The Winter Warrior // Captain America

«Chapter 11»

2012

Soft chatter in the distance slowly brought back Steve's consciousness. He struggled to remember what had happened but it suddenly hit him.

The plane.

Red Skull.

Bucky.

His eyes pulled apart and he was met with a white ceiling. He was lying on a neatly made bed and he was wearing a white SSR shirt. A ceiling fan was turning calmly as the radio on the dresser was telling him what had occurred in a sports event.

Steve pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed, trying his hardest to recall what he thought were the last moments of his life. How on Earth was he alive? Was he even alive?

A soft breeze blew through the window while he continued listening to the man on the radio. Slowly but surely, Steve started to realise that the sports event the man was talking about sounded familiar. It was the Dodgers vs the Phillies. He had been at that game four years ago.

The door opened and a brunette woman entered. "Good morning," she said, closing the door again. She was wearing a white blouse and a brown skirt that both looked off. "Or should I say afternoon?"

"Where am I?" Steve asked. "Where is Bucky?"

"You're in a recovery room in New York City. Sergeant Barnes is in the room next door," the woman answered kindly.

The radio continued the sports report and the puzzle pieces started to fall into place. "Where am I really?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," the woman said with a slight frown.

"The game," Steve said. "It's from May 1941. I know 'cause I was there."

The woman's smile fell as she realised whatever plan she was working along with was failing. Steve stood up, rising to his full height. "Now, I'm gonna ask you again. Where am I?"

"Captain Rogers-"

"Who are you?!"

The door behind the woman opened and two men in black uniforms entered. Steve didn't hesitate to grab a hold of the fabric of their jackets and toss them against the wall, but the wall turned out to be not a wall. It broke as soon as the men came in contact and Steve leapt through the hole they left. He looked around and saw he was in a storage facility.

"Captain Rogers, wait!" the woman called, but it had little use as Steve sprinted out of the room. 

He entered a crowded hallway and a voice called, "All agents, code 13!" on the intercom. 

The people in the hallway all looked at him before rushing after him. Steve shoved people aside as he fought his way outside. He ended up in a busy street with cars that looked nothing like the cars Steve had once known. He turned around and sprinted in the other direction. 

Upon seeing the sight before him, he came to a stop. It was Time Square. But with many buildings, electrical billboards, cars, people, and so much more that he couldn't place. 

Two futuristic-looking cars came at him and several guards surrounded him. "At ease soldier!" a new voice called and Steve whipped around. A dark-skinned man in a black trenchcoat and an eyepatch stood across from him. He stepped closer. "Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly." 

"Break what?" Steve asked.

"You've been asleep, Cap," the man spoke. "For almost 70 years." 

The air was knocked from Steve's lungs as he tried to process the million and one thoughts that clouded his mind. He had been asleep? For 70 years? How was that even possible? 

"You gonna be okay?" the man asked. 

"Yeah..." Steve breathed. "Yeah, I just... I had a date." 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I believe I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Director Fury." He held out his hand, and Steve slowly shook it. 

"Steve Rogers," he said. 

"Oh, I know that," Fury stated. "And I think you want to know where your friend is." 

Steve nodded and Fury chuckled softly, patting Steve's shoulder. 

***

"2012?" Bucky asked softly as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. 

"Yeah, we've been asleep for nearly 70 years," Steve muttered, toying with the dog tag that had been around his neck since he woke up.

"How did we survive that?" Bucky questioned, frowning. 

"This man, Director Fury, said it was because of the serum. You had HYDRA serum in you from that time you had been captured with Anna." The mention of her name sent a painful pang through Bucky's heart and he closed his eyes. "Sorry," Steve muttered. 

"It's fine." Bucky sniffed lightly. "I just miss her." 

"I know," Steve whispered. "Me too." 

A silence fell between the two men as neither knew what to say. They had 'died' in 1945 and woken up in 2012. They skipped 67 years without ageing a day. No family. No other friends. No one. 

No one but each other. 

"I'm really glad you're here, Buck," Steve said quietly. 

"Me too." Bucky nodded. "I'm sorry about your date."

Steve sighed. "Do you think she's still alive?" 

"She might be. It's not like 200 years passed." Bucky chuckled darkly and a spark of hope appeared in Steve's heart. "But she'll be like 90 years old, probably." 

"Probably," Steve agreed. "What are we going to do now?" 

Bucky shrugged. "Explore, I guess. See what the future's like."

"I mean in the long run. Are we going to pretend to be normal people? Like we didn't spend the last seven decades frozen in ice?" 

"I don't know, Steve. I don't want to think of that now." Bucky sighed tiredly, dropping his head in his hands and running his fingers through his hair. 

A knock at the door sounded and the two looked up. A woman entered, holding a cardboard box. "We found some things that I think you might like to have with you," she said, placing the box on the dresser. "Is there anything else I can get you? Something to eat or drink?" 

Both men shook their heads, and Steve said, "Not hungry." 

"Very well. If you need anything, don't hesitate to press this button." She held up a small device and placed it next to the box. 

Bucky nodded. "Thank you."

The woman left after offering them a smile and Steve was the first to stand up. He took the box and placed it on the ground before opening the flaps. Two files lay on top. One on Steve, one on Bucky. 

Steve placed them aside and when his eye fell on the dog tags that lay below, his breath stopped. He thought they were gone. He thought they had disappeared along with his sister that dreadful day on the cliff. 

He took them in his hand and held them up. Two tags on one chain. Anna Rogers. There it was. Her name. An actual, physical reminder that she had existed. That she wasn't just a memory from decades ago, a story to be told at gatherings. 

Steve took his own dog tags from his neck and added one of Anna's to his own before handing the one with the chain to Bucky, who put it around his neck, staring at the tag that he held in his hand. 

"We won't forget her, Buck," Steve said softly. 

Bucky nodded. "I know."