Back in Time

I just need to talk

May 8th, 2049

With it being a beautiful spring day I decided to take my father's vintage motorcycle out for a spin instead of the more practical Audi parked in the driveway. Days off like today didn't happen very often now that I was officially Captain America. Since the bike was so special and I didn't want anything to happen to it I usually kept it covered and put away. But every now and when a day like today came around, the urge to get onto the open road was too overwhelming to resist. Dressed for riding I zipped up my civilian leather jacket, grabbed my helmet and my keys. It would be a bit uncomfortable to be dressed so warmly on a hot day, though avoiding potential roadrash was a much better choice in my mind than worrying about sweat stains.

Petting my black cat Westley who was winding through my legs wanting to come with me, I shoo him out of the way so I could open the front door. "Not today, Wes. I've got somewhere in mind that's too far away for you to be in your carrier." His plaintive meow has me crouching down to scratch under his chin. "You can't sweet talk me, mister. It's too hot out. The answer is no. Stay inside and an enjoy the cool air with Buttercup." With a flick of his long tail Westley growls lowly as he pouts on his way to the living room to do as he was told.

Exiting quickly I stood here for a moment on the wrap around porch letting the sun warm my face for a moment. Listening to the wind rustling the leaves of the trees as I take a centering breath. The peace and quiet of the countryside was nice. Unlike Avengers now and in the past, I didn't both live and work at the Avengers Facility otherwise known as the Compound. Instead I lived in the two story house my father had built three miles down the road that I'd lived in for a good part of my life. This meant I didn't have to bother with sneaking out when I wanted to take off on days like today.

Because as much as I loved my team and got along with my fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who worked at the Compound, there was simply no privacy. There was always someone asking where I was going or with whom. So nosy. Sure I understood that it came from a place of love and caring. But sometimes I just wanted to take off without being monitored. Which was hard to do nowadays.

Making sure to lock up, I make my way off the porch and around to the side of the house to the detached garage. Where the only things inside were some sealed bins of stuff leftover from my parents that didn't fit in the attic that I couldn't part with. Along with tools and my dad's shiny black Softail Slim. Taking the dust cover off I fold it up and set it on the spotless workbench with a grin on my face.

A smile never failed to come to me at the sight of the old girl. The Softail was one of the few things that I had left from my father that I had always loved and taken care of. Learning how to keep it in good repair with help from my uncles Tony and Bucky. And the second I was old enough to ride it, I had gotten my motorcycle license. Though I'd snuck off on the back roads up at Tony and Pepper's lakeside cabin more than once before then.

Slipping my helmet on I sling a long jean clad leg over the saddle of the bike and shift it upright to start the engine. The loud rumble has my heart racing ready to get on the road. Like it always does when I ride. Cranking the throttle a few times just for the hell of it brings a grin to my face. Easing the bike out of the garage and out onto the paved driveway.

As I do I see Wes sunning himself in his favorite spot on the plush bench that sat in the front room window alongside my older and just as beloved orange tabby, Buttercup. Both of them enjoying the sun while remaining cool in the air conditioned interior of the house. I loved the spoiled little ball of black fur. But man did he ham it up when he didn't get what he wanted.

Shaking my head I wind my way down the quarter mile to the main road. Then I opened her up. Taking off further up north where the highway would eventually take me to my aunt and uncle's place. Checking my mirrors and looking ahead to gauge that I had the road to myself, I shot off at full speed. It wasn't very law abiding of me as Captain America. However, after hearing about some of the stories of the things my father had gotten up to in his day I didn't let something as little as speeding hold me back now and then.