Erik Stark Part 3/?
Notes: This was originally posted here at 1stclass_kink
September 1, 1939
"Erik, you will be late!" Abraham called at the sound of a particularly loud bang from Erik's room.
"I can't find my notebook!"
"Perhaps, because it is here on the table," Abraham called, signing the requisition forms he had brought home with him the night before.
"Good morning, Vati." Erik smiled, turning on the radio as he passed it. Abraham vaguely recognized the song as one which Edie had been fond of.
"And now the news. War broke out between Poland and Germany at 5 o'clock this morning with German planes attacking Gdynia, Cracow and Katowice. The Free City of Danzig has been annexed by the Third Reich. Chancellor Hitler has warned foreign nations against interfering, saying from now on force will be met with force. In spite of this, Great Britain mobilized her fleet to full strength..."
Erik sank into his seat, the blood draining from his face. He looked very young and lost at that moment. Abraham wished he was less shaken himself that he might comfort his son.
"They might still be on their way. They could have..." Erik whispered.
Abraham laid a hand on Erik's shoulder, struggling for the right words. "I think, perhaps, you need not go to school today."
November 15, 1940
Erik frowned at the paper. He had been staring at the final problem for hours and he'd asked three different scientists and had only become more confused.
Mr. Stark stuck his head around the door. "Where is your father?"
"Asking Colonel Phillips for more money." Erik muttered. He looked up at Mr. Stark, "Do you know anything about chemistry, sir? I've asked Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Douglas and I still can't understand this question."
"They couldn't tell you the answer?"
Erik sighed. "They said I need to be able to figure it out myself. They all tried to explain, but I couldn't follow."
"Let me see here. Well, here is the answer." He said writing on a loose page. "Copy it out later so that it's in your handwriting. Now come on."
"Where are we going?"
"My lab. I'll show you why that problem is so important."
February 21, 1941
Dr Erskine opened the door of Stark's laboratory with a caution born of long experience. The violet fireball was a surprise though.
"Sorry!" came a cry. Probably Erik, it sounded as though he actually meant it.
"It is alright. It's good to test my reflexes."
Erik's head appeared from behind the blast partition. His clothes were smoke damaged and he was grinning.
"Homework again, Erik?" he asked smiling.
The grin turned rueful. "No, but I have finished my homework."
"Fetch it then, and we will go home."
"Really?" Dr. Erskine asked Stark as Erik went to round up his escaping possessions.
"Alright, I admit it was a little bigger than I anticipated."
"It will be your responsibility to explain to Edith Lensherr if anything happens to her son."
"Speaking of which," Stark glanced towards Erik dropped his voice. "With all the rumours about Poland and what happened to the Jews in Germany..."
"I know perfectly well what happened in Germany." Erskine snapped. He sighed. "I haven't heard anything from Itzhak and Edie in over a year. However, until I find out that they are dead I have to keep believing they are alive. For my own sake, as well as Erik's."
March 30, 1942
Erik ran into the store which served as SSR HQ. He ran through the protocols with Mrs Pollock who gave him a cookie before sending him on his way.
Nurse Dewey met him at the top of the stairs. "Dr. Erskine and Mr Stark are in the lab right now Erik. Wait in the office." Erik nodded shrugging his bag higher on his shoulders.
He heard the familiar whine as the generators kicked in and the lights flickered. 'Please work' he thought as he settled down to his homework.
Suddenly there was a great crack and half the lights blew darkening the complex. Erik could hear muffled yells through the heavy door. As Erik stood to see what had happened his father burst through the door grabbed him by the hands and spun him in a circle."We've done it! Erik, we've done it! Aha!" He ran to the desk and pulled out the bottle of champagne he kept there. "Come along," he said grinning. "Today you have your first drink." He looked down at Erik. "Well, only half a glass. And don't tell your mother."
Erik didn't care for the taste of champagne, but the joy and laughter on the faces of the men and women who cared for him would be one of his dearest memories. Even if he had fallen asleep by eight o'clock.
May 12, 1943
Erik grinned as he heard Agent Carter's voice outside the office. "Hello, Agent Carter," he said opening the door. He stopped short when he saw there was someone with her. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Agent Carter smiled and Erik once again found himself wishing he was old enough to ask her to dinner. "Hello, Erik. This is Private Rogers. Steve, this is Dr. Erskine's foster-son Erik Lensherr."
"Good to meet you, Erik. Please, call me Steve. Dr. Erskine's mentioned you. He's very proud of you."
Erik couldn't help smiling. "I am on my way to the booth. I'll walk with you I may."
As the lights grew blindingly, Erik crossed his fingers for luck and hoped that the serum would work as the scientists hoped. His breath caught when Rogers ordered the scientists to continue and he couldn't turn away his eyes, even as sparks flew from the broken circuits.
When the metal pod opened to show the result, Erik scrambled down the stairs and shoved his way through the crowd to reach his father. "I knew you'd do it, Vati!" he said, hugging his father and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Then the room exploded.
Erik's memories of the next few minutes were hazy and fragmented. The falling glass, the screams and gun shots, feel of the blood on his hands hours later and the ringing in his ears. The only moment of clarity was kneeling in the broken glass as Mr. Stark gently prised him away from his dead father.
