Steve's Diary

July 25, 1939

Dear Diary,

Looking down at him while he took his last breath... spending it on me, to deliver a message, I knew I couldn't just let this go. I knew this wasn't the end. 

That's why I ran after the man who shot the doctor.

—————

9:00am

I heard explosions and gunshots coming from outside as I ran up the stairs to follow Agent Carter. 

I watched her shoot at an oncoming car from the store as I ran closer, tackling her just before the car hit her. 

"I had him!" she yelled at me as we got up from the ground. 

"Sorry!" I shouted back as I got up off the ground, stumbling as I ran after the vehicle. God, this new... bigger... body has me made out to be a klutz. I'm kind of off balance, but not because my new body isn't good, but because it's so different from what I'm used to. 

As I regained my balance, I found that as I continued to run I only seemed to get faster. It was incredible. My lungs didn't burn at all... I wasn't even the slightest bit out of breath, either. It was like I wasn't even running at all.

I was going so fast across the streets and through the neighborhood (that I knew all too well), that I slid on the wet pavement of the street below me and flew straight into the window of Audrey's Bridal-Wear shop.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled into the store window after I had gotten up, unscathed and still unbalanced, wishing there was more that I could do to help the shop to repair or replace the broken storefront window. 

I continued onward at top speed down the street and took a shortcut through an alleyway even though I knew damn well there was a massive fence blocking my way to the street on the other side. Ugh, I wasn't thinking. As I approached it, though, I wasn't distraught or nervous or anything other than energized and empowered. That was what propelled me right over the fence, almost as if it was nothing.

As I landed on the ground, I was confused at what it was that I had actually just done but also content with myself and with my new abilities, finally accepting and appreciating that I had, in fact, become super abled after all those years of being stuck behind literally everyone else in all of Brooklyn.

"Woa woa woa!" I shouted at the cars driving in the street that had nearly hit me, putting my arms out to show them that I was moving out of their way soon enough.

I ran down the street towards the yellow taxi, somehow managing to pass all the cars already on the street... how could I be running so fast? This is insane.

I saw him start maneuvering between cars so that I couldn't get to him... so I jumped up onto the hood of a car coming at me and starting jumping between the roofs of cars to get to the taxi.

I finally jumped on top on the taxi and the driver started swerving so that I might fall off, but I refused to let go.

He shot through the roof at me three times and I managed to dodge all of them, but fell to the side if the car where he shot at my face.

Before I could even get my bearings, he hit a truck and I fell off the hood as he spun out and totaled the taxi.

He stumbled out of the wrecked car with a gun in his hand as I stood before the rubble and car parts that had fallen off in the crash.

He shot at me and missed, then spun around and pointed the gun at the crowd of people screaming behind him. I picked up the door of the taxi that laid before me just as he shot at me again. God, this guy is relentless. 

He then turned around and grabbed a little boy by the overalls as his mother screamed for the man to let him go. I ran after them, watching as they headed towards the port.

I snuck around the corner and, as he met my eyes, he held the gun up to the kid's head.

"Wait! Don't! Don't," I said to him sincerely. He then pointed the gun at me and pulled the trigger, the case revolving and clicking because there were no more bullets left.

So, he took the kid and threw him into the water as I yelled back, "no! Don't!"

I walked over to where he had landed in the water and the little ginger haired boy yelled up to me, "go get him! I can swim." 

I ran down the dock and saw a submarine beginning to go below the surface, so I dove in after it. I began to swim after him as it gained speed. As I caught up with him, he caught my eye... just as I punched a hole in the glass.

He opened the chamber and floated up as I carried him with me. The only thing that was strange to me was that I managed to hold my breath that long without feeling like my chest was on fire.

As we approached the surface and I traded water, I picked him up with one arm and threw him up ten feet to the dock. I then climbed up the ladder and met him up there. 

He tried to fight me, but I kicked him down to the ground and he dropped the vial of the serum on the ground. I went up to him and grabbed him by the lapel, bringing him up to my face.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, enraged. 

"The first of many. Cut off one head..." he removed the cap of one of his teeth and bit down on it. "Two more shall take it's place. I watched as his mouth began to foam. "Hail Hydra." Then, for the second time today, someone died right before my very eyes.

I looked down at myself in astonishment of everything I had just done... and I was barely out of breath.

—————

Today, I feel, I've been through more than I have in my whole life.

I just hope I can handle all of this on my own.

Good God, what have I gotten myself into?

~ Steve Rogers