Adrift in the void, floating aimlessly in darkness once again. Between dreams and reality. Mind and matter. Quiet emptiness was all there was. All there ever would be. Every once in a while, he felt like something was missing. Someone missing that he dearly cared about. Then the feeling would be lost again, and he would be content in his dark neutrality of senses. Something far off then suddenly began to approach him. Something warm and bright that drew the colt outwards. Everything went fuzzy and he suddenly found himself somewhere else.
He felt dirt and moss rubbing against the side of his face. The air was crisp and cool, but not cold. It was a perfectly mild temperature with a light breeze blowing across his flank. Red eyelids fluttered open and the first thing to grace his sight as he was in a truly beautiful forest. Tall pine trees towering overhead with bark that looked like the scales on some massive beast. Birds chirping and flying from branch to branch. It certainly was an idyllic sight. Though what set this forest apart especially was the sound of angelic singing carried on the wind. It was enchanting and hypnotic. Like no mortal being could ever attain such a heavenly sound. The colt trotted around the immediate area, trying to find any trace of his father, but came up empty.
Where was the plane, the ice continent, or the ocean for that matter? Nothing around him felt natural to normal nature, but it felt right. Clean and pure. The air all around lacked any of the smells of blood or oil that the European forests reeked of. Firebrand still being a pony smelled everything a lot more sensitively than his human counterparts did and that certainly proved to be a disadvantage at times in the past. Here, however, there was nothing to worry about. So far at least.
Without having any better plans, he slowly walked through the wood towards the sound of the singing. Daylight shone brightly overhead, but somehow even the Sun itself felt off. Not wrong or bad, just off. Like it wasn't exactly the one he was used to but was fooling his senses just enough for it to pass as a copy. The wood ended abruptly and rolled out to an open emerald green meadow with a carpet of long, thick blades of grass and wildflowers of every color. The meadow sat beneath a sky dotted with puffy grey clouds that floated about, giving the entire place like it had just been after a thunderstorm and the landscape was freshly cleaned of impurities of any kind. The wind blew freely here, being somewhat stronger but still only gentle enough to make the grass dance and shake.
The song sounded stronger on the other side where the forest continued onwards and having no other plan than to find friendly people to help him, he moved onwards. Every so often he would just stop and breathe in deeply, enjoying how much everything smelled in his nose, felt below his hooves, and the sounds of untamed nature in his expressive fuzzy ears. He would then continue closer and closer to the sound over the rolling hills of this expansive meadow that seemed to go on for miles in one direction. To the right, he was surrounded by trees on every other side. Somewhere just out of eyesight, he could hear the sound of animals and creatures sneaking around in the grass. Most likely they have noticed the colt's presence and hid, not knowing whether Firebrand was friend or foe.
Trotting along, he came to the edge of the wood where the angelic singing was reaching a crescendo. The trees had grown so tightly together that they appeared to form an impassible wall. He tried pushing through but to no avail. An opening formed in the trees, as they began to move and warp on their own. Creaking and cracking like living things, they bent and hunched over, allowing the colt passage into the next part of the wood. The forest made a tunnel for him, illuminated by bulbous flowers that glowed radiantly like torches inside a castle.
Firebrand reached a hoof inside the tunnel and when nothing happened, he ran through, afraid the tunnel might collapse on him at any moment if he hesitated.
'What is this place?' he idly thought. 'Definitely not Earth. I don't think trees move on Earth.'
In his mind, he suddenly heard a good-natured laugh at his comment. Not a cruel or intimidating laugh. A laugh one might hear at something said that was genuinely amusing.
It made Firebrand wonder and think. He recognized the voice, but couldn't place it. He would have to find out once he reached the end of the tunnel.
Long and winding, the tunnel went on and on for what seemed like miles. He could no longer feel the refreshing wind from the outside that he liked. Much of the smells in this place are comprised of more moist moss and mushrooms. Most of which he wasn't sure if he could even eat. It made him wonder what he would eat if he was to stay in this place for any long period of time. Before, he would have only been concerned with the sights and sounds, but his year-long experiences in the war had forced him to learn much in only a short period of time.
