smashing through the partition like ragdolls. And then, there he was. My dad, Captain America, stepping out of the room, looking around with wild, disoriented eyes. He looked lost, like a child in a strange world, out of place and out of time.

For a moment, I was too frozen to react. I just stood there, staring at him, taking in the sight of him alive and awake. He passed by me in a flash, sprinting down the hallway with the kind of speed and agility that made him a legend. But he didn't recognize me. He didn't even glance my way.

"All agents, Code 13!" someone shouted through my headset, jolting me back to reality. "I repeat, all agents, Code 13!"

Code 13—containment of a compromised individual. My dad.

I snapped out of my stupor, my legs moving before I could even think. I turned and sprinted after him, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't let him get away. Not like this.

But he was already disappearing down the hallway, moving with the kind of speed that made him nearly impossible to catch. I pushed myself harder, willing my legs to go faster, my mind racing with thoughts of what could happen if he got out, lost in this world he didn't recognize.

Pushing past the agents who scrambled out of his way, my dad sprinted outside with a speed that left everyone in shock. I tried my best to match his pace, adrenaline surging through me as I reached the exit, only to find that he had already disappeared. Gone in a flash, just like that. I cursed under my breath and kept running. I had to catch him. I couldn't lose him now.