Joining the Troops
Steve Rogers had never had a very easy life.
It seemed like, from the moment he was born, he just kept having different complications, whether it was in his health or his physical abilities. But despite all that he never let it keep him down, he always tried to be the best he could be and be there to help out anyone he could. Not many people felt he had what it took, as many, especially the bigger, stronger boys, used to beat him up as a child. He would always fight back, it wasn't in him to just back down. If no one was going to stand up for the little guy at least the little guy could stand up for himself. He wasn't always alone though, he had his best friend Bucky Barnes, James Buchanan Barnes, who was always there and always had his back. They led a simple life up until the War began. Seeing everything going on in the other countries, there was no way Steve could let himself just sit there and do nothing. So many men were going overseas and fighting, putting their lives on the line and risking everything to stop the enemy advancing. He knew enough about the war to know that the Nazis, the Nazi party and Hitler, were the true enemy and that only by coming together and standing up would the Allies be able to win.
He wanted to join them.
He always wanted to be the sort of person who could stand up and stop things happening and this, he thought, would be his chance. No one wanted to give him one though. He had tried to sign up in different enlistment locations, even going so far as to forge his information, just to try and get that chance. The doctors there who were meant to examine the possible soldiers, however, all always said he wasn't good enough. He knew he had a few health concerns when it came to what the Army was looking for. He had astigmatism, which meant his eyesight wasn't the greatest. He had asthma, so his breathing could be difficult sometimes without the proper treatment. He had an irregular heartbeat ever since he was a child and had gotten ill. Stomach ulcers, nervous disorders, fatigue, anemia...he wasn't the healthiest. He got that. He really did. He knew there were many things that could hold him back. Even things that had nothing to do with him personally could affect his chances. His mother had been a diabetic, he had a higher risk for it, and she'd passed of tuberculosis, which, as far as the recruiters were concerned, he might be carrying as a result.
He had always been a weak child, weak of body at least but never of heart and never of mind and he thought that would be enough. That was what a soldier should be. It shouldn't matter what they were like physically as long as they had the heart and the spirit and the drive to was right and to fight. And he had a fighting spirit in spades. He just wanted the chance to prove it.
His best friend, Bucky, had enlisted into the army. He was going to be deployed in just a few days. That's what they were doing right now, celebrating his last day before he would be going to war, a sendoff of sorts. Bucky had insisted that they go to some expo for 'future tech' and he'd gone, even though he wasn't truly in a celebratory mood. Not only would his best friend be leaving, but he'd been turned down for yet another enlistment.
Bucky would be able to fight overseas against the enemies, against the Nazis, while HE would be stuck there, in the States, doing everything he could for the war effort but not being able to lay down his life for it. As he stood before his next enlistment site, he couldn't help but think the way he looked right now would do him no favors in trying to get into the army.
Having failed at another enlistment site only hours ago, he'd gone to the cinema to watch a movie. An advertisement had been playing before the movie began of the war effort, of men signing up to enlist, of what other people could do at home to support it. He had tremendous respect for everyone in the advertisement and everyone doing their part for the war effort, but not everyone felt the same way. Some jerk in the back row decided the movie was more important than learning about the war and what was going on. He stood up to the bully and told the man to show some respect. The man wasn't pleased with that and had dragged him into the back alley behind the movie theater and had started to pummel him. He did his best to defend himself, trying to use little tricks Bucky had shown him, even grabbed a garbage can lid as a shield. But the man was bigger and stronger than he was and, with every blow, he fell to the ground. He always got back up but the man had gotten a few good punches in and he was sure his face looked a mess.
What would it say to the enlistment officer if he went in now looking like he did? Would they find him to be strong, that he had taken such a beating and yet kept fighting? Or would they see him as some weak individual who couldn't even defend himself and shouldn't be seen as a soldier?
He could only hope it would be the first.
He stood before a mirror that was carved into the face of a poster of a soldier attached just within an enlistment center but he wasn't even tall enough to reach the mirror's chin. He would never be able to see himself as a soldier in that advertisement.
"You're kind of missing the point of a double date," a voice spoke behind him, "We're taking the girls dancing."
Steve jumped, turning around to see that Bucky had found him and had joined him, the man all decked out in his uniform. He shook his head, waving his hand to usher Bucky away, "You go ahead. I'll catch up with you."
