Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

30 - Out of Time

A FEW HOURS LATER, THEY PULLED UP TO THE MILITARY BASE. It was obvious that the place hadn't been touched in many years, as the buildings were rusted and decaying, and the site was deserted. As Raevanna stepped out of the car Steve had "borrowed", she was filled with a sense if painful nostalgia, and she took a deep breath as a wave of memories washed over her.

"This is it," Steve said.

"The file came from these coordinates," Natasha said.

Steve glanced around. "So did I."

As they walked around, Raevanna stopped by one of the buildings. She remembered the day she had first arrived here with Peggy, and how nervous yet excited she had been. And even though it had been many years, it still felt fresh, almost as if it had happened the week before. She sighed, closing her eyes as more memories flooded through her brain.

"Hey," Blake said, putting her hand on Raevanna's arm and snapping the young faery out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

Raevanna nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Blake frowned, but thankfully she didn't question it further. Instead she just nodded back, turning away so she could speak to Natasha. That left Raevanna with Steve, who was looking around as well.

"It's kind of weird being back here," Steve said after a moment.

Raevanna nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Steve was silent, then faced Raevanna. "Look, Raevanna-"

"Steve, don't," Raevanna said. "How many times to I have to tell you this? It's not safe for you to be with me, we've discussed this."

Steve sighed. "I know. It... I just-"

"I just what?" Raevanna asked sharply. "You just thought you could convince me to come back? Well, you thought wrong. I am doing this for your own good, Captain. And you need to get that through that thick head of yours before your 'endless devotion' gets your reckless ass killed." Then she turned and stomped away without another word.

Steve sighed, lowering his head and closing his eyes. He didn't want to stop trying. But he had to respect her decision. He owed her that much.

As night fell, they walked around the base, trying to pinpoint where the signal came from. Raevanna had been purposely avoiding Steve, only engaging with Blake and Natasha. All three of them could tell the young faery was conflicted, and it was manifesting itself as anger. But they didn't try to call her out on it, for fear of her response if they did.

"This camp is where I was trained," Steve said to Blake and Natasha as they walked around.

"Changed much?" Natasha asked.

Steve shrugged. "A little."

"This is a dead end," Natasha said as she used her phone's flashlight to light up the area. "Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off." However, when Steve noticed a building ahead of them, she frowned and asked, "What is it?"

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks," Raevanna told her as they walked towards the building. "This building is in the wrong place."

They stopped by the door, and Steve opened the lock with his shield before they went inside. When Blake turned on the lights, they saw it was an office of some kind, and it took Raevanna a moment to realize that it was a SHIELD office.

"This is SHIELD," Natasha commented.

Steve nodded at her. "Maybe where it started."

The four then entered a room, where they found old framed portraits of Howard, Peggy and Colonel Phillips. Raevanna stopped when she saw them, her heart twisting at the sight of her old friends.