T H R E E

03. | the procedure.
don't forget to breathe

steve.

•

AFTER THE conversations I had with Genevieve and Doctor Erskine last night, I've been feeling a whole lot better about all this. This morning was a little rough; I got the jitters and almost gave myself a panic attack, but all is still pretty good.

I ride in a car with Agent Carter in the passenger seat next to the driver and Doctor Edwards sits to my left in the backseat. We're driving through a city that I know all too well, and I can't help but tell them that.

"I know this neighborhood," I say, nostalgia flowing through me.

"Really?" Genevieve asks sweetly.

I smile. "Yeah. I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

"Did you have something against running away?" Agent Carter inquires from in front of me, turning around in her seat to face me.

I shake my head. "They'll never let you stop. You stand up, you push back. Can't say no forever, right?"

Genevieve scoffs, glancing down to her lap. "I used to get beaten up in school," she mumbles. Her sad expression turns into a soft and heartwarming giggle. "It was because I was a whole lot smarter than them, mostly because of their lack of brain cells."

I laugh. She doesn't seem like the type to get teased or beat up. She's too nice or too aggressive for most people to deal with. After seeing her with Hodge the other day, she doesn't take anyone's trash.

"I know a little of what that's like, to have every door shut on your face," Agent Carter pipes up.

That makes me even sadder. Both of them? How? "I guess I just don't know why you would want to join the army if you're beautiful dames. Or— or beautif— women. A doctor/agent and an agent, not dames. You are both beautiful, but—"

Genevieve shakes her head, laughing softly at my attempt.

"You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?" Agent Carter asks.

"I think that's one of the longest conversations I've had with one," I smile. Last night was longer and more meaningful, but I've barely spoken directly to a woman for a few seconds let alone fifteen minutes and two feet away from each other.

My smile falls. "Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy that might step on 'em," I mumble.

"You must have danced," Agent Carter says.

"Not everyone has, Peggy," Genevieve mutters under her breath. I'm guessing she hasn't either, so I definitely feel more comfortable.

"Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years, it just didn't seem to matter that much," I say. "Figured I'd wait."

Genevieve nods, glancing out of her window as she pulls the sleeves of her uniform down to her palms. "For the right partner, right?" she asks.

I stare at her with wide eyes. "Yes. How did you know?"

"Because I have the same answer," she smiles.

A few moments later, we're pulling up to a small shop. I step out of the car, slamming the door behind me as I wait for the women to guide me.

"This way, Steve," Genevieve says in her relaxing voice, glancing back at me with her bright green eyes.

I glance up that the sign of the store that reads, Brooklyn Antiques. "What are we doing here?" I ask her.

"Follow me," Peggy says. She leads us inside, a small bell ringing as the door opens and closes behind all three of us. I secure my hat on the top of my head, scanning the shop. Genevieve seems to be doing the same thing, a grin creeping across her lips as she does.

A small elderly woman steps out from behind curtains, smiling awkwardly. "Wonderful weather this morning," she states.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella," Genevieve replies, tearing her eyes away from a long and heavily-stocked bookshelf.

The lady continues smiling, and pressing something behind a desk that causes something to emit a faint hum. Genevieve and Agent Carter lead me to the back of the shop to another long stretch of bookshelves. I am about to question why we are just standing in front of them, but then they open up to reveal a long passageway behind them. Everything is a light colored metal, and there are even bolts on the doors. We step inside as the doors close behind us.

I make eye contact with the people inside, all of whom are wearing similar things to me — tan colored uniforms and hats.

Another set of doors open at the end of this hallway, leading us into a new segment of the hidden place in the antique shop. Below the railing, there are hundreds of computers and glowing buttons that are handled by buzzing scientists in white lab coats. There is a pod-like thing in the center, but I'm not sure what it is. All of the scientists stop, becoming silent as they stare up at me. I spot Doctor Erskine among them, and that makes me feel a lot better too. Genevieve waves at him. She makes quick eye contact with me, making sure that I'm okay. I nod in response, even though she obviously knows I'm lying.

