Post by inakamoto on Aug 13, 2015 4:15:04 GMT -5
It had been over 70 since Steve Rogers was in Germany. When he found out the Cirque was moving here, he wasn't sure what to expect. But, suffice to say, the country had changed for the better since those dark, gloomy days of war. It was strange to see a land that had once been desolate and smoldering given new life. In a way, he was glad to see such drastic changes for the better, and that the stains of war were faded from memory.
But, despite all that, right at the present moment, Steve couldn't help but feel...foreboding. Of all the landscapes that had seen such change over the decades, he now stood before the one thing that had remained unchanged since those days: these woods. He never thought he find himself back here again, stirring up one of the many memories that still haunted him to present day.
"Cap?"
Steve turned to see Gun-Max coming towards him, then turned back towards the forest, keeping silent.
"You okay, there, buddy?" the android asked, coming up beside Steve. The man's face seemed so crestfallen, more-so than usual. Max couldn't help but wonder what was up.
"I'm okay," Steve answered after a brief moment of hesitation, "It's just...this place; some...old memories."
Gun-Max looked over the woods they were standing in front of, "I see. You being, well, you, I suppose there would be some memories tied to places like this. You feel like sharing?"
Steve glanced sideways at Gun-Max, "I dunno. You might find this story a bit hard to believe."
Gun-Max gave Steve a frank look that seemed to silently answer him with the most obvious question.
"Point," Steve said after taking a deep breath, "Well, way back then, during the months following D-Day, our team was assigned a mission to scout out different roads near Berlin for enemy troop movements. About a couple days into the mission, we were approached by a family of refugees. They were Swedish, and were looking for a way out of Germany, away from all the fighting. We agreed to help them out, but they first needed our help finding one of their little children. The youngest son had gone wandering off into these woods, and seemingly disappeared. It took a while, but was able to convince them to follow my men to a landing spot where they could be escorted out of Germany, and that I'd do everything in my power to find their little boy."
"You didn't find him, did you?" Gun-Max asked, his face turning sullen like Steve's.
Steve shook his head, betraying a slight hint of frustration, "It was the damnedest thing. There was no sign of enemy troop movement in the area, no sign of an attack or struggle, no hint of anything on the boy's person, and the tracks of him we were able to find just seemed to lead to nowhere. He just...vanished."
"Sounds like a real head-scratcher," Gun-Max said, glancing sideways in the direction of the woods.
Steve folded his arms in front of him as he continued, "After about a week, the search was called off, and we were ordered back to DC for our new orders. While at headquarters, I happened to run into a German scientist who was working there, collaborating with American researchers. We had some time to chat, so I decided to ask him about these woods. I'll never forget the look he gave me when I mentioned it. All he really told me was that there was an unspoken rule among the locals who lived near here: never let your children enter these woods, or you'll never see them again."
Both Steve and Gun-Max shared grave expressions as they looked sideways at the trees they in front of. Parts of them half-expected some creature to leap out at them at any moment.
"You really think there's something in those woods?" Gun-Max asked.
"I can't say for sure," Steve asked, turning back towards the cirque grounds, "but you could try asking Hans."
"Hans?" Gun-Max asked.
"The little boy I never found," Steve answered.
But, despite all that, right at the present moment, Steve couldn't help but feel...foreboding. Of all the landscapes that had seen such change over the decades, he now stood before the one thing that had remained unchanged since those days: these woods. He never thought he find himself back here again, stirring up one of the many memories that still haunted him to present day.
"Cap?"
Steve turned to see Gun-Max coming towards him, then turned back towards the forest, keeping silent.
"You okay, there, buddy?" the android asked, coming up beside Steve. The man's face seemed so crestfallen, more-so than usual. Max couldn't help but wonder what was up.
"I'm okay," Steve answered after a brief moment of hesitation, "It's just...this place; some...old memories."
Gun-Max looked over the woods they were standing in front of, "I see. You being, well, you, I suppose there would be some memories tied to places like this. You feel like sharing?"
Steve glanced sideways at Gun-Max, "I dunno. You might find this story a bit hard to believe."
Gun-Max gave Steve a frank look that seemed to silently answer him with the most obvious question.
"Point," Steve said after taking a deep breath, "Well, way back then, during the months following D-Day, our team was assigned a mission to scout out different roads near Berlin for enemy troop movements. About a couple days into the mission, we were approached by a family of refugees. They were Swedish, and were looking for a way out of Germany, away from all the fighting. We agreed to help them out, but they first needed our help finding one of their little children. The youngest son had gone wandering off into these woods, and seemingly disappeared. It took a while, but was able to convince them to follow my men to a landing spot where they could be escorted out of Germany, and that I'd do everything in my power to find their little boy."
"You didn't find him, did you?" Gun-Max asked, his face turning sullen like Steve's.
Steve shook his head, betraying a slight hint of frustration, "It was the damnedest thing. There was no sign of enemy troop movement in the area, no sign of an attack or struggle, no hint of anything on the boy's person, and the tracks of him we were able to find just seemed to lead to nowhere. He just...vanished."
"Sounds like a real head-scratcher," Gun-Max said, glancing sideways in the direction of the woods.
Steve folded his arms in front of him as he continued, "After about a week, the search was called off, and we were ordered back to DC for our new orders. While at headquarters, I happened to run into a German scientist who was working there, collaborating with American researchers. We had some time to chat, so I decided to ask him about these woods. I'll never forget the look he gave me when I mentioned it. All he really told me was that there was an unspoken rule among the locals who lived near here: never let your children enter these woods, or you'll never see them again."
Both Steve and Gun-Max shared grave expressions as they looked sideways at the trees they in front of. Parts of them half-expected some creature to leap out at them at any moment.
"You really think there's something in those woods?" Gun-Max asked.
"I can't say for sure," Steve asked, turning back towards the cirque grounds, "but you could try asking Hans."
"Hans?" Gun-Max asked.
"The little boy I never found," Steve answered.