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I WAS MADE TO HIT IN AMERICAAAA
He should know not to go out at night by himself. Not because he's in any danger - Captain America in New York City on a less-than-average day doesn't have much to worry about. But because, almost without exception, he gets lost. Steve tucks his hands into the pockets of his jeans and squints up at the buildings around him, ignoring the college student who staggers by, stops to stare at him, and bursts out laughing before moving on.
He's used to that, too, by now. Apparently dressing conservatively these days isn't a reflection of care for the resources of the country, or a side-effect of living life as a soldier for two years - it's just "dorky." At least he doesn't feel like someone's taped a sign to his back, not since he asked Darcy - Agent Lewis - why he kept getting that reaction.
Of course the fact that she had to explain what 'Because you're a dork' meant didn't really help his... street cred. He chuckles to himself, only a little ironic, at managing to use both terms in one train of thought.
A few streets later he's getting very confused. Usually he's able to find at least one familiar street or landmark to point him in the general right direction, at least until he finds a cab to get him the rest of the way back to the mansion. He's done this enough in the months he's been here that his assigned SHIELD shadows don't pop a vein unless he's not back by morning - in this case, though, that's probably working against him.
Finally Steve sighs and digs into his pocket to pull out his cellular phone. He looks at it for a moment, smiling to himself and wondering what Howard would make of all this. Tiny phones with tinier batteries and communicators and jets that don't need runways to take off.
Well, for all Steve knows, Howard invented most of it. He still hasn't been able to bring himself to look at history texts to see how his friends lived out their lives. There's something too much like admitting he's never going to see them again in doing that.
He flips the phone open gingerly, poking the tiny buttons with his pinky because he's not sure how else to manage the thing, and dials in what he's fairly sure is Darcy's number. Agent Lewis's number. He could try calling someone else, but she's friendly, in her own way. She doesn't treat him like a loaded gun waiting to be pointed at the next Big Bad Guy.
Steve lifts the phone to his ear with a frown. "Uh. Hello?"
He's used to that, too, by now. Apparently dressing conservatively these days isn't a reflection of care for the resources of the country, or a side-effect of living life as a soldier for two years - it's just "dorky." At least he doesn't feel like someone's taped a sign to his back, not since he asked Darcy - Agent Lewis - why he kept getting that reaction.
Of course the fact that she had to explain what 'Because you're a dork' meant didn't really help his... street cred. He chuckles to himself, only a little ironic, at managing to use both terms in one train of thought.
A few streets later he's getting very confused. Usually he's able to find at least one familiar street or landmark to point him in the general right direction, at least until he finds a cab to get him the rest of the way back to the mansion. He's done this enough in the months he's been here that his assigned SHIELD shadows don't pop a vein unless he's not back by morning - in this case, though, that's probably working against him.
Finally Steve sighs and digs into his pocket to pull out his cellular phone. He looks at it for a moment, smiling to himself and wondering what Howard would make of all this. Tiny phones with tinier batteries and communicators and jets that don't need runways to take off.
Well, for all Steve knows, Howard invented most of it. He still hasn't been able to bring himself to look at history texts to see how his friends lived out their lives. There's something too much like admitting he's never going to see them again in doing that.
He flips the phone open gingerly, poking the tiny buttons with his pinky because he's not sure how else to manage the thing, and dials in what he's fairly sure is Darcy's number. Agent Lewis's number. He could try calling someone else, but she's friendly, in her own way. She doesn't treat him like a loaded gun waiting to be pointed at the next Big Bad Guy.
Steve lifts the phone to his ear with a frown. "Uh. Hello?"
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She presses her lips together, trying to find the simplest way to phrase this. It's not easy - she doesn't often get the chance to talk about any of this with anyone who doesn't already know all about it, and there are so many background details, so many frankly insane concepts to accept... Fine. She'll go with the very simple version.
"Very accurate. A friend of mine was taken to a parallel universe. I went to get him back, and... I did, but the other version of me went back with him. I got stuck there, and..."
Spent three months just trying to remember who she was while God knows what went on back on. It scares her to think about what the other Olivia could have been doing while she was on the other side.
"They were gonna kill me. The alternate Fringe Division. I was trying to get home, but... I don't know. It went wrong somehow. I shouldn't be here."
