The White House, Washington D.C, 13:10 PM, January 10th, 1964
"Gentlemen and Lady, on behalf of these great United States of America, it's my honor to be here today to bestow upon you the highest reward this nation can give. For going beyond the call of duty of a citizen, both of America and the world, it's my pleasure to grant you the Medal of Freedom..."
The man I'd seen coming out with the rest of the group, who I was later introduced to as Robert Kennedy, a name that had frankly completely slipped my mind even when I started trying to keep the president alive, opens the leather case he's been carrying with a click, and lifts the lid. Inside, resting on a lining of black velvet, are eight identical medallions, each consisting of a large white star with blue and red details, set against a frame of golden eagles. In the blue center, there's a cluster of golden stars. The medals are fastened to a blue and white ribbon, with another eagle, this one made of silver, attached to it.
Well, can't say Americans aren't consistent with their branding, I'll give them that.
President Kennedy removes the first medal closest to his side of the case, and walks over to Steve, who's standing slightly in front of the other Avengers. He holds up the medal by it's ribbon, and Steve lowers his head.
"For answering when your fellow Americans needed you..."
Kennedy slips the medal around Steve's neck, and steps back, lifting a second medal from the case, before moving towards Iron Man, and the scene repeats itself.
"For standing up against those who would harm the innocent..."
And then to Hank.
"For showing the world what can be accomplished when we work together as one..."
To Janet.
"For breaking down unfair walls and obsolete prejudices, living up to ideals this nation was founded on..."
To Peter.
"For fighting for the safety of everyone, even in the face of fear and prejudice..."
Peter actually hesitates a little when his turn comes, but finally stiffly lowers his head, allowing Kennedy to slip the medal around his neck. There's a minor issue when he comes to the end of the group, and finds himself facing The Hulk, staring up at the massive figure in front of him, but Hulk doesn't need any further prompting, and simply lowers himself down on one knee, and leans forward, putting his head at chest level on the President. Robert Kennedy takes one of the medals from the case and hands it to his brother, and I only now notice that this particular medal has a much longer ribbon than the others, even if the medal itself is the same size. The wider length of the ribbon allows him to slip the medal over Hulk's enormous head with no problem, so I'm guessing whoever is in charge of making these things foresaw that particular issue. Hulk pulls himself back up, the golden medal looking almost tiny in comparison to his huge form. Kennedy simply nods, not losing a step, as he takes one of the last two remaining medals from the case and moves over towards Thor, who grins widely as he removes his helmet and lowers his head like the others as the medal is handed over.
Finally, it's my turn.
Watching the others be given their award has lessened my nervousness a bit, but as Kennedy steps towards me, I feel it flare up again. Having spoken briefly to the man before the ceremony started, it's made the whole thing feel slightly less surreal than it had when we first arrived, but now it's back with a vengeance. I mean, here I'm standing, on the White House lawn, about to be given a Medal of Freedom from President John. F. Kennedy. I've known that it was going to happen for over a month, yet it doesn't make it seem less insane now that it's finally happening.
Christ, get it together man, I can fistfight Magneto but I can't accept a shiny piece of tin shaped like a star? Fuck, that's just ridiculous.
Kennedy walks up to me, holding the ribbon with both hands, and I lower my head down. I actually have to crouch just a little bit since the height difference makes it a little awkward otherwise, waiting for him to put it around my neck.
....except...
He doesn't...
The seconds tick by, and nothing happens. Kennedy doesn't move to put the stupid thing on me. What did he change his mind all of a sudden?
I look up, and he's still standing there. As in, standing completely still with his arms halfway into the air with the medal still hanging from his hands. His face is frozen with the same smile he had when he walked over here. What in the actual fuck..?
I stand up straight, and only now notice that he's not the only one. The other Avengers are standing completely frozen to the spot just like Kennedy, looking over towards us completely immobile. I look over Kennedy's shoulder, and sure enough, so is every single one of his group. His wife, his brother, Gabriel Jones, the Secret Service guys, just standing there like a bunch of statues.
I turn around, not really expecting anything else, and yup, the group of reporters is just as immobile, as well as the crowd outside the gates. They're all just standing there like a frozen image on a paused video screen. A black spot above the trees catches my eye and I look up to see three birds in mid-flight, frozen against the blue winter sky.
There's no wind. No sound. Nothing at all. Just silence.
The nerves in my stomach fall away, replaced by a clawing dread.
I pull one of my gloves off and reach out towards one of the agents standing closest to me, my fingers brushing over his cheek. Strangely, his skin feels warm and soft to the touch, but somehow still feels... off, like touching something freshly dead. I can't help but shudder and step backwards, only to realize something else. I look down where my boots are sinking into the grassy lawn, the grass yields under my weight, but there's no sound of me stepping on it.
It's like the whole world just...paused.
"Hello? Anyone?!"
My voice is the only thing that breaks the silence.
"If this is some sort of fucked up joke, it's not funny, asshole! We were kind of in the middle of something here!"
There's no answer, not that I was really expecting one, just my own voice echoing through the heavy, frozen silence of the world.
Okay, no point in panicking, that's not going to fix whatever the hell is going on. Everyone is frozen except for me, and considering there's no wind, no sound of distant traffic or anything, I very much doubt it's just limited to this one spot. I could take a few jumps across the world easily enough to check, but it's pretty likely that whatever is going on is affecting everyone but me.
I'm suddenly reminded of the Justice League episode where Doctor Destiny traps the League in their own worst nightmares, and Flash's dream is about becoming so fast that the rest of the world seems frozen in place, leaving him completely alone for the rest of his natural life. Is that's whats happening here? Have my powers just sort of gotten me unstuck in time?
Time...
Wait a minute!
No sooner has the thought gone through my head before there's a sudden flash of light in front of me, though thanks to my sunglasses, most of the glare is filtered away, giving me a glimpse of a figure forming inside. The light fades away, revealing a man standing in front of me, wearing what has to be one of the most eye-searingly ugliest outfits I've seen so far. Purple armor mixed together with a green tunic of some shiny material I don't recognize, a large belt the same color as the armor, where various bulky and heavy-looking machinery sits attached. His head is covered by a purple helmet with a blue faceplate, which seems to move and shift like his actual face, the artificial nature given away only by the metallic scheen. A pair of white lines runs down from the top of the helmet, across his eyes and to the bottom of his jaw.
And then, he speaks.
"I do apologize for interrupting your little ceremony, but as I'm sure you're well aware, it should not be taking place. And YOU aren't supposed to be here at all, are you? You've made quite a mess of my plans, and I simply can't have that."
Kang The Conqueror...437