Steve POV
"Did I hurt anyone before?" Steve asks sheepishly as his earlier panicked escape makes him feel guilty.
"No you didn't," Hill reassured him quickly. "In fact, I think you gave them a good story to tell one day."
There is nothing dishonorable for the agents to be knocked down by Captain America. Hill shares the original footage of V-E day to the captain. Steve watches the video alone in the small quarters assigned for him. He will have a big day tomorrow.
[Germany Surrender! The war is over!] He is watching the VCR footage of the celebration. The black and white pictures are showing the time they have won. They don't show what they have lost.
'Dugan and Morita. Ramirez and Falsworth. All the Howling Commandos…'
He hadn't asked about any of their fates, but he hardly needed to. He did the maths. In his heart, he knew they were all gone. Even Howard and Peggy.
'Peggy…' Steve stopped watching the old television in his quarter. He plopped down on the bed, he put his arm on his face. His stomach feels queasy. The voice of the celebration coming from the TV drowns out the voice of his comrades whispering in his ears.
To be buried in the cold and the silence for years upon years upon years, and then to wake up to find that everyone and everything from his life had vanished except for him. The worst part was, he felt fine. Young and healthy and strong. His body, which was his greatest strength to fight in the war, had become a curse for him.
Steve lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It's been 24 hours since he woke up. He didn't manage to sleep last night. A nurse came by to offer him some sleeping pills, but he rejected them. He knows he can't be sedated anymore than he can get drunk.
'I'm pathetic, aren't I?' He is letting the scientist do their work on him. His muscles are connected with electrodes as he is running on top of a treadmill. Steve needs something to distract him. Anything at all.
So that he wouldn't have to deal with his thoughts and the unrealness he is feeling, which becomes his new reality.
The doctors are arguing in front of him whether or not he should get vaccinated following the era or just let his enhanced immunization to disease do their work. In the end, Steve got injected with some vaccines. Just to be sure.
Agent Hill is asking Steve what he remembers before he crashes the plane. They also ask about Johann Shmidt as only the captain's body is found there.
"Disintegrated? Are you sure captain?" Agent Hill asks.
"Yes. he holds the energy cube in his hand. I saw some stars and the man disappears,"
"Stars?" Agent Hill furrowed her brows. She is a bit skeptical about the story. The roof of the Valkyrie was intact when they salvaged it.
"I know it sounds crazy. It was daylight at that time. The cube starts to emit a bright light straight up into the air, and he just…burned up. He disappeared…"
When Dr. Selvig knows about Steve's recollection, he becomes more confident in thinking the cube has enough energy to power up an Einstein-Rosen bridge.
"Ma'am, do you find anything else on the plane? Such as a…compass?"
He lost it. The compass that he had with him the entire time he was on the frontline.
"I'll take a look at it. Thank you for your cooperation captain," Hill said before she tasked the logistic agent to find the compass.
It's been a month since he woke up. The doctors said he is having episodes of PTSD. Shell shocks have been renamed in this era. Another familiar thing for him that was changed into something new.
''Have you decided what you are going to do?" Nick Fury asks the Captain who is cleared by the doctors in Shield.
"I am still not sure, sir… Maybe I will start by finding a place to stay…"
Steve had learned about Shield from the time he stayed with them. He also knows that Peggy is one of the founders of Shield. When the agent brought him to their base before, he saw her picture. She is older in the picture than in his memory.
"Please, call me Fury. Everyone does," Fury said with a little disappointment. He wanted Steve to join Shield, but it was too soon for the man.
For now, he didn't intend to go back to that life. After all, he just went through a war.
There is a lot of royalty for the Captain America name Steve can cash out. Howard also had talked him into buying some of his company stocks before this. The stock is now in Shield's hand.
Even though he has a lot of wealth, Fury purposely said that Shield is giving Steve something to get by, a small fortune, and so on. It is Steve's money in the first place.
It is barely enough for Steve to survive for a year with the money. When the money ran out, will Steve still long for retired life? It is a dick move by Shield on this part. And Steve is grateful for Fury as he helps him out.
Shield underestimated the Captain. Steve uses the money to buy a gym and opens up his own business after two months of familiarising himself with the new environment. He got a cheap place in Brooklyn and opened up a boxing center. With his skills, he can even teach the world champion in boxing.
The business starts slow. He only had a few clients at that time. But he didn't mind it. It will give him enough time to learn about the world.
*Bam* *Bam* Steve is punching the sandbag to release some stress. The moment his fist connected, the memory of him in the war came back to haunt him. But he didn't stop as the nightmare is his only friend now.
