The Mission

Chapter 2:
Four heavy bags lay splattered on the floor. Steve was in the basement jabbing furiously at yet another heavy bag. He was so focused on the bag and lost in concentration of his war memories that he did not see Evelynn enter the room. He threw a hard right uppercut and sent the bag flying across the room. He turned and picked up another bag. “Ma’am,” he nodded in her direction as he set up the next bag.

She approached him slowly as he started punching away at the next bag. His classic SSR shirt displayed his muscles nicely. “You know many people consider you The First Avenger,” she spoke softly, eyes never tearing away from his perfectly toned body. Steve grunted in reply, having nothing else to say. She was trying to flirt with him, which made him uncomfortable. Evelynn climbed in between the ropes onto the boxing ring and sat on the corner post, well out of the way for the heavy bag, should Steve battered another one.

His phone rang. Steve paused in his punches to pick up the call. The screen was cracked but Tony Stark didn’t want to give him yet another phone until he fully understood this one. He had broken fourteen of them so far, mostly out of frustration. “Hello?” he furrowed his brow, confused as to why he couldn’t hear anyone on the other end. “Hello?”

“You need to swipe you finger across the green blinking circle,” Evelynn prompted, but it was already too late. Steve had missed the call.

“Back in my day, you just picked up the phone and you could hear people on the other line,” he muttered and returned to his heavy bag.

“Who was it?”

Steve looked back at her, incredulously. “I couldn’t answer it. I did have a chance to talk to whoever it was.”

Evelynn giggled. “You really are out of time. Do you have people in your contacts?” She waited for a reply but received only another confused stare. “Can I see your phone?” Steve began to walk back over to the phone, but Evelynn pulled it to her telepathically. “It was Pepper,” she concluded. “If it was super important, then she will call back or use JARVIS to contact us.”

“Do you ever feel…um…I’m sorry if I seem forward, Ms. Evelynn, but weird because of…uh…?”

“You’re cute when you stammer. Yes, sometimes. But thankfully, my mutation is easier to hide than some. One of the students at the school, his name is Kurt, and he is blue, literally. And has a tail. Kinda harder to fit into society that way.”

“Well the American people have allowed blacks to vote and eat in the same diners as the whites. Women vote too. Maybe it’s just a matter of time before mutants are accepted into society.”

“That’s what Professor Charles believed in. Unfortunately many others didn’t. His long-time friend Magneto lived through Germany during WWII and was in a concentration camp because he was Jewish. He was different and feared that society would never accept his mutation because of his past with the Nazis. So he’s kinda a bad guy.”

Steve grabbed his water bottle and walked over to the ropes of the boxing ring where Evelynn was sitting. He leaned on it. “He was in Germany while I was there.”

“Probably, yes.” Silence fell between the two. Evelynn shifted on her perch on the wooden post and Steve readjusted his position leaning on the ropes. He looked up and caught her staring, to which she immediately averted her gaze.

“I don’t think you’re weird,” Steve blurted out. Damn, I was doing so well not making a fool of myself. “I…uh…I mean…sorry. You’re a beautiful dame—er—lady.”

“I’ve got a lot of moxie?”

“That’s not how you use that,” Steve pouted and Evelynn apologized.

“You’ve asked me a lot of questions. Mind if I ask you one?” Steve shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re super serum…it enhances, everything?”

Steve nodded in affirmation. “I can’t get drunk. I heal faster than most humans. I’m faster and stronger than the average Joe.”

“And your stamina?” Steve looked confused. Hadn’t he just answered that question? “Sorry. That was completely out of line. You don’t have to answer that question.” Steve ice blue eyes widened and a blush crept up his cheeks and flushed through his ears. Idly, Evelynn began to play with her own dog-tags having thoroughly embarrassed both herself and the Captain. She would not be able to complete her mission if he shut her out because of her lack of composure.

“Were you given the dog-tags as part of the X-men?”

“Actually. These were from William Striker’s facility when I was experimented on,” before Steve could ask, she continued. “It’s a weird sentiment to keep wearing them. I can’t quite explain it. Makes for a good conversation piece though.” Steve smiled. “You really are the poster boy for America. Everything about you is perfect, right down to your smile.” Again Steve blushed.

“Did you really come down here to pay me compliments?”

“And flirt with you?” Evelynn winked. “Not just to do that. Although you must admit it is an added bonus. I’m here to apologize for yesterday, and offer a peace offering. I haven’t really had time to process everything that happened recently with the X-men and Magento and now SHIELD and Tony had brought up some feelings I wasn’t ready for. You were really endearing when you came to my room, more endearing and sincere than any regular human has ever treated me after finding out that I’m a mutant. I’d like to pay it forward with some coffee…or ice cream…” she trailed off.

