First Entrance

[stark_spangled]

He'd been to visit Peggy when he got the call from Director Fury to check in. He was making it a routine, every Tuesday afternoon when he wasn't on a mission. Then it became every Tuesday afternoon and every Saturday morning. It's funny how long it took him to work up the nerve to see her, and now it's all he can do to stay away. She's still his best gal.

He parks his bike in his usual spot in the underground garage next to the Triskelion, shoulders the bag with his gear in it, and starts walking to the elevators. He's wondering what kind of mission Fury's sending him on this time when the sun catches his eyes ... wait, where's that coming from?

He blinks hard, and when he opens his eyes ... this is not the elevator. This isn't the garage, heck, this isn't even D.C. He's in a room, some kind of restaurant or bar. People are milling about, some in uniform and others in civvies, and outside the windows ... jeepers, that's a lot of stars.

His hand tightens on the strap of his bag and he plants his feet shoulder's width apart, jaw set. He isn't sure what kind of trick this is, but if he doesn't get answers soon he's going to start demanding them.


[ooc: Hello! Steve is pre-Winter Soldier, but only just, and he has entered the room in civvies. Slacks, button-up, leather jacket, boots, his usual affair. His cowl is in the bag, along with his shield and a few other things, but by all accounts he looks like an average guy. Well, an average tall, strong guy. Any takers welcome!]

Comments

[decideformyself]

Philip is pacing through the lounge with his nose unwisely buried in the book he's carrying. He moves his free hand in midair, making little squiggly motions like he's writing something down. He may not have anything to write on at the moment, but it's a habit.

Unfortunately, it's pretty unwise to wander through a crowded room without looking where you're going. He bumps right into Steve.

[stark_spangled]

Steve can appreciate the need for pencil and paper. Sometimes, when he gets nervous, he'll flex and move his fingers like he's holding a good #4 (2H pencil), filling in the details of his latest drawing. He always does it at hip level, where other people are less likely to notice it.

What he can't always appreciate, on the other hand, is people jostling him. Particularly when he's already on high alert. He tenses and whirls on Philip, bag quickly discarded (but still within reach), and fists held up. He relaxes slightly when he sees the perpetrator. "Sorry."

[decideformyself]

Philip was just walking, so why are his legs suddenly not moving? He looks up in confusion, blinking when he sees the huge guy standing in front of him.

Ah, that would explain it.

"It's not a problem," he replies simply. "Have you also been displaced?"

[stark_spangled]

OK, definitely not a threat. He straightens up, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

"Uh, yeah," he says, looking around the room. "Yeah, you could say that. I definitely have no idea where I am."

It's not an admission he likes making. Ever.

[decideformyself]

"I see." Finally closing his book, Philip rubs at his chin curiously. "There seems to be no real link between the many people who were brought here. No connection, no overarching similarities. It's quite mysterious."

[stark_spangled]

Philip has Steve's full attention now. It looks like he knows a little more about where they are, if not from experience just from observation. Every little bit of intel helps.

"Have you heard of the organization S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asks, and as an afterthought goes on: "Or Asgard?"

[decideformyself]

There's a distant look in Philip's eyes as he thinks. After a moment he shakes his head. "No, I am unfamiliar with either name. If I were to venture a guess, I would assume that you have never been to a city called Fuuto?"

[stark_spangled]

He purses his lips, jaw clenching lightly. Asgard was his best guess for what, as far as he can tell, involves portals dragging him into space. Then again, it isn't like Steve has a whole lot of experience with aliens outside of Thor and his ilk.

"You'd be right," he says, even looking apologetic. "That's where you're from, then? Japan, is it?"

[decideformyself]

Philip nods in response, but he's distracted again, thinking about the implications. "Whatever is responsible for this phenomenon is something unknown to me, then." A new threat, completely unheard of.

The grin that appears on his face when he realizes this is a little scary. "How thrilling."

[stark_spangled]

Steve doesn't look scared, but he does look suspicious. He crosses his arms, eyebrow arched. "You're used to this kind of thing, then?"

[decideformyself]

"Not with this specific 'kind of thing'," he clarifies. "I have experienced a fair number of unusual circumstances in general, is all."

[stark_spangled]

"In Fuuto?" he guesses, trying to keep his intel straight. There's clearly more than meets the eye to this guy, just judging from his quirks. Maybe he knows something that can help Steve. "I'm Steve Rogers, originally from Brooklyn, New York."

[decideformyself]

"And where is New York?" Philip asks simply.

[stark_spangled]

"Uh. America," he responds, feeling a little silly. It's not the worst thing he could have been asked, given that World War II was just a few years ago for him, and his face was plastered all over propaganda posters the whole time. "We've had some problems with otherworldly visitors in the past."

[decideformyself]

Oh, America. He's heard of that one.

"What sorts of problems?"

[stark_spangled]

"The sort that level half of New York," Steve grimaces. "That's, uh. A lot of city blocks."

A big enough mess that they're still going to be cleaning up for years to come. "This may sound like a strange question, but ... what year is it?"

[decideformyself]

"A strange question indeed," Philip concurs. He looks skeptical as he replies, "2011. What reason do you have to ask?"

[stark_spangled]

Steve looks thoughtful for a second or two, before half-cocking a bitter smile. "Because it was 2014 about five minutes ago."

This may not be SHIELD or Asgard, or anything else Steve knows, but something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

[decideformyself]

There's a look of pure confusion on his face, at that.

Philip ducks his head, hand over his mouth, deep in thought. "An alteration of the timestream? Or perhaps memory manipulation-- that might be simpler..."

[stark_spangled]

"Memory manipulation?" he repeats. He can feel the small hairs on the back of his neck rising on end. He doesn't like the sound of that. At all. "Like something drug-induced?"

[decideformyself]

"...for example, yes," Philip replies after a second. He hadn't been thinking of that, but that could be the case.

[stark_spangled]

Steve frowns deeply, and takes a harder look around the room. He doesn't recognize anyone.

"I once slept for almost seventy years," he grouses. "I don't like the idea of being knocked out or losing large chunks of time."

[decideformyself]

Now that is a statement just interesting enough to distract Philip from what's really important. He takes a closer look at Steve, circling around to one side.

"How curious. I was under the impression that patients in comas continued to age regularly. You don't appear to be seventy years old."

[stark_spangled]

Steve watches as Philip circles with a slightly stunned expression on his face. "Uh."

It makes him just this side of uncomfortable. The only time somebody circles like that is when they're getting ready to drag him in an alley and beat the stuffing out of him. Anyway, that was back before Project Rebirth, but the memories are hard to forget.

"I guess you could say I was an experiment," he says. "Not the freezing part, that one's on me. But the drugs they gave me kept me alive."

[decideformyself]

It's not Steve's discomfort that makes Philip stop and back off; it's what he says. Something almost like recognition appears on the boy's face, but he's wary, too; the last lab experiment he met besides himself hadn't exactly been friendly.

Everyone was different, though. He knows that.

"Who are 'they'?"