He is reading an article and newspaper from the past that he found in the library. It seems that Falsworth always frequents a bar here in Brooklyn. Steve visits there and finds out that the bar is a veteran bar.
A thick smell of tobacco and smoke assaulted his nose when he walked in. Then, he realizes that all the veterans here are looking intensely at him.
"What?" Steve mumbles in confusion. Is he not welcomed here?
"Wrong guy," The bartender yelled from behind the counter. The old man there chuckles and goes back to their thing. There are a lot of guys here. The bar is almost full of old men.
It seems out of place that a young man is drinking there. He got some glances from the old men who are actually younger than him if they count only the age, but none are hostile glances.
"Are you back from the battlefield?" the bar owner asked while wiping some glasses. He put the glass down on the counter and starts to fill it up.
The bar owner is also the bartender. He thought Steve just got back from Afghanistan or something. After all, he could tell from a glance that this man is an army guy.
Steve answered the 70-year-old man. "Yes, five months ago."
Without him realizing it, five months have passed since he got thawed from the ice. Every day it got a little easier for him to live with the fact that he is in the future. Or so he wished.
"That must be tough. Here, have a drink on the house." The bartender pours a glass of whiskey for Steve and slides it to him. It is a tradition here created by the bartender's dad.
"That is?" Steve saw a picture of his friend on the wall of the bar.
"That? That is my father…" James Falsworth Jr explains.
Steve scrutinized the face of the man in front of him. Finally, he saw the resemblance.
Before he could ask about the life of his friend, a roar of a motorcycle engine is heard from outside the bar.
"He's here!"
Steve hears some veterans whisper at the back of the bar.
"Get ready everyone!" The bartender said loudly. Before Steve could ask what is going on, the front door of the bar is kicked open.
'Is it an attack?' Steve thought. He got to the observation as all the men here were staring at the man intensely. He saw the guy reaching into a pocket and throwing something at the bartender!
He reaches his arm and catches the object that was thrown mid-air. All the people in the bar are surprised.
"If you come here for trouble, I suggest you get out of here,"
This place is the legacy of his friend. He won't let anyone bully the people here.
"...is he serious?" The man in the helmet said to the bartender. The old man shrugged his shoulders and grinned. He won't stop it if they start to fight. Fighting is a kind of entertainment for the old man here.
Steve got some weird stares and heard some laughter, so he checked the object. 'Ahh, it is a medicine bottle…'
The small, orange medicine is labeled with the bartender's name and what time he should take it every day. It is printed simply in a big font, making it easier for the oldies to read it.
The bartender laughs out loud when Steve gives the pill medicine to him.
"Hahaha did that scare you, new guy?" He said while hitting Steve's back.
Still in his helmet, the newcomer commanded Steve.
"Gather everyone. Bring two chairs and place them facing each other," He takes off his winter coat revealing a white coat underneath. Steve saw the face underneath the helmet. His black hair has lines of whites at his sideburn. His eyes are the color of the night with a deep eye bag on his face.
"A doctor?" Steve mumbles.
POV End.
Kai, who is shocked to see the Captain at first, decided to not care about it. He is going to make the 'young' guy his assistant. Skye always comes with him here to help him out, but now she is in college.
Removing his helmet, and his winter coat, he wears a white coat and equips his stethoscopes on his neck.
"Go bring me my equipment from the bike," Kai said to Steve once the guy was done setting up the chair. The iceman is confused, but he did it anyway. His being the youngest-looking guy here makes it easier for Kai to command him.
The people of the bar laugh seeing the young'un antics. Seeing Steve's misery, they support him in their way. "Once done, we will treat you to a beer…"
"You dare to keep drinking in front of your doctor!" Kai said with seriousness, but the people there know that he is joking. They are all familiar with the man.
"Line up one by one. Starts with the oldest, most crinkled bastards left here first." Kai sat down on the chair that Steve set up. He took out some equipment from his bag and laid it on the table at the side.
"That must be you Popeye!" The bar pointed out to an old, bald man with short stature and a skinny body. He has a gigantic forearm with an anchor tattoo on both arms and is smoking tobacco in a pipe.
Kai turned to Steve who was done bringing his equipment inside. He is not letting the guy go.
"Help me record their name and age for the medication later on".
He notices Steve is a little apprehensive, so he asks, "Why? Do you have anything better to do right now besides drinking?"
"No sir!" Steve answered. He didn't know why this man in front of him made him feel like a recruit in the army again. It seems he must wait to hear the story.
"Okay then, stay beside me and take the notes. You must record their material especially!" Kai said. The iceman had no idea what was waiting for him.
'Material?' Steve is confused by the choice of words. In about 5 minutes, he understands the decision.