Bucky could only look at him for a moment, a frown on his face before he realized what building Steve had entered, "You're really gonna do this again?"
Steve sighed, "Well, it's a fair. I'm gonna try my luck."
"As who?" he scoffed, "Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you. Or worse, they'll actually take you."
"Look, I know you don't think I can do this..."
"This isn't a back alley, Steve," Bucky cut in, serious now, all joking and smiling forgotten, "It's war!"
"I know it's a war. You don't have to tell me."
"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs..."
"What am I gonna do?" Steve countered, "Collect scrap metal?"
"Yes!"
"…in my little red wagon?" Steve continued, making a point to spread his arms, a gesture to draw attention to his lacking physique. He wouldn't be able to carry much scrap metal himself, but he probably wouldn't be able to pull enough, even on a wagon, unless it was a small one.
"Why not?" Bucky challenged.
"I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky."
"I don't…"
"Bucky, come on!" Steve nearly snapped, "There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."
And it wasn't, it wasn't about him. It was about all the people of the country doing their part to stop this enemy from hurting more people. He just wanted his chance to help. He saw men enlist everyday who went to war, thinking it would be some great achievement, some new adventure, a way to make the women swoon. That wasn't what the war was about. War, fighting, it was all about keeping people safe and he just wanted that opportunity. He had spent his entire life being beaten down by bullies who thought they were better than everyone else. That's what he saw in the Nazi party, a bunch of bullies who wanted to hurt other people because they thought they were the best, and that wasn't right.
"Right," Bucky muttered, not sounding like he believed Steve at all, "Cause you got nothing to prove."
"Hey, Sarge!" one of the girls he'd brought as dates called out, "Are we going dancing?"
Bucky turned around to call back, "Yes, we are," before he faced Steve once more, speaking a little quieter, reaching out to put his hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."
"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."
Bucky let out a short laugh and a weak smile at that, "You're a punk."
Steve gave a sad smile when Bucky stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. There was something different in this hug, Steve could feel it, because he knew this was a hug goodbye. He didn't know if he would ever see his best friend again or if the next time he would see Bucky would be as a hero, an injured soldier, or in a box to be buried. He hoped it would be as a hero, alive and whole and well.
"Jerk," he muttered quietly to Bucky, "Be careful. Don't win the war till I get there!"
Bucky gave him a small salute as he began to step back and head towards the girls once more. He spun on his heels, heading to the two women waiting for him, "Come on girls. They're playing our song."
Steve shook his head as he watched the man disappear, before glancing at the hall that would lead to the main enlistment center and heading down it, not noticing another man in glasses who had overheard the conversation while he'd been observing the photos of the war on the wall...
~8~
Steve stood in the middle of the medical examination room, his shoes off, his shirt off, waiting and looking around as the nurses and a few other doctors wandered past. They were all so young, but he understood why. The war effort took a lot out of everyone, they couldn't afford to have fresh new doctors or nurses out on the field, not when so many lives were at stake. They wanted experienced doctors, ones who knew what they were doing, they wanted nurses who were competent and strong of stomach, who had seen enough blood in their lifetime to not be squeamish at it.
Right now he could see a nurse whispering something to a doctor on the other side of the room. The doctor looked up at him and he knew, just by the way the guy was staring at him, that something was going on.
He frowned as he watched the young doctor stand up and call out, "Wait here."
"Is there a problem?" he couldn't help how his voice cracked slightly at his question.
The doctor offered nothing else beyond a, "Just wait here."
The nurse, at least, tried to offer him a smile, but Steve could see that it was tense, before she left the room with the doctor. His nerves didn't fare any better as he was left alone in the room with nothing but the signs on the wall for company. He couldn't help but notice a sign right in front of him that warned against lying on the enlistment forms. That was the only thing he could think of for why they would have departed so quickly, they must have realized he had forged his latest forms or that he had applied somewhere else.
Could they even do that?
He didn't think the enlistment sites spoke to each other or communicated that in-depth that they would know to be on the lookout for someone like him, trying to forge his way into the army. But what else could it be?
He looks around quickly, noting where his shoes were and his shirt and started to get ready, hoping he could sneak out before any of them came back with the authorities.
