Steve

     "It's a thing with me," Ultron hisses. "Stark is...he's a sickness!"
     The silver and slightly red suit stands tall, but he is clearly angry. I stand in my uniform, gripping my shield, on the other side of the indoor bridge.
     "Ah, Junior," Tony sighs, landing in front of Thor and me. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."
     Ultron turns around with the two Maximoffs. And yeah, Ultron is really not happy.
     "If I have to," Ultron mutters.
     "Nobody has to break anything," Thor says.
     I quickly spot Tori in her gear with a gun in her hands as she leans against a wall on Ultron's side of the bridge. Her brown eyes glint in the dim light, glancing at me for permission. I lightly shake my head in response.
     "Clearly you've never made an omelet," Ultron states.
     "He beat me by one second," Tony mumbles.
     "Ah, yes, he's funny, Mister Stark," the brother Maximoff says. "It's what, comfortable? Like old times?"
     "This was never my life," Tony says.
     "You two can still walk away from this," I say, trying to look away from Tori to not blow her cover.
     "Oh, we will," the sister Maximoff replies.
     "I know you've suffered," I add.
     Ultron scoffs, but it turns to a chuckle. "Captain America, god's righteous man. Pretending you can live without a war. I can't physically throw up in mouth, but—"
     "If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." Thor booms.
     I watch Tori's eyes narrow with hatred and annoyance of her brother's creation.
     "I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet'," Ultron says.
     "Uh-huh, then what's the vibranium for?" Tony asks.
     "I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan."
     Ultron's left hand glows blue and it zaps Tony's arc reactor, bringing him closer to the evil robot. The blue turns red and Tony is flung into a door. Thankfully, he stands right back up and flies into his 'son' sort of thing. I attack a suit as Tony flies into the air with Ultron. I kick the suit to the side and begin to rush to the female Maximoff. Red comes from her hands and it knocks me to the ground. I give Tori the signal and she sprints up the stairs to help Natasha when guns start to fire.
     I throw my shield, but I feel something hard hit my jaw. I fall back onto the ground and stand right back up. I find another suit and try to pull my shield out of its neck. After a little help from Thor, my shield is out and the suit is beheaded.
     The shield flies across the building, hitting people that are also attacking us. I spot Tori come around the men and grabs my shield, tossing it back to me. Once it's back into my hands, I hear a sound erupt from somewhere around me. I kick the Maximoff kid back onto the pile of boxes, earning a grunt from him.
     "Stay down, kid." I say to him.
     I turn around and rush off into another direction.
     "Thor, status," I command.
     "The girl tried to warp my mind," he grunts. "Take special care. I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty."
     I attack a suit. Just as I fling it away, a flash of blue rams into me. It throws me onto a wall lined with guns. I moan and keep my shield on my arm. I close my eyes as the scene plays back over and over again, not allowing my mind to listen to Tori's commands.
     My mind goes blank as I stand up and rip off my helmet.

•••

     Swing music and laughter fill my ears. Cameras flash. I step through the party wearing my old military suit. It is covered in medals and pins. I glance to my left at a couple getting their picture taken with an old camera. A camera flashes next to me, making me jump. Couples dance with each other on the dance floor, smiling and happy. I turn again to see what looks like two men fighting based on them shoving each other. A man laughs as another gentleman wipes the spilled red wine off his shirt. I'm back in the forties.
     I feel a hand brush my arm. A familiar hand.
     "Are you ready for our dance?" a distinctive British voice asks.
     I turn around to face Peggy, who wears a nice blue dress. She has a pink flower clipped on her bodice. I turn back around, not being able to face her without Tori's smiling face flashing before my eyes.
     "The war's over, Steve," Peggy assures me as I turn back around to face her. "We can go home."
     I stare into her brown eyes with sadness. I don't want to be here. I want to be with Tori. She at least understands me well enough to know that I don't have a physical home.
     "Imagine it," Peggy adds.
     I swiftly turn back around, and everything is gone. The people, the music, even Peggy are now just a figment of my imagination. I'm still in the same room with the red tint and hanging chandeliers and small tables, but no one else. I glance off into the distance. I see myself and Peggy dancing the night away. She spins into my arms as I stare at her red lips.
     I begin to breathe heavily as the scene changes into my empty apartment with Tori slow dancing with me in the dark. My heart begins to feel lighter, like the heavy burden it was given was disappearing. As she presses her lips to mine, it all fades away into darkness. Lost and into the unknown.