This entry was originally posted at http://cathrinerose.dreamwidth.org/1853.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
September 1, 1939
"Erik, you will be late!" Abraham called at the sound of a particularly loud bang from Erik's room.
"I can't find my notebook!"
"Perhaps, because it is here on the table," Abraham called, signing the requisition forms he had brought home with him the night before.
"Good morning, Vati." Erik smiled, turning on the radio as he passed it. Abraham vaguely recognized the song as one which Edie had been fond of.
"And now the news. War broke out between Poland and Germany at 5 o'clock this morning with German planes attacking Gdynia, Cracow and Katowice. The Free City of Danzig has been annexed by the Third Reich. Chancellor Hitler has warned foreign nations against interfering, saying from now on force will be met with force. In spite of this, Great Britain mobilized her fleet to full strength..."
Erik sank into his seat, the blood draining from his face. He looked very young and lost at that moment. Abraham wished he was less shaken himself that he might comfort his son.
"They might still be on their way. They could have..." Erik whispered.
Abraham laid a hand on Erik's shoulder, struggling for the right words. "I think, perhaps, you need not go to school today."
November 15, 1940
Erik frowned at the paper. He had been staring at the final problem for hours and he'd asked three different scientists and had only become more confused.
Mr. Stark stuck his head around the door. "Where is your father?"
"Asking Colonel Phillips for more money." Erik muttered. He looked up at Mr. Stark, "Do you know anything about chemistry, sir? I've asked Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Douglas and I still can't understand this question."
"They couldn't tell you the answer?"
Erik sighed. "They said I need to be able to figure it out myself. They all tried to explain, but I couldn't follow."
"Let me see here. Well, here is the answer." He said writing on a loose page. "Copy it out later so that it's in your handwriting. Now come on."
"Where are we going?"
"My lab. I'll show you why that problem is so important."
February 21, 1941
Dr Erskine opened the door of Stark's laboratory with a caution born of long experience. The violet fireball was a surprise though.
"Sorry!" came a cry. Probably Erik, it sounded as though he actually meant it.
"It is alright. It's good to test my reflexes."
Erik's head appeared from behind the blast partition. His clothes were smoke damaged and he was grinning.
"Homework again, Erik?" he asked smiling.
The grin turned rueful. "No, but I have finished my homework."
"Fetch it then, and we will go home."
"Really?" Dr. Erskine asked Stark as Erik went to round up his escaping possessions.
"Alright, I admit it was a little bigger than I anticipated."
"It will be your responsibility to explain to Edith Lensherr if anything happens to her son."
"Speaking of which," Stark glanced towards Erik dropped his voice. "With all the rumours about Poland and what happened to the Jews in Germany..."
"I know perfectly well what happened in Germany." Erskine snapped. He sighed. "I haven't heard anything from Itzhak and Edie in over a year. However, until I find out that they are dead I have to keep believing they are alive. For my own sake, as well as Erik's."
March 30, 1942
Erik ran into the store which served as SSR HQ. He ran through the protocols with Mrs Pollock who gave him a cookie before sending him on his way.
Nurse Dewey met him at the top of the stairs. "Dr. Erskine and Mr Stark are in the lab right now Erik. Wait in the office." Erik nodded shrugging his bag higher on his shoulders.
He heard the familiar whine as the generators kicked in and the lights flickered. 'Please work' he thought as he settled down to his homework.
Suddenly there was a great crack and half the lights blew darkening the complex. Erik could hear muffled yells through the heavy door. As Erik stood to see what had happened his father burst through the door grabbed him by the hands and spun him in a circle."We've done it! Erik, we've done it! Aha!" He ran to the desk and pulled out the bottle of champagne he kept there. "Come along," he said grinning. "Today you have your first drink." He looked down at Erik. "Well, only half a glass. And don't tell your mother."
Erik didn't care for the taste of champagne, but the joy and laughter on the faces of the men and women who cared for him would be one of his dearest memories. Even if he had fallen asleep by eight o'clock.
May 12, 1943
Erik grinned as he heard Agent Carter's voice outside the office. "Hello, Agent Carter," he said opening the door. He stopped short when he saw there was someone with her. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Agent Carter smiled and Erik once again found himself wishing he was old enough to ask her to dinner. "Hello, Erik. This is Private Rogers. Steve, this is Dr. Erskine's foster-son Erik Lensherr."
"Good to meet you, Erik. Please, call me Steve. Dr. Erskine's mentioned you. He's very proud of you."
Erik couldn't help smiling. "I am on my way to the booth. I'll walk with you I may."
As the lights grew blindingly, Erik crossed his fingers for luck and hoped that the serum would work as the scientists hoped. His breath caught when Rogers ordered the scientists to continue and he couldn't turn away his eyes, even as sparks flew from the broken circuits.
When the metal pod opened to show the result, Erik scrambled down the stairs and shoved his way through the crowd to reach his father. "I knew you'd do it, Vati!" he said, hugging his father and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Then the room exploded.
Erik's memories of the next few minutes were hazy and fragmented. The falling glass, the screams and gun shots, feel of the blood on his hands hours later and the ringing in his ears. The only moment of clarity was kneeling in the broken glass as Mr. Stark gently prised him away from his dead father.
This entry was originally posted at http://cathrinerose.dreamwidth.org/1853.html. Please comment there using OpenID.