The bottom floor of the Pagasos base, wearing a white vest and military trousers from the last century, Steve, still barefoot, stood on the platform, opposite him, Merlin, with a cane, was blocking the road to the upper floor of the base.
Fury was worried that the two of them would have a conflict, but it was actually completely unnecessary.
When Steve was still in a coma and when he was still trapped in the spiritual maze he woven, he had seen Merlin. Merlin called himself to wake up, but in fact he was not bragging.
In that situation, if Merlin had not entered Steve's spiritual world, sooner or later, Captain America would have entered a deeper sleep due to his weakening soul.
If you don’t do it well, you will be gone.
The two met once. The reason why Steve hadn't remembered this was purely because the awakening time was too short. The illusory scenes that lasted for decades in his spirit were intertwined with the experiences he had just woken up, which left his spirit in a state of "confused".
This is a very normal situation.
"You are you?"
Steve looked at Merlin's face and felt that the guy in front of him was very familiar, but he was sure that he had never seen him on the battlefield of World War II.
He thought hard, and Merlin didn't bother him until several minutes later, Steve turned his head and looked at the dim base around him, and he spoke:
"Isn't this 1945?"
“Yes, it’s not.”
Merlin said:
"It's November 2004. If you wake up a few days later, you will be able to catch up with the 2005 Spring Festival."
“60 years?”
Steve's expression changed for a moment, and a hint of sadness, a hint of pain, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
“Yes, 60 years.”
Merlin said:
"I know you can't accept it for a while. You may think I'm lying to you, so talk with the facts."
Speaking of this, Merlin reached out and pushed his glasses, and he said:
"Icarus, let Steve see what is now New York."
"Swish"
The three-dimensional projection on the Icarus frame opened, and the dim scene around the platform where the two were located quickly became brighter, just like magic. The real-time projection of the entire Times Square in New York was shaped from scratch in the jump of the blue light curtain.
This is a big project. Fortunately, with the help of the main control program of the Pagasos base, Icarus was able to complete this huge real-time projection project by himself.
The lifelike bustling streets appeared beside Steve and Merlin.
The Times Square was filled with bright lights and wine, with huge advertisements full of modern atmosphere, and those dazzling lights. People walking in the square were a girl wearing a beautiful short skirt carrying her clutch, with a swaying figure and piercing her through Steve's chest, like a ghost.
A handsome guy with glasses stood beside Steve, making a loud phone call, as if he was arguing with him. Merlin and Steve could even hear the man's London accent.
This scene is too real.
It was like the two of them were really standing on the streets of Times Square.
Steve looked up and the veteran who had been sleeping for 60 years looked at all this in a daze. Although the scenes around him were lively and prosperous, he seemed very lonely, like a lost child, and could no longer find the way back to the time he was familiar with.
“Shut it off.”
Steve lowered his head, his tone became more rapid:
“Shut it off!”
"Swish"
The three-dimensional projection of Icarus was removed the next moment, and the entire platform changed back to its original dark and quiet appearance.
There are still two men standing in front of and behind the platform.
One is lonely and confused, the other is calm and lonely.
"I remember I remember you told me, Peggy"
Steve wanted to say something, but he didn't need to finish it, Merlin knew what he wanted to say.
"Ms. Peggy disappeared in 1998, but I'm basically sure she's still alive."
Merlin looked around and his lips moved slightly, and said in a voice that only he and Steve could hear:
"The other Steve, the other you are with him, but this thing cannot be said here, just take it as our secret. If there is time, I can tell you more, but you don't need to worry about Ms. Peggy, she's safe."
"All right."
Steve pulled out a bad smile.
Merlin could actually understand that if he had been frozen for 60 years, after waking up, everything familiar disappeared, Elsa and Carol left, Lorna and Riven disappeared, even Gugu and Frank were gone, Fury and Pierce were old, Colson, Melinda and Sharon were old, and the whole world changed drastically.
The things he cared about and the things he hated had disappeared into the ruthless time
If so, Merlin would probably go crazy.
For Steve, what he faced after 60 years was a strange and lonely world. Whether he was willing to live in this era or not is still unknown.
But he is a hero after all, and his ability to withstand should not be so poor.
"I miss you for so long."
In the silence, Merlin suddenly said:
"Although there have been sufficient nutrient solution to maintain your life in recent years, that thing is definitely not as good as a passionate pizza. You may not know that in the past 60 years, in addition to making the world you saved, we have also made a lot of new flavors of food."
He looked at Steve and he said:
"I know, you have a lot to ask, so maybe we can eat and chat?"
"Swish"
As the light twisted, Merlin dragged three pizzas into the room of the Pagasos base, the house Fury used to deceive Steve. Fury and Steve sat opposite each other, Hill stood aside and gave the two people the water.
The atmosphere on the scene is definitely not good.
“Freshly baked pizza.”
Merlin puts the pizza on the table and he says to Steve:
"I baked it by Lao Stan himself. Do you still remember Lao Stan? Oh, his name was Martin when he joined the army. He said he had fought with you and was a rookie who likes to draw comics."
"I remember."
Steve stared at Fury tightly, and he reached out, raised a piece of pizza, put it on his mouth and took a bite, chewing it while saying:
"In the Rhine battlefield, the young man followed us to attack Naui's position. He was very timid and couldn't even hold a gun. But his paintings were indeed very good. Well, now it seems that his cooking skills are also good."
Whether it was eating pizza or speaking, Steve's eyes never left Fury.
That look
How to describe it? It's terrible in any case.
