Lady Liberty |1| The Liberty Saga (An MCU Fanfiction)

Epilogue

"... curveball, high and outside for ball one. So the Dodgers are tied four-four and the crowd well knows that with one swing of his bat, this fellow's capable of making it a brand new game again. Just an absolutely gorgeous day here at Ebbets Field. The Phillies have managed to tie up at four-four, but the Dodgers have three men on. Pearson beaned Reiser in Philadelphia last month. Wouldn't the youngster like a hit here to return the favour? ... Pete leans in. Here's the pitch. Swung on. A line to the right and it gets past Rizzo. Three runs will score. Reiser heads to third base. Durocher's going to wave him in. Here comes the relay, but they won't get him..."

Steve stirred on a soft, marshmallow-y mattress, and immediately knew something was wrong. He sat up as slowly as he dared, every muscle in his body tensing. He looked around the room, frowning, but he couldn't see anything out of place. The white tee he was wearing was emblazoned with the logo for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, but that didn't settle his suspicions. Everything was perfect, everything had been set out with an eagle's eye for detail. Except for the game.

Was it a test? Perhaps, but more likely a mistake. But what was the purpose of it? Why would anyone even feel the need to try and convince him it was 1941?

The only door to the room opened, and a young woman walked in. "Good morning. Or should I say afternoon?" Her hair was dark, carefully curled, reminiscent of Peggy Carter... but there was something off about her.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a recovery room in New York City," she replied.

He narrowed his eyes. From the radio on the sideboard, the announcer was still narrating the game. "The Dodgers take the lead, eight-four. Oh, Dodgers! Everyone is on their feet. What a game we have here today, folks, what a game indeed."

"Where am I really?" Steve demanded.

The young woman hesitated. "I... I'm afraid I don't understand."

"The game, it's from May 1941," he told her firmly, standing up. "I know, 'cause I was there. Now I'm gonna ask you again. Where am I?"

"Captain Rogers..." She pressed a button on a small alarm concealed in her hand.

"Who are you?!"

Two men burst in and Steve tackled them, knocking them back through the door. He charged out after them, only to realise the room he'd awoken in was fake, part of some kind of film set. He started running, confused, and burst out into a busy street, with hundreds of cars and billboards and bright lights and sounds that all combined together to leave him completely stunned.

Several SUVs pulled up around him, and a tall man in a dark coat got out of one of them. "At ease, soldier!" He walked up to Steve cautiously. "Name's Fury. Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but... we thought it best to break it to you slowly."

Steve shook his head, confused. "Break what?"

"You've been asleep, Cap... for almost seventy years." He watched as Steve looked around, taking in the hubbub of Times Square. "You gonna be okay?"

"... yeah," Steve said eventually, crestfallen. "Yeah, I just... I had a date."

Fury tilted his head. "Yeah, well, there's not much I can do about that... but maybe I can put you in touch with an old friend."

Something landed with a thud behind Steve. "... Hi."

Even with just a single word spoken, that voice was unmistakable. He turned, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the blonde woman standing before him, dressed head to toe in black Kevlar. Seeing her in battle gear, that was nothing new—but the shape of her was. She looked... well, she'd never exactly been puny—not like he had been before the serum had taken effect—but now she looked as though she could take him on and win every bout.

The serum had made him strong, but she'd gone through that and come out the other side. He would've put twenty bucks on her being able to lift any one of the huge black SUVs that now surrounded them. And even so, there wasn't a world in which he didn't recognise that face. "... Elle?"

Elke Fischer met his gaze for the first time since 1945. "Welcome back, Steve."

THE END