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Steve Rogers walked into the base without anyone stopping him.
The way people respected him now made him feel better than he remembered feeling. Maybe it was being a fugitive, a wanted man, a criminal in government's eyes for a long time that made being a respected hero so enjoyable after all the time he spent being uncomfortable about it.
He smiled at the soldier in front of the door who looked at him with both anxiety and excitement glowing in his eyes.
It turned out, after being lost and gone for a few years, the return of Captain America excitened lots of people. So much that the doors of the most protected S.H.I.E.L.D. bases were wide open for him. This base located in Area 51 was no different, even years after his return.
When he first appeared, well maybe a few weeks later, he had many people trying to convince him to join S.H.I.E.L.D. One of them was not so surprisingly, the woman he had came to the past for. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was important to Peggy but he had no desire to work with HYDRA spies around. Sooner or later the whole place was going to be full of them and it physically pained him that he couldn't just prevent it fully.
Him being back was a big deal and Steve was sure it was going to mess the timeline up, not that it would be the first time, he thought as he recalled the elevator incident during his last mission with the Avengers.
It all felt like decades ago, he realized with time. Fighting aliens, Ultron, destroying HYDRA amongside the very same S.H.I.E.L.D. founded by his very own wife, finding Bucky, fighting with his friends at the airport, being fugitives with Nat and Sam, losing to Thanos and losing his best friend once again only to actually time-travel to save the half of the universe including him... He hoped to see them again, he really did. He knew he would never see Nat or Tony again but he felt like he owed Bucky and Sam this. Not the ones of his current timeline but the ones from his actual timeline who were there before he left for the life he had now.
Some days he simply failed to believe he did the right thing by doing this. But after everything that happened, he felt like he deserved to do something for himself. He remembered Natasha saying the same thing to him when they were running. He remembered answering her with a smirk, reminding her that the same thing applied to her too.
He wondered if she had done something for herself, ever. Sometime in her life, before sacrificing herself for others. But deep down, he already knew the answer. No, Natasha never thought she deserved something good.
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts that were invading his brain as he looked around the base.
Even though he was a 40's man who could never get used to the technology of the 21st century, the sudden disappearence of the very useful phones and high quality pictures and not having the privilege of searching whatever he had wondered on internet wasn't really fun to deal with.
He knew Peggy had a life before him, rightfully. When he woke up in 2011, one of the first things he found out was that Peggy was an actually important figure in the history. He had even came across some people who talked about how she was their source of inspiration.
He had read some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. files about her. Not the most detailed ones since they were classified but enough to give him the basics.
So he was fully prepared to meet her partner, the famous Daniel Sousa. Discovering they weren't working together anymore was a shock but if he was going to meddle with the time, he could very well make sure Peggy had spent as much as time with him before he was killed in 1955.
He was a very nice man, Steve had to admit. Even the very new knowledge of him being Peggy's ex couldn't change his mind about it. He had never been the type of guy who would let jealousy cloud his judgment, he wasn't going to become one anytime soon.
Daniel Sousa was a gentle, honest, open minded, loyal man who stood by Peggy in these days Steve almost forgot how sexist people were. Having Natasha, a woman every single men she worked together were scared to death of let alone say something sexist to, by his side for as long as he did, being back to this patriarchal world was a low blow. Peggy deserved better. But it was very often that she got the respect she deserved, proving herself to be more worthy of it than her male colleagues.
He'd have liked to consider Sousa as a friend of his, at the end of the day, almost six years after he met him. So during a short vacation that he and Peggy were visiting a friend of hers who lived in Nevada, he thought he would pay the Security Chief Sousa a visit in Area 51.
What he hadn't seen coming was the anger he found in the man's face, not directed at him but still an unpleasent sight to see. A woman, Sousa said with gritted teeth at his question of what happened, walked into the base pretending to be Peggy and no one caught her.
Yeah, Steve could understand the frustration.
"Was she alone?" He asked with a voice he intentionally kept calm.
"I don’t think so," Sousa answered. "Look, you can go, sit in my office and we can catch up later after I handle this." He said, his voice carrying less of the anger.
"Respectfully, Chief," Steve talked with a small smile. "Expecting me to just sit here as you go in action is a bit naive of you, I'm sure you would agree."
Sousa shot him a small smile of his own before starting to walk, Steve following him.
The man walked with such a determination that Steve couldn't help but respect and admire. But he also knew whoever that woman was or whoever she had with her were not real threats against S.H.I.E.L.D. The real threats were already walking in the bases, smiling and chatting with them, laughing at their jokes. But this man had no idea, if only he knew, Steve thought. One thing he had understood about Sousa in the last six years was that he would die on this hill if it meant getting rid of HYDRA. It wasn't hard to emphatize for him. But he couldn't mess with the past like he was reliving, that was not how things worked. If S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to fall, then that was it. It wasn't his biggest concern.
Sousa ended up going into the bus with the VIPs to arrest the other mole as Steve was caught in a talk with a young soldier-fan. He knew Sousa wouldn't have any problems so he didn't try to keep the conversation short. The excitement of the young man stood in front of him reminded him of a man he had met years ago and never had time to to actually get to know to.
His focus changed from the young soldier to Sousa as he walked out. He still had the same determination on but he looked calmer, more relaxed.
After him, came the soldiers with the mole between them. And Steve felt air leave his lungs.
Steve Rogers was not a man who wasn't used to strange things happening.
He had stayed frozen in ice for 80 years, woke up to a whole new world, met Asgardian gods, found out his best friend who died didn't really die and killed the father of his teammate who was also a friend of his, saw people turning into dust, travelled in time to get them back and finally travelled once again to live the life he never got to live.
The word "impossible" was meaningless when it came to his life.
But seeing the guy Sousa arrested, he realized, the shock of those not-impossible things was never going to wear out.
There stood, agent Phil Coulson, dressed up in a way that fit the fashion of 50's. And he looked very much alive.
He wasn't even sure if he was ready to hear the insane explanation of this whole thing as his eyes met the eyes of man who was murdered by Loki. The man looked as shocked as he felt.
The flashes of the moment Fury put his blood covered trading cards on the table the Avengers were sat around, appeared in front of his eyes.
Was this some sort of S.H.I.E.L.D. mission that Coulson was a part of? Did S.H.I.E.L.D. discover time travel before Tony did? Before Loki even appeared and Avengers were assemled for the first time? If so, what happened to that technology after S.H.I.E.L.D fall? Did HYDRA have access to that? The endless possibilities made his heart start thumbling faster in his chest.
"Take him to the cell the other mole is locked in." Sousa ordered as he walked towards Steve.
"There is something familiar about this guy to me," Steve said. "Do you mind if I have a chat with those moles, Chief?"
Sousa frowned for a second, considering. But Steve knew he would agree, he knew he had earned Daniel Sousa's trust a while ago. "Go ahead. I will be back at my office." He said, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder momentarily before walking away.
Steve followed the guys who were taking 'the mole' to the cell.
Soon they were in front of a cell, one of the soldiers unlocked the door and pushed Coulson in with a force that made Steve grimace. He was staring at Coulson when he realized the soldiers looking at him, expecting him to walk in the cell to talk to them as he told Daniel Sousa.
He gave them a small but ordering nod that made them take a step back as he walked in the small cell. He closed the door after himself and finally turned to face the moles.
"Captain America?" The woman pretending to be Peggy stared at him in shock. "How is this even possible?" She asked, turning at Coulson.
Sousa had mentioned she had a bad fake accent but she sounded like British to Steve.
"I have no idea," Coulson answered without taking his eyes off of the blond man. His voice was irritatingly calm.
"Could he be a Chronicom?" The woman asked with a worried tone.
"A Chronicom? What does that even mean?" Steve asked, talking to them for the first time.
The woman eyed at him for a second. "This could be a Chronicom lie." She said, her voice turning accusing.
"I don't think that's what this is." Coulson said, a small smile visible on his face.
"You are from the future, right?" Steve asked, ignoring their talk with words that made little to no sense to him.
"That's right. I'm assuming you are too." Coulson answered.
The woman's shock seemed to grow. "When did we send Captain America back to his time?" She asked
"Not yet, I think."
Steve listened to their interaction. So it was right that they were from a time before his. "What year are you from?"
"2020," the woman answered his question. "What about you?"
"2023," he answered her question before her answer sinking in. "Wait, 2020? How? Coulson died in 2011, before the battle of New York."
The woman pretending to be Peggy smiled for the first time since he came in. She and Coulson shared a quiet look before Coulson starting to talk. "I did. And then I came back."
Steve stared at him, trying to comprehend.
"Well, then I died again. And then I was brought back as a robot, LMD, Life Model Decoy as whatever you would like to call it. But that'a story for another time."
"And you've been... what, hiding from everyone you knew?" Steve asked incrediously.
"I mean most people I know were already in S.H.I.E.L.D., so there was not much hiding in that matter." He replied with a shrug.
"Also, your photo was released when we were wanted, wasn't it?" The woman asked. "Not much hiding in that matter, either."
"What about your family?" Steve asked, much to the surprise of the two that were sat in front of him. "You told them, right?"
Coulson frowned at the question. "I'm not sure I'm following, Cap."
"Your family? Your two daughters and one son?" He asked once again. "They must have been devastated."
