"McKenna," There was a pause as he looked up at me from his clipboard, "Josephine." I looked up at him, now smirking as he saw that I was a real looker, "Colonel Phillips will see you now, miss." I nodded, and rose up from the wooden chair I was sitting in. I sighed; it was only a matter of time until they found me. Erskine had kept notes about me as well, not just 'Captain America'. At least he got a job out of it; I was still waiting tables at a little diner five blocks from the center of Queens. Not to mention the pinup I did for the men overseas, I can only hope that William hadn't seen it.

After straightening my scarlet puffed skirt, I followed the uniformed private, hoping that I could keep up with him. I thought about a little small talk with him as we passed many of the uniformed women sitting at their desks taking calls, but what was there to talk about. "You must be something special; Phillips flew out the front lines of Germany to meet with you." He turned to smile at me, as he opened the door for me. "And I can see why you would be so important."

I rolled my eyes, "Sorry, I don't let privates flirt with me, not if they don't buy me a drink first." I walked past him holding the door open for me, "But I appreciate the flattery." I smiled and closed the door; I heard a few giggles, probably from the women on the phones as the private walked away in distress.

"Miss McKenna." I turned to see an older man, presumably Colonel Phillips, held a hand out to me. He had white thinning hair and plenty of wrinkles around his worn and stern eyes. This man must have seen a lifetime of hardships, and must have served during the last war, because of his ranking.

"Colonel, it's a pleasure to speak with you in person." I shook his hand and smiled as he offered me a seat. "I'm assuming I'm here because you found my file in Dr. Erskine's notes." He nodded as I took the chair and rested my gloves on my skirt, "You have no idea what to do with me, do you sir?" I pulled loose jet black hair behind my ear and looked at him.

"I didn't until just recently." He tossed me a newspaper, "You've heard of the Captain, I assume?" I picked it up and looked at the circled article.

"Yes, sir, I did." I looked at the article, quickly reading it, "He liberated troops?!" I swear the Colonel was going to fall out of his seat from my reaction. I quickly composed myself before speaking again. "I thought he was busy doing a USO tour for the soldiers." I tossed the paper down on the desk, "And what's this got to do with me anyways, sir?"

"One of the troops he liberated was your brother, Miss McKenna." That calmed me down quite quickly. "He's injured, but still alive." He leaned forward in his chair and looked right at me, "I don't have many women with high ranks working under my jurisdiction, much less Rodgers'," That was his name, "but I feel, since you have been injected with the serum, that we can have you fight alongside him. We need every able-bodied man, or exceptional woman. You reach and pass both descriptions." He rose from his chair, "What do you say, McKenna?"

I swallowed and nodded, "Sir, I would do anything for my country, even if it means risking my life." Phillips smiled down at me and I stood, "I'm assuming that I'm going to need clothes to bring, call my mother and-"

"It's all been taken care of." Phillips assured me as he walked forward and held his hand out to me again, "Welcome to the United States Army, First Lieutenant McKenna."

Closing my book of Sigmund Freud, I watched the sea and clouds pass through the window as we neared London. After my papers had been done, Phillips made sure that his next in commander, Agent Carter, had all my information and had agreed that I was the best to support the SSR in their mission against HYDRA, which I was debriefed about on the plane. I was to be fitted for my uniform and 'costume' when I landed in London and was to meet Agent Carter so I could be introduced to the famous Captain Rodgers.

I was nervous, no doubt in my mind about it. I was meeting the only other survivor of Dr. Erskine's super soldier formula. I had told Colonel Phillips my story of why I was chosen for his private study and a majority of my background.

Like it was yesterday, I was in Flushing Meadows for the exhibition, my mother had insisted that I had to go and maybe land that 'gorgeous Howard Stark' while I was there. Instantly, I found myself in the recruitment offices there, looking at the displays. That playboy inventor would have to wait for me to appear.

"Have a sweetheart overseas?" A man with a distinct German accent spoke and I turned to see a man with a lab coat standing next to me. He had thick white hair and wire-rimmed glasses, he looked like one of my customers, but I was so unsure. "It's nice to see you here, Josephine." So it was him.

"Abraham." I smiled as I leaned forward to give him a little hug. "It's so nice to see you. I miss you back at the 'Clocker'." He was a constant customer I served as I worked at the restaurant, and was so kind to me, that we became friendly.

He smiled at me, "I'm sure you do my dear." He patted my hand as we both looked back at the display. "Thinking about your brother?" I nodded as I pulled a letter out of my purse and handed it to Dr. Erskine.

"I just received it today. I keep reading it over and over again." I smiled at Abraham, "You know what I think about us being so far apart." I had told him so many times that I wished I could aide my brother, with more than letters, sending pictures for other soldiers, and little gifts. I had wanted to be a nurse in France or England before the bombing and invasion took place.

"Well, then it's very good that we meet again, at such a perfect time too. Can you follow me, Josephine?" I nodded as he escorted me to, I assumed was his office.

"The government has agreed to fund my project," He had mentioned quite often at the diner, I had even seen some of his work as he sipped his coffee and occasionally ordered food as he sat there all day. "But one man with the ray doesn't… satisfy my curiosity." I looked at him confused. "I was wondering the effects of the serum on a woman without the ray." He looked at me, the closed door behind me as I remained standing.

