Timeless (Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers)

Chapter Two

Adeline and William talked for a long time, getting to know each other more and more. They had been walking around Brooklyn for a while until finally settling in the diner William had brought up.

It was cozy, one of the smaller establishments in the city. She wasn't surprised she had never seen it before; Steve, Bucky, and herself never really went anywhere new, knowing that Brooklyn was starting to get expensive.

William hadn't talked much about himself, perfectly content listening to Adeline rather than bring up his past. He was completely entranced by her, silently thanking Bucky for introducing them.

"So Steve and I have been living with Bucky ever since." Adeline finished explaining, setting down the cup that was in her hands. "I'm sorry, we've been talking about me the whole time. What about you? Where are you from?"

"Well, I'm from England." He started, looking around. "You probably guessed that. I have two siblings. My sister, Peggy and my brother Michael. Peggy and I moved here not too long ago. And... that's pretty much it."

"Come on. That's it?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and he nodded. "Everyone has a story. I have a feeling yours is particularly interesting."

"That is..." He let out a breathy laugh, unable to come up with a response. His eyes drifted to the door as two men in military uniforms walked in.

They looked around for a bit before seeing William and Adeline sitting in a corner, then approached the table, paying no attention to anything else in the diner. "Adeline Rogers?"

She turned to them with a confused look. "Yes? Can I help you?" Her eyes widened as she realized why they were here. "Oh my God."

"We need you to come with us."

"Exactly what is this about?" William stepped in, getting the man's attention.

The man who seemed to be in charge turned to him. "This is none of your concern." He then reached to grab Adeline, only to be stopped by William.

"I think that's enough." He said, grabbing the man's arm. "You should know better than to try and grab a lady like that. Have some manners."

"I can handle myself, William." Adeline stood up, then turned to the men. "I'm assuming this is about my brother."

The man ripped his arm from William's grasp, turning to Adeline. "Yes. We need you to come with us."

"He's not in any trouble, is he?" She asked, looking between the two men. They didn't say anything, their facial expressions not giving any hints either. She sighed, turning to William. "I am so sorry. I have to go. I had a great time tonight."

"Me too." He sent her a soft smile as the men in uniform escorted her out. He watched her leave, the men following her out.

Adeline ended up at a military base, where she was reunited with Steve. The men had left her alone with him, giving them a chance to talk.

"Steve, if you've gotten yourself into another hole, I swear." She started to ramble once the men had left.

"Addie..."

"I told you this was a bad idea. Bucky told you this was a bad idea." She continued on, ignoring him trying to explain. "Did you listen? No!"

"Addie! I'm not in trouble." He said and she paused, confusion evident on her face. "I promise you I'm not in trouble."

"You're not?"

"He's not." A soft German accent came from behind her and she turned to see a man standing at the door. "My name is Dr. Erskine. I overheard you and your brother speaking earlier and wanted to speak with the two of you alone."

"Why?"

"I've created a program called Project Rebirth and you would be the perfect candidates for it."

"Project Rebirth?" Adeline asked, becoming more confused. He saw how uneasy she was, realizing no one had said anything to her.

"I should have clarified." Dr. Erskine said with a quiet laugh. "I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve. I've come to offer you a chance to help in the war, something I already spoke with your brother about. He seemed very interested."

"It's not the best idea to speak to my knucklehead of a brother without me here." She turned to glare at Steve, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's a bit too eager to join the army."

Dr. Erskine nodded before tilting his head down. "You want to help your country, right?" Adeline thought for a moment. As much as she wanted to help, what was she gonna do? There was no way two kids from Brooklyn could save the world. It was almost impossible.

"How exactly are Steve and I going to do that?" Adeline finally asked, her gaze returning to Dr. Erskine. "We're not the ideal soldiers."

"To the rest of the world, maybe. I see the potential that one else does." He explained with a smile. "I'll give you a moment to think it over. When you're ready, I'll be right outside." Adeline nodded and he walked out, leaving the twins alone together.

"You are in a world of trouble." She turned to him with a glare. "You don't know anything about this man and you want us to be his lab rats?"

"He works with the military. We can finally do something with ourselves." Steve tried to convince her. "Addie, this is our chance."

"Your chance, Steve." She emphasized, reminding him of who actually wanted to join the army. "I don't want this, you do."

"Just think of how many people we can help. Mom and Dad would be so proud of us."

"Okay, one of us is losing it here and it's not me." She huffed, shaking her head. "You're insane. If you want to do this, fine. I don't care. But leave me out of it." Just as the words came out of her mouth, Dr. Erskine walked back into the room, expecting an answer.

"Have you made your decision?"

"I wanted to ask if there was any way you could do this without me." She said, glaring at Steve one more time. "I'm not really comfortable with the idea of having experiments done on me."

"It won't work the same without both of you." He explained with a sigh. "It's a twin experiment, so it will connect you in a way that you hadn't been before. It emphasizes your strengths and muffles your weaknesses. But you will be stronger together."

Adeline thought for a moment. The thought of going through whatever he had planned horrified her. But she knew Steve wouldn't stop pestering her until she agreed. This option was the lesser of two evils.

She looked over at Steve, who had a hopeful look on his face. One that was practically pleading with her to agree. She sighed, turning back to Dr. Erskine who was looking at her expectantly.

She sighed out an annoyed "Fine."