He had just managed to get his shoes on and grab his shirt when the door opened and another official walked in. He couldn't help but feel nervous as he stared at the man, who looked very grim and very serious, staring him down. But a moment later another doctor stepped in behind the man, who only gave Steve one more look before he departed, leaving just the doctor and Steve. The man he was left with was unlike the doctor from before. He was taller, he was older, he was wearing glasses with a trimmed beard, though he was balding on the top of his head. The man seemed a much more kind as well, offering him a smile when he saw Steve standing there, tense and nervous, his shirt gripped tightly in his hands. Despite the offered smile, Steve couldn't help but be a little worried when he saw the authoritative way the man held himself.
"So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis?"
Steve could only blink at the question given to him, "Excuse me?"
"Dr. Abraham Erskine," the man introduced himself, stepping over to shake Steve's hand, but otherwise ignoring Steve's reaction to his words, "I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve."
"Steve Rogers."
Steve stood very tensely and at attention as he watched the doctor start to look through the file he held in his hand. He could tell that it must be the file that the doctor and the nurse had examined. But if it was...then the doctor clearly knew that he had forged his papers. So why had he not been arrested by the other official who had let the doctor in? Why had the doctor sent the official away?
He shook his head, trying to put his mind towards anything else. What was going to happen next would happen, whether he was arrested or not, it wouldn't do to worry now. With that thought pushed away, another one struck him. He eyed the man a little curiously, noting that he had an odd accent which wasn't normal to New York, "Where are you from?"
"Queens," the man answered easily, "73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany," he glanced at Steve, "This troubles you?"
Steve shook his head, "No."
The doctor nodded, turning his attention back to Steve's file, flipping through it and not looking much at Steve as he kept reading up on everything else. The man smiled a moment later as he finally seemed to finish and glanced at Steve, asking, "Where are YOU from Mr. Rogers? Hmm? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities..."
"...that might not be the right file?" Steve offered, quickly enough where it was a decent response but not quickly enough to be suspicious.
The doctor smiled more, the boy was clever, "No," he closed the file, tucking it under his arm, "It's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries. But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?"
Steve eyed him cautiously, "Is this a test?"
"Yes," the doctor replied easily.
Steve was silent a moment, weighing his response, before stating, "I don't wanna kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
The doctor gave him a soft smile as he considered Steve's answer, nodding to himself, looking almost wistful, deep in thought, as though he had heard something similar a short while ago. The way he looked at Steve, the man could almost have guessed he was looking at someone else, lost in thought or memory, before he shook his head and focused back on the present, "Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is the little guy, huh? I can offer you a chance," the doctor gestured for Steve to put on his shirt once more, waving a hand towards the door as he led Steve out of the room, "Only a chance," he emphasized.
This time Steve didn't hesitate, "I'll take it."
The doctor nodded, seeming pleased, "Good. So where is the little guy from, actually?"
"Brooklyn," Steve answered still more readily, seeing he wasn't in trouble now.
The doctor nodded to himself and opened up Steve's folder one more time, stamping down on the form the boy had just filled out, and handing it back to him, "Congratulations, soldier."
Steve could only open up the file as the doctor departed and stare at the fact that he had been accepted into the army.
Finally, after so many attempts, he was going to be a soldier.
~8~
Olivia Williams stood in front of a mirror, a small frown on her face as she struggled with trying to get the tie around her neck done correctly. She couldn't help but fidget in place as she worked on the tie, looking around, not quite sure what to do and feeling very out of place. She wasn't used to the clothing she was wearing. She wasn't even used to seeing herself in the mirror yet. She looked so different than what she was used to, the person in the mirror wasn't her, it looked like someone else. But she knew, realistically, that it very much was her staring back in the reflection.
It would just take some time to get used to the woman looking back at her.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone calling out behind her, "Liv, are you in here?!"
"Yes, yes, I'm here!" she shouted through the door, wincing a bit as it opened to reveal her best friend, "Sorry! I know you were waiting for me, I just couldn't seem to get this tie to work."
Peggy Carter smiled gently at her friend and stepped inside the small lavatory, moving to stand before Olivia, examining the mess she'd made of the tie. She shook her head fondly, reaching out to help her, "Here, let me," she offered.
"Thank you. I'm just not used to tying these things yet."
Peggy gave a soft laugh, "Yes, I know," she answered, there hadn't been much need for formal ties in the hospital, and Michael was the only constant man in Olivia's life and he already knew how to do his own tie up, "But it is part of the uniform and you deserve to wear it."