Wanting to get out of the tunnel, he went into a full-on gallop. Seeking the freedom of the outside, whatever may be waiting for him on the other side. For what took only two hours, but felt like days, he could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. His legs burned for relief and rest but the colt would not relent, trying to escape the passageway as soon as he possibly could. The light grew larger as he approached, blinding him temporarily as he emerged into new surroundings.
What lay before was among nothing that mortal eyes could have ever imagined in their wildest dreams. A fantastical kingdom of wood, light and visible magic built out of gargantuan trees at least a hundred times larger than the ones outside. Everything was alit, the same way London was, but the light was much warmer and felt more natural to the colt's senses. A grand waterfall, reaching three hundred feet in length alone thundered down into a massive river that flowed through the city and off into a direction Firebrand couldn't readily see. Mist gathered below the waterfall, spraying the far end of the city in a mysterious fog. The river fell into a secondary fall that seemed to separate the city into two main areas. Several snow-white bridges rose up and over the river, allowing the passage of what was looking like hundreds of people at a time.
Unusual people were rushing about. Human at a glance, but clearly something else once Firebrand took a better look at them. Everyone was in grand robes and clothing that draped to the ground. Their faces were pale as snow, but beautiful and ancient nonetheless. Veils covered their faces and eyes, leaving the colt to wonder what they looked like underneath. Firebrand could sense magic coming off of them. A pure kind of magic. What set them apart however was their sharp pointed ears that seemed to grow back per their other angular, but elegant features.
As soon as he set hoof into the city, he could hear the thundering of shoes across the ground as a procession of a hundred armored soldiers approached him. He froze, not realize that they could see him at first. Their helmets and ornate armor only seemed to heighten their features as they got into position, each company standing opposite of Firebrand. They all held out spears in a ceremonial manner and stood still, keeping their position with a military stiffness. Citizens walking by noticed this and tried approaching to see what was making the commotion. One soldier in particular with large adornments on his armor, a laurel across his brow, and a hand grasped on a massive longsword approached the colt and knelt.
Firebrand could barely see his eyes through the veil that covered the majority of his face. It was a little unnerving, to say the least. His mouth though was visible beneath the veil and was filled with glowing white teeth that thankfully looked fairly human, despite the many alien characteristics this individual carried ownership of. His sharp ears were very distinctive to this man, just more proof for Firebrand that he was no longer on Earth. This soldier tried to calm the colt's nerves with a small smile before going back to stern and stoic. A little bit of tone whiplash for Firebrand's intuition, but welcoming nonetheless.
"You are the unicorn known as Firebrand Rogers?" the man asked firmly.
"Y-Yes?" Firebrand asked clearly confused.
"Welcome to the City of the Vanir. Her Majesty wishes to meet with you, at once, young one. I suggest you follow along quickly and not dawdle. My lady does not like to be kept waiting."
He gulped nervously but nodded as he decided to follow all of his instructions to a T. Wondering what this grand greeting was all about and who "Her Majesty" was. The warrior stood up and beckoned Firebrand to follow as the soldiers formed together in a tight group around the small pony, not allowing any passerby to see him. Firebrand could smell all manner of strong spices on the wind as their first sight was what appeared to be a marketplace filled with canopies and stalls where all manner of merchants sold their wares.
They all spoke in a language that Firebrand could not understand. It was stern and dignified, but flowing and gentle.
"Na- -ye sanda?" one said. "Tange -lma heri tyel- ainima a aráto?"
"Lá. a mairo onwë nóna menel" another replied.
He had a strange sixth sense that they were talking about him just by the hushed tones. It made him feel somewhat self-conscious all of a sudden.
