✪ American Noise ✪ [Captain America]

Chapter 8: Steve III

Monument Park was crowded that afternoon. Steve, Liz, and Pops had entered the park on the east side after walking a few blocks south from the nearest metro station. This area, in particular, was teeming with "bikers" (men and women with a certain affinity for leather and denim clothing who enjoyed riding motorcycles, Steve found) that were representative of the Vietnam War veterans.

"Your father used to ride with them in the Rolling Thunder motorcade every year when he was home to honor the 'Nam vets, P.O.W.'s, and M.I.A.'s. I think they had it yesterday," Pops said to Liz as they ambled past the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. There was a line of people stretching as far as the eye could see down the path, waiting to pass through the memorial and pay their respects. A grass field on the other side of the path held a sea of motorcycles parked in neat rows.

"I remember," Liz began to smile next to Steve, "Dad took me along in his sidecar once. It was so loud. I loved it."

"I wish I'd known about it," Steve said, eyeing a classic black Harley Davidson with a blue flame paint detail, "I would have brought mine down." Steve had been doing more walking than riding lately. He found that he could often get to and from where he wanted to go more quickly by walking or through public transportation than idling in the often crowded city streets with his motorcycle.

"You have a bike? Why have I not seen it?" Liz asked Steve, sounding both a bit shocked and excited. Her eyes seemed to twinkle.

"It's been garaged behind our building. The city traffic is terrible," Steve replied.

"We'll need to do something about that," Liz smirked.

They came upon the Lincoln Memorial standing prominently in front of them. Off to the west, Steve could see S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion towering on an island in the Potomac River. Steve was familiar with the building due to his weekly sessions with Doctor Garner taking place there.

"I remember when they finished that building," Pops said as they turned east towards the reflecting pool, "I can neither confirm nor deny having been inside." Steve had trouble determining whether or not Pops was joking. You needed a certain level of clearance just to get within a stone's throw of the entrance to the bridge that connected the island to the mainland.

The sun beat down on the calm water of the reflecting pool, shining brightly. As they walked along, Liz became quite interested in a family of ducks gliding across the surface. The tiny ducklings swam haphazardly around their parents, who were trying to keep them in line. When they reached the far side of the pool, Steve smiled as he watched Liz laugh at the ducklings exiting the water and shaking their tail feathers as they waddled along into the grass.

"The World War II Memorial doesn't look that crowded. Have you seen it yet?" Liz asked Steve as they approached the stone enclosure.

Steve came down to this area to run almost every day on the circling pathways throughout the park, but he had made a point to avoid this particular monument. He was not sure if he was prepared for what he might find inside. Steve had lost count of how many times he had circumvented these walkways in favor of outer routes.

"No, I haven't," was all Steve could bring himself to say.

"Well, today's your day. It's one of my favorites," Liz smiled and hurried to catch up to Pops near the northwest entrance of the stone oval. Steve followed her, trying to hide a worrisome expression.

Steve caught up to Liz at the entrance, who seemed eager to give him a tour, "The outer wall of the memorial is made up of pillars inscribed with the names of the states and territories active during the war," she explained as they walked past. They then entered a grey stone plaza containing a large fountain, "We came in backwards," Liz explained as she guided Steve over to the long western wall opposite the fountain, "But this is my favorite part. It's called the Freedom Wall."