Chapter 3

Abi woke up the next morning alone and on the sofa in the living room. She glanced at the clock to see that it read seven thirty. After Bucky kissed her they talked and then they had fallen asleep on the sofa. She smiled when she realised that he had covered her in a blanket. She looked around hoping to still find him in the apartment, but of course he had already left.

She sighed and as she got up she noticed something on the kitchen counter. She walked over and picked up a folded piece of paper with her name scrawled across it in Bucky's hand writing. She opened it and read the words written:

Abi,

I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye but I thought it would be easier like this and I didn't want to wake you. I noticed you have a bag packed. Good luck with whatever you are doing. Keep yourself safe and keep Steve out of trouble.

Bucky.

She smiled as she lent back against the kitchen side; he was always more bothered about what happened to her and Steve more than what happened to himself. She refolded the note before walking upstairs and putting it in her packed bag.

____________________________________________________________________

"Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter and this is Agent Rogers. We supervise all operations of this division." Peggy Carter addressed the line of soldiers.

Peggy was a tall English woman with short brown hair and always wore bright red lipstick. 

Abi stood next to Peggy and glanced down the line to Steve, who was considerably smaller than the other recruits.

"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria? Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army." One of the recruits called.

"What's your name, soldier?" Peggy asked as she walked up to him.

"Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty." He said with a smirk plastered across his face.

"Step forward, Hodge." Hodge did as Peggy asked and stepped out of line. "Put your right foot forward." She told him. He did as she asked.

"Are we dancing? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like." Hodge said with a smirk. 

Peggy smiled before punching him hard in the face.

An army green jeep pulled up and Colonel Phillip's, the army officer man in charge of this particular operation, stepped out. He walked down the line of soldiers  

"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. And because they're gonna get better. Much better." Colonel Phillips said, looking at Steve as he said the last part. "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." The Colonel said before walking away.

__________________________________________________

Over the next week the recruits were put through a series of tests lead by either Abi or Peggy until they had narrowed down the choices for the program. Steve struggled with the physical tests, but he excelled at the mental. By the end of the week the Doctor had made his decision.

"You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" The Colonel asked, briefly glancing at Abi as they walked towards where the recruits were training.

"I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice." The Doctor replied.

"Doctor, we are talking about the same Rogers here." The Colonel looked at Abi. She was trained in hand to hand combat and could fire any weapon you put in her hand. That was one of the main reasons she had been given this job in the first place, she was every bit a soldier.

"When you brought ninety pounds of asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought what the hell? Maybe he'll be useful to you, like a gerbil. I never thought you'd pick him." The Colonel said in disbelief. "Stick a needle in that kids arm and it's gonna go right through him. Look at that? He's making me cry." The three of them looked at Steve, who was currently struggling to do push ups.

"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical." The Doctor said.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?" The Colonel asked.

"Yeah, I know."

"And all the grovelling I had to do in front of senator what's his name." The Colonel looked annoyed.

"I know. I am well aware of your efforts." The Doctor nodded.

"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, and he obeys orders. He's a soldier." 

"He's a bully." Abi said, looking at Hodge.

"You don't win wars with niceness, Agent." The Colonel told her as he picked up a hand grenade from the truck they were stood in front of. "You win war with guts." He threw the grenade into the midst of the new recruits. "Grenade!" He called. 

All the soldiers moved away as fast as they could, all apart from Steve. No, Steve jumped on top of it with zero hesitation. 

Peggy went to take a step closer.

"Get away! Get back!" Steve yelled at her. He waited for the grenade to go off but nothing happened.

"It's a dummy grenade." Abi called, not even attempting to hide her smile. 

Steve sat up and looked at his sister and the others. "Is this is a test?" He asked.

Abi and the Doctor looked at the Colonel to prove their point.

"He's still skinny." The Colonel said before walking away.

__________________________________________________________

Later that night Abi and Steve were alone in the recruits bunk room talking about the procedure when the Doctor walked in carrying a bottle and three glasses. 

"Can I ask you a question?" Steve said taking a glass off the Doctor as Abi did the same. 

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he filled all the glasses with the liquor. "Just one?" He sat on the bunk across from Abi and Steve.

"Why me?" Steve asked, looking from his sister to the doctor.

"I suppose that is the only question that matters." The Doctor said. "So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi's invaded was their own. You know, after the last war the...my people struggled. They...they felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the...and the..." He said waving his hand. "And he...he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, you...he says you will make us strong.

"Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he's ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for a cult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power in the earth, left there by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist." The Doctor said with a sigh. "Schmidt must become that superior man."

"Did it make him stronger?" Abi asked, she knew the serum had been tried before but the Doctor was always caged about the results.

"Yeah. But, there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion." 

"Thanks. I think." Steve said.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man." The Doctor told Steve. 

Steve held up his glass to toast. "To the little guys." He said as Abi downed her glass. But as Steve was about to down his, the Doctor stopped him.

"No! No! Wait! Wait! What I am doing? No! You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids." He said taking Steve's drink and pouring it into his own.

"All right. We'll drink it after." Steve said with a smile.

"No! I don't have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after! Drink it now!" The Doctor said downing his glass as well.