SURVIVOR ▹ ENDGAME ⁸ ✓

twelve.

Christina did the same to Rumlow and Jack. The three stared at Steve and Christina, surprised.

THE doors slid open, and Steve and Christina walked out. Steve held the sceptre case in one hand, and shield in the other. When the doors closed behind them, Christina instantly stumbled towards the wall, placing a hand on it. Steve stopped, shooting her a concerned look.

"Christina, you okay?"

Chris responded with a nervous laugh, placing a hand on her chest. "That was some comic book shit right there."

Steve smiled lightly, and she straightened herself. "All right, let's do this."

STEVE and Christina were moving swiftly, slowly but steadily making their way towards the lobby. The pair made light conversation, learning a bit about each other's lives and what really got them into being 'heroes'.

Their chatting was interrupted when their comms picked up unplanned commotion.

"Tony, what's going on?" Steve asked in concern as they rounded a corner. Christina reached behind her head, starting to take out the pins holding her hair securely and letting it fall freely behind her back. "Tell me you found that cube."

Steve looked around the hallway as they entered an overpassing bridge. He stopped in his tracks when he looked forward. Christina gave a questioning look before doing the same, gasping and coming to a curt halt.

In front of them stood 2012 Steve, dressed in the same uniform but with his helmet on.

"Oh no," Chris said, looking between the two Steves.

"You gotta be shittin' me." Present Steve said, his head dropping slightly.

2012 Steve pressed his fingers to his ear. "I have eyes on Loki, fourteenth floor. And he seems to have picked up a friend along the way."

"I'm not Loki," Steve slowly set down the sceptre case as Chris gave past Steve a confused look. "And I don't want to hurt you."

"This is going to be confusing..." Chris muttered to herself, realizing that past Steve wasn't gonna let them go without a fight.

Past Steve was the first to act, rushing forward with his shield raised. Present Steve reacted, pushing Christina behind him before raising his own shield and blocking the hit.

Christina blinked, surprised at how quickly past Steve was able to knock present Steve down.

2012 Steve looked at him with a sigh. "I can do this all day."

Steve nodded with a more stressed sigh, getting to his feet. "Yeah, I know. I know..."

After a pause, he hurled his shield, and the other did the same. The disks collided before spiking off in different directions and out of sight.

The two went at one another, throwing equal punches. When present Steve threw down his past self, he quickly looked back at Christina. "Take the sceptre and go!"

Christina nodded in worry, stepping towards the case. Past Steve noticed this, and kicked the case, breaking the glass railing. The case tipped off the edge.

"Shit!" Christina gasped, watching it fall a few stories before landing on the bottom floor. The case sprung open and the sceptre bounced out. When she looked back at Steve, she had no time to react further as the two went over and fell as well.

"Oh, Jesus!" She screamed, genuinely scared for the two at risk of being killed from the high fall. Christina could only watch in horror. "Steve!"

They crashed over a walkway, down two a flight of stairs and finally landed on the ground next to the sceptre. Christina scrambled to her feet, nearly slipping on the broken glass before running off.

Past Steve lifted his head with a pant, taken back when his eyes found an open compass with Peggy's picture in it. His body froze, studying the old photograph. Reaching forward, he grabbed it, bringing it closer to his face.

He looked at his doppelgänger, following his actions and slowly getting to his feet. Steve held out the compass to his twin. "Where did you get this?"

Present Steve flinched, going for the sceptre but was quickly put in a chokehold by his past self. He grunted, throwing himself back and making his past self break the fall. They rolled, and Steve clenched his teeth from the pressure.

"Bucky and...Ana...are...alive." Steve barely got out, and instantly felt his former self loosen his grip. He couched, before quickly elbowing his past self in the nose. Springing forward, he grabbed the sceptre and made his former self fall unconscious.

As if on cue, Christina ran from a nearby door, panting heavily. She took in the sight, placing her hands on her hips. Steve grabbed the compass, getting to his feet with a wobble. He glanced up at Christina before down at his other self, who landed face down.

"That really is America's ass."

Christina snickered, jutting her chin in the opposite direction. Steve huffed, joining her side before the two made their way towards the tower's lobby.