Through, Together (A Romanogers Fanfiction)

Goodbyes

"Tony, this is ridiculous." Steve said, his voice hushed and urgent. "You really think this is going to work?"

"It has to," Tony's voice sounded in Steve's earpiece. "If not... I hope you like bell bottoms."

Steve sighed and shook his head. Given Tony's chuckle, he was pretty sure the man could practically see Steve's dismay. They had infiltrated the military base in New Jersey, 1970. With some stolen clothes and, in Steve's case, some well-placed sunglasses, they hoped they would blend in with their surroundings. Tony's face wasn't known, here, as he hadn't come into the world yet.  Steve, on the other hand... Well, it'd been roughly thirty years since he'd gone into the ice, and apparently he was still somewhat of a legend around here. He'd have to be careful.

"I'm heading to the lower levels," Tony said.

"Alright. I'll get the particles. Reconvene in ten. We're on a tight schedule here, Tony."

He didn't think Tony needed to be reminded, but it didn't hurt to jog his sense of urgency a bit. They broke communication, and Steve started carefully meandering through hallways. He and Tony had taken an elevator into the compound, doing their best to shy away from the curious glances of a woman that had been with them. Steve kept the military cap pulled low to help cover more of his face. He sincerely wished he would've still had his beard for this. It would have made things much easier.

While Tony went to get his hands on the Tesseract, Steve went in search of more Pym Particles. Their knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. history was extremely important in the contingency plan that formed after their failure in New York. Tony had devised the plan, of course. Steve just had to trust him enough to go along with it and hope that it would work. The base was crawling with soldiers, scientists, and security. Getting what they needed and getting out, without attracting unwanted attention, would be quite the task.

To be honest, Steve wasn't entirely sure where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to find the office or work space of Dr. Hank Pym to locate the particles needed to take Tony and himself back to the present. He peeked through doorways and office windows as he walked the halls, doing his best not to seem suspicious. It felt like forever, slowly ticking minutes of tightly-wound nerves, before Steve found what he was looking for. Pym's name was neatly written in bold lettering on a nameplate attached to his office door. The man had an ego. No wonder he and Howard Stark didn't get along.

Steve checked the halls, slipped into the office, and walked back to a small lab area. A stasis chamber-like device sat behind a small, glass enclosure. It hummed quietly from some unseen power source. It looked like some sort of metallic pod, inside which were several, small vials containing the familiar, red Pym particles.

"Gotcha."

He couldn't help the small, triumphant grin that formed on his face when he opened the glass, reached in, and took two vials. Steve was half-expecting some sort of alarm to start sounding, and he waited for a few, tense seconds for something to go wrong. Nothing happened, though. No sirens, no blinking lights; nothing. Maybe they were having a stroke of good luck. It was definitely needed after the debacle in New York City. Steve tucked the vials into his pocket and headed for the door.

He opened it a crack and heard voices nearby. Someone was approaching. No, not just someone. It was Pym. Damn it... Steve thought as he closed the door and backed into the room. He looked around for another way out. There was a door at the far end of the office. Steve wasn't sure where it led, but he was sure he couldn't go out the way he came in. So, he made for the other door. He found himself in another office. This one was smaller, its lights turned off. There was a desk, a filing cabinet, and little else. Steve circled around the desk and saw something that made him pause.