Women In War

9

"Dernier, Jones, I swear on Bucky's life, I'm not going to try to shoot up the factory if you let me out for cell-hopping."

The two men in the cell eyed Maggie warily.

"You believe her, Dugan?" Gabe Jones called out.

From three cells away, Dugan yelled back an affirmation. "Doc's making rounds again, folks, call out!"

"Ready when you are, gentlemen."

Once Maggie was up on the top, she waited for a call. She made three visits before she heard someone enter. "Putain de merde," she hissed, making a beeline for the first cell. She was hanging from the bars when she heard a body fall. Maggie pulled herself up and squinted in the dark. When she realised it was Becky who had dropped a Hydra soldier, she squeaked in surprise and slipped.

"Doc!"

She fell right onto Dugan and Falsworth.

"Get me back up there!"

"Maggie?"

Maggie looked up, as did the soldiers in the cell.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Falsworth asked.

"Uh . . . I'm Captain America."

"I beg your pardon?"

Maggie stopped trying to convince Dugan and Falsworth to get her back up when Becky suddenly appeared in front of the gate with a key. "Mags! Oh, thank God, you're alive!"

"Beck, what are you doing here?"

"Beck?" Dugan repeated as Becky opened the gate. "Becky Barnes?"

"Agent Barnes, soldier. Who are you?"

"Sergeant Dugan, with the sixty-ninth infantry."

Maggie let go of Becky as she recognised the man walking up to them. "Steve Rogers, is that you?"

"Mags," Steve said, returning her hug.

"So it really worked, then? The serum?"

"Still getting used to all the . . . abilities."

"That's natural."

"Where Bucky?" Becky asked.

"We think he's in the isolation ward," Maggie said as Dugan took the keys and went down the rows, unlocking every cell. "No one ever comes out of there. Last I saw him was about a week ago. I've tried to leave this place, but soldiers' rounds never stop and . . . I figured if I got myself killed, I'd be no help to anyone."

"Smart move," Becky said. "Lead the way, Doc."

"Wait." Maggie turned around. "Morita."

"Yes, Doc?"

"Find Dugan and gather the men. We're going to blow the factory to hell. You think everyone has enough hope now?"

"Don't know about hope, Doc, but rage is aplenty."

"Good enough."

"The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate," Steve said. "Get out fast and give ‘em hell. We’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else we find."

Morita nodded and turned to leave. "Dugan!"

"We spread through the factory," Maggie told Steve and Becky, "Steve, you hunt down Schmidt. Beck, this place has a self destruct system. See if you can locate it and set it off. Time's set for seven minutes, so we don't have a lot of time to sweep the factory. I'm going to find Bucky."