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Asgard, Throne Room.
The All-Father, Odin, gazed at the screen above, his eyes drifting to Loki below. Calmly, he muttered:
Odin: "Betrayal and deception?"
Loki, sheepishly smiling, replied: "That… sounds a lot like our story, doesn't it?"
Loki: "It's not that I was careless before, Father…"
Odin:snorts "Calm down, son. Anger for too long is bad for your health."
Though Odin had actually settled a bit, he still felt a trace of irritation at Loki's long-standing indifference.
Watching the video, however…
Odin couldn't help but flare up for a moment.
Frigga glanced at him, a hint of a smile on her face, her hair tousled slightly by the wind.
Frigga (thinking): "Odin… he can look so adorable sometimes."
Back at the Slums.
Dr. Banner stretched with a yawn.
Ever since the Battle of New York…
There hadn't been any footage of him at all.
Banner: "Oh, how boring. I wonder when a video of me will appear. Maybe it's time to unleash the Hulk… no, no, that'd just cause trouble."
He shook his head and resigned himself to watching the screen patiently.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Nick Fury felt uneasy.
Fury: "Captain America will face betrayal and deception… what does that mean?"
Normally, after the Battle of New York, Cap should have continued working with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fury: "How could someone betray him? Who would dare?"
Fury tapped his boiled egg absentmindedly, recalling some unlikely scenarios he had once imagined.
Fury: "No… the video isn't about S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I have to stay alert. But that title… 'Back Home to Pick Cotton'—what does that even mean?"
Suddenly, he felt tense, hearing the faint sound of chains in his ears.
1943, the Rear of the Military Camp.
There was no one… or rather, almost no one.
Occasionally, a few people appeared: Steve Rogers, Miss Carter, Howard, and of course, Bucky.
After watching Tony's videos, Captain America learned that his kind-hearted brother, Bucky, had been imprisoned.
Determined to rescue him, Cap wanted to lead a team into the enemy camp.
But unlike the video, he had the support, respect, and love of future generations.
He was a kind of artillery in human form—strong, capable, unstoppable.
He informed his superior of his plan to rescue Bucky and the others. Of course, he was met with skepticism.
Fortunately, Howard, Carter, and Bucky had seen how powerful Steve truly was.
The three boarded a small plane, infiltrated the Hydra base, and rescued Bucky and the other prisoners.
Cap single-handedly destroyed the Hydra base, saving hundreds of lives.
In that critical time, he became a national hero.
Yet, despite the acclaim, Cap had a habit: he would sometimes wander behind the barracks, sitting on the grass, staring at the sky for hours.
At first, he wasn't alone—Howard, Carter, and Bucky also joined him.
They took turns watching, waiting for the strange screen to reappear.
Bucky, bored, was playing near the barracks.
He didn't entirely believe what Steve, Howard, and Carter had said: that a screen could appear and show videos from the future.
It sounded absurd.
If not for their recent rescue of him from Hydra, Bucky wouldn't even be there, sitting foolishly, waiting for a screen that might never appear.
After a while, his legs went numb. He stretched, shook out his legs, and tried to dismiss the distracting thoughts of Hydra captivity and Dr. Zola's experiments.
Checking his watch, it was 2:50 PM. Just ten more minutes—then the screen would appear, as Steve had mentioned.
They each had taken a day off: Steve, Carter, Howard, and Bucky. From noon to 3 PM—three hours—to watch the strange predictive screen.
Finally, 3 PM arrived.
Bucky patted his pants, about to leave.
Suddenly…
A screen appeared out of nowhere, floating before him!
Bucky froze in shock, his mind blank… and then quickly reacted.
Bucky: "A screen! I have to tell Steve and the others!"
He ran to a nearby tent and used the telegraph to call everyone over.
Soon, Steve, Carter, and Howard arrived behind the barracks.
Seeing the familiar screen again, they felt joy at being reunited with an old friend.
Steve: "Ever since we rescued Bucky from Hydra, I thought I'd never see this again."
Howard: "Yes… luckily, the wait wasn't long—just over a month."
Steve: "We can still see it. Bucky, any updates on your end?"
Bucky pointed to the screen.
Bucky: "Next, it's your turn, Steve. Seems like you'll be saying 'back home to pick cotton'."
Steve (smiling faintly): "Yes… I did tell Director Fury something like that before, didn't I?"