Shadow of the Past (Captain America) // ✔️ //

Chapter 29: Chilling Metal

Antonia found herself staring at a big white sign for a countless amount of time. She didn't know how long she was staring at the sign, but it felt like it was a while. She felt the passing of time as the sun changed location in the sky.

Maybe, it was the big block letters that caught her attention. Or maybe it was the red letterings, warning people to keep out. Maybe, it was the name on the sign that caught her eyes as this was where it all begun in a sense. This was where the American Icon was chosen.

This was Camp Lehigh.

This was where hundreds of men trained to have a chance at become a super soldier. Though the Camp was pretty much a ghost town with guards only at the perimeter of the camp, it struck Antonia as odd that the camp was so empty so soon after a war, but she supposed there was no need for it when the Super Soldier Project was dead.

"It's different then I remember," Antonia distantly heard Peggy say. The agent was speaking softly, but her voice drafted through the air as there was nothing to drown out the sound. Phillips said something in reply, but Antonia paid no attention as she stared at Peggy.

Antonia was finding it difficult to read to the Sassy Agent, who seemed to be holding herself together in the misty of everything. The genius from future hadn't even stepped a foot in this camp before, and yet, she could see the memories of this camp. She could see Rogers as he tried to keep up with the rest of the men. She could see the other soldiers being cruel to Rogers as he struggled. She could see it all in her mind, and she was barely keeping it in, but yet, Peggy seemed unfazed by their surroundings. It was impressive.

"Are you okay?"

Antonia was snapped out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. "Peachy," she replied as she glanced at her Father, who was staring at her. She wasn't in the mood to speak, but she was quite proud at herself for not flinching. "How are you, Mr. Stark? Not too tired from those late nights?" she asked with a smirk that was her façade.

Howard's groaned as his hands dropped from her shoulder. "I think I prefer you hating me; then at least, my daughter wouldn't be joking about my sex life," he replied with a scrunched nose.

She patted him on the shoulder before she picked up her pace. "I would've teased you either way," she said with a chuckle as she stepped toward Phillips and Peggy. They were making their way toward the center of the camp, trying to put some distance between them and the guards posted at the gate. "However, it would've been much worse."

Her father let out a chuckle as he followed. "So maybe I'm lucky."

"Or maybe, not," she said, stepping to Phillips. Antonia wasn't interested in Peggy and Phillips' conversion, but she wanted some space between her and her father. Her emotions were all over the place and she didn't want him to see the battle going on in her mind, though she doubted that anyone was buying that she was sane at the moment.

*O*O*

In the middle of the camp stood a flag pole, and even if the camp was empty, the flag was flying high. Not far from the pole, a dirt line was drawn into the ground in a circle pattern. In the middle of it, Antonia's device laid opened with loose wires not yet connected traveling away to a machine shaped like a podium, where Howard was working. Around him were cases of different shapes and sizes, and each were opened as her father worked from all of them. He was silent, focused.

For a while, Antonia just watched him, seeing how much he enjoyed what he was doing. She could see the happiness in his eyes as he worked, and it hit her. For the longest time, she had thought that he had hidden in his labs to hide from her. She thought he couldn't stand to be around her after her mother's death, but as she watched him, she realized it wasn't that. He hid for the same reason that she hid. He hid in the labs as it was the only place that brought him peace, which was the same with her.