Women In War

14

"Remember, you have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."

"Don't worry, Bruce. Clip all the branches."

Bruce Banner hesitated before pushing his glasses up and turning to Steve. "You know, I tried. When I had the gauntlet, the stones, I really tried to bring her back. I miss them, man."

Steve looked up at Bruce. "Me, too."

"You know, if you want, I can come with you."

Steve smiled at the man next to him. "You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though."

Steve walked around the platform to Bucky. "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back."

"How can I?" Bucky asked, grinning, "you're taking all the stupid with you."

Steve laughed. "I'll see you in a minute," he said, stepping up on the platform.

"How long is this gonna take?" Sam asked as the quantum suit crawled over Steve's uniform.

"For him?" Bruce asked, "As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds. Ready, Cap? Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?"

Steve nodded firmly.

"Going quantum. Three, two, one--" Steve vanished before their eyes. "-- and returning in, five, four, three, two, one--"

Where they expected to see one person, three people appeared on the platform -- three people and a very startled cat.

"Alpine!" one of the three cried, bending to peel the while cat off one of the other's leg. "Are you okay?"

Recognising Maggie's voice, Alpine hissed and swiped at her helmet with his paw.

"Little bitch," she hissed back, dropping him. "How do we get these off?"

"Steve said it would disappear once we reached," Becky said, slapping her helmet.

"I got it!" Olivier cried as his suit crawled back. "I don't know how, though."

Maggie shook her curls out as her suit retracted, quickly followed by Becky's.

"I'm impressed," Becky said, looking at Alpine scratching at the platform, "the bitch is toughter than I thought."

Maggie looked up at the trees around her. Slowly, knowing what to expect, she turned. "Bucky," she breathed, recognising him even though he looked so very different to the man she'd buried a year ago.

Hearing her brother's name, Becky turned away from Alpine.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam asked, "and what happened to Steve?"

Becky hopped off the platform. "You must be Sam. Steve told us youd be one of the people waiting for him. This is Brigadier Olivier Enzo, he was part of the French Army and later the American, and Dr Mag-- Dr Crystal Maravilla, decorated war doctor and hero."

Brucee glanced at Bucky, who seemed locked in a staredown with Maggie. Bucky couldn't understand it. Something about her was familiar -- too familiar. Something about the way she whispered his name told her she'd seen his nightmares already. Bucky felt like he'd known her a hundred years ago.