Project 43

A really long story

After two months at sea, the ship was nearing the Houston docks. Elias had his back bag ready packed with the little possessions he had and all the money he had saved. He stood at the bow of the ship as it slowly made its way through the canal. The sides of the canal were lined with gray warehouses and other ships waiting to be used again. It truly was a warm welcome back to the country.

"Guess this is goodbye," Elias said as the ship was attached to the docks.

"I think we'll see each other again. You won't stay on land for too long," Dimitri said as the two parted ways.

Elias took a bus to downtown Houston. The tall buildings and big cars filled the view the second Elias got out of the bus. The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot just yet. Elias walked through the city and just looked around in awe. He thought being back in America would feel different. Maybe he was expecting a panic attack or something but for some reason, he didn't feel anything.

The bus to the airport took two hours and the entire time Elias just stared out the window and tried to feel something. Maybe he should have been angry at the country he gave his life for, maybe he should have been sad, maybe scared but he just couldn't find a single crumb of emotion aside from indifference. Time hadn't healed the wounds and Elias was sure of it but maybe coming back to his home country didn't mean as much to him as he thought it would have.

Elias jumped on a plane and after four hours, he was in San Francisco, the city where Mikey had always wanted to move into. Elias had done some research and found out Mikey lived in a retirement home in downtown San Francisco. Elias knew that he shouldn't go see his friend, after all, he hadn't aged a day in seventy years so it would automatically freak out everyone who once had known him. To add to the injury everyone thought Captain Elias Smith was dead so if he started showing up, people would have some questions. Still, Elias wanted to go see Mikey. Maybe he wouldn't even remember the visit the next day, or at least that's how Leias justified it all to himself.

Elias got a room for himself at a motel in downtown San Francisco while he tried to talk himself in and out of going to see Mikey. The room was a lot better than what Elias had gotten used to previously. It was still dingy, the wallpaper was peeling off, there was definitely mold somewhere in the building, and the sink was right next to the bed, but still, it was one of the best Elias had been in.

After three days of fighting with himself, Elias was standing in front of the retirement home. The name of the place and a logo were sticking out of the wall and the doorway was lined with flowerpots on either side. It looked a lot better than what Elias had anticipated.

"Hello," the woman behind the counter chirped happily. Elias smiled in return as he knew it would make him more believable.

"Hi, I'm here to see Michael Johnson. He's my great-uncle," Elias explained. He remembered Mikey having a sister so it could just maybe be believable enough for the receptionist to believe his story. Even tho the two looked different they had similar hair color which Elias hoped would help his case.

"Sure. Have you scheduled a visit" the woman asked. Elias had to put all his acting skills into play.

"No, I'm sorry my mother didn't tell me I had to do that. I'm only in town for a few days on business and wanted to come see Uncle Mike," Elias said with furrowed eyebrows. He started digging for his phone as if to check his messages with his supposed mother.

"Okay, what's your mother's name," the woman asked. Elias panicked internally. He had no idea what Mikey's niece's name was or if he even had one.

"Oh she has never visited but my grandma Emily Davis has," Elias responded quickly. He had memorized details about Mikey's life just like he had with his targets back at Hydra, but he didn't want to think of it that way.