A New Plan
“S-steve.”
He was tired, bone deep exhausted as the shaky voice tried to summon him awake.
“Ste-eve, please wake up.” Something sharp punctured his arm and the pain made his eyes snap open. He glanced up at Peggy whose face was twisted in a snarl, looking like she’d been fighting with herself.
He looked down to see the IV she’d managed to yank out of her own arm and stab into his.
“Stop me—“ she croaked, her eyes going glassy as she frowned and tried to shove the IV further into him. Deftly he pulled it out of his arm, blood immediately began to fall and he slammed his hand down on the nurse’s button. He stepped back as she went into a rage, pulling at her restraints and he noticed she’d managed to slip out of one. He reached forward, holding the free hand down against the bed.
“Fight it, Peggy. It’s not real. Whatever the capitol shoved in your mind. It isn’t real.”
Her head snapped up, confusion and then rage on her features. He went to speak, trying to calm her when her head reeled back. He leaned forward, worried she was passing out, only for it to yank forward, her forehead colliding with his nose with a head pounding crack.
He gasped out a choke as pain shot through his face. He could feel the hot blood trickling out of his nose and see it as it fell onto her white sheets.
“Get away from me!” She screeched, pulling at her hand. She took aim to slam against him again but he avoided it, still holding down her other arm. “Let me go! You’re a freak!” She shouted, “a science experiment freak!“ his eyes widened as the words dropped with vehemence out of her mouth, “a traitorous capitol mutt!”
Those words seemed calculated. Planted. Somehow, some way Schmidt had instructed her to say those words to him. And they shouldn’t cut deep.
But they do.
The nurses rushed in, taking over, one pulling him out of the way and trying to look at his nose.
He waved her away, eyes still on Peggy as she struggled. “I hate you, I hate you!” She screamed, except her eyes were closed and if he didn’t know any better, he would swear she was talking to herself.
————
Howard prodded at his nose and he winced at the sharp shooting pain.
“Sorry, pal.”
“It’s fine.”
“She clocked you good.”
Steve didn’t respond. His brain was still trying to process.
“Steve?” He looked up to see Olive and Rebecca, standing waiting at the door.. “Are you okay?”
He sighed, “I’m fine. I know it looks like a lot of blood, but it’s just my nose.”
Word had spread quickly from the nurses apparently.
“She did it on purpose?”
“No.” Steve assured them. “The capitol hurt her and put a lot of stuff in her brain. She’s not always acting of her own accord. She even woke me up to try to warn me. She could have killed me while I was sleeping. But she didn’t.” Howard grumbled something with his back turned to Steve. “What was that?”
“Nothin’.”
“Howard.”
The man snapped around, pointing an angry finger at Steve, “you’re damn right she could have killed you! If she’d jammed that IV into your jugular instead of your arm, you’d have bleed out before anyone even could have known!” He stabbed a finger at his arm, “she still got you good and screwed up your face and I get it, she’s not herself, but that doesn’t mean you have to be an idiot about it!”
“I’m not—“
“You fell asleep.” Howard shouted, “close enough she could stab you. After weeks of me dragging you back from that godforsaken nail poisoning she gave you! And you just fell asleep right next to her!”
Steve was stunned. And guilt rolled through him. “You’re right.” He admitted softly, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I was just so worried about her that I didn’t think.” He dropped his head, staring at the blood crusted shirt he was still wearing, “I’m sorry, Howard.”
The man’s shoulders sagged. “It’s fine, just… I don’t know, maybe have some freaking self-preservation for once, huh?” He slammed a damp towel down in Steve’s hand and walked out.
The girls just stared at him and he sighed, wiping at his face.
————-
Peggy wouldn’t see him.
He ached to see her again, but was told she wanted no visitors, and the nurses just looked at him and his black and blue nose and shook their heads.
So he left. He walked up to the top, told them he would be back after a short walk and headed outside.
After studying the sun for a moment, he judged which direction District 12 would be in, and he started walking.
—————
It only took about 4 hours for the roaring of whatever flying vehicle to be heard. He still didn’t stop.
It landed far off to his left and the crunch of boots approached quickly.
He kept walking.
Dugan and Morita finally caught up to him.
“Captain.”
“Dugan. Morita.”
“Where you going?”
“First District 12. Then walk the train line to the capitol.”
There was a silence as they stopped in shock. But he kept walking and soon they scrambled to catch up.
“Can’t let you do that.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“We can make it really really difficult.”
“True. You gunna shoot me?”
“Don’t make us.”
Steve kept up a steady stride the whole time. Not slowing down and leaving them to try to keep up. “Not making you do anything.”
“We’ve got orders to bring you back. Brandt’s pissed and Stane is using this as proof that you’re a mess.”
“And?”
That left them stunned again.
“Steve.”
And it was Dugan’s use of his first name that actually pulled him up short. He stopped, turning towards the two men. “What?”
“What’s your endgame? Storm the capitol after having walked 3,000 miles to get there? Starving and wrecked by outside exposure?”
“At least it’s me doing something. I can’t film one more of those damn propos.”
“Those propos give people hope.” Morita said quietly. “They’re on repeat in every district when Howard can get through. Thousands joined up with the rebellion after they first aired. Those numbers aren’t slowing down.”
Steve slammed his fist into a tree, shattering the trunk. “Then how come I’m the only one sitting on my ass and doing nothing!” He shouted, “I’m safe in a bunker while other people, people I supposedly spurred onto fight, are dying for the cause I believe in!”
