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WITH a pained slap, Anastasia's hand presses against her mouth. This was not the Steve she knew. The Steve she knew was scrawny, bony, and sight for sore eyes.
The man laying in the pod was huge and muscular...but still had the face of Steve Rogers.
Abraham was the first to step forward, grabbing Steve's now massive bicep. Steve flinched before nodding and stepping down. Anastasia leaped forward, not really sure where now to place her hands. With slight hesitance, she allowed Howard and Abraham to help him down.
Steve met eyes with her, and a sudden chill ran down her spine. Instead of looking down at Steve, she now had to turn her head up.
Opening her mouth to speak, Peggy suddenly pushed forward, making Anastasia step back.
"How do you feel?" Peggy asked, her eyes openly roaming his torso.
Steve looked around, now gazing over everyone's heads. "Taller."
Peggy grabbed a white t-shirt from a SSR nurse. "You look taller," she handed the fabric to him, allowing him to put it on.
When Peggy moves away in embarrassment, Anastasia slowly takes a step forward. Steve smiles down at her. "Hey, Anastasia."
"Hey...Steve."
They both shared an awkward laugh and Ana swallowed roughly. Steve gazes down at himself before offering a lopsided smile. "Well...how do I look?"
"You look like someone who would beat up the old you." she offers, making Steve chuckle. He lifts his arms, observing his forearms which were now veins and thick. "How do you feel? Any different, or still the same?"
"A little different. I think I just gotta get used to the height, is all." Steve nods, and she nods back.
"Thanks for sticking around," Steve continues, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "It means a lot."
Anastasia chuckles, grabbing it and rubbing the back of his large hand. "Like I said, Stevie. It's no—"
Suddenly, the observation room explodes, causing everyone to fall down. Steve quickly forces Ana down and under his large body to shield her from raining glass. The two look up in time for a man to steal the last tube of serum and lift his gun.
"Stop him!" Abraham cries out before getting shot three times in the chest. He falls to his knees before crashing to the ground. Peggy manages to shoot the man in his shoulder before he escapes out the door. Anastasia lifts away from Steve, running off with Peggy towards the thief.
She skips stairs running up them and her heels clop loudly down the hall. When she reaches the antique shop, she quickly kicks the pumps off her feet and run in her stockings.
Peggy slips out with her, lifting her weapon. When Peggy was going to shoot, the car behind them exploded, catching them off guard. Peggy raises her gun again, and shoots, taking out the driver in the distance.
The man gets out the car before moving to a bright yellow taxi. Climbing in the drivers seat, the man steps on the gas, heading right towards the Agents. Peggy fired multiple times at him before the two women suddenly get tackles down.
"I had him!" Peggy argues, shoving her way out of Steve's arms.
Steve gently lets go of Ana before jumping to his feet and sprinting off. "Sorry!"
The two watch Steve run off, before turning onto another street sharply. Peggy grumbles, moving back into the antique shop. Anastasia's eyes survey the street, before slowly following suit.
HOWARD lifted his head before extending his arm.
"Wrench, please, darlin'."
Anastasia handed him said tool before gazing over his shoulder at the submarines he was working on. The door to the room opened and the Colonel plus Senator Brandt rushed in.
"Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers!" the Senator spat.
"Great. Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" his eyes caught Howard and Anastasia by the vehicle. "What have we got here?"
"Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don't know what's inside this thing or how it works. We're not even close to this technology." Howard answered.
"Hydra is the Nazi deep science division. It's led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions." Peggy informed, walking in with Steve behind him. Steve and Anastasia met gazes, nodding at each other.
"Hydra's practically a cult. They worship Schmidt, they think he's invincible." the Colonel added for Brant.
Chester stared for a moment before turning and walking away. "Spoke to the President this morning. As of today, the SSR is officially getting retasked."
"Colonel?" Peggy wondered. Howard helped Anastasia out of the workspace they were in so she could listen in on the conversation. She moved to stand beside Steve.
"We are taking the fight to Hydra. Pack your bags Agent Carter. You too, Stark and Perova. You're flying to London tonight."
"Sir," Steve spoke up when Colonel walked away. "If you're going after Schmidt, I want in."
"You're an experiment. You're going to Alamogordo." The Colonel bit back, giving Steve an unpleased look.
"The serum worked."
"I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough."
Anastasia frowned as the Colonel walked away. Steve casted his eyes to the floor in shame. He turned when Brandt spoke up, "With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I've seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country's seen it. Paper."
A man held up the newspaper, with Steve's face on the front page. "The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don't take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?"
"Sir, that's all I want."
"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted." Brandt gave him a smile and a nod before walking away.
Steve's eyes widened, gazing down at Anastasia who beamed back up at him.