Their path led down busy streets and towards the edge of the river where he was told to clamber into a longboat, white and wide as the bridges they rode under. The water was steady and calm, but still rushed on in one direction as fish and aquatic creatures of every kind swam about. Firebrand looked over the edge and held a hoof in the water. To his surprise, he could not feel the surface, nor could he get wet, but he could feel the cool brushing of the water.
"Please remain in the boat child, I would rather not go fishing for you if I can help it," the warrior groaned with irritation.
"Sorry!"
He sat back down obediently as eight rowers began pushing and pulling their massive paddles against the current and towards the first waterfall of the city. Under bridges which casted dark shadows over the river and under platforms and columns supporting huge buildings partially built over the water. The sound of the first waterfall grew louder and they passed into the first cloud of mist at the bottom where they stopped at a guard post where two armored soldiers waited. They nodded and gave some alien salute Firebrand couldn't understand as he followed the warrior out of the first boat and up another tunnel that climbed up the cliff of the first waterfall. The tunnel's stairs were built right into the rock and those same luminescent flowers grew alongside the walls, providing ample light. It was a tiring climb for the foal, but the soldier was completely unaffected.
Leading their way up, they emerged at the top of the falls and in the higher part of the city. People in this area of the city noticed the colt's presence immediately and looked on at him with adulation and adoration. He could hear them whispering questions about what he was, how old he was, and why the "Queen" chose him. Many other questions of that nature followed to which he wish he could immediately answer. This time, the warrior led him alone to the next dock where they went into a much smaller boat attended by only four rowers. Their boat went towards the biggest waterfall that came down and crashed into the river below like constant thunder. They were dwarfed in size and a twinge of fear crept through Firebrand, wondering if he was going to be crushed like a bug under the massive weight of the water. As they passed under the water, a stone waterway provided them access through the powerful deluge that would have destroyed them otherwise.
Instead of a simple dock and guard post appearing in the fog like before, a long platform with fifty heavily armored guards stood steadfast in front of a giant set of oaken, carved doors that towered up the side of the cliff. As soon as they were within sight, the guards all struck their spears down simultaneously to a beat. The sound was like that of a bull whip being cracked. The warrior stood up and properly stepped out of the boat while Firebrand had to get out with a hop. A line of the guards cracked their spears again as the duo came out and the massive wooden doors opened up, allowing the two passage inside.
'Let's see if I can't get some answers as to what this is all about,' Firebrand postulated.
The first thing that couldn't be missed no matter how hard he tried was how white the interior of this place was. A cavernous grand hallway with columns that were white trees with their branches curled into the structure to give it support. It was completed saturated in magical energy. Even the novice child Firebrand could sense that much. Everything was alive and even some branches were moving around. Thich vines wrapped around the columns in beautiful twisting and curling ways, just adding to the atmosphere. Rays of light from the outside came through the roof and shone down on the entire hallway. Bigger versions of the bulbous flowers that gave of luminescence hung from the ceiling like natural chandeliers, all leading up to a throne at the end of the hallway. It was unoccupied at the moment, but that didn't seem to bother the warrior.
When they reached as far as the throne, the warrior turned to Firebrand and bowed respectfully.
"I shall take my leave, spirit student. The Queen will be with you momentarily."
"Spirit Student? What do you mean sir?" Firebrand asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You are not really here. I believe that would have been apparent young one. Did you not notice your lack of interaction with many things?"
It struck him, he couldn't touch the water, animals flee from his presence even though on Earth, animals were drawn to him, and he could barely feel the ground under his feet. He was so focused on finding where he was, he never stopped to think how he was there at all.
"Am I dead?" he squeaked nervously.
"Not as such. My lady has assisted you in projecting your spirit across the void and into our realm."
"Who's...your lady?"
The sound of clopping hooves against the ground was then suddenly heard from around a corner. Firebrand's partner bowed low again and quickly departed out the other way back towards the entrance of the palace. He watched as the massive doors opened again, and allowed him back out, only for them to close behind him, leaving Firebrand alone in this big place.
