Awakening.

[onlyforthedream]

I have no idea how long I've been out for. I take mental inventory before my eyes are open- the damage to my shoulder, what must be a lung recovering from collapse, fatigue- and when they are, it is a familiar room that greets me. Foreign, perhaps, but familiar. I don't recognize the hospital, and God knows I've been in enough of them, but the

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[onlyapassenger]

Waiting around in the Clinic like this... It's like the old days. Only difference is, I'm not the one recuperating on a rock hard hospital mattress this time around. Hours have passed since I first found him on the steps, but I haven't left his side, not for an instant, because I know he would've done the same for me. Doesn't matter that I've been reassured he'll live through this or that he's capable of taking care of himself. Because while I have a better memory of him to take with me, the last time he saw me was during that business with the Cosmic Cube... Right after he gave me back my memories... And that's complicated. Compounded with the fact that he's landed on a veritable prison, stuck here with the rest of us, and you've got one hell of a quagmire on your hands. A saner person might want to let someone else take care of this part, but sanity isn't a word often thrown my way. The truth is, I've done enough running. Hell, the last time he saw me, I was running... But that's not who I am

[onlyforthedream]

I probably stare at him for a good three seconds before I realize what's happening is real. It wouldn't be the first time I hallucinated Bucky's presence, and with drugs in my system I'm even less inclined to believe my eyes, but I do. If the situation was any less strange- and not just in the moment, but the weeks leading up to it- I would feel guilty for doubting.

"Bucky?" I ask, and hear how rough and worn my voice is. I clear my throat- there's no pain there- and drag myself more fully into the conscious world.

"What happened."

[onlyapassenger]

It's a damn loaded question, intentional or not. So far from Steve's relative future, there's plenty Bucky could say in reply, but sticking with the most relevant basics seems the smartest course of action.

"Crossbones shot you," he explains, letting his hand drop back down to his side. The warning, he thinks, will be enough for now, but if Steve insists on a repeat performance, Bucky's prepared to keep him down for his own good. The medical facilities here aren't the greatest, even if he's been led to understand they've improved significantly.

"That's the abridged version."

[onlyforthedream]

"Was he apprehended?" I ask without pause, running the memory of the shooting through my head like an old news reel. Shooter or not, I would bet good money that it wasn't Brock's idea to take me out in such a calculated, public fashion. If I were the type who gambled.

"Was anyone hurt?"

[mutant_gi_jesus]

New arrivals were dime a dozen, of course, but there were still some among them who warranted special notice. And this man was undoubtedly one of them.

"Hello Captain," Cable said casually as he walked into the clinic. "I see I'm not the only one who thought you could do with leaving America for a while."

[onlyforthedream]

If there was a voice I wasn't expecting to hear, it would be this one. I drop my hand from where it had been trying to push away the beginnings of a headache at my temple and look up. Cable has the bearing of a soldier and the mass of a bear, and for a moment he fills the doorway. I'm admittedly baffled, though I manage not to look it. I can't imagine I look anything much more than tired.

"Nathan. I take it you're from after the war, then." I should be more accustomed to being at odds with time, but I have the feeling it's going to take some adjusting to, again.

[mutant_gi_jesus]

The name was hardly Cap's fault but war still struck Cable as something of an overstatement given what had actually happened.

"I'm from after a lot of wars," he replied as he sat down next to the bed. "But only a month or two further down the line then you."

Assuming his wound was from what Cable suspected it was, of course.

"Or several hundred years depending on your point of view."

[onlyforthedream]

Point of view would be the sticker, here. I manage not to wince or grimace as I readjust the fall of my shoulders against the mattress.

"Only a month or two after, but how long have you been here?" I ask.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason's staring at him from the end of the bed

[onlyforthedream]

The words bring me up short, not because I'm used (at this point) to taking orders, but because they're totally unexpected. I lift my gaze to the young man some feet past the bad and try to place him. Not SHIELD. Not armed, at least not with a gun. I get the feeling he wouldn't necessarily need on.

"Not sure I'm in a position to argue," I say, endeavoring to keep the strain out of my voice.

