Blue Blood

5. "Kree." (Steve)

Song: "Still Alive" by Red

     "Hey, Cap!" Tony grins as I walk down the stairs into the lab. "You got cleared!"

      "I did!" I smile as my feet hit the floor and I walk over.

      "No strings attached?" Nat asks as she pops up from under a command center.

"Nope," I tell her.

"For real?" Tony asks, grinning even wider.

I stop beside him as I say, "I've been doing pretty well over the last few months. I'm not quite over the fact that Bucky's gone, I don't think I ever will be, but I've learned to channel my pain and handle it in healthier ways."

"I'm not sure that tattoos are healthier, but they look good," Bruce says as he comes down the stairs to join us.

"Oh, shush, you're just jealous," Nat teases.

Bruce smirks, "Maybe I am."

"You going to spend time in the studio later?" Nat asks as she stands up from the floor and bounces over to me. "There are a few songs that I found that you'd love."

Before I can answer, Clint drops into the lab from a vent in the ceiling and Thor thunderbolts in, the resulting static electricity causing everyone's hair to stand on end. The lights on the machines in the lab flash brighter and they work faster, just for a second.

The monolithic structure behind him comes to life, and a portal opens just inside its doors. Nat and Tony quickly turn from the portal to stare at me, though. I look down at my hands and I'm met with bright blue light shining from underneath my inked sleeves.

     What the hell?

Tony gets a wild look in his eyes.

"Captain," he grins, "Looks like you're more than human after all."

"Kree," Thor says softly.

I open my mouth to ask him what the hell that means, but Tony jumps in before I get the chance.

"Thor, buddy, quick question," Tony chirps carefully as he slinks over to Thor.

"We both know that this won't be quick," Thor says with a smirk, hands on his hips. "What is it, Stark?"

"You're able to travel to different dimensions, worlds, planets, wherever you want, with that lightning of yours," Tony says, grabbing stacks of documents off of a desk and hastily flipping through them.

"With your powers, God of Thunder, we may be able to communicate with the Soul World, power our time machine, retrieve infinity stones from other timelines, and defeat Thanos," Tony says, ecstatic. "And if Steve has some sort of crazy superpowers, this is the perfect time to test them!"

      We can bring our family home.

     "Do it," I tell him, "I don't care what it takes, we need to do it. We have to try. We won't know if we're right until we try." I look at Tony. "We need Rhodey, Rocket, and Nebula." I look at Nat. "And if you know who the hell that communicator is linked to, we need them. Fury would want us to find them."

     "You think I know who the hell that comm is linked to?" Nat asks me, eyebrows raised, arms crossed over her chest.

     "Where's Fury?"

     An orange cat and a glowing woman come through the portal, and I honestly have no idea what to think when I notice that her uniform is red, blue, and gold and that the symbol on Fury's comm is the same as the one that she wears on her chest.