1943

Chapter Two

- a few days later - 

"Recruits, attention!" Peggy exclaimed, walking over to the line of soldiers, Hailey by her side. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division." She announced. 

"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria? Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army." A soldier, scoffed. 

"What's your name, soldier?" Peggy asked, turning to him. 

"Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty." He nodded. 

"Step forward, Hodge." Peggy said, not breaking eye contact with him. He moved forward and Hailey moved around to look at him as well. "Put your right foot forward." Peggy said. 

"Mmm... We gonna wrassle? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like." He said, nodding and winking. Suddenly, Peggy punched him in the face. Hailey guessed it was very hard judged by the way he fell to the ground. Hailey laughed quietly, tilting her head down so no one would see her losing composure. 

"Agent Carter." Colonel Phillips said, walking over to the soldiers and agents. 

"Colonel Phillips." She said, turning away from Gilmore to look at Colonel Phillips. 

"I see you're breaking in the candidates. That's good!" He said before turning to Gilmore. "Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention until somebody comes tells you what to do." 

"Yes, sir." Gilmore said, scrambling off the ground. 

"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 stopped once he saw Steve.  "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.And they, will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell." 

--

"Pick up the pace, ladies! Let's go! Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Faster! Move! Move!" Sergeant Duffy yelled, running alongside the soldiers as they approached Peggy, Hailey, and a flagpole. "Squad, halt! That flag means we're only at the halfway point." He yelled. "That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter and Agent Barnes. Move, move!" He yelled, sending the soldiers sprinting to the pole, desperately trying to retrieve the flag. 

"Come on! Get up there!" Someone yelled. They all tried to climb the pole to no avail. 

"If that's all you got, this army's in trouble! Get up there, Hudge! Come on! Get up there! Nobody's got that flag in 17 years! Now fall back in line! Come on, fall in! Let's go! Get back in formation!" He yelled as Steve walked over to the flagpole, finally catching up to the rest of the group. "Rogers! I said fall in!" He yelled as Steve bent down and pulled a pin from the bottom of the pole, causing it to fall over. He picked up the flag and walked it over to Sergeant Duffy and handing it to him. 

"Thank you, sir." He said before walking over to the car, climbing in, and driving away with a smirking Peggy and Hailey. 

--

"Faster, ladies! Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!" Hailey yelled, walking around the soldiers who were currently doing push-ups.

"Move it, Hodge!" Peggy yelled, putting a foot on his back, making it harder for him to do the push-ups. While that was happening, Colonel Phillips was talking to Dr. Erskine.