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This is hitting close to home. Really close to home. Right over the plate, in fact, and Steve is about as good at hiding that as he is at hiding anything.
He gets up rather than trying to meet her eyes again, paces to the door, and then forces himself to calm down before he walks back and sits down.
He still can't quite look at her. "Excuse me. How did you..." A vague gesture. "What landed you here? I mean, how did you do it?"
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"I was treated with a drug called Cortexiphan when I was a child. A lot of the children treated with it developed... abilities. The first time I crossed over, it was with three other Cortexiphan subjects helping me. It's harder when it's just me. This is the first time I've managed to cross over on my own for more than a couple minutes."
She grimaces, glancing out the holographic window just for something to look at that's not him - not that it matters, when he's not looking at her. "I don't know why here. My universe is connected with the other, because of... some things that happened a long time ago. This one isn't. Or it shouldn't be." She laughs a little bitterly, and shakes her head. "I don't know. I'm not a scientist, I just work with them."
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Deep breath. "As for why here, I don't know, I'm afraid. I mean - we're not strangers to any of the things you're talking about. But why here, specifically? When you don't have any clear reason for it?"
He spreads his hands, looking apologetic. "You'd be better off asking Dr. Foster."
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Olivia manages a smile at that last part. "I'd be happy to talk to her, if she doesn't mind. Or anyone else who might be able to explain this. I don't know how much good it'll do when I don't understand any of the science behind it, but it's worth a try, right? And if not... I guess I can try again. I found the right universe before, so I have to be able to do it again."
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A wince, then - "Only problem is, I think Dr. Foster is in Asgard at the moment."
From what he heard, Odin wasn't thrilled at the idea, but Frigg had insisted.
His life, Steve reflects, is occasionally a strange place.
"I'm sure you want to get home, and I understand, but the only way to be sure she gets a message is to... Well, to go there. And I don't know if the All-father would be happy about unannounced guests. I mean, there's Heimdall, but... From what I understand, Loki can sometimes interfere with what he sees. She should be back by the end of the week. Um- are there any questions I can answer for you?"
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"O...kay. I think I can wait." She doesn't want to, but whatever Walternate had the other Olivia doing... she's already done it. One more week can't make it that much worse. She hopes.
"And... you're welcome to tell me I don't have clearance to know any of this, and that's fine, but... what is SHIELD? What do they do? And you mentioned Avengers, earlier?"
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Except for the bit about SHIELD, this is all more or less public knowledge, he thinks. "Sometimes they send us on individual missions if the situation calls for a certain type or degree of force. You could call us the sword, I suppose."
There's a polite knock on the door and a young woman dressed in what looks like a French maid costume enters carrying a tray. Steve very carefully keeps his eyes on her face, his earlier discomfort returning perforce. "Thank you, Abby."
She winks at him as she sets the tray on the coffee table and saunters out of the room. Steve keeps his eye on the lintel of the door until it closes. He clears his throat, fumbling with his cup and the tea pot and trying to pour them both water. Most of it ends up on the tray. "Sorry, where was I?"
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"Here," she says mildly, shifting forward and reaching out to take the tea pot out of his hands before he makes more of a mess. "I'll pour, you talk. So you're the last line of defense. Against what, though? Back at home, it's mostly... well, mad scientists we have to worry about. And agents from the other side. And over there... their whole world was falling apart, holes in reality and too many natural disasters to be natural... But I guess your problems here probably aren't that obvious."
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Thankfully then it's back to business, but when she talks about the other world, Steve's heart gives a painful little squeeze. No one's home should be torn apart that way. It sounds like... well, it sounds like a nightmare.
"We have our share of mad scientists," he says. "The things they come up with. Aliens."
He picks up his tea with a quiet thank you, frowning down at it. "Unnatural disasters, irradiated animals turned into monsters, and the usual suspects - um. The kinds of enemies people like Tony and Thor make, mostly. Though I guess I've got a few of my own."
Steve takes a long sip and enjoys the flavor of real, hand-blended Earl Gray. It tastes familiar, reminds him of the bunkers and his old life. It's one of the few things he doesn't mind Tony spending a little extra on. He flashes Olivia another crooked grin. "Back in my day mad scientists were pretty much the worst of it."