“I’m not a regular human though,” Steve conceded.

Evelynn shrugged. “The serum enhanced your physical state, but deep down you and I know you’re a good man. That means so much more than any super suit or lightning rod can. So coffee?”
Steve smiled and it practically melted Evelynn’s heart. He hadn’t been called a good man since before the procedure. “Coffee.”
***

Steve pulled out the chair for Evelynn, a chivalrous but old-fashioned gesture that made her blush.
“What would you like?”

“I think you misunderstand ‘paying it forward,’ Steve. I’m meant to buy you the drink, not the other way around.”

“In my time, a gentleman always paid for a lovely lady’s food.”

“Ah, but this is just coffee, not food.”

“I insist.” Evelynn consented and in a few minutes Steve returned with two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of her and took a sip of his own before sitting down.
***

Although Evelynn thought that Tony Stark would avoid her indefinitely, or at the very least tread more lightly, he did neither. She walked into the communal kitchen and fixed herself a drink. “So, how does it all work then?”

“All…ow! What the hell was that for?” Tony Stark had jabbed her. “You stabbed me with a fork!” She shouted in disbelief.

“Does that send you into overdrive? Huh, didn’t work on Bruce either. Maybe if it was charged,” he mused to himself. “So how does it work? Do you get angry and rage out your feelings by pointing people’s guns in their faces with your mind?”

“Are you looking for an apology?”

“Steve got one.” Immediately, Evelynn felt betrayed knowing that Steve told Tony Stark of all people.
“Actually I’m looking for an explanation. Captain Popsicle has the super serum, Bruce has the gamma rays, and I, well,” he smirked to himself. “I am a genius. So I’ll ask you again. How does it work?”

“It’s all genetics. Passed down from father to children. I am one of many. Because it’s based on genetics, they are hundreds of different types of mutations.”

“And SHIELD wants to turn the Avenger’s into a freak show?”

Evelynn scowled. She wasn’t sure why she expected him to understand, maybe because he had such a reputation for his intelligence. Or maybe she thought he would understand because even Captain America understood. “I don’t know what SHIELDs plans are for mutants. Right now it’s just me.” It wasn’t a lie.

“Ah, good. I’d hate to be renting out my tower to a bunch of circus performers.” Evelynn clenched her fists.

“Tony, do you ever learn your lesson?” Steve walked into the kitchen and headed straight to the fridge. He pulled out the carton of milk and poured himself a glass. “Honestly, I don’t think I’d protect you should she pull out her powers on you again. If you’re gonna poke the lion make sure you’re able to handle the repercussions.”

Tony mock saluted the Captain and walked out of the room, he whispered to Evelynn as he passed, “I’m not the one who should be worrying about repercussions. SHIELD can’t hide things from me for very long and the Captain doesn’t take well to liars.” Evelynn wasn’t sure if he was bluffing or not.

Evelynn thanked the captain quietly for intervening. “Doing my duty, miss. I don’t want you to bring down the building either.”

“Ah, so the noble Captain America isn’t always so selfless.”

“I’ve almost died once saving my country. I would repeat it in a heartbeat, but…” he trailed off.

“But…?” she prompted.

“I don’t know if I’m prepared to die in a building that a mutant brings down because of Tony Stark’s arrogance.”

“Wow, when you put it like that I sound like an ass.”

Steve blushed. “My apologies, miss, it was more of a jab at Tony than at you.” Steve stood across from Evelynn at the island. He propped himself up on his elbows, his half drank milk next to him. Evelynn lazily trailed her index finger around the rim of her glass, staring off into space before drawing the glass to her lips. The super-soldier watched her as she drank more of her alcohol. He took in her olive skin and green eyes, her chestnut hair pulled back into a messy braid, her luscious lips and her bosom… //I don’t like being oogled, Captain.// Captain Rogers jumped back in surprise. Evelynn smirked.

“Sorry. You’re cute when you’re startled though.”

“You can talk to me through your mind powers?”

“I can do an immense number of things with my mind. But I can’t set anything on fire though or create things out of thin air. Manipulating AIs like JARVIS is difficult, but not impossible. I also find the more stressful a situation is the more I am capable of, although sometimes I cannot recreate the results when calm. Professor Xavier always used to say that true focus lay somewhere between serenity and rage. Unfortunately I was never quite proficient at that.”

“It sounds like Professor Xavier knew his stuff,” the captain mumbled to himself. Evelynn smiled.

“He was brilliant in ways even I don’t always understand.”