She leads Agent Carter and me down the staircase, and to Doctor Erskine.

"Good morning," he greets me, shaking my hand.

My jaw is still dropped as I bewilderedly stare at everything. Before I can quickly force my eyes back to his, a flash of light comes from my left.

"Please, not now," Doctor Erskine hisses to the photographer, who scurries away with his camera under his arm.

I glance at the pod next to me as it hums.

"Are you ready?" he asks me.

I nod.

"Good. Now, take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat."

I questionably look behind me to see Genevieve. She nods, trying to subtly calm me down. I quickly take off my hat and hand it to someone who has their hand out for me to give to them. As soon as I untie my tie and unbutton my shirt, I awkwardly lay into the pod. I take a deep breath, trying to locate Genevieve's concerned eyes. I do find them, and she mouths to me that I just need to breathe. I follow her instructions, taking deep breaths as Doctor Erskine comes up beside the pod.

"Comfortable?" he asks me.

I shift inside of the pod. "It's a little big," I smile.

Erskine just laughs, and I catch Genevieve's smile fall.

"You save me any of that Schnapps?" I inquire.

"Not as much as I should have, sorry. Maybe next time," he says. "Mr. Stark, how are your levels?"

Wait, I've heard that name before. And based off of Genevieve's even more horrified expression, that's not a good thing.

"Levels at one hundred percent," a man says. I definitely recognize him, especially with that mustache. "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready. As we'll ever be."

Now I know where he's from, and I want to leap from the strap securing me to the pod because of it. He's the guy with the flying car I saw with Bucky at the science expo. Oh god. The car didn't fly, and now he's experimenting on me. I'm gonna die.

"Agent Carter, don't you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?" Erskine asks her, pointing up to the room behind the balcony. "And Genevieve, you know what to do."

Doctor Edwards nods solemnly, scurrying off to another part of the lab. Before she does, however, she gives me a reassuring nod and smile. I give her one back, trying to comfort her too. I don't think she realizes, but she is extremely nervous.

Doctor Erskine says a little speech while Genevieve comes back and lowers metal arms to press on to my chest.

"Just breathe," she tells me. "Please do that for me."

I nod, clenching my jaw. I can do this. It can't be that bad.

A nurse shoves small tubes of serum into slots on the side of the pod, near my hand, and another one does the same on the opposite side. I breathe heavily and wince as a nurse injects a needle in my left arm.

"That wasn't so bad," I claim to Doctor Erskine, who comes to my side.

I watch as his face and Genevieve's fall.

"That was penicillin," Erskine states.

I whip my head to face him. So it's gonna get worse?

Erskine sighs. "Serum infusion beginning in five, four."

More mechanical arms begin to press against me, and I just continue to breathe like Genevieve told me to.

"Three, two."

Erskine's hand lightly touches my right shoulder, I'm guessing to hold me down.

"One."

Machines begin to churn. Serum is injected into me; I can feel it course through my veins. It's cold, yet hot. It's all right, yet it causes me to wince. All I know is that it hurts after a while and it's so powerful. I take in a deep breath, trying to steady myself from the pain. I quickly open my eyes to make sure that I'm still alive, staring up at the ceiling. I think I feel the pod moving upright, but I'm not even sure at this point. I stare at the walls as they close around me, quickly finding Genevieve's eyes before they block me from her, but my mind is in a completely different world right now.

I'm drawn out of my thoughts by a knocking against the walls of the pod.

"Steven?" Erskine's muffled voice says from outside the pod. "Can you hear me?"

"Probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" I ask.