"You know before it was carved… Mount Rushmore beauty was… un-president!" Popeye said while Kai was checking his cholesterol level.
The bar cheered. It is an open mic night plus medical consultation!
Kai laughs a little, "That's a thinker old man. You pass! And also, you're still healthy. Any problem in the last month you're facing?" That's how Kai motivates these guys to keep checking up with him.
"Ahh, I miss the rude brat. She always rolls her eyes at the old man here…" Popeye sighs. The rude brat is referring to Skye. Then, Popeye hears someone giggling.
Steve who is standing at the side couldn't hold his laugh as it hits him directly in the olden age humor.
"Ohh a live one," Popeye smiles. The old man had caught a giggling fish. As Steve gives out nice reactions, the people at the bar targeted him instead for their jokes. Suddenly, he is stared at by the hyenas.
"Why are they staring at me?" Steve mutters.
Kai replied, " It's too late now. The shark had smelled your blood."
"Why couldn't the Baker buy a new car?"
"Because he didn't make enough 'dough' "
The bar cheered. Steve is having the best time in his life after thawing from the ice. He keeps laughing.
Kai quickly finishes his checkup on these people. At the same moment, Steve finds himself getting along well with these veterans. Before this, he got a feeling of alienation when he walked in here. It is understandable as he is a new face.
It happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to process it. He enjoyed the feeling.
While Steve is talking to the customers, Kai goes to the bartender and asks in a low tone. "How did Thomas pass?"
The bartender is wiping a glass. He said "Thomas decided to have one last night with hooker and cocaine. He went at the same time he came."
*Pfff* "I was being serious," Kai almost broke his solemnity.
"So am I." The bartender is smirking. He has known Kai for a few years. Before this, no one cared about these people here. But Kai did. He will come at least once a month to talk with these men.
It starts with a request from Thomas's daughter to check up on the old man when they are still living in Hell's kitchen. But a few weeks after that, the daughter got killed by some accidental shooting amongst the street gang.
Thomas moves away to Brooklyn, but Kai still checks up on him once in a while. The old man didn't have anyone else left in the world. The street gang had mysteriously vanished.
"The funeral?" Kai asks.
The bartender shook his head. "He didn't want one."
Kai is depressed. First KickBaal, now another one of his friends isn't giving him a chance for closure.
It was right then Steve came over right next to him to get a drink.
"I am sorry about what happened before. I thought you were a gangster coming to create trouble…" Steve apologies to Kai.
"Don't mind it. You know, you look like Captain America…" Kai said seriously, but he is teasing the man.
Steve didn't lose his composure. Shield had prepared him for this type of question. "I think the actor Chris Evan looks more like him."
"Pfft… The name's Kai…Kai Vera…" Kai introduces himself to the Captain.
"Steve… Steve…Rogers.."
The bartender and Kai chuckle hearing the name. "You know James's dad fought side-by-side with the captain," Kai subtly helped Steve to hear the story of his friend.
After half an hour, James Falsworth Jr concluded his story. "Then, he married an Italian woman and settled down here in Brooklyn."
Steve smiles softly hearing the story. It seems that his friend got his happy ending. After hearing it, he sure wanted to get drunk. Too bad the alcohol isn't working.
Kai notices Steve's sadness. A man out of time and a transmigrator. If there is anyone in the world who would understand Steve, it's the one sitting next to him. Steve wanted to talk more, but it seems that the bar is closing. He glanced at the time. It is only 4.00 in the afternoon.
"You got to understand Steve. They are not young people. Most of them fall asleep at 6, " Kai explains.
"Ah, so that's it," Steve wanted to clear his tab, but Kai stopped him.
"My treat today. Are you hungry Steve?" Kai cleared out all the tabs on the bar. The oldies cheered for him as he did so.
"I…" Steve hesitated. He feels like going back to the gym and punching the hell out of the sandbag.
"Let's go. My treat for helping me. I will get you the best burger in town, " Kai said while he was ordering an Uber. They go to Hell's Kitchen where Kai gets them into the VIP section of Domingo's packed restaurant. Kai ordered for them and waited for the food.
"What about your bike?" Steve said as he admired the Harley Davidson bike.
"James will watch it for me. Maybe I will ask my daughter to pick it up when she returns," Kai said nonchalantly. Steve is surprised to hear Kai's daughter is in college. The guy is still in his 30's.
"It is my adopted daughter. I found her after I just got settled down in America," Kai shared his life story with Steve. And in turn, Steve does the same thing. Both of them are sharing the truth while censoring it with some lies.
"I know the feeling. You wake up one day and then the world has gotten upside down," Kai said while pouring some drinks for Steve. The supersoldier is now drunk. How is it possible?
