[center][img]http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0992/1818/products/8-a_Captain_America_Shield_Logo_T-Shirt_grande.png?v=1444091873[/img][/center]

[center][b]Los Angeles, California[/b][/center]

“I won’t lie, I was pretty sad to find out that the team was moved and Ebbet Field was torn down.  I still remember going to games there with my dad, he adored the Dodgers.  I guess kind of making me one too in the process.  Still having gotten the time to catch up on the team.  I have no problems saying I’m still a Dodgers girl.”

The local news reporter finished the interview as Stephanie gently, nervously fiddled with the baseball in her hand.  She had on the jersey the team gave her, with a ball cap and jeans.  When the team offered for her to come out and throw out the first pitch Stephanie couldn’t accept fast enough.  Though on the plane ride out to LA, it kept bringing memories back to Steph.  Some good, some bittersweet with hindsight.  It was the games with Bucky that made her sad in retrospect.  He was always as much entertainment as the game itself was.  No one could heckle the opposing teams quite like him.  

Still it had been a great day, yet another one ever since she was able to make her grand return.  The reception she’s gotten has been amazing, everything she desperately wanted from her battles in World War II and more.  The outpouring of letters from women of all ages, the awards ceremony where the current president gave her all the war medals she was owed.  It was an amazing night, plus the president these days is black!  That was a wonderful thing to learn... until she saw how people were talking about him.  The more things change....

Stephanie herself wasn’t immune to the criticism, no matter how insane they were.  While most people were happy to find out about the real Captain America.  Others weren’t so happy to find out the symbol of American power during World War II was a woman.  Stephanie had gotten a few letters from people who were very specific in how they were going to find her and kill her.  It made Stephanie angry, but all she did was remind herself they didn’t have the guts to attack her.  If they did, she’d show them she was the real deal.

Doing a little stretching of her arms, Stephanie was guided by one of the team's staff members out to the field.  The instant, wonderful smell of freshly trimmed grass and compacted dirt filling her nostrils as the crowd started to cheer.

“Ladies and gentlemen, to throw out tonight’s opening pitch.  Please welcome Captain America, Ms. Stephanie Rogers!”

Growing up she never had imagined actually being on the field for the Dodgers or anyone.  So to stand on the pitcher’s mound, looking down the 60 feet to the catcher was giving her goosebumps.  She gently tossed the baseball in hand, looking down at it and realizing she hasn’t thrown a baseball in years.  “Alright, lets see if I remember how to do this...”  She muttered to herself before glancing back up at the pitcher.  Taking a deep breath, she took a wind up and let the ball go.

The audible thump the ball made slamming hard into the catcher’s mitt could be heard through the entire field as the crowd cheered.  Stephanie smiled, she still had it.  As she jogged up to the catcher she watched him pull his glove off, shaking his hand.  “Damn lady, you’ve got one hell of a throwing arm!”  He told her in his fairly thick accent.

“Heh, sorry...”  Stephanie cringed a little, yeah... probably should of taken a little off that throw.  The last thing she’d want to do is put one of the Dodgers’ best players on the shelf.  Still she got the ball back, shaking hands with the player as the two headed to the dug out.

Stephanie Rogers took her seat at the ball park, ready to cheer on the home team as the game got going.  It was an exciting game, Dodgers were up 4 - 3 over the Boston Red Sox.  Still though eventually her attention on the game was being hampered when she really looked around the crowd.  While plenty of people were paying attention, Stephanie couldn’t help but realize so many people there weren’t even watching.  They had their ‘smartphones’ and their ‘tablets’ out, either looking at stuff involving the game or not even paying attention at all.  Taking pictures of themselves, sticking their lips out like ducks.

