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Jemma entered the studio and smiled at the sight of her best friend sitting at their desk reviewing his script. “Fitz!” she cried cheerfully, “happy birthday!”
Fitz looked up and smiled at her. “Thanks! You’re coming to Hawkins’ Pub with the group tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jemma told him.
She sat down next to him and a comfortable silence fell as Fitz went back to reviewing his notes and Wendy came over to apply make-up. There was a map of Greenland and the Arctic on the desk in front of them. Jemma pulled out her own copy of the script and reviewed it quickly.
“Okay, are we ready?” the director asked, coming over to stand in front of the desk. Jemma and Fitz nodded and put their scripts away. The director moved behind the camera. “Three, two, one, action.”
“Today on Buzzfeed Unsolved,” Fitz began, “we’re looking into the miraculous discovery of Captain America. Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, was born on the 4th of July, 1918-”
“Very patriotic,” Jemma commented.
“Very patriotic, indeed, Simmons,” Fitz said. “When World War II began, Steve Rogers joined the army as soon as he was able, serving first as an actor promoting war bonds, before finally joining the famous Howling Commandos, where he got to see a bit of action. Steve Rogers’ plane went down in the Arctic Ocean in 1945 and he was assumed dead. However, in July 2011, Steve Rogers was found, still alive. Now, we know the story we’ve been told, that Steve Rogers was given a super serum that made him into a real life superhero and that serum allowed him to survive in ice for nearly seventy years, but what exactly that serum was, was never released to the public. If there actually was some kind of magic potion that could change people the way it allegedly changed Steve Rogers, why haven’t more people recreated it and used it for themselves?”
“Others have tried,” Jemma said. “Bruce Banner, for one. And Peggy Carter wrote in her autobiography that the serum was deemed too dangerous to keep.”
“That’s assuming the serum is in fact the truth,” Fitz said.
“You have other theories?” Jemma asked.
“I do have other theories,” Fitz confirmed. “Three, to be exact.”
Jemma sighed. “All right, let’s hear them.”
“Theory one: This man claiming to be Steve Rogers, is not, in fact, the real Steve Rogers.”
“So, he’s like the Dread Pirate Roberts?”
“Yes,” Fitz agreed, “or maybe Anastasia.”
“So, you’re saying the real Steve Rogers is actually dead, and this man is an imposter.”
“Yes.”
“That’s depressing. And how is he faking the super strength? That’s not really something you can fake.”
“Maybe he has a punishing exercise routine?” Fitz suggested.
“I don’t buy this theory,” Jemma told him.
“Okay, then theory two: Cloning.”
“Like Dolly the sheep?”
“Yeah, like Dolly the sheep. What if Captain America did crash in the Arctic, but was rescued before he died? He knew the world would continue to need superheroes, so he had his rescuers take DNA samples, in order to be used for cloning purposes.”
“But why wait until 2011 to reveal this cloned Captain America?”
“Maybe the first attempts at cloning didn’t work out?” Fitz suggested. “Plus, they would have had to wait until the clone grew up and was the same age as the original.”
“Well, this theory is a bit more likely than the super serum, but I’m still not fully buying it.”
“Well, wait until you hear my third and final theory,” Fitz told her. He paused for dramatic effect. “Aliens!”
Jemma rolled her eyes. “Ugh, Fitz!”
“What if, when Captain America’s plane went down, aliens happened to be passing by Earth and decided they needed a superhero of their own?”
“Some kind of guardian of the galaxy?” Jemma asked sarcastically.
“Exactly! Captain America helped the aliens fight their battles, and then requested that they drop him off exactly where they found him.”
“Then how do you explain him not aging?”
Fitz shrugged. “Erm, they kept him in cryo-freeze when they didn’t need him?”
Jemma rolled her eyes again. “Look, as improbable as it sounds, I believe the initial theory that we were told about Captain America.”
“But you only believe it because Peggy Carter says it’s true.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Because what if she only says it’s true because she was forced to say it’s true?”
“What?”
“I dunno, some Men in Black type agency feeds her this lie in order to cover up the alien abduction.”
“Ugh, Fitz!”
