Assemble (Book 2)

1.1

September 14, 1974

Heat met the cold ice, creating a sort of steam that melted the ice away. A bright light came through the ice as the steam cleared. Howard was awoken from his sleep with the sound of beeping coming from the chamber. He had slept in the lab all night, waiting for her to wake up. She was supposed to wake up the day before but the exact date was not specified so, Howard just had to wait. His waiting was over as he heard the groaning of a young girl as her body fell from the chamber onto the floor. Howard felt himself smile and rushed to her aid immediately helping her off the floor and taking her upstairs.

The bright sunshine came through the window, as I blinked away the darkness. body ached all over, as my eyes fluttered open. It was a weird feeling, being awake. I felt like there was something that I needed to remember. Suddenly a body jumped on top of me. Groaning, I opened my eyes all the way, seeing a child with brown shaggy hair. My eyes went wide as I stared at the kid. He wore a large grin as he bounced up and down and then eventually got off me running into the other room. Is this a dream? Is that my kid? He didn't look like my kid. In fact, he looked more like... Maria stood in front of me, at least I think it's Maria. She was older but her main features looked the same. Her hair had lightened and there were some obvious wrinkles on her face. She looked like she was in her forties. "Clara..." She breathed out, her hand going over her mouth. "Maria, tell me why Tony came..." An older looking Howard stopped in his steps seeing Clara awake. "You're awake."

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"You're telling me I was asleep for 31 years." Howard looked at Maria, who was upset at him, still. "Yes, you've been asleep for a while, though not as long as Steve has been." Howard's eyes went wide as he shook his head. "I shouldn't have told you that." He sighed. "Steve is alive?" I asked them. They both nodded. "He's been asleep for almost as long as you've been, except we don't know when he's going to wake up. He's in a coma." I chuckled a little, shaking my head. Of course he was. Bucky. My heart dropped a little as I remembered the man I had fallen in love with. The man who died... Bucky.

I was taken out of my thoughts my the same little boy from earlier, jumping back on top of me. I laughed and sat up, sitting the boy on my lap. He smiled, showing me his robot toy. "So, you two finally got together." Howard smiled and grabbed Maria's hand. "She's the best thing that happened to me." He responded. She smiled, kissing his cheek. "I know how it feels to be Steve, now." I mumbled to myself. "And I'm going to assume this is your son?" I asked them, playing with the boy's shaggy hair as he played with his robot in my lap. "Our pride and joy. Anthony Edward Stark. He's just like his father." Maria said, smiling at her son. "But he looks just like his mother." Howard kissed Maria's head as I looked down at the boy, smiling as well. I was in love with this family. My best friend's family. The family I would become apart of.

______

It was only a week later when Howard came to talk to me. I was sitting in my room, reading a book about the time after the war. A lot of shit happened that I would probably need to know to be considered normal, though I didn't know if I would ever go out. Howard had knocked at the door, interrupting me from my book. "Hello Howard. What can I do for you?" I asked him. "We've got quite a bit to discuss. Can you follow me into the lab?" I nodded and set my book down, following him down the stairs to his lab. "Take a seat please." I sat down, a little confused. "Do you remember, when we put you under, how I gave you the serum?" I nodded. It was a little fuzzy but I remembered it. "Well, it was a test serum. It wasn't perfected yet. I need to run tests on you to see what... what exactly you can do." I shook my head, not fully understanding what Howard just said. "You mean to tell me that you injected me with a serum not yet perfected, in hopes of recreating the original." I looked back at Stark, clearly upset. He tried flashing me a smile but I just shook my head. "I guess it doesn't even matter anymore." I sighed, still upset but finding it to be irrational at the moment. "What do you need me to do?"

The first thing he did what give me a white skin tight uniform of sorts. Tights, as Steve would've called them. I wasn't overly ecstatic for the color but Stark assured me that it would be very hard to stain because of the material it was made of. "The suit is for a couple reasons." He said as he attached monitors to my head and chest, after I had put on the suit. "One, in case the world ever needs another super soldier and two, because it'll help me monitor your vitals better than any other clothes will." I nodded, remembering what I had learned when training to be a nurse. "You ready?" He asked me, grabbing the nearest notebook so he could take notes. "Let's do this."

The first test was strength. Steve had miraculous strength and although it showed through his muscles, it wasn't very defined on me. Sure, it looked like I had lost a few pounds and had some muscle where there didn't used to be, but I had nowhere near the same strength that Steve had. Yet, I passed the test with flying colors.

The next test was speed and agility. Two tests combined into one. Stark made an obstacle course and I needed to make it under ten seconds and without even grazing the obstacles. Once again, I had passed. Due to the heart rate monitors, it was also proven that my stamina has increased largely.

There was no way to test this, but because my body was frozen with the serum in my blood, it was also a given that I would live longer. Longevity, Howard called it. He had also observed that my brain waves had increased, therefore my intellect levels were higher, allowing me to obtain much more information. "Because of your high intellect, you will also be able to master anything after studying it. Take, ummm, using a gun, for instance. Watch me." Howard picks up a gun that was on the table, and after aiming for the target at the other end of the lab, shot the gun. "Now, you try." He hands me the gun and I aim and shoot the gun, repeatedly, each time hitting the center of the target. "Damn. That was better than I thought it would be." I chuckle handing him back the gun. "Bucky taught me, during the war. He didn't like the idea of me being without him or protection." A small smile appears on my face, as I remember that day. "I'm sorry for your loss. He and Steve always spoke so highly of you. Steve mentioned once that he was planning yours and Bucky's wedding. I think he meant it as a joke." I smiled, chuckling.

My two boys.

We had finished the tests about two hours later, determining that I have most but not all of Steve's abilities. But in the end, it didn't really matter that I had "powers". I was just happy to be doing something and learning that I had the power to do something - help somebody. I felt strong and determined.