I smiled, "The mind of a scientist never sleeps, Doctor." I fiddled with my gloved finger as I looked down, "And I understand what you are asking of me."

"Well, what do you say?" He asked as he stepped closer. I looked up through his glasses to his earnest brown eyes. "Care to be the first one to be injected?"

"As scary as you made it seem, yes." I smiled, "I'm ready for Project: Rebirth, Doctor."

He had then proceeded to give me a hug and told me where to meet him and how to get in. As promised, it was only him and one other person.

Howard Stark had appeared to me, if I could have told my mother from Nebraska that I met Howard Stark and sweet-talked to me, she would have been doing flips, though the relationship would have lasted at most one week. I was given a pair of cotton pants and a ribbed tank top, which was not uncomfortable. I assured them so much that I took it with me afterwards. There were two shots given to me, so I would not have as much visible muscle expansion as my counterpart, who was nameless in our discussion that night.

They had told me the fact that I had survived that night with only a little fever and night terrors was nothing short of a miracle. That's what they told me, but I could feel the serum coil and burn through my arteries and veins as it became part of my blood stream. The first shot was relatively deep, the deep muscle tissue, and the second came with those big scary needles you have nightmares about as a kid waiting in the doctor's office, and that went even deeper, into my spine, where it would go to my brain and improve my memory.

Erskine had explained to me as we sat- well, as he sat and I lay suspended between two bedframes with an opening for my face, like for burn patients who got burned on their backs- that the other test subject was going through a very different procedure than the one I endured. "But Josephine, he is such a good man. Maybe after all this is over, the war and this project, I will introduce you to him." I smiled at him and nodded, excited to meet my counterpart.

"Sounds like a party, Doc." Howard came in and sat next to him. "Rosie can just sit with me at an USO tour and the women with Phillips can swoon over your golden boy." Howard only called me by my middle name because he thought that Josephine was too long and didn't care that I went by 'Josie' as well. "I want a name that I can call you, and only I can." He had told me and I had rolled my eyes; plenty of soldiers got cocky after their assignment, but Stark took the cake.

Erskine proceeded to explain to me what was going to happen to the future super soldier during his experiment. And I gobbled up every bit of it. "Why don't you come and see?" He asked me after I expressed my amazement and curiosity. "Howard and I can have you come in as a nurse."

"I would adore that, Abraham." I smiled as I finally sat up. My smile as I stood up and realized that my feet didn't have that constant ache they have had since I started my waitressing job. "I know I don't look different, but I sure feel it." With that I proceeded to do two flips into the air and land on my feet with nothing more than perfect landing. I giggled, "And I like it." I turned to see the men shake hands and I embraced Dr. Erskine, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, I owe you so much now." Howard only took a kiss on the cheek, well just a kiss actually, which I gave thankfully.

Two days later, Abraham was back at the diner with all I would need, seeing as I was going in with him and administering the penicillin to our 'patient' the next day. It was taken at the same place where I had undergone the experiment, but in another space that was at least three times its sizes.

When I first saw him enter with a dark-haired woman who looked very much like me, I tried not to look distracted from my task of checking the machinery and seeing that the serum was ready to be placed in the machine. Sure, he looked like he had never eaten in his life and was only twelve years old, but his eyes showed such determination and hope, and he looked good in that private's uniform.

Erskine dismissed the woman he had followed and beckoned me forward; I gave him a quick warm smile as the skinny one unbuttoned his shirt and undid his tie. He handed me his hat and clothes and I smiled at him as I placed them over the railing and went to grab the penicillin. He had mistaken my administration of the medicine for the serum, and I gave Dr. Erskine a small sad smile as I walked away and stood next to Howard. "So, what do you think of him? The little guy?" He whispered as the procedure began. We slipped on our goggles.

"Driven. Erskine sure knows how to pick them." I responded as the serum was given to him, "Guess it's your time to shine now, isn't it?"

"I have to wait for doctor's orders." Seeing Howard this focused on something that didn't wear a skirt was astounding. I started to admire him there. I looked up to the viewing booth. "Don't worry; they won't look at you yet." I gave him a playful shove before Erskine called for him to begin. I walked away and watched the vita-ray take action, luckily I had my goggles in place, or I would have been blinded by the light of it.

Then there was the screaming in agony and pain from the poor man, I was thanking God that I never had yelled in as much pain as he was in. I was lucky, Erskine had told me, and when he looked at me after the little one in the pod told him to continue, I knew it too. His determination definitely showed.

Once it was finished I knew that my eyes were bugging out of my skull as I watched Abraham and Howard help him out. I'm sure he only felt taller, but he looked like an Adonis. It was hard for me to believe that he was the same person that entered only fifteen minutes ago or so. I grabbed a bigger cotton shirt for him and handed it to him with the same smile on my face as I had before. He gave me a small one as he took the shirt and thanked me for it.

The broken glass flew everywhere as we watched the man who shot Erskine run away, the Adonis talked a few brief words to Abraham before his time came and he was taken. Going after him I grabbed my handkerchief out of my waist pocket to hold back the tears for a bit as Howard came by and patted my hand.

"He'll be glad that you both survived this. He was so keen on gettin' you two together." I managed to let out a choked laugh before pulling myself together. "I suggest you get out of here while the madness is still going on."

I nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Keep in touch, Stark." With that I took the back entrance of the building, wrapped myself in my dark brown trench coat, and walked away, trying to erase what happened that day.