Time Keeper and Grim Reaper

Chapter 3

[Steve's POV]

Being in the future is so much tougher than I thought. Too much new information. Too fast. Too many new people. And this makes me miss the old days so much more. Everything. Everyone. There wasn't even once I could sleep without waking up from nightmares. PTSD, they say. But those final words, conversations that I had with both Peggy and Alex still cut deep into my heart. And now, this "Nick Fury" has the nerves to inform me that they had retrieved the Tesseract when they were searching for me. Why? All the effort had just gone to waste and.... and... I ran my fingers through my hair. Exhaling a defeated sigh as I made myself a cup of black coffee, a usual morning routine of mine, while I waited for Agent Coulson. Apparently I am going to meet the other members of the new team.

A few days ago -

Hanging up the punching bag, I steadied it, fingers tracing the exterior softly as I recalled the days with the team. Despite all the war raging around us, we are constantly helping each other, to grow, to fight and to win. Those days with everyone, with Bucky, with Peggy, with Alex. Just thinking about that name, sent a pang of guilt to my heart. I wonder, has she moved on? Along with Peggy? At least I managed to speak to Peggy one last time before the crash, but I never had the chance with her. Will she ever get over it? Will she ever forgive me? For leaving her without any warning, leaving her in the world alone, just like everyone else in her life. And I don't even know if she is dead. Frustrated, I lifted my fist and threw a punch right in the middle of the punching bag. It dropped to the ground and spilt its contents.

"Trouble Sleeping?" I looked up, just to find it was Director Fury. Irked, I unwrapped my hands. It seems like the training time will have to cut short. "I slept for seventy years, sir. I think I've had my fill." "Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world." "I went under, and the world was at war; I woke up, they said we won. They didn't say what we lost." What I had lost. The number of regrets and sadness that I have ever had since I woke up. "We've made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently." "So, you're here with a mission, sir?" "I am." "Trying to get me back in the world?" "Trying to save it." I opened the file that was handed to me and my breath caught. Tesseract.

"HYDRA's secret weapon," I breathe. The all familiar blue glow still has not left my mind. "Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought that the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy, something that the world sorely needs." "And who took it from you?" "He's called Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know." I huffed in mock laughter. As if anything will surprise me now. "At this point in time, I doubt anything would surprise me." "Ten bucks says you're wrong." Turning around, I crossed the gym and picked up the emptied punching bag. "An agent of mine will bring you to the base and there will be a debriefing package." Ignoring, I kept on walking. What is there more to say when others clearly don't listen? "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know?" I stopped short, sighing, before responding quietly and left the gym.

"Yes. You should have left it in the ocean."

Settling down in the plane, Agent Coulson handed me a file. "You might want to read this first." I could barely mutter thanks before he left, making sure that everything was ready for takeoff. "Ready to take off. We are 45 mins from the base, sir." "Noted." Instantly, the first man's profile caught my interest. "So this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" "A lot of people were trying to. You were the world's first superhero, and Banner thought that Gamma Radiation is the key." "But, it didn't really go his way, did it?" "Not so much. When he's got that thing though, the guy's like Stephen Hawking." There was a dawn of realisation on his face as I looked at Coulson quizzically. Who is Stephen Hawking? He quickly follows up, explaining, "He's like a smart person. A brilliant one." "Oh." I nodded, returning back to look through the folder.