The man, not the legend.

They unwrap him.

The smell of death begins to waft gently through the room as he is laid out. It whispers the unpleasant truth all gathered here have had to swallow, willingly or not. Thor has taken back Mjolnir with the intention of returning it back to it's proper time. Has taken back Steve's shield to deliver it to Sam Wilson per Steve's last wishes. Yet Steve does not seem smaller without the tools of his accomplishments set out alongside him. If anything it is only his stillness that speaks of any Wrongness. For sitting still and doing nothing have never been traits possessed by Steve Rogers in life. They place a shroud over his body, say their last, and leave. The candles burn down to their bases before one by one they flicker out leaving trails of smoke dancing slowly in the otherwise still room. The traces of pine and incense slowly fade.

Time passes.

Hope remains. It is all that is left.

Unaccompanied Ghosts who pass through the tower have been told of a prospect who might take up the Traveler's Light. He is human, though he is from another time. Another world. Another aspect of the Sol system, who gave his life to protect it. Many will find their way inside but all will come back out again alone. His Light, if he possesses it, is difficult to understand. Perhaps because of his origins; perhaps because he is simply waiting for the right partner.

When Steve spoke of his last wishes with Thor on the rooftop of the soon-to-be-demolished complex he hadn't given real thought at first to the concept of death. Had rejected it full stop because to die would mean leaving his world missing a protector. Later, in the privacy of his own room, he found himself thinking back before Captain America existed. Back when there was only Steve struggling with his illnesses to enlist into the army. To prove himself, sure. But also because he couldn't bear the thought of others laying down their lives so he could live in relative comfort. If anyone were to die in the process of reclaiming their universe, would he really want it to be someone other than himself?

Could Steve let any more of his friends go? Steve sat at his desk and put pen to paper.

If they were successful and he did not survive, then the title of Captain America should go to Sam Wilson. Should go to a man who believed in The Cause even if he had many reasons to question the man behind the shield every step of the way over the years. More important than that, Sam is a good man. He'd overcome loss before without breaking. He'd protect so many others underneath his wings. Everything left of Steve's, however... That should go to James Buchanen Barnes to do with as he saw fit. His home, his possessions. Every memory he'd collected, every piece of art he'd ever made. It was all obtained with the want to show Bucky some day. If Steve couldn't be there to see it he still wanted Bucky to have the chance. Even if he burned it to ash Steve would understand.

One by one they all submitted their wills which Tony had scanned and preserved safely in Happy's possession before they began their last mission.

It's done now and Steve is Gone.

His body lays enshrined in a sealed room inside the tower of the Last City. A universe away from the world where everyone knows his name. If not for Blaze-37, her Ghost, and a small handful of other Guardians he could very well vanish into obscurity within his tomb. There never was a guarantee that this gambit would work. It's a spark of hope and nothing more.

Those who remember wait. They think of that sealed room as the months pass.

In the distance, a gardener hums to their plants lovingly as the first sprouts push through the soil to see their very first sunrise underneath the Traveler. Within the dark room a Ghost scans her optic over the covered body. This little bot has seen much since she and all of her brothers and sisters were created with the wounding of the Traveler. She spins her shell until it comes apart, floating around her as the first light floods the room since it has been sealed.




Inside a man gasps for air.

It took an awful lot of work to track down everyone and get their gifts in order, but Steve's going to be running around the Nexus giving out presents to all of his friends. Or inviting them over to his apartment. Whatever works for them!




((Stealing verity's setup--please go to the top level for your character and begin commenting as you like. Feel free to make Steve work to find you, he's got gifts for you all!))