Suddenly, a smell hit his nose, giving him another feeling of deja vu. His own scent. The scent of another equine. It drove his attention back towards the throne where standing above him was someone he knew. An impossibly beautiful woman with long flowing golden locks that draped down to her waist, a bronze cuirass that formed to her body perfectly and emerald green eyes like the meadow he had passed through on his way here. Her smile was warm and welcoming as she beamed down at the colt. What gave him pause was her mount. A snow white pegasus with majestic feathered wings that were neatly folded across the sides of its body.
"Welcome dear Firebrand," she said kindly.
"Its you!" Firebrand exclaimed happily as he galloped up to her.
She nimbly leaped down and knelt down to the colt.
"I never got to thank you for helping me and my Daddy! Thank you!"
"Absolutely dear one. Thou caught my interest quickly and thou needed my assistance, so I provided what I could."
"Who are you ma'am?" Firebrand asked. "I like you, but I don't even know your name."
She gave a tinkling laugh that was like a wind chime.
"How proper," she said. "Well, Firebrand. To the mortals of Midgard, I am the Goddess of Love, Abundance and Fire. To thee, I am Queen Freya of Vanaheim."
"Its nice to meet you Your Majesty," he replied, giving a deep bow.
"And you. I trust Captain Ellisar provided you with a suitable welcome?"
Firebrand nodded his head rapidly and gave her a big grin. Just glad he was in friendly company.
Her pegasus walked up to Firebrand slowly and sniffed him, wondering what he was exactly. The colt in question was a little intimidated but allowed the interaction. It knickered and licked Firebrand's face.
"It seems she has taken a liking you you."
She stood back up and moved to her throne to which she sat down lightly. Her steed walked along and stood beside her. Freya beckoned Firebrand to approach to which he obeyed gladly.
"Do you know why you are here young Firebrand?"
He shook his head.
"You are a very pure creature. Too pure for Earth. Too pure for many of the realms. You are not of Earth, correct?"
"Yes, milady. My Dad found me in a Hydra lab. The bad people we were fighting," he explained.
"A trial that you faced and vanquished valiantly, my sweet unicorn. That arrogant fool thought himself as great as a god."
"I don't know where I'm from but Red Skull said he believed I wasn't from this universe at all."
She nodded and looked up out of a window in thought.
"I had suspected as much. Many of my kin sensed your appearance on Midgard from across the barrier of our universe. As did many other of the higher races of the nine realms. The Timeless Void is one thing both tribes watch over for all extraplanar threats to the Nine Realms."
Firebrand was being bombarded with so many things he didn't understand.
"Midgard? Nine Realms?"
Freya got up from her throne and walked along the hallway. Firebrand followed close beside as the goddess gave a detailed explanation of how their universe began and what it formed into. Of course, they had the two inaccessible meta-physical dimensions of light and the fiery pits of evil that all of creation know of. Their universe was started when seven singularities blew apart at once and formed seven mystical stones that were spread all over the cosmos, though the seventh was lost at some point in history. She went on to explain that the universe became split into nine separate planes of existence, all linked together by the branches of a cosmic tree. Yggdrasil. There were Nine Main Realms in all and several small realms that some races dwelled in. Midgard which was Earth, Vanaheim home of her and the Vanir, Alfheim home of the Light Elves, Jotunheim realm of the Frost Giants, Muspelheim the realm of the Fire Giants, Hel domain of the dishonored dead, and Svartlfheim realm of the Dark Elves.
The last three she did not mention immediately interested him the most. She seemed to dodge his questions about Asgard. Seeing a hidden pain creep into her eyes. A sorrow which she desperately tried to push down.
"NIdavellir is the halls and mountain ranges of the Dwarves. A hardy people. The finest craftsmen of diamond, gold, silver, ruby, jade, and sapphire. Many of the greatest weapons in creation have exited its halls."