[prodigaljaybird]

"You're probably doped up," Jason agrees, shoulders relaxing minutely for the way the man leans back against the bed. Doped up or no, he's obviously hurt, a big guy like this one wouldn't be propped up in bed over a fleshwound. Jason should ask if he's okay, if he needs anything while Jason's just standing there, but the thing is...Jason would fight a whole circus of bears for Bucky. His conscience doesn't stand a damn chance.

"Are you the only one that's hurt?"

[onlyforthedream]

"No," I reply, "the anesthesia's worn off. But yes, I... arrived with the injury."

It was the first question I asked, too, and despite Bucky's reassurances, there's a rather weighty argument to the contrary.

"No one else was hurt."

[only_son]

It's still unbelievably strange to have to use the island clinic for anything, and with the way Clark has thrown himself into working on the GAE, he's found himself in here a lot. Not for anything too bad, mind: He's careful most of the time if only because there are so many other people around him. Today it's a splinter that feels the size of his entire thumb; he's just pulled the last bit free and is indulging in the thoroughly human (and admittedly kind of delightful) practice of sucking on the tiny wound when he hears a rustle and quiet clatter from the adjoining room.

The fellow in the bed doesn't look too pleased to be in it, and when Clark pulls his thumb free of his mouth, he offers a faint, sympathetic smile from his place in the doorway. The worst days for him had been those first weeks, his body knitting at what felt like a glacial pace.

"Can I get you anything?"

[onlyforthedream]

A time machine. Somehow, I get the feeling such a request would be denied. It wouldn't be the first time. I manage a steady nod to the man in the doorway.

"I would appreciate some water."

[only_son]

"That is definitely doable," Clark replies, his smile brightening a fraction. "Give me just a minute."

He ducks out of sight and then spends awhile fumbling around the various cabinets over and around the clinic's sink, looking for some kind of cup; cabinets not arranged by his mother have always managed to perplex him. Finally he finds one, fills it with water and carries it back to the room, where it sets it at the guy's bedside.

"Have you just arrived?" he asks, feeling a little awkward about it and his face going slightly pinched as a result. It's such a strange and disconcerting question to have put to you when you first show up, but he isn't sure how else to phrase it.

[onlyforthedream]

I drink first, reaching for the cup with my let hand and emptying it in one go.

"Thank you," I say, turning it over in my fingers before replacing it on the table.

"Yes, although I'm not exactly sure how long ago."

[wildlyconflictd]

Pepper Potts wasn't a busybody. Her reasons for being in the clinic had been completely legitimate: She liked to stock up on first aid supplies because she liked to be prepared. Tony wasn't accident prone, per se, he was just…unpredictable. And they lived so far from the main settlement.

After a quick glance into the room, she retreated again and then reappeared a few minutes later with a carafe of water and a mug; she figured something with a handle would be best. These she placed on the bedside table and then offered a smile.

"Have they said when you can eat again?" she asked with a tilt of her head that slid her long ponytail to the front of her shoulder.

[onlyforthedream]

The day has been strange, sure, but not jarring. Pepper Potts' sudden presence at my bedside is nothing short of startling, however. I haven't seen her in ages, certainly not since Happy died. The familiar face is welcome, but for a moment I scarcely know what to say.

I start with answering her question.

"No," I reply honestly, "I hadn't asked. It didn't seem like a priority. Pepper... when- How long have you been here?"

[wildlyconflictd]

Pepper stilled for the space of five seconds, the only outward indicator that she was taken off guard. "About two and a half years," she slowly answered, and briefly pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry, but. I don't actually know who you are." Why most of the people who knew Tony and herself had to come from an alternate universe, she'd never understand. She'd never trade Peter and Mary Jane, but what she wouldn't give for the next person who knew her to be Rhodey or Happy.

"Alternate universes, apparently," she explained, in the event he was unaware. Given the sort of people who seemed to recognize her, however, she doubted it was entirely necessary.

[onlyforthedream]

Well that's a hell of a thing, as Patton used to say. I nod, once, both my understanding and an apology.

"I apologize if my question seemed presumptuous," I tell her.

"I've only been awake a little while and the nature of this place has yet to sink in. My name is Steve Rogers," I explain and with the barest, flickering smile, offer her my left hand. The right isn't going anywhere just yet, not with the bandage on my shoulder wrapped so tight.