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[b][center][color=527CAD]CAPTAIN AMERICA[/color][/center][/b]
[/h1][/sup][/color][indent][sub][COLOR=527CAD][I]SPRING 2022[/I][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][indent][sup][right][COLOR=527CAD][b]AWAKEN IN A STRANGE PLACE[/b][/color][/right][/sup][/indent][hr][indent][indent][sub][COLOR=527CAD]MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY[/color][/sub][/indent][/indent][indent][indent][indent][color=87a4c7]The first thing Steven Rogers heard as his eyes slowly opened was [url=https://youtu.be/fKCozjGub_M?t=47][COLOR=527CAD]the blast of trumpets and saxes[/color][/url] from the radio nearby the bed. He realized instantly that he wasn't on the German bomber anymore, feeling a sense of relief for being rescued. His combat uniform was replaced by a casual striped shirt, dark olive-drab cotton pants, and brown para boots. But his shield and M1911 pistol were nowhere to be seen in the room. Steven was vigilant about his surroundings even though it was obviously a hospital room since he didn't know if the medical staff was treating him as a patient or a prisoner of war. Then, the door gradually opened to reveal a nurse carrying a wooden clipboard with papers on it.

The nurse greeted her patient with a friendly smile while glancing at the clipboard. [color=CE0200]"Good morning, Steven. It's good to see you awake."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"Where am I?"[/color] Steven asked, rather abnormally blunt in a rude tone.

And yet, the nurse didn't seem to mind the impoliteness—in fact, she appeared to be sympathetic to her patient. [color=CE0200]"You're at the Bellevue Hospital in New York City, captain."[/color]

Steven took a long hard look around the hospital room, noting that there was nothing out of the ordinary. He then noticed that the time on the clock was four o'clock in the afternoon. And judging by the fact that the sun wasn't anywhere near the horizon meant that something was off. But that wasn't all he noticed. Steven also realized that he couldn't hear traffic noise, which was incredibly bizarre in a heavily populated city like New York City. Furthermore, the music from the radio appeared to be deliberately loud, so it would've been hard to listen for traffic. Evidently, he was being lied to by the nurse; however, he didn't know if she was knowingly involved or not. So he asked the same question again.

[color=5F86B4]"[b]Where[/b] am I?"[/color]

The nurse's smile quickly turned into a frown as she placed the clipboard against her chest. [color=CE0200]"I don't understand, captain."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"You might not, but I know for a fact that we aren't in New York City—no traffic noise is a dead giveaway."[/color] Steven got up from the bed and slowly approached the nurse. [color=5F86B4]"So, I will ask again, and please be truthful: Where am I?"[/color]

Abruptly, two armed men with batons came into the room to contain the escalating situation. However, it was clear that they weren't hospital security nor part of the United States Army by their uniforms. The nurse was displeased with their arrival as she tried to kick them out of the room. But when they refused to leave, the nurse turned toward Steven and attempted to ease tensions. [color=CE0200]"Captain Rogers, please sit down, and I will do my best to explain everything to you."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"I am afraid I can't do that, ma'am."[/color] Steven sincerely said in an apologetic tone, staring directly at the armed men. He knew that it would be an easy fight even without his shield. But he didn't want to hurt them for doing their jobs. So as [url=https://youtu.be/fKCozjGub_M?t=178][COLOR=527CAD]the song was coming to a climactic ending[/color][/url], Steven turned and ran for the window—ready to dive headfirst into whatever was waiting for him outside. Everyone was surprised that the captain did that stunt without hesitation. The nurse ran towards the broken window, concerned about his well-being but was astonished to see him kneeling on the hood of a taxi cab. The driver was obviously upset about the damage to his vehicle, but the captain was dazed and confused about his surroundings to notice.

Steven then ran northward without even noticing the angry taxi driver. He didn't know where to go nor had a plan besides running as far away as possible. Even know the streets remained the same, much of the city had changed entirely since his last visit. Thirty minutes of running had led him to Times Square, where it looked like something out of the pages of [i]Amazing Stories[/i]. The moving pictures on the walls of skyscrapers, overbearing lights coming from every direction, and that stranger humming noise beneath his feet caused the overwhelmed captain to drop to his knees. But before a crowd could've formed around him, unmarked black vehicles surrounded his position as individuals got out and began blocking access to the area.

A lone man exited the vehicle and cautiously approached Steven Rogers to not frighten him. But he detected the stranger and already was planning on running again if it wasn't for his senses overloading. The man, wearing a full-length black leather trench coat, put his hand on the captain's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. [color=727E86]"At ease, soldier. You're safe with me here."[/color]

There wasn't much Steven could've done to prevent it from happening in his current state. So instead, he asked in a distressed tone. [color=5F86B4]"Who are you?"[/color]

[color=727E86]"Colonel Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. You would have known us as the Special Scientific Reserve."[/color] Since waking up in that hospital room, Steven breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing that SSR was still active even if it had undergone a sudden name change. He slowly got up from the ground and turned to Colonel Fury, ready to ask the same question from earlier—wanting answers this time around without the lies and deception. 

[color=5F86B4]"Where am I?"[/color]

[color=727E86]"You're still in New York City, more specifically Times Square—though a lot has changed since your last visit."[/color] Nick looked around at the skyscrapers and billboards before gazing at the captain. [color=727E86]"We had hoped to slowly break it down for you with our performance back at the hospital. But you were too smart to be tricked like that."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"Break what down, sir?"[/color] Steven asked.

Nick didn't honestly know how to say the following words, but there was no other way than to be blunt. [color=727E86]"You have been asleep for seventy-seven years."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"Seventy-seven years..."[/color] Steven shook his head and nearly chuckled at the thought. It was too outlandish for him to believe. [color=5F86B4]"No, there's no way. How the hell am I alive then?"[/color]

Nick shrugged his shoulders. [color=727E86]"To be frank, we genuinely don't know. There's a working theory that Dr. Erskine's formula and frigid seawater prevented you from aging. But you would have to ask the eggheads for more info."[/color]

Honestly, Steven wasn't exactly in the mindset to learn how he defiled death, nor did he still believe that he had been frozen for about eighty years. So, he moved on to one important question left to ask. [color=5F86B4]"And the war... did we win?"[/color]

[color=727E86]"Fuck yeah, we did."[/color] Nick smirked and then extended his hand out to the captain. [color=727E86]"And your efforts against the Nazis and HYDRA are still heavily appreciated."[/color]

[color=5F86B4]"Respectfully, sir, it wasn't just me."[/color] Steven stated while accepting the hand to shake it. But then he abruptly stopped as the memories of his teammates resurfaced all at once. Margaret, Gabriel, Jim, William, Aleksey, Timothy, Robert, and... Bucky Barnes. Then, his thoughts were on his parents and friends. All of them were presumed dead, given how long he had been unconscious. It alone made him wish that he was having a horrible nightmare, but it was real.

[color=727E86]"What is it, captain?"[/color] Nick asked, genuinely concerned about Steven. He then realized that they were talking in the middle of a very popular tourist attraction. It wasn't ideal to speak openly about someone's past out in public, especially when secrets were involved. [color=727E86]"I can bring you somewhere more... remote to process your emotions if you want."[/color]

Steven shared a faint smile with the colonel and accepted his offer without any doubt. [color=5F86B4]"That sounds good to me, sir."[/color][/color][/indent][/indent][/indent]
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