Enemy of Silence

11 - London

I try to focus on what Steve and Peggy are talking about but I can't get out of my own head, I haven't since we came to London. The sounds of gunshots and ballet shoes softly sliding across the floor fill my ears. My hands tremble with a weight I'm no longer burdened to carry. The tips of my ears are ice cold as I feel my head getting submerged in water routinely. I clear my throat and shake the memories out of my head as my name is called. "Yes sorry I'm listening I promise." I stutter.

"The fifth one was here in Poland, right near the Baltic." Steve says, marking the location on the map. "And the sixth one was... about here, 30, 40 miles west of the Maginot Line." He adds before I quickly change the marking to the exact location. A soldier takes the map away as Steve explains that he just got a quick look. "I got a longer one." I shrug as I make any amendments needed, standing next to the soldier. "Well, nobody's perfect." Peggy jokes. The three of us make our way over to another map, this time joined by Colonel Phillips.

"These are the weapons facilities we know about." I explain to Steve. "Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map." He states. I nod my head before continuing, "Exactly. We know about the facilities because the Nazis and HYDRA itself want us to know about them. They're in large cities, popular cities, and ports, where we would expect them." Steve nods this time. "I can't find a pattern in the locations or any narrowed down options for a new location." I finish before turning to the Colonel.

"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base." Phillips dictates. "What about us?" Peggy asks. "We are gonna set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass." Phillips says, he turns his attention to Steve and I. "What do you say Rogers? Somerfield?" He asks,       "It's your map, you think you can wipe Hydra off of it?" I smirk and nod smugly. "Yes, Sir. We'll need a team." Steve says, confidence radiating off of his uniformed figure. "We're already putting together the best men." Phillips explains. "With all due respect Sir, so are we." I say before walking off to find Bucky.

Steve calls after me, "Vic, can we talk?" I sigh. "I was waiting for you to ask me that. Come on, James wants to know more too." I explain before leading Steve to my room where Bucky is already sat at the desk writing. He stands, places everything in his private drawer, and walks over to me, kissing my cheek. "What are you two doing here?" He asks softly. "Sit down boys, I think I have some explaining to do." I sigh. The two men perch themselves on the edge of the double bed as I sit at the desk. "I'm guessing you have some questions for me. Normally I wouldn't share this but Erskine can't tell me off anymore so..." I state expectantly. Bucky and Steve share a glance before Steve asks, "How did Schmidt know you? And what did he call you?"

I take a deep breath before realising that I'm about to disclose everything to the two men who sit before me. "My name isn't Victoria Somerfield, it's Viktoriya Solovyova. I was born in Russia in 1917 and had an older sister, Katerina." I smile softly at the memory of her. "My father moved to Munich in 1922, just before the Putsch, and got involved with the Nazi party. He got into a, uh, disagreement of sorts with a higher ranking member and essentially sold my sister and I as experiments to a new science division." Steve sighs in realisation, HYDRA. "That was in 1925. My sister was 10 at the time. They injected us with serums, too many to count, and would lock us away afterwards. They used torture methods to invoke the results. Katerina didn't survive." I say simply. The two men give me a look of sympathy that I just ignore.

"I was injected with an unknown serum that allowed me to control light and heat energy, nothing else. I was recruited into the Red Room." I pause as I see Bucky with a question forming on his lips. "What's, um, what is the Red Room?" He mutters. "The Red Room is a top-secret Soviet brainwashing and training program. The program takes young women and turns them into the world's deadliest and most elite assassins." I explain. "We were trained in marksmanship, ballet, knife control, and a lot more shit. When I was 16 I graduated as 'Agent 1' because of my skills and I was given the Black Widow Serum, an early version of what Steve was given." The men look dumbfounded as I finish my explanation.

"I met Schmidt at 18 in HYDRA Headquarters, he always hated that I was Agent 1 not him. Until I escaped in 1938 and he became the mess he is now." I finish answering the men's questions and wait for more. "Wow." Steve mumbles. "I'm not an assassin anymore though, just a much better fighter than you both." I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Aren't HYDRA looking for you?" Steve wonders aloud. I pause briefly, "Well they might be, as far as they know I don't exist. My photo's never been taken for publicly accessible documents." I shrug lamely. "That's all I can tell you boys," I stand and brush off my skirt, "Out with you Steve, we have a celebration to get ready for." I say, ushering Steve towards the door. Just before leaving he pulls me in to a tight hug, one I happily return.

I walk back from the door and am immediately pulled down into James' embrace. His arms secure me to his body as he plants a soft kiss in my hair, "I'm so sorry about all of that babygirl." He mutters. I pull back and cup his face in my hands, "It's okay James, I'm okay." I lean forwards and plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Look, this is gonna sound crazy doll, but even though we've only spoken through those letters for the past year, I think I'm falling in love with you." James whispers against my lips. My breath catches and I blush, "I guess it's a good thing that we're in the same boat then isn't it?" I tease. He glares at me, non-threateningly of course, before capturing my lips once again. I reluctantly pull away, "I'll see you at the bar, I have to get changed and find Peggy first." I explain. "You know where to find me." He calls after donning his shoes and leaving me to change.