Firebrand remembered the chunks of metal from the scruffy cave men hammering on weapons. Looking down, he realized again that he was not wearing his horse shoes.
"They cannot follow you as a spirit," she explained for the colt as if she read his mind. "It is curious as to why the U'uru would choose you over...him."
'Who's him?' Firebrand thought.
"How do you know about my shoes?" he asked. "How did you find me? Only Dad and Hydra knew about me."
"I have...an old friend who visits me from time to time. He informs me of peculiar happenings occurring in the universe at large. Of course, I sensed your arrival, but it was only when he told me where you emerged that I took immediate action. As a denizen of nature, I can enter the dreams and mind of any beast to soothe their troubles. Even a beast as wonderful as you are my child."
Firebrand's ears drooped and looked down to the floor in shame.
"The ice man from my dreams is from one of those realms isn't he?" Firebrand whispered shamefully. "I have...something bad inside me that he probably put inside me."
"Your insight serves you well. Yes...that would be...one of the great enemies of Yggdrasil."
She walked over to a tapestry hanging on the wall. A picture of a great tree and smaller symbols and images scattered amongst it. She pointed to one of the lower ones sitting alongside the roots of the tree. The image was familiar to the colt alright, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.
"Niflheim, the primordial death realm of ice and the domain of Ymir. The mountain father of all giants. In an age long past, The Allfather vanquished him in glorious combat and used his body to construct the halls of Asgard."
Firebrand felt sick from the idea of using someone's body to make a building, let alone an entire kingdom. The logistics of the thought were troubling.
"What happened to you is just another one of my numerous failures," she said. "I am sorry."
"It's fine," the colt replied shaking his head. "I had people supporting me along the way. Even though you weren't with me, I could hear you looking out for me. I at least now know not to talk to any strangers."
"I am not?"
"You're no stranger your majesty! Though I'm glad I know your name now."
Freya knelt down and kissed Firebrand on the forehead sweetly, like a mother would with her child. Her lips were like the softest satin blanket in the world.
"Your chivalry is matched only by thou boundless courage," Freya replied. "Thou father is teaching you well. I have high hopes for the both of you. But as to how I know of your shoes, I didn't. But when I entered your mind, I felt a familiar...aura if you will. All U'uru weapons have it. Which brings me to why I brought you here this day."
Freya led him down a hallway and up to a balcony with a veranda that looked out over the entire city. Her faithful pegasus The primary waterfall crashed below, and Firebrand could see how it winded around the city and off to the west. They were so high up that the people below looked like ants. Chariots and other horses strolled about the city assisting the lives of the citizens.
"My family has long since been lost to me dear Firebrand. A war long ago forced us apart, trapping me here in the forgotten realm of Vanaheim. The Vanir are scattered, leaderless. Even with me on the throne, I can only do so much. My being as a nature goddess has allowed me to help thee and watch over the realms from afar. I was once the Captain of the mightiest warriors in the universe. Our winged horses we rode into glorious battle, smiting evil wherever it may hide. After our defeat at the hands of...a great traitor. Only a few of us remained. It seems some like Johann Schmitt saw fit to mock us in death by rubbing our name in the dirt."
"The Valkyries!" Firebrand exclaimed.
She nodded before turning back to the window and leaning on the railing.
"A war is coming Firebrand. Unlike any that has come before. Its battles will be numerous and countless lives will perish. I need a champion to spread my will and my power on Earth. I cannot count on my family to eliminate this evil. They have their own lives and evils to fight."
Firebrand thought it over for a moment. He did not know Lady Freya for very long, but he was impressed immediately in the short time he had come to know her. She had helped him fight off Ymir's presence and relieved him of his nightmares. In the course of the world war, he had learned there were countless people out there that needed his help. His service alongside Steve and the Howling Commandoes affected everyone. Perhaps he could do the same for the rest of the universe.