I hear Genevieve's laugh, lifting a little bit more of the clouds fogging my brain away. I can't smile at her because of the bright light that engulfs the pod. Did I die? Is this heaven? All I know is that it doesn't feel like it. Pain just attacks every part of me, punching and kicking, and I can't even try to fight back this time. I feel myself shrieking because of it, and I can't hear anything except Genevieve's horrified shouts from the other side of the metal walls. She screams my name, also ordering for them to stop the procedure. Dr. Erskine soon joins her, shouting at Mr. Stark.

"No! Don't!" I shout. "I can do this!"

I don't hear anyone reply, but based on the extra light and extreme agony, they've continued. I feel lightheaded, like I'm about to pass out. I can't focus. Everything keeps fading in and out. There is pain, and then I feel nothing, then the pain is back and stronger than before. And just like that, everything is over.

The lights fade after what seems like hours yet seconds, and the machines die down. I feel a rush of cool air hit me as the doors open. Every sound isn't muffled anymore, but everyone is quiet. I hear Genevieve sigh of relief because I'm not dead. I pant as I feel a hand enclose around my shoulder.

"Steven, Steven," Doctor Erskine mumbles in awe.

It's his hand that is on me, but it feels so much smaller. My eyes are still closed, but I still shift inside of the pod. Another pair of hands help me out from the pod, Howard Stark's.

"I did it," I pant as my bare feet touch the floor.

"You did it," Doctor Erskine smiles.

"Steve, are you all right?" Genevieve quakes.

I open my eyes to find hers. I have to look down at her now, which I don't really notice at first. Her green orbs are filled with worry, and they are the only ones staring into mine. Everyone else is boring theirs at my body.

"I'm good," I reply.

It's not until Agent Carter cuts in front of Genevieve that I realize why everyone is staring at my chest. I've gotten at least a foot taller and muscly all over.

"How do you feel?" Agent Carter asks.

I find Genevieve's green orbs again, not even glancing at Carter.

"Taller," I state.

Her hand quickly moves out to touch my chiseled and sweaty chest, causing me to flinch. She doesn't do much as look up at my face whereas I haven't even seen Genevieve look down from it.

"You look taller," Carter replies, handing me a white shirt that I throw on.

"Genevieve," I breathe out. She swiftly comes closer to stand side by side with Agent Carter. "Thank you."

She nods with a sad smile. Her eyes widen with fear as they shift to a spot behind me. I hear screams break out inside of the laboratory because of explosions that ring through the place. Glass shards rain down on everyone surrounding me. I quickly rush to cover Genevieve, blocking her from the glass.

"Stop him!" Erskine shouts.

I have just enough time to glance up at a man who snatches up a vial of blue serum from the pod and for him to whip a handgun from his coat. A gunshot rings through my ears.

"Abraham!" Genevieve shrieks, ducking underneath everyone to rush to her injured colleague. I quickly follow while everyone else is in a mad panic. I hear Carter shoot at the man who runs away, but she misses. Genevieve and I collapse to the ground, where Erskine breathes heavily. Genevieve's breaths stop as her eyes stop at the blood trailing from his mouth and the bullet wound in his chest.

As Erskine gasps for air, his hand slowly moves up. He points at my chest, where my heart is, and then does the same for Genevieve. She lets out a strangled laugh, so I'm guessing that it means something different to her. He's reminding me to stay a good man, like he did last night. I watch him close his eyes, and he stops gasping. I glance at Genevieve, who has lost all color in her skin and the majority of hope in her eyes. We both have the same look though, even if I can't see myself — whoever just killed Abraham Erskine is a dead man walking. Before I can glance from Erskine and back to her, she is already on her feet and rushing through the door with a gun in her hand.

By the time I catch up to her, she is outside and pushing Agent Carter out of the middle of the road from being hit by a car.

"I had him!" she shouts at Genevieve.

"You were about to die, Miss Reckless!" Genevieve spits. "I'm not letting anyone else die today. Especially not either of you." Her gaze shifts to me, and she darts next to me as we speed down the road to follow that cab. I realize that I'm running faster than her, but she has the weapon here, so I sprint at a speed no human should be able to surpass to find that bastard so she can blow his brains out.