Fitz smiled at the camera. “You know what I believe; you know what Jemma believes; now, you lot will have to decide for yourselves about the truth behind Captain America’s miraculous discovery.”
“Cut!” the director called out. “That was good, guys. Jemma, maybe you could add a little more eye rolling? And Fitz, a bit of a longer pause before the alien theory. Okay, let’s go again, guys.”
They spent the next few hours re-shooting with different camera angles, new line additions, and various reactions. When they were finally done, Jemma was more than ready to relax at the pub with Fitz and their friends.
Some would call Hawkins’ Pub--with its 80’s theme--hipster, but Jemma preferred to think of it as charming. She and Fitz entered and immediately spotted their friend, Daisy Johnson, at the bar, flirting with the young, 20-something bartender who had a glorious mane of hair.
“Hey, guys,” Daisy said cheerfully when they approached her. “I was just telling Steve here all about your birthday, Fitz. He’s promised us some free drinks.”
“Happy birthday, dude,” Steve said, handing over a tray of shots.
“Cheers, mate,” Fitz told him as he picked up the tray.
Daisy led them to a large, round booth where Mack, Elena, Piper, and Prince were waiting. There was a chorus of greetings and “happy birthday”s as Fitz and Jemma slid in.
“Davis texted,” Piper announced. “Their babysitter fell through, so his wife is gonna stay home while he comes to celebrate.”
“They could’ve just brought the baby,” Hunter commented as he and Bobbi approached the booth. “That’s what we did.”
“We didn’t really have a choice,” Bobbi said, one hand rubbing her rather large, pregnant belly. “Get me a chair, Hunter; I won’t be able to fit in the booth.”
“Yes, dear,” Hunter said.
“So, what crazy theories did you record today?” Piper asked Fitz and Jemma once everyone had settled into the booth.
“Captain America was abducted by aliens to be a guardian of the galaxy,” Fitz told her and everyone at the table began to laugh.
“What if he’s some sort of programmable robot?” Elena suggested.
“Oh, that’s a good one!” Fitz said. “Maybe we could do another quick reshoot tomorrow?” he suggested to Jemma.
“Maybe,” Jemma said, “but we’re supposed to be filming about that little girl from Indiana that people claimed was telekinetic.”
“Telekinetic, that would be a cool superpower,” Hunter commented.
“Oooh, let’s go around and name your ideal superpower,” Daisy suggested. “I’ll go first! Um, well, telekinesis would be nice, or maybe super strength. What about you, Fitz?”
“Erm, the ability to talk to animals?” he suggested.
“Animals, or just monkeys?” Mack asked.
“Well, I’d mainly use it to talk to monkeys,” Fitz admitted.
“You could have a monkey sidekick!” Daisy suggested.
“Yeah!” Fitz grinned at the idea. “He could help me get through laser fences with his adorable little hands.” He turned to Jemma. “What superpower do you want, Simmons?”
Jemma thought, one hand tapping her chin. “Oh, I know! The ability to breathe in places where humans typically can’t, such as underwater, or in outer space.”
Mack chose the ability to know if someone was a robot or not, Elena chose super speed, Hunter chose X-ray vision or invisibility, Bobbi chose healing powers, Prince chose teleportation, Piper chose flight, and Davis, when he arrived, chose the ability to see the future. Fitz and Davis then got into a discussion/argument over the possibility of being able to change the future.
Jemma smiled as she listened to their friendly bickering, chiming in occasionally to help Fitz prove his point about spacetime. She really did have the best friends. Her mind drifted toward Steve Rogers. If he really was a man out of time, like they’d all been told, and not some sort of clone or alien, then all of his friends were dead. How sad.
She was quiet as she and Fitz walked back to her apartment, her mind still on Captain America and everything he had lost. They stopped outside her door, and Jemma fidgeted with her key.
“Fitz,” she said, and he turned to look at her with an expectant smile. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how much Steve Rogers lost, being frozen for nearly 70 years, and I just want you to know--you’re my best friend in the world, Fitz.”
Fitz smiled. “I love you, too, Jemma.”
Jemma kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Fitz.”