MOMENTS LATER, THE SERENE SKIES OF ELYON WERE GONE, REPLACED WITH THE RAW, BRUTAL, BOISTEROUS AIR OF CHAOS. Wind whipped around them, and thunder and lightning crackled and snipped through the air. To say it looked dangerous was an understatement.

"Hey, angel!" Howard shouted over the noise. "Are you sure this is safe?!"

"Relax," Raevanna said. "Remember what I told you? This is one of the many passageways which connects Elyon to the rest of the world. It is an antechamber, if you will. It may look dangerous, but you are perfectly safe as long as you are with me. And since you are with me, that is how we can hear each other over this noise." Howard was quiet for a moment, so she asked him, "Feel a bit safer now?"

"Maybe," Howard said. "When do we get out?"

Raevanna grinned. "Right now."

A bright light flashed in front of them, and then moments later they passed through the clouds and appeared over Brooklyn. Raevanna extended her wings, gliding over the city before turning to Howard. "Where should I land?" she asked.

Howard pointed to a large cluster of structures. "Between those two buildings right there. No one should see us."

Raevanna nodded, descending down from the sky. With a few beats of her powerful wings, she landed lightly on the ground between the buildings and let go of Howard.

"Thanks for the lift," Howard said, stepping backwards before starting to leave. "I think I can take it from here."

"No," Raevanna said firmly.

Howard stopped, turning around to face her. "Come again?"

"My job is not done," Raevanna told him. "I am staying here, and I am coming with you."

"Really?" Howard asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how long are you planning on sticking around?"

Raevanna was silent for a moment, thinking over his words. Then she shrugged and said, "As long as this war lasts, I am guessing."

Howard crossed his arms. "Hate to break it to you, angel, but this is a human war, not a magic war. The end of it could be months away, even years."

Raevanna nodded. "Yes, I am aware."

"And you're sure your aunt would be okay with you being gone that long?"

Raevanna shrugged again. "What she does not know will not hurt her. And besides, time passes differently here. A year here is only a month in Elyon."

Howard met her eyes for a moment before he sighed and looked away, nodding his head and rubbing his face. "Alright, fine." Gesturing to Raevanna, he added, "But lose the wings. We don't have those here."

Raevanna nodded, rolling her shoulders and making her wings disappear. Then, she followed Howard out of the alleyway, her eyes widening when she saw what Brooklyn was like. Whenever she had visited the human land, she had always watched from the skies, never going down to the ground to observe. This was her first time she had ever been in the city itself, and it was quite intimidating. The machines she figured were called cars strolled down the street, and people in dreary clothes walked along the sides of the road. Posters advertising the war adorned buildings and streetlights, and old newspapers littered the streets.

"Alright, first thing's first," Howard said to Raevanna. "Wardrobe."

Raevanna cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Howard sighed. "Your clothes, Raevanna. We're getting you some new clothes."

Raevanna looked around, seeing that the women in the city were wearing dresses and skirts in pastel colors. Then, she looked down at her own clothes, suddenly feeling very out of place in her bare feet, bold red tunic and bright pink leggings. "I see."

She followed Howard into one of the buildings, one that had many outfits on display. A small bell rang as they pushed open the door, and all eyes turned in their direction when they walked in.

"Howard Stark!" an older lady at the front of the establishment said when she saw Howard enter. "Good to see you in this part of town again!"

"Nice to see ya, Mandy," Howard said, grinning as he approached the woman. "It's definitely been awhile."

The woman, Mandy, nodded, then looked at Raevanna, her face brightening in surprise. "Oh! And who is this lovely young lady with you?"

Raevanna smiled, dipping her head respectfully. "My name is Raevan-"

"Raven," Howard said quickly, cutting her off before she could go any further. "Raven... Knight." Raevanna shot Howard a look, but he only eyed her briefly before speaking to Mandy again, "She's not from around here, and she needs a new set of clothes."

"Of course," Mandy said. Walking around the counter, she put her hand on the small of Raevanna's back and guided her away from Howard, saying to her, "Come with me, dear. I think I know just what'll suit you."

Raevanna looked back at Howard, who made a little shooing motion with his hands. Shaking her head, she let the older woman guide her to the back, where there were several white cloth statues with long yellow strips draped over their shoulders. Mandy had Raevanna stand on an elevated platform, then grabbed one of the yellow strips and walked back to her.

"Okay, arms up," Mandy said.

Raevanna hesitated for a moment, then lifted her arms. Mandy began to wrap the yellow strips around Raevanna's ribcage and waist, and Raevanna realized that she was measuring her.

