Prologue
Prologue: The Soup
The dumpster is moving. That was Sam’s first thought. His second thought, already attuned to the idea that there must be a person in there, was that whoever was hiding in the dumpster probably wasn’t aware of what sort of building they were hiding outside. If they were, they might have come on indoors. Thursdays were soup night at the VA, and it wasn’t like they were exclusive about checking IDs before serving.
“Hey,” he said, gently as he could, “you all right in there?”
The pile of trash in the dumpster went completely still and didn’t move again. Sam figured it was hoping that he would walk away and just leave it be. But, well, Sam wasn’t the walk away and leave it be kind of guy. He’d never been that kind of guy, hence why he’d joined up in the first place. His whole career trajectory was a rejection of the idea that leaving it be was an option at all. Sam Wilson didn’t give up. So he tried again.
“You hungry? We got some dinner inside. It’s tortilla soup and cornbread tonight.”
The dumpster continued pretending no one was inside, and if he weren’t so sure of himself Sam might have believed it. But he was sure. There was someone in there, and they probably needed help more than they needed to be left alone, especially on soup night.
“All right then,” he said. “Hope to see you inside.”
Sam wanted nothing more than to jump in that dumpster and start rooting around until he found whoever was in there, but he knew for a fact that would do more harm than good. So instead he did what he knew he could. He walked back indoors, grabbed a tray, and loaded it up with a big bowl of soup and as much cornbread as his conscience would allow. Then he brought it outside and placed it on next to the dumpster.
“Brought you some,” he said to the still unmoving mass inside. “I’ll go back in and leave you alone, but if you ever need some help, come on in. Tell me what you thought of the food.”
And with that, he left.
In another world, the soup went uneaten and four hours later the Winter Soldier was recaptured by HYDRA. Sam Wilson met Steve Rogers while running around the Washington Mall and ended up fighting by his side to end Project Insight. In another world, the man who once was Bucky Barnes tore off Sam’s wings and threw him at the ground before disappearing into the Potomac.
But in this world, the dumpster moved. It ate the soup, and it stayed free.