We both zoom down an alleyway, still tracking down that cab that uses that main road. We sprint in front of honking cars as we run back on to the main road. As she gracefully hops on to the sidewalk, I lose my footing and accidentally fall through the glass windows of a wedding shop. She rolls her eyes, helping me up as I profusely apologize to the people inside.

I leap over a fence in one go, and Genevieve kicks off the wall and is quickly back by my side in no time. I watch as the hijacked taxi cab drives off into traffic. Genevieve jumps on to the hoods of cars, leaping on and off new ones to get closer to him. I quickly follow her lead until I'm clinging on to the hood of the cab. It speeds down an alleyway, swerving and almost causing me to fall off. I hold Genevieve underneath me so that she has a good chance of staying on. Then again, two people on top of this tiny car isn't the best idea, even if one of those two is pretty petite, because bullets start to blast through the hood.

I fall off on to the side, but Genevieve stays on the hood and shoots down at the man in the car. He starts shooting at me through the window, avoiding Genevieve's bullets, and drives all at the same time. It ends up causing him to crash. I grab Genevieve as the car begins to topple over, and we both roll on to the cement. As she reloads her gun, the man begins shooting at me again. She can't shoot back at the moment, so I need to find something to protect me as she hides behind another car. And I can't do the same because of the citizens screaming nearby. I eventually scoop up the taxi cab's door that was detached from the car after the crash, holding it out in front of me like a shield. The bullets penetrate it, but they don't hit me.

The man grabs a little boy by the back of his shirt, dragging him away from his shrieking mother. I drop the door and run with Genevieve to him. She can't shoot now because he'll kill the kid if she does. He shoots at me as I try to sprint around the corner to where he went, but a bullet whizzes right past my ear, so I recoil and protectively hold an arm out so that Genevieve can't run past me. But as soon as she hears the kid start to scream, she manages to duck underneath my outstretched arm and go further down the street.

We hide behind more things as the man continues to shoot at us. He drags the kid into an alleyway, so we can now sprint to go get him. We skid around the corner, and Genevieve has her gun out and her finger around the trigger until the man puts the barrel of his own gun against the kid's temple.

"No! No! Wait!" Genevieve and I shout. She shoves her gun into the back of her shirt after she turns the safety on, and we both hold our empty hands up to him. His gun cocks towards us, but he doesn't shoot. Instead, he sidesteps to the edge of the walkway, throwing the kid into the water and sprinting off.

Genevieve and I glance over the edge for the boy.

"Don't jump!" he shouts at us. "I can swim."

Genevieve smiles, and we follow the man's trail. We both look over the edge as we run for any sign of the man. I see nothing until Genevieve curses at what she sees in the water. The water bubbles and a vessel dives below. It's a submarine. Without hesitation, we both leap into the water. My hearing muffles, and my vision blurs as we swim. I kick and wade to reach the antenna of the submarine, which Genevieve beats me to. She punches out the glass, filling the submarine with water. I pull the lid up, dragging the man out. I pull him up and follow Genevieve up to the surface. I throw him on to the sidewalk as Genevieve swiftly moves up the ladder.

When I'm up and out of the water, I see him slashing out towards her. I hear something shatter nearby as her foot steps on his throat so that I can pin him down. I pull him up by his shirt, bringing him forcefully up towards me.

"Who the hell are you?" I growl, panting.

"The first of many," he replies. I furrow my eyebrows once I notice that one of his teeth is now missing because he just pushed it out. "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." He bites down on the tooth, causing white foam to escape from his mouth. "Hail Hydra."

The man chokes on the foam, like rabies, and I set him back on to the cement as he dies. Genevieve and I pant, dripping with water. She squeezes some out of her brunette hair, clenching her teeth together. I stare down at my buff arms in awe. I'm strong and powerful now. I'm no longer the weak man I used to be. The serum worked.