Kai asks Chris to go get his liquor collection from his clinic. He understands Steve's feeling of wanting to get drunk. The diluted golden wine drink is doing its job. When Steve first drinks it, his eyes widened as if there is something in the world that can make him forget.
"Sometimes, I wish that this is all a dream. I can go back and meet her again," Steve said honestly. Kai nodded while pouring more drinks into Steve's glass. After the 14th drink, Steve passed out on the restaurant table.
"Ohh damn…" Kai is startled when Steve's head slammed into the table, producing a loud bang.
"Chris. When he wakes up, give him this note," Kai asks Chris for a favor. He also put the key to the Harley to be passed along with the note.
He is returning home now. It is 8.00 p.m. He promised Natasha they are going to have dinner together. When he walks into the house, he is surprised to see that the light is out.
"Did the electricity go out?" Kai is puzzled. He walks to the kitchen to check the electric box where some light catches his eyes. Natasha is sitting at the table in a black evening dress and her hair tied up, revealing her nape.
"I have been waiting for you…" Natasha said seductively. Kai gulped. He is a little drunk right now, so his inhibition is lowered. The table is filled with Natasha's homemade cooking and a bottle of wine she picked up, especially for today.
She got a perfect opportunity to do a candlelight dinner as the fuse box is broken. One of her taser discs missing had nothing to do with it.
…
On the Hidden Island Paradiso.
Frank Castle is meeting with Dawn in his assigned quarters. After Yinsen showed him the magical aspect of the island, he started to believe in Dawn's capability to save his family. But he didn't trust the man.
Yinsen is here with him to prevent Frank from going overboard. His luck is bad today. He didn't find any pokemon to show Frank. Nor did Frank choose to stay in the flat. He is sitting in a room near the medical ward.
"Why did you bring my family here? Why did you save me?" Frank confronted the masked man in front of him. He thinks that the man wants something from him.
Dawn tilted his head, "I saved your family because I want to… They shouldn't have to die because of you… "
Yinsen is cutting into the conversation straight away as he realizes that Frank is a hot-headed man.
"Why are they supposed to die?" Yinsen knows Dawn long enough. He knows Dawn wouldn't give a straight answer if you didn't ask the right question.
"Because the world needs him…" Dawn said, making both Yinsen and Frank Castle confused.
"Do you mean he won't die that night?" Yinsen asked.
"Yes. He will be in a coma for a year, and wakes up to see his family is already dead," Dawn answered lazily.
"Is what the world needs are his vengeance?"
"No. They need his punishment," Dawn said, shocking Yinsen.
"What does my family have to do with all of this?" Frank asks after learning what Yinsen is doing. To get the answer, he needs to ask a specific question.
"What will you do if you find out your family is dead Frank?" Dawn asks a question back unexpectedly.
"I will bring the people involved to Justice," Frank said.
"And what will happen if the Justice system fails to do so? "
Without hesitation, Frank said, "Then, I will take justice with my own hand."
Dawn nodded. "That's why your family is targeted. You have been chosen, Frank. To punish the people outside the law."
"But if they are not dead, and you still believe in the justice system, it cannot happen. That's why your family will die as long as they stay with you."
"I will show you something, Frank. Your future if you still walk in your path without changing your life. Do you want to see it?" Dawn said. Yinsen is startled and he snapped at Dawn.
"Don't. Revealing the future will bring you a lot of harm…" Yinsen had read the books from the library of Alexandria. He had read about the harm that comes with even knowing about it. If Dawn revealed the future to Frank, then he would suffer the backlash.
Frank didn't know that they were joking. He didn't need to know about his future. All he wants to know is how to save his family.
"Simple. Become a full-fledged Punisher even if you don't lose your family," Dawn said.
Frank is still confused, "What is a Punisher?"
"(sigh)... A punisher is…" Dawn is trying to explain, but Yinsen remembered something he read in the ancient text.
"A punisher is a man responsible for prolonging the era of a civilization, by eliminating the rotten water and the people who put laws on everyone else without following it themselves."
Dawn nods. In his reading, surprisingly every great civilization has its own version of the punisher. It's like the civilization itself is making the punisher so that they won't fall into ruin because of the action of the leaders.
"They will be selected when a civilization is on the brink of its ruin," Yinsen said. Every civilization has its expiry date. Frank is processing the knowledge.
"When you get back to life, you will slowly find out about the conspiracy that took place to kill your family. You will kill a lot of people to get your justice. And you will do it without a guilty conscience. What the world gives you right now is justification for your upcoming action."