"Just tell me what to do," Firebrand finalized. "I'm just a stupid kid, but all the fighting. hurting, and pain with daddy made me realize something. The universe generally fails to be a fairy tale. But you know what? That's where I want to come in. If there's anything I can do to help you. Then I'll help you. I wanna be your friend."
Freya smiled and hugged the colt, nearly breaking down, overjoyed with his words.
"You have wisdom beyond your years. I assure you of that. Very well."
She stood up and pulled a longsword out of her scabbard. It was encrusted with jewels and inscribed with elegant, flowing lettering etched into the blade.
"Kneel, Firebrand Rogers," she said with all due respect and distinction.
The pony obeyed as he got on his hind legs awkwardly and knelt down like a human as Queen Freya placed the flat of the blade by his shoulder.
"As your heart belongs to something even more powerful and greater than I, I will not ask that you worship me. I am content with your love and your friendship if you will allow me to have it." Freya relented. "Therefore, I will ask, do you swear to use my power to protect the ancient and holy things of the world?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to spread my message of peace to the people of all realms and worlds beyond and fight evil as you see fit?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to uphold the ideals and morals of good that your father has instilled upon you?"
"I swear!"
"To keep to the light, resist the temptations of evil, and redeem all those who need to be saved?"
"I SWEAR!"
Tugging back on the sword with a sharp SCHING, she placed the blade on his other shoulder and touched the jeweled pommel to his horn.
"Then as Captain of the Valkyries and Queen of Vanaheim I dub thee Paladin Firebrand Rogers of the Oath of Devotion," she declared. "You will be my partner and the avatar of my power on Midgard. I will watch over you and protect you always as if you were my own."
Suddenly, a rush of heavenly light enveloped his spirit and warmed his entire being from head to hoof. His golden eyes turned into flash lights that burst with power. To him, he was walking on air and light as a feather. It overwhelmed his senses and filled his being. His hooves touched back down to the ground and he opened his eyes to the loving smile of his new Lady.
"The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. Your very body will contain a blessed touch. Thou can use it to heal wounds, but use it sparingly. The shields you create will have several more affects. Protection from Evil and Good alike, a Zone of Truth to dispel deception, and a sanctuary to ward any attack. Several new powers I have bestowed upon you as well. Your Beacon of Hope will restore hope and vitality on those who have lost it. Your finest ability will be to deliver a Searing Smite to all who oppose you. Your weapon of choice flares with white-hot intensity and burns them to ash as soon as it makes contact."
"I'll do my best to use these powers to assist you my lady," Firebrand replied respectfully. "Most of all though, anything more I can do to help my Dad I will gladly use."
"That is all I can ask for."
A bell rung in the distance, its haunting melody echoing through the entire city. Suddenly Firebrand began to stumble and grow dizzy as the entire castle started to fade from his sight. Darkness once again began to overtake him.
"I am afraid our union must be cut short. Go now and awaken anew in a new world. Seek out your father and continue your fight. Until the day we meet in the corporeal realm my sweet Firebrand, farewell..."
Steve awoke with a start, confused, disoriented but alive. He had to reiterate that to himself. He was alive and well. On a soft bed somewhere to boot. His eyes snapped open and the first thing to greet him from his slumber was a fan spinning overhead. Steve turned his head to one side and then to the other. A lamp, a radiator, a simple table with a glass of water, and a radio at the other side of the room accompanied by some white roses. The New York skyline sat outside the windows, but even that set off alarms in his head.
He pinched the bridge of his nose from confusion and exhaustion. Everything around him felt very, very wrong. Something vital was missing. Someone...
"FIREBRAND!" he berated himself.
The radio flickered on and Steve's head cracked over to listen to the broadcast. The Brooklyn Dodgers. Only something bothered him. He recognized the names and what the announcer was saying.
A woman with shoulder-length black hair, a tucked-in white shirt, and a black skirt that reached down to her ankles entered the room through the door and shut it.
"Good morning," she greeted calmly before looking at her watch. Or should I say afternoon."