"I don't really feel like I deserve anything," Olivia admitted quietly.
And it was true, she had spent so much of her time being sick or being weak or being in the hospital that, to be standing there, as strong and healthy as she felt, was unnerving. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to take a full, deep breath without coughing or feeling like it wasn't enough. Even that though could set her thoughts down a solemn path. She couldn't help but think there would be more people out there who better deserved the chance she had been given, a soldier or a fighter. Every time she looked down at herself or went through the testing that the government had organised for her after her procedure, she couldn't help but think it had been wasted on her.
She wasn't a soldier, she didn't want to fight anyone or kill anyone, she just wanted to help.
It seemed like her country was in agreement though. She was to be a medic, they agreed on that much. Though she was sure Dr. Erskine had a hand in getting them to allow her that position instead of a true soldier. She was supposed to go into the field and help the injured. It was just as important to morale, they'd said, to know that their soldiers were being cared for just as much as it was important to have someone fighting with them. But she hadn't even seen the front lines, she hadn't seen any action at all. Instead she was shuffled from place to place throughout her country, giving speeches and interviews, trying to bolster the war effort. If it hadn't been for Dr. Erskine, she was sure she would still be there doing that right now. But he wanted her help.
It was time for Phase Two of his experiment, of Project Rebirth. There was no one better, according to the doctor, to help him select the next test subject than his first test subject.
"You deserve everything," Peggy insisted, pulling her from her thoughts.
Olivia shook her head slightly, "You're only saying that because I'm your best mate."
This time Peggy shook her head, "I'm saying that because I know best," she added a playful lifting of her chin and sticking her nose in the air for affect.
Olivia had to smile at the action, even if it was a small one, "I just think there would have been a better person for this than me, like you." If she had known exactly how many resources were going to be spent on Dr. Erskine's project, she would have insisted it go to someone better suited than her. She felt like she'd stolen the opportunity from someone else, someone like Peggy.
"I wouldn't have been selected anyway," Peggy insisted, "Dr. Erskine was very clear about the requirements for his experiment. The effects he wanted to observe when the test was done. I didn't meet any of his criteria."
"He wanted good people. You are the best person I have ever known, Peggy."
Peggy smiled at her friend, moving her hands from the completed tie to rest on Olivia's shoulders. She gave her a single pat before she moved her hands down to take Olivia's in her own, "The point of his experiment was to show how well the serum worked," Peggy reminded her, "He needed to show the effects it would have on the body by taking the weakest of specimens and turning them into the best. Not that you were ever weak, Liv, but medically speaking..."
"Yes, yes, I know, I was never in the best of health."
"I'm just very relieved that it worked," Peggy remarked, moving to put a strand of Olivia's hair behind her ear to fix it, "And now we're moving on to Phase Two, the new recruits come in today. And I heard Dr. Erskine feels he may have found the next subject. He wants your help to determine whether he would be a good one."
"Wouldn't you have been a better person to go to for that?" Olivia asked with a small frown, "After all, you were the one who suggested me, and Dr. Erskine agreed. Even with my lack of experience in the field and my reluctance to kill anyone I might come in combat with."
"Well, in that case, it takes one to know one," Peggy teased, "You have always been a great judge of character, Liv."
Olivia's small smile turned somewhat sad at those words. Drawing Peggy's attention to it.
"What?"
"It's nothing," Olivia said, shaking her head a bit, "It's just...that was something Michael said to me one of the last times we spoke. He said that I was always a good judge of character. When it came to Wells..."
Peggy took a deep breath at the mention of her brother and her ex-fiance, but nodded her head, "He was right. If I had just listened to you both..."
"It wasn't your fault," Olivia insisted, squeezing Peggy's hands, "Michael loved you so much, Peggy. He would never want you to feel the way you do."
She knew Peggy had a lot of sorrow in her when she thought of her brother, and how they last parted. Michael had seen Peggy at her engagement party, where he had met Wells for the first time. He had not liked the man at all and told Peggy as much, he was quite upset to find out Peggy had turned down a field agent position just because Wells convinced her to. He had told her that he was the one who recommended her for that position, and Peggy had not reacted well. As far as Olivia knew, they had gotten into a small fight and Peggy had stormed off.
