¹𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆 - 𝘴. 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 ✓

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟲

Steve couldn't believe that Bucky was dead. He spoke to most of the men in the 107th, hoping to get information on what happened to him. All of them said he was among the fallen. But Steve didn't have time to grief, there was a war going on after all. He had to push his emotions to the side and focus on the task at hand.

The SSR was in London in an underground bunker at the moment. Their efforts still being put into taking down Hydra. When Steve had freed the prisoners, he has gotten a look at one of Hydras maps with their different facilities marked.

"The fourth one was in Poland, here," he pointed to a place on the map, "not far from the Baltic... and the last was outside of Strasbourg, say thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line." He looked up at Peggy who was watching him, "I only go a quick look."

"Nobody's perfect." Their eyes locked for a moment and Steve thought he could hear an air of flirtation in her voice.

But they where soon interrupted by the arrival of Howard Stark. He was holding a small black box that Steve had stolen from the Hydra prison in hopes of Howard being able to find out what it was. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right about now?" He asked Steve.

"I'm off the publicity circuit."

The Colonel entered, "Rogers, you just embarrassed a senior senator in front of a dozen reporters and ten members of Parliament." He handed Steve his metal, "you should get a metal just for that."

"Did you figure out what that is yet?" The colonel motioned to the Hydra box.

"If you believe Rogers, it's apparently the most powerful explosive known to man."

"If?" Steve questioned his choice of words.

"Well, either you're wrong or Schmidt's damn near rewritten the laws of physics." He began to walk in the direction of his lab, "and I'm rather found of the laws of physics."

"These are all the Hydra factories?" The colonel had now turned his attention to the large map on a table in front of him.

"A lot of our intel suggests that their are more not on this map." Steve informed him.

"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base." He ordered her and he walked towards his office.

"What about us?" She inquired.

"We're going to light a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass." He turned to Steve, "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. Think you can wipe Hydra off it?"

Steve stared at the map for a moment, "I'm going to need a team."

"We've already lined up the best men-"

"If you don't mind sir... so have I."

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Steve had selected 5 of the freed prisoners to meet him at a local pub for drinks and to hopefully recruit them onto his team. The pub had a lively atmosphere this particular night, with almost every chair full and the shouting of drunk soldiers on leave filled the air.

"Let me get this straight." One of the men names Dugan began.

"You barely got us out of there, now you want us to go back in there?" A second man named Jones finished his sentence.

"Pretty much." He shrugs, trying to act nonchalant about it.

The five of them all stared at one another for a long second, than a look of mutual agreement came over their faces, "sounds like a rather good time, I'm in." The third man named Falsworth spoke with a grin.

"I'm in." Morita, the fourth man agreed.

Steve eyes the last man, Dernier, questioningly. "Je combattrai jusqu'a ce que le dernier de ces batards soit mort, echaine ou bien qu'il pleure comme un nouveau-ne!" He exclaimed in French.

Jones laughed, "J'espere touts les trois!"

Dernier laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. Jones nodded at Steve, "oh, uh, we are in." He nodded.

Steve looked to Dugan who took a swig of beer, "I'll fight. Well, I'll always fight. But you gotta do one thing for me."

"What is that?" Steve asked.

"Open a tab." He laughed. Steve gestured for all of them to hand him their empty mugs so he could refill them.

He brought them up to the counter and handed them to the bar keep who began refilling them.

As he stood there, Peggy entered the room. This was the first time he had ever seen her out of uniform and she took his breath away. She was wearing a red, form fitting dress, with matching red lipstick. Her hair was flawless, as was her makeup.

She walked up to him, "captain."

He froze, utterly taken aback by how stunning she was, "A-agent Carter." He stammered and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Howard's got some equipment for you to try tomorrow morning?" She looked him dead in the eyes.

Not breaking eye contact Steve replied, "that sounds fine."

Steve team started singing at the table beside him, terribly off pitch. "I see your crack team is preparing for duty."

"You don't like music?" Steve asked her.

"I do actually." She looked at him more intensely this time, "I may even, when this is all over, go dancing."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Steve asked, rather flirtatiously.

"The right partner." Before Steve could reply she turned on her heel and began to walk out, "08:00, Captain." Was the last thing she said before leaving.

"Yes ma'am, I'll be there."

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The next morning Steve stood in Howard's lab. In front of him on a table where many different models of shields.

Howard motioned to one, "Carbon polymer. Ought to hold its own against your average German bayonet. Of course, Hydra's not likely to come at you with a pocket knife..."

He turned to Steve's original shield which lay mangled with bullet holes on a near by table, "I hear your rather attached."

"It's handier than you might think."

"So's the hotel chambermaid, but I wouldn't taker her into battle."

Steve looked over the options on the table, "I took the liberty of coming up with a few options," he picked up one from the table, "This one's fun. It's fitted with transistorized relays."

Steve ignored him and pulled one up from bellow the table. It was plain and round. He spun it around, it was surprisingly light and well balanced.

"What about this one?" He asked.

"Oh that's just a prototype. Now this one-"

"What's it made out of?"

"Vibranium. Stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent. Should make a bullet feel like a cotton ball."

They didn't notice Peggy enter the lab.

"How come it's not standard issue?" Steve questioned.

"It's the rarest metal on earth. You're holding all we've got."

"Are you two almost done, we have a briefing soon." Peggy interjects.

"What do you think?" Steve held up the vibranium shield to her.

Expressionless, Peggy picks up a gun on a near by table and fires three bullets at it. Steve blocks them with ease, and they don't leave so much as a dent in the shield.

"I think it works." She smirks. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Steve and Howard staring after her.

"About my uniform." Steve hands him a sketch, neither one of them taking their eyes off Peggy as she walks away. "I have some ideas."

"Whatever you want, sport."