The Soldier and the Wolf

Chapter 11

When we got to the entrance, I felt my heart race the entire time because I was scared that the metal detector would go off and he would get busted and we'd both get arrested or some shit like that. But as I watched from the other side metal detector, a wave of relief overcame me when he calmly walked through the detector. He looked around at the people nervously, then stared up at the huge model planes that hung from the ceiling. He kept his hand in his pockets the entire time.

"Where to?" He asked as he stared at the planes and displays. I pointed to the left of the museum. Behind the welcome center were huge Captain America banners and escalators that led to the second floor. Huge crowds of people were already heading up there.

"Up there. They got a whole exhibit up there just based on him." I led the way to the escalators with James following closely behind the entire time. I could tell by the way he had he gaze towards the ground and his head cranes down that he wasn't that comfortable around a lot of people. "Hey, ease up a bit. It's a museum. This place is mostly filled with tourists and history buffs. And like you said...no one knows that your the...you know what yet." I whispered the lasts part but he shook his head in disagreement.

"That isn't what I'm worried about. It's what I learn here and what you figure out that has me worried." He stepped in front of me and onto the escalator and I followed. He kept his gaze forward the entire time, so I awkwardly stared at the planes and stuff that hung on the ceiling.

"Random thought, do ever wonder what would happen if those planes just fell one day. Like this wires just can't support it any longer?" James looked up at the ceiling and shrugged.

"I don't know...I never really been to a museum unless it was for a Hydra mission, so I never got think about random questions...I never even got to think for myself." His sassy little attitude evaporated quickly into something a little more depressing, and I hated it when I forced him to become all depressed and edgy.

        I leaned against the side of the escalator and stared at the huge Captain America banner.

        "So what do you wanna learn from this place? Like why so eager to come here? This all naval stuff, if you wanna learn real history then we probably should've gone to the Natural History Museum instead." I kept my focus on the banner, but I managed to look at him through my peripheral vision. He twisted his head to the side and also caught his eye on the huge Captain America banner. He stared at the banner for a few seconds before dropping his gaze.

          "I need answers about him." The escalators came to and end and we both stepped off. In front of us was a huge wall with ads from the 40s and Captain America posters. I pointed at it, but the guy already saw. I also saw a sign for bathrooms and I realized I really needed to go. "Hey I got to go to the bathroom, so could you just wait here?" He didn't do or say anything to signal that he heard me, but I just assumed that he heard me and went off the the bathroom. However that wasn't the case because when I got out, he was no where to be seen.

      "James?" I spun around in circles to see if I saw him anywhere. "James?" I called again. "Shit." I whispered to myself. He was probably already in the exhibit. I sped-walked closer to the entrance of the exhibit and the voiceover that played over the exhibit 24/7 became audible in my ears. The guy started to talk about Captain America's childhood. I barely listened though, I heard the audio so many times I could perform it. I quickly glanced at all the posters on the wall when I entered the exhibit, then my gaze shifted to another wall comparing Steve Rogers's body sizes before and after the serum. Kids were giggling and standing on their toes to try and reach his height and parents took pictures. After passing that little section was a hallways that eventually led into the exhibit. In the black hallway we're two panels of glass with pictures on it. A sign above the hallway said "the continuing history".  Then there was a sign on the ground next to it: