Chapter Text
The camp was eerily quiet as Captain America stared through his binoculars. There were no guards at the posts, no snipers at the watchtowers, and where was the barbed wire? He looked to his men, the Howling Commandos, and nodded. They got up and marched into another camp of man-made hell.
Rogers knew the tyranny of the nazis, he knew of their barbaric strategies on the battlefields, but this was borderline demonic. Camps made to kill people. Eliminate them from the face of the Earth to prove the authenticity of the “Master Race.” To rid the world of what they deemed as… Vermin . He looked into each of the eyes of the survivors of this Holocaust. He found a soul more desperate and wanting for a miracle than he could ever when he was a boy stricken with Polio, their family barely getting by. At least, when he was a kid, they could get soup and bread, but this… This was evil.
This camp, however, felt off. No Nazis were ready to surrender, all the tanks and trucks were still in place, and none of the survivors were waiting for them. Steve feared for the worse, and hurried his men into barracks, planning to catch whatever Nazis were left off guard. What they found, however, shocked them.
Their throats were filled with blood and metal, as barbed wire went into their eyes, out of their noses and ears, and down their throats. They were murdered in their sleep , those who woke up were bound by the wire and strangled in the same, cruel manner that the others were. The medic who was with them checked their bodies and showed how the barbed wire was twisted and mangled into their intestinal tracks, with some of the barbs cutting through and leaking blood from the gut.
The survivors were found inside the bunker of the camp. They fed on the food the Nazis were eating and looked fairer and happier than most of the other concentration survivors. Apparently, according to their reports, the guards didn’t come out one morning after a night of screams and horrible metallic grinding. After hours of silence, it took them almost a day to step out of their deathbeds. The only thing left were the dogs, who were whining and begging for food. Some gave food to the dogs, but others threw rocks and yelled curses, remembering their barks and bites as they mauled their fellow victims. They ran into the wild, except for a few who sat near a boy.
The boy sat alone, giving the dogs his scraps as he stared ahead. Captain America sat by the boy, giving him a portion of his rations,
“Go on, I can’t eat anymore,” Steve said, using the German he knew to ease the boy. But then he winced, so he quickly switched to Polish, “I’m sorry, I’m trying to figure my way around this Country,” The boy chuckled,
“... It is fine. It’s like these dogs, those words… Just because they were used by evil doesn’t mean they are evil. But the evil that used them…”
“They’ve been dealt with, but we’re trying to figure out what happened. Do you know?”
“I believe it’s an Indian saying… Karma? ”
“Heh,” Steve said as he looked around the death camp, “I guess you could say that… Still…” Crack! Steve perked his ears, eyes snapping toward the kickoff of dirt nearby, launched on his feet, and yelled out in English, “Sniper! Get everyone down!”
The Howling Commandos sprung into action as they got the survivors behind buildings, away from the sniper fire. Crack! Another snipe near Captain America, who raised his shield and got the boy behind him. He peaked over the Heater Shield, seeing the sniper’s lens in the tallest tower of the camp. He made a hand movement to his allies, Bucky trying his best to get into position. Steve then felt movement behind him as the boy backed away, raising his hands and moving his fingers.
BOOM! Steve snapped back, seeing a tank being thrown into the tower, the sniper running down the tower as it shook to its foundation, “What the hell made that!?” Bucky asked,
“I don’t know, but we need to get that sniper now!” Steve looked behind him again, seeing the boy wasn’t there anymore. He quickly glanced around, seeing no one as he began to charge towards the falling tower, “Go, go, go!”
The Howling Commandos ran over as the tower hit the camp’s walls, pointing their guns at the front door, “This the only exit?” Captain America asked,
“Should be,” Sergeant Fury said as he pointed his rifle at the door, “Unless he plans to jump out of those windows. Otherwise, he’ll be a dead Nazi soon.”
“Not so fast,” Steve said, “I wanna know what happened here, and if it could be a Nazi weapon. Y’know how desperate they are for the war to win on their side,”
“Have it your way, but know that this son of a bitch is a dead man, no matter what.”
“Alright Fury , I’m going in. I just need five minutes,” The Captain raised his shield and charged in, sniper fire pinging off his shield as he bashed into the front door , he raised his pistol at the Nazi, who slowly lowered his rifle,
“Gutentag, bastard,” Steve said as he picked the man onto his feet, speaking his language as he kept his gun on him, his shield in his other hand, “You mind telling me what the hell is going on around here?”
“That boy, over there. The one you gave food to?” The sniper said, “Kill it.”
“I’m not as demented as you are, and I’m not killing a boy because he’s Jewish,”
“He is not jew!” The Nazi said, “He is a mutant! His kind must be wiped out! He killed them all!”
“You’re telling me a boy did this?” Steve scoffed, “Of all of the gutless statements I heard from your fellow camp guards, this is the most sickening.” Steve dragged the man out and threw him on the ground, “I got what I needed, Fury,”
“Good,” Fury then stepped forward as the sniper shouted in German,
“I’m telling you the truth! The boy is a demon, a demon!”
“You better look towards the demon right here,” Fury said, but then paused as he looked at Steve, “Cap! Get down!”
“Huh?” Steve turned to see his heater shield no longer strapped onto him. The metal buckles were loose as the leather straps hung from the metal shield, the sharp end pointed at the sniper. Captain America dodged, seeing as the shield went flying straight into the sniper’s throat, lodging into his chest. He gurgled to death on his own blood, the shield dropping lifeless onto the ground as Steve gasped. He looked at his men, who were just as dumbfounded and anxious as he was. Steve then met the eyes of the boy he met earlier, who stared unblinkingly at the guard’s corpse.
The survivors were evacuated westward, where the boy and Cap shared one last meal together . The boy looked down as Steve signed signatures of copies of his comics and baseball cards for the kids, who wore genuine smiles after the horrorshow they survived.
“Captain,” The boy said, getting the attention of the star-spangled man , “ You know that it was me, right?”
“I do,” Steve said in his Polish tongue, “And I won’t judge, but I’m curious; What made you do it.”
“Erik… Call me Erik,” The boy said, “They wanted me to fight for them when they learned my powers. They said they would free me and my family, but I couldn’t do it. They pushed me and tortured me, to get stronger for them, but I still couldn’t do it. They then… They then murdered my mother and father in front of me… Saying how I was lucky that I wasn’t dead yet,” The boy cried, but anger was what he wore on his face, “My powers came to me, and I had the motivation to use them.”
“They called you… A mutant?”
“I’m not sure what I am…” Erik said, “But I know who I am now, thanks to those men, my family, and you, Captain America.”
“And what’s that, Erik?”
“A vengeful survivor, who demands Justice.”
"Wait, I--" The crowd moved past Steve as he was shuffled around. He turned to where Erik was, but he was already gone. That was the last time Steve saw little Erik before he went Eastward toward Berlin. He worried for the boy and hoped things turned out better for him.
Steve looks towards the modern day now, standing at a press conference with his fellow Avengers. Ironman is taking the lead as Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Antman, and the Wasp take questions. But that wasn’t what led Steve here , it was the announcement,
“And presenting our new members, introducing the wonder twins of our team: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch!” Steve clapped his hands as the two teens came out. It felt like just yesterday he and the others rescued them from Red Skull’s final base, and now they were official members of the Avengers . Quicksilver showed off, running to every person in the room and shaking their hand in a blink of an eye. Scarlet Witch dazzled everyone with a light show of mystical red smoke in the air as she floated towards her seat. She smiled at her brother, and the both of them smiled at Cap, “Alright, first questions, come right up!”
“Mr. Stark,” The first person who raised their hand said, “Is it true that you’re underneath that armor, right now?”
“Does this answer that?” Tony then took off his helmet and smiled for the cameras, “It’s true, it’s true, as it was announced weeks ago, that yes: I am Ironman.” Black Widow rolled her eyes as she looked over at Clint,
“God, can we just go back to killing each other?” She said away from the microphone, “I would rather get shot by an arrow than deal with this,”
“Hey, you were the one that helped us with a Russian dude in stolen red Stark armor, and now you’re a hero! Deal with it,” Hawkeye said as he looked around, “Besides, we’ll barely get questioned , they mostly go for Hulk or--”
“Black Widow,” One person said as she stepped in front of the microphone, “I'm with Woman’s magazine, and we were curious about your superheroics: What do you use for your hair?” Black Widow arched an eyebrow and looked at the others. She shrugged and leaned into the microphone,
“I use all-natural oils and lotions: Dandruff leaves DNA. Also, lavender conditioner doesn’t make too much of a smell.”
“Wow! And what do you say to the ladies at home?”
“If you find yourselves threatened, use a hammer fist and aim towards the ribs and groin,” Black Widow then balled her hand into a fist, and struck her other palm downward towards the pinky, “You’ll deliver more force, and be less likely to break your own hand.”
“Liberating! We love it!” She stepped off from the mic and Black Widow’s teammates looked at her with a mixture of fear and apprehension… Except for Thor, who welcomed the Valkyrie of their team,
“Alright then, maybe a question for Hulk? Hmm? Or how about the man with a plan himself?” Ironman leaned the mic closer to Steve, looking at the reporters and fans,
“Mr. Rogers, what do you think about the 21st Century? Especially compared to the 1930s?”
“It’s, uh, cool ? Is that the right word?” Tony gave a thumbs up as Steve went on , “Polio’s not a big deal, the economy is better than a great depression, and there hasn’t been a world war for almost sixty years. So, all in all, I like it.” Another man walked up to the microphone, a frown on his face,
“Avengers, how does it feel,” The man started, gripping the mic, pointing at Wanda and Pietro, “To include muties into your ranks? Godless, muties who…” The mic cut off as Ironman tapped onto the wrist of his armor.
“And that’s all the time we have! Goodnight everyone !”
The drive back to the mansion was the worst part. On the street, before they entered the car as Steve tried to calm down the crowd and wave at everyone, he watched with his own eyes someone chucking a rock at Wanda! It almost hit her face when a hand grabbed it faster than anyone could see. Steve had to hold Pietro back as he shouted Slavic curses at the mob forming and guided them into the car.
“I can’t believe this!” Pietro said as they walked out of the car and into the safety of the iron gates of the Avengers mansion. A large residence for the Avengers to live in the city at any point. Stark mostly bought the lot to keep Thor and Banner from living in his tower across the park. Jarvis, however, was a constant presence at the residence, and greeted everyone at the entrance with a drink, “Did you-- Thank you, Jarvis, odd though. I never drink this,” Pietro said as he grabbed his green tea. He then turned back to Wanda, his glass empty as he set it back down on Jarvis' platter, “Did you see them? Calling us animals, even when they were throwing rocks at us!?”
“They’re just scared,” Wanda said, “Were they hurtful, yeah, but we do have powers that no one can explain,”
“It has been explained, repeatedly! We’re evolved humans, and the next step is for the genetics of humanity to diversify. We are mutants, and that’s not a problem!”
“I know,” Steve said to Pietro, “And that’s not fair. But we can’t force them to change their minds , we need to look toward their hearts and--”
“You think they’ll ever sympathize? All they care about is their own problems, never about one another!”
“That’s not true,” Steve said, looking towards his fellow Avengers, “Right?”
“Sorry Cap , I have a meeting , catch you all soon!” Ironman flew out of the mansion,
“Wrong person to ask…” Antman said, “I believe people can have second chances and know what they did was wrong. Janet?”
“Eh, as long as they’re not bond villains or magical overlords trying to conquer worlds, I think people are alright. Though, those who wear socks and flip-flops? Still iffy on them,”
“Thor, how about you?” Captain America asked, “Surely in your years on this Earth, you’ve seen people help each other?”
“The poor and misfortunate, yes. They wish to make it so no one feels the pain they do, except for those perpetuating their suffering. Those rich, fortunate, and vain often turn a blind eye and see past those they call their fellow man. It is those in the middle, however, I worry about their choices in the matter of things. Though, it is not our fault that the Norns wove our fates as such, it is our choices that make us who we are.”
“People are bastards,” Hawkeye bluntly said, “The sooner you know, the better.”
“Nyet,” Black Widow chimed in , “People are puppets of their governments. They believe what they’re shown, they hear what they’re told, and they do what their governments say.”
“I agree,” Dr. Banner said as he sat in a corner, fixing his shirt as he drank some orange juice, calmly breathing through his nose and out his mouth, “Soldiers shoot the Hulk because they’re ‘ordered’ to. They keep firing even when bullets bounce off.”
Steve sighed, grimacing when Bruce said the soldiers did as they were ordered just because they were ordered to, “But in a world where there are freedoms of speech and press, where ideas can be traded and expanded upon, people tend to make the place better. Look at America; It started as a series of colonies where slavery, poverty, and famine were the norm. Now? We are the last bastion of the free world, fighting to ensure that our Republic still stands and Democracy continues to wave its banners!”
“Steve, I know you believe in this country and whatnot,” Hawkeye said, “But I’m a literal assassin with a bow and arrow told by Shield to take bad people out. I don’t think that’s what a free world would do.”
“Wait, is Shield a part of America?” Wasp asked , “ I thought it was something from the United Nation s?”
“Take both , most of the funding for both organizations is from America. Even though they're ‘International entities,’ they’re practically American institutions.”
“Nah,” Hulk said as he rummaged through the fridge, “You’re all looking at it too big. Sure, people hurt people, but people love animals. To the point that they’ll hurt the people who hate animals. Hulk thinks people are good, but Hulk just wants to be left alone.”
“Aye! I have heard many a tale of valiant heroes dying to save their villages and families, banding together as brothers in arms as they are welcomed into Valhalla!”
“Sirs and Madams,” Jarvis said, entering the room, “ There are guests in the entryway. One Mr. Summers, one Ms. Grey, one Dr. Xavier, and one, er, Dr. McCoy.”
“I’ll talk to them,” Steve said as he looked at the two teens, “I promise, things will get better. It just takes time and patience.” Steve left the lounge and entered the entryway, seeing a bald man in a wheelchair, with a younger man and woman next to him, and a giant blue cat-ape thing that wore glasses and a suit, “Greetings, I’m Mr. Rogers. Nice to finally meet you, Professor Xavier,”
“You’ve heard of me?” Xavier smiled as he shook the hand of Captain America, leaning back as he shook Scott and Jean’s hands,
“Of course. Part of my crash course for the rest of the 20th century and 21st century my fellow Avengers helped me through was the Mutants Suffrage Movement. You’re a master of the art of diplomacy, one could say… A mind reader?”
“Hmm, I see Shield has been paying attention,” Xavier looked towards Scott and Jean , “ My apologies , these are the brightest students of my school . The others would be here, but alas…”
“Something came up?” Steve finished, “Don’t worry, the Avengers get that a lot. I was pleased that our recent press conference had all members finally, the previous ones tended to only have me or Ironman. Or the one time Thor was by himself, and began telling an epic saga of a family of Vikings.”
“Better than what the Fantastic Four did last month,” Scott said, “Leaving a robot to answer the press? Seemed risky…”
“Now Scott,” Dr. McCoy said, “Herbie seemed to have excellent points about the donations toward the Baxter Building for it being a historical building of New York, and the scientific endeavors of Dr. Richards, and who knows? Maybe one day, the X-Men or the Avengers will have a robotic ally?”
“Now that would be something,” Jean said, her eyes as red as her fiery hair. Steve was in awe, seeing someone like her, almost-- “Not human?” Steve gasped, his face welling with shame,
“Oh, er, I’m--”
“My bad, I keep drifting into other people’s thoughts. And no, Jean isn’t normally like this. But after our brief trip to space, I am one with the Phoenix Force .”
“The what?”
“Magic space firebird of life,” Scott summarized, “Easiest explanation that I’ve come up with. If you want to know more, it’ll take a couple hours.”
“One correction,” Jean held up a finger, “ Psionic space firebird of life. If you’re gonna try and sum me up, better do better next time Scott ,” She pecked Scott a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush, “Oh, nothing to be embarrassed of, Scott,”
“I know, but…” He tried to hush it down and speak into her ear, but Steve smiled as he whispered, “Not in front of the Captain!”
“So, what can the Avengers help you with, Xavier?” Captain America asked,
“I’m sure you’re well aware that two of your members are mutants, and I hope they’re happy here,” Xavier started, “But I want to give them the choice to come with me to the Mansion.”
“I’m… Unsure, it’s just…” Steve sighed, looking down, “I’ve known them since I woke up from the ice. I’ve never had children, and yet… They’re the closest I’ve come to that feeling. I know they’re safe here but at your Mansion?”
“They’ll be able to hone and master their powers and find companionship from their fellow classmates. And I assure you, by my power and the power invested in the X-Men, I shall keep all of my students safe. You have my word.”
“I know the weight of your word, Xavier, but not the depth. Why not stay around, we’ll talk a few more and I’ll even introduce you to the other Avengers. Lets--”
Vroom! The rumbling stopped outside as a motorcycle was parked. Bursting through the door was a short, hairy man, who wore a leather jacket over a yellow and blue suit,
“Sup, Bub,” The short man said looking at Steve as he lit a cigar, “Sup, Chuck,”
“Ah, Logan, I was unaware you would be here. I thought you were--”
“Nah, we cut that Sentinel factory apart. Storm’s on her way here, but she’s taking a quick stop to her fiance at the embassy,” Logan shook Steve’s hand, but Steve didn’t even pay attention to the dense hand he held, but the face he looked at,
“I… I know you… You’re Howlett!”
“Howlett? Chuck?” Logan looked over at Xavier, who looked into Steve’s eyes,
“Huh… It appears, Logan, you fought in the Second World War. Captain Rogers, Logan suffers from amnesia , he doesn’t remember most things about his life past… When did the Canadian Government find you?”
“Around the time they formed Alpha Flight,” Logan said, “Huh… At least I got a full name now.”
“Well come on, I’m sure you could use a couple drinks.” Steve said to his fellow soldier, “Thor has some bottles in the fridge.”
“Now you’re speaking my language, come on Slim!”
The first meeting of the Avengers and the X-Men went… Alright . Dr. Pym and Dr. McCoy chatted about single-celled life forms as Janet was bored out of her mind , Logan drank with Thor as they recalled tales of their battles, with Logan trying to jog Banner’s memory of their first meeting,
“Come on! We met in the Canadian woods, I slashed you, you smashed me, then the Wendigo came out of nowhere and we had to team up! Come on!”
“Sorry,” Banner said, “I don’t remember most things about the Hulk. If you do meet with him again, he’ll probably remember it more clearly.”
“Hey, I know a way,” Snikt! Three, long metal claws sliced through Logan’s fist, raising them near his face, “Eh?”
“Uh, I’d rather not,” Banner said,
“Aye, I agree with Banner, though I will say I admire the storage abilities of your weapons!”
“Yep, coated with adamantium. And with a regeneration factor, I’m practically invulnerable.”
“Er, sure,” Thor said,
“What do you mean?”
“Well, sure, your metal is, how do you say, ‘invulnerable,’ But my might Mjolnir can demolish the tallest of giants with but a stroke! You’re saying it can’t even force a dent?”
“Go ahead, I’ll tussle with ya,” Logan grinned as he took another sip of his beer, earning a booming laughter from Thor as he closed his mighty arms around the small Canadian and the rail-thin scientist, “Come! We mighty warriors must have a feast!” Thor cleared his throat as he tapped his hammer onto the ground, transforming it into a cane, “By the powers of Odin, may my hospitable hosts have a feast!” With a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder in the middle of a sunny day, Thor summoned a banquet of food on the dining table. Ham, Turkey, gravy, and wine.
“Uh, Thor, we just went to a Thanksgiving Party, I don’t think we need any more food,” Bruce said, shifting away from the rowdier people in the room,
“Aye, then we shall give the rest out to the unfortunate of the streets! My hammer shall guide me as I hand out turkey and cranberry sandwiches to the masses, with STUFFING!!!”
Over by the end of the dining table, Steve sat next to Wanda and Pietro as Xavier sat across from them,
“I believe there’s a library?” Wanda asked,
“Of course! We have books from my family from the generations, and books were given to us as a charity by Worthingtons. We also have a track behind the school,” Xavier said as he looked over at Pietro, who had his arms folded,
“How far upstate?” He asked,
“In Westchester County. Though may I ask, why do you wonder where we are?”
“It’s nothing,” Pietro said, “How about teams? Are we still Avengers or will we be X-Men?”
“Nothing is saying that either team is inclusive,” Xavier said, looking at Steve,
“Doesn’t matter if you join the X-Men or not, you’ll always be Avengers,” Steve said, “And If Stark or anyone else says otherwise--”
“Who’s gonna argue with Captain America?” Wanda asked, though Xavier still looked at Pietro,
“Pietro, is something on your mind?” Xavier said,
“It’s just… Do you know what it’s like to have super speed, all the time?” Pietro began, “Everything is slow. Everything moves like it’s molasses. Talking and hearing people is a chore because you all talk. So. Slow. And then today, my sister is threatened and assaulted by a random person, throwing a rock through the thick air of jelly. I caught it, and the whole time I could see their faces, all their faces. They hated us. I could see it in their eyes the entire time. I’m just… Tired of waiting, tired of being ‘patient.’”
“I know, I’ve been fighting for mutant rights for over sixty years, and the hatred is still among them. But there are friends and allies now, who see from our perspective, and they rally behind us. We’re not alone anymore.”
“I don’t know…” Pietro said, Wanda, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder,
“It’s alright brother, we have help. And, I don’t know, I like the sound of it. What’dya say?” Pietro sighed, and looked out the window, seeing gray clouds gather outside, flying down the street he saw an elderly man standing outside,
“Hey guys, why does that dude out there have a helmet on?” The X-Men snapped toward the window as Xavier’s eyes went wide. Then the window bars caved out, the glass blasting out as the old man floated to the window, the metal of the frame surrounding him,
“I believe, Charles, there is a third option.”