Viper's Bite: The Other Rogers

3.

"Ms. Rogers, you asked for me?"

"I was told you were the last one to speak to my brother and I know this is difficult for you but did he mention anything about me?"

Peggy thought about lying to the woman but decided that honesty would be the best option. No, Sally, he didn't. He and I were trying not to think about it being his last moments so we were making a date to go dancing instead." 

Sally nodded at the woman before taking a slow, deep breath. Thank you for being honest with me. He deserved to have that be his last moments. He worried about me enough while growing up. Thank you for being there for him."

Peggy's brow furrowed as she thought about how the woman never went out or did anything fun. She was completely work oriented and as driven as Stark. What would happen now that her reason for being there was gone. 

"Ms. Rogers, there is something that the boys brought back before the last mission. We have the scientists who helped develop it here now. We were hoping you might be a lab rat, as the saying goes, and help us test out how it works since Stark had a chance to look it over?"

Sally eyed the woman before nodding, she didn't really have anything left to lose by being the test subject. Maybe her sacrifice would save others in the long run. 

"Right this way, Sally."

Before long, the women were back in Howard Stark's ab but there was a new Tube like machine that had been added since her last visit. "This is what I am testing, I suppose?"

Howard turned at the sound of Sally's voice and was shocked and offended that Peggy had chosen the very sibling of their old hero to be the lab rat for an unstable mixture of the original serum and the one Hydra had developed. He leveled his glare at Peggy who matched his eyes with her own fierce determination. She had told Sally that they wanted her, the reality was that she was the last choice. She and her family had already sacrificed so much, it was cruel to seek the last surviving member. Peggy felt cheated though, why did the tiny lab assistant survive when her own brave, strong, Rogers had perished. She wanted to even the score. Maybe Steve would find a way to return if she offered the other sibling in exchange. She knew it made no sense but she was too grief stricken to see the reality of what she was doing. 

Howard tried to block the opening of the tube from the girls' path but soon found himself in restraints near the back of the room as more soldiers filed in to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Many were hoping Sally could be the next Captain America, willing to overlook her being a woman based on the fact that she was her brother's sister. As she stepped in, she met the eyes of Howard Stark in the corner. He looked so angry and defeated all at the same time, all she wanted to do was run to him and hug him. She decided then that if this succeeded, she would do just that. She gave him a sad smile full of her own determination. She had renewed hope. If she survived this, she would help keep her brother's spirit alive and fight for what was right in the world. Sally kept eye contact with he best friend, right up until her view was blocked by the door of the cylinder closing. One of the soldiers threw the switch and hadn't realized he needed to slowly dial it up, instead starting at full power. Everyone froze as the screams of Sally Rogers echoed throughout the room. Many second guessed what they were doing. Peggy continued to reassure them that the same thing happened with Steve and that it would be over soon. The only problem was that it was taking longer than it had with Steve. Sally had been screaming for nearly half an hour and they could all hear how strained her voice was in her yells. She was still holding on though, which made Howard feel both proud and horrified for the young woman. He didn't know many men who could handle what was happening to her, let alone women. He stopped fighting the restraints and did something he hadn't done in many years. He began to pray. He didn't pray to any higher power though. He prayed to Steve, Bucky, the young woman's parents. He prayed that they would lend her their strength and fighting spirit to help her pull through as she fought to handle the changes her body was going through. He did this for another fifteen maybe twenty minutes before the machine finally began powering itself down.  

Peggy and Howard stared at the machine as it opened slowly, revealing the new Sally Rogers to the world for the first time. She had grown only a few inches, leaving her still shorter than Peggy but her body suddenly had a fit, muscular build to it. She had a larger bust and bottom than she had had before. Her hips had widened as well as gaining muscle tone in her thighs and calves. She slowly opened her eyes as the last of the needles left her skin. She felt exhausted and thought she imagined a look of displeasure from Peggy. Had she not succeeded in becoming a super soldier after all? When her eyes flicked towards Howard though, she felt herself smiling and falling forward, wrapping him in her arms as she fell unconscious on the floor. 

"Pick her up! Or free me and let me handle it! Don't just stare at her you idiots!" Howard felt like he was shouting at bricks as the entire room stood frozen staring  at the unconscious woman before them. His little Sally was still small but now she looked like a deadly dagger. Gorgeous and sleek but capable of murder. He needed to check her vitals before they lost her again. Instead of listening though, they brought in two men who looked at the woman with a sick smile on their faces.

"Ah, you chose a fraulein for us? This should make it interesting. What fighting styles has she already mastered? This isn't something to be done on a whim."

All eyes moved to Peggy who simply stated in a sigh, "she survived."