That was the last conversation Peggy had had with her brother before he was deployed. The next thing they knew Michael had died in the war and Peggy still held an enormous amount of grief and guilt for how they parted ways in anger. Despite how many times Olivia told her that Michael would be so proud of her, it was never enough.
Olivia took a deep breath, squeezing Peggy's hands one more time, and forcing a happier smile onto her face for her friend, "These new recruits," she began, "Have you seen them yet?"
Peggy shook her head, "No, so far all I've done was read their files, but I can certainly guess which man Dr. Erskine has in mind for Phase Two."
"Who was it?"
"A man named Steven Grant Rogers."
"What makes you think he is the one Dr. Erskine is thinking about?"
Peggy gave her a small smirk, shaking her head, "I would have a hard time describing it," she said, "Perhaps you should see him for yourself."
Olivia lifted an elegant eyebrow, "This is your way of telling me we're late for the lineup, isn't it?"
Peggy chuckled, "Well you did take quite a while to sort out your tie," she teased.
Olivia rolled her eyes and stepped to the side, picking up her jacket as it rested on the edge of the sink, and put it on. She turned back to Peggy, straightening her jacket as she began to button it, "What do you think?" she asked, gesturing to herself in her army regulated uniform.
It was standard issue and much like the uniform Peggy herself was wearing. It was a white blouse with a black tie under a brown jacket with an equally brown pencil skirt that went to her knees, black pumps and pantyhose completed the outfit. Truly the only difference between her uniform and Peggy's was the arm band she wore on her right arm. It was a white band with a red cross in the middle of it to symbolize that she was a medic on the field.
Peggy gave her a pointed look, "I think you should wear the proper insignia," she commented.
But Olivia shook her head, she knew which insignia Peggy was talking about. Upon the completion of Dr. Erskine's experiment she had been given a position in the army. Despite being designated a medic, she had been given an official title and rank, she wasn't sure how much was official though. It had been something that had been thrown across the papers in her country, what the people called her and what the Army seem to go along with. But she had never had specialized training, she had never gone up through the ranks, to achieve the one she had been given. She was technically a Major in the army. Though she hardly used that, preferring instead to retain herself as a medic. She didn't feel confident enough in herself to have any sort of authority over the other men, especially when so many were going to actually have more basic training than she had, and that was on top of the fact that not many women were given such authoritative roles in the military either. She had had some training, of course, but she what she specialized in was more related to the medical side. She still blushed whenever the people would address her by her 'title' now.
They had taken to calling her 'Major Britannia' in the papers, a sort of propaganda to bolster support back home, that there must be something special about her to be given her title and rank, that it would mean good things in the war to come.
She wasn't very fond of it and always took care to conveniently forget her jacket with the distinguishing insignia that proved her rank sewn into it.
"Besides that," Olivia gave Peggy a look.
Peggy smiled and nodded, "You look fine. Very official," she looked at Olivia with a softening expression, "You look strong, and healthy."
Olivia had to look away a moment at the crack and Peggy's voice on that last word. She knew her best friend was by no means foolish or stupid, the girl had likely known her health was getting worse and worse by the day. This experiment had literally saved her life and, to Peggy, saved her dearest friend. So she stepped forward and pulled Peggy into a reassuring hug, always careful of her strength. She had been so frightened to even touch anyone in the facility after Phase One because her strength was so much more than even Dr. Erskine had anticipated. She was afraid to hurt those around her. She would have never forgiven herself if she'd harmed Peggy.
Peggy, however, would not stand for that and, within a week, she had stormed in and yanked her into a hug to prove to she would never harm her best mate, or anyone really. It had taken a while, but eventually Olivia worked out her strength, what was best for those around her, and she could now hug anyone and appear as though a normal person. Dr. Erskine had told her, when she first arrived to help him select the next test subject, that he would prefer her to keep her strength a secret. He did not want any of the potential subjects to realize what the experiment would actually do, the benefits it would offer, and try to cheat their way into the position. It would work best for everyone involved if they knew as little about the procedure about to happen or even that there was a procedure to compete for.
"Come," Olivia said as she stepped back, "Let us go see these new recruits, and this Steven Rogers."
Peggy nodded and linked her arm with Olivia's as they stepped out of the room, out of the barracks, and into the camp.
