In the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house, Captain America Steve Rogers lay on the bed, monitoring equipment strapped to his body. Various vital signs on the monitors were still stabilizing.
"Amazing resilience… is this what it means to surpass the limits of the human body?"
Sitting nearby, Natasha Romanoff, dressed in a nurse's uniform, looked on with a hint of surprise. She had clearly seen Captain America's fingers twitch a few times — a sign that he was about to awaken.
And just as Natasha expected, Captain America slowly opened his eyes after a few minutes, though his gaze was not yet focused.
"Corporal Rogers, are you awake?"
Natasha quickly approached him, still using his World War II-era title. Although Rogers had been promoted during the war, the military had continued to address him formally as Rogers.
"What time is it? How long have I been asleep?"
After a brief moment of confusion, Rogers turned and sat up, his eyes piercing as he looked at Natasha.
"Corporal Rogers, you need to rest. Because of your efforts… we won."
Natasha's tone carried both excitement and information, following the approach she would have used in World War II to stabilize Rogers' emotions.
"Did WWII really… win?"
A hint of excitement crept into Rogers' expression, causing Natasha to smile slightly — her plan had worked.
"Yes, Corporal Rogers. What you need to do now…"
Natasha was preparing to explain further, but Rogers stood and walked in front of her, looking down with a commanding presence.
"Natasha Romanoff… nice to meet you."
Rogers' words left Natasha momentarily stunned. Many people knew her name, but to be addressed personally by Rogers — just thawed from the ice — was overwhelming, even for an elite agent.
"The current year… it is 2008."
Rogers continued, his face calm, while Natasha hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"Sir, we are in a delicate situation."
Natasha recovered quickly, pressing her hand to her earpiece and reporting the situation with urgency.
"Relax, Natasha. I want to ask — is Tony Stark currently Iron Man?"
Rogers patted her shoulder and donned his Captain America uniform. Although his shield was not immediately in hand, he knew it must be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession.
"You are Captain Rogers?"
Natasha's expression hardened. Her muscles tensed, and she seemed ready to fight if Rogers' intentions were unclear.
"I know you have many questions. I will explain, but only to Hawkeye, Phil Coulson, and Nick Fury."
Rogers' eyes darkened. His tone was serious — not for discussion, but in anticipation of Nick Fury's arrival.
Shortly after, Fury arrived, having been notified by Natasha. He entered the safe house expressionless, followed by Phil Coulson and Agent Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye.
"Captain America Steve Rogers, you may speak now."
Fury's eyes gleamed with intensity as he sealed the safe house completely. Metal plates covered every exit, blocking any signals from leaving.
"I am from 2023."
Rogers revealed his situation in one calm sentence. The S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel present visibly reacted, their pupils constricting.
"Impossible. Historical records show you led the Howling Commandos to wipe out the notorious HYDRA, dying alongside Red Skull himself…"
Fury recounted Steve Rogers' history. Clearly, he viewed Rogers as a confused man, recently thawed from decades of cryostasis.
"The World War II I mentioned is what I experienced personally. Everything changed during my final battle… when the fighter plane went out of control and crashed into the South Pole."
Rogers' expression darkened with memory.
When he returned to the past with six Infinity Gems, Rogers had received a message from the future:
"The rise of Brain Allens. In 2012, he killed all the Avengers."
Rogers explained that the future Iron Man had deliberately allowed him to replace the original Captain America before falling into a deep sleep.
Thus, the future Captain America had taken his place in the past, boarding the fighter jet destined to crash in Antarctica, while the original Rogers grew old with Carter Paige and had children.
"Your words alone cannot prove the truth."
As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director, Fury remained skeptical. Even now, he believed Rogers' mind had been affected by decades of cryostasis.
"Nick Fury… it's time to open S.H.I.E.L.D. Top Secret file 087."
Rogers' gaze was intense. Time was critical. Brain Allens was terrifying — his intelligence allowed him to create a quantum machine capable of traveling to the future.
But what truly alarmed Rogers was the Sentinel — a machine from the future, sent by Tony Stark, capable of slaughtering any hero or supervillain.
"087? What is this? Does S.H.I.E.L.D. really have such a file?"
Phil Coulson frowned in doubt, glancing at Fury. No S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, including Natasha, had ever heard of File 087.
"This is a classified archive only the Director can access: File 087. Despite its name, it is not a written archive, but a video — stored…"
"Alongside Carter Paige."
Fury remained expressionless, though familiar with the location of File 087. Neither he nor former Director Pierce had permission to view it — it had always been stored with Carter Paige.
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