But on the other hand, Fury still looked indifferent when the whole world owed him money. He had a lot of food at noon and didn't plan to eat extra. Facing Steve's glare, he picked up the water cup, coughed a few times, and said:
"I admit that there was an omission in my preparation, and I hope you don't get angry."
"If you told me directly that it is 2004, I might not be so angry, Lord Fury."
Steve whispered:
"Do you understand how bad it is to give people hope and expectation and make people feel disappointed? Maybe you can't understand what I say, maybe I should express my mood at this moment with my fists."
"Look, head, I just said I shouldn't do this."
Hill stood behind Fury and she whispered to Fury:
"It's okay to apologize now."
"I'm for your own good."
Fury is so awkward. He didn't apologize, but said to Steve:
"I'm just afraid that an old man in his 80s can't stand such a big stimulus. I don't mean anything else. Of course, if you think this is a kind of irony or humiliation, I can say that I don't mean that."
"You always do good for others, but you should pay attention to the way you occasionally."
Merlin pulled away the chair and sat next to the two of them. He greeted Hill and sat opposite him. He looked at Fury, looked at Steve again. He stretched out his hands and said to the two of them:
"Okay, OK, everyone is sitting here to fight Hydra. Everyone has the same enemy and everyone is friends. Although there was something wrong with the reception ceremony, for my sake, everyone just assumed that nothing happened, okay?"
Steve breathed a sigh of relief, he glanced at Merlin, then took a bite of the seafood pizza, he said:
"Forget it, it's not a big deal."
Fury turned his head awkwardly, and he said:
"Well, I admit, I thought a little bit less and prepared a little bit less."
Seeing the tension dissipated a little, Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, and then said to Steve:
"I informed Agent Dugan, but he now has important tasks on the Atlantic Island, and it may take a few days to come and meet you. There is one other member of the Roaring Commando in the hospital, but he can't remember everything. Alzheimer's disease, you know, is still a terrible disease in this era."
Steve's expression became a little sad.
His friends, the people he is familiar with, are already old, but he is still young, which is really not a blessing.
Fury said to Steve:
"Your house in Brooklyn is still preserved, but it's almost a memorial now. If you feel it's necessary, I can get it back for you."
“No need.”
Steve lowered his head and ate, he said:
"I think this house is pretty good."
"You can't live here."
Merlin rubbed her forehead and said:
“There are many secret projects ongoing in the Pagasos base, and we don’t believe you, but you have to understand that there are many inconveniences in your standing here.”
"That's it."
Merlin thought about it and he said to Steve:
"Ms. Peggy's estate in New York is still idle, and now her niece, my assistant Sharon, lives there. I think you can move in."
"On the one hand, Ms. Peggy has always left you a room, and on the other hand, you live there, Sharon can help you adapt quickly to this era."
Merlin said:
"This era is different from yours back then. This era is like a group of demons dancing around."
"Is Peggy's estate?"
Steve was eating pizza like chewing wax. He thought for a moment, then nodded:
"All right."
"Well, there's one more thing."
Merlin glanced at Fury, who picked up the box he carried with him and placed it in front of Steve. He opened the box, which contained a very complex constant temperature storage system. In the center of the box, there was a mask as thin as a cicada's wing and hexagonal crystalline scales.
"This thing, item 01084-4, was the item we contained during an alien dispute in 2001. It can perfectly change a person's appearance and avoid most of the current monitors and detectors."
"Steve, you have to understand that after you wake up, you become our secret weapon against Hydra, so you may have to live a different identity during this period."
"no problem."
Steve was silent. He looked in a bad mood, so he was not too resistant to Fury's request.
Obviously, it is not a good time to talk, and Fury felt this, and he stopped and prepared many questions before, and he said to Steve:
"Forget it, let's find some time another day before we talk about it slowly. Steve, you can adapt to this period of time. If you have any needs or any problems, you can contact Merlin directly. He is your contact officer in SHIELD. Except for him and me, any order or information given to you is fake."
"You have to understand that SHIELD is not safe now."
After saying that, Fury stood up, he gave Merlin a wink, and he said:
"Then Merlin, please help Steve pack up your stuff, Hill and I will leave first."
"Yeah, go."
Merlin waved his hand and watched Fury and Hill leave the room. After confirming that they were away, Merlin looked back at Steve. He looked at Steve's dim eyes. He shook his head, then reached out and patted Steve on the shoulder. He said:
"Don't be so silent, man, you're a hero"
"But I can understand that if the knot in your heart cannot be untied, it will be difficult for you to start your life again in this era. So, let's go find Ms. Peggy."
"Um?"
Steve looked up and looked at Merlin, he said:
"Didn't you say that Peggy is missing?"
"Yes, she's missing."
Merlin rolled up a piece of pizza and waving her fingers as she ate:
"The disappearing without a trace, Fury used all the resources but couldn't find her, but I guess there was someone who knew how to contact her."
"who?"
Steve asked.
"Dum shot. Dugan."
Merlin whispered:
"I talked to Agent Dugan last time and he thought he was hiding well, but unfortunately, I still noticed that he was hiding something. After you, Agent Dugan worked with Ms. Page until Ms. Page disappeared, so if anyone else in S.H.E.L.D. might know where Ms. Page went, then I guess it would be Agent Dugan."
Merlin said with some headache:
"But if I asked, he wouldn't say that old guy knows how to keep secrets, so if you want to know where Ms. Peggy went, if you really want to finish the last dance with Ms. Peggy, then"
Merlin narrowed his eyes, moved his fingers, and he said:
"You just go and ask him in person."
Chapter completed!