Love, Agent Delacroix

Wide Awake

1945 ROOM - DAY-

Steve looks paler, thinner...but alive. His eyes flicker open. He sees and old glass light fixture on a white ceiling. He sits up and finds he's on a bed in a quiet, 1940s room. The sun shines through white curtains. The Dodgers game plays on AN OLD VACUUM TUBE RADIO on a wooden dresser. He Looks over and see's Brianna on another bed, slowly waking up. "Workman up for the Phillies, now. Holding that big club down at the end. He sets, Chipman pitches. Curveball, outside. Ball one."

Steve slides his bare feet to the worn, wooden floor. I groan as I sit up, Dog Tags rattling. "Good morning." I turns to see A pretty brunette walk in. She folds a copy of The Brooklyn Eagle and checks her watch. "Or I should say, afternoon."

"I don't...remember going to sleep." "Well, it was quite a while ago." Steve rubs his face. The radio plays. "So the Dodgers are ahead eight to five. And Chipman knows one swing of the bat and this fella's capable of making it a brand new game." Steve eyes the radio. He takes a long look at her.

"How long have we been out?" Steve asks, briefly looking over at me. "Outfield deep, round toward left, the infield overshifted."

"I'm afraid I couldn't say" With lightning speed, Steve GRABS her arm. "Steve!" I jump up quickly. "Captain Rogers, please!" I eye her with a tilt of my head....

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" "We know all about you Two." Just then, A LARGE, MENACING MAN in strangely modern garb rushes into the room. He carries 2 sets of METAL RESTRAINTS. "Here's the pitch from Chipman..." Steve lets go of the SSR AGENT. He stares, red-eyed at THE MAN MOVES IN ON HIM... "Swung on, belted, it's a long one, deep into left center, back goes Galan. Back, back, back..."

HALLWAY - DAY-

SUDDENLY, BAM! A DOOR EXPLODES INTO THE HALLWAY, BLOWN OFF ITS HINGES BY THE FLYING BODY OF THE MANACLE MAN. STEVE STAGGERS OUT. I follow closely behind.

LOBBY - DAY-

Steve and I race into a busy, modern lobby. SHIELD operatives stare. MP'S appear ahead of him. SHIELD MP Halt! Steve and I bowl them over and run for the door...

SHIELD HOSPITAL - DAY-

We burst outside. He takes a few steps...THEN STOPS. MODERN CARS HONK AND ROAR IN THE STREET. TOWERING PLASMA BILLBOARDS PLAY MOVING ADS FEATURING LOTS OF FLESH. MODERN PEOPLE RUSH PAST, IPODS AND CELL PHONES TO THEIR EARS. STEVE STAGGERS, CONFUSED. HE GLANCES OVER HIS SHOULDER TO SEE THE MP'S RUSHING OUT. WE TAKE OFF, SPRINTING DOWN THE CROWDED SIDEWALK.

NEW YORK CITY, ALLEYWAY - DAY-

Steve skids into an alley, me following behind and stops, panting, freaked. Steve looks down the alley...ONLY TO FIND IT'S A DEAD END. "At ease, soldier. Agent." Steve whips to see...NICK FURY standing alone at the alley entrance. "Who are you?" "Colonel Fury, Director of SHIELD. You would have known us as the Special Scientific Reserve." Steve's eyes narrow. The first reassuring thing we've heard. "Where are We?" I ask confused.

"Round about 34th and 5th." Steve looks confused too. Fury nods over his shoulder at...THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING RISING ABOVE THEM. WE GAPE. Fury waves a couple of MP's to block off the alley. They stand at attention."Sorry about that little show back there. See, there's no precedent for what you've been through. We couldn't tell how delicate your mental state might be. We thought it best to break it to you Both slowly."

"Break what?" I ask with a tilt of the head. "You've both been asleep. For almost seventy years." Steve looks around, stunned. "Seventy... The World of the Future."

"Well, thanks to you, there is one." We both eye Fury. "What about the war? Did we win?"

"Hell, yes. Unconditional surrender, baby. And taking down HYDRA was a big part of that." Steve reels "How are We...not dead?"

"To be perfectly honest, we're not sure yet. My docs day it's some kind of suspended animation. Dr. Erskine's formula, the extreme cold...I can't break it down for you on a cellular level, but neither of you haven't aged a day since that plane went down." Steve looks around, overwhelmed. Above him, a highway sign reads "FDR DRIVE, NEXT LEFT." "You don't mind my asking, what gave us away back there?"

"What? Oh. Bob Chipman was traded for Eddie Stanky during the '44 season. He's with the Cubs now. Or...was." Steve says slightly troubled. I wouldn't have known. I didn't like sports then, I doubt I would now.

"I know it's a lot to swallow. But the world's not as different as it looks. There's still work to be done...Soldier's work." Steve meets Fury's eyes. Fury signals to one of the MP's. He brings forward A CASE. Fury opens it, revealing STEVE'S BATTERED SHIELD.

"The world could still use Hero's like you." Steve touches the shield, remembering. "Take your time. God knows if anybody's earned it, Both of you have. All the same..." Fury offers his hand. Steve takes it. Then I do. "There's a place for Both of you on the team." Steve rubs his head, so many things coming back. "You sure you're all right?"

"Yeah. It's just..." I look sadly at Steve's stunned face. "I had a date."