Timeless

03

Mattie woke up in her apartment to a letter on her nightstand.

She picked it up, unfolded it, and began reading.

My darling,

Goodbye. It's a bittersweet word, isn't it? It means I don't know when I'll see you again, but also means I'll see you soon. I choose to hope for the latter. We can never be separated for long, right?

I already miss you doll, and I can't wait until I'm able to see you again. The days have seemed to slow and I suspect they will continue to until we meet once again.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, and try not to miss me too much. Watch out for Steve. Don't let him do anything too reckless.

I love you, Mattie, and I'm already counting down the days until I can see you again.

All my love,

Bucky

Mattie smiled as she carefully put the letter in her bag, making sure it was kept crisp and unwrinkled.

She made herself scrambled eggs and pulled out her copy of The Hobbit. As she ate, she began reading; something she often liked to do when she was alone.

US TRAINING CAMP

An officer said to other soldiers training, "Ready, exercise!"

"Recruits, attention!" Peggy Carter ordered. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division."

"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria?" Gilmore Hodge asked. "Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army."

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty."

"Step forward, Hodge." He stepped forward, smirking. "Put your right foot forward."

"Mmm... We gonna wrassle? 'Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like."

Peggy punched him, knocking him down.

Colonel Phillips drove up and called, "Agent Carter."

"Colonel Phillips," Peggy said.

"I see you're both breaking in the candidates. That's good!" He turned to Hodge. "Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention 'til somebody comes tells you what to do."

Hodge stood back up. "Yes, sir."

Colonel Phillips addressed the new Army recruits. "General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men..." He saw Steve and continued. "And because they're gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers."

While Phillips spoke, Steve unpacked and trained where he failed to keep up and got bullied by the others.

"Rogers!" Sergeant Duffy called. "Get that rifle out of the mud!"

"And they, will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell."

Steve and other trainees ran up to a waiting Peggy and a flagpole.

"Pick up the pace, ladies!" Sergeant Duffy exclaimed. "Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move!" They arrived at the flagpole. "Squad, halt! That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter. Move, move!"