ACCIDENT | STEVE ROGERS

chapter three ; welcome to camp

Camp Lehigh was as restless as Manhattan. Ginny woke moments after the trumpet blared through the small dormitory, rubbing her eyes in despair. She'd naively hoped that her late night would result in a kinder start time. But this was war, not summer camp.

"Good morning Agent Henley." Her roommate was already asleep when Ginny arrived, rousing when the door opened but quickly backing down when the stranger explained who she was. This was the first moment the pair were face-to-face. Agent Carter was beautiful, put-together, and British. Ginny's hair stuck up around her.

"Just Virginia, please." She said. Agent Carter paused, examined her, then nodded. Her painted red lips quirked in an almost-smile.

"Then I'm Peggy."

"Nice to meet you." Ginny clambered out of bed, reaching for the assigned uniform that had been folded on the end of her bed. Crisp cream shirts and an army green skirt-suit, with an array of professional badges donning the lapels of the jacket. Once she quickly fashioned and pinned her hair, she was hardly recognisable as a fraud.

"Right, come with me." Peggy said, straightening her jacket and opening the dormitory door. Ginny fidgeted in her new shoes and stepped into unfamiliar territory.

"Can I just say, it is such a treat to be working with another woman. Men get so dreary." She said as Peggy led them to their first task of the day.

"Tell me about it. I have yet to meet a soldier I don't want to punch in the jaw." Peggy said. Ginny snorted, casting her eye over the first movements of the day. It was men in khaki, all of the same build. Tall, broad. Everything Howard wanted in a super soldier.

Peggy walked her over to a tent, handing her a clipboard. "Your job will be similar to mine. Observe everyone, take notes. The candidates spend their days outside, doing a variety of training activities not unlike a standard programme. You'll find a list of everyone, and brief notes on the ones worth closely watching."

"Good morning ladies." A man strode up to the pair, smile on his face. Ginny didn't know what to make of his handsome face and his Southern drawl, so gauged Peggy's reaction. Neutral. She has an excellent poker face.

"Agent Fitzpatrick. You will be helping Agent Henley identify the current preferred candidates, and work through observation. We'll work on opposing rotations and will have a chance to see everyone. At the end of each day, we report back to each other, and then to Colonel Phillips. Understood?"

Ginny nodded. "Sounds like a doozy to me."

Peggy gave her a second almost-smile, before snapping back into action. "Let's get our day started then, shall we?"

Once she'd marched off, Ginny turned to face her new colleague. She ignored the nerves and nodded her head sharply. "Agent Fitzpatrick."

"You know how to drive one of those things, Henley?" He gestured over to the Jeep that sat outside the tent. It was army-green with two seats and a khaki tarp draped on top as a makeshift roof.

"I'm a New Yorker. Why would I need to drive?" She shrugged with a teasing grin. Then her heart stopped as she realised what she had said. To her relief, Fitzpatrick beamed back.

"You New Yorkers and your egos," He drawled as they walked towards the beast. "Let me show you how we do things in Texas."

Ginny dared to laugh as she leapt into the passenger seat, then remembered that agents probably didn't always joke around. She fidgeted in the seat, trying to navigate the logistics of the pencil skirt. She was used to tea dresses with their flowing hemlines, and just wanted to prop her legs up on the dashboard.