CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER [2] MARCH 1942, NORWAY

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Madison Duncan didn't yet understand the full scope of her gifts, only that she was unlike anyone else. The Civil War revealed her abilities to her in the most unexpected ways. As a field nurse, she spent long days treating endless lines of soldiers wounded on brutal battlefields. Though many were beyond her aid, her hands worked miracles for others. Sometimes, she'd see deep wounds begin to close and mend beneath her touch, far faster than any medicine or bandage could promise. It was as if her hands carried a power she couldn't name—a gift, a curse, or perhaps both.

Her role as a healer pulled her into each new war that followed. By the time she found herself in Europe, ministering to American soldiers in the trenches of World War I, she had begun to understand her power was more than physical. It wasn't just the ability to heal. She hardly aged—a quiet, eerie realization that crept up on her year after year. As friends and comrades grew older, Madison remained the same, as though untouched by time.

In 1922, Madison settled in New York, hoping for a life free from battlefields. She found work as a nurse in Brooklyn, still drawn to help others. One sweltering summer day, July 4th to be precise, she was called to attend a mother named Sarah Rogers, who had just gone into labor. The evening air was thick with excitement, and fireworks boomed across the city. It was as if every explosion celebrated the birth of a tiny, fragile child who would one day become a giant among men: Steve Rogers.

CHAPTER 1:  Tønsberg in Norway , March 1942

In March 1942, Madison found herself hidden within the frosty walls of an ancient Norwegian church, her breath clouding as she whispered in Norse to her elderly contact. "They're coming," she murmured, glancing out the small, weathered window. "Hide yourself." The old man gave her a nod and slipped into the shadows, while she moved behind a column, listening to the heavy tremors of vehicles above.

A loud rumble shook the building as a heavy drill punctured the ceiling, sending chunks of stone crashing down. Madison ducked, pulling the old man out of harm's way. The dust settled, and soon the chilling click of boots echoed through the church. She held her breath as soldiers filed in, each stepping aside to allow their leader—Johann Schmidt, the Hydra commander—to approach.

Schmidt's face was an unsettling mask of quiet menace. "It has taken me a long time to find this place," he said, his tone both cold and smug. "You should be commended. Help him up," he added, motioning toward the old man. Schmidt fixed him with a penetrating gaze, a strange glint in his eye. "I think that you are a man of great vision," he continued, voice heavy with menace. "In this way, we are much alike."

"I am nothing like you," the old man replied, his voice wavering yet defiant. "What others see as superstition, you and I know to be... science."

Schmidt's lips twisted into a smirk. "If what you say is true, why hide it?" He nodded to his men, who promptly moved toward an old stone casket. They shattered it, stone splinters flying, revealing the unmistakable glow of the Tesseract within.

Madison's heart sank. It was real. And now it was in Hydra's hands.

"The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin's treasure room," Schmidt said reverently, holding it up. "It is not something one buries." He turned to the old man. "But you should have known, yes?"

The old man's face grew pale, yet defiant. "It is not for the eyes of ordinary men."

In that moment, Madison knew she had to act. Stepping out from the shadows, she called, "That's right!" She raised her hand, sending a powerful force toward Schmidt, enough to knock him back a few steps, her powers briefly disrupting the soldiers' tight formation.

Schmidt steadied himself, eyebrows raised. "Open fire," he commanded calmly.

Bullets flew, but Madison was fast, dodging between the pews, shielding herself behind ancient walls and using her powers to deflect the shots. Her eyes met the old man's once more, and he nodded, as if to say goodbye.

"You cannot control what you hold," she warned Schmidt, her voice ringing through the church. "It will burn you."

But Schmidt, calm and unshaken, replied, "I already have." He raised his gun, ignoring her warning, and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed as it struck the old man.

Heart pounding, Madison forced herself not to scream, her hands clenched at her sides as Schmidt turned his gaze on her. "You should come with me, young lady," he suggested smoothly. "You have strength. Imagine what you could become under my guidance, my first... experiment."

Her heart pounded as she glared at him, her voice cold with defiance. "I'd rather die than be your experiment."

With a fierce determination, she bolted toward the broken window, ducking beneath gunfire as she made her escape. A bullet grazed her shoulder, but she didn't stop. Darting into the snow-covered woods, she pushed herself to her limits, leaving Hydra's soldiers scrambling behind. She would live to fight another day, and Schmidt would not win—not as long as she could fight against him.

When she finally found her way back to New York, bruised and battered, Madison knew this was only the beginning. Schmidt had the Tesseract—and with it, untold power. But she'd be there to fight, to protect, and to make sure that Hydra would never realize its twisted ambitions.

 But she'd be there to fight, to protect, and to make sure that Hydra would never realize its twisted ambitions

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