Helena Stark: A WWII Widow

chapter fourteen: Ready

"I'm going after Schmidt." Was the first thing Steve said as he approached Phillips. "I'm not going to stop 'til all of Hydra is dead, or captured."

"You won't be alone," I said smiling.

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a god and he's willing to blow up half the world to prove it." Phillips said.

"Starting with the U.S.A." I said softly, thankful that Rosemary is not there right now. "Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic. He'll wipe out the entire eastern seaboard in an hour."

"How much time we got?" Steve asked.

"According to my new best friend, twenty-four hours," Phillips said.

"Where is he now?" Steve continued.

"Hydra's last base is here. In the Alps." I said as I brought out a map.

"So what are we suppose to do? It's not like we can just knock on the front door." Howard said as he walked up behind me.

"Why not?" I asked.

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Steve said with conviction.

~*~

After his rousing conclusion, I busied myself with getting everyone ready. Which is at least ten times harder than before, seeing as how there are over three-hundred people to outfit... "What are you up to?" Steve asked as he appeared behind me.

"Making sure you don't die," I said lightly as I finished a new toy.

"I heard that you delayed going back to America."

"You heard correct."

"Why?" Steve asked, it was a simple question. At least in wording, but the reason for me staying here goes so much deeper than that.

"I want to make the world safe for my daughter, so I am going to do everything I can," I said.

"Are you going to risk your life for the second time to try to make it safe?" Steve asked gently.

"I'm not going to try, I'm going to help you make it safer," I replied.

"What does that mean?" Steve asked confused.

I turned to him smiling, "I can't make it safer for my daughter, Steve. However, you can make it safer for her. So I am going to make sure that I do everything that I can to help."

"How are you so sure that I can make it safer?"

"Because I believe in you."

~*~

"You ready?" Peggy asked me as I crouched in the snow.

I looked on ahead, waiting for the signal. "No, but I don't think I could ever be ready."

"Howard couldn't have been happy," Peggy commented.

I smiled when I thought of his reaction, "he never is."

"You can still go back, no one would judge you."

"That's the thing, Peggy, I would judge myself. I need to do this, to help them."

"Why?"

"I need to make sure they all get home," I responded as Gabe ran over. "What's wrong?"

"The rappelling devices aren't working, we need your help." He said frantically.

"In what way?" I asked as I followed him, barely keeping pace.

"You need to go in with us."

"Scusami?!" I asked flabbergasted. "You just need rope and guts to rappel..."