Back in his day. Steve shakes his head and takes another sip.
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"In your day," she echoes with a faint frown. "How old are you?"
If she had to guess, she'd say he's younger than she is, and certainly younger than Stark. Given the things she's seen... preventing ageing can't be more difficult than turning people into monsters or joining their consciousnesses or plenty of things she knows are perfectly possible - by comparison, making someone appear a fraction of their actual age seems like it must be simple - but it's more than just his appearance. He seems young. Too young for that particular phrase to sound anything but strange coming from him.
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Well, it doesn't matter.
"...Uh, technically, ninety-three." He focuses on his cup instead of looking at Olivia. "I was born in 1918, but... Well, I was asleep for a long time."
'Asleep'. He prefers to think of it that way. Not frozen. Not trapped in stasis below the surface of the ice, his altered body keeping him alive like a generator set on high. He shivers. "They found me about a year ago. As far as my own timeline goes, I'm still twenty-six."
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They'd be gone. The world would have moved on without him. It wouldn't be his world anymore, even if it was the same universe.
"I'm sorry." It's half a whisper, but heavy with sympathetic pain. I'm sorry doesn't cut it, never would, but it's all she can think of to say.
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He doesn't realize he's tightened his grip on the cup until it shatters in his hands, little bits of glass and hot tea pouring over his fingers and spattering his pants and the floor. Steve winces and reaches for a napkin to pat lightly at the stains. "Sorry - I didn't- that's not the first time that's happened, don't worry about it."
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...she should really stop expecting anything to be normal, the way her day had been going. Or the way the past three years have gone, for that matter.
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Right. There's also... that, which she doesn't know about. "I'm... I was kind of part of a special program, during the War. Most of it's pretty classified."
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And it's especially strange that of all the people in all the universes, all the people in this city in this universe alone, it's him she appeared in front of, when they have so much in common. That can't be a coincidence...
"Can I help you with that?"
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He waves her off, going down on one knee to finish picking up the pieces of broken cup. "No ma'am, I've got it- thank you." He inspects a piece of glass with a sigh. "I hope this wasn't special. But I suppose Tony knows better than to give me special, breakable things at this point."
Steve looks up at Olivia from his position on the carpet, studying her carefully. "You said these drug trials were done when you were a child? What happened to the people you crossed over with? You don't have to answer."
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"They died." There's no hiding the guilt over that. Saving Peter hadn't been their job, their responsibility, but they did it anyway, because she asked, and because Nick trusted her and the others trusted him. They died. She lived. There's nothing fair about that.
"I guess the crossing took too much out of them. I don't know why it didn't affect me the same way. William Bell - one of the men who did this to us, he said that I'd always been the strongest of the group, and crossing over like that might have been my gift. But... I don't know. Maybe I was just lucky."
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Steve takes a deep breath and tries to lift himself out of the fog of memory and guilt before it can take both of them. "Would you like a tour of the public access areas? I'm afraid I can't take you to the training facilities or anything, but I can at least help you find your way around while you're here."
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And it'll give her an idea of where she needs to run, if this all goes bad somehow. There was a time, not that long ago, when that kind of suspicion and paranoia didn't come as second nature to her. Olivia desperately misses it.
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Steve grimaces. "Thank you, JARVIS."
The captain stands holding the door and doing his best to look reassuring. "Agent Coulson is a good man. He'll probably take a little convincing, but I'll stay with you." There's an implied I won't let him do anything that Steve doesn't feel is strictly necessary, but he knows what shell-shock looks like, and Agent Dunham seems to be functioning on strength of will alone at this point. She doesn't need extra reasons to be twitchy.
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She nods tightly, trying to at least look nonchalant. "Thank you. I take it he's Agent Glass' boss?"
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Mostly get out of the way.
Steve shuts the door to the sitting room and leans down very slightly to make sure he has Olivia's eyes on his face. "Whatever happened to you before, it's not going to happen here."
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A nervous smile flickers for just a moment, then fades, but she keeps her eyes locked on his. "I hope you'll understand that it's a little hard for me to trust any of this, even if I do believe you have good intentions."
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