Assemble (Book 2)

1.8

August 15, 2012

I was nervous. Probably more nervous than I should've been. It had been years, decades at that. But I was going to see Steve again. He was my task. Phil was getting Tony, who had moved to New York, so I was slightly jealous that I didn't get to go. Natasha was getting Bruce - the Hulk. We were supposedly only getting him for his brains, though I'm sure his brain would eventually come in handy. And I was recruiting Steve. Fury said that with our background, I would be able to convince him, but I wasn't so sure of that. He had woken up almost a year ago. And I hadn't visited him once. I don't even think he knows I'm alive. So that's why I was nervous as I stepped into the old gym in Brooklyn. My home city. My old best friend.

He stood in front of me, still as bulked up since the experiment. He seemed lost in a trance as he beat the shit out of the punching bag. He seemed like he was fighting someone off with every swing. I didn't want to bother him, take him out of his trance. So I waited. It took a couple of minutes but it helped me to calm down. This is Steve, we're talking about. He wouldn't be mad... hopefully. His rage seems to build as he punches the bad even harder but still keeping perfect rhythm. His eyes close as he punches the bag, sweat now dripping down. Steve opens his eyes and punches the bag so hard it tears open and off its chain as the sand spills out. He stands there, frozen and breathing hard. He then moves the bag out of the way and grabs another one from the back. He hooks the bag up and starts punching again, this time a lot softer. I suppose I should make myself known. "I didn't think you had anything left." I announce as I walk out of the shadow. Steve freezes and turns to me. "You're not really here." He says, staring at me. "That's not possible." I smile, tuning around in a circle. "In the flesh. Didn't you get my letter?" He nods, grabbing his towel and opening his bag to reveal the letter I had written all those years ago. "I didn't know if you had woken up. When did you wake up?" He asks as he dries himself off with the towel. I walk closer to him as I think. "Around 1975." I reply, standing in front of him. "How do you look so young? You look exactly the same as the day..." The day Bucky died. That's what he was going to say. I look down at the ground. "Umm, Howard Stark gave me a serum related to yours. Said it was the only way I would be able to be frozen for so long." We stood there, staring at each other in silence. Neither of us knew what to say. "I'm sorry." We both said at the same time. A smile grew in my lips as we both laughed. "You first." I tell him. He brings me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. It's my fault he's gone." I hugged him back, just as tight, my head nestled into his chest. "No, Steve. It's not your fault. It never was." I told him as we pulled away. "I'm sorry for leaving. I shouldn't have and I know that but it was the easiest option back then. I didn't know if you were going to make it out alive and I didn't want to stay around if you didn't." He smiles smally at me. "It's ok Clara. I understand." He pulls me back into a hug.

"Why are you here?" He asked me as we sat on the floor. "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing you again. But, why now?" He asks, making me sigh. "I work for an organization that approached you last year called SHIELD. We need you. There was an incident and now we have to save the world." I tell him, handing him the file that I came with. Fury and I both knew that Steve preferred to read rather than be told, so he made a file with everything he would need to know. "Hydra's secret weapon." I nod. "Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what most other's now are thinking, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. People believe that's something the world sorely needs." I inform him as he continues to go through the file. "What do you believe?" He asks me. "We shouldn't have anything of Hydra's. But better us than them. It's our world too, we need to protect it." I tell him. "Who took it?" He asked. "I'm still a little confused on that part myself." I chuckle. "It's a guy named Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot Fury will bring you up to speed on, if you're in?" I look at Steve as he helps me up, handing me back the file. "Are you in?" I ask, hope filled in my eyes. He nods, making me smile. "The world is stranger than you remember it Steve." I tell him as we walk out. "At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me." Thinking of the helicarrier, I laugh. "Ten bucks says you're wrong." We shake on it. "I've really missed you." I tell him as I hug him goodbye. "I've missed you too Clara."