Olivia couldn't help but wonder what this Steven Rogers would be like. If Peggy could guess he might be the next subject just from his file, then there had to be something about him, physically, that stood out. But she knew there was far more to the experiment than just physical attributes. She wondered what it was about this boy that had Dr. Erskine so confident he would be the next phase in the program. But if both had a feeling about this man...
Then Steven Rogers must be an exceptional man.
A/N: What's this? Olivia is a designated MAJOR? Which is one rank above Captain? O.O But literally no worries about rank, seriously.
She's expressed here that she doesn't feel she deserves that rank because she hasn't trained for it and she doesn't feel she should be given any sort of command or control over the lives of others when she hasn't had the training or military knowledge. She won't be 'pulling rank' on Steve unless it is a very, VERY deserving moment, which will be quite rare. I like to think that she would trust Steve's leadership more than her own given he will at least be going through training in a different way that she did. Much like, I think, Steve would defer to Olivia's judgments regarding the health or welfare of the troops :)
In my head, the main reason she ranked Major was because she technically came first in the universe of this story. She was Phase One, so she gets one rank above Steve, even though he's not a Captain yet ;) But, again, not going to be an issue of power between them, they both have their areas of expertise ;)
As for her 'hero name' sort of thing, Major Britannia, I really agonized over what she could be. I mean, there was a Captain Britain (male) and a Lionheart (female) that seemed to be somewhat the equivalent to Captain America, but I felt like it would be too obvious to call her that or even Major Britain (I wanted to keep with the military rank theme) :/ And when I was looking for titles to call the stories, I was looking at the lyrics for 'Rule, Britannia' at one point and thought it was a lovely word and, in being the female personification of 'Britain,' I thought it would fit and represent Olivia well :) I hope calling her that does not offend anyone, I don't mean for it to be offensive at all, but merely a way to represent an amazing people and Allied force with a superhero like Olivia :)
I gotta say thank you guys so much for your amazing reviews in the first chapter :') I'm really glad that you're enjoying Olivia so far and her future as a Medic :')
Timeline for this chapter:
Bucky is deployed/Steve meets Erskine - June 14th 1943
Training begins with the Colonel - June 15th 1943
Some notes on reviews...
That was one of the things I really enjoyed when writing Olivia, the potential between her and Steve. With such similar experiences, they definitely will both be more aware of when they need support and when they need comfort :) And the fluff, taking two people who weren't really the object of anyone's affection and sticking them together? They're both just so adorable together and sort of stumbling their way into a relationship in the middle of a war lol, that's so them :)
That is something I'm aiming for with Olivia, that understanding. Steve won't be able to hide things or downplay them the way he might around others, because she's been there and experienced similar situations. She'll know how to treat certain things with a gentleness and understanding others wouldn't :)
I really wanted to explore the Medics in this story. My dad is a huge history nerd and my mom is a nurse so they were both a lot of help with understanding the pressure and the reality of the situation the Medics would find themselves in. Reading up more on just the basics of what they were taught when they were sent into the field is an eye opener about not only how dangerous it was for them physically but also mentally, given they would have to make split second decisions about who to treat (due to supplies) and who they had to leave to die :'( I wanted to explore what it might be like to have a medic that really could do what Erskine thought, and get more people out of harms way. But her lack of actual fighting will come up quite a few times, which may make for some rather sweet moments between her and Steve ;)
Olivia is more a mathematician, but she does have some background with code breaking so in a pinch she could help more in that area :) I have seen the Imitation Game, it was an amazing movie. With her health, Olivia wasn't really able to do much active code breaking, she would have needed to get the information to officials too quickly than she'd be able to do if she was in a hospital and, with her health, she might not have been able to dedicate enough time or focus to the codes as they would deserve :( Math was a safer option for her, crunching numbers that weren't likely to change much or that were from after-the-fact incidents was less of a strain :( But she's definitely geeky over things like that, finding patterns and solving puzzles, working out problems :) And no worries at all! I always invite anyone to correct things I might get wrong. I really want the story to be as true to the characters/cultures/countries as possible :) But yup, Olivia has a superhero name, she's not quite fond of it, but it's what she was given ;)
Oh boy, when Olivia meets Steve and Bucky :D She and Steve have some...interesting conversations and Bucky's reaction to her made me smile :)
Lol, good thing there's a medic in the house to help ;) She's got her smelling salts at the ready if the excitement gets to be too much again ;)