Coulson turned to see the woman next to him looking as lost as he did. "I don't have a family in the traditional sense, Cap. If you are mixing me up with someone, I'm really going to be offended."
"No, I signed those trading cards for them. I'm sure." The blond man insisted. "It was a few months after your death and Natasha brought me those vintage Captain America trading cards and told me your family, especially your kids would've loved it if I signed those for them."
The confusion slowly disappeared from the faces of both as the woman let out a small giggle.
Steve stared at the two blankly for a few seconds before the realization hit him. "Natasha knew." He voiced out the obvious.
"I was really wondering how she got you to sign them." Coulson said with an amused shake of head. "Thank you, by the way. I put them together in a frame and have been moving them with me wherever I moved."
"Is it on your bunk in Zeyphr?" The woman asked, looking surprised.
Coulson comfirmed with a nod.
Steve sat down on the empty seat as rested his head on the wall for a second, letting it all sink in. "So, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"Long story short?" The British woman asked. "There are these alien creatures called Chronicoms who are trying to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. by messing with the timeline, so that they could invade the world freely. We are following them to stop them as they move from a time to a time." She explained.
Steve nodded as he listened to the woman talk so confident about what they've been doing. She certainly reminded him of the woman she was pretending to be before she was caught by one of the people who knew that woman best.
"Is there anything I could do to help? Other than getting you out of here?"
"You shouldn't get us out, to begin with. That would be too suspicious. Our teammates must have realized our absence, they'll probably be here soon." Coulson answered firmly. "And helping us thing is just tricky, Cap. We don't stay long wherever or whenever we go."
Steve nodded with a thoughtful look. "I might not be travelling with you. But I'm already living in this timeline. You can just give me a call the year you end up in. And if you can brief me more, I will be in alert for those Chronicoms to see if there are any around."
Coulson nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Cap."
"There is not a simple test to recognize a Chronicom. But they don't have human emotions or reactions. They are like very-basic robots." The British woman told him. "But more than that, you can just focus on the events that don't match this timeline. Like someone being alive when they shouldn't. The Chronicoms don't just kill people but also save people who shouldn't be saved."
Steve listened to her carefully as he accepted the first real mission he had in years.
He was so set on not working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else for years now, knowing there was no way it would end up well but there he was again.
"Okay, well, I think I should leave now." He said standing up.
Coulson and the woman next to him stood up as well. Coulson walked towards him to give him a hug that Steve returned without hesitation.
"I'm glad you didn't die." He said softly.
"Right back at you, Captain." Coulson said, returning his smile.
The woman reached a hand out to Steve. "I'm Jemma, by the way. Jemma Simmons, S.H.I.E.L.D. biochemist. It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers."
Steve shook her hand. "The same goes for you."
"Can I ask one thing, though?" Jemma talked just before he could turn and leave the cell. "How does it work with you living here and the other you being frozen in ice?" She asked without waiting for him to say she can.
Steve smiled as he took a deep breath and faced the woman waiting for a reply.
There were no easy explanations in the world they lived, were there?
Daniel Sousa walked towards the cell with the CIA agent next to him.
He wasn't sure why he trusted her so easily that he was taking her to the cell of the moles only a few minutes after meeting her for the first time. But he was used to trusting his guts and there was something about this woman that made him trust her.
"Captain is with them right now. He said he recognized one of them. Which also supports the possibility of them having something to with the infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D." He talked.
The woman froze for a second, stopping walking.
Sousa turned to look at her, trying to understand what would make her react that way. "What is it?"
"Captain?" She asked with a frown on her face, looking puzzled.
"I'm pretty sure CIA is aware of the returnal of Captain America." Sousa answered.
The blonde, though obviously not naturally, woman's eyes widened as she tried to take a deep breath to calm herself. "Steve Rogers? He is talking to the moles?"
Sousa stared at the woman without answering. His questioning eyes scanned her as she figgeted her fingers with a nervous look on her face.
She forced a fake laugh out. "I mean it makes sense, yeah." She said before starting to walk again.
Sousa looked at her with clear doubt but if this CIA agent was one of the people who were obsessed with Captain America, it shouldn't have been a surprise.
It wasn't out of ordinary for women he met to be excited to talk to Captain. This woman knew lots of things about him as she made it clear with a great confidence and no hesitation. But the mention of Captain was enough to break the attitude.
"Are you an admirer?" He asked mockingly.
"Oh, no," she shook her head. "My dad is though." She added after a second like she wasn't sure if she wanted to say that or not. "It just came as a surprise."
He looked surprised but accepted her answer and kept walking with quick steps that made her stay behind as she followed him with slower ones.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy..." The woman muttered, very aware of the truth that things were getting more and more complicated with every second.