"So, where are you from, dear?" Mandy asked Raevanna.

Raevanna bit her lip, trying to think of what to say. "I am from... overseas."

"Oh, so you're from England?" Mandy asked.

Raevanna nodded quickly, going along with her words. "Yes, England. How could you tell?"

"Your accent," Mandy said. "It's a pretty large giveaway." She was silent for a moment, then went on, "But I'm telling you, I know the British don't dress like this."

"I..." Raevanna paused. "Moved. When I was a child."

"From California, I'm guessing," Mandy said with a nod. "Those folks are pretty loose dressers."

Raevanna nodded again, watching as the woman finished measuring her and walked into another room, then returned with an armful of clothes.

"Here you go," Mandy said, handing Raevanna the clothes. "Try these on, they should fit you just fine." She pointed to a doorway covered with a curtain. "Changing rooms are in there."

Raevanna smiled, dipping her head. "Thank you very much."

"Of course," Mandy replied. "Now, off you go."

Raevanna walked into the room, changing out of her brightly colored clothes and into the first outfit. It was a pink skirt with a navy blue blouse and a matching jacket, and Raevanna instantly liked the coolness and looseness of the fabric. Looking at the mirror behind her, she glanced at her reflection, smiling when she realized she actually looked like she belonged. Then, she looked down, seeing that her feet were still bare. So she raised her hand, snapping her fingers and causing simple black shoes to appear on her feet. Satisfied with her appearance, she tied her hair up into a bun and walked out of the room.

"Yes!" Mandy said when she saw Raevanna, clapping her hands. "Perfect, dear, absolutely perfect."

Raevanna returned to the changing room, trying on each of the outfits. All of them fit perfectly, and she felt satisfied with the way she looked in each one. Once everything was settled, Raevanna changed back into the first one and returned to the front of the store, where Howard was waiting. His eyes went wide when he saw Raevanna, and she smiled at him, amused by his reaction.

"Everything fit just fine," Mandy said to Howard.

"That's great," Howard replied, and Raevanna saw that he was trying his best not to stare at her. "And I really do appreciate you doing this."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Mandy said, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it."

Howard paid for the outfits, nodding at the older woman with a smile. Then he and Raevanna walked outside and into the city.

"Y'look good," Howard said after a moment.

"Thank you," Raevanna said. "Though I do not know how women can wear things like this every day."

"I dunno either sometimes," Howard admitted with a laugh.

Raevanna smiled at him, then looked around. "This place is-"

"Amazing?" Howard asked.

"No, hideous," Raevanna replied, raising an eyebrow.

Howard glanced at her, grinning. "Yep, that sounds about right."

They both laughed before Raevanna smiled at him again, appreciating Howard's sense of humor in light of such a dark time period. She then realized how fond of him she was growing in this brief period of time, and she had to remind herself that she couldn't do so. She wasn't staying here forever; she had a job to do, and that was it.

"Alright, now that you look the part, I can take you out to admissions," Howard said after a moment.

Raevanna frowned. "Admissions? Are we not going to the war?"

"Listen, angel, the war is a dangerous thing to be in," Howard told her. "I can get you to a registration office at best, but since you're a woman the most they'll probably do is put you in a factory-"

"No, no, no, no, no." Raevanna stepped in front of Howard, cutting him off as she grabbed his collar and shook him gently. "I need to go to the war, Howard Stark. Not a factory. That is where I am needed so that is where I must be. Okay?"

Howard sighed, nodding at her. "Alright, alright. I'll take you to the SSR."

"SSR?" Raevanna repeated. "What is that?"

"You'll see." Howard was silent for a moment, then said, "Now can you let me go?"

Raevanna quickly let go of him, stepping back and clearing her throat. "Right. My apologies."

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"Well, Mr. Stark," the older man in front of them said. "I've heard a lot of cockamamie stories in my day, but I've never heard a crock of bull bigger than what just came out of your mouth."

Both Raevanna and Howard winced at his harsh tone and words. It was later that day, and the two were sitting in the SSR "Headquarters", having a meeting with one of the men in charge, Colonel Chester Phillips. Rather than make up a story explaining Raevanna's desire to help, Howard had told the older man the truth right off the bat. Part of Raevanna was grateful that Howard hadn't decided to lie, but the other part of her was slightly worried that it wouldn't do much good, considering that her story (despite its authenticity) sounded insane.

"Colonel, hear me out," Howard said. "I know it sounds crazy, but Raevanna here really is a faery, and she saved me from drowning. I think she'd be a valuable asset to the war effort."