She knew times had changed but Stephanie still wasn’t even remotely ready for all the things she had missed out on.  She came from a time when a computer wasn’t even a thing, now not only was it so important to life apparently, you have to have a tiny one in your pocket ready to go whenever.  It was that constant, nagging realization of how she was seemingly on Earth, but might as well have been a whole different planet.  Technology had advance well past whatever sci-fi fantasy her reality could of predicted.  The US landed a spacecraft on the moon for crying out loud!  So much so that the US doesn’t even seem concerned about the moon anymore.

The thoughts kept making Stephanie more and more depressed.  She was seeing all these amazing things around her.  Stuff she actually liked, but she saw so many people not care.  People who took the amazing things they have, and still found small, silly things to complain about.  Soon Stephanie wasn’t even paying attention to the ball game anymore.  She was just sad, the realization of where she was, not in terms of being at the ball park, but in life, was just difficult to swallow.

“Uh excuse me, Ms. Rogers?”  A woman from the stadium tapped Stephanie on her shoulder as Stephanie slouched down on the seat deep in depression.  Stephanie glanced up to the woman.  “You have a call waiting for you, it’s very important from what I understand.”  Stephanie nodded and following the woman to an office with a phone waiting off the receiver.  Stephanie reached down to pick up the phone.

“Hello?”  Stephanie asked, wondering what the call was for.

“Stephanie.”  It was Nick Fury, she’d recognize that voice anywhere.  “I know you’re at the ball park but we need you back at HQ immediately.  There’s been an attack in New York City.”

Stephanie’s heart stopped for a moment at the news, “Alright, I assume you have transport coming out?”

“Should be there in a moment, it has your gear as well.”  Fury’s tone was the same as it usually was, something to it though, very small but one Stephanie sensed.  Something that said Fury was worried, whatever was going on was huge.

“Understood.”  Stephanie hung up the phone as on cue a limo arrived to pick up Stephanie Rogers.

[b]SHIELD Helicarrier[/b]

The flight back Stephanie took the time to get suited up.  The new suit SHIELD had given her was meant to both be a call back to the suit she wore during World War II.  However it was upgraded with new, stronger material.  The shield and the wrist strap she wore for it though?  Same as it always was.  Not that Stephanie would have it any other way.

Strolling through the seemingly massive helicarrier still had an awe effect on the woman.  She used to think the Empire State Building was the crown of human achievement.  Now though, that was just a building, this was a thing that flew.  Something that flew and in ways Stephanie didn’t even realize things could fly.  Now though she had something to keep her focus on.  Something horrible.

Arriving into the room Nick Fury and Stephanie Rogers both gave one another a salute.  “Good to see you got here quickly enough.”  Nick noted.  “I assume you were given the briefing on the way over.”

“Yes...”  Stephanie had been told a little but what she had heard was bad enough.  “A bomb went off at some rally.  Right now the suspicion is terrorist motive.”  

“Correct.”  Fury turned on a large screen behind him.  On it was a large group of people protesting, some normal looking, others much less so.  They were lined up in front of a bakery rallying against mutant prosecution.  Something else Stephanie had to be filled in on when she came back.  Suddenly a massive explosion ripped through the street.  Stephanie’s eyes widened as she cupped a hand around her mouth in shock.  A sickly swell raising up in her stomach.

“Oh my God.”  Stephanie could only breathe out in shock.

Fury himself seemed like he was only now getting over the shock.  Shaking his head in disgust as he put a hand onto a table next to him.  “What’s worse is while you were coming out here we’ve gotten news that this is a confirmed terrorist act.  Even worse, the terrorist group in question is why I'm specifically putting you in charge of this assignment as of right now.”

Nick Fury reached into his coat, pulling out an envelope, before handing it over to Stephanie.  As she started to open it, pulling out the paperwork inside.  She saw something which immediately made the blood in her veins start to boil viciously.  The picture was blurry, in black and white, and didn’t show much, but it showed enough.  A man in a Nazi looking suit, with a mask that looked like a skull.

“Red Skull...”  Stephanie’s hands gripped the envelope tight as she started to visibly shake from anger.  Somehow, someway...

[center]That son of a bitch was still alive.[/center]