A/N: Hey guys, I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry that I took so long to update. I had this really bad case of writer's block and I would just sit there with my notebook in my lap and would do nothing. Just stare at a blank page. This chapter's kind of a filler but it's also important for the development of the story. Please review ;)
To my reviewers-
Ali: Thank you, I just loooove my cover. I have no idea why. I just do. I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I will admit that your last review was what finally broke my writer's block and you're the reason this chapter is up right now. So thank you so so much!
Emily: Thank you! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update sooner, but better late than never I guess!
TA-twinArmageddons: Yeah I know. I have a horrible habit of making them too short. I read all these stories with like three times the amount of words I write and I think wow I suck at length. But thank you for reviewing.
MusicManiacGirl: Eep! Just because you asked so nicely, your wish may come true!
Emberscar: Thank you so much. I thought that since back then letters were the preferred way of communication that it would be nice to put them in. They will definitly be a reoccuring thing! Thanks!
Carlypso: Thanks so much!
evansita:Thank you so much. Sorry I didn't upload sooner but my writer's block was just horrible! Ugh! Thank you!
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Friend
My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me- Henry Ford
Jade sealed the envelope closed and stuck it into her back pocket. She would mail it after lunch. Then-according to the schedule she was given-she had to get her hair cut. That made her nervous. Jade only had her hair cut once when she was six. She went home crying because her hair was cut just a bit above her shoulders. So her hair grew out down to her waist. Anyways, after her hair got cut she'd get her training uniform and then the rest of the day was all hers.
Jade bounced up from her seat and walked out the door. The air was crisp and clean. Very different from the musky, dusty, and rusty smell of her bunk. She took many short strides as she passed each building. There were a few other people walking around too and each one gave her a look as to say; "What are you doing here," and "You don't belong here." This wasn't right. She was supposed to feel welcome and at home. Jade wasn't supposed to receive hateful or questioning looks.
Slightly annoyed, Jade marched to the cafeteria. Her boots clomped against the gravel. The sound was almost comforting to her. Almost. The doors were already open for the lunch time traffic. Jade slowly walked inside. She was hesitant to walk in any further than the two feet from the threshold she was already at. But she pushed herself forward and strode over to the end of the line, her head down the entire time.
The tray she picked up was warm and wet in her hands from just being washed. As she took each step down the line, Jade's eyes stayed glued to the metal bars of the shelf her tray was on. Jade never looked up, not even when a server would cough for her attention. She would simply lift up the tray, wait for the plate to hit it, and move on. It made everything better for her.
Finally she turned around to face the crowd, her head slowly popped up. There were so many people it was overwhelming. And the only women in the room were either nurses, office workers, or behind the counter. Oh this was not good. Each table was full or had maybe a single seat left. She got even more glares from the people around her.
It was like high school all over again.
Jade was never really popular. They considered her weird and different even back then. Her few friends were, well…nerds. Fitting in was next to impossible.
Back in reality, Jade looked around once more. Alone in a corner was a table with only a single occupant. He was smaller than the other men in the mess hall, with blonde hair. He was huddled over a notepad. Once hand scooped food into his mouth while the other traced lines over the page with a pencil. It's better than sitting alone outside, Jade pondered over this for a moment before cautiously finding her way to the table. She coughed a little, "Um…can I- do you mind if I…sit here?" The man looked up. Blue eyes. The color of Californian oceans. "Steve?"
"Jade?" The blonde looked slightly confused, but also...relieved? Jade took a seat across from him and set down her tray.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as she picked at her food with her fork.
"I got enlisted under some sort of program! What about you? What are you doing here?" He seemed excited now that there was someone he knew here.
"I got enlisted too. Also under some sort of super secret project. Weird, huh?" He nodded for a moment before a wave of awkward silence washed over them. "Listen, Steve…if you don't want me here then I can go find another seat." She picked up the tray and began to get up. "I don't mind. It's no big de-"
"No! Sit, please!" He held up a hand to stop her while blushing a light pink shade. "There-there's no one else at this damn camp that, that I can talk to. That I can be friends with. And I-I already know you so it's even better. I understand if you don't want to stay, but it'd be great if you did. We're both outsiders here so…it only makes sense that we, you know, be friends."
Jade smiled. It was only her first day at the boot camp and it seemed like every single person there despised her. But now there was someone who didn't and Jade wasn't about to let him go. She carefully sat the tray and herself back down. "I'd love to be your friend."
Steve returned the smile. He closed up his book and began to set it on the bench next to him until Jade reached out for it. Steve playfully pulled it away from her, which made her even more determined. "Oh come on! I saw you drawing. Let me see!" She giggled as he taunted her by inching it closer to her hand and then pulled it away when she went to grab it.
"No," he gasped out between laughs.
"Steve Rogers, do not make me beg!" He only laughed more. Finally, to Jade's relief she caught hold of the leather bound journal and snatched it from Steve's grip. He gave up trying to protect it and went back to staring at his tray as she flipped through the worn out pages. "Wow Steve, these-these are amazing!"
He fidgeted some. "I uh, I went to art school for a year." Jade's smile only brightened.
"Nuh uh, this has got to be some kind of natural talent! This was not just some basic design courses!"
"I'll admit that I really only went to art school to clean up my drawings. Made them look professional. Okay, what about you? There's got to be some talent hidden by that thick veil of hair." Jade sunk back in her seat and push her almost black hair behind her ears.