Colonel Phillips laughed dryly. "Really. I already got myself in a bunch of hot water for signing on Agent Carter, and now you want me to recruit this mentally unstable British woman who's obviously filled your head with fluff?"

As the two began to argue, Raevanna sighed softly, her head lowered. She knew that humans were stubborn, but she had no idea that they were this stubborn. It's no wonder no one has won the war yet, she thought. They'll barely make any sort of progress with anything if they stay this hardheaded.

Out of nowhere, a man in a long white coat, big glasses, and receding graying hair came out of another room, looking at the three of them. "Ah, Mr. Stark," he said, his voice thick with a strange accent. "Glad to see you back here in one piece. We were worried that something had happened to you."

"Thanks, Doc," Howard said with a nod.

The man grinned at him before turning to face the Colonel. "Colonel Phillips. I couldn't help but overhear-"

"Did you overhear or were you spying?" Colonel Phillips replied curtly, cutting the man off.

The man shrugged. "Both. But that is besides the point. I think you should believe what Mr. Stark has told you."

"And why should I do that?" the Colonel replied.

"Johann Schmidt," the man told him, causing Colonel Phillips' face to fall. "You know as well as I do that the things we believed to be mythical are, in fact, very real. So if Mr. Stark says that this young lady is a faery, then she must be a faery."

Raevanna nodded gratefully to him. "Thank you, um..."

"Erskine," the older man said. "Dr. Abraham Erskine."

Raevanna smiled at him. She liked him already.

Howard sighed, trying to focus. "Sir-"

"Listen here, pretty boy," Colonel Phillips snapped. "You may be one of the best damn inventors in the States, but as long as you serve under my jurisdiction then you'll follow my orders. Is that clear?"

But Howard wouldn't back down. "Colonel, if you would just listen–"

As the men continued to argue, the hairs on Raevanna's arms suddenly stood up. She turned her head, seeing a man in a dark suit hanging around the other end of the room. Raevanna was instantly on her guard, staring at the man with narrowed eyes.

After a moment, her eyes closed for a brief few seconds as she activated her Second Sight, and when she opened them, everything had changed. Every inanimate object was now in black and white, and the people around her were in three different colors. Howard, Dr. Erskine, and the Colonel were blue, which made them allies. The other people (who she could see through the walls) were yellow, which made them civilians and non-hostile entities. But the man in the corner was bright red. Which made him an enemy.

Raevanna closed her eyes again, waiting for a moment. When her ability shut off, she continued to stare at the man, her hands balling into fists and magic curling around her knuckles.

"Colonel," Howard said, trying one last time. "Please try to understand-"

"I ain't understanding a damn thing till you give me some kind of proof!" the Colonel said.

"Proof?!" Howard snapped. "You've always believed me before, why won't you believe me now?"

"Uh, maybe cause you sound like a goddamn lunatic?!" Colonel Phillips retorted.

That was when the mysterious man drew a weapon from within his coat. As he pointed it at Howard, Raevanna instantly leapt into action, springing from her seat and speeding across the room towards the man. She grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm to the side just as the weapon went off, damaging the lighting above them. Then, she elbowed him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing the weapon to fall out of his hands.

The man quickly scrambled to grab it, and then pointed it at Raevanna. But just as he fired, her wings shot out and wrapped around herself, shielding her as he fired repeatedly at her. The small metal rounds fell to the ground, not even ruffling her feathers, and the man stared at her in shock. Then, Raevanna unfurled her wings and lunged, punching him and knocking the weapon out of his hands. When he fell to his hands and knees again, Raevanna jumped forward, rolling him over before wrapping her legs around his torso, pinning his arms to his body, then wrapped one arm around his neck and pressed the other against the side of his head. Then man began to struggle, trying to free himself, but Raevanna gathered magic in her hand and whispered in the ancient language, "Sleep." as she tapped his temple. The man instantly fell asleep, his body going limp as his head lolled to the side.

Raevanna let the man go and snapped her fingers, causing thick ropes to appear on his wrists and ankles. Then she got up and met the Colonel's shocked eyes, slowly folding her wings before making them disappear once more.

Howard smiled proudly, then turned to the Colonel and smirked. "There's your proof."

Colonel Phillips stared at Raevanna, not saying a single word. Then, after several long moments, he spoke.

"Welcome to the SSR, Agent Knight."

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A/N: i actually loved this entire chapter ngl. colonel phillips & dr. erskine are so fun to write and howard & raevanna are gonna be the real brotp (that is until raevanna meets peggy) and i'm super excited.

anyway, next chapter we finally get into the movie! like, my baby steve is gonna meet raevanna for the first time *screeches*