Frank listens to Dawn. Then he asks the question in his mind." If this is all true, then the best way for me to become one is my family dying. Why are you helping me? Do you want me to work for you or do something for you? "
Yinsen looks at Frank sadly. He knows that Dawn didn't think much if he wanted to help someone. Like for him, Dawn saved him just to ask him a question. For Yinsen, the Deer God didn't have any ulterior motive in his action.
"As a matter of fact. I do need you to do something for me, " Dawn said, surprising Yinsen.
Frank nodded. Now Dawn is speaking a language he can understand. It will be much easier for him to save his family if he is given a purpose. The islander is like a cultist worshipping the man in front of him. He didn't believe that the man in front of him was a god. Not even one bit.
"What did you want me to do?" Frank asks solemnly. He will do anything for his family. Now that his family is held hostage by the man in front of him, he has no other choice. When he gets the time, he will save the old man Yinsen too.
"There will be a war in the future, Frank. When the time comes, I need you to take command,"
Yinsen is solemn. Frank nodded. He understands what he needs to do.
"Go and see your family Frank. Your wife is waking up," Dawn said. He got a notification from the medical A. I directly into his ears. But Frank thought because he agrees, he can see his family again.
Frank ran hurriedly to see his wife, leaving only Dawn and Yinsen there in the room.
"... Is it true… Do you really need him?..." Yinsen asks.
"Actually No. But he needed a reason for my action…He won't be able to relax his nerves if he doesn't understand why I do it, " Dawn said.
Yinsen nodded. As he thought, Dawn didn't have an ulterior motive. He will tell you what his motive is right to your face.
"You can move him and his family to a family-sized quarter of the residency. They can leave when Frank decides to become a Punisher or they will die again…" Dawn said to Yinsen before he left.
Yinsen knew that Dawn had made a copy of Frank in a coma at a hospital. Publically, all of his family is dead. If Frank didn't decide within a year, Dawn had to send them back to New York again. At that time, their fate will be unknown. Will they be killed for Frank to truly become a punisher?
"Maria… Lisa… Richard…" Frank is hugging his family who just woke up. They are crying together after they just went through a traumatic experience.
"Where are we dad?" Richard asks. He notices that his leg is gone, but he is more grateful that he is alive. The 10-year-old kid is surprisingly mature. His sister isn't like him though.
"Richard… your leg… Waa…" Lisa is crying while hugging her younger brother.
Maria turns to Frank and asks him, "What's going on Frank?"
"I…" Frank opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to explain it. Should he tell the truth? That they are all kidnapped here and his family is held hostage.
Yinsen approached them and said calmly to the family. "I am sure you will have a lot of questions. Why don't I show your house and you can clean yourself up,"
They are still in their patient clothes. Frank still has a bandage on his head. Yinsen told him he could remove it. If Frank hasn't been hysterical when he wakes up the Droid has already done it.
The family followed the old man calmly. Not Lisa. She is crying the whole way. Richard is carried by Frank on his back. Yinsen asks him to take the wheelchair, but Frank insists.
They stand in front of a shabby-looking door to a small flat.
Frank tries to comfort his family, "I will make sure that we will get better treatment here. Trust me."
Maria nods and hugs Frank. She trusts him with all of her heart. Frank is looking at Maria's bullet scar. The feeling of vengeance is bubbling up again.
*Click* "Welcome to your temporary home," Yinsen said calmly. Finally, he can show Frank what he means by a mythical place.
"What the hell?" Frank is startled. The place is even bigger than his house. In fact, it is bigger than some mansions.
There are 4 rooms for them, 3 bathrooms, a hot tub, a kitchen, a living room, a personalized closet, and more. The room is fully furnished and a change of clothes is brought to them by the house-elf.
The family is exploring the place. Richard is in a wheelchair at that time, but his wheelchair is equipped with anti-gravity technology so it is floating instead of using wheels.
He is floating around the living room, looking outside to the city Square. His mouth is agape when he sees something flying in the air.
"DAD LOOK THERE IS A DRAGON!" Richard yelled excitedly. The family hurriedly looks at the sight Richard is pointing at where they are seeing two dragons dancing in the air.
"What kind of place is this Frank?" Maria is excited too. Even the crying Lisa is excited. Frank is still trying to process what he is seeing.
"Yinsen…tell me honestly… where are we?" Frank asks the old man. Yinsen smiles. Finally Frank had opened his mind.
"You're in Paradiso. The home of the Deer God, Dawn Everstar."
"After you get settled down, bring Richard to the medical clinic. I will fit him for a prosthetic leg."
Yinsen leaves the family alone. Frank is processing the conversation he has today with the supposedly God. "A Punisher..."