AN: The story is going to start to move into the more political parts of the 1960's from this chapter on, and while I'm doing my best to research everything first, I apologize in advance if there are any particular screwsups.
Marquette Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, November 10th, 1963
I feel almost wistful as I look across the street, the stylish church building on the other side crowded with stragglers who weren't able to attend the speech taking place inside the auditorium. Part of me wishes I could be inside myself, to get a front row seat to history. But something tells me this is a part of history I probably wouldn't be welcome at. And even if this isn't the timeline I remember, I doubt Malcolm X and his followers is going to have an easier time here than they did in my own. I might not agree with everything the man says, or even most of it, but it's hard to argue against his anger. Especially knowing what's already history, and what lies in the future, just in this decade alone... As much as they'd probably hate the comparison, Macolm X and Magneto share a lot of the same grievances against the world.
And there are some problems you can't fix by punching them in the face. Doesn't mean I'm not going to atleast try. In two years, Macolm X is due to be assassinated, and I intend to save him, same as Dr. King. But before either of them are in danger, there's another life I desperatly hope to save...
"Johan! Great to see you again!"
I look away from the church towards the man approaching me from around the corner, and smile. Steve Rogers already looks better than the last time I saw him, some of the anxiety and weariness seems to have drained away from him during his time away from the world. I shake his hand happily as he reaches me.
"As I live and breathe, Steve Rogers! How goes the Great American Tour?"
"It's been... educational" Steve says as he shakes my hand "I never had much chance to see the country back... before, and after I joined the army, I spent most of my time in Europe, and I didn't exactly have time to go sightseeing over there. It's been nice to just take a step back and breathe for once." His face furrows in concern "I saw on the news, about what happened on Halloween..."
I shrug it off "It's fine, me and Thor managed to take care of it. It wouldn't have made any difference if you had been there or not. Laughton is in prison, and Stark contacted someone with a bit more experience in this kind of thing so we have someone to consult in case of further magical shenanigans" Which there will be plenty of, if my comic trivia serves me right.
"So... it WAS magic then? I thought the tabloids just made that up, none of the newspapers took it seriously, I thought maybe some sort of gas or drug..."
I shake my head "Nope, magic is real turns out, who knew? I mean, MOST people who claim to be magicians are still just con artists, but every now and then you might run into someone with some real juice to back it up, so you might want to keep your eye out."
"Er, right..." Steve turns towards the church across the street, watching the crowd mill about "Not that I mind meeting up with you, but I'm surprised you came all the way from New York just to see me. I'm guessing you're not just here to take me to another ballgame."
"As enjoyable as that might be, no. I'm actually hoping to get some advice from you, because there's something important I need to do in the near future, and I'm not sure just how to go about it. And it's not something we should probably discuss in the middle of the open like this. You got a private place we can talk?"
.....
"Alright, what's on your mind?" Steve says as he hands me a lukewarm Coke he snagged from the ancient vending machine outside the motel room he's staying in while visiting Detroit. The room is sparse, and a bit on the seedy side, with only a bed, and a sad-looking arm chair tucked away next to the window where I take a seat, popping open the bottle against the windowsill.
"Well..." I hesitate, wondering where to begin, rubbing my fingers across my scalp, where my hair is beginning to grow back out. It's going to take a while to get it the length I want, but it's a start "Did you ever wonder how I found you in the ice? Or why I even thought to look for you?"
Steve looks unsure "I... never really thought about it. I thought you had just stumbled across me through sheer luck, honestly."
"You didn't think it was odd that I was just randomly wandering around the Arctic and just happened to stumble across a guy frozen in the ice in the middle of nowhere?"
"I didn't... what are you trying to say, exactly?"
I sigh. Here we go again. "I can see the future. Well, sort of. I can see parts of it. And the past. It sort of comes and goes."
Steve blinks "I have absolutely no response to that..."
"Few people do" I take a sip of the Coke, grimacing at the lukewarm feeling "I think it's related to my powers, sometimes I get these... flashes, visions really, that shows me something. That's how I knew you were out there at all. And it's also the reason I needed your advice. See, I've gotten the same vision a few times now, and... it's bad. And I'm not sure how to deal with it."
"How...bad, exactly?"
Deep breath "Someone is going to kill President Kennedy in Dallas. And I don't know what to do, because this is much bigger than anything I've acted on before."
Steve doesn't react for what seems like hours, just staring out the window. I'm starting to worry he either thinks I'm just crazy, or I literally blew his mind just now, when he finally speaks again "You're sure about this?"
"As sure as I can be, since none of the other things I've seen have been wrong so far..."
"And why did you come to me, exactly? Why not the Secret Service? Or SHIELD?"
I stand up, the frustration I've been feeling the last few days creeping back in "And tell them WHAT, exactly?! That I know Kennedy is going to get murdered because I saw it in my head? Best case scenario, they'll just think I'm out of my goddamn mind and have me committed! More likely, they'll think I'M threatening him, and I'll end up an enemy of the state! In case you haven't noticed, people in the government aren't all that crazy about me to start with!"
"Alright, calm down Johan! If you could just prove it to someone-"
"Doesn't work" I shake my head "I have no control over when the visions come, or what they're going to predict. Or if they're even going to be about the future, sometimes I get flashes about the past instead! The only people who know about this are Stark and Spider-Man, and that's because they know what I told them I saw is true. I can't walk up to Nick Fury with this and expect him to believe it!" I sigh "I can't afford to screw this up, it's too big. And that's why I need your help."
Steve sits back down on the bed, leaning his arm against one leg "Of course I'll help, but I'm not quite sure why you need me, exactly? If you've seen the assassination, surely you know who the killer is?"
"I do, but... it's complicated. It's jumbled, somehow." It took me a while to think up this excuse, but it's the best way I could think of to reconceile the various JFK conspiracy explanations "The clearest vision I have is one guy, in one place, as the shooter, but I keep getting these other figures too, in other parts of the city. Like there's more than one killer, or maybe more than one possible killer. I can't be in every place at once, even with my speed. And if I get it wrong, Kennedy dies."
Steve nods "I see the problem. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I got to thinking... and I remembered President Kennedy gave you an offer about returning to work for the government. Even if you're not ready to come back full time, I don't think he'd turn it down if Captain America offered to provide extra security for his visit to Dallas."594