"Where am I?"
"You're in a recovery unit in New York City."
He almost believed her for a moment before turning back to the game playing on the radio and came to a harsh realization. He knew the game.
"Where am I really?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand," the lady replied.
"The game. Its from May 1941. I know cause I was there," he said with a growing temper.
Steve could tell he had her. It didn't show much, but this "nurse" went through several nervous micro-expressions trying to keep her control of the situation. He stood up, hearing the spring mattress creak from his weight and walked over to the lady, intending to get answers out of her.
"I'm gonna ask you again...where am I and where is my son?"
She clicked something small in her hands that turned red.
"Captain Rogers..." she whispered with insistence.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
The door opened again and two armed guards entered the room. They tried to restrain him but he round house kicked the lamp into one and smashed his knee into the other's face. The fight ended quickly with him smashing them through a wall, revealing a much bigger facility on the other side. He escaped the fake room and saw that the New York skyline was only a façade meant to deceive him.
"Captain Rogers wait!" the nurse pleaded.
He had to escape and find Firebrand. So he ran as fast as he could and smashed open a set of double doors with a kick, breaking them from their hinges with his bare feet. His legs carried him faster and faster as he heard the woman speaking into an intercom.
"All agents Code 13! I repeat, agents, Code 13!"
Around the corner, he found a hallway filled with men covered in unusual clothing and armor that all tried to rush at him. Steve pushed many out of the way, going down several more flights of stairs and seeing a number more of unusual sights until he found what looked the closest to a pair of exit doors out of the building. He jumped out into the streets and was assaulted by a number of sights, sounds, and smells that were completely alien. Everything his eyes met was strange, so he kept running, trying to find out exactly where he was. Several more blocks he sprinted down at full blast until he began to recognize the street signs. An open area with thousands of people crossing around all at once is where he stopped.
All around, moving signs, strange movies playing on screens, cars the likes of which he had never seen before, people talking to plastic squares with glass, When he tore everything down in his mind, he finally realized where he was.
"Times Square," he breathed out fearfully.
Dozens of black cars with tinted windows pulled up around him and hundreds of people gathered, wondering who he was. Several more of the men came out and remained standing there.
"At ease soldier!" someone called out.
Steve turned around and saw a tall man in a black trench coat with an eyepatch over his right eye. This man approached him slowly and deliberately, letting him know subconsciously that this was a man he should at least hear out. His demeanor was relaxed, but respectful, allowing the super soldier to take a breath and wait for the other to speak.
"Look, I'm sorry for that little show back there, but we thought it would be best to break it to you slowly," he said.
"Break what?" Steve asked with a bit more force than he may have intended.
The man looked into his eyes with a hint of sympathy and compassion, but it was only there for a moment before returning to his controlled state.
"You've been asleep Cap. For almost 70 years..."
Blood began to drain from his head in an instant. Pins and needles all over. He felt himself collapsing to his knees in a heap, his legs felt wobbly, and his heart began to beat like crazy. It was all a blur. The man in the eyepatch and one of his men grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. After a moment, Steve was able to balance himself and stand on his own again, but watching himself for more dizzy spells.
"Easy there. Take it slow."
"Sorry sir...sorry. Where...where's my son? Where's Firebrand?"
He gave a quick good-hearted chuckle to Steve and patted him on the back.
"The kid? In our special ICU. We're keeping him safe and cozy until he wakes up. I'll set up a place for you to sit in his room. I have to admit that we have questions about him, but I'd imagine you want some time before we do that."
"Did...did we win?"
"Hell yeah, unconditional surrender on both fronts. Taking down Hydra hurt their morale. Tojo's forces surrendered not long after. The method as to how I bet you are gonna want some context for. We'll gather something together to bring you up to speed."
Steve nodded looked off into the Manhattan sky, fully coming to grips what this all meant for the both of them.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, its just...I was gonna propose..."
Next Time- Epilogue: An Agent Goes Back To Work