Dugan and Morita were staring at the crunched tree trunk, the gaping hole where Steve’s fist had just been. He looked back and winced. Another living thing was dead now because of him.
“You’re having a hard time.” Morita said calmly, “we get that, you’ve been through a lot—“
“No.” Steve snapped, “no don’t pity me. I haven’t been through anything worse than anyone else—“
“Steve.” Morita said again, forcefully cutting him off, “all due respect but that’s a load of bullshit. You’ve been in the arena twice—“
“So have both of you.” Steve ground out.
“True, but neither of us had our mother’s killed. Best friend and girl stolen and brainwashed and oh yeah—“ he looked at Dugan, “did you have snakes torture you for months? Because I didn’t.”
“Nope.” Dugan said, emphasizing the ‘p’.
Steve stiffened, “how the hell do you guys know about that?”
“Howard mentioned it one day to Phillips when we got to 13 and you were still unconscious. Didn’t know his earpiece was still on. Steve, you have Schmidt on a personal vendetta against you. If you make it to the capitol, and that’s a big ‘if’. You’ll be dead before you get past the outside wall and then Barnes and everyone else won’t stand a chance. We need you. And we need you to use your brain.”
He ground the heel of his boot against the dirt. “If I’m so needed, why do I feel so useless?”
“Because the situation you’re in right now sucks to high heavens.” Dugan said wryly, “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But—“ he looked at Steve with calm assurance, “there’s no one like you. If anyone can do what needs to be done while going through what you’re going through… It’s you. I watched you, you know.” Dugan chuckled softly, “I think you forget that we were all mentors for your first games.” Steve felt surprised. Of course it made sense, but he hadn’t thought about it like that until this moment. “Here we are, watching you, a walking skeleton get sent into the arena, only to be suprised by the sheer will and determination you had to get everyone else home but yourself.” Dugan looked at the hole in the tree. “Never before in my 10 years as mentor had I ever rooted for another district. But there you were, speared to a tree, telling Maureen—“ his heart clenched, would he never not feel guilt at the mention of her name? “—to run, to get out of there. Bleeding all over the place and just fighting still. Never forget that, it’s seared in my memory. I remember thinking ‘this is the kind of kid who should win this shit show’.” Steve couldn't speak, eyes pinned to Dugan’s face as he continued speaking. “Then I get a call. And Erskine’s someone I’ve known through the games for years but he’s never called me at my house. But then he’s telling me there’s a plan and that you’re the leader of it and I said yes before he was even done with his sentence. He hadn’t even mentioned the change you’d be going through. But I said yes all the same. If there’s someone I wanna follow. It was gonna be you. I’ve hated Schmidt my whole life, especially after my games, but I never did a thing about it. But suddenly you’re there, and you and Carter are calling him out and I realized that everything was going to change. And I—“ he stopped, pointing to Morita, “no. We, all of us, wanted to be on the right side. And that was easy, Cap. Whatever side you’re on is the right side. So don’t leave us now. Lead us with you. Take us with you. Don’t try to go alone.”
Steve grabbed at his hair, falling onto his heels and crouching there, feeling the weight of everything on his shoulders.
“How am I supposed to lead everyone?” He said hoarsely. “I’m just a kid from District 12.”
Boots appeared in his vision and a hand laid firmly on his shoulder. “You do it the way you’re already doing it. By being you. The guy who doesn’t give up. The person people believe in to do what’s right. Because we know you will. We’ve watched it. We watched it on the games. The Victory Tour. The second games. You stood up to Stane when no one else would. You fought to ensure even the capitol citizens would be treated fairly. No one else would have fought for that. Not me, not anyone. But you did. Because you want actual change. For people to finally start acting like we’re all human beings. Not capitol citizens versus districts. But all of us working together to heal this crap country.”
Arms were hauling him up and straightening him. Pulling his hands from his hair and he found himself looking straight at Dugan.
“You stayed in Carter’s room for over 36 hours. Talking to her, answering her questions. And she stabbed you and she poisoned you and she broke your nose and then what do you do? You ask to go back. You don’t give in. You don’t give up on what you know is right. I’m not even saying this to puff up your pride. I’m sayin’ it cuz it’s true.”
Morita placed a hand on his other shoulder. “Come on Cap. I think I know a way you can feel more useful.”
“How?” Steve asked, instantly drawn to the notion.
Morita chuckled and started to drag him towards the vehicle they’d brought. “We do your plan. We visit the districts. We show you in action.”
Dugan’s eyes widened but he considered it for just a moment before grinning widely and nodding, keeping stride. “Hell yeah. Let’s get your boots on the ground. We surround you with us so Brandt can’t say no, and we get those District 13 buzzards the stuff they want. Real footage. Footage of you working in the districts. They’ll love it.”
Steve felt his heart beat raise, excitement, “you think they’d let me? THey’d let me go?”
Dugan laughs, “I don’t think you realize just how much power you hold. If you told them to jump they’d ask how high. You’re the Eagle, Cap. Start acting like it.”
He felt a steel run through his blood. Now that the idea of being able to go out and help, possibly to the capitol to get Bucky… There wasn’t anything or anyone who would stop him.
He started walking faster. “Come on.” He urged, “Let’s get this show on the road.”
The men behind him laughed as they tried to keep up.