Erik Stark Part 4/?
May 14, 1943
Howard was pouring a drink when Peggy came into his study.
“How was the funeral?” she asked.
“Good. Different, I guess. Mostly scientists, so it didn’t matter much. Erik… Erik coped. I took him to my house after. Let Jarvis feed him and put him to bed. Kid was out like a light. Any word on where he’s going?”
“No. Neither of them had any family in America. They were all in Germany and Poland. Untraceable.”
Howard licked his lips and looked into the middle distance. “I’m going to ask him if he’d like to live with me.”
“What?” Peggy looked up in shock.
“He shouldn’t get sent live with strangers, he needs someone who understands what he just went through. Jarvis can make sure I don’t traumatise him too badly.”
“Howard, you are talking about taking a child into a warzone!”
“The war’s already here for him! No-one knows where his parents are and nothing I don’t think it’s anywhere good. He saw his foster father gunned down two days ago. Now, I’m supposed to tell him that everyone he knows is heading for Europe, good luck; we’ll see you when the war is over. Nuts to that.” he growled, tossing back his drink and striding out the door.
Howard’s Dutch courage failed him when he reached Erik's room. He opened the door softly and wasn’t as surprised as he should have been to see the kid awake, holding a toy train. He looked up and when Howard saw the look in his eyes, he couldn’t believe they ever thought leaving Erik in America would have been anything but inhumanly cruel.
May 16, 1943
They had been on the USS Edison for two days before Erik was caught. He’d focusing on a handful of loose change and he had just gotten three pennies to float and the beginning of a headache when he looked up to see Mr. Stark staring at him in horror. The pennies fell to the ground and Erik’s only thought was to hope he won’t be sent back to America on the first boat they meet.
Mr. Stark was pale as he sat on Erik’s bunk. “Erik,” he said slowly, picking up one of the coins, “Does anyone else know you can do this?” Erik shook his head, feeling adrift. “No one has ever seen? You’ve never told anyone?” Another shake. “Erik, look at me.” When Erik raised his head, Mr. Stark was looking at him with the same mixed up expression he had worn when he had asked Erik to come with him and Jarvis to England. “Erik, did Dr. Erskine… did he ever tell you not to tell anyone?”
“No!” Erik cried. “He didn’t know. I’ve only been able… since that day.” He says softly.
Mr Stark was solemn. “Erik, sometimes… secrets shouldn’t be secret, and sometimes we have to tell other people’s secrets to stop bad things happening. Did Dr. Erskine did he ever do anything that he told you not to talk about? Or to only tell certain people?”
“Just about the labs and Project Rebirth. He said I shouldn’t talk about it outside the shop.” Erik could hear his accent thickening, the way it did when he was on the verge of tears. He swiped a hand angrily across his eyes.
“Erik, did he ever ask you to do anything. Have an injection, take a pill, anything at all…” Mr. Stark’s voice was strained. Erik shook his head again and felt scared.
“Erik, there are people in this world who can do… amazing things. A lot of them are in England right now, helping to fight the war. One of the things that we all thought might happen with Project Rebirth is that soldiers might develop more of these abilities. Dr. Erskine didn’t think so, but seeing what you can do… did he try to make something happen? Is that why he was so certain?”
“No! No. He never said anything, he never did anything. I don’t know why I can do this, but I can and it started that day, and why couldn’t it have started sooner, and I could have saved him!” Tears were running down Erik’s face and he sniffed as he wiped them away.
Mr. Stark put one arm around Erik’s shoulder and squeezed. “The only person who has any responsibility for what happened that day is the bastard with the gun. Remember that.”
This entry was originally posted at http://cathrinerose.dreamwidth.org/2151.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Howard was pouring a drink when Peggy came into his study.
“How was the funeral?” she asked.
“Good. Different, I guess. Mostly scientists, so it didn’t matter much. Erik… Erik coped. I took him to my house after. Let Jarvis feed him and put him to bed. Kid was out like a light. Any word on where he’s going?”
“No. Neither of them had any family in America. They were all in Germany and Poland. Untraceable.”
Howard licked his lips and looked into the middle distance. “I’m going to ask him if he’d like to live with me.”
“What?” Peggy looked up in shock.
“He shouldn’t get sent live with strangers, he needs someone who understands what he just went through. Jarvis can make sure I don’t traumatise him too badly.”
“Howard, you are talking about taking a child into a warzone!”
“The war’s already here for him! No-one knows where his parents are and nothing I don’t think it’s anywhere good. He saw his foster father gunned down two days ago. Now, I’m supposed to tell him that everyone he knows is heading for Europe, good luck; we’ll see you when the war is over. Nuts to that.” he growled, tossing back his drink and striding out the door.
Howard’s Dutch courage failed him when he reached Erik's room. He opened the door softly and wasn’t as surprised as he should have been to see the kid awake, holding a toy train. He looked up and when Howard saw the look in his eyes, he couldn’t believe they ever thought leaving Erik in America would have been anything but inhumanly cruel.
May 16, 1943
They had been on the USS Edison for two days before Erik was caught. He’d focusing on a handful of loose change and he had just gotten three pennies to float and the beginning of a headache when he looked up to see Mr. Stark staring at him in horror. The pennies fell to the ground and Erik’s only thought was to hope he won’t be sent back to America on the first boat they meet.
Mr. Stark was pale as he sat on Erik’s bunk. “Erik,” he said slowly, picking up one of the coins, “Does anyone else know you can do this?” Erik shook his head, feeling adrift. “No one has ever seen? You’ve never told anyone?” Another shake. “Erik, look at me.” When Erik raised his head, Mr. Stark was looking at him with the same mixed up expression he had worn when he had asked Erik to come with him and Jarvis to England. “Erik, did Dr. Erskine… did he ever tell you not to tell anyone?”
“No!” Erik cried. “He didn’t know. I’ve only been able… since that day.” He says softly.
Mr Stark was solemn. “Erik, sometimes… secrets shouldn’t be secret, and sometimes we have to tell other people’s secrets to stop bad things happening. Did Dr. Erskine did he ever do anything that he told you not to talk about? Or to only tell certain people?”
“Just about the labs and Project Rebirth. He said I shouldn’t talk about it outside the shop.” Erik could hear his accent thickening, the way it did when he was on the verge of tears. He swiped a hand angrily across his eyes.
“Erik, did he ever ask you to do anything. Have an injection, take a pill, anything at all…” Mr. Stark’s voice was strained. Erik shook his head again and felt scared.
“Erik, there are people in this world who can do… amazing things. A lot of them are in England right now, helping to fight the war. One of the things that we all thought might happen with Project Rebirth is that soldiers might develop more of these abilities. Dr. Erskine didn’t think so, but seeing what you can do… did he try to make something happen? Is that why he was so certain?”
“No! No. He never said anything, he never did anything. I don’t know why I can do this, but I can and it started that day, and why couldn’t it have started sooner, and I could have saved him!” Tears were running down Erik’s face and he sniffed as he wiped them away.
Mr. Stark put one arm around Erik’s shoulder and squeezed. “The only person who has any responsibility for what happened that day is the bastard with the gun. Remember that.”
This entry was originally posted at http://cathrinerose.dreamwidth.org/2151.html. Please comment there using OpenID.