She handed the book back to him and pulled out an even smaller one from the pocket without the letter in it. "I write…poetry." She cautiously handed him the book, frayed edges and all and watched him read each one. Various expressions crossed over the man's face. Happiness, sorrow, pain, and some others Jade couldn't recognize at the time.
Steve handed her back the small book with a solemn expression. "They're beautiful Jade. How can one small girl build up so much emotion?"
Jade put it back into her jean pocket. "Thank you, and I'm not that small," but even Jade knew that was a lie.
"Are you kidding? That's the first thing I noticed about you. Oh and the fact that you were jumping, screaming, and waving your hands around like a psychopath." Jade scoffed and lightly hit his arm.
"Well you certainly know how to charm a woman, don't you?" The laughing continued until another figure sat down at their table in a white coat. Jade instantly recognized him, but what she didn't know was that Steve did too.
"Good afternoon Dr. Erskine," Jade smiled politely.
"Gould afta-noon Jade."
Steve was very, very confused. How did these two know each other? "Whoa, wait! How-how do you guys know each other?" He echoed his own thoughts.
Jade was puzzled by his question. Did it really matter? "Dr. Erskine was the one to enlist me."
"What a coincidence! He enlisted me too." He didn't say it accusingly. Though he knew something was up.
"Both of us under a project too. Dr. Erskine, what's going on?"
The good doctor sighed and chuckled to himself. "I guess you 'ave vigured out my zecret. Vell, it vasn't veally a zecret, you'd find out eventually. Az I told you bevore Jade, I need a male test subject and a female test subject. Meet your new co-test subject." Both of them looked at each other in shock. Jade thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion: she would have a friend that understood the operation she went through. And she was happy it was Steve.
Steve thought about it too. If this operation required a woman that was brave and a fighter, Jade was definitely the one. He, personally, couldn't have picked a better candidate.
"'Ere," Dr. Erskine slid two folders to them. They each took one. It had bold, read letters stamped across it labeling it: TOP SECRET. "Zis iz a file on zee operation. Do not share zis vith anyvone but each other." The German scientist left the table to proceed with the days activities. The two soldiers shared a quick glance and once both had nodded, they opened up their folders.
"Operation: Rebirth," Steve whispered.
"Super soldier."
"Serum by injection."
"Enhanced strength."
"Enhanced speed,"
"Increased metabolism."
"High immune system."
"The perfect soldier," the said at the same time. Jade hoped they wouldn't start doing that more often. Suddenly, Steve's faced drained of all color and then an enormously deep red blush crept over his face.
"What's wrong Steve?" Jade asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Well, I think that…umm…the folders were, uh, separated and made specifically for each one of us. And I, uh, I think I picked up yours." He quickly swapped their folders. Jade opened up her new one and scanned it over for any differences. But there weren't any…
Except for one page. It wasn't in the other folder. And it was clearly meant for Jade. "Oh Steve, stop being a baby. It just talks about how the serum will change around my cycle to make a better soldier. The don't want me bleeding on the battle-"
Steve waved his arms to stop her. "Stop, stop, stop! Let's just not talk about that."
Jade laughed, "Okay we'll stop talking about it!" They continued to laugh and casually chat, asking questions to get to know each other better. Simple things like:
"When were you born?"
"July 4th, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, you?"
"You share your birthday with America's birthday? Whoa, well I was born on April 9th, 1921 in Queens, New York. Small world, huh? I've been to Brooklyn a few times."
"If my history classes serve me right, I believe you share you birthday with the official ending of the Civil War, the day that brought our great nation back together."
Jade smiled widely, "You make my birthday sound so special."
"Well it is," Steve said matter-of-factly. Jade blushed a little. "Do you like baseball?"
Jade thought about this. Would her answer make her seem weird? Oh well, he probably already thought she was. "Yeah, my brother Jasper and I used to play catch a half hour before we listened to the game. It was like our good luck charm. Jasper is a huge Dodgers fan." She chuckled to herself. Her parents would never buy her a glove of her own. She had to use Jacob's and it was way too big.
"No way! I love the Dodgers. I'll have to meet your brother sometime." Jade smiled again and nodded.
"Yeah," she looked at her watch and sighed. "Well I've got to go get my hair chopped off. Apparently it's 'too long.' See you later, Brooklyn."
Steve grinned, "Yeah, yeah, skedaddle Queens. I'll see you at training tomorrow." Jade waved, she liked her new nickname.
Jade tapped her feet impatiently. The barber was off in a corner arguing with an office worker as she sat in the chair waiting.
"I've never cut a woman's hair before. Let alone one that's a soldier! I don't know how short!"
The lady with bright red lipstick rolled her eyes. "It's simple, cut it short enough so it doesn't get in the way but long enough so she still looks like a lady. That Doctor Erskine fellow said she's supposed to be a female representing America, so go from there!"
He finally (and reluctantly) walked over. As he raised the scissors she hissed out, "Cut my hair anywhere above my shoulders and you'll find it awfully hard to have children for a while." He gulped and went on with the haircut.
After Jade got her hair cut and mailed that letter, she looked at herself in her bathroom mirror. Her precious hair that flowed to her waist was now unevenly chopped to around her armpits. She took care of that with a rusty pair of scissors and now it was nice, even, and straight.
She had to admit it didn't look half bad.
It looked healthier and shinier with soft, natural waves. So far things were going well. There was now someone she could talk to. And training started tomorrow. Things could only get better.
Right.
A/N: Ah and there it is. They seem to be becoming better friends, eh? Thanks for reading and please review. (No flame please!) Ciao!